telegraph.co.uk

A new royal couple that's refreshingly old-fashioned

No 53,279

£4.00

Features

The Daily Telegraph NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

Birmingham set to be first 20mph city

‘Anti-motorist’ speed limit risks being replicated across England thanks to Burnham’s devolution drive

By Joe Wright and Daniel Martin

BIRMINGHAM is set to become England's first 20mph city by lowering speed limits on the majority of its roads.

In plans updated last week, the Liberal Democrat, Green and independent-led council said it wants all routes apart from A-roads to become 20mph zones. The council said it wanted to ensure that cars “no longer dominate street life” by promoting walking and cycling as the best ways to travel.

However, opponents have claimed the “anti-motorist policy” would make travelling around the city harder.

The proposal comes amid Andy Burnham's push for devolution, which could give local authorities greater power to impose similar controversial policies on their areas.

Birmingham, once regarded as the motor capital of Britain, thanks to its vast car production and trailblazing road designs, adopted a plan in 2021 to expand the rollout of 20mph zones.

However, the new council coalition has gone further and committed to lowering speed limits across the city. In its plan put out for public consultation last week, Birmingham city council said: "A limit of 20mph will be standard on all local roads. Residential neighbourhoods and local centres will be places where people are put first. Cars will no longer dominate street life around homes and schools."

Reform UK's Jex Parkin, the leader of Birmingham's opposition, said: "This is another anti-motorist policy from a council that seems determined to make getting around Birmingham harder.

“People already have enough congestion, restrictions and disruption to deal with without another blanket measure being imposed on them.”

England has had a 30mph speed limit

'People have enough congestion and disruption to deal with without another blanket measure'

in residential areas since 1935, but almost a third of roads now have a 20mph restriction. The number of drivers caught breaking 20mph speed limits has increased dramatically, from 37,219 in 2023 to 125,133 in 2025.

Last night, the Department for Transport declined to criticise Birmingham city council, saying it had complete control over the speed limits on its roads. A spokesman said: "Local authorities are responsible for setting speed limits in their areas, and our guidance is clear that 20mph limits should only be used where they are appropriate and supported by evidence."

Since taking office, the Prime Minister has outlined plans to give more powers to elected mayors and grant local areas more say in decision making. Mr Burnham has repeatedly called for more “fiscal devolution” to give regional mayors greater control of local economic policy using their own funds.

Last month The Telegraph revealed that Treasury officials had worked up a plan to give mayors a share of income tax revenue.

The Department for Transport said in June that 20mph limits “should only be used where they are appropriate and supported by evidence”.

A Birmingham city council spokesman said: “Evidence from around the world on slower speed limits is very clear: it reduces collisions, saves lives and reduces injuries – so our message is simple: slower is safer. Slower speeds are less intimidating towards those who walk or cycle, activities that we need to encourage more of if we are to reduce the number of harmful emissions and traffic levels in the city.”

He added that the city's 20mph roll-out had so far been done on a “targeted basis in response to local road safety concerns or near to schools”.

Dolly Parton Queen of country dies aged 80 Obituary p25

Dolly Parton, the country music star, has died at the age of 80 after a spell of bad health that forced her to cancel appearances. Announcing her death, her nephew Bryan Seaver said: 'Dolly opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life.'

Pensioners face tax raid to bail out Britain

By Tim Wallace

DEPUTY ECONOMICS EDITOR

ANDY BURNHAM should raise taxes on wealthy pensioners to rescue the public finances, a think tank favoured by Labour has urged.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) called on the Prime Minister to introduce National Insurance on pensioners' incomes to shield workers from further levies.

The group of economists said in a report that the policy, along with higher taxes on property wealth, was essential to combat growing financial pressures caused by an ageing population.

The IPPR said billions of pounds of tax rises on pensioners were required to fix a system that “has become too tilted in favour of age and wealth”.

Ben Ansell, a professor at the University of Oxford and author of the report, said: “Britain cannot meet the fiscal challenges of the coming decades simply by asking people in work to pay more and relying on another round of stealth taxes. Ageing is going to become by far the biggest source of pressure on the public finances.

“Yet our tax system has increasingly shifted responsibility towards younger workers while protecting many of those who have benefited most from decades of rising property and asset wealth.”

The IPPR has released its proposal as John Healey, the Chancellor, seeks to raise funds for his Budget on Oct 28.

The report is likely to carry influence in Westminster owing to the close ties between the think tank and Mr Burnham's political allies.

Its alumni include James Purnell, Mr Burnham's chief of staff, Miatta Fahn-bulleh, the Energy Secretary, and a slew of advisers and more junior ministers.

'Ageing is going to become the biggest source of pressure on the public finances'

Since coming to power, the Prime Minister has revealed plans to spend more on devolution, housing and social care.

However, this has been complicated by the economic fallout from the Iran war, as higher oil prices have driven up inflation and reduced the Government's fiscal headroom. Mr Burnham refused to rule out tax rises when asked on Monday, acknowledging that “we are in a challenging position”. The Prime Minister also promised that new policies “will be funded”.

However, the prospect of more public spending comes with government finances already under strain from greater defence spending, net zero and an ageing population.

The IPPR said these three factors alone will cost the taxpayer an extra Continued on Page 2

Editorial Comment: Page 15

INSIDE

NEWS

Badenoch to reshuffle shadow cabinet

Puzzles	16
Obituaries	25
TV listings	26
Weather	28

NEWS

Kemi Badenoch is planning a reshuffle after MPs return from their summer break next week, The Telegraph can reveal. The Tory leader will announce significant changes to her shadow cabinet before the annual conference in October. Party sources said Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, would depart the front bench before going on maternity leave later this year, and Helen Grant, the shadow solicitor general, would voluntarily leave the shadow cabinet. Page 4

Leith: Ban lunch boxes to tackle obesity

Dame Prue Leith has said school lunch boxes should be banned because parents' habit of packing them with unhealthy food "can't be policed". She added that giving children sweet treats, such as a chocolate bar, to eat at school was "an easy way of almost buying love". The former Great British Bake Off judge, 86, hailed a forthcoming "revolution" in school foods and has said she would like to see free, compulsory school meals for every child. Page 7

'A word of advice. If you don't want to lose it, take off your Rolex before walking past the Treasury'

BUSINESS

Electricity bills to rise £264 as net zero bites

Household electricity bills are on track to rise by £264 by 2035 as the cost of net zero climbs, a major consulting firm has warned. High prices are driving down electricity consumption which means the cost of renewable subsidies and grid upgrades are increasingly dominating power bills, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG). If demand continues to fall, the average household electricity bill will rise by 30 per cent over the next nine years to hit £1,145, BCG calculated. Page 17

Lewis Moody MND is curable but it needs more funds

Sport

*Free UK digital banking means day-to-day standard electronic transfers made through Business Internet Banking and HSBC UK Business Banking app are free. Other charges apply e.g. cheques and CHAPS. See Business Price List for details. Subject to application, eligibility, credit check and T&Cs. Issued by HSBC UK Bank plc, 1 Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 1HQ, United Kingdom. ©HSBC Group 2026. All Rights Reserved. AC67293

News

The Travel Expert

A new Telegraph podcast with Simon Calder

Britain's leading travel journalist and his co-host Greg Dickinson unpack the biggest travel stories – and what they mean for your next trip

Watch or listen every Friday YouTube Telegraph app Spotify Podcasts

Burnham faces Chagos showdown at UN summit

Mauritius will use meeting in New York to pressure Prime Minister into ceding sovereignty over islands

By Tony Diver and Samaan Lateef

ANDY BURNHAM faces a showdown over the Chagos Islands at the UN next month, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Prime Minister, who plans to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting in New York next month, will be challenged by Mauritius over Britain's failure to cede its sovereignty over the islands.

The meeting will be Mr Burnham's first international summit as Prime Minister, but risks being overshadowed by a public row over the islands.

The UK signed an agreement in May 2025 to hand the islands to Mauritius, and to pay the country billions of pounds over the next century to rent back the Diego Garcia military base.

The plans were drawn up with the backing of the White House, but the deal has been in limbo since April, when Donald Trump withdrew his support, saying the transfer was an “act of great stupidity”.

Legislation to enable the deal to go ahead was dropped by the Government in April and ministers have yet to commit to reviving it.

Mr Burnham is in a catch-22 situation over Chagos, which the Conservatives and Reform UK say should be retained by Britain. He cannot proceed with the deal without angering the US, but cannot abandon it because of the risk of legal action from Mauritius.

Two sources in the Mauritian government told The Telegraph that the country was planning to use the UN General Assembly to force the issue and pressure Mr Burnham into proceeding with the deal.

Mauritius is facing an unfunded budget deficit of £170m, which it had intended to fill with a payment from the UK to rent back Diego Garcia, and other compensation for “colonising” the islands in 1965.

One official in Port Louis, the Mauritian capital, said “all possibilities were being looked into”, after warnings it would attempt to force the UK to proceed with the deal this year.

Mauritius could use the summit to request that the UK be sanctioned by UN agencies, which could make it harder for the base to operate communications equipment or land aircraft.

The Mauritian delegation could also request a UN resolution labelling the UK's continued occupation of the islands illegal, or refer the issue back to the International Court of Justice, which ruled in 2019 that the islands should be given to Mauritius.

The motions would not force Britain to abandon the islands immediately, but would pile considerable diplomatic pressure on the UK.

Mauritius has previously received support for its motions on the Chagos Islands at the UN from the African Union, which considers the issue a matter of “decolonisation”, and the Alliance of Small Island States, a bloc of 39 small island nations. Speaking in Ukraine on

'It's likely I will go [to UN summit], particularly after today's discussion. I'm clear what I need to do'

Monday, Mr Burnham said he would probably attend the UN summit. He said: “I’ve not fully confirmed the details yet, but it’s likely I will go, particularly after today’s discussion. Leaving today, I’m quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks.”

The Prime Minister's visit to the US could include his first meeting with Mr Trump, who is less likely to attend the summit but could receive him afterwards at the White House.

The Chagos Islands debacle became a sticking point between Mr Trump and Sir Keir Starmer after the UK refused to allow the US to use British air bases for offensive bombing runs against Iran.

Mr Trump had previously supported the deal between the UK and Mauritius, which would involve Britain giving up sovereignty of the islands and signing a 99-year lease to rent back the base. However, after the row over the use of British bases, he changed his position.

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.

Horse of the bride Showjumper Kelly Ogier, 34, from Guernsey, rode her favourite horse, Tink, down the aisle in tribute to her father who died before her wedding.

Recalled criminals outnumber new prison inmates in latest blow to early-release

By Charles Hymas HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

MORE offenders are being recalled to prison than are being jailed by the courts in the latest blow to Labour's early release plans.

There were more than 51,000 offenders recalled to custody last year, compared with more than 47,000 who were sent to prison after being sentenced by the courts, according to an analysis by the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (Nacro).

Nacro warned that the Government's plans for the early release of 5,000 prisoners, including killers, violent offenders and sex offenders, were unlikely to stop prisons running out of space unless ministers tackled the record number of offenders being recalled to jail.

The number of recalls has increased by 136 per cent since 2016-17 to a record 51,419 in the past 12 months, despite the number of people released from prison falling by more than a fifth. Nacro estimated that prison recalls were costing taxpayers almost £750m a year.

Enver Solomon, Nacro's chief executive, said: "Addressing the scale of recalls must be a central part of the Government's response to the prison capacity crisis. Without this, prison places freed up through earlier releases will simply be filled up again by people recalled to prison."

There are currently 12,500 offenders in prison because they have been recalled, a seventh of the jail population. Of these, 9,900 had not committed any further crimes and were returned to jail only because they breached their licence by, for example, failing to attend an appointment.

The latest figures show that there are just 1,665 spare places left in men's prisons out of a maximum capacity of 84,835. With spare capacity falling at 120 places a week, space will run out of before December without the early release scheme.

Andy Burnham has ordered a review by Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, to find more space by converting women's prison spaces, deporting more foreign offenders and reducing the number of prisoners on indefinite imprisonment for public protection sentences.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Less than one in seven offenders in custody are on recall, and it is a vital tool to keep the public safe.

"The numbers of recalls and first-time releases also can't be compared as the same prisoner can be counted more than once."

Tax proposals are ‘warning’ ahead of Healey’s Budget

Continued from Page 1

£100bn a year by 2035. The think tank's proposals to prop up the economy include applying the 2pc National Insurance surcharge on taxpaying pensioners.

Applying this to all pensioners with annual earnings above the income tax threshold of £12,750 would raise in the region of £2bn for the Exchequer, Prof Ansell says. It would also hit 9.6 million pensioners.

He said this would go some way to reversing some of the damage caused by tax rises on young workers. A long-standing freeze to income tax thresholds is forcing millions of workers to pay income tax, while also pushing others into higher tax brackets.

The IPPR said the policy, known as fiscal drag, was leading to people over the state pension age paying a lower rate of tax than a young worker on the same income, especially once student loan repayments are taken into account.

“For the past decades, the chief beneficiaries of British fiscal policymaking have been older, wealthier citizens – typically, the retired,” said the IPPR report. By contrast, the hardest hit have been those in work, particularly younger people repaying student loans through the tax system.”

Sir Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, warned that the proposal should sound the alarm for older voters before the Budget. He said: "When Andy Burnham's favourite think tank is proposing huge tax increases on investment, pensioners and family homes, this should be a warning sign for what is to come at the Budget.

“Labour have already killed growth with their vast tax rises, yet Andy Burnham is refusing to rule out coming back for more.”

NEWS BULLETIN

Surrey swimmer dies in sea off Devon coast

A man died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the sea off Devon.

Emergency services pulled the swimmer from the water off Blackpool Sands, Strete, yesterday afternoon.

The man, who was in his 40s and from Surrey, was treated by paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Police were called by HM Coastguard following concerns for the welfare of a man. The man had got into difficulty while swimming in the sea and was recovered from the water by HM Coastguard.”

Storms set to cause more travel chaos this week

Intense thunderstorms and heavy rain across much of the South East and London could cause travel disruption this week, forecasters have warned.

The Met Office said a band of heavy showers and storms was expected to move northwards this morning.

It follows hot weather and dry conditions across Britain, with drought declared in nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales.

The Met Office said the UK was on course for its hottest summer on record after five heatwaves, with temperatures of up to 38.1C recorded in London.

A yellow warning for thunderstorms has been issued from 3am to 10pm today across much of England.

Ex-soldier charged with grandmother killing

A former soldier has appeared in court accused of killing a grandmother and assaulting her husband with a metal pole during a burglary.

Rose Smith, 75, and husband Ronald Smith, 81, were watching TV at their home in Tollington Park, Finsbury Park, north London, when four men burst in and demanded cash, a court heard. Police who entered the home around 9.20pm on Aug 11 found Smith collapsed in the hallway.

Jeffrey Rose, 46, of North Harrow, north-west London, was charged with manslaughter, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and aggravated burglary with intent at Barkingside magistrates' court yesterday.

Hudson making sequel to 'How to Lose a Guy'

A sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is in the works, 23 years after the original's release.

Kate Hudson, who starred in the 2003 hit romcom alongside Matthew McConaughey, is set to produce it.

Although much of the cast has not been selected, the Paramount filmmakers want the original co-stars to reprise their roles, Variety reported.

Stacey Sher, behind hits such as Pulp Fiction and Matilda, will produce the follow-up alongside Hudson.

The announcement comes amid a trend for nostalgic sequels in Hollywood following the likes of The Devil Wears Prada 2, Scary Movie and Toy Story 5 which all hit the big screens this year.

The Daily Telegraph

is a member of the Independent Press Standards

Organisation (IPSO) and we subscribe to its Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content, please visit www.telegraph.co.uk/editorialcomplaints or write to 'Editorial Complaints' at our postal address (see below). If you are not satisfied with our response, you may appeal to IPSO at www.ipso.co.uk.

The Daily Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W ODT

Richard III Complexity 71/100 The story of England's ruthless king features a huge cast of more than 50 speaking characters and much political scheming. (Pictured: Sir Ian McKellen as Richard III, above)

Antony and Cleopatra Complexity 83/100 This play about a love affair set across ancient Rome and Egypt features a sprawling structure and complex political machinations. (Pictured: Dame Judi Dench as Cleopatra, right)

Shakespeare's timeless romance may feature a complicated family feud, but its universal themes of love and rebellion make it accessible to all. (Pictured: Claire Danes as Juliet, below)

The Tempest Complexity 14/100 Set in one location and featuring a straight-forward plot centred on a single character, this was identified as Shakespeare's most accessible work. (Pictured: Kenneth Branagh as Prospero, below)

Much Ado About Nothing Complexity 30/100 Unlike many other works, Much Ado is written mostly in conversational dialogue rather than poetic verse. (Pictured: John Gielgud and Margaret Leighton as Benedick and Beatrice, below)

Twelfth Night Complexity 17/100 This mix of comedy and romance may feature some gender-fluid disguises, but it is ultimately an ageless tale of love and self-identity. (Pictured: Sir Stephen Fry and Sir Mark Rylance as Malvolio and Olivia, above)

Hardest

→ Easiest

Think the Bard's hard? It can be or not be

With its 42 scenes, Antony and Cleopatra is ranked as Shakespeare's most complex masterpiece

By Sarah Knapton SCIENCE EDITOR

ANYONE who has persevered with Pericles or hung on through all three parts of Henry VI knows that Shakespeare's works can be head-scratchers.

Scientists in Switzerland have ranked the Bard's plays by complexity, showing which ones to avoid for a more relaxing trip to the theatre.

Topping the list for its complicated plot, large cast and sprawling scope is the tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, which follows the destructive love affair between the Roman leader and the doomed Egyptian queen. The sweeping epic features 34 speaking characters, 42 scenes and jumps across multiple countries, charting the political machinations and private passions of its central characters.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the heavy-weight history plays come next, with Henry IV Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VIII and Richard III all making the top 10.

On the opposite end of the scale, The Tempest wins the title of least complex, followed by the comedies Love's Labour's Lost, Twelfth Night and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Popular plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet inhabit the middle ground.

Dr Christian Maximilian Thurn, a lecturer at the Swiss university ETH Zurich, said: "Shakespeare is challenging for many reasons, among them puns and wordplays and old-fashioned lan-

‘It makes it demanding that he included so many characters in his works’

guage. But it also makes it demanding that he included so many characters in his plays, and that they relate to each other in complex constellations.

“Directors likely know about the complexity of a play and implement measures to reduce complexity, for example role doubling [and] abridgements.

“But maybe it is fair to say that someone who is going to read The Tempest might expect a more digestible reading than if they would read Antony and Cleopatra.”

Researchers rated all of Shakespeare's plays using a measure known as Kolmogorov complexity, which usually assesses how simply a computer programme can be written.

For example, if a programme is coded from one million alternating AB characters it would be judged as very simple.

But a million-character programme made up of non-repeating random characters would require far more complex code, despite being the same length.

The researchers judged the Kolmogorov complexity of a play to be low if only a few members of the cast were on stage one after another.

But as the web of characters increases, and the characters start interlinking in unpredictable patterns, the play is deemed more complex.

The study also shows that Shakespeare's plays are generally more complicated than most other European plays.

Only four plays out of 2,047 studied were found to have been more complex than Antony and Cleopatra, including Danton's Death by Georg Büchner, which has 103 characters, and The Land of Upside Down by Ludwig Tieck with 74 characters.

The team also analysed more than

3,000 European plays written between 472 BC and AD 2017, again determining complexity based on relationship networks between characters.

'Someone going to read The Tempest might expect a more digestible read'

They suggested that understanding the complexity of plays, and how much readers struggle to understand them, could be useful in future studies of human cognition.

In previous research, Prof Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford suggested there was a mental limit to how many relationships humans can maintain and comprehend, known as Dunbar's number.

Prof Dunbar suggested that most people can only keep up with around 150 acquaintances and meaningful contacts, which tends to mirror historical village sizes or hunter-gatherer groups.

The research was published in Royal Society Open Science.

Dame Maggie leaves fortune of £16m to her two actor sons

Dame Maggie Smith accrued her substantial fortune over the course of a 70-year stage and film career

By Cameron Henderson

DAME MAGGIE SMITH left a £16m fortune to her two actor sons, probate records show.

The double Oscar winner, who died in September 2024 at the age of 89, left an estate worth £15,977,325 to her children Christopher Stephens, who works under the stage name Christopher Larkin, and Toby Stephens.

The Downton Abbey actress's estate includes her five-bedroom West Sussex farmhouse, where she raised her two sons and lived for 40 years.

Called Douglas Lake Farm, the sprawling property – which includes barns, a stable and a vineyard – lies on the edge of the village of Filleworth and was left in a family trust set up with the brothers in 2019.

Dame Maggie died at Chelsea and Westminster hospital surrounded by friends and family.

She accrued her substantial fortune over the course of a 70-year stage and film career which saw her win two Oscars, four Emmys, three Golden Globes and numerous other awards, including an honorary Olivier in 2010.

In more recent years, she became synonymous with the steely tones of

Prof Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, and for her turn as Lady Violet Crawley in ITV's Downton Abbey.

Born in Ilford, Essex, on Dec 28 1934, she won recognition from the start of her career and earned Academy Awards for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Private Function and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne.

She married Robert Stephens, the actor, in 1967, the father of her two sons. After a divorce she married Beverley Cross, the playwright, in the mid-1970s. Her will directs any copyright, royalties and unpublished works she inherited from Cross, who died in 1998, to be shared out separately, according to The Sun.

The proceeds are to be split equally between his daughter Philippa Maughan, his son Shaun Cross and her own two sons.

After her death, the King led tributes to Dame Maggie, saying him and the Queen were “deeply saddened”.

She was remembered by her sons as an “intensely private person” who was “with friends and family at the end”.

Blunt denies rumours Panettiere 'was brought to his bed aged 18'

By Iona Cleave US CORRESPONDENT

This 2009 picture of singer James Blunt, far left, with Hayden Panettiere, second from right, led to a flood of internet rumours

JAMES BLUNT shared an article denying that American actress Hayden Panettiere was brought to his bed when she was 18.

Panettiere, a former child actress known for her roles in Nashville and Heroes, died on Aug 16 aged 36 in a suspected overdose. Her official cause of death has not yet been revealed.

In her May 2026 autobiography This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere recounted an incident in which she said an unnamed woman asked her to get in bed with an “undressed” and “very famous” British singer in his 30s on a yacht in France.

She wrote that she was 18 at the time and the incident led to her hiding on the boat.

Since her death, theories began circulating that Blunt was the unidentified British singer-songwriter she wrote about in her memoir. Online sleuths pointed to a picture of the pair together in 2009.

Pushing back on the growing speculation that Panettiere was referring to him, Blunt shared an article with his two million followers on X denying the rumours. Dean Piper, a British journalist, wrote in the piece: “Here lies the problem with the Wild West of internet chatter. Facts don’t matter. Legalities don’t matter. People are saying whatever they like and getting away with it and that is wrong.”

Mr Piper, who reported on Panettiere and Blunt spending time together at Cannes in 2009, said the timeline of the internet theory does not make sense. He pointed out that Panettiere was 19, not 18, in Cannes. “Guys, it only takes the smallest of AI searches to find out that in May 2009, when the pictures of Blunt and Panettiere were taken, she was 19, almost 20. So, if the incident happened when she was 18, Blunt’s not your guy to start with,” he says.

Elsewhere in her memoir, Panettiere spoke about the perils of early fame, postpartum depression, addiction and recovery, trauma and domestic abuse.

Badenoch to reshuffle shadow cabinet

Opposition leader's changes prompted partly by restless backbenchers, say Conservative sources

By Tony Diver POLITICAL EDITOR

KEMI BADENOCH is planning a Conservative reshuffle after MPs return from their summer break next week, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Tory leader will announce significant changes to her shadow cabinet before the annual conference in October. It will be her second reshuffle since she replaced Rishi Sunak.

Party sources told The Telegraph that Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, would depart the front bench before going on maternity leave later this year, and Helen Grant, the shadow solicitor general, would voluntarily leave the shadow cabinet.

Julia Lopez, the shadow science and technology secretary, is expected to move jobs after Andy Burnham's abolition of the department she covers.

Conservative sources said the reshuffle had been prompted in part by a need to promote restless backbenchers elected in 2024 who had not yet served on the front bench.

One source said: “A lot of the new intake want jobs because they think that the shadow cabinet are lazy and they are having to pick up a lot of the slack.”

The reshuffle will come in time for the annual conference in Birmingham, where newly appointed ministers will make their pitches to the public.

Promotions could be announced for Katie Lam, a shadow home office minister, Harriet Cross, a Scottish Conservative MP credited with her work on the recent by-election campaign in Aberdeen South, and Aphra Brandreth, who has impressed senior Tories on the foreign affairs committee.

There has been speculation that Mrs Badenoch is intending to replace Sir Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, and Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary. However, it is unlikely either will lose their jobs in this reshuffle because Mrs Badenoch is said to be unsure about who could succeed them.

Ms Coutinho, who has been tipped as a potential leader, is thought to be in contention to become shadow chancellor in a future Tory team, but is unavailable this year because of her maternity leave. She is expected to return to work in the new year.

Some Tory MPs have grown frustrated that the party is underperforming on foreign affairs and the economy, which are traditionally two of the Conservatives' strongest campaign issues.

Reform UK outperforms the Conservatives on the cost of living, which is a core part of Sir Mel's brief, although the Tories are still considered more credible on the handling of the economy in general.

Dame Priti, who has led the Tories' criticism of Labour over the Chinese embassy plans and Chagos deal, has been accused of being “invisible” on the national stage.

Both ministers are also thought to be too close to previous Tory governments, with Dame Priti having served as Boris

Kemi Badenoch, in a white Badgley Mischka midi dress, chats with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni during a trip to Rome on Monday

Johnson's home secretary and Sir Mel as Mr Sunak's work and pensions secretary.

The reshuffle is expected to mark the most dramatic reshaping of the shadow cabinet since Mrs Badenoch took office in November 2024.

Polling shows that Mrs Badenoch's personal approval rating has steadily increased since then. Meanwhile, the Conservative Party's performance has slid from a 26 per cent vote share to 19 per cent in the same period.

The Tories' underperformance has largely been attributed to the success of Reform, but Conservative strategists have also been concerned by the lack of awareness of their policies among the public. A recent poll circulating among MPs showed that just 14 per cent of voters were aware of the party's announcements on cutting the welfare bill and the abolition of stamp duty, while 12 per cent had heard Mrs Badenoch's pledge to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Meanwhile, 14 per cent of participants said that they had heard of a fictional policy inserted into the poll as a control data point.

Tory MPs are also divided on whether Mrs Badenoch should pursue former Conservative voters who have switched to Reform, or those who voted for the Liberal Democrats.

Some strategists believe that targeting former Tory strongholds in the South of England that fell to the Lib Dems would allow the party to avoid losing seats if an election were called.

Some of the party's latest policies, including a crackdown on welfare payments, the scrapping of net zero targets and leaving the ECHR, have been read as an attempt to appeal to Reform voters.

However, much of the party's traditional base in the East of England, including Mrs Badenoch's North West Essex seat, has only become more vul-

'A lot of the new intake want jobs because they think the shadow cabinet are lazy'

Right to Rome Meloni's advice for Kemi

Giorgia Meloni told Kemi Badenoch to "be your own woman" during a one-to-one meeting in Rome. The Italian prime minister met the Conservative Party leader for an hour in a café in Rome on Monday, where they discussed economic and migration issues. Ms Meloni told Mrs Badenoch "you've got to be yourself", and "be your own woman and stand your ground", The Times reported. Both women are facing challenges from the Right: Mrs Badenoch with Reform UK and Ms Meloni with the nationalist Roberto Vannacci. After their meeting near the Pantheon, the Tory leader hailed Ms Meloni, saying investors now had more confidence in Italy than in Britain. "People wrote Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni off, saying she wouldn't last six months," Mrs Badenoch posted on X, alongside photographs of the pair. She added: "In 10 days she will be leading the longest-serving government in the history of the Italian Republic. She is a straight-talking, non-nonsense woman who knows what she believes." Lily Shanagher

nerable to Reform since 2024. Lord Gilbert, one of Mrs Badenoch's senior advisers, is thought to have suggested that pursuing more moderate voters would be easier to achieve than winning back those who now support Nigel Farage's party.

Mrs Badenoch has doubled down on her more Right-wing policy positions, telling potential Tory candidates they would not be selected unless they supported leaving the ECHR and disavowing net zero. The Tories have repeatedly ruled out a deal with Mr Farage, which Mrs Badenoch described last weekend as a “monstrous” idea.

Fears of Russian strike accelerate plans for war on the home front

By Rozina Sabur

NATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR

CIVIL defence planning for a major emergency has been accelerated amid fears Russia could strike a critical sector within the next few years.

Sources said that the Cabinet Office had been told to bring forward planning for the Home Defence Programme, an initiative that aims to bring together civilian and military planning for crises.

The programme is led by the Cabinet Office's COBR Directorate and includes plans for the “war book”, the Government's classified blueprint to transition the country for crisis and conflict.

Sources said that some elements of the plans for homeland defences had been brought forward from a previous deadline of 2035 to 2030.

They declined to say which element the deadline related to because of the sensitivities around the plans. But one source said: “We do need to accelerate preparedness in a range of threat areas, which means in the next few years, not the next decade.”

Last month, the Government published an updated national risk register listing 95 risks but omitting the most sensitive, classified ones. Sir Keir Starmer warned earlier this year Moscow could launch an attack “on Nato as soon as 2030”, echoing assessments by intelligence agencies and Mark Rutte, Nato's secretary general.

The move to accelerate civil defence planning came as a former senior Russian official warned yesterday of the prospect of a “semi-military” response against British drone factories supporting Ukraine.

Security and defence chiefs have warned for some time that Russia and other hostile states are scaling up so-called “greyzone” attacks, including cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.

The Telegraph revealed on Sunday that Iran successfully shut down a British power station for four days in an unprecedented cyber attack.

The affected plant was relatively small and the outage did not impact the wider power grid. However, it demonstrated that hostile actors can access sensitive sites. In response, the Government briefed the chief executives of power companies and directly wrote to businesses with advice, direction and next steps.

2004

Last time the ‘war book’ was updated according to ex-Cabinet Office officials, frustrated with slow pace of preparations

A strategy for energy resilience is expected to be published later this year.

Officials fear that the public is not sufficiently attuned to the potential risks and plan to launch an information campaign on “national resilience” this autumn, with guidance on stockpiling food, water, and candles.

One source said: “We need to be ready for threats to become more possible by 2030.”

As part of the preparations, Operation Albiston Shadow, the largest-ever national home defence exercise run by Cobra, will be carried out in 2027.

Dan Jarvis, the security minister, has described the Home Defence Programme as “an evolving and enduring programme of work which provides defence, security and resilience planning”.

It is focused on aligning military and civilian efforts in the event of crises ranging from severe weather to major cyber attacks and outbreaks of international hostilities.

Some former Cabinet Office officials have expressed frustration with the slow pace of the preparations, claiming that complacency had resulted in the “war book” last being updated in 2004.

A government spokesman said: “The government has been running the Home Defence Programme since 2024, ensuring the country is fully prepared to deal with a variety of threats.

“Safeguarding national security is the first priority of any government, and we routinely plan for a range of scenarios as a vital part of maintaining our preparedness.”

Reform pledges to scrap GDPR as Jenrick targets small businesses

Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick will today outline the party's plans on data as part of a pro-business pitch

By Daniel Martin

DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

ROBERT JENRICK will today lay out plans to scrap cumbersome EU data regulations that burden small businesses.

Reform UK's Treasury spokesman said the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which mirrors EU legislation and was adopted as domestic law after Brexit, had “strangled” tech firms and small enterprises.

He said a Reform government would replace it with a light-touch approach pioneered in New Zealand as part of a bid to slash red tape for businesses.

Mr Jenrick will outline the pro-business pitch, including a pledge to expand a tax-relief scheme for investors in small businesses, which would to allow relatives to claim advantages more easily.

Reform said it would change the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme to ensure parents and grandparents could put up to £250,000 into their child or grandchild's small business and receive an income tax rebate of 50 per cent.

They would also receive an exemption from capital gains tax if they held the investment for three years.

Reform would also reverse the rise in employer National Insurance contributions and changes to inheritance tax on farms, and introduce a “hard work bonus” to scrap income tax on overtime.

“Ten years after the Brexit referendum, we should not still be following ridiculous EU privacy laws that hurt British businesses,” said Mr Jenrick.

“For decades governments have focussed on big corporations while leaving small businesses to fall by the wayside. No more.”

Firms have to comply with the GDPR if they collect, use, or store personal data like customer names, emails, or employee records, regardless of the size of the company.

Labour considers ban on cousin marriage after migrant case

By Charles Hymas HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

LABOUR is considering whether to back legislation to ban first cousin marriage in the UK.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) acknowledged that there were “serious concerns” over cousin marriage and said it would “look at” whether outlawing it was the best way to tackle it.

A backbench bill is expected to be laid before Parliament in the new year by Dr Luke Evans, the shadow health minister, in a fresh attempt to ban first cousin marriage.

A previous attempt by Richard Holden, the shadow transport secretary, in a private member's bill last year failed after being blocked by Sir Keir Starmer's government.

Mr Holden urged Andy Burnham not to be a “coward” or “unwilling” to back the new proposals for a ban.

The move follows the disclosure by The Telegraph on Monday that a Sudanese migrant had been allowed to stay in the UK after marrying her first cousin, who came to the UK as a refugee. Mr Holden told GB News: "Given cases like this, it's quite clear to me that first cousin marriage is now being used as a way to try and bypass the normal immigration system, and it's pretty clear to me that we need to act more swiftly than that.

"I want to see the Government backing the bill that Dr Evans is bringing forward, just get on board with it.

"This is something that whether you're a Conservative voter or a Labour voter or a Reform voter or a liberal

'The Government should be on the side of the people, not so-called community leaders'

voter, actually right across the board, people want to see first cousin marriage banned."

He said Labour was “unwilling to face down certain voices within certain communities” but added: “The truth is that I’ve had genuinely dozens of messages from people within the British Pakistani community saying, ‘Richard, please keep going on this campaign. It’s very difficult for us to speak out'. But they're telling me those opinion polls, which show the majority of British Pakistanis want to see this banned as well, are true. They're saying it's just the Government is unwilling to stand up to vested interests within parts of the British Pakistani community.

"The Government should be on the side of the people, not on the side of some of these so-called community leaders."

An MoJ spokesman said: “We recognise the serious concerns that have been raised around this issue. As any responsible government would do, we must look at whether legislation is the best solution to tackle this.”

First cousin unions account for fewer than 1 per cent of all marriages nationwide. However, studies such as the Born in Bradford health project have suggested as many as 35 per cent to 55 per cent of people of Pakistani heritage in the UK marry a first cousin.

The project found that even after factors such as poverty were controlled for, a child of first cousins in Bradford had an 11 per cent probability of being diagnosed with a speech problem.

AUDUN RIKARDSEN; JENS CULLMANN; ANDREA AND MACEO GRAMMATICO

Where's my dinner? Norwegian photographer Audun Rikardsen took three years to snap Icy Window – a polar bear gazing down the breathing hole of its seal prey in Arctic sea ice (main). He used an underwater camera and a motion sensor. The shot is among highly commended entries in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London that opens in October. Biting Back (below) by French twins Andrea and Maceo Grammatico has a mosquito drinking a viper's blood. Another image is Split-Second Escape (below left) by Germany's Jens Cullmann, where an African bullfrog lunges for an African babul butterfly.

Lineker: BBC moved social media goalposts

Ex-Match of the Day host admits to being an ‘idiot’ after defying tighter rules on stars speaking out

By Simon Johnson SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR

GARY LINEKER has accused the BBC of moving the “goalpost” over what he was allowed to post on social media.

The former Match of the Day presenter said he had been permitted to express his “humanitarian” views for two decades while working for the broadcaster.

But he said the BBC then extended political impartiality rules from staff who worked in news and current affairs to “everyone”.

“wasn’t in my contract”. The former England striker said he continued posting his views on social media, despite the warning, before concluding: “If I wanted a quiet and easy life I could have just shut up... but I’m an idiot.”

Lineker told the Edinburgh TV festival that he had complained to BBC bosses that the impartiality clause

Gary Lineker was forced out over a pro-Palestine post

Lineker took over Match of The Day in 1999, later becoming the BBC's highest-paid presenter, earning around £1.35m in 2023-24.

over a social media post comparing the then Conservative government's rhetoric on small boats to Nazi Germany. In Nov 2024 he announced he would be stepping down from Match Of The Day at the end of the season, but would host World Cup and FA Cup coverage.

Lineker was forced out of the BBC in May last year after sharing a pro-Palestinian video featuring an emoji of a rat – an icon used by the Nazis as a slur against Jewish people – on Instagram.

He apologised for the post, adding that he did not see the rat visual and that he did not think “anyone actually believes I would’ve posted that”.

However, the incident prompted the BBC's bosses to drop him after running out of patience.

Lineker now oversees his own media empire as the co-founder of the Goalhanger podcast company, which is behind popular shows The Rest is History and The Rest is Politics.

However, his social media output has continued to provoke controversy and it emerged earlier this week that he had shared a post linking Zionism to the Nazis.

Speaking to Adam Hawkins, Netflix's director of documentary series, Lineker told the TV festival that he uses his profile to “address things that upset me”.

The 65-year-old ex-footballer said: “I don’t really speak much about politics, but politics is involved in everything that I speak about.

“Ultimately you need to live with yourself, and if I see things that upset me in humanitarian terms and I find it quite upsetting, it triggers me to use a platform I would have never had before. People can disagree and they do and that's absolutely fine.”

He said he would not be “abusive to anyone” on social media but he had stopped using X, saying it had become “a hateful, spiteful place”.

Lineker said that joining X began as a "bit of fun" and initially suited him and his "stupid dad jokes", but it became "awful" after it was bought by Elon Musk. "I still have it and sometimes use it, but by and large it's largely Instagram now," he added.

Lineker reposted a video of Tony

'If I see things that I find quite upsetting, it triggers me to use a platform'

Greenstein, an anti-Zionist who was cleared last week of inviting support for Hamas. Mr Greenstein was charged with one count of inviting support for a proscribed organisation.

In a video of his speech outside Kingston Crown Court, shared and liked by Lineker, the 72-year-old campaigner said: "A jury of 12 men and women decided that I was not a terrorist and that terrorism is not opposition to genocide in Gaza.

“And I stood here as a Jewish person and I made it clear to the jury that my opposition to Zionism was because I was Jewish, and that Zionism is in the tradition of the Nazis who persecuted Jews.”

The video shared by Lineker was posted by Cage International, named as an Islamist extremist group by Lord Gove in the Commons in 2024.

Zionism refers to the belief in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination.

Driver scammed out of £370 by fraudulent car park QR code

By Tim Sigsworth, News Reporter

A COUPLE lost £370 in a car-park scam after scanning a fake online payment QR code.

Jess Hagan, 28, and Jake Freeman, 29, were duped by the fraudulent digital link that had been attached to a pay-and-display machine in Whitley Bay, Northumberland.

They tried to pay for their parking at the Spanish City plaza car park on Saturday using the QR code, which appeared to be from the parking firm RingGo.

After being told on a website that “looked fully legitimate” that their payment had been declined, they paid with cash using the machine. However, the next morning they found that their bank account had been “rinsed” and a total of £370 had been taken from it.

Ms Hagan, from Newcastle-up-on-Tyne, told BBC News: "Eventually it said the payment had declined and we hadn't been charged, so we went to pay at the machine after all. We got on with our day, but woke up the following morning with a bunch of notifications from the bank. Someone's absolutely rinsed my partner's bank account. We were baffled."

Ms Hagan said the QR code and website it led to did not appear suspicious.

"I had a look on RingGo's official website, and there was a warning about QR

'The website looked fully legitimate. There were no red flags and nothing that screamed scam'

codes, and that's when we realised it was a scam," she said.

"The website looked fully legitimate, there were no red flags, it had all the branding, even privacy policies at the bottom. There was just nothing about it that screamed scam."

RingGo has urged customers never to attempt to pay for parking using QR codes because it “does not use” them.

"If you suspect you have found a scam QR code on a local pay and display machine, please register it to the council operating in the area so it can be flagged with the local authorities and removed," a spokesman said.

“RingGo mobile app lets drivers park and pay via a secure, encrypted service. Drivers should always be careful when registering card details outside of the app.”

Chris Marsh, the general manager of the car park, also said customers should not attempt to pay with a QR code.

"We would never recommend following a payment link via QR code due to the potential for this scam," he said.

"Our signage and ticket machine are checked regularly for any vandalism. To date, we are unaware of any QR codes being posted on our signage or ticket machine. No customer has ever reported to us directly that they have fallen victim to a QR code scam from our car park."

Editorial Comment: Page 15

High-speed trains to Continent will run every 15 minutes

for Rail and Road (ORR) to run services along the route.

the facility to Virgin last year, a setback to Trenitalia and other potential competitors.

By Telegraph Reporter

HIGH-SPEED trains linking Britain and the Continent could depart every 15 minutes by the end of the decade, according to analysis.

The number of daily services between London St Pancras and destinations such as Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam is on track to rise from the 25 round trips currently operated by Eurostar each day to 55 by the end of the decade, averaging around four departures per hour.

The figures were first reported by Politico, which, like The Telegraph, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network.

The Channel tunnel has been running under capacity since it opened in 1994, and its infrastructure owners have long encouraged a “second operator” to run rail services to mainland Europe.

Last week, Virgin Trains won approval from regulators at the Office

Sir Richard Branson's company received permission to run 20 daily round trips between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and plans to start the services in 2030.

Martin Jones, of the ORR, said the approval of Virgin's track access rights was “an important next step in bringing competition and growth to the market for international rail services”.

Trenitalia, Italy's state railway, has also promised 10 round trips a day, with operations starting from 2029.

The operator placed a €2bn (£1.7bn) order with manufacturer Hitachi for 19 new high-speed trains earlier this month, some of which it says will be for use in the Channel tunnel.

Using a new facility in France will allow Trenitalia to bypass capacity limits at the Temple Mills depot in east London, where Eurostar keeps its fleet.

The ORR allocated the last space in

Deutsche Bahn, the German state railway, once planned services through the tunnel, going so far as to send a promotional train to St Pancras for a photo opportunity in October 2010.

The operator was ultimately stymied by Brexit and backed away from the idea, although it has since shown some renewed interest.

Each operator also needs separate authorisations in each country and for the Channel tunnel itself, meaning regulatory hurdles remain.

DB ended up using its ICE3 electric trains built for the tunnel to shore up reliability on other routes, including on the notoriously delay-prone route between Brussels and Germany.

Meanwhile, sleeper cars built to run never-realised Nightstar overnight services from destinations beyond London to Europe in the 1990s are now running long-distance routes in Canada.

News

Left, Cole Worthy's father's house in Acklam was rammed before the car chase last week. Right, an image of joyriders was posted on TikTok by Makai Saddington, who was killed last Saturday

Feral gang wars that are driving Middlesbrough to destruction

Town where two officers and five youths were killed last Saturday blighted by anti-social criminality

By Tim Sigsworth

CRIME gangs force residents to live in fear in the town where two police officers and five youths died after a car chase last week.

Community leaders in Middlesbrough told The Telegraph that balaclava-clad gangs of joyriding youths had become “normal” with families on deprived estates no longer reporting crimes for fear of retribution from masked criminals.

Cole Worthy died in the car crash that ensued after his father's house was attacked. Below, flares in memory of Jakub Matusiak this week in Middlesbrough

Police have made 17 arrests following the fatal crash on the A66 on Saturday, which killed Pc Tom Clough, 38, and Pc Matthew Blades, 37, as well as Michael Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Worthy, 17.

It emerged yesterday that the house where Worthy's father lived was rammed by a Volvo SUV in an alleged gang feud shortly before the youths started driving through the town at high speed in a Volkswagen Passat.

The deceased, who had 37 prior convictions between them, were known locally as petty criminals who drove dangerously, according to community leaders.

One councillor, who declined to be named for fear of retributive attacks on their family, told The Telegraph that areas of Middlesbrough were blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour involving children as young as eight.

"We have joyriding, drug-dealing, off-road motorbikes, shoplifting, the effects of drug users, bricks being

‘We have joyriding, drug-dealing, off-road motorbikes, shoplifting, houses rammed’

thrown at passing cars, houses being rammed by cars," the councillor said. "There has been a spike in the last few months and it involves children as young as eight.

"I tell you what, Middlesbrough has lost control. People here have become used to criminality being normal."

The councillor said more needed to be done to move criminals out of the town and that the Government should ban balaclavas and bring in more police officers from neighbouring forces to assist Cleveland Police.

“People are frightened that if something happens outside their house or they witness it, they will be asked if they have reported it to the police,” the councillor added.

“They don’t want to grass and they are terrified of their windows being put through.”

Graham Wilson, an independent councillor for Brambles and Thorntree, said locals were “too scared to do anything” about crime, which involves postcode-based drug-dealing groups fighting over territory in the town.

“We do suffer from anti-social behaviour but we’re no different to other parts of the town, or Stockton or Hartlepool,” the councillor said. “It’s quadbikes and motorbikes tearing through the town.

"I think people are too scared to do anything about the crime. My theory is I think the justice system in this country is non-existent. If you had a better justice system, I don't think you'd have had half the anti-social behaviour we've got now."

On Monday, masked youths riding quadbikes and off-road motorbikes released balloons, blared horns and set off flares in memory of Matusiak in South Bank, near where the crash happened.

The sky was filled with smoke, while balaclava-clad youths rode scooters, off-road bikes and quad bikes around the field.

Other friends of the victims have defaced three community centres in Middlesbrough with anti-police graffiti and tributes to the dead youths.

Slogans including “never be forgotten”, “RIP the lads” and “F—TMF” – believed to stand for “The Middlesbrough Feds” [police] – have been daubed on the town’s East Middlesbrough Events Centre, Pallister Park Centre and Brambles Farm Community Centre.

There are no plans to remove the graffiti, however, over fears it could provoke a backlash from the youths, who Mr Wilson said could become “angry”. “The graffiti is their way of grieving, their way of saying goodbye,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to get rid of it. I can support it, in that way. I think the friends might get angry [if it was removed].”

3,000 feet

A community leader, who declined to be named, said the graffiti would be left to allow the youths “to grieve”.

He said: “I just think it’s a bit too early, and there’s a few repercussions as well. Do you know what I mean? The tensions are really high.

"To lose five lives is horrific for the community. It's still quite raw and still quite sensitive.

“We’ll probably allow them to grieve and let them do it and express it if that’s how they’re going to do it.

"You can just feel it in the community itself how tense it is and there's a lot of apprehensiveness.

"It's just a shame we have to pick up the mess."

Detectives are examining links between the crash and a series of linked criminal incidents in the area in the hours prior to the crash. It was reported yesterday that an alleged gang feud led to the head-on collision.

The five youths had allegedly begun a high-speed pursuit of a Volvo SUV which had rammed into Cole Worthy's father's home at 3am,

① 3.00am Volvo SUV crashes into house of Cole Worthy's father

3.36am Volkswagen Passat driven by 'rival gang' chases Volvo - doorbell footage shows police in pursuit

3.38am Footage captures police pursuit continuing

3.39am Volkswagen crashes head-on into another police car while travelling the wrong way on the eastbound carriageway

A Home Office minister is under fire for paying tribute to five joyriders who died in the crash that killed two police officers.

'Not right' Minister under fire for sympathy post

Anna Turley, below, the MP for Redcar and also the border security minister, was accused of putting the two officers "on a par" with the five youths who died in a car travelling in the wrong direction on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday. She later claimed Cleveland

Police "specifically" told her to pay tribute to all seven killed in the crash. Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae and Cole Worthy, both 17, and Michael Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, both 23, crashed into the car of Pc Matthew Blades and Pc Tom Clough, killing both officers.

'The graffiti is their way of grieving, their way of saying goodbye. I wouldn't want to get rid of it'

Ms Turley wrote on Facebook: “I went down to South Bank to lay flowers and pay my respects, on behalf of our whole community, to the seven people whose lives were so tragically cut short yesterday.”

Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said it did not "feel right" for a Home Office minister to honour the lives of the five joyriders, four of whom had convictions, with the officers.

according to reports. The Volvo, believed to have been driven by a rival gang, is alleged to have launched a violent attack on a house in nearby Acklam where the father of Cole Worthy lived.

There is no suggestion that Cole's father, Gye Worthy, 39, was involved in any criminal activity. Worthy's father's home sustained substantial damage to its bay window, according to the Daily Mail and BBC News.

Police previously said they had received several reports on Saturday morning of two vehicles being driven dangerously. The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was seen ramming properties in Middlesbrough. Police then received reports of a second vehicle, the Volkswagen Passat, which was believed to be linked to the Volvo.

Both vehicles had cloned number plates to avoid detection but were picked up by the force's automated recognition technology.

The Volvo involved in the initial report has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough as part of the criminal investigation.

The revelation of the alleged feud came after five more people were arrested in connection with the crash, including a 16-year-old boy and two men, aged 18 and 21, who were held on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group.

A 55-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill.

A total of 17 people have now been arrested in connection with the crash, including two others held on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and four accused of possessing class A and B drugs with intent to supply.

A fundraiser set up for Pc Blades' and Pc Clough's families has exceeded £800,000 in donations.

‘Brilliant’ 23-year-old found dead in tower block identified

By Tom McArdle

A 23-YEAR-OLD woman found dead in north London has been identified.

Clara Bale was found unresponsive at an address in Islington at about 9.30am on Aug 6 after police were told of concerns about a woman's welfare. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Scotland Yard launched a murder investigation and arrested four women – aged 20, 21, 23 and 26 – and two men, aged 21 and 24.

They have all been released on bail while the investigation continues. The incident occurred in a flat in the 36-storey Valencia Tower. Flats in the block sell for as much as £1.5m.

Paying tribute to Ms Bale, her family described her as “a brilliant young woman filled with dreams and a bright light whose loss has left an immeasurable void in our lives”.

They added: "She embodied hope, resilience and love. Her inspiring aura was felt in every room she entered and in every space she had yet to step into.

"A beloved friend, daughter and sister who cherished life above all else. Our hearts bleed with grief following her loss. We will forever miss her smile, her presence and her humanity."

Scotland Yard has launched a murder investigation and arrested six people in connection with the death of Clara Bale in Islington

Det Ch Insp Paul Waller, who is leading the investigation, said: "Our thoughts remain with Clara's family and loved ones following her tragic death.

"We are making good progress in establishing the events leading up to Clara's death, including speaking to a number of witnesses. I would continue to urge anyone with information, no matter how minor it may seem, to come forward and speak with officers. Every piece of information helps with our investigation.”

Metropolitan Police officers were seen carrying cardboard boxes and camera equipment into the building after the incident. One security guard told The Telegraph: "I spoke to her literally every day. She was really kind. She was a lovely soul. I have a daughter so I keep thinking of her.

"There were so many people coming and going. The police have been taking pictures of everything. The foyer, the magazines, even the spa."

Another resident said police had closed the spa in Valencia Tower's basement while they conducted inquiries.

He said: “The police checked the spa in the basement. Nobody knows what happened. I live in Siena House [a different block] and the police have been here every single day since it happened.”

Lockerbie bombing trial delayed for third time over new evidence

By Tom McArdle

THE trial of a Libyan man accused of making the bomb used in the Lockerbie terrorist attack has been postponed for a third time.

Lawyers acting for Abu Agila Masud said “newly discovered evidence” had emerged on Friday.

Mr Masud's lawyers told the court constitutional and ethical obligations required the defence "to investigate this development".

Jury selection had been due to begin today in Washington. It is understood a new trial date has been set for January 2027.

A total of 270 people were killed when a bomb detonated on Boeing 747 Pan Am Flight 103 at 31,000ft as it flew from Heathrow to New York in December 1988.

All 259 passengers and crew died, as did 11 people in the Dumfries and Galloway town of Lockerbie when the plane fell on their homes. Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed Al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted in 2001 of mass murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years.

SNP ministers released him on compassionate grounds in 2009 and he died from cancer in Libya three years later.

However, it has always been the Crown's contention that he acted with others to carry out the bombing.

In 2022, Mr Masud was taken into US custody. He was originally scheduled to go on trial at a federal court in May 2025.

That date was set aside at the request of both the prosecution and defence, who cited complexities of the case and Mr Masud's health.

It was then scheduled for April this year but postponed after the defence asked for more time to prepare.

Laura Buchan, head of the Lockerbie investigation team at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: "I recognise that this adjournment will be disappointing for the families and for those who have followed this case over many years.

"As the matter remains before the court, it would not be appropriate to comment on the reasons for the adjournment. Although these proceedings are being led by the US authorities, Scottish prosecutors and police officers remain fully committed to supporting the pursuit of justice."

US law enforcement previously said Mr Masud had confessed to making the bomb. An FBI affidavit states Mr Masud made the confession in a 2012 interview with a Libyan law enforcement officer after being incarcerated following the fall of the country's dictator Muammar Gaddafi. US investigators who obtained a transcript of that interview described it as the critical moment that led to the charges.

Editorial Comment: Page 15

Leith: Ban school lunch boxes to boost health

Former Bake Off host says pupils should not be eating junk food that cannot be policed by teachers

By Telegraph Reporter

DAME PRUE LEITH has said school lunch boxes should be banned because parents' habit of packing them with unhealthy food "can't be policed".

She added that giving children sweet treats, such as a chocolate bar, to eat at school was “an easy way of almost buying love”.

The former Great British Bake Off judge, 86, hailed a forthcoming “revolution” in school foods and has said she would like to see free, compulsory school meals for every child.

All pupils in England from families on universal credit will be eligible for free school meals from September, amid an overhaul of school food standards aimed at tackling childhood obesity and tooth decay.

Dame Prue said: “I think we should ban lunch boxes because you can’t police what parents put in.

“It’s very hard if you’re a mum walking around a supermarket with your child, and a child wants to have that chocolate bar and whatever in their lunch box, it’s really hard because it’s an easy way of sort of pleasing a child, and it’s an easy way of almost buying love.”

She praised the ongoing efforts to improve school food, noting the work by the Chefs in Schools charity – co-founders of the School Food Project initiative which offers support to all schools in England, including training catering teams.

Dame Prue said: “It’s the first time in my long life of campaigning for better school food that I’ve actually felt there’s a government that is at least a little bit interested in getting food right in schools.” She said feeding children tasty, nutritious food will not only help them be healthy but will also be an “opportunity for pleasure”.

"If children eat junk and they don't like healthy food and they're not given healthy food they will not be healthy," she told the PA news agency. "But I'm not only keen on learning to like good food for health. I think it's such a joy and such an interest. I think it's a lost opportunity for pleasure."

She also said school kitchen staff are undervalued, adding that they can educate children about what they are eating and build their confidence around trying new foods.

Bite Back – a food charity set up by Jamie Oliver and one of the organisations involved in the School Food Project – analysed menus from almost 400 state secondary schools in England and found more than three-quarters contained at least one breach of the current standards.

In many schools breaches involved providing burgers, nuggets and hash browns more often than allowed, according to a report published on Monday. In a sweeping overhaul, the

Dame Prue Leith said she wanted to see free school meals for every child as she served lunch at Stanwell Fields Primary School

first new school food standards since 2014 aim to increase fibre intake by ensuring more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains are on offer.

Around one in three children are leaving primary school overweight or obese, while tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine. A child who is severely obese at the age of four has a life expectancy of only 39 unless they lose weight, previous studies have found.

England's top paediatric doctor said childhood obesity was now "one of the biggest public health challenges facing the country". Simon Kenny, a professor at the National Clinical Director for Children and Young People at NHS England, said: "Severe obesity can impact all aspects of a child's life - affecting their physical health, mental wellbeing and confidence. In some cases, these clinics are helping children who could otherwise face a life cut tragically short - dying decades too soon - to look ahead to a full and healthy life.

“Childhood obesity remains one of the biggest public health challenges facing the country, and the NHS is committed to stepping in early.”

Children can only be referred to the

'If children eat junk and they don't like healthy food they will not be healthy'

specialist clinics if their body mass index is above the 99.6th percentile – meaning they would be one of the four fattest in 1,000 people in their age group – and have an illness linked to their excess weight.

Dame Prue became a judge on The Great British Bake Off in 2017, replacing Mary Berry. She was made a dame in 2021 for services to food, broadcasting and charity.

Council leader ‘created fake heritage society to steal money’

By Telegraph Reporters

A COUNCIL leader is alleged to have defrauded a local authority out of thousands of pounds by setting up a fictitious organisation and directing public money into an account he controlled, a court has heard.

Jason Zadrozny, 46, is accused of using his position on Nottinghamshire county council to obtain money from a fund intended to support local causes.

Mr Zadrozny is the Ashfield Independent leader of Ashfield district council but also held a seat on Nottinghamshire county council until 2025.

Northampton Crown Court was told that Mr Zadrozny created the Ashfield Heritage Society, appointed himself its chairman and became the sole signatory to its bank account before applying for £7,500 of council funding.

Mr Zadrozny, of Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts, denies 12 counts of fraud and four counts of fraudulent evasion of income tax.

James Varley, for the prosecution, said the organisation “never existed and never did anything” and had been created because Mr Zadrozny needed money quickly.

Varley said: “We say he used his position on that council to appropriate, take, modest sums of money, in part by setting up an organisation which does not exist called Ashfield Heritage

‘We say it was a scam set up by him because he wanted money, particularly quite a bit of money, in a hurry’

Society, diverting funds to the Ashfield Heritage Society, and then withdrawing them for his own purposes."

The court was told that councillors in Nottinghamshire were each allocated up to £5,000 a year through a divisional fund, which they could distribute to causes they considered worthy.

Mr Varley said a bank account in the name of the Ashfield Heritage Society was opened on Feb 11, 2018, the first known reference to the organisation.

Mr Zadrozny was named its chairman and the account's sole signatory. Varley said the address given on the application form did not exist.

Three days later, Mr Zadrozny applied for money from the councillors' divisional fund, allocating £3,500 from his own allowance. Other councillors also contributed, bringing the total requested to £7,500.

Mr Varley alleged that Mr Zadrozny later withdrew the money in cash.

He told jurors: “We say it was a scam set up by him because he wanted some money, particularly quite a bit of money, in a hurry.”

The court also heard allegations relating to another organisation, the Classic Cinema Club.

Mr Varley alleged that Mr Zadrozny had withdrawn hundreds of pounds from its account. The prosecution further alleges that Mr Zadrozny, who was also a landlord, failed to pay income tax on rental income. The trial continues.

Therapist dismissed after struggle with menopause awarded £32k

By Telegraph Reporter

A BEAUTY therapist who was dismissed after struggling with the menopause has won more than £32,000.

Chantelle Van Vliet was the only therapist who was not re-employed when the clinic she worked at rebranded, days after she had asked for more flexible working hours because of the severity of her symptoms.

She took the clinic to an employment tribunal and won more than £32,000 for discrimination.

Ms Van Vliet, from Chichester, was employed as a senior aesthetic therapist by Footlaffs Ltd from June 2022 in Petersfield, Hampshire.

She was 48 at the time and a single parent to a 12-year-old boy. She had worked as a beauty and aesthetics therapist for more than 20 years.

From 2022 onwards, Ms Van Vliet experienced significant menopausal symptoms including migraines, hot flushes and recurrent urinary tract infections, which worsened during

2023 and early 2024. Ms Van Vliet told Karen Dodds, the owner of the beauty parlour, about her struggles with the symptoms in April 2024, and had discussions with her about hormone replacement therapy.

At the end of May, all of Footlaffs's staff were dismissed for redundancy.

Chantelle Van Vliet was the only therapist at a clinic not offered a new contract when the facility rebranded

The tribunal heard that “a large majority of the staff (including all the other therapists doing the aesthetics work), were offered new contracts so their employment could continue seamlessly with a phoenix business”.

The new business was run by Mrs Dodds and Stephen Dodds under the name Always Time To Be Me Ltd. Ms

Van Vliet was the only beauty therapist who was not given a contract – and no explanation was given to her.

Jonathan Burns, an employment judge, ruled in Southampton that she had not been given a contract was because of the inconvenience of employing someone struggling with menopause symptoms.

The beauty therapist won claims of disability discrimination, wrongful dismissal, deduction of wages, failing to make reasonable adjustments and victimisation. Further claims of automatic unfair dismissal and direct discrimination were dismissed.

Ms Van Vliet was awarded £12,077 for loss of salary, and because “the dismissal had a severe emotional impact on her including loss of confidence, distress, difficulties in family life and daily functioning”, she was also awarded £16,422 for injury to feelings.

The total owed was £32,237, but as the new company is in voluntary liquidation, Ms Van Vliet is unclear as to when she will receive compensation.

Beauty queen attacks women with stiletto in taxi queue

By Telegraph Reporter police found her red dress and stilettos in her home at Padiham, Lancs.

A MISS GB finalist beauty queen attacked a woman with a red stiletto in a queue for a taxi.

Taylor Gidley, 24, had been attending a hunt ball at Bilsborrow, near Preston, in October 2024.

A witness recalled Gidley in a red dress screaming at another woman.

Mia Monahan, prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court there was a shortage of taxis and the women had asked various people to share.

Gidley used her right shoe to hit the victim in the face. The woman fell to the floor in a daze and later told police she had no memory of the attack. However, her friend said she had complained of pain in her head and had been sick.

She woke next morning with a jagged, 2cm cut to her cheek. In hospital her injury was found to be consistent with being struck by a small object. Gidley was identified by social media and

She told officers she had acted in self-defence but later admitted wounding. Joe Allman, defending, said Gidley was “kind, caring and considerate” and now worked with horses.

But her victim said: “I now have a scar on my face. I feel it is very noticeable and I am always self-conscious. I feel anxious when I go out.”

Sentencing, Recorder Ben Lawrence said: "It seems like you were angered by her asking a male you knew whether they could share a taxi. Whatever the cause, it was wholly unjustified, which I am assured you agree with and I have no doubt it was influenced by your consumption of alcohol."

The judge accepted the incident was out of character. He sentenced Gidley to nine months suspended for 12 months.

Gidley was crowned Miss Lancashire in 2024 and lost out in the Miss GB finals to Ava Morgan, Miss GB Edinburgh.

Taylor Gidley (centre) had a row over sharing taxis after attending a hunt ball

Grand Tour host was a shoe-in after test drive in high-heels

By Tom McArdle

FRANCIS BOURGEOIS had to drive in high heels to land his new job as a co-presenter on The Grand Tour.

The avid trainspotter said that to secure the gig, he had to reverse a trailer into a bay in shoes with platform heels, trying not to knock eggs off cones.

Bourgeois will be joined by Thomas Holland and James Englesman to host Prime Video's motoring show after the high-profile departures of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

eggs off cones. It was about putting us in tricky situations and seeing how we worked together.

Shedding light on the producer's unusual hiring methods, the 26-year-old – whose real name is Luke Nicolson – said he was also questioned on his car knowledge.

Bourgeois, who went viral during lockdown by sharing trainspotting videos on his TikTok, told the Radio Times: "I wore high heels while reversing a trailer into a bay, trying not to knock

“I was trying to show off my best form, but what shone through was that we were having a brilliant time, and that’s what ultimately got us cast.”

While their chemistry was important, the trio also needed to show car knowledge similar to that of their predecessors.

He continued: “We were shown images of car parts – a panel, the rear quarter, a wheel – and had to say what car it was. I nailed that. It showed my car enthusiasm is as deeply wired as my railway enthusiasm. We’re not doing this because it’s a good gig, we’re doing it because we love cars.”

The final episode of The Grand Tour hosted by Clarkson, Hammond and May premiered in September 2024, when they went on a road trip across Zimbabwe. The new iteration starts on Sept 4.

Stowaway found dead in plane's landing gear at Gatwick

By Telegraph Reporter

THE body of an unidentified man was found in a plane's wheel compartment at Gatwick airport.

An inquest was opened at Horsham coroner's court yesterday for the man, who died on June 16.

He was found within the landing gear compartment of an Air Arabia plane that had arrived from Tangiers, Morocco, according to a statement from Alex Jones, the coroner's officer, which was read in court.

A ground engineer had checked the area and the man was confirmed dead once he was located.

A post mortem examination found

‘Conditions would have been extremely cold and there would have been a lack of oxygen’

the cause of death to be cardiac arrest, followed by hypoxia and hypothermia.

Joseph Turner, the West Sussex Brighton and Hove area coroner, noted that conditions inside the wheel compartment would have been extremely cold and that there would have been a lack of oxygen, as he formally opened the inquest on the basis he had “reason to believe this death was unnatural”.

At the time of the incident, a London Gatwick spokesman said: “London Gatwick’s emergency services attended an Air Arabia aircraft just after 11.30am on Tuesday June 16 when an incident was identified upon arrival. As Sussex Police have confirmed, a body was found. Our teams subsequently supported Sussex Police and the coroner.” The inquest has been adjourned until Feb 24 2027.

IMITRIS LEGAKIS/ATHENA PICTURES

Hail eco Mary Sculptor Philip Chatfield takes his work Our Lady of the Waters and the Wye down the River Wye from Bredwardine, Herefordshire. His annual pilgrimage draws attention to river pollution as a result of farmed chickens and phosphate run-off from fields.

Protesters arrested over ‘f--- Islam’ placards

By Charles Hymas HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

Activists accuse police of reviving blasphemy laws with investigation into pair at Tommy Robinson march

FREE-SPEECH campaigners have accused police of reviving blasphemy laws after two protesters were arrested for holding signs reading “f--- Islam”.

The Free Speech Union (FSU) and Big

Brother Watch have united to back a test case involving two people who were arrested for holding the signs at a Unite the Kingdom march, organised by Tommy Robinson, the far-Right activist, on May 16 in London.

They are being investigated for breaches of the Public Order Act 1986, with potential religious aggravation.

In a legal letter to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Metropolitan Police, the two free-speech organisations said it was neither an offence to be opposed to any religion, whether Islam, Christianity or another, nor to express hostility toward a religion. They cited the case of Hamit Coskun, who was accused of posing a threat to public order after burning a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in what he claimed was a peaceful protest.

They said the judgment in that case made clear that the law distinguished between the legal right to express hostility towards a religion, and hostility – or hatred – towards people because of their religion.

In their defence of the pair, the FSU and Big Brother Watch said there was no law against blasphemy and no right not to be offended by speech. They are urging the Met to drop the case, saying the protesters' right to free speech and right to criticise a religion should protect them against prosecution.

Lord Young of Acton, the FSU's director, said: "Criticising a religion, however robustly, is not a criminal offence in this country and nor is breaching a religion's blasphemy code.

"The Free Speech Union would also come to the defence of anyone being investigated for holding a sign saying f--- Christianity or f--- Buddhism."

Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother

Watch, said: “The arrests of two people for holding anti-Islam placards are an absurd attempt to revive blasphemy offences in a nation that enjoys the long-fought-for freedom to criticise any religion we like.

“No doubt the signs will offend some, but speech that is offensive, controversial or unpopular deserves as much protection as any other lawful speech.”

Ms Carlo claimed that Britain was in the “grips of a free-speech crisis” that was “draining police time and squandering taxpayers’ money”.

A survey last weekend, published by

The Telegraph, found that 51 per cent of Britons believed their rights to free speech had been eroded by Labour in the two years since the election.

Mr Coskun was initially convicted last June of a religiously aggravated public order offence after he held a flaming copy of the Koran aloft and shouted an expletive about Islam outside the Turkish embassy in February last year.

However, he successfully appealed against his conviction.

The Met has been approached for comment.

Fill your pension and tax knowledge gaps

That's why we've developed Tax Confident. It's got simple explanations, videos, and tools to fill you in about the need-to-knows for how tax works in retirement. So, you can feel confident and in control when it comes to managing your money and tax.

Visit: taxconfident.campaign.gov.uk

HM Revenue & Customs

Union push to scrap ‘dangerous’ single-sex space trans guidance

By Genevieve Holl-Allen

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

UNION activists are pushing for Andy Burnham to scrap new trans guidance on single-sex spaces, branding it “regressive and dangerous”.

The guidance, which took effect earlier this month, states that access to single-sex spaces should be based on a person's biological sex, rather than their gender identity.

It means that public services such as councils are expected to ensure transgender people use either gender-neutral lavatories or those intended for their sex at birth.

A motion for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference next month, seen by The Telegraph, claims the guidelines represent “a regressive and dangerous interpretation of the law”.

The motion, put forward by the LGBT+ group, “unequivocally condemns” the guidance, introduced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as a “direct attack on LGBT+ equality”.

If delegates pass it, TUC policy will be to call on all 47 affiliate unions, including Unite, GMB and Unison, “to challenge exclusionary guidance”.

guidelines on transgender rights, and have not yet faced any sanction.

activists said the code “effectively excludes trans people from swaths of public life”.

The TUC would also sign up to pressing the Government to introduce “a process of gender self-declaration in the UK” if delegates agree to the motion.

The vote would increase pressure on the Prime Minister, who is already facing opposition from the Labour Left to scrap the EHRC guidance.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Mr

‘We will monitor compliance with the law and take enforcement action where necessary’

Burnham criticised the EHRC's code, saying it would make the issue “more confusing in the real world”.

During the campaign to become Makerfield MP, Mr Burnham shifted his position. He said it was time to get back to a “live and let live” approach and step away from being “judgmental”.

He added: “Let’s implement the guidance but to do it in the fairest and most compassionate way possible.”

The revised guidelines were drawn up after the 2025 landmark Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman, which found that “sex” referred to a person’s biological sex rather than their chosen gender.

The code is intended to help organisations interpret the Equality Act 2010, meaning that those who refuse to comply are open to discrimination claims and potentially unlimited fines.

The LGBT+ group of workers and

Several union chiefs have already voiced their opposition, including Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison. She said earlier this month that she would work “to ensure that we are taking the fight to every workplace to make them trans inclusive”.

The EHRC guidance is for service providers and public bodies, and does not apply to private sector employers, though the watchdog is reviewing what support firms need to abide by the law.

Six Left-wing London councils have announced they will resist the new

An EHRC spokesman said: “Those with duties under the Equality Act should be following the law, updating their policies if needed and seeking independent legal advice where necessary. We will monitor compliance and take enforcement action where it is proportionate and necessary.”

McSweeney launches own PR company

By Daisy Graham-Brown

MORGAN McSWEENEY has set up his own public relations company, The Telegraph can reveal.

Sir Keir Starmer's former chief of staff, who stepped down following the scandal around the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador, has started his own limited company.

The firm, McSweeney Advisory Ltd, is owned solely by the former Labour Party strategist and will offer advice on public relations and communications. It is registered to a chartered accountant address in Edinburgh and lists Mr McSweeney as the only director.

As well as serving as Sir Keir's chief of staff, Mr McSweeney, as a political strategist, was widely credited with shaping Labour's winning general election campaign in 2024.

Speaking last month for the first time since his resignation in February, Mr McSweeney revealed he intended “to move on to a new chapter in my life”.

BBC's Political Thinking podcast, he said he wanted to move in a “completely different direction” and had no intention of returning to politics “in the foreseeable”.

He added: “I mean, I can’t say forever, but certainly for the next few years I’m committing to being out of politics for at least the next few years ahead.”

Mr McSweeney became Sir Keir's chief of staff after three months in No10, following the departure of Baroness Gray, a former civil servant who had been the then Labour leader's chief of staff in opposition.

His time at the centre of the Starmer government ended abruptly when he resigned amid scrutiny over his role in Lord Mandelson becoming US ambassador. He had pushed

McSweeney has turned his back on politics

for the appointment, despite the peer's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. In his resignation letter, Mr McSweeney said he did not oversee the vetting but wanted to take “full responsibility” for advising the Prime Minister to appoint him.

Sir Keir sacked Lord Mandelson in September 2025, after emails emerged showing the peer sent supportive messages when Epstein was facing sex offence charges.

Further emails were released as part of the Epstein files in February that showed Lord Mandelson continued to have contact with the financier after his 2008 conviction.

Reflecting on his time in government during this BBC interview, Mr McSweeney said Labour had failed to prepare for power properly. He said: "We didn't prepare enough for what kind of world we were going to.

"We are now in a very different era than when Labour was last in government."

The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 26 August 2026

Boy ‘thrown into crocodile pit’ now using his feet to play

Three-year-old is back home and enjoying being a big brother after seven operations, parents say

By Telegraph Reporter

A THREE-YEAR-OLD boy seriously injured after allegedly being thrown into a zoo's crocodile enclosure has learnt to use his feet to play.

The child returned from hospital a few weeks ago and is “happy to be home, playing with his toys, sleeping in his own bed and being a big brother”, his parents wrote online.

In a previous update, the family said he had undergone seven operations.

They thanked the play team at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, for helping their son “be a little three-year-old boy by inventing new games and teaching him new ways to use his feet in play”.

Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo, near Huntingdon, Cambs, said in a previous social media post it had been “alerted to reports that a child had allegedly been thrown into one of our crocodile enclosures” on June 18.

A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and was bailed as police said he had been “assessed as not being fit for interview”.

The suspect in the case reportedly has learning difficulties and had been on a trip with carers. An investigation has been launched into his care.

In an update shared on a GoFundMe page on Monday, the boy's family said it was “nice to have us all back together in the comfort of our own home”.

The fundraising page was set up to support the family financially and help the boy's recovery and rehabilitation. It has raised more than £114,000 to date.

"Now that we are home, our son's rehabilitation journey continues and we can focus on ensuring our son has the best possible chance at recovery," his parents wrote.

“Both of us will continue to stay by our son’s side as we support him on his rehabilitation journey. We attend the hospital frequently to find out the next steps and we work on them together as a family.

"All of his immediate surgeries are over with for now, which means we can now focus on rehabilitation at home."

The boy's parents said the GoFundMe donations had “supported us financially to cover immediate costs such as our bills and mortgage”, and “also allowed us to cover our loss of wages during this time”.

They said they have bought and donated toys to the paediatric intensive care unit at the hospital and to the children's play team on the ward, saying their son was “very fond” of the team.

The parents said they had donated to the Sick Children's Trust charity, which helps support families whose children are long-term patients or in the paediatric intensive care unit.

The parents said they wanted to donate to Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust to thank staff involved in their son's care “including the supply of superhero costumes to brighten up his day”.

They thanked everyone who had “shown such kindness and generosity during what has been a considerable ordeal for us all”.

The boy's most recent surgery was a nerve graft to try to regain function in his left hand. His grandmother revealed in a post that during the most recent operation, at Addenbrooke's, doctors

‘Those were the worst 12 hours of our lives. We were unsure if our son was going to make it’

replaced part of a damaged nerve in the boy's arm with one from his leg.

His parents shared a message online, saying: "We won't know whether the nerve graft has been successful until tests can be carried out in a few months.

"[The doctors] were faced with tendon damage, nerve damage, blood vessel damage, broken bones and severe tissue damage in both his arms, neck, head and face.

“Those were the worst 12 hours of our lives as before that we were signing consent forms involving resuscitation and amputation. We were unsure if our son was going to make it, and that was the worst feeling in the world.”

The child, who was visiting the zoo with his mother and younger sibling, also suffered a broken arm and pelvis.

A fundraising page set up to support the family and help the boy's recovery and rehabilitation has raised more than £113,000 to date. The boy's parents thanked everyone who had “shown such kindness and generosity”.

News

'She had a condition she was not aware of. It was there. It was obviously more of a process than lovemaking'

Teacher accused of seducing boy had ‘painful sex disorder’

Sally-Anne Bowen arrives at Harrow Crown Court with her partner Darren Scotchbrook

By Telegraph Reporter

A TEACHER accused of having sex with a pupil “20 to 30 times” has claimed that a rare condition made intercourse extremely painful for her at the time.

Sally-Anne Bowen, 65, is alleged to have indecently assaulted two teenage boys when they were aged about 14 to 15 and she was in her mid-20s.

Her trial at Harrow Crown Court heard that the chemistry teacher – then 25 – was said to have “engaged in flirtatious conduct” with the pupils and had sex with one of the boys “20 to 30 times” over five months.

She also kissed the second boy while allowing him to touch her breasts and place his hand near her crotch in a cafe as they ate lunch together, it is said.

Yesterday, Darren Scotchbrook, her partner of 36 years, told the court he was “always quick” in bed to spare Ms Bowen pain because of her vaginal condition. Jurors have been told a congenital condition prevented Ms Bowen having sex until she was 25, after which she generally avoided lengthy penetration or using condoms with Mr Scotchbrook.

The couple met at a pub in Catford south-east London, run by Mr Scotchbrook's parents in 1990, when he was about 20 and she was 28, jurors heard.

Recalling their first date on a boat on the Thames, Mr Scotchbrook said Ms

Bowen did not want to have sex when they got home. “I was a bit upset about it. I spent £200 on dinner,” he said.

When the relationship developed sexually, he said: "It was completely different. She had a condition she was not aware of. It was obviously there. It was more of a process than lovemaking."

Mr Scotchbrook said the couple have continued to have sex during their 36-year relationship, but added it was "built on much more than that". He said sex was "clearly" not as enjoyable as he would like it to be for Ms Bowen, who was often "reluctant".

Questioned by Madeleine Wolfe, prosecuting, he agreed he had sex with Ms Bowen throughout their relationship. Ms Bowen gave birth in 2002. Asked whether Ms Bowen “willingly engaged in” sex “as frequently as weekly”, Mr Scotchbrook said: “Yes.”

Mark Kimsey, Ms Bowen's barrister, read agreed evidence from Dr Adrian Lower, a consultant gynaecologist instructed by the defence, and Dr Ahmos Ghaly, instructed by the prosecution. Both experts agreed Ms Bowen had a “longitudinal vaginal septum” that was diagnosed in 1990 and was not “resected” until an operation in 2017.

Ms Bowen, of Hemel Hempstead, Herts, denies seven counts of indecent assault. She was earlier cleared on one further charge of indecent assault.

The trial continues.

Private schools ban Meta smart glasses amid bullying concerns

By James Titcomb

TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

PRIVATE schools have banned pupils from wearing Meta's smart glasses amid concerns that secret recordings could lead to bullying.

A number of private, boarding and grammar schools have banned the camera-equipped glasses, becoming the latest places to restrict the devices.

The glasses are designed to look like regular sunglasses or spectacles but have been criticised as an invasion of privacy because they allow users to discreetly film and take pictures.

Haberdashers' Boys' School in Hertfordshire, which was founded in 1690, has told parents that smart glasses will not be permitted on school grounds under a policy coming in during the new academic year.

Woodbridge School in Suffolk banned smart glasses in a policy that came into force in July, while the 475-year-old Shrewsbury School in Shropshire wrote to parents in November to say the glasses should not be worn.

Letters from the schools said that their main concerns were about privacy and child safety issues.

Teachers at Shrewsbury told parents: "While these developments are exciting, they also raise important questions about privacy and safety in a school

‘Smart glasses can share content instantly and can pose risks to pupils, staff and visitors’

environment. Smart glasses can discreetly record, livestream or share content instantly and therefore can pose risks to pupils, staff and visitors."

Woodbridge School's mobile phone policy, meanwhile, was updated to warn: "The use of smart glasses will not be permitted on school grounds by students, parents, visitors or staff."

Meta's smart glasses, made under a deal with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, have become a hit, with the company selling seven million pairs last year alone.

Users can take photos or videos by pressing a button or with a voice command. Although the cameras display a light when recording, some owners have covered them up, letting them covertly video people. The University of Glasgow has separately told students that they cannot bring the glasses, which are able to answer questions with an in-built assistant, into exams.

Videos taken with the glasses and posted to social media have also raised concerns about bullying. A review by tech website Futurism found a large number of videos taken in US schools involved the harassment and bullying of pupils.

Instagram, owned by Meta, has itself taken action to ban accounts that appear to be using the glasses to secretly film or harass people.

The schools join a growing list of

‘Smart glasses will not be permitted on school grounds by students, parents or staff’

places that have banned smart glasses. Pub chain Wetherspoons has prohibited them, as have English courts and a number of theatres and gyms.

The Information Commissioner's Office has written to Meta about reports that contractors working for the company in Kenya viewed videos of people using their glasses while on the toilet or getting dressed.

A number of other companies are expected to release camera-equipped devices in the coming months to capitalise on the Meta glasses' popularity. Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPod headphones as well as smart glasses.

Meta was contacted for comment.

Huntswoman cleared of using horse to knock down saboteur

By Telegraph Reporter

A HUNTSWOMAN accused of assaulting a female saboteur with her mobile phone before knocking her over with her horse has been cleared of assault.

Sophie Tuffin, 40, was alleged to have smashed her device into the face of Alexandra Dennis as the pair argued about a right of way.

She was then said to have made contact with Ms Dennis with her 750kg horse, knocking her to the ground.

The farmer's wife denied making any contact with Ms Dennis and was found not guilty by magistrates in Weymouth, Dorset.

Mrs Tuffin was hosting the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt on her family's land in Dorset when members encountered Ms Dennis in a neighbouring farmer's field.

She rode up to Ms Dennis, along with other hunt members and they told her she needed to get out of the field and back to the public lane.

Ms Dennis insisted she was on a public footpath that ran through the field. Mrs Tuffin said she leaned over to show Ms Dennis a map on her phone with no public access.

It was here she was alleged to have hit her in the face, leaving bruising, before her horse knocked her over.

The heated incident happened at Hile Farm in the hamlet of Puxey, Dorset, on Dec 10, 2024. Ms Dennis is a member of North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs, a group that monitors hunts to ensure they do not chase foxes under the guise of trail hunting.

She had a bodyworn camera on her which recorded the incident but did not capture the alleged contact, only showing her falling to the floor.

Bodycam footage of Sophie Tuffin did not capture the alleged contact with the hunt saboteur

Ms Dennis said she had accessed a neighbouring farmer's field on a public footpath that ran through it when the hunt approached her. After being told to leave, she argued that she was on a footpath and tried to show hunt members the Ordnance Survey map on her phone to prove that she was in the right.

Mrs Tuffin, who lives in Bagber, Dorset, said her phone did not make contact with Ms Dennis and she also did not believe her horse touched Ms Dennis, who she thought fell over walking backwards although she admitted that she did not actually see the moment she fell.

Young man stabbed to death at London council building

had been stabbed. What I witnessed on the way down was unreal."

running after one from outside the [Remoli] restaurant.

By Cameron Henderson

A YOUNG man has been stabbed to death in a building that houses the headquarters of a London council.

Police, paramedics and an air ambulance attended the scene at Brent Civic Centre in Wembley just after 2.30pm yesterday.

The victim, who police said was a teenage boy or a man in his early 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of the emergency services.

The building was evacuated until further notice, and a cordon is in place at the scene.

No arrests have been made and the stabbing is not being treated as terror-related, Scotland Yard said.

Brent Civic Centre is a nine-storey block that houses the offices of Brent council, as well as private office buildings.

Around 2,000 people work in the building, which also hosts surgeries by councillors and politicians.

Nacera Bendjoudi, 69, said that she saw a young man with an Afro wearing a black tracksuit top and grey shorts being pursued by four other teenagers.

The grandmother, a team leader at Thermomix, in the same block as the Brent Civic Centre, said: "I was at the door when I saw four young people

“I saw one was in a green tracksuit and holding one of the chairs. A lady behind them was just passing by and saw what happened and she was yelling to the boy: ‘Run into the library.’”

"They ran past and the other boys were only metres behind. I heard another lady say she was calling the police, saying she saw one with a knife.

"I got scared so I closed the door. I locked it behind me. I was scared because with a knife they could come back."

Ruqiya, 39, from Wembley, who witnessed some of the incident, said: "A boy tried to fight another boy [outside the library]. He had a knife and then he started to stab. [The other boy] ran away and then he ran with him. Then he ran inside the Brent Civic Centre. He went inside with him and then fell down."

Another witness said on social media: "I was in the library on the mezzanine level when it happened, and from what I could see from the balcony there was somebody on the floor and splatters of blood."

Another wrote online: “I was at the same place where the stabbing happened and had gone up to the first floor about 10 minutes earlier. A staff member walked into the meeting room and told us to evacuate because someone

The Metropolitan Police said officers had been granted enhanced powers to stop and search people in the area after the stabbing.

Supt Chris Clarke, lead for emergency response policing in the area, said: "There will be an increased police presence in and around the area in the coming hours while our officers continue their investigation.

"There is not believed to be a wider threat to the community, nor is this incident believed to be terror-related."

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were called at 2.25pm on Aug 25 to reports of a stabbing at Brent Civic Centre, in Wembley. We sent an ambulance crew, paramedics in fast response cars and an incident response officer.

“We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a patient was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Muhammed Butt, the leader of Brent council, said: "Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, their family and loved ones, as well as the staff, residents and visitors who witnessed what happened. The Civic Centre has been evacuated and will remain closed. I would urge people to avoid the area and allow the police and emergency services to carry out their work."

News

Migrant crime victims urge ministers to end ‘cover-up’

Families call for Labour to drop court appeal and reveal true ‘impact of migration policy on crime’

By Charles Hymas HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR

AN ATTEMPTED ‘cover-up’ of the extent of crimes committed by foreigners must be ended, victims of sex assaults by migrants and families of murder victims have told ministers.

The Government is trying to prevent the publication of data revealing the full scale of foreign offending in England and Wales from 2018 to 2024.

Eleven families of victims of crimes carried out by migrants – including high-profile killings and sex assaults – have written to Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, urging him to drop plans to use the courts to block the data's release.

They said the Government must “stop spending public money on this attempted cover-up” because it was “clearly and legitimately in the public interest” for the data revealing the “impact of migration policy on crime” to be published.

“Imagine if someone you loved had been attacked, abused, or killed by a person who had entered Britain from abroad,” they wrote. “We believe that victims and the wider public deserve transparency about the people who enter our country and the crimes they subsequently commit.”

The victims and survivors include a 14-year-old girl sexually assaulted by an Ethiopian asylum seeker staying at the Bell hotel in Epping; Ann Newman, the partner of dog walker Wayne Broadhurst, who was killed by an Afghan national; and eight members of the family of Rhiannon Whyte, a hotel worker stabbed to death by a Sudanese national.

The Information Commissioner ruled previously that data revealing the full scale of foreign offending in England and Wales from 2018 to 2024 should be published.

It came after the Centre for Migration Control (CMC), a think tank, asked the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to reveal the total number of convictions broken down by nationality and offences for the seven years under freedom of information (FOI) laws. The MoJ initially refused, saying to gather the data would be too expensive and that the data could lead to the identification of individuals in breach of their rights to privacy.

Both arguments were rejected by the information watchdog. However, The Telegraph revealed last month that David Lammy, then Justice Secretary, sanctioned legal action seeking to overturn this ruling.

Opposition parties claimed the MoJ's actions amounted to a “cover up”. Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said: “Labour have consistently refused to publish sex crime data by nationality. Why are they trying to appeal against releasing the data? Do Labour just want to cover up the truth about foreign national offenders?”

The victims' letter comes after it emerged last week that the Home Office has published a booklet for migrants telling them what rape is and the importance of consent for "sexual contact of any kind".

In their letter, they said: "We are the victims of crime, or the family members of victims of crime, perpetrated by a migrant. We have lost loved ones, or had our lives devastated by horrific violence and abuse. We believe that the public has a right to understand the full impact of migration policy on crime.

"This is why we are deeply concerned that the Ministry of Justice is going to court to prevent the publication of data pertaining to the nationality of people convicted of crime. The release of this information is clearly and legitimately in the public interest. The public deserves to see the facts for themselves, and the country urgently needs an informed debate about the consequences of immigration policy."

They added: “We therefore urge the Government to stop spending public money on this attempted cover-up and, in accordance with the decision of the Information Commissioner’s Office, release the data.”

It is understood the MoJ denies allegations of a cover-up. A spokesman said: "Protecting the public is our priority and we are committed to supporting victims of all crimes – including through our record £550m funding package for victim support services.

“We do not comment on live legal proceedings.”

Philip Jerome arrives at Basingstoke magistrates' court yesterday. The court heard he has a 'sexual interest' in actress Billie Piper

Obsessive Billie Piper stalker jailed for breach of court order

By Telegraph Reporter

A MAN described as an “obsessive” fan with a “sexual interest” in Billie Piper has been jailed for 12 months for breaching a stalking prevention order.

Philip Jerome, 49, was sentenced at Basingstoke magistrates' court yesterday after pleading guilty to four counts of breaching the order, which had been imposed to protect the former Doctor Who actress in July 2022.

The court heard police inspected Jerome's devices on Dec 27 2025 and found four images of Ms Piper saved on his phone, and that he had tagged 11 posts and images, including AI images, on X relating to her, on four separate days earlier that month.

Anisa Alrubaie, prosecuting, said this included a single comment on Dec 7 2025 in which Jerome wrote: “I think I know which image probably made me fall for [Ms Piper], the GQ awards, and made me want to meet her. She is great without a bra too.”

Ms Alrubaie said Ms Piper's X account was organised by her personal assistant

Images of Doctor Who actress Billie Piper, right, were found on the telephone of stalker Philip Jerome

and she did not have direct access to it. She said: “She doesn’t generally inform Ms Piper of posts, there is a significant amount of negativity that is not relevant and she doesn’t need to be made aware.”

The court was told that Jerome was first made subject to a restraining order in 2018 after he attended Ms Piper's home address.

He then breached the order in December that year by sending messages on Facebook to her mother and sister as well as attending Ms Piper's home and making comments about her partner. Police also found ring binders at his home containing newspaper clippings, details of events and other merchandise.

Jerome, from Winchester, Hampshire, was then jailed for 12 months in 2022 for a breach of the restraining order by turning up at a Comic Con convention where he posed for two fan photographs with Ms Piper, wearing different clothing for the second occasion.

Sentencing Jerome, Kirsty Allman, the district judge, told him: "You have a sexual interest in Ms Piper, making reference to her without a bra on."

Caroline Bonavia, defending, said: "Were it not for the order, these [offences] would be very similar to what a keen fan would post about a public figure."

Tate brothers faked wealth for social media, lawyer admits

By Telegraph Reporter

ANDREW TATE rented supercars to appear “uber-wealthy” and generate more online engagement, his lawyers have said.

Legal representatives for the social media influencer and his brother, Tristan Tate, have claimed in court filings that the pair deliberately portrayed themselves as wealthier than they were because their “business model depends on online attention”.

British police are seeking to extradite the brothers from the US in connection with an investigation into alleged sexual offences, which they deny. The Tate brothers, who hold dual American and British citizenship, were arrested in Miami in July.

In a court filing, their lawyers said: "Andrew and Tristan are social media personalities. Their business model depends on online attention. The outrageousness of the posts by them and about them is the point.

"The more hyperbolic and outlandish the post, the more likely it will generate views and likes, which in turn generates income. In short, they are playing a role."

The brothers' legal representatives said images of luxury yachts, supercars and expensive watches shared by the brothers online should not be taken as evidence of their wealth.

They continued: “A promotional video filmed aboard a yacht is not evidence of title to the yacht. The ‘superyacht’ does not belong to the Tates.

“Further, the Tates are engaged in several businesses ‘teaching’ men how

The Tate brothers often pose online with expensive supercars that their lawyer says are actually rented

to earn money. It is in their interest to portray themselves on social media as uber-wealthy. For example, the \$2.1m [£1.5m] Aston Martin and \$5m and \$7m Bugattis featured in Tristan's videos were rented."

Separately, Andrew Tate, 39, is being sued in England by four women over allegations of sexual violence. His lawyers told the High Court there was a “total denial of wrongdoing”.

Complaints about ‘confusing’ ADHD and autism care triple

By Laura Donnelly HEALTH EDITOR and had no opening date, delaying his NHS treatment by five months.

COMPLAINTS about ADHD and autism care have more than tripled in five years, an official report shows.

England's Health Ombudsman said patients were being forced to battle confusing systems, lengthy waits and inconsistent rules over access to diagnosis and treatment.

In one case, a man spent almost £4,000 on private care after the NHS wrongly refused his request for treatment from his chosen provider.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has recorded a threefold rise in complaints for the two conditions from 410 to 1,257 in five years, or an increase of more than 200 per cent.

The ombudsman warned of a “post-code lottery” in access to services, with experts describing “wild” differences.

Rich, 48, asked to be referred to Psychiatry UK for ADHD treatment under rules allowing patients to choose an NHS-funded provider.

But South East London Integrated Care Board rejected his request and instead referred him to a local ADHD service that had not yet opened.

The service was still being developed

Rich, a student from South London, felt he had no option but to pay almost £4,000 for private care. He said navigating the system had been “completely overwhelming” and particularly difficult for someone with ADHD.

Rich added: “I had to do a lot of work and research into the system to get the care I was entitled to.”

He said he repeatedly explained his

‘My GP and commissioners turned a process of getting care into a punishing and abusive assault course’

rights to his GP but was told he could not access ADHD care through patient choice.

"It felt like gaslighting," he said.

"My ADHD diagnosis was a positive thing, as I'd found a framework for understanding myself better and accessing support. But my GP and the commissioners turned it into a punishing and abusive assault course as I tried to get the care I needed."

He said the experience left him anxious, suffering “terrible insomnia” and worried his symptoms could lead to a mental health misdiagnosis.

The report found repeated problems with long waits, patient choice and differing approaches to diagnoses made by NHS and independent providers.

Paula Sussex, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, called for national guidance to end regional variations and make patients' rights clearer.

She said: “People should not have to fight their way through a confusing system to get ADHD and autism care.

“We have seen clear evidence that this has created a postcode lottery, with too many people’s access to care depending on where they live.”

The Ombudsman said demand was outstripping capacity, but warned the way services were commissioned and organised could make pressures worse.

The report calls for greater support for Integrated Care Boards to help them make consistent decisions while meeting the needs of local communities.

The Ombudsman welcomed an ongoing independent Government review of support for people with ADHD and autism. But it said ministers needed to introduce national guidance to ensure care was fairer and more consistent.

Unlimited plans from £23pm

Increases to: £25.50pm on 1 April 27 & £28pm on 1 April 28

Ends 16.09

Max download/upload speeds of 100Mbps. Saving on Unlimited. Was £35pm, now £23pm (subject to April Annual Price Rise). Minimum term agreement, acceptable use policy, 25GB roaming fair use policy, coverage and terms apply; vodafone.co.uk/terms. Finance subject to status and credit checks. 18+. Direct debit required.

CIA director flies to Moscow for secret talks

US orders Ukraine to halt air strikes on Russian capital during first such visit in almost five years

By Connor Stringer, Tom Cotterill and Rozina Sabur

THE director of the CIA travelled to Russia in a military plane yesterday for talks.

John Ratcliffe arrived on a US air force Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport plane, which was seen flying above Moscow. A US motorcade stopped traffic in the Russian capital later the same day. It is unclear whom Mr Ratcliffe was travelling with or planning to meet.

The visit is Mr Ratcliffe's first known trip to Moscow since he became head of the CIA. Before the visit, Washington told counterparts in Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russia until the delegation had left Moscow, according to reports.

The visit coincides with a US intelligence report warning that Russia might soon attempt to escalate tensions with Nato by mounting a small land incursion or launching cyberattacks in Eastern Europe.

The report represented a significant shift from previous US intelligence assessments, which maintained that Vladimir Putin would not attack Nato while the war in Ukraine was ongoing.

Mr Ratcliffe departed Moscow yesterday just hours after he arrived.

The Telegraph recently reported on European and US intelligence warning that Russia was considering an armed provocation on Polish soil, missile or drone attacks against critical infrastructure, or false-flag attacks attempting to pin blame on Ukraine.

For months, the leaders of Poland and the Baltic states have spoken of the mounting threat posed by Russia to Nato's eastern flank. During Mr Ratcliffe's visit, which is highly unusual, the CIA chief will probably warn Russia against taking such action.

The last time a CIA director made an unannounced visit to Moscow was in late 2021, when William J Burns travelled to Russia to warn its leadership against invading Ukraine.

Air Marshal Andrew Turner, the former head of UK military planning, said the latest visit by the US's top spy could be part of an effort to pressure Moscow into decreasing its support for Iran.

The White House promised an “economic onslaught” against Tehran on Monday aimed at isolating the country economically. Donald Trump has pledged to unleash an “economic D-Day” campaign to force a deal to end the war.

Air Marshal Turner, the former UK senior adviser in the White House and

Pentagon, said Mr Ratcliffe's trip to the Russian capital yesterday was “extraordinarily unusual”.

He said: "I would think it has a lot to do with Iran and the strategy of pressure that the president is looking to impose on Tehran. I believe he is

'I would think it has a lot to do with Iran and pressure the president is looking to impose on Tehran'

requesting or trying to induce Russia to cease support and break off relations with Tehran... Russia is one of the reasons why it's not working for president Trump at the moment."

Air Marshal Turner said he believed the CIA chief's visit was unlikely to focus on Russia's war with Ukraine, although that could form part of conversations between Mr Ratcliffe and Russian officials.

He said: “I strongly doubt that would be on the card. When heads of the secret service are the advanced guards of track one diplomacy, I don’t think it’s credible he has gone to lay the law down on widening the conflict (between Ukraine and Russia).

“That might come up in an indirect way. But I imagine it’s much more related to Iran.”

Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, said Mr Trump had called several world leaders and requested that they “cease their interactions with the regime”.

Mr Bessent said he would use secondary sanctions to target broad swathes of Iran's economy, targeting companies that continued to deal with Tehran in cryptocurrencies, technology, gold, aviation and shipping. He added: "We are launching an economic onslaught against Iran's financial connections around the globe. You will see a wave of sanctions."

Ali Madanizadeh, Iran's economy minister, told state media Tehran was prepared for the levies, and warned that the Trump administration “cannot cut off our financial arteries”.

Six months into the war, Mr Trump has pivoted to squeezing Iran's crippled economy amid reports that the US is running out of missiles and interceptors.

Last week, the US president said Tehran would face “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale” and called on allied countries to “stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat”.

Mr Bessent said that the initiative, called Operation Economic Outcast, would “block every potential source of revenue” that funds the Iranian regime.

FATEMEH BAHRAMI/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
Strait to the point A billboard with a drowning Donald Trump and the slogan “Great Victory! Strait of Hormuz” now overlooks a square in central Tehran.

Netanyahu says Iran tried to kill son amid row over security bill

By Melanie Swan in Tel Aviv

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU has claimed that Iran tried to assassinate his son.

Under pressure to justify expensive security arrangements for his family, the Israeli prime minister said one of his two sons had been the target of a murder plot. He refused to say whether Yair, 35, or Avner, 31, had been targeted.

“Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill, to murder one of my sons. This is why this security protection is not a luxury,” Mr Netanyahu said. “Without it, they [Iran] could succeed.”

Yesterday, the US secret service said it was “aware” of a video that appears to show an Iranian threat being made against Donald Trump’s son, Barron.

The video, which was broadcast on Iranian state television, identifies Barron Trump as a target of an assassination plot and mentions a \$10m reward, according to Iran International, a UK-based outlet which covers the country.

"The US secret service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees," secret service spokesperson Nate Herring said in a statement to Politico.

Mr Netanyahu's family has been at the centre of a row over state-funded security, and the revelation comes two months before an election, with his coalition trailing in several polls.

Mr Netanyahu's elder son has spent much of the past few years in Miami and has attracted repeated criticism over a bill of about £40,000 a month for two security guards and a driver.

In July, Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff who is Mr Netanyahu's political rival, accused the PM of having sought special treatment for his younger son in a military intelligence unit in the Golan Heights between 2014 and 2017.

Mr Eisenkot said Mr Netanyahu had summoned him while he was army chief and had asked him to order troops in a particular sector of the Golan into underground bunkers. Only afterwards, he said, did he discover that Avner had been serving there. Mr Eisenkot said he rejected the request. Mr Netanyahu has not commented.

In July, ministers approved extended protection for Mr Netanyahu's wife, Sara, while the sons will receive security for at least another five years.

China's hypersonic missile puts US bases in striking distance

By Allegra Mendelson

ASIA CORRESPONDENT

CHINA has taken the hypersonic missile race to another level.

Beijing has developed a new manoeuvrable type of air-to-air warhead capable of avoiding interception and hitting aerial targets thousands of miles away.

The warhead, known as a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) sits on a ballistic missile fired high into the upper atmosphere, before it detaches and glides towards its target at more than five times the speed of sound, all while making sharp, unpredictable manoeuvres.

For now, China is the only known country with this joint technology. In practical terms, this would allow China to launch the missile from the air and it could be used to target support and command and control aircraft located further away from live combat.

While attack jets and drones could fly closer to the conflict zone, other aircraft such as flying command posts, refuelling tankers and electronic warfare aircraft, which are used to jam enemy radar, would remain closer to US bases.

With China's new air-to-air HGV, these aircraft could be targeted, which would deal a significant blow to Washington's aerial operation.

This could be critical to an offensive against the US if the two countries were to go to war over Taiwan.

HGVs are a special type of warhead that travel incredibly quickly and more closely resemble a spacecraft than a missile. They have the unique ability to roll and manoeuvre as they approach a target, allowing them to adjust their trajectory mid-flight and more easily avoid aerial defence systems.

Bloomberg, which first reported the development, also claimed that the People's Liberation Army had added air-to-air capabilities to some of its hypersonic cruise missiles and affixed other missiles with anti-ship capabilities.

An HGV deployed from a DF-17 missile, a medium-range ballistic missile, could travel about 1,500 miles – bringing it within 200 miles of Guam, where the US has a major military base. If support aircraft were flying near Guam, the new HGVs could knock them out.

Hawaii would also be within range if an HGV was attached to China's more advanced DF-27 missiles, with an estimated maximum range of about 5,000 miles. China's main eastern missile sites are in Yong'an, Ganzhou, and Jinhua.

News of China's latest military achievement comes as the US experiences its own missile shortage following the war in the Middle East.

The US has used about half the inventories of its Patriot, THAAD and PrSM missiles and a third of the initial inventories of its JASSM, SM-2/3/6 and Tomahawk missiles in the six months of the war, according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Circumstances became so worrying for the US military last month that Donald Trump, the US president, reportedly called off plans to escalate an assault.

Totally wired: Ukraine stages first robot military parade to mark independence

By Antonia Langford in Kyiv

THEY trundled over the cobblestones of the historic centre, skimmed the surface of the River Dnipro and soared over Kyiv's tallest monument.

Ukraine has historically marked its Independence Day with tanks, missile systems, flypasts and marching troops. But on Monday, it broke with tradition to host what has been described as the first robot-only military parade.

In festivities marking 35 years of Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union, Kyiv mobilised teams of unmanned ground vehicles, heavy bomber drones, interceptor drones and Magura and Sea Baby uncrewed surface vessels in a display of military prowess.

Thirty of the ground robots traversed the historic Khreshchatyk avenue in formation, while a fleet of nine naval drones navigated the waters of the Dnipro and at least a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) took to the skies over the Soviet-era Motherland Monument, which towers over Kyiv.

Reconnaissance drones and deep-strike drones also made up part of the parade, Ukraine's presidential office said in a statement.

“Over the years of war, Ukraine has built an almost entirely new defence industry,” said Volodymyr Zelensky, the president. “Modern. Technological. An industry that meets the challenges of war. Ukrainian strength that we saw today on Khreshchatyk, on the Dnipro, and in our skies is the first-ever drone parade of its kind.”

Since the start of the war, Ukraine had not staged a conventional military parade because of the risk of an attack by Russia.

Moscow has also been forced to scale back its military parades, including the

Unmanned ground vehicles on display during the 35th Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv

‘Over the years of war, Ukraine has built an almost entirely new defence industry’

Victory Day parade that takes place on May 9 each year, as Kyiv has expanded its long-range capabilities.

Others, including an August military bands parade in Moscow and a July Navy Day parade in St Petersburg, were cancelled this year over safety concerns.

Drones have played an increasingly important role in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and in 2024 Ukraine became the first country in history to establish a branch of its military devoted to drone warfare.

Ground robotic systems, the most recent of the drones on display at Monday's parade, can perform evacuation, combat, reconnaissance, and logistics tasks and are designed to facilitate contact with the front line amid drone-filled skies. Meanwhile, interceptor UAVs are used to take down larger, long-range Russian drones.

US billionaires spend millions on adverts to stop wealth tax

By Daniel Bates

CALIFORNIAN billionaires are reportedly spending millions on adverts opposing a proposed wealth tax.

Peter Thiel, one of the founders of PayPal and Palantir, and Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google, are said to have contributed more than \$100m (£74m) in a campaign to stop Proposition 40.

Under the proposition, also known as Prop 40, billionaires will have to pay a one-time state tax equal to 5 per cent of their net worth. The measure will be put to a vote in November.

Mr Thiel is reportedly backing a pro-business group called the California Business Roundtable (CBRT), which has launched a series of adverts attacking the plan.

One advert released yesterday by Californians Against Wasteful Spending and Higher Taxes, a group set up by the Thiel-backed CBRT, shows men and women in suits stealing household

\$13.75bn

Amount of tax Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google, will have to pay if Prop 40 is given the go-ahead

items such as TVs from regular Californians. Chris Larsen, a crypto entrepreneur, has contributed \$10m (£7.4m) to the effort, and L John Doerr, a venture capitalist and Google board member, has put in \$7.5m (£5.5m), according to the Sacramento Bee.

Prop 40 is being supported by SEIU United Healthworkers West, a California healthcare union, and will impose a one-time 5 per cent tax on California residents with a net worth of more than \$1bn.

The union claims that the money will raise \$100bn from 200 wealthy individuals to save California's healthcare system, which has been severely affected by Republican cuts to Medicaid.

Mr Brin's net worth is \$275bn, meaning he could be forced to pay \$13.75bn in tax if Prop 40 is passed.

Rather than being a tax on the wealthy, Prop 40 is an “everyone tax”, the advert says. The group claims it could eventually be imposed on lower earners.

The largesse of the billionaires' campaign contrasts with Prop 40's supporters, who are spending \$4m on adverts. Gavin Newsom, California's governor, says he opposes the tax, but it has been endorsed by the state Democratic Party.

OSHEDELSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
In the swim Residents swim in a backyard pool surrounded by the burnt homes destroyed by the wind-driven Hawk Fire in Reno, Nevada, which forced tens of thousands of people away from homes and left schools closed in the city.

Ceuta spies failed to warn Spain about migrant influx

By Graham Keeley in Madrid

SPAIN'S secret service agents based in Ceuta did not send any warning about the migrant surge that overwhelmed its borders last month, the interior ministry has admitted.

At least 72,000 people swam around or burst through the border between Morocco and the tiny exclave after a slew of social media posts about a potential entry to the Spanish mainland.

Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain's interior minister, said intelligence staff stationed in the territory did not send any report that thousands of migrants might break through the border.

“No intelligence service – neither friendly nations, nor any intelligence gathering organisation, foresaw anything of the sort,” Mr Grande-Marlaska told reporters yesterday.

"There was no report suggesting that what ultimately happened on July 30 was going to occur. We have exceptional intelligence services and I am convinced that they acted perfectly in this case."

'If the people of Ceuta feel distressed, alone and sad, it is because we must have done something wrong'

Earlier, Margarita Robles, the Spanish defence minister, said 25 Spanish secret service agents stationed in Ceuta did “share and analyse” information with law enforcement agencies about the possibility of an incursion.

Ms Robles said in the days before the Ceuta crisis, online messages appeared on Facebook but then moved to TikTok where they spread faster.

She said that the messages were “self-managed”, suggesting that they were posted by individuals rather than state-sponsored accounts or bots.

Esther Muñoz, a spokesman for the conservative opposition People's Party, accused Ms Robles of a “dereliction of duty over the worst crisis of sovereignty and territorial integrity” experienced by Spain.

An estimated 8,000 migrants remain in the Spanish territory in deportation centres or sleeping rough.

"If the people of Ceuta feel abandoned, distressed, alone and sad, it is because we must have done something wrong," said Ms Robles.

"We must learn lessons – like the ones we drew from 2021 – to prevent this situation happening again."

In 2021, about 8,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco when Moroccan police opened border fences.

Trump: I'll call Lake Ontario 'Lake America'

US president claims he is considering new name as multi-billion dollar trade war with Canada ramps up

By Emily Smith and Hans van Leeuwen

DONALD TRUMP says he is considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America as part of his trade war with Canada.

The neighbouring countries are locked in a standoff after trade negotiations collapsed on Friday, with Canada announcing \$20bn (£14.6bn) in further retaliatory tariffs yesterday.

"The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don't expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer," Mr Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

One of the five Great Lakes of North America, Lake Ontario borders both the

Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. The president also shared a map showing Lake Ontario crossed out and Lake America written in its place.

Asked about the US president's comment, Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister responsible for US trade, said that Canada would not respond to social media posts by the Trump administration.

"We've decided as a federal government months ago not to respond to sort of the daily social media posts of either the president or his cabinet secretaries," Mr LeBlanc said in an interview on CNBC.

The US president signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on his first day back in office in 2025.

On the same day, he also issued an executive order to change the official name of North America's tallest mountain from Denali to Mount McKinley. Yester-

Mark Carney claims the US has made threats about Canada's use of French language

day, the president rejected Mark Carney's claim that the US was making threats regarding Canada's use of the French language.

"I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing," Mr Trump said.

“This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an attempt to gain political support, which he has totally lost, from the people of Quebec. I love French Canadians!”

During a press conference on Saturday, Mr Carney claimed that one reason for the collapse of the trade talks between the neighbours was because

using the French language.

"We were ready and close to having a comprehensive agreement that would be fair to both countries. But they made changes, including threats on the French language and Quebec culture and

Canadian culture," Mr Carney said. "That is not acceptable. That would never be acceptable."

Washington imposed 50 per cent tariffs on \$20bn (£14.6bn) worth of Canadian goods after the collapse in trade talks on Friday.

Yesterday, Mr Carney announced tariffs on \$20bn of US goods, matching the levy dollar-for-dollar. The counter-tariffs take effect on Sept 9 and target products including seafood, cheese, clothing, cosmetics and toilet paper.

“Canada must respond, and today we are in a proportionate, targeted and strategic way,” Francois-Philippe Champagne, the finance minister, told reporters. “It’s all about fairness, it’s all about a level playing field, it’s all about supporting Canadian workers and Canadian businesses.”

Mr Champagne also unveiled a C\$7.5bn aid package for businesses facing a hit to sales or profits. This added to an existing programme that had already spent C\$25bn.

Top-level talks to avert a trade war 'I would never interfere with Canadians speaking French! In fact, I have never even thought of doing such a stupid thing'

collapsed at the weekend, with Mr Champagne claiming yesterday that the US had “asked too much and offered too little”. The Canadians attributed the talks’ failure to American insistence on retaining some tariffs.

Mr Carney also rejected US demands to reduce French-language protections, and to give Washington a say on Canada's trade deals with other countries.

That paved the way for the US to start levying its threatened tariffs on \$20bn (£15bn) of Canadian exports. On Monday, Mr Trump went further, doubling existing tariffs on cars and steel to 50 per cent from next year.

Yesterday, the president ramped up his rhetoric on Truth Social. “Canada has been “Ripping Off” the U.S.A. for decades. They have been charging our Farmers 400% Tariffs, and more,” he said.

Economists have warned that the tariffs could destroy more than 90,000 Canadian jobs, and a prolonged trade war could push its economy back into recession.

Tornado rips roofs off homes in France with dozens injured and airports closed

By Andrea Hamblin

A TORNADO tore through a village in France on Monday evening, ripping roofs off homes as violent storms hit the country.

At least 41 people were injured during the wild weather. The wounded included a pregnant woman whose home partially collapsed when a tornado barrelled across parts of the southern Occitanie region, Agence France-Press reported.

Several flights out of major cities – Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and Paris – were grounded or delayed as hail and flash flooding caused widespread disruption to public transport.

Destructive winds felled trees, causing traffic chaos and damage to power lines. More than 2,800 houses were left without electricity on Monday night.

Météo-France, the national weather service, recorded winds of up to 121 kilometres (75 miles) per hour in Pézenas, near Montpellier.

The worst-hit village was Pomas, south of Carcassonne, where 300 houses were destroyed.

Marie Roux, a journalist with French network BFMTV, described how the tornado seemed to have “swept

A resident of Pomas, a village in south-west France, surveys the damage caused by the tornado, right

everything away in its path" as it hit Pomas, a village of 1,000 people.

“We have lost count of the houses we have seen that do not have roofs,” she reported from the village.

Perle, a Pomas resident, said the villagers had been warned to expect strong winds and hail on Monday but had been caught off-guard when the tornado hit at about 5.30pm local time.

"The village is totally devastated," she told BFMTV. "We have people who no longer have homes."

“Half the village has been destroyed,” said another resident, called Pierre, who described the tornado as swirling like a “huge red and yellow chimney”.

"There's a huge castle and a third of it is has collapsed – even though these are stones that have stood for 1,000 years," Pierre told Ici Occitanie.

Fifteen people from Pomas, including the pregnant woman, were taken to hospital. Residents who lost their homes took refuge in a nearby holiday park set up as emergency accommodation, while 120 emergency workers deployed to the village began clean-up efforts.

The third stage of the Vuelta a España cycle race, which was taking place in the Aude area of south-western France, had to be cancelled when a hail storm forced the riders to take shelter.

Authorities had placed most of France's south-west on orange alert for storms on Monday. By midnight, the majority of French regions remained on a downgraded yellow alert.

France experiences dozens of tornadoes per year on average. In 2025, a 23-year-old man died when a “mini-tornado” hit the construction site he was working on in a suburb of Paris.

‘We have lost count of the houses that do not have roofs’

Death of Le Black Friday as France launches assault on English jargon

Firms will be forced to communicate in French only under plan to bolster decades-old language law

By Henry Samuel in Paris

FRANCE has restarted its long-running war on the English language with plans to ban the use of “Black Friday” and anglicised government slogans.

The country's own culture ministry has cited the spread of “Black Friday” promotions in English as evidence that the 1994 Toubon law protecting the French language is ill-adapted to the internet age.

A new bill would require such foreign expressions in online advertising to carry French translations in equally large and prominent lettering.

The proposals have been lodged by Yan Chantrel, a Socialist senator. While their passage is not assured, they draw on a cross-party senate report backed by conservative and centrist colleagues.

Under the plans, multi-national companies could no longer address employees in France solely in English, while the proliferation of university courses taught entirely in English would be curbed.

Even state-backed slogans such as “Choose France” and “French Tech”, which are dear to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, could be targets of the proposed clampdown, Mr Chantrel’s office said.

Named after Jacques Toubon, Jacques Chirac's culture minister, the 1994 law was designed to guarantee a "right to French" in advertising, employment, education and public services. Yet the internet, globalisation and the spread of English have sorely tested its reach.

Few cases illustrate that better than “Let’s Grau”, the Franglais tourism slogan adopted by Le Grau-du-Roi, a Mediterranean resort, in 2015.

French-language campaigners fought a lengthy legal battle to have it banned, only for the Conseil d'Etat, France's highest administrative court, to rule in 2020 that the town could keep it because no officially approved French equivalent existed.

Nicolas Polge, the court's public rapporteur, called the slogan "unfortunate" and even mocked another southern tourism brand, "So Toulouse",

Channel hopping English words borrowed by the French

Le weekend Far more common than the traditional fin de semaine

Un planning Now preferred to the French calendrier or l'horaire

Le briefing Otherwise called réunion d'information

Un flop Is used to mean failure instead of échec

Un geek Often preferred to accro when describing someone who is a fan of video games

Un job Used to refer to casual work more than the French emploi

Un email The official French term is courriel

wondering whether English speakers might hear “so to lose”.

His legal conclusion was nevertheless categorical: the campaigners stood no chance without an overhaul of the Toubon law.

Mr Chantrel now wants to do precisely that. His office said the wording would be tightened so that a public authority should no longer be able to escape the law in the same way as Le Grau-du-Roi. The bill would also address digital communications that fall outside legislation conceived in the internet's infancy.

Mr Chantrel wants the French translation of foreign wording in online advertising to have “equal legibility”.

His office confirmed that would mean the same size lettering, preventing advertisers from displaying an English slogan prominently while reducing its French equivalent to tiny print.

Public services and local authorities would face stricter obligations, while the government's official guardian of the French language, DGLFLF, would gain stronger powers to investigate and sanction breaches, inspired by Quebec's powerful language watchdog. The precise sanctions have yet to be set out.

The bill, lodged on Aug 12, follows a 2024 Senate inquiry co-written by Mr Chantrel with Catherine Belrhiti of the conservative Republicans and centrist Pierre-Antoine Lévi, which called for the Toubon law to be “updated, strengthened and better applied”.

It comes amid recurrent French alarm over the advance of “globish”.

Nationalist French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen pledged to ban the use of foreign words in advertising and public communication as part of an “emergency plan” to “save” the French language.

In 2022, the Académie Française, official guardians of the French language, threatened legal action over English words such as “surname” appearing on France’s new identity cards.

A year later, Jean-Marie Rouart, one of the academy's “immortals”, accused Mr Macron of being the “Tartuffe of the French language” for inaugurating a €2,100m temple to French at Villers-Cotterêts while embracing slogans such as “One Planet Summit”. He accused the president of participating in French’s “slow destruction”.

Language purists complained that the name Lorraine Airport infringed language laws with its use of English.

Red alert Sir David and Lady Beckham appear a little sunburnt as they pose for a photograph with Antonio Oliva, owner of the Concettina ai 3 Santi restaurant in Capri during their summer holiday.

Maxwell's ‘incriminating’ appeal makes her look guilty, says judge

By Daniel Bates

GHISLAINE MAXWELL'S latest attempt to overturn her child sex-trafficking conviction has been thrown out by a judge who said the evidence she submitted made her look guilty.

Maxwell's claims of innocence were "meritless or frivolous", said Judge Paul Engelmayer, who rejected her request for a new trial yesterday.

The 64-year-old submitted evidence from the three million Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice as part of her appeal.

Judge Engelmayer said the evidence “incriminates her” and “reinforces” her guilt.

The disgraced British heiress, who is Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, is serving 20 years in a US prison for trafficking children to the paedophile. A New York appeals court rejected a previous effort to have it overturned, and the US Supreme Court declined to hear her case. The latest decision by Judge Engelmayer leaves a presidential par-

‘Maxwell’s claims are all meritless and almost all are frivolous. The vast majority are procedurally barred’

don from Donald Trump as her only chance of freedom.

The US president has not ruled out giving Maxwell a pardon, telling reporters in July 2025: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about.” However, Maxwell was moved to a lower security prison near Houston, Texas, in August 2025 after two days of interviews by then-deputy attorney general Todd Blanche.

Maxwell, who was found guilty of five counts in 2021 following a trial in New York, complained that her sex-trafficking conviction was a “complete miscarriage of justice” that breached her constitutional rights.

The judge wrote: “Maxwell’s claims are all meritless and all or almost all are frivolous. The vast majority are procedurally barred – either because Maxwell made and lost the same arguments on direct appeal, or because she could have made such arguments on appeal but elected not to do so.”

The Telegraph has contacted Maxwell's family and her lawyers for comment.

TV screens in Germany go dark over AfD threat to close channel

By James Rothwell BERLIN CORRESPONDENT

A GERMAN broadcaster went dark in protest at a plan by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to close it down.

Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), a BBC-style outlet, interrupted its usual programming on Monday evening with the broadcast of a black screen.

It was accompanied by a voice-over which said: "As you can see, you can see nothing. No more MDR in Sachsen-Anhalt? This could happen."

The message was alluding to the elections in the eastern state next month, which AfD is predicted to win.

The Right-wing party has pledged to effectively close down MDR in Sachsen-Anhalt by terminating a regional broadcasting treaty, claiming the network is politically biased. MDR's broadcast was the latest sign of disquiet in Germany over the rapid rise of the AfD, which has been accused of advocating extremist and pro-Russian views.

According to the latest polls, the AfD will win first place in Sachsen-Anhalt

'As you can see, you can see nothing. No more MDR in Sachsen-Anhalt? This could happen'

and also secure an absolute majority, which would allow the party to form its first ever state government.

The prospect of an AfD state government is immensely controversial in Germany because of the party's sympathies for Moscow and, its rivals say, Nazi-style values.

One divisive AfD policy is segregating German children from refugees in schools, to reinforce that refugees are only in the country temporarily.

The AfD denies being a neo-Nazi party and says it is simply standing up for ordinary Germans who are frustrated by the country's centrist rulers.

Under Germany's federal system, its 16 state governments have full control of education, broadcasting, policing and internal security.

MDR, which also broadcasts to the neighbouring states of Sachsen and Thüringen, said if the AfD carried out its threat it “would no longer have a programming mandate for Saxony-Anhalt. The victims would be those who frequently and gladly use MDR.”

Keep my nose out of your business: Danish PM rejects surgeon's offer

By Lily Shanagher

FOREIGN BREAKING NEWS REPORTER

DENMARK'S prime minister has rejected a plastic surgeon's offer to "fix" her nose.

Returning from a testing trip to Kyiv, Mette Frederiksen spoke about the countless messages she had received about her appearance.

She said she had been contacted by a male cosmetic surgeon who offered to "fix that little spot on your nose".

Ms Frederiksen, who shared a screenshot of the exchange to her social media account, responded: "Oh no. I'm happy with my body and don't really need a male plastic surgeon to have an opinion on it."

The 48-year-old leader – the second woman to hold the top position in Denmark and one of Europe's longest-serving heads of government – said of the interaction: "The last thing I heard as we left Kyiv yesterday was the air raid siren.

“War continues in Europe. One of the first messages I got when I was back in Denmark was this one. Come on.”

Ms Frederiksen, a Social Democrat who has become globally recognised after her defiant response to Donald Trump's threats to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland, said she often came under public scrutiny for her appearance.

“I can’t count how many messages I’ve received over time about my appearance,” she said on social media.

“Especially that I have ugly teeth and thin hair. That I have an ugly ‘wart’ on my nose and well-meaning advice on getting Botox.

"I don't get involved in what others do with their appearance. Personally, I'm perfectly happy with my body. Just as it is, when you're a woman approaching 50."

Ms Frederiksen's nose was damaged in a tussle with a group of skinheads during her youth, her brother told The Telegraph previously.

Per Frederiksen, who grew up with his sister in the working-class port city of Aalborg, said her experience of standing up to bullies and strong sense of tackling injustice would help her as she navigated threats from Mr Trump over invading Greenland.

Mr Frederiksen recounted a time his sister defended a group of Arab refugees at their school from the Greenjackets – a group of xenophobic and racist youths that came from Copenhagen.

Aged just 12 or 13, she suffered a blow to the nose after standing up to them.

Nose holds barred Frederiksen's exchange

Hi Mette, Shouldn't we fix your little spot on your nose? 😂 mvh

Plastic surgeon

Uh no. I'm happy with my body and don't really need a male plastic surgeon to have opinions about it!

'I got this message on my return to Denmark. Come on'

"When she went in between them, they broke her nose, so you can say she's never been afraid to stick her nose out," Mr Frederiksen said.

“She’s always been a fighter. You can still see the little dent in her nose if you look at photos of her,” he added.

to feeling “a bit old-fashioned in my indignation” as she called on Danes to write to her “about something more important – not my nose”.

The Danish leader concluded with a message of support.

"I'm sending an extra loving thought to all of you who have to put up with the

Danish PM Mette Frederiksen was not impressed by a cosmetic surgeon's unsolicited offer to 'fix' her nose

perfect imperfections we all walk around with every day," she said.

She had visited Kyiv to offer continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and to discuss the issue of global food security in light of Russia's aggression in the Black Sea region, Sergii Koretskyi, the Ukrainian prime minister, said.

Denmark has been a steadfast ally of Ukraine, providing military and financial support to the country.

Other prominent female political figures have faced criticism or ridicule about their appearance.

In June, Michelle Obama was called “a man” by a UFC fighter on the lawn of the White House during Mr Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations.

Josh Hokit made the comment about the former first lady in front of thousands of spectators and millions of television viewers at the UFC Freedom 250 event while podcaster Joe Rogan held the microphone for him and laughed.

Referring to a conspiracy theory that claimed Ms Obama had changed gender before marrying Barack Obama, the 28-year-old said: "Shout out to Trump for having the balls to put some s--- like this on.

“Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”

Take it from an antiques dealer, the dining table is now dead wood

THOMAS WOODHAM-SMITH

The UK is, we are told, on the brink of a vast wealth transfer as boomers are reaching the end of their lives. And this won't just be in the form of investments and houses, but also art and artefacts.

As I write this, some toffish types will be sizing up their parental heirlooms in the expectation of a coming windfall that can cover school fees and the next few luxury holidays. Dealers and auction houses are besieged daily with images coming in from descendants hoping to cash in on the previous generations' collections.

But the replies they will get may often prove sorely disappointing. Dining-room furniture is particularly cursed. Once upon a time, grand living took place in drawing and sitting rooms and, foremost, in dining rooms. The richer and grander you were, the more prestigious and sumptuous your furnishings would be, and the best way to show off was with a wine-soaked feast.

The type of table that had once been the exclusive preserve of the most grandiose strata of the aristocracy became affordable to the burgeoning haute bourgeoisie in the 19th century, thanks to a firm called Gillows. This hugely successful company pioneered flat-pack furniture, among other innovations.

They patented “The Imperial” dining table in 1804, which pushed dining, with table stability and comfort, to new levels. Their design of extending table, with multiple leaves, became the standard model for many decades. And Gillows tables maintained their allure to bankers and captains of industry, until 15 or so years ago.

By the end of the Second World War, when the British were poor and began demolishing and selling, they were countered by the Americans, who were rich and in love with Europe after their wartime experiences. So the flow across the Atlantic of antiques and

dining tables began. By the late 1970s, the desire to own an English pedestal or extending table had crossed back and spread to Europe. The grand antique dealers of Bond Street and elsewhere couldn't keep up with demand, and so their buyers were sent out on a weekly basis to buy the best tables available.

Naturally, prices skyrocketed, and by the peak at the end of the century tables were often selling for over £300,000, while a really special one might touch half a million. But as the dining table “boom” raged, the way people lived changed, sowing the seeds of the coming “bust”.

The kitchen, once the servants' quarters, became the locus of the family. Servants more or less disappeared, and we started using the kitchen all day. The children came home and didn't run to the nursery. There wasn't one. Mr and Mrs didn't dine in the dining room, as who wanted to carry everything in and out again rather than stay in the kitchen? Who wanted to sit in the sitting room while everyone else was in the kitchen?

The kitchen took over, walls were pulled down and open-plan living became the order of the day. The fine dining table began to be either unused in its room or moved into the kitchen, where it looked weird and out of place, like someone wearing black tie at the beach.

Instead of tables “flying” out, they have become like albatrosses hanging around. So prices have dipped and dipped. A dining table that was once proudly valued at over a quarter of a million is now less than a tenth of that.

It isn't just the poor old dining table that has suffered. The same fate has befallen sideboards, dining chairs and all accoutrements of formal dining.

Will dining tables ever recover their former pre-eminence as a symbol of bourgeois accomplishment? I, for one, certainly hope so.

Bathing difficulties? Say hello to stress-free, safer showering!

FREE TOILET & BASIN WITH ANY SHOWER PURCHASED**

The answer to all your bathing needs - Designed to fit in the same space as your old bath - Easy access – low step in

• Thermostatic shower controls

• Hygienic easy clean tile effect panels

For a FREE brochure call 0800 316 0110 ASK FOR EXTENSION 84034 or visit AQUABILITY.COM

Trustpilot Rated 'Excellent'

OVER 55,000 INSTALLATIONS IN THE UK

FITTED IN JUST ONE DAY®

AQUABILITY EASY SAFF RATHING

*Time based on straightforward fitting. **Not in conjunction with any other offer.

To order prints or signed copies of any Telegraph cartoon, go to telegraph.co.uk/prints-cartoons or call 0191 603 0178 ♦ readerprints@telegraph.co.uk

Burnham is mistaken – there is nothing wrong with being a Nimby

The PM disparages people who don't want developers ruining their favourite walk or park. But who does?

PHILIP JOHNSTON

Once again, Britain's public enemy No1 is the Nimby. Andy Burnham has identified this wretched creature as the principal barrier to his grandiose plans to build over the countryside with new homes, pylons, solar farms, asylum camps and monster data centres – all coming to a field near you.

He proposes to give extra powers to regional mayors to override decisions made by local councillors if they seek to block new schemes that the Government deems important. This is a variation on the old Nimby concept.

They were usually just a few people who objected to new homes in the pretty village they had just relocated to from London, holding up planning applications with sundry legal challenges or by conveniently finding a great-crested newt on the land earmarked for development.

Mr Burnham's proposals are of a different order. He wants to disenfranchise a whole layer of local government in order to remove barriers placed in the way of Labour's ambitions, including the expansion of social and council housing.

“Sometimes... challenge does need to be made to local decision-making, and actually it cuts both ways. It’s not all about Nimbyism. Sometimes it’s the other way round. It’s a local authority

putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community ... so it's a two-way street," he said in a Sunday Times interview.

But what's this? During the Makerfield by-election which brought him back to Parliament to topple Sir Keir Starmer, one big issue exercising voters was a huge 2,000-home development in South Hindley, within his new constituency.

As part of his campaign literature he said this was “a major concern for local people” adding: “If thousands of new homes are built, where are the extra GP appointments? Where are the school places? How will our roads cope with even more traffic?

"I've listened to local residents and I agree that communities should not be expected to carry the burden of growth without the investment needed to support it. That's why I'm arguing for infrastructure first. If development is going to happen, it must work for local people and leave communities stronger than they were before."

So congratulations are due to Mr Burnham. He is the latest recipient of the Nicholas Ridley Memorial Prize for Nimbyism awarded to a politician who preaches the need for housing schemes as long as they are not in their own constituency or neighbourhood.

Ridley was the environment secretary back in the 1980s who imported the acronym for “Not in My Back Yard” from America and was the first to use it in British political debate. At the time he wanted to see New Towns built in the south of England to tackle housing shortages and stimulate growth (sound familiar?).

He denounced local planning objectors and preservationists for displaying selfish attitudes against necessary infrastructure and housing growth. Here we are, nearly 40 years later, with the same arguments still raging, albeit with a population 10 million greater.

In a speech defending his building policy, Ridley said: “Our English countryside is one of the most heavily man-made habitats in Europe. To make it into a green museum would be to belie its whole history.”

So it was richly ironic when it transpired that he had objected to a housing development in the Cotswolds close to his Gloucestershire home. It turned out that he was a Nimby, too, as well as a hypocrite.

Mr Burnham may think the Nimbys are mostly middle-class Tory voters and Conservative-run local planning committees. But there are plenty of potential Nimbys lurking on the Labour backbenches and in its ministerial ranks, since many of them now represent seats in the south and east of England, which will be most affected by the Government's building splurge.

Favouring the spread of New Towns, megafactories, wind farms, solar fields and other infrastructure across the land is great in theory. The Treasury will produce graphs and statistics to show how this will boost GDP to keep money pouring into the Exchequer to pay for the ballooning welfare state.

But everyone wants growth until its consequences appear outside their front door, ruin their favourite walk, rip up the park where their children play football or blight their view.

The essential nature of Nimbyism is passionately to support a national policy, for instance net zero or more houses, while insisting that the impact should be felt by others. Scores of battles are being fought across the country as local people try to stop the march of pylons to bring wind-farm-generated electricity ashore or object to yet another farm giving up on food production in favour of solar power.

READ MORE at telegraph.co.uk/opinion

Residents are fully aware that the reason we need all these new houses is down to unrestricted immigration

Planning laws have already been shaken up to allow strategically important projects to proceed “in the national interest”. But because even these can be stalled by local council planners, it has now become necessary to let regional mayors have the final say over larger schemes.

What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot when such powers are placed in the hands of one person as opposed to a council committee.

Moreover, people are fully aware that the reason we need all these houses is down to the unconstrained immigration that has increased the population by millions. It angers them that politicians who let this happen now insist they sacrifice their green spaces to deal with the ramifications.

The cause of housing shortages is not sclerotic planning laws or obdurate local planners but a surge in people, which is why locals object to a 5,000-home development without transport links, schools or any of the other requirements of civilised living.

That is precisely the point Mr Burnham was making in the Makerfield by-election campaign to his own voters. So will he respect the democratic rights of others and insist there is no development without infrastructure first? If he does, nothing will get built.

He intends to use powers in the English Devolution Act to boost mayoral “call-in” powers, initially for major housing developments but later for more modest schemes and for energy projects as well.

But wasn't devolution supposed to allow local authorities a greater say in their own affairs, free of central state interference? Regional mayors in their remote offices will be doing the Government's bidding as its plenipotentiaries, not acting in the interests of local people. It is time for Nimbys to rise up everywhere.

Net zero is weakening the grid's resistance to attack

The shift to renewables makes our electricity system less resilient and vulnerable to hostile actors

KATHRYN PORTER

At the weekend, The Telegraph revealed that Iranian state-sponsored hackers had succeeded in taking a British power plant offline for four days. Government sources insisted that the power plant was “small scale” and that the stability of the grid was at no time in danger.

But it is a worrying event nonetheless, because the National Grid is becoming more and more unstable at the same time as it is becoming more vulnerable to covert or overt foreign attacks.

First, the increasing instability. This results mostly from the huge changes to the UK electricity generation system that are taking place as part of the Government's mad dash to almost carbon-free electricity by 2030.

The first thing to note is that quite often nowadays there are not many gas power plants online and delivering power to the grid. This matters because gas plants are powered by large, heavy spinning turbines which are directly connected to large, heavy generators attached to the grid. The machinery spins at 50 revolutions per second, the target frequency of the grid.

If supply should get out of balance with demand – for instance, because a power station goes offline or an interconnector bringing power across the Channel should fail – the grid frequency will start to fall. If it falls by more than a small amount, automatic cut-off will be triggered all across the grid and a blackout is likely.

But if there are plenty of turbines directly connected, they must spin more slowly as the grid frequency goes down. But it's hard to slow down such big, heavy machines: it happens slowly, meaning that the grid operators have a chance to solve the problem by powering up additional reserve generators before everything trips out.

This property of being resistant to changes in supply/demand is called “inertia”. It is also provided by nuclear and hydro plants which similarly work using big, spinning turbine generators.

zero plans, we are replacing this conventional generation with wind and solar which do not naturally possess inertia, and as a result the grid is becoming much easier to knock out. Grid-attached battery farms can provide some resilience, but batteries have finite capacity and they may not be in the charge-state the grid needs them to be.

The grid may need to dump excess power: a fully charged battery is no use here. But an empty one is no use when the need is for quick power to cope with a sudden lack of wind or sun.

The British grid is also moving from one dominated by a relatively small number of large generators towards one containing huge numbers of smaller, digitally controlled assets. Each may be insignificant individually, but collectively they represent a much larger attack surface for hostile cyber attackers.

The recent hack demonstrates why this presents risks: compromising one small generator is irrelevant to national security, but finding a vulnerability that can be exploited across many similar batteries or power plants could easily widen the supply-demand gap to the point of grid collapse, which is a lot easier now that there is much less inertia.

Kathryn Porter is an independent energy consultant and founder of Watt-Logic

The vulnerability is not only in cyber security, because Britain is also increasingly dependent on electricity imported through long subsea cables, with plans for even more such links to be built. These cables create another point of vulnerability. Europe has already experienced repeated damage to critical subsea infrastructure.

According to Nato, at least 11 undersea power and communication cables were damaged in the Baltic in just 15 months. We know that Russian submarines and ships routinely prowl over our own undersea infrastructure, and doubtless have plans for attacking it.

Whether failures occur as a result of equipment faults or deliberate attacks, the impact on the grid can be serious. Unfortunately, while simultaneous equipment faults are unlikely, simultaneous attacks by hostile actors are not.

As we move from an electricity system with high inherent inertia and thus very resilient to attack, towards one with lower inertia, and far greater reliance on both imports and smaller generators with increasingly complex digital controls, risks need to be carefully managed.

It's not enough to keep saying the grid is secure. We need to make sure it actually is.

ESTABLISHED 1855

One thing appears certain: higher taxes

Andy Burnham is not normally shy about voicing his opinion on everything under the sun, yet he is ominously reticent when it comes to his plans for the economy. The Prime Minister was asked whether he would rule out further tax rises in the upcoming autumn Budget, but declined to do so, saying he “won’t be unrealistic” about the “challenging” state of public finances.

Yet if he were truly a pragmatic leader, as he seeks to give the impression of being, he would understand that continuing to load more taxes on to working people is an ultimately fruitless exercise.

Ever-rising taxes act as a disincentive to taking a new job, getting a promotion that pays more, risking a business start-up, or even continuing to work at all. They are corrosive of ambition and enterprise and are subject to the law of diminishing returns. As people change their behaviour to minimise their tax burden, the revenues to the Treasury dwindle, as has happened in Scotland.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission has revealed that £720m is to be cut from next year's Scottish budget because income tax revenues were lower than forecast. Higher earners in Scotland pay more than in the rest of the UK so perhaps the SNP is seeing the consequences of resistance.

We accept letters by post and email. Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers.

It is a lesson that Mr Burnham and the Chancellor, John Healey, should take on board, yet they still want more money to fund the ever-growing welfare state. Where is it to come from? The Left-leaning think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), believes a greater share should be paid by older people, including pensioners.

111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SWIWODT

EMAIL dtletters@ telegraph.co.uk

FOLLOW Telegraph Letters @LettersDesk

In a new report, it argues that nearly four-fifths of Britain's rising fiscal costs will come from ageing by 2075 and a new fiscal settlement is needed to shift taxes away from young people and work and towards property, older people and wealth. This would include imposing National Insurance contributions on working pensioners and levies on homes that have risen in value throughout a person's lifetime.

These demographic changes have long been known about. The proportion of the population aged over 65 is expected to rise from 18 per cent in 2024 to 27 per cent by 2075, at considerable cost to the public purse. The IPPR paper suggests that tinkering with the tax system by stealth is no longer justifiable and wholesale reform is needed. Perhaps so. But under Labour we know that everyone will just end up paying more and getting little in return.

Justice delayed

It is hard to believe that, more than 37 years after the Lockerbie atrocity killed 270 people, legal action is continuing in a bid to bring justice for the relatives of the dead. The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 before Christmas in 1988 was the worst terrorist attack and mass murder in British history.

Two Libyans were tried for their involvement in the crime and one, Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi, was jailed for life. He died of cancer in 2012 after being released from jail on compassionate grounds.

But doubts have been cast over the extent of his involvement amid suspicions of a wider conspiracy yet to be exposed. To that end, authorities in America arrested another Libyan, Abu Al-Marimi, in 2022, accusing him of building the bomb that destroyed the New York-bound plane. His trial was due to get under way in Washington DC this week but was suddenly postponed by the judge after new evidence apparently came to light.

It is hard to see what that might be after such a passage of time, but lawyers for Al-Marimi – who denies the charges – said they needed time to consider the latest development fully. It is unlikely now that the trial will begin before the end of the year, assuming it goes ahead at all. The postponement came after months of preparations and protracted pre-trial legal arguments.

For the relatives of those who died, this delay has come as another blow. No reasons have been given, but campaigners such as Jim Swire, whose daughter was killed, said if the delay meant a greater chance of finding out the truth, he did not object. It is right for the judge to exercise caution to ensure yet another case does not collapse. But the delay has to be as short as possible for the sake of those who have waited so long to discover what happened.

Criminal codes

A young couple paid at a car park in Whitley Bay by scanning one of those square QR codes. The next thing they knew, £370 had disappeared from their bank account. The car park people said they never use QR codes. But how are customers expected to know that? QR codes are deeply annoying, and consequently suspicious. Nothing about them is transparent. Restaurants try to replace menus with them, and if you are not careful a percentage is added to your bill. Parking is already a sort of hostage negotiation, since the car has to be freed somehow. The QR allows the hostage-takers to name their price. If this perspective is not quite reality, it remains the way it looks to puzzled and frustrated drivers. Once financial autonomy is relinquished to phones, anything can happen, with or without QR codes.

Donald Trump's foreign policy has damaged American prestige

SIR – The “economic D-Day” launched against Iran is not a sign of America’s strength, but rather of Donald Trump’s weakness (“US launches ‘economic onslaught’ to isolate Iran”, report, August 25).

His military action has failed: the Iranian leadership is more determined than ever, with a firmer grip on power; the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed; and America has depleted its stock of missiles and interceptors. In desperation, he is turning to sanctions, although Iran's chief trading partner, China, has shown before that it does not yield to such pressure.

Mr Trump's foreign policy – towards Iran, Russia, North Korea, Taiwan, Canada and Ukraine – has undermined the role of the United States as leader of the Free World. John Hicks Manchester

SIR – In the unlikely event that the new “extreme” sanctions on Iran are effective in curtailing the conflict,

perhaps America could try the same on Russia to end its war with Ukraine. Rob Dorrell Bath, Somerset

SIR – Theodore Roosevelt defined the fundamental principle of American foreign policy as: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

His view was that nations should negotiate peacefully and avoid bluster, but that diplomacy was of little use unless backed by the real power to support their position.

The principle has been turned on its head in the case of America's war against Iran, perhaps because the president possesses the typical character flaws of a bully, and is also more interested in midterm polling than real strategy.

Other disturbing features of the campaign are that Congress has been effectively sidelined, and that criticisms of the president's actions in Iran are simply dismissed as fake news. Debate, questioning, reasoned

argument and the acceptance of responsibility are the bases of any democracy. Eschewing them is deeply undemocratic. Philip Schofield Zeals, Wiltshire

SIR – Donald Trump has described Canada as “among the worst nations in the world to deal with” – presumably worse in his view than Russia and North Korea.

His determination to sour relationships with allies while ingratiating himself with tyrants is increasingly alarming. Cameron Morice Reading, Berkshire

SIR – If only the world at large would react to Donald Trump's manic schemes in the way that the football world reacted to those of his imitator, Gianni Infantino, then we might all sleep more soundly in our beds. Sally Gibbons London SW19

E-bike menace

SIR – Lime bikes and e-scooters are not just a nuisance to the blind (“Lime withdraws bikes from London borough after complaints from blind residents”, report, August 25). Yesterday, in the space of 20 minutes, I witnessed the following incidents.

A woman on a Lime bike exited a one-way street the wrong way into oncoming traffic, which she would not have seen, or been seen by, as the view was blocked by a tree.

Two people rode a one-man e-scooter on a main road, the passenger carrying two bags of shopping, with an arm around the neck of the “driver”.

A Lime bike rider wearing headphones and texting went through a red light at a busy junction, causing cars to brake abruptly and two to nearly collide.

Glyndebourne dress

SIR – The dress code at Glyndebourne Festival is being eroded. I have heard it said that the men now look smarter than the ladies, as the majority still wear dinner jackets – but even that is declining.

Of course, this very hot summer has been testing, but if one is being entertained by some of the greatest singers and orchestras in the world, in one of the loveliest opera houses, where no expense has been spared to provide a wonderful experience, it is courteous to acknowledge all this in one's dress choices.

Nobody expects ballgowns and tiaras, but if an outfit would be suitable for the beach or supermarket, it seems rather insulting to wear it at a world-renowned institution that has longstanding traditions.

Sitting pretty: Parisians enjoying summer drinks at the Parc Rives-de-Seine

Another Lime bike rider went through the same red light, turning right into oncoming traffic. He had just cycled through a set of red lights at one of south London's busiest junctions, weaving to avoid being hit by a double-decker bus.

French patience tested by tourists from Paris

Those who really want to dress down could go during the Autumn Season, which is less formal, but I would ask them to let the celebrated Summer Festival continue in its time-honoured way.

Sedlescombe, East Sussex

This has nothing to do with snobbery, just plain good manners. BV Anson

Eleven lost days

SIR – I was interested in the article mentioning the change of the British calendar from the Julian to the Gregorian in 1752 (“Hippies, King Arthur and UFOs – the bonkers history of Glastonbury”. Features, August 23).

SIR - We have owned a second home in Brittany for nearly 40 years, and Parisians have always been unpopular there (Comment, August 25). They are viewed as rude and arrogant. In the days when there were still petrol pump attendants at garages, cars bearing Paris number plates were usually served last, irrespective of when they arrived.

On one occasion, when we were accompanying French friends to St Malo for lunch, they had a dispute

Any of those five examples could have ended in death. One nearly caused an accident.

Finally, a man with a small child in the basket of a Lime bike rode the wrong way down a three-lane, one-way traffic system into oncoming traffic, then crossed a busy junction the wrong way.

over a parking place with the driver of a car with Paris plates. It ended with one of us being driven at. A phone call to a friend who was a local police inspector resulted in a rapid intervention after it was explained where the driver had come from.

It is highly unlikely that residents of the city at the heart of French government will ever be welcome in a former independent duchy. Peter J Howard Bridport, Dorset

My husband's ancestor introduced the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 into Parliament, which removed 11 days from the month of September in 1752.

As a barrister, I regularly prosecute and defend motorists, many of whom have their licences suspended or revoked. Some are even sent to prison. While car drivers are on near-permanent tenterhooks about receiving points for even the slightest breach of ever-stricter road laws, cyclists and riders of e-scooters and mopeds act as though they are above the law, and seem oblivious to the risk they pose to the public. Adrian Yalland London SW11

Distressing delays in the probate service

William Hogarth's cartoon series of the Oxfordshire election in 1754 (available to view at the Sir John Soane's museum in London) has a man sprawled at the foot of the 2nd Earl of Macclesfield's chair, brandishing a sign reading, "Give us our Eleven Days" – a rallying cry of that election. The Countess of Macclesfield Northend, Oxfordshire

Chats with AI

SIR – I enjoyed the letters (August 24) on interactions with artificial intelligence, as I recently had a rather funny conversation with the one in my car. It went something like this.

Me: So what is your name then? AI: I have often wondered that myself.

Me: Siri, how long before we arrive?
AI: My name is not Siri.

Penny Reeves Mamhilad, Monmouthshire

SIR – As the executor of my mother's will, I too am having to deal with the Probate Registry (Letters, August 25).

SIR – I agree with John Bonny (Letters, August 25) on the importance of cash. Retaining it helps people on all incomes to budget more easily.

Cash also safeguards against unexpected glitches, as well as acts of cyber-warfare. I have been on duty during IT failures, when cash has saved the day.

Why cash is still king

My mother died on February 1, and I submitted the necessary papers at the beginning of March. At the end of the month, registry staff said they needed to speak to one of the witnesses to a codicil to the will, apparently because this was carried out by video during lockdown. My solicitor and I provided full details three days later.

place, rather than wasting time correcting administrative errors.

There are social reasons to preserve cash. For example, my female customers and staff have made me aware that it protects women from controlling male partners.

As a former senior civil servant, I am depressed by the incompetence and lack of professionalism displayed by this public service. It simply would not have been tolerated before lockdown. Mike Venables West Lavington, Wiltshire

Since then, staff have not contacted the solicitor. Instead, they have twice written to me demanding additional documents, which I have already provided, and, most recently, threatening to close my application. This is very upsetting - and a difficult house sale is also being delayed.

SIR – Having read much about delays in the probate service, I had low expectations. I applied for probate for my husband's estate online on August 16, and sent off the will by Royal Mail the day after. On August 20 I received an email acknowledgement that the document had arrived, and was told that I should expect a response within 12 weeks. In fact, I received a positive response that afternoon, and expect my hard copies of the grant later this week.

After six months, then, the registry has done little except chase me for documents that it already has. It would have taken less effort to do the job promptly and accurately in the first

Shirley Jackson Bedford

The best way to keep cash is to use it more. I recently paid a hotel bill in cash in the Austrian village of Alpbach – thus also making a small contribution to the survival of two bank branches. John Barstow

Fittleworth, West Sussex

SIR – My local cafe has several charity boxes on the counter, plus one for staff tips. After paying with cash, I have several options for my change, other than putting it in my pocket. I can't do that if paying by card, app or QR code. Bernard Powell Southport, Lancashire

Cricketing curfews

SIR – Observing the soap opera that is English cricket (“Cricketer Carse put in handcuffs outside bar”, Sport, August 25), I was amused that, after captain Joe Root scrapped the team curfew, with a statement that the players are adults and should behave as such, Frances Edmonds recalled that David Gower’s greatest sin was that “he continued to treat his players as adults” (Sport, August 24). Nick Holdsworth East Ogwell, Devon

Getting married may soon be an act of rebellion

Why be in an ordinary, stable relationship when you could be in a pansexual polycule?

ANNABEL DENHAM

Imagine if our society had an institution associated with greater family stability, better outcomes for children, less reliance on the state and greater social mobility. Then imagine politicians - including those who noisily and unrelentingly complain about “inequality” - refusing to champion it. Or worse, looking down their noses at it.

This is the peculiar position Britain now finds itself in over marriage. When Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice broke ranks on Monday and proposed giving married couples with children greater priority for social housing, he was instantly accused of "discrimination against single people". Bridget Phillipson invoked her own upbringing by a single mother. "Britain rejected these outdated views in the 1990s," she huffed. "We will do so again."

There's something very revealing about her use of the word "outdated". Not wrong, or unsupported by the evidence. Just hopelessly passé, like saying grace before dinner.

Phillipson also referenced Peter

Lilley's 1992 “little list” speech, in which he took aim at the “young lady who gets pregnant just to jump the housing queue”. But Britain has changed considerably since then. Women who deliberately choose to have children alone tend to be older and more financially secure. The 17-year-old having a baby to get a council house is much less common than it was.

The following day brought a grim reminder that permanent human relationships have more going for them than fashionable opinion allows. A government-commissioned independent review has revealed 112 care-leavers aged between 18 and 24 died in 2025 – an estimated mortality rate of 130 per 100,000, between three and four times that of other young people.

The overwhelming majority of children raised by single parents will not end up in local authority care. Countless lone parents perform heroic feats raising their kids without another adult by their side. Many single parents are not single by choice: partners die or desert them. Some marriages are miserable, dysfunctional or abusive.

But we shouldn't be statistically blind. Half of children who enter care for the first time will have been living in lone-parent families. According to the Centre for Social Justice, family structure has a greater impact on physical and mental wellbeing, educational attainment, social and emotional development, than education or income. Of course, correlation is not causation – married parents can differ from unmarried

parents in myriad ways – but the association is sufficiently strong that it should be taken more seriously.

Yet Britain has witnessed the total collapse of marriage rates in the last 50 years. In 1970, the marriage rate in England and Wales was approaching 80 marriages for every 1,000 men. Today, it is 18. For centuries, people tended to tie the knot in their early 20s; the median age at which men now enter their first legal partnership is around 33.

Interestingly, the story is no longer principally one of divorce – which exploded in the late 20th century but has been falling for decades. And plenty of couples now marry after starting a family: around one in four do so within seven years of having a child. Andy Burnham was among them.

More striking than when people form a union, is who still does. Marriage has become a luxury good, heavily stratified by class and income. Just a fifth of children born into a white-working-class household in the bottom income quintile will have married parents. In the top quintile, it's around 85 per cent. This is, partly, the consequence of the wedding industry turning "the big day" into an impossibly extravagant event while the affordable alternative - a register office ceremony - can seem so banal it's not worth bothering.

It all presents the Left with a quandary. If marriage were truly the tool of oppression some modern feminists seem to believe, wouldn't we expect affluent graduates to have abandoned it first? Instead, those with the greatest economic and educational advantages continue disproportionately to marry, pool resources, and raise children in stable households. Phillipson, who went to Oxford, married in her mid-20s.

We recognise positive externalities elsewhere. Governments provide tax breaks to start-ups; we spend tens of billions on education. Yet a married couple with two children and £60,000 household income can pay more than £7,000 extra tax if one spouse earns £60,000 than if each earns £30,000. Why wouldn't Labour address this? There are, I think, three explanations.

First, to a certain kind of perpetually adolescent progressive, marriage is dull. Why be in an ordinary, stable relationship when you could be in a pansexual polycule? Second, our culture is increasingly organised around self-actualisation. Find yourself, prioritise yourself, live your best life. Marriage offers something contrary: that sometimes the good life involves putting someone else's interests and needs before your own. Third, families localise loyalty. They create obligations and associations that can flourish independently of government – a near-heretical concept for the meddling Left.

Marriage hasn't disappeared from Britain, but in an age that places autonomy over obligation, committing yourself permanently to another person is becoming a quiet rebellion against the zeitgeist. It might not be as consciously contrarian as wearing tweed or declaring yourself a Tory at university, but at the rate we're going, it could still become the most counter-cultural choice of all.

Registered Charity Numbers 1167663 & SC053144 Co. Ltd 09365971

Puzzles, Mind Games & Telegraph Toughie

KAKURO

To solve kakuro you must enter a number between 1 and 9 in the empty squares without repeating a digit. The clues are the numbers on the black squares and are the sum of the solution numbers. The clue pointers indicate the direction of the answers. A block of two squares with a clue of 3 will solve as 2,1 and a 5 will produce 4,1 or 2,3. A 4 can only be 1,3, never 2,2. Solution tomorrow.

CODEWORDS

MODERATE NO 5854

Numbers are substituted for letters in this crossword grid. In the smaller key grid some letters are solved. Use these as clues to complete your first word. This will solve more letters that you can then enter in the grids. Solutions tomorrow.

For today's right-hand codewords solutions call 0905 757 0131. For up to five extra letter clues call 0905 757 0130 or text DTCODE (leaving no spaces) to 64343. Calls cost £1 per minute, plus network access charge; texts cost £1, plus network access charge. You must be 18 or over and have the bill payer's permission. Services open Mon - Fri. SP: Spoke Ltd - Helpline 0333 202 3390.

Your clues are the caged numbers that represent the sum of the numbers within the cage. As in standard sudoku, each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column must contain all the numbers 1 to 9. Solution tomorrow.

KILLER SUDOKU

16	9	20	18		16	16
			10				12	11
				3		4
10		3		35		12		3
6		5			13		14
8	16				4		6
9	11	1	10		7	14	13	18
		23		11
18

1	24	20		6	9	6		6	10	8	24	22
9		23		25		10		9		16		9
20	23	3	1	3		6	3	23	8	3	9	7
		19		7		4		20		20		8
23	25	25	16		1	3	22	22		25	13	25
3		23		6		11		25
5	10	22	11	16	25		20	25	11	25	4	11
				3		20		20		17		10
15	9	8		4	16	24	25		4	3	13	25
16		23		13		23		16		22
25	26	24	3	6	16	25		3	1	9	22	22
22		25		10		22		14		10		10
18	25	16	9	2		22	12	21		7	25	19

Each of the anagrams below spells out a term relating to space travel. Solution tomorrow.

MODERATE

ANAGRAMS

RACY JOTTER RITZ VOYAGER EMU ALL ROUND

SUDOKU

REGULAR NO 7424

To solve this puzzle each $3 \times 3$ box, each row and also each column must contain all the numbers from 1 to 9. There are numerous strategies to help you solve sudoku. Solutions tomorrow.

		6			5
		8		6			1
5				8			2	9
					7	2
2	5			1			9	3
		9	4
4	9			5				2
	8			4		9
			1			7

MIND GYM

NO 4916

Start on the left with the given number and work your way across following the instructions in each cell. Target time: 30 seconds. Solution below.

4	8						7	3
		2		8
	7	5				2
5		9			2	4
				4
		6	7					2
		3				5
				1
2	5						9	4

Sudoku Solution For today's tough sudoku solution call 0905 757 0136. Calls cost £1 per minute, plus network access charge. You must be 18 or over and have the bill payer's permission. Services open Mon – Fri. SP: Spoke – 0333 202 3390.

TOUGH NO 7424

BEGINNER									ANSWER
64	3/4 OF THIS	x1.5	÷6	X BY ITSELF	-109	4/5 OF THIS	TRIPLE IT	+78	HALVE IT
INTERMEDIATE									ANSWER
14	x7	250% OF THIS	-89	HALVE IT	12/13 OF THIS	x4.75	-214	÷8	X BY ITSELF
ADVANCED									ANSWER
184	÷8	X BY ITSELF	+143	HALVE IT	5/6 OF THIS	85% OF THIS	-51	÷11	X BY ITSELF

—TELEGRAPH— —TOUGHIE—

You've always done what you can to protect your four legged friend, and that shouldn't change when life does. With a Canine Care Card, you won't have to worry about what's next for them, because we will look after and rehome them at one of our 22 rehoming centre, located all across the UK.

NO 3746 ZENAS

Make sure your dog is cared for with a Canine Care Card

If I receive a life-changing diagnosis

If I move to a care home

Apply now to get your FREE Canine Care Card. E: ccc@dogstrust.org.uk T: 020 7837 0006 Or visit: dogstrust.org.uk/ccc Please quote "1058904", or complete the coupon below:

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other

We treat your personal information with care and respect your privacy. We do share your information with Dogs Trust and its subsidiaries. Your personal information is never shared with third parties for their own marketing purposes. It may be processed on our behalf by carefully selected partners. For more information about how we look after and analyse your data, please visit our privacy policy: dogstrust.org.uk/privacy.

Down

Please send me a Dogs Trust Canine Care Card application form (Please fill out in block capitals)

Address

From time to time we would like to send you exciting updates about our work, products, services and how you can support us, including fundraising activities and research by post. If you'd rather not receive these mailings, please tick here □

Postcode

Across

Canine Cared For

Please send this coupon to: FREEPOST DOGSTRUSTL (No stamp required) N.B. Service only available for residents of the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands & Isle of Man

Canine Cared For

Canine Cared For

If I pass away

TRAIN TRACKS

Please call 020 7837 0006 Charity Number

Canine Care Card In the event I can no longer care for my dog(s), Dogs Trust will,

PANAGRAM

6 6 5 3 5 5 4 4

MINI SUDOKU

Create words of four letters or more, always using the centre letter. Proper nouns and plurals are not allowed, and you can only use each letter once per word. Can you find the nine-letter Panagram? Answers must be in the Oxford Dictionary of English. Solution tomorrow.

1 Theatrical appearance announced in holiday venue (8)
2 Thugs rip out fixtures in football stadium (8)
3 Oddly pretend retiring is difficult (4)
5 Musical gift – something a groundskeeper wants (7,5)
6 Bring back less fine cut (4)
7 Abruptly stole a black sacred symbol (6)
8 Confidential note removed for prisoner (6)
11 On the other hand, aircrew is not scrambled (12)
15 Sylvester Stallone regularly plays in an artful way (5)
16 Minions stealing left shoes (5)
18 It's unimportant talk about order (2,6)
19 See Lulu playing, holding Kelvin's instruments (8)
21 Fearful catching wife standing up for fool (6)
22 Feature about gold showing one way to obtain money (6)
26 Tips of some asparagus going on starchy food (4)
27 Letter to the Corinthians kept back by conservatoire (4)

Fill in the grid in such a way that every row and column and every 2 x 3 box contains the numbers 1-6. Solution tomorrow.

MODERATE NO 4685

		5
6			5
		4
5			1
		6			5
1			2

Up to 6 words - Word Finder, 7 - Wordsmith, 14 - Word Wizard, 21 - Word Master, 28 - Word Genius, 36 - Word Perfect

1 This is one party game (6)
4 A family briefly entertains throng in evening entertainment (5-3)
9 After revolution, leftist with spirit crows (6)
10 Scottish musicians abandoning the Queen's state (8)
12 Advanced talk about Beowulf? (4)
13 Sky viewer might see this policeman, not entirely satisfied (5)
14 Scientist has question for the audience (4)
17 Rumour three times included by headline story (6-6)
20 Suggesting plant and equipment for a marina (8,4)
23 I study picture (4)
24 Nick some salt (5)
25 Consumed flipping large Indian dish (4)
28 Poison of interminable fighting (8)
29 Place to stay with the Spanish army at the front (6)
30 Lines of Oscar Wilde originally found in figures of speech (3,5)
31 Grave markers in Australian city (6)

Lay down tracks to allow a train to travel from A to B. Only use straight and curved rails and the track cannot cross itself. The numbers indicate how many sections of rail go in each column and row. Solution tomorrow.

Yesterday's solutions

Help with clues Single clues 0905 757 0126. All Across/Down clues 0905 757 0127. Calls cost £1/minute, plus network access charge. You must be 18 or over and have the bill payer's permission. Service open Mon-Fri. SP: Spoke Ltd – Helpline 0333 2023390.

Sudoku Regular and Tough No 7423

PLUSWORD

Toughie No 3745

NO 1557

Today's Mind Gym Beginner: 81 Intermediate: 256 Advanced: 289

Panagram: Keyholder, keyhole, holder, yolked, dhole, elder, holed, holey, hydel, kytoe, leery, lokey, lordy, older, redly, yodel, yokel, dele, dhol, dole, eely, heel, held, herl, hold, hole, holy, keel, koel, kohl, kyle, leek, leer, lehr, lode, lord, lore, lory, lyre, olde, orle, reel, rely, role, yolk.

Solve the crossword, then use letters in the shaded squares to complete the additional PlusWord. A letter in a green square appears in the same column in the PlusWord as it does in the crossword; a letter in a yellow square appears in the PlusWord, but in a different column than it does in the crossword.

Across
1 Louisianaan with French ancestry
6 Pertaining to sheep
7 Knight's weapon
8 Unearth
9 Elongated apertures

Word Ladder: Blog, blot, boot, bout, tout, taut, tact, fact. Anagrams: 1. Dearest 2. Princess 3. Sweetheart.

Down
1 Common ailments
2 Benefit or help
3 By ____, old-fashioned expression of surprise
4 In its full form
5 Turnips, in Scotland

WORD LADDER

SNARE, PASSENGER VEHICLE, BURN, SQUAD, CLOTH JOIN

Change just one letter to go from the top word to the bottom word. Each step must be a valid word and you cannot change the order of the letters. There are clues below for each rung, but they are not necessarily in order. Solution tomorrow.

THE SOLUTIONS

PlusWord No 1556

T	W	E	R	P
R	O	D	E	O
A	R	G	U	E
C	R	E	S	T
T	Y	R	E	S

Train Tracks

Killer Sudoku

Mini Sudoku No 4684

The Telegraph PUZZLES

Enjoy 1 year of puzzles for just £l. Visit telegraph.co.uk/ puzzles today.

Codewords 1 and 2 1 S 2 Y B 3 X J M G O W V U E R 14 P T L 16 A K C 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 H Z 1 O W I 2 3 D 4 5 E H J A C S T L 11 F U 14 N K D 17 M X J Q Y E P Z R G V

Kakuro No 5853

The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 26 August 2026

Business

Online Sign up for our free daily Business Briefing ▶ telegraph.co.uk/business-briefing

MARKETS

BIGGEST RISER Melrose Ind 510 $^{1/4}$ p +48 $^{1/4}$ (+10.43pc)

BIGGEST FALLER Standard Chart

FTSE 250 24856.05 ▲ +138.57 (+0.56pc) FTSE All Share 5869.29 ▲ +18.87 (+0.32pc)

FTSE Eurotop 100 5074.89 +12.89 (+0.25pc)

EURO STOXX 50 6455.63 +7.65 (+0.12pc)

Nasdaq

7677.28 +24.42 (+0.32pc)

CURRENCIES

26151.30 +171.11 (+0.66pc)

Rate 1.1683

Change -0.04¢

COMMODITIES

GOLD \$4663.17 (£3420) +14.56 (+0.31pc)

BRENT CRUDE \$88.58

(October) -3.59 (-3.89pc)

A basket case With growth lagging its rivals, is Aldi's attack on loyalty schemes a whinge or a sign it is worried?

Page 19

Master of delusion US president is gravely mistaken if he thinks his economic offensive against Iran will work Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Page 22

Page 22

Page 21

Net zero to put electric bills up £264 by 2035

Shock driven by renewable subsidies and grid upgrades not production costs, consultant's analysis shows

By Melissa Lawford and Jonathan Leake

HOUSEHOLD electricity bills are on track to rise by £264 by 2035 as the cost of getting to net zero climbs, a major consulting firm has warned.

High prices are driving down electricity consumption which means the cost of renewable subsidies and grid upgrades are increasingly dominating power bills, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

If demand continues to fall, the average household electricity bill will rise by 30pc over the next nine years to hit £1,145, BCG calculated.

Raoul Ruparel, senior director of BCG's Centre for Growth, said: "There is a focus on the destination – how we will generate energy in the future.

“But that is less relevant if the path to get there is too costly. Britain isn’t an outlier because our system is more expensive, it’s largely because of how we’ve chosen to pay for it.”

Bills are not higher because it costs more to produce electricity here, but primarily because of taxes and levies, which have sent the UK into a “negative demand/price spiral”, BCG warned.

The UK's household electricity bills have already doubled in the last decade.

BCG has calculated only 38pc of this increase was driven by wholesale energy price rises. By contrast, grid costs and policy changes, which includes green energy subsidies such as the Renewables Obligation (RO) that funds investments in green power, drove 45pc of the rise.

Higher prices mean electricity demand has slumped by llpc since 2015. In turn, this has become a major factor behind a surge in the cost of running our electricity system.

BCG called for the government to move more of the costs of subsidies from bills to general taxation and to increase electricity demand through the accelerated rollout of data centres.

It said this package of measures could reduce household bills by £324 by 2035 compared to its low-demand scenario.

The figures come as energy regulator Ofgem is expected to announce a £66 increase in the energy price cap today.

The price cap – which limits the average annual energy bill run on gas and electricity combined – is forecast to rise to £1,729 from October to December, according to research group Cornwall Insight. This would be the highest level in three years.

A separate analysis by energy supplier EDF found household energy bills will rise by nearly £130 by the end of the decade as the costs of the Government's net zero policies mount.

Typical annual household bills will hit £1,790 by 2030, up 8pc from £1,663 today, in part because of green levies and grid upgrades, according to EDF.

The latest EDF estimate is £40 higher than its previous forecasts despite Labour's manifesto pledge to cut energy bills by £300. Mr Burnham, who took over as Prime Minister in July, has said he wants to give people a “sense that help is coming” on prices.

EDF said if Mr Burnham's VAT cut is kept in place until 2030, along with other changes to renewables funding, the cost of bills would fall by around £90 from its current £1,790 estimate.

Labour shifted the cost of paying for RO from bills to general taxation this year. But that is due to expire in 2029, while the VAT cut will end in April. Keeping both cuts until the end of the decade would cost £3.5bn, EDF said.

A Government spokesperson said tackling the cost of living is a “key priority” and that it will do everything it can to “bring down bills for good”.

Wall Street boss used AI to write White House attack article

By Pui-Guan Man

A BILLIONAIRE hedge fund chief has admitted to using AI to write an influential opinion article attacking the White House after he was outed by an online detection tool.

Stanley Druckenmiller, an influential voice in US financial circles, wrote a widely lauded article in The Wall Street Journal yesterday criticising Scott Bessent, US Treasury secretary, for attempting to calm fears in the bond market. But questions were raised about the column after an AI detection tool was applied to the 1,319-word article and found it had been artificially generated. Mr Druckenmiller was forced to admit using AI to write the article, but defended the move.

"There's a reason I moved from an English major to an economics major," he told Notus, a US news website. "I'm not embarrassed ... I write everything using AI now."

The WSJ defended the use of AI, saying it was a “fact of modern life”. Paul Gigot, WSJ editorial page editor, said: “People will use it to assist in their work and their writing ... The question for us is whether what we publish from contributors reflects an author’s original argument. In Stan Druckenmiller’s case...nobody can doubt that his op-ed is his genuine opinion.”

The controversy highlights growing questions about whether using AI to create content is cheating.

Earlier this month Anthropic, which owns AI bot Claude, said it would apply a new watermarking system to show when text had been computer-generated to crackdown on students cheating at homework.

In his article, Mr Druckenmiller said a \$4bn (£2.9bn) bond buying plan unveiled by the White House last week had been a “mistake”.

Funny money John Healey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, meets with his ministerial team at 11 Downing Street, including to his left, Emma Reynolds, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and James Murray, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, third from right.

China warns Trump it will retaliate in face of new Iran sanctions

By Hans van Leeuwen

BEIJING has swiftly threatened to retaliate if China is hit by Donald Trump's new Iran sanctions, raising fears of a fresh trade war between the two superpowers.

China's ties with Iran "should not be interfered with or undermined", foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned yesterday, hours after the White House vowed to target countries that refused to cut ties with Tehran.

“China is closely monitoring relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests," he told a press conference in Beijing.

Mr Lin called for dialogue and negotiation rather than “economic warfare”. He said sanctions would “escalate tensions, create spillover risks, and disrupt the global economic order”.

His comments came after Scott Bessent, US president Mr Trump's treasury secretary, launched “Operation Economic Outcast” on Monday, which aims to isolate Iran from the global economy and financial system.

This strategy could include using secondary sanctions to punish countries that trade with, invest in or lend to Iran. “Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone,” Mr Bessent said.

China is one of Iran's major trading partners and its network of small domestic refineries, known as “teapots”, bought about 80pc of seaborne Iranian crude oil exported last year.

Tehran and Beijing also have a self-described “comprehensive strategic partnership” that included about \$40bn (£29bn) of two-way trade last year.

The Iran-China oil trade has dwindled since the Strait of Hormuz closed. But Iran may still be importing

Chinese machinery and technology, and using Chinese banks as a backdoor into the financial system. Mr Bessent acknowledged on Monday that China could be a target of Washington's bid to "economically asphyxiate" Iran.

He said: “No one is above the reach of US sanctions. ... If they facilitate transactions and are part of the ecosystem that turns Iranian oil into money, into repression, they will be targeted.”

Mr Trump has spent much of this year rowing back his trade war with Beijing after President Xi Jinping curbed America's access to vital Chinese-produced rare earths and magnets. The US president paid a fence-mending trip to Beijing in May, and Xi is expected to visit Washington next month. Until this week, the two sides have been careful to avoid any new antagonism.

But Bloomberg reported on Monday that Mr Trump was considering a new 7.5pc “overcapacity” tariff on goods that Chinese factories are producing at market-flooding levels.

The US treasury also named a clutch of Hong Kong-based trading and shipping companies as targets for the Iran sanctions on Monday.

It alleged some of them were involved in procuring sensitive technology for Tehran. So far, the initial sanctions salvo has not targeted big Chinese banks, which allow Tehran to bypass the longstanding Western financial blockade.

Mr Trump threatened secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil last year. The ensuing tariffs were slapped on India, but China was spared.

Beijing has already responded to the looming threat since Mr Trump returned to office last year.

Enforcement agencies have been handed new powers to punish businesses that comply with sanctions deemed contrary to Chinese interests.

160-year old ‘war metal’ mine to reopen

By Louis Goss

A 160-year-old tungsten mine in Devon is set to restart production after receiving £71m in taxpayer funding.

In the latest effort to boost Britain's rearmament, the Government's National Wealth Fund (NWF) has invested in Tungsten West, the owner of Hemerdon mine near Plymouth.

The cash will be used to reopen Hemerdon for the first time in eight years, with the mine boasting some of the largest tungsten reserves in the world. As part of the deal, the NWF will take a 7pc stake in company for £36m before lending the business £35m.

It reflects a drive to make the UK more self-sufficient in critical minerals, particularly metals vital to defence.

Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have sent demand for tungsten, one of the most dense metals, surging. It is used in everything from hypersonic missile nose cones to armour-piercing bullets and bunker-busting bombs.

John Healey, the Chancellor, said: "We are living in a more dangerous world, which is why backing British industry is more important than ever before. That is what this deal does. “

The Hemerdon mine, which contains the fourth-largest tungsten reserves in the world, was first discovered in 1867 and mined during both world wars before closing in 1944. It was reopened between 2015 and 2018 before shutting again because of a lack of funds.

Jeff Court, Tungsten West chief executive, said: "It's extremely important we prioritise UK requirements for this critical metal to support domestic demand."

Burnham hands troubled builder £350m

By Tom Haynes

ANDY BURNHAM has handed an embattled housebuilder £350m to boost his council housebuilding blitz.

Vistry, one of Britain's biggest housing groups, will receive the cash to construct about 3,000 affordable homes under a £10bn government programme to build 70,000 homes outside London.

The award comes weeks after Vistry revealed it had plunged to a £30m loss, raising fears over its finances.

than 70pc from their peak in August 2024, but soared more than 18pc after the Government revealed the funding.

Insurers have also pulled cover, with Allianz Trade warning suppliers earlier this month that it was cutting exposure to the group.

Vistry's main business is building for councils and housing associations using public funding, which has paved the way for Mr Burnham's award.

Only around 60pc of that money will be earmarked for social rented property, months after the Prime Minister said Labour's £39bn housing plan should be “dedicated to council homes”.

The rest will go towards other types of accommodation, including shared ownership schemes and sheltered housing, rather than council housing.

Labour's plans were criticised as “a sleight of hand” by the Conservatives.

Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said: “The small print shows homes won’t have to be delivered until 2039.” Under the programme rules, homes must start by March 2036 and be completed by March 2039.

Business

Rent controls push down house prices, IFS warns

Experts argue that limits on tenants' bills could have ‘unintended’ results and force landlords to sell

By Melissa Lawford

A CAP on rents paid by tenants would trigger a decline in house prices across the UK, a leading think tank has warned.

Rent controls, such as limiting how much tenants' bills can rise each year, would probably force landlords to sell their properties, driving down home values, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Matthew Oulton and Tom Wernham, from the IFS, warned that although a cap would be helpful for renters in the short term, there would be “unintended consequences” because “in practice housing markets are complicated”.

They said: “Alongside reducing the supply of rental properties, rent controls often result in a reduction in the sale price of properties.”

International studies show the policy consistently reduces the supply and quality of rental properties.

Although a landlord sell-off and ensuing drop in purchase prices could allow renters who have sufficient income and savings to get on the housing ladder, this would not help the majority of renters, the IFS economists warned.

They said: "Many renters would be unable to afford to buy.

"There is clear evidence from a range of housing markets that, in practice, rent controls reduce supply.

"There is no clear reason why the UK housing market would be any different, meaning we would also expect UK rent controls to similarly reduce the availability of rental properties."

The analysis comes after Labour's buy-to-let crackdown triggered a plunge in rental homes in London, with 22pc fewer properties on the market compared with before the 2024 general election, according to Savills.

In the capital, where high house prices mean the market has been most vulnerable to reductions in tax relief on buy-to-let mortgages, official figures show house prices fell by 2.5pc year-onyear in June. In July, Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, appeared to temporarily rule out rent controls, saying: "I don't think that rent freezes, rent controls, is a way forward at the moment."

But Andy Burnham was a fierce supporter of the idea before he became Prime Minister. In 2023, while he was the mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham signed an open letter to the Government calling for “an immediate freeze” on private-sector rents during the cost of living crisis.

The Green Party, which had historic wins in London in the May local elections, is pushing for rent controls to allow local authorities to set limits on rent increases in areas where housing is unaffordable.

Mr Burnham is also facing pressure from Labour's backbenches. In June, Margaret Mullane, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, called for the Government “to go further and to begin a discussion on rent controls” in LabourList.

‘There is evidence from a range of housing markets that, in practice, rent controls reduce supply’

Rent controls were commonplace in Britain for decades, but were abolished on new tenancies in 1988.

Earlier this month, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the average monthly private rent in the UK was £1,393 in July, around £50 or 3.7pc higher than a year earlier. It also showed that average annual house price growth had slowed from 3pc to 2pc in June.

The average house price during the 12 months to June was £272,000.

Aimee North, ONS head of housing market indices, said: “Annual UK house price inflation slowed significantly in June because price growth was weaker this summer than it was last year following stamp duty changes in England and Northern Ireland.”

In contrast to early summer 2026, strong price growth was recorded in May and June 2025 as average price levels rebounded after a sharp fall in April 2025, the ONS said.

WANG MINGFU/VCG/GETTY IMAGES

Sight for spore eyes A colourful giant mushroom-themed landscape created by the Mushuihua Wild Mushroom Trading Centre is unveiled in the city of Kunming in the Yunnan Province of China.

UK aerospace giant GKN pays £70m to meltdown evacuees

By Christopher Jasper

THE owner of British manufacturing giant GKN has agreed to pay \$100m (£70m) to 50,000 California residents forced to flee their homes because of a chemical meltdown.

Melrose announced the compensation package after a near-disaster in Garden Grove, a city in Orange County, in May. It also warned that it may face further civil claims and a bill from emergency services that attended the scene.

Catastrophe was narrowly avoided after a tank containing 7,000 gallons of highly volatile methyl methacrylate (MMA) suffered what GKN called a “thermal issue”.

Fearing an explosion, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, declared a state of emergency with the backing of Donald Trump and ordered the evacuation of 50,000 people, or a third of the local population.

“Residents of Garden Grove had to stay away from their homes for five days, including the busy Memorial Day weekend.

Melrose said that while the district attorney for Orange County had closed a criminal investigation and would not bring charges, it had agreed to provide up to \$100m to resolve damages claims from householders and businesses.

It said: “The claims programme, which is expected to become effective in the coming weeks and remain open into 2027, will reimburse those eligible for costs associated with the evacuation, including hotel stays, meals, transportation, loss of wages and loss of use.

Claims by emergency services agencies for costs incurred in responding to the incident and potential civil enforcement penalties will be resolved separately."

During the incident, thought to have resulted from a failed refrigeration system, the temperature of the tank climbed from 10C to more than 38C.

TJ McGovern, fire chief for Orange County, said at the time of the incident that he was told it would inevitably result in a devastating “boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion”, which happens when a pressurised vessel holding a liquid ruptures. He said: “It started with us being advised that there are no options and nothing we can do. Basically, it was going to be a major explosion.”

However, dousing the tank with water over several days resulted in the appearance of a crack that relieved the mounting pressure.

Peter Dilnot, GKN's chief executive, flew out to the scene and apologised to Californians for the disruption.

Melrose said that the plant, which employs 500 people, will be reopened on Sept 28. It added that the failed tank had been decommissioned, with “substantial investments” in safety made at the facility 20 miles south of Central Los Angeles.

Telegraph · FASHION & BEAUTY with

Lisa Armstrong Summer dressing made easy The latest style tips delivered to your inbox

Every Saturday. Sign up now

To scan the QR code, open your phone camera, point it at the code and tap the banner that appears on screen. On older phones, you may need to download a QR code reader first.

TRAVEL SOLUTIONS BY TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP

The Royal Isle of Wight

Book by Aug 31, 2026

Valid for stays from Oct 8 to Dec 19, 2026

This handsome hotel sits in exotic gardens full of Geraniums, Echiums and Wisteria on Ventnor's scenic coast. Modern furnishings enhance Victorian interiors. Geranium restaurant has held two AA Rosettes for over 25 years. Thanks to a unique microclimate, Ventnor has long attracted the rich and famous, not least Charles Dickens.

telegraph.co.uk/tt-the-royal

What's included

◆ Two-night stay in a Classic room

◆ Breakfast daily

◆ Dinner both nights (worth £50pp per night)

Call 0333 060 2981 and quote TELP2608

- Return car ferry

- Cream tea for two

◆ Free upgrade to a Garden View room (subject to availability; November and December only)

◆ Friday and Saturday supplements apply

The island also boasts the Needles chalk stacks and Osborne House, beloved retreat of Queen Victoria.

Telegraph Travel writer Antonia Windsor says: "One of the island's most prestigious addresses, with excellent cuisine, lofty rooms and a laid-back atmosphere."

Subject to availability. Pre-payment taken at the time of booking. Rates based on 2x people sharing. Additional nights can be added on request. Not available Sundays & Mondays between November 15 – December 14.

Off their trolley: Aldi resorts to ‘whinging’ as rivals steal a march

German discounter accused of being 'desperate' after attack on loyalty schemes, writes Tom Haynes

WITH its cheap prices and no-frills stores, Aldi has disrupted the status quo of the big four supermarkets over the past decade. But now there are signs that the German discounter is running out of steam.

Giles Hurley, the chief executive of Aldi UK, went on the warpath last week by attacking supermarket loyalty schemes for offering a “false sense of value”. The outburst went down like a lead balloon in the industry, with some saying Aldi’s criticism of rival supermarkets was designed to deflect attention from its flagging growth.

That has raised questions of whether Aldi can maintain its early promise as a retail juggernaut – or be beaten at its own game by a resurgent Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons. Hurley was accused by retail leaders of being “desperate” after his attack on loyalty schemes.

Aldi was “completely talking their own book”, one senior retail adviser said, by wading into the row over supermarket pricing, which is under investigation by the UK competition watchdog. “It was opportunistic, and in a way, perhaps a little bit desperate,” they said.

The timing is awkward for Aldi. Its sales rose by just 0.8pc in the 12 weeks to Aug 8, according to NIQ – compared with 8.2pc at Lidl, 13pc at M&S, 17pc at

Ocado and 3.6pc at Sainsbury's.

Aldi does not operate a loyalty scheme like Tesco's Clubcard or Sainsbury's Nectar Prices.

Ocado and 3.0pc at Sainsbury's. Aldi has continued opening shops, making the slowdown more significant. Clive Black, from Shore Capital, said the discounter was “protesting a bit too much”.

"The fact that [customers are] choosing to shop more at other retailers tells us something about Aldi, and it's not just about price," he said.

Hurley is responsible for putting Aldi on the map in Britain. Having joined the retailer nearly 30 years ago, the Irishman took the top job in 2018 and oversaw the opening of its 1,000th store in 2023. He took

his own industry last week, writing a piece for the Daily Mail backing the Government's investigation into supermarket pricing.

Hurley said that shoppers were being bombarded with discounts that could make them believe they are getting a bargain – when a rival supermarket is still cheaper.

“Taking £2 off a £6 product doesn’t make it good value if you can buy it for £3 somewhere else,” he said.

The attack piece made sense for Aldi. The company does not operate a loyalty scheme like Tesco's Clubcard or Sainsbury's Nectar Prices.

Its argument is that shoppers should get its lowest prices without having to sign up, hand over their data or use a smartphone. But for some, the move belied a desperate bid to once again steal a march on Britain's established supermarkets as they

became increasingly adept at copying Aldi's strategy.

Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons are among those advertising "Aldi price match" products.

The Competition and Markets

Aldi has seen little growth compared with its competitors

Authority (CMA), Britain's competition watchdog, has examined loyalty pricing, looking at about 50,000 grocery products. It found very little evidence that supermarkets were artificially inflating prices before applying discounts. Loyalty card members could "almost always" make a genuine saving against the normal price, although some loyalty deals remained more expensive than the cheapest option elsewhere. Black was equally dismissive of Aldi's argument that shoppers were being duped. "British shoppers are not

stupid," he said, pointing out that Tesco and

Sainsbury's now compete with Aldi on hundreds of high-volume products.

“You can see that they’re growing more slowly than the big four – more slowly than Lidl,” he added.

Aldi's complaints also come at a significant moment for the discounters more broadly. The CMA has proposed extending rules governing supermarket land agreements to Aldi and Lidl, arguing that their size and geographic reach mean they should now be treated like the established chains. Until now, the discounters have had greater freedom to use restrictive agreements that can prevent rivals opening stores nearby.

“I think they’re really feeling it, and the CMA ruling is a big thing for them actually, because until now they’ve had a lot of freedom,” Black said. “It’s a very significant moment in the development of the discounters here. It does have the potential to change the dynamics of the market.”

Aldi's push to offer shoppers the cheapest prices – earlier this year it cut the prices of potatoes, carrots and parsnips to 4p – is also under renewed scrutiny.

The Government's Farming Profitability Review warned that farm input costs are expected to be 30pc higher this year than in 2020, and called for farmers to receive “a fair return for what they produce”. Aldi rejects any suggestion that its low prices come at the expense of British farmers. It says it has committed £5bn to British farming and food production through longer-term agreements covering fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat and eggs.

It has also committed £3bn to British beef suppliers over five years and £1.1bn to British egg production.

Aldi says its model is based on efficiency rather than squeezing suppliers. “Loyalty programmes are expensive to run and lead to higher prices,” a spokesman said. “We believe that the best way to keep grocery bills low for customers is to keep things

simple." For Aldi,

however, simplicity is becoming harder to sell as its rivals adopt its methods. The retailer changed the way Britons shop, but it

now risks becoming part of the status quo it once set out to smash.

US investigates trades made by ‘Nostradamus’ of AI’s hedge fund

By Chris Price

US REGULATORS have launched an investigation into the near collapse of a hedge fund run by the man called the “golden child” of the AI boom.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly sent subpoenas to several major Wall Street banks, seeking details on the timing of trades by Situational Awareness, an AI-focused hedge fund.

The fund, founded by 24-year-old Leopold Aschenbrenner, was forced to conduct a fire sale of assets earlier this month after a sharp market downturn triggered a 67pc fall in its value. By the end of June, his \$20bn (£15bn) hedge fund had made a 439pc profit in six months, thanks to bets on a string of AI companies such as Anthropic, SK Hynix and Nebius.

However, Mr Aschenbrenner's fund slumped after a steep correction in semiconductor stocks, such as South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix, which plunged 42pc from a record high in June.

Situational Awareness sold the bulk of its portfolio to US hedge fund Citadel, under pressure from Wall Street lenders whose money it was using to make big bets on AI stocks.

The SEC had started looking into the fund's communications with lenders about its use of leverage for trades, sources told Reuters. The New York Times first reported the subpoenas.

Regulatory filings show that the hedge fund is a client of Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Citigroup and Bank of America. A Situational Awareness spokesman said: "It is to be expected that regulators would closely examine any funds that are high profile, produce significant returns or have particularly dramatic drawdowns.

“We are a highly regulated business and will cooperate to the fullest extent with any regulatory request.” An SEC spokesman declined to comment.

67pc

Fall in value of Leopold Aschenbrenner's Situational Awareness hedge fund after a sharp market downturn this month

Mr Aschenbrenner's Situational Awareness, which has not been accused of wrongdoing, was thrown into crisis after the worst month for tech-focused hedge funds since 2008.

A plunge in the value of US tech giants and Asian semiconductor groups caused tech funds to drop by 7pc in July, according to data from Hedge Fund Research. Mr Aschenbrenner's highly leveraged fund is now a fraction of its former size.

It marks a dramatic fall from grace for the German-born Mr Aschenbrenner, who spent a year at OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, before being sacked in 2024. He was accused of leaking internal information – a claim he denies.

The AI investor had been labelled the “Nostradamus of AI” for his apparently prescient AI trades as the market surged earlier this year.

The crisis at his fund happened days before Mr Aschenbrenner was poised to marry Avital Balwit, the chief of staff at

Anthropic, the creator of Claude chatbot. Wall Street traders and investors are increasingly weary of what they fear is an AI bubble.

The debt mounting at Nvidia, the tech giant that has financed a number of AI deals, is a particular focus for investors. Michael Burry, the US investor depicted in the film The Big Short, has claimed that some of Nvidia's debt deals are “unnatural”.

Benedict Keim, a portfolio manager at Altana Wealth, said investors were watching the “strong correlation” between Nvidia and the wider AI sector, which is heavily loss-making and has been fuelled by borrowing.

Terrestrial TV switch-off to leave Britain's networks at risk of Russian cyber attacks

By James Warrington

SWITCHING off terrestrial TV would put Britain at greater risk of cyber attacks from enemies such as Russia, a report has warned.

Ministers believe there is a case for moving away from terrestrial broadcast infrastructure and switching it off in 2034

Plans to replace traditional broadcasting with digital streaming would leave the country's critical communication networks exposed to sabotage, a study by media consultancy Liberty Sky Advisors said.

Terrestrial television is broadcast via physical TV masts, which can only be disrupted through a physical attack on British soil. Moving to a fully digital system is less secure, tempting enemies like Russia to remotely shut down TV networks altogether or hijack broadcasts if they hacked the network.

Such a move would pose a threat to national security, especially if Britain faced a sudden emergency which required TV broadcasters to transmit safety information to the country.

Ian Whittaker, who wrote the report, said: "The simple fact is that to a hostile foreign actor the broadcast network is going to be one of those ideal assets that they would target. It's not saying that the terrestrial network is perfect but what that network gives you is far more sovereign control than if you shift all broadcasting on to an IP [internet protocol] layer that you don't fully control."

Ministers said last month that there was a “compelling case” for pushing ahead with the terrestrial switch-off in 2034 to help reduce costs for public service broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. However, campaigners are lobbying for traditional broadcasting to be extended by a decade, arguing that older and vulnerable households could be left behind in the switchover.

Most vocal among these is Arqiva, the mast operator that has a commercial interest in maintaining terrestrial TV for as long as possible. The report, which was commissioned by Arqiva, warned against pulling down terrestrial masts that also carry FM and DAB radio signals and host communication systems for the emergency services.

OnlyFans Ukrainian-born owner received £520m in dividends before death this year

By James Titcomb

ONLYFANS paid out \$709m (£520m) to Leonid Radvinsky, its billionaire owner, before his death at the age of 43 earlier this year.

Accounts for the adult website's British parent company, Fenix International, showed it handed over a record \$535m in dividends to Radvinsky last year and a further \$174m between January and March.

Radvinsky, a Ukrainian-born internet entrepreneur who bought OnlyFans in 2018, died in March after a battle with cancer. At the time of his death, Radvinsky, who lived in Florida, was worth an estimated \$7.8bn.

Majority ownership of the company, best known for allowing amateur porn stars to sell subscriptions to adult content, has now passed to his wife Katie Chudnovsky.

Accounts for 2025 showed that Only-Fans posted record revenues, climbing from \$1.4bn in 2024 to \$1.6bn.

Profits rose by 5pc to \$715m while the number of “creators” – accounts posting videos and pictures on the site – rose above five million for the first time.

The company currently has more than 132 million active users, more than five million of which are in the UK. It says it has paid out \$30bn to creators since launching in 2016. OnlyFans keeps a 20pc cut of payments, with most of its revenue coming from the US.

The payments to Radvinsky meant, in total, the site paid him more than \$2.3bn in dividends after he bought the site for an undisclosed amount from Guy and Tim Stokely, the father-son duo who founded it two years earlier.

'OnlyFans has paid out over \$30bn to creators including over \$1m to more than 5,000 creators'

US private equity firm Architect Capital has bought a 16pc stake in the company for \$535m, valuing OnlyFans at \$3.2bn.

Before his death, Radvinsky had reportedly been discussing selling a majority stake in the business.

Keily Blair, OnlyFans' chief executive, highlighted the company's contribution to the public finances.

She said: “In the 10 years since the platform launched in 2016, OnlyFans has paid out over \$30bn to creators around the world, including over \$1m to more than 5,000 creators. OnlyFans provides real opportunities to real people by creating a safe, regulated space where people can monetise their content with a global fan base.”

The chief executive added: “As a UK-based business, we have also made a significant contribution to the UK economy, paying over £600m in corporate taxes from 2016 to date.

“In 2026, we continue to grow our offerings to creators and fans, demonstrating and realising the value, success and potential of the global creator economy across all verticals and genres.”

Last year, OnlyFans was reportedly in talks with a consortium led by the Forest Road Company – a Los Angeles-based investment firm that counts former senior Disney executive Kevin Mayer as a board member – about a possible \$8bn sale.

Forest Road had previously tried to acquire the company in 2022.

OnlyFans has also been considering a stock market flotation, according to reports.

Economics graduate Mr Radvinsky was born in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, but moved to the US as a child,

He also ran a venture capital fund that supports technology start-ups.

5★LUXURY For Less!

Up to £1,500pp off As part of the new Explorer Fare! Offer must end 31st August 2026!*

No Fly Grand Iberian & Morocco Tapestry

Exclusive

OCEANIA CRUISES®

NAUTICA COLLECTION 2027

Adults only 5★ cruises from Southampton

Exclusively brought to you by cruise.co.uk

FREE Parking At Southampton Worth £188! Book By 3rd Sept 26

12 nights 27 July 2027 from 2999 ${pp}$ 2799 ${pp}$

Your Exclusive sanctuary at sea includes:

FREE House drinks package → FREE unlimited Wi-Fi → ALL onboard gratuities

Plus:

■ Adult only guests ■ Includes soft drinks, speciality coffees & teas, Vero water, juices, smoothies & gourmet ice cream ■ Experience the Finest Cuisine At Sea across multiple onboard dining venues

La Coruna Oporto Lisbon Seville Tangier

Your Itinerary:

DAY 1 - Embark Oceania Nautica In Southampton, UK

Your luxury journey starts today. Travel to Southampton and board Oceania Nautica for a mesmerising 12-night Iberian cruise.

DAY 2 - Day At Sea

Enjoy a day at sea onboard the luxurious Oceania Nautica. Spend the day enjoying the Finest Cuisine At Sea, soaking up the sun on deck, or sip on a glass of wine as part of your House Drinks package, included onboard your voyage (drinks available at select times across all bars and lounges).

DAY 3 - La Coruna, Spain

Experience the authentic beauty of La Coruna, Spain's gem on the Atlantic coast. Discover the Tower of Hercules, stroll along the beach promenade, and taste delicious Galician cuisine.

DAY 4 - Porto, Portugal

Explore Porto's colourful and vibrant streets which lead to stunning historic sites, picturesque cafes, and world-renowned port wine cellars.

DAY 5 - Lisbon, Portugal

DAY 5 - Lisbon, Portugal Discover the soul of Portugal in Lisbon, including its iconic fresh seafood and ornate local landmarks.

DAY 6 - Portimao, Portugal Welcome to Portimao, a picturesque coastal town with its own golden beaches and bustling marina.

Secure Fully protected ABTA & ATOL bonded

DAY 7 - Seville, Spain

Let Seville steal your heart with its stunning architecture, winding streets, and lively atmosphere.

DAY 8 - Tangier, Morocco Be spellbound by Tangier's taste-bud tingling cuisine, incredible markets, and storied history.

DAY 9 & 10 - Days At Sea

After savouring the sights of Portugal and Spain, unwind with opulent days and nights onboard Oceania Nautica at your leisure.

DAY 11 - Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France Perched where the Gironde meets the Atlantic, sandy Le Verdon-sur-Mer is the ideal gateway to exploring the world-renowned vineyards of Bordeaux.

DAY 12 - Final Day At Sea

Relax and unwind on your final day onboard Oceania Nautica, indulging in gastronomic delights, unlimited onboard Wi-Fi and drinks, part of your included House Drinks package.

DAY 13 - Disembark Oceania

Nautica In Southampton, UK It's time to head home. After disembarking Oceania Nautica in Southampton, you will make your own way home.

ENQUIRE NOW

Established We are the Real Cruise People - Cruise experts for over 40 years

LIMITED-TIME PRICES - DO NOT MISS OUT! BOOK BY 31 $^{ST}$ AUGUST 2026

Cabin/From £pp	Grade	WAS	NOW
Inside	G	2999	2799
Inside	F	3149	2849
Outside	D	3299	3099
Outside	C2	3499	3399
Outside	C1	3699	3499
Veranda	B2	4099	3899
Veranda	B1	4249	4149
Concierge	A3	4599	4199
Concierge	A2	4699	4299
Concierge	A1	4799	4399
Penthouse	PH3	5899	5149
Penthouse	PH2	6399	5649
Penthouse	PH1	6699	6499
Vista Suite	VS	12299	12099
Owners Suite	OS	14999	11999

*All prices based on two people sharing.

Personal Deal with a dedicated cruise.co.uk expert cruise consultant

cruise.co.uk THE REAL CRUISE PEOPLE

TALK TO ONE OF OUR FRIENDLY CRUISE CONSULTANTS TODAY

0800 408 6237 TO GET THIS OFFER QUOTE CODE TELE-OCEANIA

Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday: 9am - 9pm | Sunday: 10am - 8pm

All fares are per person and based on two adults sharing. All flights are based from London airports, regional airports may be available at a supplement. *Low Deposit & Interest-Free Payments is applicable to selected 2026, 2027 & 2028 sailings only, excluding World Cruises. Your monthly payment schedule will be advised by your Cruise Consultant. If you make any changes to your booking your monthly payments may increase, If you cancel your booking you will still be liable to pay the remainder of the full deposit amount. The full standard deposit amount is the minimum cancellation charge please see Cruise.co.uk for full terms & conditions. Some of our packages include elements that are natural occurrences, such as wildlife viewings. However, your viewing of such elements cannot be guaranteed and is subject to change based on weather conditions, climate change, and Wildlife sightings. Please see Cruise.co.uk for full terms and conditions. Calls are recorded for Marketing & Training Purposes. £1,500 per person saving based on 27th July 2027 Oceania Nautica cruise Owner's Suite grade, other amounts on alternative cabin grades and sailings included on 20th July 2027, 27th July 2027, 8th August 2027 and 16th August 2027 vary. Offer not available on 23rd August 2027 and 17th July 2027 Oceania Nautica cruises, buy one get one free Oceania cruises. 241 Oceania cruises, or any other cruise.co.uk promotions. Luxury For Less offer ends on 31 August 2026. Money off is available as part of Explorer Fare, and as part of this fare offer Cruise.co.uk can choose the customer's cabin numbers on booking. Free parking at Southampton is available on new bookings for Oceania Nautica cruises departing on 20 July 2027, 27 July 2027, 8 August 2027, and 16 August 2027. Cruise.co.uk reserves the right to amend or change the terms of this promotion without prior notice or announcement. Please see cruise.co.uk for full terms and conditions. Calls are recorded for marketing and training purposes. E&OE

SCAN TO SEE THE FULL COLLECTION

Trump's economic offensive on Iran is deluded

AMBROSE EVANS-PRITCHARD

World can see America is overstretched and lacks sufficient military power to enforce its hubristic will

THE Trump administration is hallucinating again.

The US's “economic D-Day” against Iran will exhaust political consent in Washington for this ill-conceived war long before it forces Iran's Revolutionary Guards to capitulate.

It draws out the spectacle of Donald Trump's aimless flailing in a region neither he nor his close advisers begin to understand, further convulsing the global energy, food and commodity markets and further eviscerating US strategic credibility.

The plan to mount the “single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary” also requires mobilising China, Russia, India, Turkey, a resentful Europe and the world’s major financial centres in a joint campaign to throttle Iran – a country that has already learned to live with 2,200 separate US sanctions. The US treasury could plausibly have pulled off such a feat 10 to 15 years ago.

Then it was able to crush nations by the “boa constrictor” method, using all the tools of the world’s dollarised financial system.

But that supremacy relied on a tight-knit phalanx of democratic allies

- what we used to call the West. Such a world no longer exists, and China cannot be pushed around any longer.

Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, has threatened economic obliteration of any country declining to enlist as soldiers in the US's quarrel.

“If you insist on doing business with them – either transferring money, buying their oil, doing seaborne ship transport – the US government will put its full might and force toward enforcing against you,” he said.

Such hubris courts fate for a nation reliant on constant inflows of capital from these same countries to fund its deficits and one that already has to pay punitive interest rates to sell its bonds.

The US treasury made a Faustian pact by issuing so much short-term debt. The trap is closing. Bessent must roll over or fund almost \$6tn (£4.4tn) every three months in a hostile market.

The budget deficit was \$432bn for the single month of July, up 48pc from the year before. Trump has a solution for this and a warning for any bond investor declining to feed his appetite. "We have many types of intervention. The ultimate is our military. And if we have to use that, we will," he said.

Does he intend to parachute the 101st Airborne into London's Canary Wharf and Singapore's harbour district to cart off pension fund managers in shackles to Guantánamo?

It is normal to dial up pressure by starting with economic sanctions before escalating to killing people.

Everybody can see Trump is doing it the other way round, as killing has comprehensively failed. The world can see the US is overstretched, lacks sufficient military power to enforce its will, has exhausted two thirds of its Patriot interceptors and “virtually all” its surface-to-surface (Atacms) missiles, and has denuded its defences in the Far East. It can see that the US lacks the stomach for a full ground invasion of Iran and anything short of that is whistling in the wind.

Iran can see all this too. The regime has survived a bombing campaign and the assassination of 180 members of its leadership strata. Sanctions are almost laughable at this juncture.

Iran's land border stretches for 5,900 kilometres across seven countries, most either friendly or cynically transactional. It is impossible to sustain a goods blockade. The International North-South Transport Corridor already runs as a rail freight link from Russia through Central Asia to Iran. The maritime route via the Caspian does a booming trade as well.

Russia cannot export much grain through the Black Sea now because of Ukrainian drones, so exports what it can to Iran and through Iranian proxies to the wider Middle East.

China favoured over Trump's US

Ergo, a) Iran will have enough food for itself even if its economy is in dire straits and b) Iran will gain strategic leverage as a grain conduit to a region facing serious food stress. Currently China buys 90pc of Iran's oil and in return sells it machinery, vehicles and electronics, including sensors and engines for Iran's Shahed drones and propellants for its ballistic missiles.

China will not let the US dictate how and with whom it may trade. If the US imposes secondary sanctions on Chinese banks and entities, Beijing has a rich menu of retaliation, starting

with curbs on critical minerals.

Bessent has demonstrated by his actions that he fears rising US bond yields. Beijing knows this, and if it wants to rattle his cage, it can play a few hedge fund tricks of its own by weaponising \$4tn of dollar assets held by the Chinese central bank, the state-controlled commercial banks and the giant state-policy banks. If the US does impose secondary sanctions on Chinese banks, it will have to do the same to European banks that do business with China, otherwise the financial blockade breaks down.

But the EU has its blocking statute aimed at forbidding its own companies from complying with US extraterritorial sanctions or submitting to US coercion. Iran can choose to hold Trump's feet to the fire, exploiting the window between now and the midterm elections to cause commodity havoc while always staying just below the threshold of total conflagration.

"If the economic war continues, not a single drop of oil will be exported, neither through the Strait of Hormuz nor from anywhere in the Persian Gulf," said Mohsen Rezaee, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. That too is bluster, but it is closer to the truth than Washington cares to admit. Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz and has a second partial stranglehold over the Red Sea via its Houthi allies. It still has enough drones and missiles hidden in its mountains to strike commercial

shipping at will and sufficient to inflict serious damage to the energy infrastructure of the Gulf states.

The rest of us are condemned to mounting stress in the global hydrocarbon markets as storage falls to critically low levels and even greater stress in the markets for diesel, petrol and jet fuel. The refined petroleum products we consume are trading today at levels equivalent to crude oil prices of \$140 to \$160 a barrel.

Wholesale diesel costs \$185 in New York harbour and \$180 in Rotterdam; it fuels farming, trucking, construction and swaths of the industrial economy on both sides of the Atlantic.

Natural gas prices in Europe are at €69 per megawatt hour, higher than the panic peak at the onset of Trump's Iran war. European inventories are disturbingly low for this time of the year, and Britain has almost no safety buffer. These commodity costs are becoming embedded in the global supply chain, are visible in rising bond yields and will soon to be visible in rising inflation and the cost of living.

It is hard to see any way out of this impasse since Trump has only two options: accept defeat on Iranian terms or mobilise the US for a long, bloody and costly war that consumes his presidency and may also end in defeat.

He shrinks from both. Trump is instead searching for an elusive, painless out and drawing out the agony for the US and the world. At least Jimmy Carter knew his limits.

Tunnel vision A worker assembles and debugs a shield tunnelling machine in Huai'an City, China yesterday. The colossal contraptions are capable of boring through geological strata to construct drainage, utility, and transport tunnels. They use advanced digital tools, including smart guidance and remote control monitoring, and are also capable of installing a structural lining directly inside the excavated space behind them.

Gold is on a tear – and it’s easy to explain why

JEREMY WARNER

Bond market chaos and Trump's disastrous Middle East war sees buyers flock to ancient currency

THE price of gold is once again on a tear, and though explaining exactly why can be a challenge, on this occasion it's fairly obvious.

At \$4,645 per troy ounce, the price is still admittedly quite a bit lower than the all-time high it reached in January, but turmoil in bond markets and Donald Trump's seeming inability to resolve the crisis in the Gulf has seen buyers once more flocking to this most ancient of currencies.

The so-called “dollar debasement trade” – selling the dollar and US Treasuries to buy “hard assets” such as gold, silver, and even Bitcoin – is very much back in vogue. For gold bugs, today’s outbreak of geopolitical and financial instability is the stuff of dreams, and for now it’s looking more conducive to rising prices than ever.

It's sometimes argued that gold only truly comes into its own when interest rates and inflation are very low – this because gold carries no coupon and

can therefore more easily compete with rival asset classes when such conditions prevail.

There is admittedly a certain logic to the argument, but in practice there's little or no correlation. Gold is just as likely to perform well in inflationary periods as deflationary ones.

Indeed, many advocates of gold regard the metal as the ultimate inflation hedge, in that it cannot be devalued, unlike fiat currencies, and will therefore theoretically hold its value through thick and thin.

Going back in time, the big surge in gold prices occurred after the Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate system came to an end in the early 1970s. Believe it or not, ordinary Americans were all but banned from owning gold under a Depression-era, presidential executive order. Once released from this restriction, they piled in and the price rocketed. Until around 1980, that is, when the price plateaued, and didn't begin to break new ground again until just before the global financial crisis of 2008.

This basically tells you all you need to know about demand for gold. The only real constant in propelling the price upwards is perceived instability.

Trump isn't the only culprit on that front, but by repeatedly challenging the established order of things, he's certainly done his bit. His trade war with Canada is just the latest instance. Nobody would have imagined this

'For gold bugs, today's outbreak of geopolitical and financial instability is the stuff of dreams'

possible just a few years back; both economically and politically, the US and Canada had seemed joined at the hip. Why would you want to disrupt this mutually enriching symbiosis?

Why indeed, yet Trump never ceases to amaze. Among the litany of gobbledygook that has passed the president's lips over the last month is that he'll cut off trade with Switzerland because the Swiss have much lower interest rates, and that's an unfair competitive advantage.

Yet the weirdest of the lot is surely the implied threat to use the military against the dastardly bond markets if they don't start behaving themselves.

The gold price is on the move once again

I'm guessing that he just got carried away, and was referring in general terms to all the tools the US has at its disposal for dealing with hostile actors. In any case, he surely can't have meant it seriously. As one wag put it on social media, next thing is he'll be saying the bond markets are just weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon. But wait; figuratively, it could be true. Bond market investors are more than capable of generating a fiscal

meltdown, even in the mighty US, and that's the worry on everyone's lips amid the surge in long-term interest rates.

Financial repression in the form of the US government buying back its own debt has so far failed to stop the rot. It's all grist to the mill for gold investors. Gold is priced in dollars, so the more the dollar debases in protest at the US's behaviour, the more gold you'll get for your foreign currency.

The biggest buyers thus far this year have been central banks, many of them from developing or emerging market economies. In some cases there is an ulterior motive beyond fears of dollar debasement, and that's the very real possibility that their dollar reserves could be sanctioned or frozen in pursuit of US geopolitical interests.

In effect, that's what's happened to around \$300bn of Russian reserves. The vast majority of these are euro denominated, but the lesson is the same. Foreign currency reserves can easily be sanctioned; physical gold cannot. At this point, it is customary to mention the turn-of-the-century decision by Gordon Brown to flog off around a half of Britain's gold reserves at an average knockdown price of \$275 an ounce, a price that became known as "Brown's Bottom" because it marked a 20-year low.

Poor chap; he's remembered more for this blunder than perhaps anything else he did. Today, the decision looks worse than ever, in part because a large part of the proceeds were reinvested in dollar assets.

The “Great Moderation” of non-inflationary growth that was a feature of the time and inspired Brown’s initiative was soon to be over. As it turned out, boom and bust had not

‘Bond market investors are more than capable of generating a fiscal meltdown’ been abolished, and it's seemingly been one crisis after another ever since. In any case, today's sense of gathering crisis is unlikely to go away until the US political class takes the bull by the horns and engages in a programme of fiscal consolidation.

Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, promised fiscal consolidation last week the day after the US national debt crossed the psychologically symbolic \$40tn threshold. Yet if it's only waste and fraud prevention he's thinking about, it won't even touch the sides.

Besides, wasn't Elon Musk meant to have made all those savings already when head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)? It's hard to believe there's much left to cut.

As it is, there's no real need for the US to succumb to a debt crisis. Government spending in the US surged to nearly 45pc of GDP at the height of the pandemic, but has since settled at a more manageable 38pc a year. The problem is on the revenue side of the ledger, which has stayed constant at around 30pc of GDP for more than 10 years now. This is exceptionally low by the standards of other major high income economies. For instance, the UK tax burden has grown to around 40pc.

The concern arises because Trump is neither a tax raiser nor a spending cutter. Indeed, he's currently seeking Congressional approval for a massive increase in defence spending to \$1.5tn a year, a move which is only partially offset by cutting back on social programmes. As long as this core disparity at the heart of the public finances persists, investors will continue to worry about US debt sustainability. Great for gold bugs, not so good for holders of US Treasuries.

General financial -0.31%
Oil & Gas -0.53%

490

294 $\frac{1}{2}$ ZIGUP ●

465

$-\frac{1}{2}$

5.8

13.8

Banks -0.70%
Insurance +0.13%

© 2026 Tradeweb Markets LLC. All rights reserved. The Tradeweb FTSE Gilt Closing Prices information contained herein is proprietary to Tradeweb; may not be copied or re-distributed; is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely; and does not constitute investment advice. Tradeweb is not responsible for any loss or damage that might result from the use of this information.

Tradeweb

Government securities
52 week				Flat Rdm
High	Low (£)	Stock	Price (£)	+/-	Yield Yield
107.15	103.38	Treas 6%'28	103.77	+0.08	5.78	4.24
102.33	0.01	Treas 4%'32	98.26	+0.26	4.33	4.60
99.39	92.65	Treas 4%'36	94.19	+0.39	4.51	5.02
102.00	93.84	Treas 4%'38	95.50	+0.45	4.97	5.25
Index Linked Securities
349.35	338.55	Treas 4%'IL 30	342.47	+0.00	1.20	0.91
248.27	236.46	Treas 2%IL 35	242.02	+0.38	0.83	1.74
10-year Government Bonds

	Yield%	Spread Vs Bunds	Spread Vs T-Bonds
France	3.94	+0.74	-0.69
Germany	3.20	-	-1.43
Japan	2.86	-0.34	-1.77
Great Britain	4.99	+1.79	+0.36
United States	4.63	+1.43	-

The share prices, price-earnings ratios and dividend yields below are supplied by Interactive Data (Europe) Ltd. The yields are calculated using historic dividend payments divided by the closing share price multiplied by 100.

Aerospace & defence +1.29%
52 week			Price (p) +/- Yld			P/E
High	Low (p)	Stock
1527	902 $\frac{1}{4}$	Babcock Intl	1092 $\frac{1}{4}$ *	+11	0.7	26.0
2360	1529	BAE Systems	2098	+1	1.8	30.5
576 $\frac{1}{2}$	398 $\frac{1}{2}$	QinetiQ ●	526	-4	2.1	26.2
1586	990	Rolls-Royce	1530*	+29 $\frac{1}{2}$	0.7	22.0
318 $\frac{1}{4}$	161	Senior ●	294	- $\frac{1}{2}$	0.7	-288.2

554%	352%	Barclays	496 $\frac{1}{4}$ *	$\frac{+}{8}$	2.3	11.3
556%	318%	Close Bros ●	428	+4	—	-6.4
1610	942%	HSBC	1517*	-12	3.6	17.1
117%	77%	Lloyds Bk Gp	111 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	$-\frac{1}{8}$	3.6	15.9
726	500%	NatWest Group	690 $\frac{1}{4}$ *	$+1\frac{1}{8}$	5.1	12.9
1122	689	Santander	1074	-10	1.5	13.8
2278	1351 $\frac{1}{2}$	Standard Ch	2140*	-55	2.4	14.9

2116	1295 $\frac{1}{2}$ Diageo	1735 $\frac{1}{2}$ -35 $\frac{1}{2}$	2.1	30.3
Chemicals -0.54%

3497	2437	Croda Intl	3457	-11	3.2	77.9
$3245\frac{1}{4}$	2224	Johnson Mat •	$2238^{*}$	-30	4.6	-29.3
841	515	Victrex •	829	+9	7.2	25.9

973	575 $\frac{1}{2}$	Balfour Beatty ●	885 $\frac{1}{2}$	+3 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.6	16.8
410 $\frac{1}{4}$	235%	Barratt Redrow	320 $\frac{3}{4}$	+5 $\frac{1}{2}$	5.3	23.6

Markets

52 week			Price (p) +/- Yld NAV
High	Low (p)	Stock
1584	1336	Brunner●	1566*	+2	1.7	1741
402	312	Caledonia●	391	+4 $\frac{1}{2}$	2.0	584
599	486	City of Lon●	592*	+1	3.7	581
467	208 $\frac{3}{4}$	CQS Nat Res G & I	428*	-1	6.6	417
330	270	CT Glbl Mgd G	325	—	—	334
135	114	CT Glbl Mgd I	131	+ $\frac{1}{2}$	6.1	133
592	439 $\frac{1}{2}$	CT Priv Eq Ord	485	-5	5.8	697
373	320	CT UK Cap & Inc	361	+3	3.7	376
126	97	CT UKHighIncTst	119	-3	5.0	121
480 $\frac{1}{4}$	460	Dunedin Ent #	475	—	4.8	—
865	737 $\frac{1}{2}$	Edinburgh Inv Tr●	864	+3	3.7	929
294 $\frac{1}{2}$	188 $\frac{1}{4}$	Edin Worldwide●	263 $\frac{1}{2}$	+4	—	281
1332	325 $\frac{1}{2}$	F&C Inv Trust	341 $\frac{1}{2}$	+1 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.2	371
672	546	Fidelity Asian V	620	+4	3.3	650
339	241	Fidelity China Sp Sits●	262	+1	3.4	275
447 $\frac{1}{2}$	367 $\frac{1}{2}$	Fidelity Euro Tst●	439	+ $\frac{1}{2}$	2.3	461
477 $\frac{1}{2}$	372	Fidelity Sp V●	475 $\frac{1}{2}$	+1	2.2	471
906	706 $\frac{1}{2}$	Finsbury Gwth●	836	+1	2.4	897
198 $\frac{1}{2}$	162 $\frac{1}{4}$	Gbl Small Co Trust●	192 $\frac{1}{4}$ *	—	1.6	202
214	173 $\frac{1}{4}$	Hend High Inc	209	—	5.3	219
998	769	Hend Smaller Co●	980	+6	3.0	1064
3290 $\frac{1}{4}$	2285	Herald Inv●	2970	+50	—	3239
514 $\frac{1}{2}$	318 $\frac{1}{2}$	HgCapital●	425	+5	1.2	530
141	107 $\frac{1}{4}$	HICL Infrastructure●	140	+ $\frac{1}{4}$	6.1	161
1611 $\frac{1}{2}$	1288 $\frac{1}{4}$	ICG Enterprise Tst●	1466*	-20	2.9	2027
986	791 $\frac{1}{2}$	JPM Claverh'se●	980*	-2	3.7	993
153	124 $\frac{1}{2}$	JPM Eur G&I●	148*	+1 $\frac{1}{2}$	3.7	150
867	661	JPM Japanese●	810	+10	1.1	870
726	522 $\frac{1}{2}$	Land Secs	694 $\frac{1}{2}$	+7	5.9	—
191 $\frac{1}{2}$	145 $\frac{1}{2}$	Lowland Inv	187	+1	3.6	203
289	234 $\frac{1}{2}$	Mercantile InvTr●	287	+2	2.9	316
690	536	Merchants Tst●	686	+2	4.3	718
1664	1366	Monks●	1612*	+14	0.1	1693
1036	854 $\frac{1}{2}$	Murray Income●	1002*	-2	4.1	1074
374	293	Murray Intl●	374	+3	3.4	368
56 $\frac{1}{2}$	47	Northern 2 VCT	53*	—	5.7	55
86 $\frac{1}{2}$	79 $\frac{1}{2}$	Northern 3 VCT	82*	—	5.5	86
59 $\frac{1}{2}$	53	Nthn Venture	56*	—	5.5	59
437	345	Pacific Assets	423	—	—	448
409	325	Pantheon●	394 $\frac{1}{2}$	+7	—	526
2645	1932	RIT Cap Ptrs●	2575	+5	1.7	3106
319	281 $\frac{1}{2}$	Ruffer Inv Pref●	298	—	2.1	309
738	488 $\frac{1}{2}$	Schroder Asian TR●	700	+5	1.6	717
572	480 $\frac{1}{2}$	Scot American●	562*	+4	2.9	601
1563	1015 $\frac{1}{2}$	Scot Mortgage	1477 $\frac{1}{2}$	+19	0.3	1576
253	215 $\frac{1}{2}$	STS Global Income	230 $\frac{1}{2}$	+2 $\frac{1}{2}$	3.7	234
352	198 $\frac{1}{2}$	Tmpletn Em Mt●	319	+4 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.6	339
364 $\frac{1}{2}$	291	TR Property●	309	+2 $\frac{1}{2}$	5.2	338
150 $\frac{1}{2}$	137	UIL Fin ZDP 2026	150 $\frac{1}{2}$	—	—	150
302	243	Utilico Emerg●	277	-2	3.5	309
401 $\frac{1}{2}$	320	World Health Tr●	396	+5	0.6	421

Winners and losers (pc)

52 week			Price (p)	+/-	Yld	P/E
High	Low (p)	Stock
4442	2796	Berkeley Grp●	3610	+44	—	10.9
237	$133\frac{1}{2}$	Boot H	153	-1	5.1	8.7
241	$124\frac{1}{4}$	Costain●	231	+5 $\frac{1}{2}$	2.3	16.6
$1062\frac{1}{4}$	788%	Grafton Gp●	$1037\frac{1}{4}$	+11%	3.6	14.8
5730	3915	Morgan Sindall●	4420	+38	3.7	11.9
1552	$947\frac{1}{4}$	Persimmon	1184	+23 $\frac{1}{2}$	5.1	13.3
$116\frac{1}{4}$	$74\frac{1}{4}$	Taylor Wimpey●	$84\frac{1}{4}$	+1%	4.9	30.3

Electricals +0.76%

570	190	Dialight	538	-12	—	—
840	505	discoverIE Grp •	781	+23	1.7	25.9
4902	3194	Halma	3576	+22	0.7	36.3
5490	3110	Renishaw •	5060	+25	1.5	43.9
2060	843	XP Power •	1812	+78	—	-43.1

52 week			Price (p)	-/-	Yld	P/E
High	Low (p)	Stock
375	223	Liontrust	314 $\frac{1}{2}$	+2 $\frac{1}{4}$	6.0	20.4
10140	6684	Lon Stock Ex	8798*	-42	1.8	36.9
367 $\frac{1}{4}$	247	M&G	348	$-\frac{1}{4}$	5.9	27.6
327 $\frac{1}{4}$	154 $\frac{1}{4}$	Man Group ●	304 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	—	4.1	26.9
209	150 $\frac{1}{4}$	Quilter ●	193 $\frac{1}{2}$	$-\frac{1}{2}$	3.3	21.7
2458 $\frac{1}{2}$	1620	S & U	1970	-5	5.8	10.1
599 $\frac{1}{2}$	358 $\frac{1}{2}$	Schroders	583 $\frac{1}{2}$	—	3.8	17.1
132	75	Vanquis Banking Gp	79 $\frac{1}{2}$	+1 $\frac{1}{4}$	—	24.9

937 $\frac{1}{2}$	613 $\frac{3}{4}$	Drax Group ●	757	+17 $\frac{1}{2}$	4.0	36.6
1428 $\frac{1}{2}$	1000	Nat Grid	1185 $\frac{1}{2}$	+16	4.1	18.1
2767 $\frac{1}{2}$	1597	SSE	2409*	+38	2.9	22.8

Household goods -0.48%

Healthcare -0.32%
416 $\frac{1}{8}$	274 $\frac{1}{8}$	Haleon	369 $\frac{5}{8}$ *	- $\frac{1}{4}$	2.0	19.9
1441 $\frac{1}{2}$	1046	Smith & Nep	1068	-14	2.7	20.2

Engineering / Industrial +0.62%

98%	73%	Coats Group●	80%	+1⁄4	3.0	18.7
460	230	Cropper J	445	—	—	14.4
28500	9292%	Goodwin ●	17840	-180	1.6	54.5
3166	2216	IMI	3102*	+30	1.1	25.0
10781⁄2	660	Mondi ●	854*	-91⁄4	1.4	26.7
40	211⁄4	Severfield	38	—	—	-3.2
27541⁄2	2088	Smiths Gp	2617	+7	1.8	30.5
8050	5950	Spirax Gp	7160	+125	2.4	32.3
3580	2254	Weir	2910	+32	1.4	30.4

1376 $\frac{1}{2}$	976	Burberry	1080	+2	-	-
172 $\frac{1}{4}$	106 $\frac{1}{4}$	McBride	168 $\frac{1}{8}$	+1 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.8	8.6
114	65 $\frac{1}{4}$	PZ Cussons	104	- $\frac{3}{4}$	3.6	22.1
6522 $\frac{1}{4}$	3664	Reckitt Benck	5150*	-30	4.2	11.0

2359	1729 $\frac{1}{2}$	Ass Brit Fds	2064	-5	3.1	14.6
5195	3270	Coca-Cola HBC	4602	-14	2.2	20.8
5810	4775	Cranswick $\bullet$	5410*	-20	2.1	18.3
842 $\frac{1}{2}$	447 $\frac{1}{2}$	Hilton Food $\bullet$	619	- $\frac{1}{2}$	5.7	7.1
138	92	REA Hldgs	111	+2	—	-216.2
5542 $\frac{1}{2}$	3644	Unilever	4761 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	-21	3.5	12.8
Gas & Water +0.88%

Information technology -0.07%

220 $\frac{1}{4}$	151 $\frac{1}{2}$	Centrica	155 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	+3⁄4	3.6	-103.7
606	439 $\frac{1}{4}$	Pennon Gp •	473*	+10 $\frac{1}{2}$	6.2	24.4
3335	2381	Severn Trent	3152	+30	4.0	25.5
1497	1072	Utd Utilities	1436	+11	3.7	16.7

307	195	Aptitude Sftwre	214	-4	2.5	29.3
1181	771 $\frac{1}{3}$	The Sage Grp	1104 $\frac{1}{2}$	- $\frac{1}{2}$	2.0	29.3

265	177 $\frac{1}{2}$	Aberdeen Group	246 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	+ $\frac{3}{4}$	5.9	11.4
4076	2624	Admiral	4072	+ $72$	3.5	16.5
740 $\frac{1}{2}$	590 $\frac{1}{2}$	Aviva	730 $\frac{1}{2}$	- $2\frac{1}{2}$	5.5	27.2
1298	750	Beazley	1298	+ $2$	1.9	11.4
1904	1257 $\frac{1}{2}$	Hiscox	1827*	- $5$	2.1	13.8
700	549	Lancashire Hldg	610 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	+ $2$	2.7	6.9
318 $\frac{1}{2}$	217 $\frac{1}{2}$	Legal & General	289 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	+ $1\frac{1}{2}$	7.6	29.0
1238	910 $\frac{1}{2}$	Prudential	1035	- $7\frac{1}{2}$	1.9	9.2
948 $\frac{1}{2}$	615	Standard Life	937	+ $8\frac{1}{2}$	5.9	-198.9
1575 $\frac{1}{2}$	1038 $\frac{1}{2}$	St James's Place	1183*	- $13\frac{1}{2}$	1.5	11.8

276 $\frac{1}{2}$	145 $\frac{1}{4}$	Ashmore $\bullet$	226 $\frac{1}{4}$	$-\frac{1}{4}$	7.5	18.6
351 $\frac{1}{4}$	212	Bridgepoint Grp $\bullet$	316 $\frac{1}{4}$	-4	3.0	63.3
1865	1240	BrooksMacdonald	1405	-25	5.8	10.8
1956	1016	IG Group	1356*	+2	3.1	9.4
2340	1424 $\frac{1}{4}$	ICG	2018	-8	4.3	12.1
690	499 $\frac{1}{4}$	Investec	635 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	—	6.1	8.2
75	48	IP Group $\bullet$	72	+ $\frac{1}{4}$	1.8	9.9

Major price changes FTSE 100

52 week
High	Low (p)	Stock	Price (p)	+/-	Yld	NAV
4497	1825	3i	2904	-30	2.9	3097
389 $\frac{1}{2}$	325	3i Infrastructure●	396	+1	3.4	404
820	606	Aberdeen New India	726	+6	—	802
1394	1178	Alliance Witan	1374	+4	2.1	1446
764	447	Allianz Tech Trust●	688	+3	—	730
331	277	Baillie Giff China	306	—	0.8	332
133	91 $\frac{1}{4}$	Baillie Giff Euro Gwth 125 $\frac{1}{2}$	+1 $\frac{1}{2}$	0.6	135
154 $\frac{1}{4}$	121 $\frac{1}{4}$	Bankers Investmt Tst ●149 $\frac{1}{2}$	+4 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.9	163
1784	866	Biotech Growth	1748	+42	—	1840
289 $\frac{1}{2}$	201	BlackRockAmlnc	280 $\frac{1}{2}$	+3	5.3	276
205	123	BlackRockEnrgy&Res 186 $\frac{1}{2}$	+1 $\frac{1}{2}$	3.1	194
208	164 $\frac{1}{2}$	BlackRock Frolnv	191	—	4.0	194
625	507	BlackRock Grt Euro●	608	+3	1.2	649
240	200	BlackRock Inc&Grth	234 $\frac{1}{2}$	—	3.3	262
288 $\frac{1}{2}$	230 $\frac{1}{4}$	BlackRock Small●	276 $\frac{1}{2}$	+1 $\frac{1}{2}$	2.9	314
1072 $\frac{1}{2}$	562	BlackRock Wild M●	1040	+8	2.3	1075

Risers 62	Volume	Close	Change
Melrose Ind	8.26m	510 $\frac{1}{4}$	10.43pc
AstraZeneca	2.04m	12476	3.02pc
Next	0.28m	15635	2.36pc
Polar CapTech	2.24m	638	2.33pc
Intl Cons Air	10.14m	441 $\frac{1}{2}$	2.24pc
Anglo Amer	5.84m	4203	2.06pc
Persimmon	1.32m	1184	2.02pc
Rolls-Royce	7.60m	1530	1.99pc
Admiral	1.40m	4072	1.80pc
Spirax Group	0.09m	7160	1.78pc
Computacenter	0.18m	5190	1.76pc
Barratt Redrow	7.59m	320 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.74pc
Marks & Spen	4.72m	391 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.66pc
SSE	1.74m	2409	1.60pc
Experian	2.91m	3009	1.55pc
Glencore	57.77m	602 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.52pc
Kingfisher	2.67m	322 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.51pc
Natl Grid	8.30m	1185 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.37pc
Tritax Big Box	4.71m	160 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.33pc
Scot Mort Inv Tst	1.03m	1477 $\frac{1}{2}$	1.30pc
Autotrader Grp	2.81m	549 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.25pc
Metlen Energy	0.04m	4202 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.15pc

Results Roundup Previously Published * (6)

Fallers 35	Volume	Close	Change
Standard Chart	5.23m	2140	-2.51pc
Diageo	3.24m	1735 $\frac{1}{2}$	-2.00pc
Compass	1.50m	2259 $\frac{1}{4}$	-1.68pc
Brit Amer Tob	2.52m	4133	-1.45pc
Smith&Neph	2.14m	1068	-1.29pc
RELX	4.16m	2618	-1.28pc
St James's Place	2.60m	1183	-1.13pc
3i	1.80m	2904	-1.02pc
BP	21.59m	528 $\frac{1}{2}$	-0.96pc
Pearson	0.90m	1214 $\frac{1}{2}$	-0.86pc
HSBC	11.66m	1517	-0.78pc
Fresnillo	0.75m	3176	-0.75pc
Prudential	16.54m	1035	-0.72pc
Imp Brands	3.37m	2520	-0.59pc
Reckitt Benck	1.23m	5150	-0.58pc
Lon Stock Ex	1.84m	8798	-0.48pc
Unilever	2.65m	4761 $\frac{1}{2}$	-0.44pc
Airtel Africa	2.21m	334 $\frac{1}{2}$	-0.42pc
ICG	0.55m	2018	-0.39pc
Croda Intl	0.33m	3457	-0.32pc
Shell	19.19m	3386 $\frac{1}{2}$	-0.31pc
Coca-Cola HBC	1.00m	4602	-0.30pc

Company	Turnover(£)	Pre - tax(£)	EPS(p)	DIV(p)	Pay Day	XD
Capital $*	Int 219.0m (159.2m)	32.9m (22.5m)	10.100 (7.600)	1.300 (1.300)	Oct 05	Aug 28
Chesnara	Int 255.9m (136.0m)	61.0m (-4.6m)	0.220 (-7.140)	8.160 (7.700)	Oct 16	Sep 03
Global Opportunities Trust*	Int - (-)	1.3m (1.3m)	3.900 (4.000)	n/a (n/a)	-	-
Golden Prospect Precious Metl*	Int - (-)	-14.5m (21.6m)	-15.740 (23.920)	1.510 (0.000)	Jul 24	Jul 23
Gulf Keystone Petroleum $	Int 57.8m (83.1m)	13.0m (-7.5m)	5.930 (-3.320)	4.600 (11.520)	Aug 28	Sep 10
Hunting $*	Int 497.0m (528.6m)	34.2m (30.6m)	15.900 (12.800)	7.000 (6.800)	Oct 30	Oct 01
Resolute Mining $*	Int 584.7m (447.5m)	237.5m (124.1m)	5.940 (2.890)	0.000 (0.000)	-	-
Southern Energy Corp $	Int 7.3m (7.3m)	-1.2m (-4.1m)	- (-1.000)	n/a (n/a)	-	-
Temple Bar Investment Trust*	Int - (-)	24.7m (24.5m)	7.900 (8.200)	3.900 (3.750)	Sep 25	Aug 20
Tialis Essential IT	Int 7.6m (8.8m)	-394k (-912k)	-1.010 (-3.630)	n/a (n/a)	-	-

Property +0.68%

Media -0.75%
52 week
High	Low (p)	Stock	Price (p)	+/-	Yld	P/E
828%	418%	Autotrader	549%	+6%	2.1	16.1
690	435	Bloomsbury●	656	+4	2.5	19.8
1000	719	Informa	898%*	-1%	2.5	—
87%	65%	ITV●	72%	+1⁄2	6.9	12.3
1337	874%	Pearson	1214%*	-10%	2.1	23.6
74	40%	Reach	43*	-%	13.7	-1.0
3575	1991	RELX	2618*	-34	2.6	23.3
775%	391%	Rightmove●	514%	+10%	2.1	18.3
412%	218%	WPP●	392%	-7%	3.8	7.8
Mining +0.85%

4239	2185	Anglo Amer	4203*	+85	0.7	-17.3
4475	2115	Antofagasta	4009	+37	1.4	40.5
3583	1918	BHP Group	3572	+18	3.5	25.2
81	81	Evraz #	81	—	—	0.5
4472	1693	Fresnillo	3176*	-24	3.5	23.1
7071⁄4	2811⁄4	Glencore	6021⁄4	+9	2.1	—
858	2461⁄4	Hochschild Mng •	6251⁄2	-41⁄2	0.7	21.9
330	1781⁄4	Kenmare Res	204	-4	—	-0.8
9117	4528	Rio Tinto	7730*	+64	4.4	17.2

Pharmaceuticals +2.34%

609%	399%	BP	528%*	-51⁄4	4.7	—
28	93⁄4	EnQuest	253⁄4	-1⁄2	3.2	—
553	300	Hunting●	394	+1⁄2	2.6	20.5
37581⁄2	25533⁄4	Shell	33861⁄2*	-101⁄2	4.5	15.2

Support services +0.52%

15732	9892	AstraZeneca	12476*	+366	1.9	25.8
3228%	1943	Genus •	2298	+10	1.4	78.4
2282	1440%	GSK	1905%*	+15	3.7	13.5
1865	1187	Hikma •	1640*	+7	3.8	12.3

16	61⁄2	Alina Hldgs	10%	+3⁄4	—	17
1208	8001⁄2	Big Yellow Gp •	902	-1	5.2	—
4511⁄4	3181⁄4	Brit Land	4321⁄4	+31⁄4	5.3	—
2196	14681⁄4	Derwent Ldn •	2060	-18	4.0	—
377	270	Gt Portland Est •	3491⁄4	+1	2.3	—
205	1491⁄2	Grainger •	1751⁄2	-21⁄2	4.8	6.4
3911⁄4	2631⁄4	Hammerson •	3791⁄4	+41⁄4	4.8	—
9971⁄4	603	Segro	9681⁄4	+7	3.3	—
1551⁄4	1241⁄4	Shaftesbury Capital •	1521⁄4	+21⁄4	2.8	8.2
139	104	Town Centre	123	-2	4.1	—
175	1321⁄4	Tritax Big Box	1601⁄4*	+21⁄4	5.1	184

52 week			Price (p)	-/-	Yld	P/E
High	Low (p)	Stock
250	123 $\frac{1}{2}$	Halfords $\bullet$	238 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	+5 $\frac{1}{2}$	3.8	15.7
981	713	Howden Joinery	800 $\frac{1}{2}$	—	2.7	16.3
106 $\frac{1}{4}$	64	JD Sports Fash	85 $\frac{1}{4}$	-3 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.4	9.9
372 $\frac{1}{4}$	240 $\frac{1}{4}$	Kingfisher	322 $\frac{1}{2}$	+4 $\frac{1}{4}$	3.8	23.0
418 $\frac{1}{4}$	301 $\frac{1}{4}$	Marks & Spen	391 $\frac{1}{4}$	+6 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.1	30.8
3 $\frac{1}{2}$	$\frac{3}{4}$	Mothercare	$\frac{3}{4}$	...	—	-0.8
15900	11200	Next	15635	+360	1.7	20.6
358 $\frac{1}{2}$	140 $\frac{1}{4}$	Ocado $\bullet$	246 $\frac{1}{2}$	+13 $\frac{1}{4}$	—	5.2
575	200	Pinewood Tech	450	+2	—	93.8
747	192 $\frac{1}{4}$	Saga $\bullet$	679	-4	—	—
380 $\frac{1}{4}$	292 $\frac{1}{4}$	Sainsbury J	335 $\frac{1}{4}$	- $\frac{1}{2}$	4.1	19.4
719 $\frac{1}{2}$	378 $\frac{1}{4}$	Smith WH $\bullet$	415	+3 $\frac{1}{4}$	—	-3.7
510 $\frac{1}{2}$	41 $\frac{1}{4}$	Tesco	464 $\frac{1}{4}$	+3 $\frac{1}{2}$	3.1	16.9

Retailers +1.12%
169 $\frac{1}{2}$	106	Currys ●	147 $\frac{3}{4}$	+1 $\frac{1}{4}$	2.0	9.5
1248	707	Dunelm ●	889	+1	7.9	11.5
843 $\frac{1}{2}$	598	Frasers Group ●	827 $\frac{1}{2}$	+7 $\frac{1}{2}$	—	9.5
2046	1407 $\frac{1}{4}$	Greggs ●	1882	+6	3.7	15.7

Name

Init chge

Sell

Mid Buy

Change on day

Telecommunications +0.51%
Commodities summary

Guinness Global Investors
18 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ
www.guinnessgi.com
+44(0)20 7222 5703

Discretionary Unit Fund
No 1, Poultry, London EC2R 8JR. 020 7415 4130
Maitland Discretionary Inc	3.00	2366.33	-2.55

PO Box 10846, Chelmsford, Essex, CM99 2BW. 0330 123 1815 www.fundsmith.co.uk enquiries@fundsmith.co.uk

242%	173	BT Group	206%*	+1%	4.0	18.8
1914	638	Telecom Plus ●	860*	-3	5.8	8.5
131%	83%	Vodafone	118%	+%	3.4	-83.7
Tobaccos -1.31%

2886	1981	Bunzl	2794	-4	2.7	19.8
416	215	Capita	288 $\frac{1}{2}$	$-1\frac{1}{2}$	—	-2.0
6740	4188	DCC Energy	6360	-5	3.4	—
115 $\frac{1}{4}$	78 $\frac{1}{2}$	Essentra	109 $\frac{1}{2}$	$+1\frac{1}{4}$	1.9	—
3987	2203	Experian	3009	+46	1.7	24.9
5860	3519 $\frac{1}{2}$	Intertek Group	5850	+5	2.8	26.8
250 $\frac{1}{4}$	163 $\frac{1}{2}$	Int'l Workplace $\bullet$	180 $\frac{1}{4}$	$-\frac{1}{2}$	0.6	—
172 $\frac{1}{4}$	123 $\frac{1}{2}$	Johnson Serv $\bullet$	145 $\frac{1}{2}$	$+\frac{1}{2}$	3.3	15.7
214	134 $\frac{1}{4}$	MITIE Gp $\bullet$	208 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	—	2.2	31.6
507	329 $\frac{1}{2}$	Rentokil	347 $\frac{1}{2}$ *	-1	2.7	25.5
325 $\frac{1}{4}$	212 $\frac{1}{2}$	Serce Group $\bullet$	260	-1 $\frac{1}{4}$	1.8	18.1
12	6 $\frac{1}{4}$	SIG	8 $\frac{1}{2}$	...	—	-1.6
723 $\frac{1}{2}$	493 $\frac{1}{2}$	Travis P $\bullet$	652 $\frac{1}{2}$	-2	1.8	-7.8

Sustainable Energy Acc	-	24.8216	...
Global Innovators Acc	-	46.7734	...
Global Equity Income Inc	-	24.887	...
Available as an ISA

5326	3677	Brit Am Tob	4133	-61	5.9	11.8
3632	2476	Imp Brands	2520*	-15	6.6	10.0
Transport -0.11%

Janus Henderson INVESTORS

Janus Henderson Investors
PO Box 9023 Chelmsford, CM99 2WB
Enquiries: 0800 832 832
Website: www.janushenderson.com

Fundsmith

Travel & Leisure +0.83%

683%	332%	easyJet ●	676	+2%	2.0	10.3
915%	500%	Entain	540*	-1	3.7	-5.2
227%	152%	FirstGroup ●	178%	-%	4.0	8.4
776	550	Fullers A'	750	+8	2.8	19.1
492%	332%	IAG Intl Cons Air	441%	+9%	1.5	7.2
13305	8618	Intercont Hotels	11952%*	-15%	1.2	33.2
301%	223%	Mitchells&But ●	285	—	—	9.6
35%	17	Mobico Group	23%	+%	—	-1.1
447	210	Playtech ●	404%	-7%	—	1.0
144%	86	Rank Group ●	108%	-%	3.2	17.0
857%	530%	Wetherspoon ●	854%	+9	1.4	14.2

		Index	Change
$\uparrow$ Australia	All Ordinaries	9374.90	+58.20	+0.62pc
$\uparrow$ Brazil	Bovespa	174576.80	+2670.08	+1.55pc
$\uparrow$ China	Shanghai Composite	3889.44	-7.44	+0.19pc
$\downarrow$ France	CAC General	8439.20	-13.81	-0.16pc
$\uparrow$ Germany	DAX	26266.14	+159.54	+0.61pc
$\downarrow$ Hong Kong	Hang Seng	25511.10	-6.23	-0.02pc
$\uparrow$ India	BSE S&P SENSEX	77656.09	+286.98	+0.37pc
$\uparrow$ Japan	Nikkei	65856.43	+328.34	+0.50pc
$\uparrow$ Singapore	Straits Times	5735.68	+55.22	+0.97pc
$\downarrow$ Spain	Madrid SE	1985.90	-5.80	-0.29pc
$\uparrow$ Switzerland	SMI Index	14525.29	+78.10	+0.54pc
$\uparrow$ USA	Dow Jones	53577.40	+160.24	+0.30pc
$\uparrow$ USA	Nasdaq	26151.30	+171.11	+0.66pc

World market indices

52 week
High	Low (p)	Stock	Price (p) +/-		Yld P/E
3302	2098	Whitbread	2475	+12 3.9	20.1
AIM -0.15%

89%	36%	Afentra	75%	-1%	—	-73.4
1130	765	Arhuthnot	820	—	6.7	7.5
244	125%	Central Asia Met	167%	+9%	7.2	-5.4
872%	98	Ceres Power ●	411	+3%	—	-16.8
460	271	Churchill China	365	-30	5.8	9.2
380	194	CML Micro	310	-5	3.5	-939.4
1538	881%	Cohort	1194*	-26	1.5	22.9
172	101	Eleco	127%	—	0.9	79.7
10%	%	Futura Medical	%	...	—	-0.1
161%	112	James Halstead	139	-%	6.4	14.3
405	200	Mpac Group	332%	+2%	—	-10.5
1800	1120	MS Intl	1690*	—	1.5	25.1
67	34%	Premier Miton	39	-%	7.7	50.0
74	46	Tribal Gp	60%	-3	2.2	14.4
1%	%	Xtract Resources	1%	...	—	-5.3

Exchange rates

Name	Init chge	Mid Sell	Change Buy	on day
Glob Multi-Strat	0%	142.59		+0.13
Inflation-Linked Corp Bd	0%	117.1		+0.14
Long-Term Global Equity	0%	388.1		+0.08
Asian Income	0%	198.38		+0.61
Continental European	0%	320.34		+0.52
Global Dynamic Bd	0%	83		+0.02
Global High Yield Bd	0%	76.22		+0.07
International Bd	0%	86.51		+0.09
Multi-Asset Bal	0%	209.1		+0.13
Multi-Asset Div Return	0%	155.33		+0.12
Multi-Asset Growth	0%	331.88		+0.16
Oriental	0%	254.7		+0.64
Real Return A	0%	126.11		-0.06
UK Equity Fund	0%	214.66		+0.33
UK Income	0%	215.88		+0.39
UK Opportunities	0%	234.21		+0.51
Emerging Income	0%	136.97		+0.41
Global Emerging Mkts	0%	284.44		+0.37
Global Equity Fund	0%	398.53		-0.19
Multi Asset Inc	0%	142.25		+0.26

The Alternative Investment Market is for young and growing companies. Shares may carry higher risks than those with a full quotation, and may be difficult to sell.

Americans +0.07%

Cautious Managed A Acc	5.00	359	...
Cautious Managed A Inc	5.00	154.1	...
China Opps A Acc	5.00	1294	...
Emerg Mkts Opps A Acc	5.00	300.3	...
European Sel Opps A Acc	5.00	3257	...
Fixed Int Mthly Inc A Inc	4.25	17.07	...
Global Care Growth A Inc	4.50	711.6	...
Global Equity Inc A Inc	5.25	88.23	...
Global Select Acc	4.25	6522	...
Global Strategic Cap Acc	5.00	437.3	...
Global Technology A Acc	5.00	6830	...
Inst UK IDX Opp Tr	-	182.4794	...
Janus Asian Dividend In Ut	5.00	100.3	...
Janus Emer Mkts Asia A Acc	5.00	1838	...
Janus Multi-Mgr Inc&Growth A	5.25	161.3	...
Multi-Mgr Abs Ret A Acc	5.00	189.6	...
Multi-Mgr Active A Acc	5.00	335.8	+0.9
Multi-Mgr Distbn A Inc	5.25	136.8	...
Multi-Mgr Divrsfd A Acc	-	106.1	...

Money & Rates

52 week
High	Low	Stock	Price	+/-	GrsYd	Cvr
84%	30%	Alcoa $	50%	+1%	0.8	9.8
387%	291	Amer Express $	336%	-%	1.1	4.1
65%	46%	BankAmerica $	62%	-%	2.1	3.4
254%	176%	Boeing $	211%	+3%	—	—
1073%	410%	Caterpillar $	812%	+1%	0.8	3.6
214%	146%	Chevron $	201%	-2	3.5	1.5
113%	84%	Coca-Cola Euro $	109%	-%	2.2	0.8
99%	74%	Colgate Palm $	91%	-1	2.3	1.2
168%	136	ExxonMobil Hldgs $	162	-2%	2.5	1.9
388%	266%	Gen Electric $	346%	+4%	0.5	4.5
426%	289%	Home Depot $	336%	-1%	2.8	1.5
268	180	Honeywell $	215%	+3%	1.3	5.0
32%	17%	HP $	29%	+3%	4.1	2.3
332%	199%	IBM $	232%	+1%	2.9	1.7
142%	23%	Intel $	88%	+1%	—	—
50%	29%	Intl Paper $	40%	-%	4.5	2.9
366%	279%	JP Morgan Ch $	355%	-1%	1.7	3.9
276%	173%	Johnson&John $	272%	-%	2.0	1.6
33%	24%	Keurig Dr Pep $	32	-%	2.9	1.7
63	25%	Manpower $	61%	...	2.3	1.5
341%	261	McDonalds $	269%	-2%	2.8	1.7
154%	77%	Merck $	153%	-3%	2.2	0.4
553%	349%	Microsoft $	489%	+2%	0.7	4.9
28%	23%	Pfizer $	28%	+3%	6.1	0.4
167%	137%	Procter & Gamble $	145%	-1%	3.0	1.6
226%	150%	Raytheon Tech $	209%	+3%	1.4	2.0
497%	332%	Rockwell $	432%	+2%	1.3	1.9
505%	348	Trane Tech $	452%	...	0.9	3.1
135%	95%	Wal Mart Strs $	104%	-1%	0.9	2.9
119%	92%	Walt Disney $	111%	+3%	1.3	3.2

Name

Init chge

Sell

Mid Buy

Change on day

Name

Init chge

Sell

Mid Buy

Change on day

AXA Investment Managers

Bold FTSE100 Stocks		FTSE250 Stocks
* Ex-dividend	† Ex-scrip	‡ Ex-all
§ Ex-rights	# Suspended
Cover relates to the previous year's dividend.
Yields are net of basic rate tax.
Data is provided for information purposes only and is not intended for trading purposes. Speak with a financial advisor before using any data to make transactions.

52 week		Stock	Price	+/- GrsYd Cvr
High	Low
41⁄4	11⁄4	Xerox Hldgs $	23⁄4	...	3.5	74.0
Europeans -0.06%

AXA Pyl & Planet Eqty R GBP	-	295.6	-2.10
Amer Gwth Acc	-	1737	-9.00
Biotech Acc	-	341.2	-0.80
Global Sust Mngd R Acc	-	618.5	+1.20
Global Tech	-	393.1	-7.40
Global Thematics R GBP Acc	-	2708	-5.00
Health Acc	-	3456	-14.00
Japan R GBP Acc	-	954	+5.50
Managed Income R Gross Acc	-	225.4	+0.20
Managed Income R Gross Dis	-	95.07	+0.11
UK Select Opps R Acc	-	4286	+21.00
UK Select Opps R Inc	-	2150	+11.00
UK Smlr Cos Acc	-	354.9	+1.90
UK Sust Equity R Acc	-	380.4	+2.60
AXA IM Funds www.axa-im.co.uk

Fundsmith Equity T Acc	-	703.62	+7.08
Fundsmith Equity T Inc	-	635.06	+6.39

BLUE WHALE GROWTH FUND

67%	46%	AkzoNobel €	60%	-1⁄2	3.3	2.3
97%	56%	BMW €	58	-3⁄4	7.6	2.7
171⁄2	12	Carrefour €	151⁄4	-1⁄4	7.4	1.6
771⁄2	531⁄4	Continental AG €	691⁄4	+3⁄4	3.9	0.3
62%	42%	Daimler €	441⁄4	-1⁄4	7.8	2.9
80%	60%	Danone €	651⁄2	-3⁄4	3.4	1.2
58%	37	Deutsche Post €	561⁄4	+3⁄4	3.3	1.6
34%	231⁄2	Deutsche Tele €	291⁄4	...	3.4	2.0
80%	63%	Heineken €	721⁄4	-11⁄4	2.7	2.4
654%	440	LVMH €	4501⁄4	-81⁄4	2.9	1.7
82%	60%	LafargeHolcim SFr	711⁄4	+3⁄4	2.4	1.9
10%	6%	Lufthansa €	8	+3⁄4	4.1	9.0
15	3%	Nokia OYJ €	81⁄4	+3⁄4	1.6	0.9
35%	25%	Michelin €	341⁄4	-3⁄4	4.0	1.7
107%	58%	Pernod Ricard €	671⁄4	-13⁄4	7.0	1.4
27%	20%	Philips (Kon) €	231⁄4	-1⁄4	3.6	0.6
291%	198	Siemens €	2851⁄2	+5	1.9	2.0
84%	50%	Societe Gen €	75	-3⁄4	2.3	3.9
10%	4%	Stellantis €	41⁄4	...	15.2	1.1
279%	212%	Thales €	250	-1	1.6	2.1
81%	49%	Total €	751⁄4	-3⁄4	4.6	2.0
44%	28%	UBS AG SFr	431⁄4	...	2.0	2.3
37%	27%	Veolia Environ €	34	...	4.4	0.3
110%	71	Volkswagen €	741⁄4	-3⁄4	7.0	2.6

		Price	Change
Gold	per troy oz	$4663.17	+14.57	+0.31pc
Silver	per troy oz	£50.51	+0.05	+0.10pc
Krugerrand		£3373.04	+12.03	+0.36pc
New Sovereign		£799.47	+2.55	+0.32pc
Maples		£3401.06	+12.04	+0.36pc
Platinum	per oz	£1364.68	-11.79	-0.86pc
Palladium	per oz	£983.97	-9.26	-0.93pc
Copper $\dagger$	grade A	£10506.45	+62.91	+0.60pc
Tin $\dagger$	high grade	£40965.23	+224.76	+0.55pc
Lead $\dagger$		£1390.64	-10.02	-0.72pc
Zinc $\dagger$	special high grade	£2849.13	+43.41	+1.55pc
Aluminium $\dagger$	high grade	£2379.35	+24.14	+1.02pc
Nickel $\dagger$		£12505.50	+31.16	+0.25pc
Baltic Dry Index*		2926.00	+44.00	+1.53pc
Wheat	per tonne	£205.75	-0.75	-0.36pc
Brent Crude	Oct settlement	$88.58	-3.59	-3.89pc

Recent issues
52 week
High	Low (p)	Stock	Price (p)	+/-	Yld	P/E
190	140	Bravura Solutions	$163\frac{1}{2}$ *	-4	8.1	12.5
300	125	Coastal Africa Group	200	—	—	—
$5\frac{1}{4}$	$3\frac{1}{8}$	Mendell Helium	5	...	—	-1.5

Blue Whale Capital 0345 307 3439 www.bluewhale.co.uk

Exchange Rates
		Tourist rates for indication use only, www.travelex.co.uk
		£ > Eur Rate 1.1683 Change -0.04¢	£ > $ Rate 1.3634 Change -0.01¢
		Tourist £1 =	Sterling £1 =	1 Euro =	1 Dollar =
Australia	Aus $	1.852	1.9050	1.6306	1.3973
Canada	Can $	1.827	1.8862	1.6145	1.3836
Denmark	Krone	8.3	8.7337	7.4756	6.4060
Euro	€	1.141	1.1683	...	0.8569
Hong Kong	HK $	10.127	10.6870	9.1474	7.8388
India	Rupee	97.41	130.0874	111.3474	95.4175
Israel	Shekels	3.829	4.0616	3.4764	2.9791
Japan	Yen	209.889	217.1203	185.8426	159.2550
Kuwait	Dinar	...	0.4209	0.3603	0.3087
New Zealand	NZ $	2.199	2.2839	1.9548	1.6752
Norway	Krone	12.153	12.6983	10.8690	9.3140
Pakistan	Rupee	340.39	378.2274	323.7411	277.4250
Saudi Arabia	Riyal	4.855	5.1189	4.3815	3.7546
Singapore	$	1.641	1.7313	1.4820	1.2699
South Africa	Rand	20.856	21.7590	18.6245	15.9600
Sweden	Krona	12.329	12.9126	11.0525	9.4712
Switzerland	Franc	1.055	1.0945	0.9368	0.8028
Thailand	Baht	42.84	44.6156	38.1884	32.7250
UAE	Dirham	4.824	5.0073	4.2861	3.6728
UK	£	...	...	0.8559	0.7335
USA	$	1.33	1.3634	1.1669	...

Blue Whale Growth R Acc

-

*407.71

-9.37

BNY MELLON

Global Income	0%	333.76	+0.27
Corporate Bond	0%	82.06	+0.16
Equity Inc	0%	142.69	...
Equity Inc Booster	0%	90.37	...
Glob Abs Ret $^{\ddagger}$	0%	109.35	...
Glob Multi-Strat	0%	141.78	+0.13
Inflation-Linked Corp Bd	0%	116.99	+0.15
Long-Term Global Equity	0%	504.62	+0.08
Asian Income	0%	315.52	+0.61
European Opps	0%	484.88	+0.52
Global Dynamic Bd	0%	84.69	+0.02
Global High Yield Bd	0%	47.4	+0.06
International Bd	0%	188.59	+0.09
Multi-Asset Bial	0%	309.72	+0.13
Mult-Asset Div Return	0%	200.59	+0.12
Mult-Asset Growth	0%	1655.91	+0.16
Oriental	0%	1252.05	+0.64
Real Return A	0%	139.31	-0.07
UK Equity Fund	0%	1242.49	+0.33
UK Income	0%	105.95	+0.39
UK OpportunitiesB Shares	0%	469.82	+0.5
Global Income	0%	277.35	+0.28
Corporate Bond	0%	99.4	+0.16
Equity Inc	0%	107.1	...
Equity Inc Booster	0%	71.26	...
Glob Abs Ret	0%	118.97	...

*Copyright Baltic Exchange Information Services Ltd. †Data provided by the London Metal Exchange.

RPI (1987=100)	Jul 419.10	+0.6pc	+3.2pc
RPIX (Target 2.5pc)	Jul 412.20	+2.5	+3.1pc
CPI (2015=100 target 2pc)	Jul 142.90	+0.3pc	+2.9pc
Lloyds house price index	Jul 516.00	0.0pc	+0.1pc
Bank Rate			3.75pc
Nationwide Base Mortgage Rate			5.75pc
US Fed Funds			3.5-3.75pc
US Long Bonds Yld			5.18pc
European base rate			2.40pc

Name	Init chge	Sell	Mid Buy	Change on day
Multi-Mgr Inc.&Growth A Acc	5.00		232.3	...
Multi-Mgr Mrgd A Acc	5.00		404.7	+1.1
Multi-Mgr Mrgd A Inc	5.00		373.2	+1
Sterling Bond Acc	4.25		229.6	...
Sterling Bond Inc	4.25		55.47	...
Strategic Bond A Inc	4.00		95.56	...
UK Absolute Return A Acc	5.00		206.9	...
UK Alpha A Acc	5.25		201.2	...
UK Smaller Cos A ACC	5.00		943.5	...
UK Equity Income A Inc	5.00		710	...
UK Index Opps Tst A Acc	-		180.1644	...
US Growth A Acc	5.00		2932	...

J.P.Morgan Asset Management

Name

Init chge

Sell

Mid Buy

Change on day

J.P. Morgan Asset Management 60 Victoria Embankment, London, EC4Y OJP Clients:0800 204020.Brokerline 0800 727770

JUPITER

JPM Ems C Net Dis	-	274.3000	+0.4000
JPM Japan C Net Acc	-	480.3000	+3.5000
JPM Natural Res C Net ACC	-	1823.0000	-7.0000
JPM UK Equity Care E Acc	-	714.9000	+2.9000
JPM UK Equity Care E Inc	-	93.7300	+0.3800
JPM US Eq Inc C Net	-	598.9000	+1.6000
JPM US Eq Inc C Net Dis	-	586.7000	+1.7000
JPM US Select C Net Acc	-	1242.0000	-4.0000
JPM US Sm Cos Gwth C Net Ac	-	1250	-13

Jupiter Unit Trust Managers Ltd
The Zig Zag Building, 70 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6SQ
020 3817 1000

Jupiter Asian Inc L Acc	-	356.18	+0.8724
Jupiter Asian Inc L Inc	-	240.05	+0.8724
Jupiter China L Acc	-	116.03	+0.2824
Jupiter China L Inc	-	106.22	+0.2824
Jupiter Corp Bond L Inc	-	51.14	+0.1760
Jupiter Eco L Inc	-	693.64	-0.0837
Jupiter European L Inc	-	4000.75	+0.5193
Jupiter Euro Inc L Acc	-	85.01629	...
Jupiter Euro Inc L Inc	-	49.78698	...
Jupiter Euro Special Sits L Acc	-	601.15	+0.5127
Jupiter Fin Opp L Inc	-	1350.52	+0.7395
Jupiter Fund Of Inv Tssts L Inc	-	409.85	+0.4658
Jupiter Global Emg Mkts L Acc	-	105.92	+0.8331
Jupiter Global Finl Innov L Acc	-	229.25	+0.9615
Jupiter Income Trust L Inc	-	705.48	+0.5403
Jupiter India L Acc	-	213.46	+0.8288
Jupiter Japan Inc L Acc	-	219.49	+0.3973
Jupiter Japan Inc L Inc	-	141.48	+0.3973
Jupiter Merlin Bal Prtfo L Acc	-	346.88	+0.1913
Jupiter Merlin Bal Prtfo L Inc	-	198.73	+0.1916
Jupiter Merlin Grth Prtfo L Acc	-	832.07	+0.2029
Jupiter Merlin Grth Prtfo L Inc	-	803.89	+0.2029
Jupiter Merlin Inc Prtfo L Acc	-	470.29	+0.2049
Jupiter Merlin Inc Prtfo L Inc	-	165.59	+0.2049
Jupiter Merlin WW Prtfo L Inc	-	609	+0.4982
Jupiter Merlin WW Prtfo L Acc	-	609.73	+0.4982
Jupiter Monthly Alt Inc L Acc	-	139.88	+0.2929
Jupiter Monthly Alt Inc L Inc	-	23.18	+0.2929

Name	Init chge	Sell	Mid Buy	Change on day
Jupiter Merlin Select L Acc	-	126.45		+0.1855
Jupiter Merlin Select L Dis	-	55.88		+0.1855
Jupiter Responsible Inc L Acc	-	171.88		+0.7354
Jupiter Responsible Inc L Inc	-	78.98		+0.7353
Jupiter Global Strat Bond L Acc	-	110.53		+0.0950
Jupiter Global Strat Bond L Inc	-	53.07		+0.0950
Jupiter UK Growth L Inc	-	287.11		+0.7958
Jupiter UK Dynamic Eq L DIS	-	294.54		+0.2771
Jupiter Unitstd Van F	3.50	427.34		+0.4071
Jupiter US Sml Cos Inst I Acc	-	80.99		...
Jupiter US Sml Cos Ret Acc	-	74.46		...

Marks & Spencer Unit Trust Management Ltd
Kings Meadow, Chester, CH99 9UT0870 333 1835
High Income Inc	-	87.08	87.08	...
High Income Acc	-	297.1	297.1	...
UK Select Port Inc	-	481.4	481.4	...
UK Selection Port	-	1101.3	1101.3	...
UK 100 Co's Fund Inc	-	325.3	325.3	...
UK 100 Co's Fund Acc	-	723	723	...
W' wide Man Inc	-		740.5	...
W' wide Man Acc	-		1331	...

PO Box 9039, Chelmsford, CM99 2XG Enq: 0800 390 390. UT Deal: 0800 328 3196

Charity Multi Asset Acc	-	15319.34
+0.507875315

Name	Init chge	Mid Sell	Buy	Change on day
Charity Multi Asset Dis	-		109.41	+0.505236083
Eqty Inv Chrties GBP Acc	-		46904.2
+0.4477555685
Eqty Inv Chrties GBP Dis	-		1920.65
+0.4476776721

+0.4476776721

CAR - Net Income reinvested.

Natwest Investment Funds(RBS Collective Investment Funds Ltd)PO Box 249, York YO90 12Y0117 940 3848
Global Bond Fund Inc	-	86.56	...
Mangd Eqty Growth Fnd Acc	-	189.09	...
Mangd Growth Fund Inc	-	158.25	...
Mangd Growth Fund Acc	-	172.57	...
UK Equity Fund Acc	-	181.10	...
UK Equity Fund Inc	-	142.38	...

Yealand Fund Services Limited
Admin: Stuart House, St John's St, Peterborough PE15DD
Dealing & Enquiries: 0345 850 0255

Generation Fd	5.00	*1119.99	...
FENIX Balanced Fund Dis	5.00	*222.65	...

Tech tycoons are taking over London's elite homes market

Those spending £20m plus on a home now tend to be in their 30s and 40s. By Maya Wilson Autzen

ICE rinks, nightclubs, infrared saunas and digital-detox zones: millennials have entered the super-prime London housing market.

Properties worth £10m and more in the capital were historically bought by the “old-money” bankers and lawyers.

But “gone are the days when you’d have people buying prime and super-prime in their 60s,” says Rhianne McIlroy, of property consultant Middleton Advisors.

A new kind of wealth is on the scene. People in their 30s and 40s who have made their money in crypto or tech – or even as social media influencers – are buying these trophy homes.

“Younger people are making their fortune faster as a consequence of digitalisation – you literally can run a multimillion-pound business from an iPhone,” says Stuart Bailey, head of super-prime London sales at estate agency Knight Frank.

What they want is very different from the generation of buyers before them. Jo Eccles, of buying agency Eccord, says a homeowner in Battersea had a small ice rink put in because her son is brilliant at ice hockey, and another one had a slide put in from the top to the bottom of their house in Knightsbridge.

Forget open-plan kitchens or home gyms, the trend taking super-prime London by storm is having a nightclub in your basement.

Here, buying agents tell Telegraph Money how wealthy millennials are shaking up the property market.

A new kind of wealth

“In the past three years, everyone spending more than £20m has been in their 30s or 40s,” says Eccles.

"When I started my career, a lot of the buying activity in London was driven by traditional banker bonuses and so had a seasonal trend. Now it's completely different."

Her clients now work as algorithmic or commodity traders, or are entrepreneurs in renewable energy or AI. Becky Fatemi, of Sotheby's buying arm, says she is now working with ultra-billionaires. "I call them two-digit billionaires. Last year we wouldn't have been speaking about this kind of wealth."

Influencers have also burst on the scene as social media platforms generate substantial wealth.

“We’re just about to start working with an influencer who we worked with previously and now they’re ready to upsize,” says Eccles.

Caspar Harvard-Walls, of private property network Oskar, says another reason buyers are getting younger is that they are beginning to cash in their inheritance. “We’ve had a generation who are in their late 50s or 60s now and have done really well within hedge funds or private equity, and now their children in their 20s and 30s have this ability to buy really expensive property at a very young age,” he said.

Nightclubs and bars

Nightclubs and bars So what does this younger generation of buyers want in their homes? A nightclub, of course.

"There are so many amazing private members' clubs out there. So what is special now? A club at home with your own bar is special," says Bailey. "Not everyone who's made money these days wants to go and be in a public place or even a private members' club with lots of other people," he explains.

If you've got a basement, what do you do with it? Bedrooms are out of the question, as there's no natural light or windows. In the past, owners may have opted for a pool, but Bailey says the ship has sailed on this trend too.

So now they opt for their own “beautiful, cool nightclubs” with everything from a bar and wine cellar to banquette seating.

Wellness

Wellness Reflective of a modern obsession with self-care, “wellness is the number one trend”, in super-prime property, says McIlroy.

Home gyms are old news. Now it's all about ice baths, cryotherapy chambers (when the body is exposed to temperatures as low as -140C) and infrared saunas.

Eccles says she has seen digital detox zones that are deliberately Wi-Fi-free for reading or games.

Liam Monaghan, of LCP Private Office, says a hot tub had to be craned into a new flat just off Pall Mall recently.

Will Watson, head of the Buying Solution, says: "Clients of ours moving from LA to London were set on installing a vitamin D pod into their Notting Hill town house. On their wish list, it ranked first, alongside an open-plan kitchen.

“What was a smaller guest bedroom became the ‘chamber of phototherapy light’ and was the envy of their

The younger generation of super-prime property buyers want saunas and home entertainment

international neighbours. The fear of moving away from the sun into more of a seasonal and colder climate was the driver.

“Gone are the days of an indoor pool and gym in the basement – home buyers want advanced wellness solutions and technology that have data-focused success rates.”

No more upstairs, downstairs Staff accommodation is nothing new, but buyers are approaching it very differently

"The days of upstairs, downstairs have long gone," explains Harvard-Walls. He said that ten years ago the difference between family and staff rooms would have been stark, with the latter of a much lower quality. But this has changed, to the extent that you sometimes cannot tell the difference.

“Owners are competing for the best nannies, the best housekeepers, the best house managers,” Harvard-Walls says. “These people with good track records are not going to live in a basement that hasn’t been updated for 20 years.”

Tightened security

Similarly, the desire for security is not new. But homeowners are going to greater lengths than ever before to protect themselves and their houses.

As criminals get more sophisticated, and wealth is often broadcast on social media, security systems have had to become more sophisticated too.

Eccles says CCTV and fingerprint entry systems are becoming commonplace. Meanwhile, Monaghan says that neighbours are increasingly chipping in for private security to patrol the street.

Privacy and discretion are buzzwords for many buyers.

As a result, a surprising trend has emerged: the need for a back door.

“It’s become really popular for a whole host of reasons, whether it’s discretion, privacy, to get into your nightclub,” says Bailey.

A lot of his clients are not in the public eye and would rather keep it that way.

BUSINESS BULLETIN

Russia set to extend diesel ban next month

Russia is set to extend its diesel export ban next month as fuel shortages persist in the domestic market.

A number of refineries are still idle following Ukrainian drone attacks, industry sources said. One of them said extending the ban until the end of the year is also under discussion.

Russia has also banned exports of diesel for non-producers and motor gasoline until Jan 31 next year and jet fuel until the end of November 2026.

However, fuel shortages re-emerged in some regions this month after a brief improvement in late July.

World Cup and KPop help Lego build sales

World Cup and KPop Demon Hunters ranges have helped toy giant Lego drive sales up by more than a fifth to hit another record in the first half of this year.

The Danish firm reported a 21pc rise in revenues to 41.9bn Danish kroner (£4.8bn) for the six months to June 30, helping pre-tax profits surge a third higher to 11.3bn Danish kroner.

It launched more than 330 products over the first half, with World Cup fever and “consumer excitement” over Formula 1 and Netflix smash-hit movie KPop Demon Hunters boosting sales.

Youngsters missing out on ‘major life milestones’

Almost half of young people have been forced to delay major life milestones, according to a new survey.

Of the 16 to 25-year-olds polled by food bank network Trussell, 47pc said they had delayed moving out of home due to financial pressures, the same number as those who had delayed learning to drive for the same reason. Some 45 per cent also said job opportunities in their area were poor.

A Trussell spokesperson said “We risk a generation of young people weighed down by financial hardship and at risk of turning to a food bank.”

NatWest to boost presence in the US

NatWest has taken a step towards boosting its presence in the US after changes to ring-fencing rules under former chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The US's Federal Reserve said last week it had granted approval for the bank to set up a “representative office” in Stamford, Connecticut.

The office would “act as a liaison with current and prospective US customers of the bank”, the Fed’s approval document read. “It would promote [products] and services, conduct customer service activities, and perform back-office functions.”

Advertising Standards Authority asa.org.uk

Geoffrey Boycott An Extraordinary Innings

So the ASA regulates UK ads, including online?

Oh yes.®

Churchill, ‘Churchie’ the dog, and OH YES are registered trademarks of Aviva Brands Limited used under licence.

Telegraph · NEW PODCAST

The legendary batsman and commentator shares his remarkable life story with The Telegraph's Nick Hoult, in our new four-part series.

Listen now Telegraph app Spotify iPodcasts

To scan the QR code, open your phone camera, point it at the code and tap the banner that appears on screen. On older phones, you may need to download a QR code reader first.

Email: announcements.ads@telegraph.co.uk Book online: announcements.telegraph.co.uk

Court Circular

BALMORAL CASTLE August 25th

August 25th The King, Colonel-in-Chief, today received a representative party from The Royal Gurkha Rifles who presented The Queen's Truncheon for His Majesty's inspection.

Today's birthdays

The Duke of Gloucester is 82.

The Rt Rev Alan Chesters, Bishop of Blackburn, 1989-2003, 89; Mr Malcolm Pyrah, show jumper, 85; Prof Dame Judith Rees, President, Royal Geographical Society, 2012-15, 82; Miss Alison Steadman, actress, 80; Prof Adrian Newland, haematologist; President, Royal College of Pathologists, 2005-08, 77; Gen David Hurley, Governor General of Australia, 2019-24, 73; Mr Howard Clark, former golfer, now commentator, 72; Mr Ian Dejardin, art historian; Director, Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2005-17, 71; Ms Sarah Beamish, composer and viola player, 70; Prof Alan Ashworth, Director, Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, 1999-2011, 66; Lord Godson, Director, Policy Exchange, 64; Lord Gove, editor, The Spectator; former Conservative government minister, 59; Mr Chris Boardman, former cyclist; Olympic gold medallist, individual pursuit, Barcelona 1992, 58; Prof Oriana Bandiera, Sir Anthony Atkinson Professor of Economics, London School of Economics, 55; Miss Gaynor Faye, actress and writer, 55; Lord Richardson, a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland, 52; and Ms Monica Galetti, Chef Proprietor, Mere Restaurant, 2017-24; television presenter, 51.

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Crécy in 1346. It is also the anniversary of the births of Sir Robert Walpole in 1676, Prince Albert in 1819 and John Buchan in 1875, and of the death of Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1958.

New life peers

BARON ROSS OF NEVILL HOLT Baron Ross of Nevill Holt, of Great Grimsby in the County of Lincolnshire, is the gazetted name, style and title conferred upon David Peter John Ross.

BARON LEVESON OF LIVERPOOL Baron Leveson of Liverpool, of Liverpool in the County of Merseyside, is the gazetted name, style and title conferred upon Sir Brian Henry Leveson.

Clergy news

Appointments

Revv Lois Beynon, v, Clun Valley (Hereford), to be v, Bridlington Emmanuel and Barmston with Fraisthorpe (York); Maxine Waller, p-in-c, The Beacon (York), to be r, The Beacon (same dio); Linda Maslen, church leader, Bradford Fountains (Leeds), to be v, Rural Ainsty (York).

Bridge news

Last week the English Bridge Union continued to hold a series of 12-board online matchpoint duplicate pairs games, writes Julian Pottage, Bridge

Correspondent. The highest scores each day were as follows: Monday

76.04% scored by Tony Stone and Inu Kassam in Game 3 (7.30pm). Tuesday

72.50% scored by Derek Maggs and Jackie Davies in Game 2 (3.30pm).

70.83% scored by Jeremy Dhondy and Andrew Petrie in Game 1 (2pm).

69.31% scored by Stephen Lee and Gad Chadha in Game 2. Friday

71.73% scored by Graham Orsmond and an Advanced BBO Bot in Game 4 (9pm).

70.64% scored by Glenn Oliver and Raj Subramaniam in Game 3. Sunday

76.49% scored by Sue McArthur and Angela Forsyth in Game 1.

The Daily Telegraph.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

LONDON, THURSDAY AUGUST 26, 1926

ANOTHER MOVE BY MINERS' LEADERS. GOVERNMENT APPROACHED.

MINISTERS RECALLED TO WESTMINSTER.

Two members of the Government, the Minister of Labour and the Secretary for Mines, were yesterday urgently summoned to return to London in order to take part in another conference on the mines dispute. This meeting, which is expected to take place to-day, has been arranged at the request of the miners' leaders. Whether they are to submit new proposals, or whether a conference has been sought merely to substantiate Mr. Cook's statement to his Midland audiences that a "new move" was impending, could not be learned last night, but it was stated that no indication of any new suggestions was made when the officials of the federation got in touch with the Ministry of Labour.

As the result of the prompt measures taken by the police, the disorder and intimidation in the Midland areas were not repeated yesterday. As a consequence there was a considerable increase in the numbers of men returning to the pits, and it was estimated that they totalled over 40,000.

WILL THERE BE A CONFERENCE TO DAY?

Mr. A. J. Cook, the miners' secretary, yesterday afternoon communicated with the Ministry of Labour by telephone, and on behalf of the officials of the Miners' Federation requested an interview with the Minister. The secret of Mr. Cook's mysterious references to new peace negotiations is thus revealed.

No suggestion has been made for any basis of discussion with the Government. The request was simply for a meeting, and as members of the Cabinet have repeatedly made it known that they are anxious to assist in finding a settlement, a meeting will be arranged with all possible speed.

On the receipt of Mr. Cook's message, telegrams were at once despatched to Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, Minister of Labour, who is in Scotland, and to Lieut.-Colonel G. R. Lane-Fox, Secretary for Mines, who is in Yorkshire.

A special “London Gazette” issued last evening contained a new Proclamation under the Emergency Powers Act, 1920, consequent on the continued cessation of work in the mines, and also a notice summoning Parliament to meet on Monday next. The House of Commons will assemble at the customary time of 2.45 p.m., but it is anticipated that on the following day members will assemble at 11 a.m. Two days, it is expected, will be sufficient to give approval to the continuance of the Emergency Regulations for another month.

HOME OFFICE AND INTIMIDATION.

As was stated in The Daily Telegraph yesterday, intimidation in the mining fields is receiving the personal attention of Sir W. Joynson-Hicks, the Home Secretary, and officials of his Department, and Sir William is determined that workers shall be adequately protected.

Following the receipt of detailed reports from the mining areas, the Home Office have made plans for the co-ordination of the movement of police to districts where disorder is likely to occur. Plans are being carried out in conjunction with the chief constables concerned, but there has been no question of reinforcing local police forces from the metropolis, or invoking military aid. So far the only suggestion of serious trouble has come from Nottinghamshire, and large reinforcements were drafted from neighbouring counties to areas where they were required. The Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire has reported that he has now secured all the police he needs, but is aware that further reinforcements are available should be require them.

Severe limitations are imposed upon the police in carrying out their duties during a strike. They are empowered to handle large crowds collected for the purpose of intimidation, but if two or three people, living in a row of houses, find their lives made miserable by neighbours because of their desire to go to work it is difficult for the police to interfere. For that reason, the fact that a man is frightened to repeat his experiment of going to work does not mean that the police are inactive.

In December last a circular was issued by the Home Office to Chief Constables, explaining the provisions of the law relating to intimidation and molestation. It was pointed out in that document that, although the provisions of the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act, 1875, which made intimidation and picketing illegal, were modified by the Trade Disputes Act, 1906, which permits peaceful picketing, it may still be possible to incur the penalties provided in the former Act. The size of a picket, it was explained, may be a material point in deciding whether the persuasion of a worker is peaceful or intimidatory.

This explanatory circular emphasised how careful the police must be in carrying out their duties in trying circumstances. They were warned that they must act with strict impartiality as between employers and workmen and as between strikers and non-strikers. The police were told that workmen have the fullest right to refuse to work, and peacefully to persuade others to refuse..

QUIET DAY IN THE MIDLANDS.

No negotiations were proceeding yesterday. The only action of public interest taken by the secretary of the Miners' Federation was the making of a telephonic request to meet the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Mines. During the day the four officials of the Miners' Federation interviewed Lord Wimborne, who has taken a close interest in the coal dispute. Last June he put forward certain tentative proposals for a peace formula. These conferences are not negotiations, and the miners of the Midlands will be sadly disillusioned if they remain idle in the expectation that something tangible will result from Mr. Cook's promises. Coal-owners whom I saw yesterday gave a categorical denial that any negotiations were in progress, or that any approach had been made for a joint conference. One northern coal-owner, learning last night that the Miners' Federation had again turned to the Government, said:

The interview with Ministers will not make the slightest difference to the position, and the officials of the federation know that perfectly well before they go. Indeed, it is only requested as an expedient to bolster up the hoodwinking practised on these poor fellows in the Midlands. Some of us will certainly be in town to-morrow, but let me say emphatically that there is no thought or expectation of negotiations; we have no further proposals to make or new terms to suggest. The federation has followed the wrong course all the way through, and these officials will have to admit the fact to their own members. Now that men are returning in Yorkshire and in Lanark, a general resumption can be expected soon.

As though to emphasise that view, news from the various coalfields last night proved conclusively how rapidly men are returning to the mines. The remarkable increases are not due so much to a single day's change – although that is very marked every day – as to the reports made and not hitherto disclosed. A proved total of 28,850 on Tuesday looked most formidable, but to-day it has passed the 40,000 line, and is in all probability nearly 45,000.

MORE MEN RETURN TO WORK

No sooner had Mr. Cook left Mansfield than excitement subsided, embitterment ceased, and large numbers of additional men went to work.

The whole North Nottingham area was reported to be quiet last night. Additional police forces had dispelled the menace of mass picketing by youths with cudgels. As a result, thirteen of the affected collieries reported 4,064 men at work yesterday, against 3,456 on Tuesday, and there is every prospect that that increase of 608 will be inflated by a further thousand today. Clipstone reported an increase from 448 to 640 and the Bolsover collieries showed an increase of 1,400. Three more pits opened in the Nottingham and Derby area, with 120 men, and the estimated total for the area last night was almost equal to that of Warwick.

night was almost equal to that of Warwick. Yorkshire also had a substantial addition to its numbers of workers, for the return movement has spread North.

Assuming that the average output per shift of every person now employed is 15cwt, which is slightly below the normal average, the coal output from the mines of Great Britain this week should be a quarter of a million tons.

Two important announcements concerning the supplies of coal now available in this country are contained in a statement issued from the Ministry of Mines yesterday. They are:

The weekly output from our own collieries is at present at the rate of 200,000 tons, while it is estimated that outcrop workings yield over 100,000 tons weekly.

Imports from abroad now total over 900,000 tons a week, and since the stoppage began 6,600,000 tons have been brought in.

SHENKMAN.—On 10th August 2026, at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, to Kate (née Winser) and Max, a son, Rafe Alexander Philip, brother to Minnie and Kit. Online Ref: W0052049

CHICHESTER.—Giles Bryan died peacefully on 12th August 2026 aged 80. Beloved husband of Virginia. Devoted and proud father of George, Jessica and Charlie and grandfather of Isla. Funeral Service at the Church of the Blessed Mary, Aylesbeare EX5 2BU on 15th September at 2 p.m. Service of Committal at St Peter's Church, Shirwell EX31 4JU on 16th September at 12 noon. Online Ref: W0052038

COCKBURN.—Peacefully, after a short illness, Alasdair, aged 80 years, beloved husband of Carole, adoring father of Gail and Iain and devoted grandpa to five. Funeral to take place at 2.15 p.m. on Wednesday 9th September at Guildford Crematorium, New Pond Road, Godalming, GU7 3DB, followed by a celebration to remember Alasdair at Hankley Common Golf Club, Tilford Road, Farnham GUI0 2DD. Family flowers only. Donations if desired to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Enquiries to Thorne Leggett Funeral Directors on Tel: 01252 982767. Online Ref: W0052052

Chess

Deaths

FINCH.—Marianne Françoise Simone (née Trottet) died peacefully on 13th August. Devoted to her late husband Ted, and greatly loved by her daughters Christine, Nicole and Anne and by her grandchildren and great grandchildren. A Service commemorating Marianne's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday 17th September 2026 at All Saints Church, Church Road, Fordham, Colchester, CO6 3NL. No flowers please but donations, if desired, to the Samaritans or the RAF Benevolent Fund, c/o Hunnaball of Colchester, Waveney Cottage, 13 London Road, Stanway, Colchester, CO3 ONR. Online Ref W0052070

Births

General personal

The Daily Telegraph and

Bridge Hand

The Sunday Telegraph

While we take reasonable steps to check our advertisers are bona fide, readers should carry out their own checks before entering into any contract or arrangement.

R Praggnanandhaa - W So

FRASER.—Elisabeth Ann formerly from Odiham, died aged 96 on 14th August 2026 at Hartismere Place, Eye. Much loved aunt, great and great-great-aunt. Private cremation. Online Ref: W0052056

So makes it three

13th Sinquefield Cup, St Louis Armageddon, the decisive moment. What did Pragg miss? The game ended: 45.Rc5? Qf6! 46.Qxf6 Rxf6 (Now if 47.h6 Rxf2+ 48.Kh3 Rf5 49.Rd8+ Rf8 =) 47.Kg2 Rb6 48.h6 Rxb4 49.Rc8+ Kf7 50.Rc7+ Kg8 51.Rc8+ Kf7 52.Rh8 g5 and Black held without any trouble.

WESLEY So retained the Sinquefield Cup, defeating Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in a play-off, to win the prestigious competition for a third time. The battle was decided in Armageddon after two Rapid games were drawn. So won \$103,125. Pragg secured \$100,937 and went to the top of the GCT earnings table as his haul for the season surpassed \$200,000. So, Pragg, Fabiano Caruana and Vincent Keymer qualified for the Grand Chess Tour final four.

W So - R Praggnanandhaa 13th Sinquefield Cup TB (1), St Louis Slav Defence

KEEVIL.—Philip Clement died

peacefully on 17th August 2026, aged 79. Beloved husband of Daisy, much loved father of Adrian, Augusta and Peter, and grandfather to seven. Brother of Harriet and the late Julian. Funeral at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, New York, at 11 a.m. on 19th October. In lieu of flowers, donations in Philip's memory may be made to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Online Ref: W0051985

NIGHTINGALE.—Tony. Sadly, passed away on 3rd August 2026 at the age of 92 years. Dearly missed by all his family and friends. A Funeral Service will be held on Monday 14th September at St Mary's Church, Thame at 11.30 a.m. Followed by a celebration of Tony's life at Hartwell House in Stone. Donations, if desired, to The Royal Star and Garter. Any enquiries to Arnold Funeral Service. Tel: 01494 952288. Online Ref: W0052037

Personal

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Ne2 Na6 9.Bf8

The first Rapid game has all been seen before, but it's a fun line:

LASZLO.—Peter J.R.A. Died peacefully on 17th August 2026 at home in Waddington, aged 94 years. Beloved husband of Hilary, father of Nicholas and Tamara, stepfather of Nick and Philippa and Opapa of six. A private burial will take place. Funeral arrangements by Brian Price and Son Ltd, Funeral Directors. Tel: 01200 441297. Online Ref: W0052071

HE THAT loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 1 John 2.10 (AV)

Text for the day

Messages

(If 9...Kxf8?? 10.Qd8#) 9...Ne7 10.Bxg7 Nb4 11.Bxh8 e5!! 12.Qd6 (It's also a draw after 12.Qd2 Nd3+ 13.Kd1 Nxf2+ 14.Kc1 Nd3+ and not 14.Kel? Nd3+ 15.Kd1 Nf5 when Black's knights are on the rampage) 12...Nc2+ 13.Kd2 Bf5! 14.Ng3 Qf4+ 15.Kc3

GRATEFUL THANKS to St Jude for prayers answered. CA. Online Ref: W0051986

Logical or ludicrous?

15...Nd5+! 16.cxd5 Qd4+ 17.Kb3 Nxal+ 18.Ka3 Nc2+ 19.Kb3 NaI+ 20.Ka3 Nc2+ 21.Kb3 NaI+ draw

Data privacy

a b c d e f g h

52.04 with a won endgame or if 42.16 of 46.04xi 46.17.Rd8+ Kf 48.Rd7+ Kec 49.Rd7i 4Xh7 Kxh2+ 50.Kh3 Rf3 sil.Kg4 Rfs 52.Rat 53.Kg5 Rf3 sil.Kg4 Rfs 54.g4 Ra3 55.Kg6 wins.

General personal

Limited's competitions, offers or promotions, we may use your information for marketing purposes. We will contact you by mail or telephone to let you know about any of our special offers, products and services which may be of interest to you unless you have asked us not to. We will only contact you by email, text message, or similar electronic means with your permission. We will only pass your name on to third parties if you have consented for us to do so.

Garden offers provided by hayloft

45.h6i and if 45...RXF2+ 46.KG1 Rf6 47.Rd8+ Kf7 48.Rd7+ Kec 49.Rxh7 QG1+ 50.Kh2 Qc2+ 51.Kh3 Qf5+

hayloft plants

Autumnal Aster Mix Late-season colour

The Blue Danube - Vienna, Budapest & Salzburg

◆ Perfect for borders and meadows

* We respect your data privacy. You may modify your preference or get further information by writing to us at Data Privacy, Telegraph Customer Service Victory House Meeting House Lane Chatham Kent ME4 4TT or by email to data.protection@telegraph.co.uk

By Malcolm Pein

◆ Easy to grow and low maintenance

READER SOLUTIONS BY TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP

* In some cases our special offers, products and services may be provided, on our behalf, by our partners. If you have agreed to be contacted by us, your personal information may be passed to our partners, however, in all such cases we remain a data controller of your personal information. * When responding to competitions, offers or promotions ◆ Dazzling blooms in shades of purple, pink and white from August to November

* When responding to competitions, offers or promotions by postcard, if you do not wish for your details to be used by us to send you special offers, please make this clear by stating "No Offers"

♦ Loved by pollinators

Supplied as young plants and dispatched within five days. £5.95 P&P per order.

By Tom Townsend Dealer West Vulnerability None

0333 772 0325 quote RODU26 telegraph.co.uk/LS-aster-mix

K53477 Autumnal Aster Mix x 5 £15 K53478 Autumnal Aster Mix x 10 £18 K53479 Autumnal Aster Mix x 15 £20

Final Result 2♥ minus two, N/S -100 Par Result 6♣ plus one, N/S +940

TRAVEL SOLUTIONS BY TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP

♠ 98 ♣ Q753
♥ J10 952 ♥ AKQ74
♦ 93 ♦ J87
♣ 9853 ♣ J

Calls cost a maximum of 5p per minute from a BT line. Mobile and other service providers' rates may vary. Lines open seven days a week, 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and 9am-5pm Saturday to Sunday. £5.95 P&P per order, Dispatched within five days subject to availability, Please send cheques and postal orders, free made payable to Hayloft Plants Limited, to: Telegraph Garden Shop Offer, Hayloft Plants Limited, FREEPOST RUHB-AKRA-ZXBK, Pershore Road, Little Comberton, Pershore, WR103HF and clearly state your name and address. All products are purchased from, and your resulting contract will be with, Hayloft Plants Ltd (registered no. 15804285), a company wholly independent of Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd.

Even that was somewhat short of North-South par. Suppose South plays 6♣ on the ♥J lead. With clubs 4-1, as the cards lie, this is marginally more testing than 6♦.

North contested with a double, for take-out of hearts. Attempting to force to game, South removed to 2♥.

Surprised to be holding a one-count on this auction, Ben Handley-Pritchard (West) responded 1NT. He expected a massive hand opposite, and didn't want to sound too encouraging. This ploy worked better than he could possibly have imagined.

West	North	East	South
pass	pass	1♥	pass(1)
1NT(2)	dble(3)	pass	2♥(4)
pass	pass(5)	pass

(1) Shut out for the time being
(2) A tactical light response
(3) For take-out of hearts
(4) Intended as forcing
(5) Had other ideas

Published by Telegraph Media Group Holdings Limited, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W ODT, Tel: 0207 931 2000, Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Newspapers support recycling. In 2024 the recycled paper content of UK newspapers was 35%, Printed at Newsprinters Ltd - Broxbourne, Great Cambridge Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire EN8 8DY; Knowsley, Kitling Road, Prescot, Merseyside L34 9HN; Eurocentral, Byramsuir Road, Holytown, Motherwell ML1 4WH; Webprint - Dublin, 2023 Bianconi Ave, Citywest, Dublin, Ireland, D24 EH50, Also printed by Mediterranee Offset Press, France; Milkro Digital Hellas Ltd, Greece; Milkro Digital Cyprus Ltd, Cyprus; Miller Newsprint Ltd, Malta; International News, Portugal and Eucles Daily, France. To obtain permission to copy cuttings from this newspaper contact the NLA on 01892 525273 or email copy@nla.co.uk, For all other reproduction, copying and licensing inquiries email syndication@telegraph.co.uk.

he didn't fancy a take-out double. Nor could he sensibly overcall 1NT, with only 863 in hearts.

FROM the Spingold Trophy in Minneapolis. A top team fell in the round of 64. Hemant Lall's sextet, spearheaded by Zia Mahmood and England's David Gold, lost by three IMPs to Wang. This Californian squad included 15-year-old Brian Zhang.

My team (Dyson) faced Jiang Gu's dangerous New Jersey outfit. Up 35 IMPs at the half, we struggled home by 146 to 127. This helped us over the line.

Contract 2♥ Declarer South Opening Lead ♥J

Departures in October 2026 and from April to October 2027 Eight days from £1,999pp

Now, look at this from North's point of view. With something like ♠K2 ♥KJ09652 ♦K2 ♣102, entirely possible on the bidding, wouldn't South want to play in 2♥? So the bid should be to play - and North passed. To force to game on this sequence, South's logical call is 2NT. A removal of 1NT doubled to 2NT can not be natural.

The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph

The bidding went as above at my table. There is no misprint. South, with no sound initial action, passed over my opening 1♥. With only two cards in the unbid major,

South ruffs in dummy, cashes the ♣A, and crosses to the ♦A. He ruffs a heart, crosses to the ♠K, and ruffs another heart. He comes back to the ♦K, draws trumps in three more rounds, and claims them all.

West led the ♥J to 2♥, and continued the suit. East won, cashed a third round, and switched to a diamond. South made six tricks for two down. At the other table, East dropped 500 in 4♥ doubled, and we picked up 12 IMPs.

Call 0330 173 0143

In partnership with

- Return flights plus transfers - Seven nights on board a five-star ship - Full board* plus the Chef's Dinner and free drinks† - Expert cruise director and cruise host - Programme of tours and excursions

Terms and conditions: *Except one lunch if choosing the Salzburg excursion. '2026 and 2027 departures include an unlimited quant (selected drinks), Calls charged at local rates, Lines open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm and Sun 10am-4pm. Prices based on two sharing and correct at time of printing. Supplement may apply for a single cabin. Travel insurance not included. Holiday provided by Riviera Travel (registered co. no. 1869298; ABTA V4744 & ATOL 3430 protected), a company independent of Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd. Terms and conditions apply. For full deposit details and all terms and conditions, visit telegraph.co.uk/ft-traveltcs. See the Data Protection Notice in today's Personal Column.

telegraph.co.uk/tt-danubeblue

Free drinks package on all river cruises $^{+}$

What's included

-LLOYD SHEARER

Dolly Parton

Country music megastar who mined her upbringing to write a string of hits including Jolene and I Will Always Love You

DOLLY PARTON, the singer and songwriter, who has died aged 80, used her talent, intelligence and extraordinary looks to escape first poverty, and then the restrictive, sexist world of American country music; she went on to become a highly successful mainstream recording artist, television and film celebrity, business entrepreneur and philanthropist.

She was, possibly, best known for her appearance, particularly her outsize bosom, which, as she remembered, was already “well in evidence” by the time she was 12, when after immersion in the river for her baptism, “my white cotton dress became somewhat transparent in the rushing water, and the boys on the bank were moved to shout ‘Hallelujah!’”

Her look was further enhanced by enormous blonde wigs; when asked how long it took her hairdresser to style her hair, she once replied: "I have no idea. I'm never there." Her dresses, which were, she admitted, "gaudy" and "tasteless", completed her "white trash" image, something she had no shame in embracing, often telling interviewers that "it costs a lot to make a person look this cheap" and even thanking her plastic surgeons in her autobiography.

Dolly Parton never left home without make-up, and once refused to flee an earthquake: "If this house is coming down," she told a friend, "it'll just have to fall on my ass, because I'm not going outside looking like this."

"If you're a star," she explained, "you owe it to your fans to look like one." During the course of her career, Dolly Parton recorded dozens of albums and thousands of songs, many of which became country and pop classics. Her high-pitched, almost child-like voice proved surprisingly effective across a wide range of styles.

Her songwriting was equally adaptable, from the confrontational directness of Jolene (1974), through the gossamer prettiness of Love Is Like a Butterfly (1974), to the poignant pleas of what she referred to as her “hurtin” songs, such as I Will Always Love You (1972), which became a worldwide Number One for Whitney Houston in 1992, although purists regarded Dolly Parton’s understated original as the superior version.

Like most great songwriters, she mined her own experience, and often returned to the subject of her Tennessee upbringing for inspiration. When she was dropped by her mainstream record label in the late 1990s and was written off as a has-been by many in the Nashville music scene, she moved to the tiny Sugar Hill imprint and recorded The Grass Is Blue (1999), a selection of her own compositions and covers of songs by Johnny Cash, Lester Flatt and the Louvin Brothers. The spare bluegrass arrangements highlighted every breath and tremor in her voice to stunning effect.

At the age of 53, she was not content to retire with her millions and an occasional season in Las Vegas, but preferred to risk resurrecting the music of her childhood, demonstrating the grit and determination that made her a quintessential country artist. The Grass Is Blue and its follow-up Little Sparrow (2001) were both critical and commercial successes, but she revealed that she “couldn’t make a living with music like that. I had to work hard at all those other things to make enough money to sing like I was poor again.”

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19 1946 in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River outside Pigeon Forge in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. She was the fourth of 12 children born to Robert, a tobacco farmer, and his wife Avie Dee. Though extremely poor, her childhood was cushioned by the love of her large family. Her signature song, Coat of Many Colours (1971), describes the patchwork coat painstakingly sewed for Dolly by her mother. Her pride in the garment was shattered by the ridicule of her classmates, and she later said that “the worst thing about poverty is not the actual

Dolly Parton in 1984 and, right, with her husband Carl Dean: her style ranged from confrontational directness to the poignant pleas of what she called her hurtin' songs

living it, but the shame of it". Music and religion provided respite; her grandfather was a Baptist preacher and fiddle player, and on Sunday the church would reverberate with song.

As well as singing, she would write songs, her voracious reading having made her a master storyteller. After her Uncle Louis gave her a guitar, her talent was recognised by another uncle, Bill Owens, a professional musician who saw a potential career for her.

When she was seven, Owens brought Dolly to the attention of Cas Walker, an eccentric millionaire grocery shop owner, who also had a local radio show, The Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour. The show was performed live in front of an audience: "At that very moment I fell in love with the public. This was what I had always wanted - no, needed."

By the time she was 10 she was a regular on the show and a local celebrity, earning five dollars a week. Aged 12, Dolly Parton made her first record, Puppy Love (1958), written with Owens, and recorded at a Louisiana studio where she also shared her first kisses with the son of the studio owner. Puppy Love was enough of a local success to

convince Dolly and Owens to try their luck in the country music capital, Nashville. Once there, they lived on their wits, often camping in Owens's car, and sacrificing sleep to write songs through the night.

Owens's commitment to their careers was single-minded; on one occasion he stepped deliberately in front of a bus in order to claim injury compensation so he could afford petrol and a new microphone. During this time Dolly Parton played dozens of venues, met her hero Johnny Cash, signed a publishing and recording deal, and earned three encores in her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, the legendary country and western radio show then transmitted live from the Ryman Auditorium. But her first single, It May Not Kill Me (But It's Sure Gonna Hurt) (1959), flopped, and she returned home to finish high school.

The day after her graduation 1964, she was back in Nashville herself, determined to make it time. At her lowest point, she would sneak into hotels and eat leftovers from trays left outside rooms, but gradually her commitment started to pay off, and after joining up with Owens again, she began getting radio and television bookings and had two hit songs with Dumb Blonde and Something Fishy (both 1966). She also started writing songs for others and won a BMI Song of the Year award for Put It Off Until Tomorrow (1966), recorded by Bill Phillips. After being asked to join the nationally televised Porter Wagoner Show in 1967, Dolly Parton enjoyed seven years of increasing success, both as a solo artist and with the bouffant-haired Wagoner.

Singing jingles for products which “stopped menstrual cramp” and a laxative that made you “smile from the inside out” was her least favourite part of the show, but it was her deteriorating relationship with the domineering Wagoner that led to her leaving. Though they were not lovers, the song I Will Always Love You was written about their split.

Wagoner later sued for a percentage of her subsequent earnings, claiming that he was the architect of her success, and she spent years paying off the million-dollar settlement that they eventually reached.

She next tried touring with a band composed of family members, but found the group dynamic too difficult. With a new band, Gypsy Fever, and a new manager, Sandy Gallin, she decided to go for a more modern rock sound. Gailin understood her desire to break out of the Nashville ghetto, and it was he who found Here You Come Again (1977), which was to be her first record to sell a million copies.

When traditionalists accused her of “leaving country”, she replied that she was “taking it with me to new places”, and she

undoubtedly helped make country music mainstream. After leaving Wagoner, she kept her high profile on TV with regular appearances on chat shows, and also had two attempts at fronting her own show, both of which lasted only a season, although her choice of guest stars was to pave the way for her later collaborations with Kenny Rogers (on Islands in the Stream, 1984), Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn (on Honky Tonk Angels, 1994) and Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris (on the acclaimed albums Trio, 1974, and Trio II, 1999).

In 1980 she moved into acting with a starring role alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in 9 to 5 (1980), in which, she was happy to admit, she did little more than play herself. None of her later films were to match its success, although in Steel Magnolias (1989) she was even more perfectly cast as a tough, beautiful, “good ol’ girl” hairdresser. and held her own in a cast which included Julia

Roberts and Shirley MacLaine.

In 1985, she opened Dollywood, her theme park in Tennessee. A celebration of all things “Dolly”, it included a recreation of her childhood home, and a museum with her famous “coat of many colours” in a glass case. Far from being an exercise in self-adulation, however, it became Tennessee’s biggest tourist attraction and a major employer of local people (her family members included), as well as a showcase for the cultural and musical heritage of the Tennessee mountains.

Through her Dollywood Foundation, she raised millions for an educational programme which sent a book a month to every child in the county from birth to the age of five. The scheme swiftly expanded to other parts of America and beyond, and since its inception in 1995 it has distributed more than 300 million children's books, six million of those within the UK.

In her autobiography, Dolly: My Life And Other Unfinished Business (1994), she wrote: "All my life... I have been driven by three things. God, music and sex. I would like to say I have listed them in order of their importance to me, but their pecking order is subject to change without warning." Although she rejected the strict prescriptive religion of her parents, describing herself as a "vanilla sinner - too bad to be real good, and too good to be bad", she was a regular Bible reader with a heartfelt belief.

As the 21st century unfolded she experienced something of a creative renewal, branching out into stage musicals with 9 to 5 The Musical in 2008 and recently Dolly: A True Original Musical, tracing her life story from humble beginnings and including new songs as well as hits such as Jolene.

Notable records from her late period included two in the contemporary Christian genre, both of which won Grammy awards: God Only Knows (2020) with the pop duo King and Country and There Was Jesus with Zach Williams in 2021. In traditional country mode there was Backwoods Barbie, released on her own label Dolly Records in 2008, and the pared-back Pure & Simple in 2016. In 2014 she won five-star

reviews for playing the “legend” slot at Glastonbury, and after induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 she released Rockstar, her only pure rock album, including a cover of Let It Be featuring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Dolly Parton met her husband, Carl Dean, a building contractor, outside a launderette in Nashville in 1964. On their first date he took her home to meet his mother, to whom his opening words were: "Fix this girl a plate. She's the one I'm going to marry," which he duly did in 1966. Dean was a reclusive but constant presence throughout her life. At the ceremony at

Her life at the ceremony at which she won her first music award, he felt so uncomfortable in his rented tuxedo that in the car afterwards he took off his jacket, shirt and tie and drove home bare-chested, vowing never again to attend another “wingding”.

He was happy at home while she travelled extensively, and was also seemingly happy to put up with the demands of her life in the spotlight. Despite admitting that “love affairs and relationships are just part of my dealings with people”, Dolly Parton maintained that she and Dean were “always together emotionally and spiritually”.

Much of her enduring appeal was due to her talent for self-mockery. She described herself as looking “like a drag queen’s Christmas tree”, but she was, at heart, “a simple country woman”.

After Dean died last year, Dolly Parton released the plangent song If You Hadn't Been There. There were no children from her marriage, although she was a surrogate mother to her younger brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces, many of whom spent time living with her.

Dolly Parton, born January 19 1946, died August 25 2026

Nancy Kissinger

Foreign policy aide who became the chic wife and no-nonsense ‘conscience’ of Henry Kissinger

She was said to be ‘unimpressed with Henry and his power... and doesn’t take any guff from him’

NANCY KISSINGER, who has died aged 92, was for half a century the wife and support of Henry Kissinger, the foreign-affairs leviathan who was the most divisive figure in American life until his death in 2023.

Standing 6ft tall, this ash-blonde, clever, chic, engaging Episcopalian brought stature and lustre to Kissinger, the 5ft 8in Bavarian émigré who had risen from Harvard to become Nobel Laureate and Secretary of State. She was said to be “unimpressed with Henry and his power... and doesn’t take any guff from him”.

For someone only on the fringes of high society, whose existence had been consumed by academia and policy research, Nancy Kissinger appeared to enter her husband's political life with ease.

She frequently accompanied Kissinger – a pioneer of “shuttle diplomacy” – on seemingly endless trips to South America, the Middle East, Africa and Russia. Later she quietly joined his world of (as his Telegraph obituary described) “private jets, smart parties and ostentatious glamour”.

It cannot have been easy – Nancy Kissinger smoked two or three packets of cigarettes a day and needed treatment for stomach ulcers – but she, and their union, endured.

Nancy Sharon Maginnes was born on April 13 1934, the youngest child and only daughter of Albert Bristol Maginnes, a former professional American Football player and trusts and estates lawyer, and Agnes McKinley.

She led a comfortable life at White Plains, New York, where she attended a Catholic girls' school, Good Counsel Academy, and Master's School in Dobbs Ferry, graduating in 1951. She taught history there for two years after graduating from Mount Holyoke in 1955.

In 1964, she met Kissinger, the year he divorced his first wife and childhood sweetheart, Anne Fleischer. Nancy had gone to work for Kissinger while on one of the New York governor Nelson Rockefeller task forces, and in 1969, when Kissinger became Richard Nixon's National Security Advisor, she joined the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She later became director of

international studies for Rockefeller's Commission on Critical Choices for Americans and would serve as a trustee of Rockefeller University.

By then, Kissinger, revelling in the limelight, had famously stated that power was “the great aphrodisiac”. He was dubbed “Playboy of the West Wing” and Nixon laughed at “Henry’s girls”, a group that included the actresses Jill St John, who played Tiffany Case in the Bond film Diamonds are Forever, and Sally Kellerman, star of Robert Altman’s film M*A*S*H. Even Zsa Zsa Gabor wrote of a dinner date in Beverly Hills, when he made an abrupt exit after driving her home.

Yet Nancy Maginnes remained his steadiest companion, even after Kissinger became Secretary of State in September 1973 and a month later was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Their civil marriage at Arlington on March 30 1974 was still a surprise – only a few hours earlier the groom had held talks with Israel's defence minister, Moshe Dayan, without mentioning it.

Mexican officials, and within the next four weeks had held meetings with the Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko in Geneva, the president of Algeria in Algiers, and Egypt's president Anwar Sadat in Alexandria.

In October 1975 Kissinger took Nancy to meet Chairman Mao in Beijing. A film of the meeting shows a diminutive Mao pointing in open-mouthed astonishment at Kissinger's towering wife.

With the defeat of Gerald Ford and the presidency of Jimmy Carter, the Kissingers left Washington and public service for New York – a duplex in Manhattan's Upper East Side, home also to Kermit Roosevelt, Deeda Blair and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney.

While he faced accusations of being a war criminal (and signs screaming “Henry Kiss-of-death!”), the couple were embraced by New York society, where politics seemed to matter less. Oscar, Françoise and then Annette de la Renta became friends, as did Brooke Astor. As the social commentator William Norwich put it: “It was history’s job to judge people. It was Mrs Astor’s to put the soup on the table.”

Decades later, when Mrs Astor's son,

Anthony Marshall, and his lawyer were charged with scheming to defraud her, both Kissingers gave evidence of their friendship and her decline into senility. In the witness box, Nancy described herself as “an average housewife taking care of my husband, Henry, and everything else”.

She was fiercely protective of her husband and his reputation. In February 1982, as they were walking through Newark airport en route to Boston, where Henry was to undergo a triple bypass, an activist asked him: "Is it true that you sleep with young boys at the Carlyle Hotel?" Nancy throttled her and was charged with assault.

The judge dismissed the charge, however, describing her actions as a “spontaneous and somewhat human reaction to an offensive question”.

Both Kissingers were displeased with Walter Isaacson's critical biography in 1992. Six years later Kissinger called Isaacson to make peace: "Even the Thirty Years' War had to end at some point. Although we have to work on Nancy a little. She is partial to the Hundred Years' War."

Kissinger's consulting firm, established in 1982, made him rich – rich enough for Nancy to rise from a mere socialite to a genuine philanthropist benefiting medical, educational, cultural and canine causes. They bought an estate in South Kent, Connecticut, and continued to attend State dinners and embassy receptions in Washington, and fashion shows, museum openings and fundraisers in New York – Nancy bedecked in Adolfo, Blass and de la Renta.

Kissinger wrote in Years of Renewal (1999), his final volume of memoirs (they ran to 3,800 pages): “My wife encouraged me with her advice and love. As always, she served as my conscience.”

Nancy hosted her husband's centenary in May 2023 at home in Connecticut and at the New York Public Library, and accompanied him to mark it at his birthplace in Fürth, Bavaria. He died in November that year.

She is survived by her stepdaughter and stepson.

Nancy Kissinger, born April 13 1934, died August 20 2026

DT3526

What to watch

BOOKISH U&Alibi, 8pm/9.15pm

This cosy period drama returns as a bookseller – and amateur sleuth – chases a murderer

What makes a crime drama cosy? Much like art or pornography, you tend to know it when you see it.

Yet it can be broadly agreed that the recent boom favours quaint English aesthetics and simple mysteries.

The kind of television that you can slip into after a long day, and put your brain in a jar, as it were.

On paper, you would think that a period drama about a 1940s bookshop owner who solves murders

The Airport Chaplain Netflix

This big-hearted Australian drama follows an unorthodox airport chaplain Tobias (played by Hugo Weaving) as he takes on the role of spiritual guide for weary air travellers. His is a strange, multi-faceted job that quite regularly puts him on a collision course with his fastidious new boss, played by The Pitt's Shabana Azeez.

Rainbow Warrior Sky Documentaries, 10pm In 1985, a ship belonging to Greenpeace was bombed in a New Zealand harbour. This nimble documentary tells the extraordinary story of the sinking, which was

by using his knowledge of literature would be equally disposable. But you know what they say – never judge a book by its cover.

Created by Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss, who also stars as closeted amateur sleuth Gabriel Book, the witty Bookish is the thinking viewer's cosy crime.

Consider tonight's compelling two-part return, which revolves around the killing of charismatic medium Harold Sneed (Jason Watkins)

Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer return for new series

eventually traced back to the French intelligence service.

Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds Channel 4, 8pm Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer return for another series of couples debating

during a séance. A delightfully absurd murder. Yet what elevates Bookish is how elegantly it marries its sillier elements with character and intellect.

The show's post-war setting, for instance, feels alive with the politics and culture of the time.

Elsewhere, there is a fantastically written flashback scene where Book lays into “grief leech” Sneed, writing off mediums as “filthy, crooked, disgusting pigs”.

Stephen Kelly

whether to renovate or sell. Tonight's retrospective episode is themed around builds that took advantage of wasted space. In Wolverhampton, for instance, Gordon and Suky transform their awkward layout with an open-plan redesign.

The Murder Detective Channel 4, 9pm

The United Detective Channel 4, 9pm In 2019, journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead while observing a riot in Derry, Northern Ireland. This sobering three-part documentary, stripped across the week, follows the seven-year investigation into her murder. Tonight's opening episode is also followed by The Never-

Ending Murder at 10pm, which re-examines the 1991 disappearance of Coventry mum Nicola Payne.

The Great Wall of China

Channel 5, 9pm Historian Dan Snow travels from one end of the Great Wall of China to the other to find out how, and why, the wonder was built. Stretching some five and a half thousand miles, Snow describes the engineering involved as “mind-boggling”. And no, he stresses, you cannot see it from space. SK

FILM

Dale Dickey gives a seething performance in Karl R Hearne's thriller based on the real-life US scandal of exploitation of older people.

Dale Dickey gives a seething performance in The G

She plays Ann, an elderly grandmother who couldn't be further from the sweet, little old lady stereotype. When a corrupt guardian (Bruce Ramsay) convinces the authorities she no longer has the capacity to make her own decisions, he sells their house. With the help of her granddaughter, Ann she seeks revenge.

Harvey (1950, b/w) Film4, 4.35pm

James Stewart stars as Elwood Dowd, a middle-aged, wide-eyed dreamer who spends his days getting tipsy with his best friend, a six-foot-tall invisible white rabbit called Harvey. His sister Veta (an Oscar-winning Josephine Hull) tries to reform him and a comedy of errors ensues.

Main channels

BBC One

6.00 am Breakfast (S) 9.30 Morning Live: Top Tips and Best Bits (S) 10.30 Garden Rescue (R) (S) 11.15 Homes Under the Hammer (AD) (R) (S) 12.15 pm Bargain Hunt (AD) (R) (S) 1.00 BBC News at One; Weather (S) 1.35 Regional News; Weather (S) 1.45 BBC News at One; Weather (S) 2.00 Money for Nothing (S) 2.45 Escape to the Country (R) (S) 3.30 The Repair Shop (AD) (R) (S) 4.30 The Answer Run (R) (S) 5.15 Pointless (R) (S) 6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather (S) 6.30 Regional News; Weather (S)

Fake or Fortune

7.00 The One Show With JB Gill and Clara Amfo (S)

7.30 EastEnders Alfie throws Kat a surprise party (AD) (S)

8.00 Fake or Fortune: What Happened Next? Investigating a piano that may have belonged to John Lennon. Last in the series (AD) (S)

9.00 Celebrity MasterChef Zoe Ball asks the celebrities to make their ultimate pudding (AD) (S)

10.30 Regional News; Weather (S) 10.40 MOTD: Uefa Champions League Action from the play-off round second-leg ties (S)

11.25 FILM: The Shallows (2016) Thriller starring Blake Lively 12.50 - 6.00am News

BBC Two

6.30 am Escape to the Country (R) (S) 7.15 Money for Nothing (R) (S) 8.00 Sign Zone: Great Continental Railway Journeys (AD) (R) (S) (SL) 8.30 Sign Zone: Great Continental Railway Journeys (AD) (R) (S) (SL) 9.00 News (S)

1.00 pm Richard Osman's House of Games (R) (S)
1.30 The Edge (R) (S)

3.30 Serengeti III (AD) (R) (S)

2.15 Do You Know Your Place? (R) (S)

4.30 Vintage Antiques Roadshow (R) (S) 5.10 Flog It! (R) (S)

6.00 Richard Osman's House of Games (R) (S)

6.30 Great Continental Railway Journeys (R) (S)

Couples Therapy
Professor T

7.00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Leslie Ash and Phil Daniels compete against each other (R) (S)

8.00 Inside the Factory Paddy McGuinness finds out how Warburtons make their products (AD) (R) (S)

9.00 9/11: Inside the President's War Room How George W Bush and his staff dealt with the September 11 attack (AD) (R) (S)

10.30 Newsnight (S)

11.05 Couples Therapy 11.30 Couples Therapy 12.00 Buried with Michael Sheen 1.00am Sign Zone: Celebrity MasterChef 2.00 Sign Zone: Brexit: A Very British Civil War 3.00 - 6.30am This Is BBC Two

ITVI

6.00 am Good Morning Britain (S) 10.00 This Morning (S) 1.30 pm News (S) 1.55 ITV News London; Weather (S) 2.00 Dickinson's Real Deal (AD) (R) (S) 3.00 Deal or No Deal (AD) (R) (S) 4.00 Tipping Point (R) (S) 5.00 The Chase (R) (S) 6.00 ITV News London; Weather (S) 6.30 News (S)

7.30 Celebrity Lingo Judy Murray and Mark Pougatch take on Helen Skelton and Rav Wilding (R) (S)

8.00 Emmerdale Dawn has a big decision to make (AD) (S)

8.30 Coronation Street Bethany spots blood on Kit's shirt (AD) (S)

9.00 Professor T Jasper probes a murder at a retirement home (AD) (S)

10.00 News (S)

10.30 ITV News London; Weather (S) 10.45 FILM: Spectre (2015) James Bond thriller starring Daniel Craig (AD) (S)

1.10 am Shop on TV 3.00 Love & Death 4.00 Inside the Langham: Britain's First Grand Hotel 4.20 Unwind with ITV 5.35 - 6.00am Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy

Fischer

HEATING & HOT WATER. MADE BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLE.

Modern electric heating for a home that works around you.

ONE DAY INSTALLATION

Minimal disruption to your home.

PRECISION TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Heat only what you need when you need it

COMPATIBLE WITH RENEWABLES Pair with solar or time-of-use tariffs

REQUEST YOUR FREE CATALOGUE

KEEP YOUR EXISTING RADIATORS

COMPACT & QUIET Modern, space-saving design

No need to replace your whole heating system

0800 103 2716 fischerfutureheat.com

SCAN ME

British Owned

Address the envelope to: FREEPOST FISCHER FUTURE HEAT (No stamp or address required)

We like to listen to our customers - for this reason the Bastian Plc Group of companies may contact you about exciting new products we are developing and offers or deals which may be of interest to you so that you don't miss out. To learn more about the Bastian Plc Group of companies and how we look after your data please see our updated privacy policy as www.fischerfuture-heat.com/privacy-cookie-policy/

*Fischer is a trading style of Fischer Future Heat UK Limited. Fischer Future Heat UK Limited T/A Fischer (5 Merchant Square, London, W2 1AY) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRM 732544. We act as a credit broker not a lender and offer finance from a panel of lenders. Registered in England and Wales.1 All boilers supplied benefit from 10 year warranty (excluding timers and controls for which the warranty period is 2 years) labour excluded.

Telegraph·PODCAST

The Travel Expert

Radio choice

Illuminated: Lab-Grown Life

Radio 4, 3.30pm

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, genetically-modified crops and foodstuffs were widely

6.58am Newsbeat 7.00 Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James 11.00 Rickie, Melvin and Charlie 12.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 Matt and Jerry 3.30 Newsbeat 3.33 Going Home with Vick, Katie and Jamie on Radio 1 5.45 Newsbeat 6.00 Radio 1's New Music Show with Jack Saunders 8.00 Radio 1's Future Pop with Maia Beth 10.00 Radio 1's Power Down Playlist with Sian Eleri 11.00 Benji B 1.00am Radio 1 Dance Presents Hideout Festival 2026 2.00 Radio 1 Anthems 4.00 Radio 1 Pop Anthems 5.00 - 6.58am Radio 1 Early Breakfast with Dean McCullough

RADIO 2

6.30am The Radio 2 Breakfast Show 9.30 Mark Goodier 12.00 Tina Daheley. Sitting in for Jeremy Vine 2.00pm DJ Spoony. Sitting in for Trevor Nelson 4.00 Jason Manford. Jason presents drivetime laughs, news, views and music 7.00 Jo Whiley's Shiny Happy Playlist. Jo plays her favourite album tracks and musical gems rarely heard on Radio 2 7.30 Jo Whiley. Including a session by Westside Cowboy 9.00 The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe. Traditional and contemporary folk and acoustic music 10.00 The Good Groove with Melvin Odoom. Sitting in for Spoony 12.00 OJ Borg 3.00am Alternative Sounds of the 90s with Dermot O'Leary 4.00 - 6.30am Owain Wyn Evans

RADIO 3 FM 90.2-92.4MHZ

6.30am Breakfast 9.30 Essential Classics 1.00pm Classical Live 3.00 Choral Evensong 4.00 Composer of the Week: Sally Beamish 5.00 In Tune 7.00 BBC Proms 2026. The Met Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin performs an all-Strauss programme regarded as the next best thing to the devil. But over the intervening decades, food science has been quietly marching on and now the field of “synthetic biology” is booming again.

9.30 Classical Mixtape. A sequence of music 10.00 Night Tracks. Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents a soundtrack for late-night listening 11.30 'Round Midnight 12.30 - 6.30am Through the Night

RADIO 4

FM 92.4-94.6MHZ; LW 198KHZ

6.00am Today 9.00 Sideways 9.30 Breakin' the Cycle 10.00 Woman's Hour 11.00 The Coroners Question 11.40 This Week in History 11.45 Book of the Week: All the Beauty in the World 12.00 News 12.04pm You and Yours. Consumer affairs with Winifred Robinson 12.57 Weather 1.00 The World at One. Presented by Sarah Montague 1.45 Human Intelligence. A profile of Italian Renaissance cultural and political figure Isabella d'Este 2.00 The Archers. Fallon puts her foot in it 2.15 Drama: Broken Colours. By Matthew Broughton 3.00 Ringing the Bullring. The bellringers of Birmingham take part in a 2026 contest in York 3.30 Lab-Grown Life. Caroline Steel explores the science of synthetic biology 4.00 NatureBang. Becky Ripley and Emily Knight learn about great tit culture 4.15 The Media Show. The latest news from the fast-changing media world 5.00 PM. Presented by Evan Davis 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O'Clock News 6.30 Best Medicine. A look at seaweed underwear, bubbles and saunas 7.00 The Archers. It's an emotional day for Robert 7.15 Front Row. Arts programme 8.00 The Moral Maze 9.00 Invisible Hands 9.30 Michael Sheen Gets into Character 9.59 Weather 10.00 The World Tonight 10.45 Book at Bedtime: Mr Sidhu's Post Office 11.00 Nora Meadows' Week of Wellness 11.15 Follow the Rabbit 11.30 Everything Is Fake and Nobody Cares 12.00 News and Weather 12.30am Book of the Week: All the Beauty in the World 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 As World Service 5.00 News Summary 5.04

In this report, science correspondent Caroline Steel examines the huge potential these technologies have for making crops more resilient to disease and climate change. Meanwhile,

Sideways 5.32 Weather 5.34 Shipping Forecast 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 - 6.00am Farming Today

RADIO 5 LIVE MW 693 & 909KHZ

6.00am 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 8.00 Football. Preston North End v Everton (kick-off 8.00pm) 10.30 Laura McGhie 1.00am Dotun Adebayo 5.00 - 6.00am Wake Up to Money

don't miss Writing Funny (Wednesdays, all major platforms) for this essential podcast for anyone serious about writing successful comedy.

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 7.00 Relaxing Evenings with Zeb Soanes. Zeb hosts an evening of the most relaxing music 10.00 Calm Classics 1.00am Bill Overton 4.00 - 6.30am Early Breakfast

WORLD SERVICE DIGITAL ONLY

CLASSIC FM FM 99.9-101.9MHZ

8.00am News 8.06 The Interview
8.30 Business Daily 8.50 Witness
History 9.00 The Newsroom 9.30 The Climate Question 10.00 News 10.06 The Documentary 10.30 The Documentary 11.00 The Newsroom
11.30 The Global Story 12.00 News
12.06pm Outlook 12.50 Witness
History 1.00 The Newsroom 1.30 The Documentary: How Did We Get Here: Israel and the Palestinians 2.00 Newshour 3.00 News 3.06 The Interview 3.30 Business Daily 3.50 World Business Express 4.00 BBC OS 6.00 News 6.06 Outlook 6.50 Witness History 7.00 The Newsroom 7.30 Sport Today 8.00 News 8.06 The Climate Question 8.30 Health Check 9.00 Newshour 10.00 News

Gerard O'Donovan

10.06 The Interview 10.30 The Documentary: How Did We Get Here: Israel and the Palestinians 11.00 The Newsroom 11.30 World Business Report 12.00 News 12.06am The Documentary 12.30 The Documentary 1.00 The Newsroom 1.30 The Global Story 2.00 The Newsroom 2.30 The Documentary: LA: Rising from the Ashes 3.00 News 3.06 Outlook 3.50 Witness History 4.00 The Newsroom 4.30 The Food Chain 5.00 - 8.00am Newsday

RADIO 4 EXTRA DIGITAL ONLY

6.00am Five Red Herrings 6.30 Kill the Pharaoh! 7.00 Men of Intelligence 7.30 Hancock's Half Hour 8.00 You Heard It Here First 8.30 Underland 8.45 Breathing Underwater 9.00 Best Medicine 9.30 Human Hosts 9.45 Daily Service 10.00 Generation Games 11.00 Five Red Herrings 11.30 Kill the Pharaoh! 12.00 Men of Intelligence 12.30pm Hancock's Half Hour 1.00 You Heard It Here First 1.30 Underland 1.45 Breathing Underwater 2.00 The Ultimate Choice 2.30 Getting Nowhere Fast 3.00 Word from Cupid 3.45 Summer Picnic 4.00 Generation Games 5.00 Five Red Herrings 5.30 Kill the Pharaoh! 6.00 Men of Intelligence 6.30 Hancock's Half Hour 7.00 You Heard It Here First 7.30 Underland 7.45 Breathing Underwater 8.00 The Ultimate Choice 8.30 Getting Nowhere Fast 9.00 Word from Cupid 9.45 Summer Picnic 10.00 Best Medicine 10.30 Delve Special 10.55 The Comedy Club Interview 11.00 Welcome to Wherever You Are 11.30 Drop the Dead Panda 12.00 Generation Games 1.00am Five Red Herrings 1.30 Kill the Pharaoh! 2.00 Men of Intelligence 2.30 Hancock's Half Hour 3.00 You Heard It Here First 3.30 Underland 3.45 Breathing Underwater 4.00 The Ultimate Choice 4.30 Getting Nowhere Fast 5.00 Word from Cupid 5.45 - 6.00am Summer Picnic

Channel 4

6.30 am The King of Queens (AD) (R) (S) 6.55 The King of Queens (AD) (R) (S) 7.20 The King of Queens (AD) (R) (S) 7.45 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 8.10 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 8.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (AD) (R) (S) 9.10 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 9.40 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 10.10 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 10.40 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 11.10 Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (AD) (R) (S)

12.05 pm Channel 4 News (S) 12.10 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (AD) (R) (S) 1.10 The Great House Giveaway (R) (S) 2.10 Countdown (S) 3.00 A Place in the Sun (R) (S) 4.00 The Great B&B Challenge (R) (S) 5.00 Chateau DIY (AD) (R) (S) 6.00 American Pickers (R) (S)

FV Freeview FS Freesat (AD) Audio description (R) Repeat (S) Subtitles (SL) In-vision signing

The Never Ending Murder

7.00 Channel 4 News (S)

8.00 Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It: Brilliant Builds New series. Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer interrogate the cardinal sin of wasted space (AD) (S)

9.00 The Murder Detective New series. The investigation into the murder of Lyra McKee (AD) (S)

Channel 5

6.00 am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine (S) 11.30 Storm & Alexis (S) 12.45 pm 5 News at Lunchtime (S) 12.50 Matt Allwright (S) 2.20 FILM: Murder for Mortgage: Secrets on Maple Street (2024, TVM) Thriller starring Frances Leigh (S) 4.00 Castle (R) (S) 4.55 Love Nature (R) (S) 5.00 5 News with Dan Walker (S) 6.00 Motorhoming with Merton & Webster (R) (S) 6.55 5 News Update (S)

Call the Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up

7.00 Cycling: Vuelta a España 2026 Action from stage five (S)

7.55 5 News Update (S)

8.00 Call the Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up New series. Agents attempt to recover a debt owed by an estate agent to a former client (AD) (S)

9.00 The Great Wall of China with Dan Snow Dan Snow heads to China to find out more about the country's iconic landmark (S)

10.30 A&E: Crash Scene Emergency Two sisters are critically injured when their car flips over (R) (S)

11.30 Ambulance: Code Red 12.30am Cops 12.55 Entertainment News on 5 1.00 Cruise TV with LoveitBookit 2.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2.50 Castle 3.40 Friends 4.10 Friends 4.35 Amazing Railway Adventures with Nick Knowles 5.25 Entertainment News on 5 5.35 Paw Patrol 5.45 - 6.00am Mixmups

Sky Arts

FV 36 FS 143 SKY 822 VIRGIN 123

6.00 am Jonas Kaufman at Arena di Verona (S) 8.00 Artist of the Year: Masterclass (AD) (S) 8.30 Artist of the Year: Masterclass (AD) (S) 9.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 9.30 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 10.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (S) 10.30 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (S) 11.00 Discovering: Laurence Harvey (S)

12.00 The Art of Film with Ian Nathan (AD) (S)

1.00 pm Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S)

1.30 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 2.00 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (S) 3.00 The Nineties (S)

4.00 Discovering: Donald Sutherland (S) 5.00 Portrait Artist of the Year: 2023 (AD) (S)

6.00 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S) 6.30 Tales of the Unexpected (AD) (S)

Discovering: Gene Wilder

7.00 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Two men trying to save a woman from an impending disaster (S)

7.30 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (S)

8.00 Discovering: Gene Wilder A profile of the actor (S)

9.00 Battle of the Irish Dancers Preparations for the Irish Dancing Championships in Dublin. Last in the series (S)

10.00 The Eighties Technological innovations made during the decade. Last in the series (AD) (S)

11.00 Accelerate or Die! 12.20am Blind Eye Artist 2.00 Matisse: The Last Masterpiece 3.10 Stories from Tate Britain 4.05 A Play in a Day 5.05 - 6.00am The Art of Film with Ian Nathan

U&Drama

FV 20 FS 158 SKY 143 VIRGIN 116

6.00 am Teleshopping 7.15 The Bill (S) 8.10 Doctors (S) 8.45 Doctors (S) 9.20 Classic Holby City (S) 10.40 Casualty (AD) (S) 11.40 The Bill (S) 12.40 pm Classic EastEnders (S) 1.20 Classic EastEnders (S) 2.00 Classic Neighbours (S) 2.35 Classic Neighbours (S) 3.05 Whitstable Pearl (AD) (S) 4.10 Kingdom (S) 5.15 As Time Goes By (S) 6.00 Last of the Summer Wine (S) 6.40 Last of the Summer Wine (S)

The Chelsea Detective

7.20 Last of the Summer Wine Clegg becomes a go-between (S)

8.00 The Chelsea Detective Part one of two. Drama starring Adrian Scarborough (AD) (S)

9.00 The Chelsea Detective Part two of two. The investigation into the bodies on the allotment heats up (AD) (S)

10.05 New Tricks The team reopens a murder case from 17 years previously (AD) (S)

11.25 Luther 12.40am Lovejoy 1.50 Sister Boniface Mysteries 2.50 The Chelsea Detective 4.00 - 6.00am Teleshopping

Talking Pictures TV

6.00 am FILM: Once In a New Moon (1935, b/w) (S) 7.15 FILM: Inner Sanctum (1948, b/w) (S) 8.30 FILM: Autobiography of a Princess (1975) Drama starring Madhur Jaffrey (S) 9.45 FILM: Carry On Admiral (1957, b/w) Comedy starring David Tomlinson (S) 11.25 FILM: Blind Corner (1964, b/w) Crime drama starring William Sylvester (S) 1.00 am The Buseepers (S).

1.30 Film: The Baccaneers (S) 1.30 FILM: Doctor in Trouble (1970) Comedy starring Leslie Phillips (S) 3.15 Look at Life

3.15 Look at Life

3.30 Dial 999 (S)

4.00 That's My Boy (S)
4.35 FILM: The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950, b/w) Comedy starring Alastair Sim (S)

6.15 The Last Day of Trolley Bus 666 Edgware

6.30 Give Us a Clue (S)

Van der Valk
Memento

7.00 Out of Town Jack Hargreaves encounters a dancing horse (S)

7.30 Scotland Yard A murder victim's body is sent to Japan in a trunk

8.05 Van der Valk A phone call leads to a murder confession (S)

9.05 FILM: The Deadly Affair (1967) A secret service agent investigates a British Foreign Office official suspected of being a communist. Espionage drama starring James Mason and Simone Signoret (S)

11.15 FILM: Hands of a Stranger (1962, TVM) Thriller starring James Stapleton 12.55am FILM: I Am a Camera (1955, b/w) Fact-based drama starring Julie Harris 2.55 FILM: Fighting Mad (1957, b/w) Drama starring Joe Robinson 4.00 Stagecoach West 5.00 - 6.00am The Man from UNCLE

Film4

FV 14 FS 300 SKY 855 VIRGIN 428 11.00 am FILM: Patrick (2018) Comedy starring Beattie Edmondson (S) 12.50 pm American Gangster Special 1.00 FILM: Ride Lonesome (1959) Western starring Randolph Scott (S) 2.30 FILM: Send Me No Flowers (1964) Romantic comedy starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day (S) 4.35 FILM: Harvey (1950, b/w) Comedy starring James Stewart (S)

6.45 FILM: Entrapment (1999) An elusive art thief is pursued by an insurance agent, who teams up with him to plot the robbery of a lifetime. Crime thriller starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones (AD) (S)

9.00 FILM: The G (2023) A mysterious woman seeks revenge on the corrupt legal guardian who destroyed her life. Crime thriller starring Dale Dickey (S)

11.10 FILM: Memento (2000) Thriller starring Guy Pearce 1.25 - 3.15am FILM: The Day Shall Come (2019) Crime comedy starring Andrel McPherson

Find out what the biggest travel stories mean for your next trip, with Simon Calder

Watch or listen every Friday

FV Freeview FS Freesat (AD) Audio description (R) Repeat (S) Subtitles (SL) In-vision signing

More channels

BBC Four

FV 9 FS 173 SKY 116 VIRGIN 108 7.00 pm Villages by the Sea 7.30 Canal Boat Diaries 8.00 Rome: A History of the Eternal City 9.00 Mary Beard's Ultimate Rome: Empire Without Limit. The scholar examines how and why the Roman Empire fell. Last in the series 10.00 I, Claudius 10.55 I, Claudius 11.50 The Australian Wars 12.50 am Canal Boat Diaries 1.20 Rome: A History of the Eternal City 2.20 Mary Beard's Ultimate Rome: Empire Without Limit 3.20 - 3.50am Villages by the Sea

U&Dave

11.20am Yukon Gold 12.20pm Top Gear 2.20 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 3.00 Guy's Garage 4.00 Hairy Bikers' Best of British 5.00 Rick Stein's India 7.00 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 7.40 Would I Lie to You? 9.00 QI XL 10.00 Have I Got a Bit More News for You 11.00 Taskmaster 12.00 Mock the Week 12.40am Would I Lie to You? 2.00 QI XL 3.00 Richard Osman's House of Games 3.30-4.00am Parks and Recreation

ITV2

11.10am Charmed 12.10pm Deal or No Deal 1.10 Celebrity Supermarket Sweep 2.10 Wheel of Fortune 3.10 The Only Way Is Essex 4.10 The Real Housewives of Potomac 5.00 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills 6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase 7.00 Wheel of Fortune 8.00 The $1\%$ Club Rollover 9.00 Family Guy 11.35 American Dad! 12.35am Bob's Burgers 1.30 G'wed 2.00 Transaction 2.25 Unwind with ITV 3.00-6.00am Teleshopping

Challenge

11.00am Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 12.15pm Lily Savage's Blankety Blank 1.00 Classic Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 2.00 Bridge of Lies 3.00

ITV3

FV 10 FS 115 SKY 119 VIRGIN 117

11.30 am Heartbeat 12.35 pm Heartbeat 1.35 Midsomer Murders 3.35 Classic Emmerdale 4.05 Classic Emmerdale 4.40 Classic Coronation Street 5.15 Classic Coronation Street 5.50 Heartbeat 6.55 Heartbeat 8.00 Midsomer Murders 10.00 Lewis. The detective comes out of retirement to assist on a murder case 11.50 Inspector Morse 2.00 am George and Mildred 2.30 - 6.00am Teleshopping

The Chase 4.00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 5.15 All Star Family Fortunes 6.00 Tenable 7.00 The Chase Celebrity Special 8.00 The Chase 10.00 The Celebrity Chase 11.00 Bullseye 12.00 Bridge of Lies 1.00am The Chase 2.00 The Chase Celebrity Special 3.00-4.00am The Chase

Quest

Noon Outback Opal Hunters 1.00pm
The Repair Shop 2.00 Shed and Buried
3.00 Shed and Buried: Classic Cars
4.00 Find It, Fix It, Flog It 5.00 The Yorkshire Auction House 7.00
Antiques Road Trip 8.00 The Yorkshire Auction House 10.00 The Repair Shop 11.00 How Do They Do It? 1.00am
Salvage Hunters 3.00-4.00am
Salvage Hunters: The Restorers

Discovery

Noon Building Off the Grid 1.00pm Dr Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet 3.00 How It's Made 5.00 Alaska: Homestead Rescue 7.00 Wheeler Dealers 10.00 Mighty Truckers. Being a truck driver isn't easy: long hours, huge loads and busy roads are just some of the issues they face. Truckers share their journeys 11.00 Expedition X. Heather and Phil head to Bangor, ME, where landmarks tied to Stephen King's IT hide terrifying ghost stories that locals

ITV4

FV 26 FS 117 SKY 120 VIRGIN 118

12.25 pm Magnum, PI 1.30 Magnum, PI 2.35 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes 3.45 Boon 4.50 The Professionals 5.55 Minder 7.00 Target Sports Stars Fishing Championship 9.00 River Monsters 9.30 FILM: Universal Soldier (1992) Sci-fi thriller 11.35 Ligue 1 Highlights 12.05 am EFL Carabao Cup Highlights 1.20 Benidorm 2.10 Auto Mundial 2.40 Unwind with ITV 3.00 - 6.00am Teleshopping

claim are frighteningly real 12.00 Deadliest Catch 1.00am Wheeler Dealers 2.00 Mighty Truckers 3.00-4.00am Gold Divers

PBS America

Noon Bronze Age Apocalypse 1.00pm Weathered: Earth's Extremes 1.50 The World After Stonehenge 2.55 The Normans 4.15 Bronze Age Apocalypse 6.20 The World After Stonehenge 7.30 The Normans 8.45 Bronze Age Apocalypse 10.50 Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland 12.00 The Normans 1.15am Weathered: Earth's Extremes 2.00-6.00am Teleshopping

Sky History

Noon Beyond Skinwalker Ranch 1.00pm Curse of Skinwalker Ranch 2.00 Storage Hunters 6.00 American Pickers 7.00 Forged in Fire 8.00 Weird Britain: UFO Special 9.00 Curse of Skinwalker Ranch 10.00 Airport Security: USA 12.00 Storage Hunters 1.50am Weird Britain: UFO Special 2.50 Curse of Skinwalker Ranch 3.40-4.25am Pawn Stars

Sky Documentaries

Noon Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple
2.50pm Young Guns: The New Tennis Titans 4.00 The Directors 5.00 Discovering: John Travolta 6.00

More4

FV 18 FS 124 SKY 136 VIRGIN 147

11.35 am Four in a Bed
12.40 pm Come Dine with Me
3.20 Four in a Bed
3.50 Four in a Bed
4.20 Four in a Bed
4.50 Four in a Bed
5.20 Four in a Bed
5.50 Car S.O.S
6.50 Car S.O.S
7.55 Grand Designs
9.00 The Roman Empire by Train with Alice Roberts
10.00 24 Hours in A&E
11.05 24 Hours in A&E
12.10 am 999: On the Front Line
1.15 24 Hours in A&E
2.20 24 Hours in A&E
3.25 - 3.55am The Perfect Pitch

Chimp Crazy 7.00 Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God 8.00 Costa Concordia: Chronicle of a Disaster 10.00 Rainbow Warrior 12.00 The Salisbury Poisonings: A Spy Next Door 1.40-4.40am Scouting for Girls: Fashion's Darkest Secret

Sky One

Noon Africa's Hunters 1.00pm Hawaii Five-0 3.00 S.W.A.T. 5.00 The Simpsons 6.00 Rob & Romesh vs Ballet 7.00 The Simpsons 8.00 Surviving Earth 9.00 FILM: The Expendables (2010) A mercenary team is double-crossed while on a mission to kill a South American dictator. Action thriller directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. With Jason Statham and Jet Li 11.00 Grimm 12.00 Evil 1.00am The Force: North- East 2.00 Road Wars 3.00-4.00am Hawaii Five-0

Great! Mystery

Noon Unforgettable 1.00pm In Plain Sight 2.00 Castle 3.00 Diagnosis Murder 5.00 Murder, She Wrote 7.00 Castle 8.00 Unforgettable 9.00 In Plain Sight 10.45 Castle 11.45 FILM: Garage Sale Mysteries: All That Glitters (2014) Mystery starring Lori Loughlin 12.41am Good News on GREAT! 12.46 FILM: Garage Sale Mysteries: All That Glitters (2014)

U&Gold

SKY 110 VIRGIN 124

1.00 pm Keeping Up Appearances
1.40 Dad's Army
2.20 The Green Green Grass
3.00 Are You Being Served?
3.40 Ever Decreasing Circles
4.20 Dad's Army
5.00 Last of the Summer Wine
6.20 Keeping Up Appearances
7.00 Porridge
7.40 Dad's Army
8.20 Are You Being Served?
9.00 Fawlty Towers
9.45 The Office
10.25 Not Going Out
11.00 Mrs Brown's Boys
11.45 Fawlty Towers
12.30 am The Office
1.10 Not Going Out
1.50 - 2.25am Mrs Brown's Boys

Mystery starring Lori Loughlin 1.40 Good News on GREAT! Extra 1.50 FILM: Famous and Fatal (2019) Thriller starring Sarah Roemer 3.20- 4.50am FILM: What the Nanny Saw (2022) Thriller starring Revell Carpenter

Sky Cinema Premiere

11.50am Five Nights At Freddy's 2 (2025) Horror sequel starring Josh Hutcherson 1.45pm Hamnet (2025) Period drama starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley 4.00 Song Sung Blue (2025) Drama starring Hugh Jackman 6.15 Seven Snipers (2026) Thriller starring Radha Mitchell 8.00 Normal (2026) A temporary small-town law enforcer uncovers dark mysteries after a local bank robbery. Action comedy starring Bob Odenkirk 9.45 Five Nights At Freddy's 2 (2025) Horror sequel starring Josh Hutcherson 11.35 Heretic (2024) Horror starring Hugh Grant 1.30am Seven Snipers (2026) Thriller starring Radha Mitchell 3.05-4.45am Signal One (2026) Sci-fi thriller starring Isabelle Fuhrman

Sky Sports Main Event

Noon Transfer Talk 1.00pm Lunchtime Live 2.00 Sports Desk 4.00 Live US Open Tennis. Coverage of day three of the qualifying event for the Grand Slam 7.00 Live

U&Yesterday

FV 27 FS 159 SKY 155 VIRGIN 129

FV 27 PS 135 SKY 135 VIRGIN 129 Noon Antiques Roadshow 1.00 pm Antiques Roadshow 2.00 Bangers & Cash 3.00 Bangers & Cash 4.00 Secret Nazi Bases 5.00 The World at War 6.00 Antiques Roadshow 7.00 The Blue Planet 8.00 Michael Palin: Travels of a Lifetime 9.00 Explore 10.00 Bangers & Cash 11.00 Bangers & Cash 12.00 Bangers & Cash 1.00 am Find It, Fix It, Flog It 2.00 Abandoned Engineering 3.00 - 6.10am Teleshopping

EFL Cup. Preston North End v Everton (kick-off 8.00pm) 10.45 Live Tennis. Coverage from the WTA and/or ATP Tours 12.00-4.00am Live US Open Tennis. Coverage of the semi-finals and final of the mixed doubles competition

TNT Sports 1

Sky Atlantic

11.25 am House of the Dragon 12.40 pm Homicide: Life on the Street

Noon Transfer Talk 1.00pm Premier League Review 2.00 Premier League Years 4.00 Premier League Review 5.00 The Premier League Show 7.00 The Transfer Show 8.00 Premier League Stories 8.30 Netbusters 9.00 Premier League Review 10.00 Premier League Stories 10.30 Netbusters 11.00 Premier League Years 1.00am PL Retro 3.00-4.00am PL Greatest Games

Sky Sports Premier League

SKY 108

1.35 Homicide: Life on the Street 2.30 Billions 3.35 Billions

6.45 House of the Dragon
7.50 House of the Dragon
9.00 The Terror: Devil in Silver
10.05 The Terror: Devil in Silver
11.05 Station Eleven
12.05 am Station Eleven
1.10 Possession
2.00 Fightland
3.05 - 4.05am Fightland

1.30pm Live: La Vuelta Men. Coverage of stage five of the Grand Tour race 5.00 MLB Highlights 6.00 TNT Sports Reload 6.30 Serie A – Full Impact 7.00 Groundbreaking 7.15 The Breakdown 7.55 Live Uefa Champions League. Lyon v Fenerbahce (kick-off 8.00pm) 10.00 Discovery Golf 10.30 Test Cricket Highlights 11.30 Live: CPL. Trinbago Knight Riders v Saint Lucia Kings 3.45-4.15am Premier League Netbusters

BBC News

Noon BBC News Now 2.00pm BBC News Now 2.30 Business Today 2.45 BBC News Now 3.00 Verified Live 4.30 Business Today 4.45 Verified Live 5.30 BBC News 6.30 The World Today 8.00 The Context USA 9.00 The Context 10.00 BBC News at Ten 10.30 Newsnight 11.00 BBC World News America 12.00 BBC News 12.30am Newscast 1.00 BBC News 1.30 Is the World More Flammable? 2.00 Newsday 2.30 Business Today 2.45 BBC Sport 3.00 Newsday 3.30 Business Today 3.45-4.00am BBC Sport

GB News

Noon Good Afternoon Britain
3.00pm Martin Daubney 6.00
Dewbs & Co 7.00 GBN Tonight 8.00
Jacob Rees-Mogg's State Of The Nation 9.00 Patrick Christys Tonight
11.00 Patrick Christys Tonight Late Edition 12.00 The Late Show Live
3.00-5.00am Patrick Christys Tonight Replay

Sky News

Noon Sky News Today 5.00pm The News Hour with Mark Austin 7.00 Sky News 9.00 Firing Point 10.00 The Wrap with Anna Botting 12.00-6.00am Sky News

YouTube

Telegraph app

Spotify

Podcasts

Variations

Northern Ireland

BBC One: 10.40pm The Big Deal with Steph McGovern 11.40 MOTD: Uefa Champions League 12.25am FILM: The Shallows (2016) 1.45 - 6.00am BBC News BBC Two: No variations UTV: No variations

Scotland

BBC One: 11.30pm Scotcast 12.00 FILM: The Shallows (2016) 1.25 - 6.00am BBC News

BBC Scotland: 7.00pm Reporting Scotland: News at Seven 7.30 Scotland's Home of the Year 2023 8.00 Island Crossings 9.00 Dolly: The Sheep That Changed the World 10.00 River City 10.30 Icons of Football 11.00 Scotcast 11.30 The Trials That Shocked Scotland midnight Close

STV: 11.05pm Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace – What Happened Next 12.00 - 3.00am Shop on TV 4.20 - 5.35am Unwind with STV

Wales

No variations

ITVI Regions

No variations

S4C

6.00am Cyw 11.00 Camau Bach 11.00 Abadas 11.15 Cywion Bach 11.20 Caru Canu a Stori 11.30 Octonots 11.45 Jen a Jim a'r Cywiadur 12.00 Newyddion S4C a'r Tywydd 12.05pm Cartrefi Cymru 12.30 Heno 1.00 Lowri Morgan: Her 333 1.30 Garddio a Mwy 2.00 Newyddion S4C a'r Tywydd 2.05 Prynhawn Da 3.00 Newyddion S4C a'r Tywydd 3.05 Siwrna Scandi Chris 4.00 Awr Fawr: Howie 4.05 Awr Fawr: Dreigiau Cadi 4.20 Awr Fawr: Pentre Papur Pop 4.30 Awr Fawr: Ein Byd Bach Ni 4.40 Awr Fawr: Waw! 5.00 Stwnsh 6.00 Dan Do 6.30 Adeiladu'r Freuddwyd: Camp Out West 7.00 Heno 7.30 Newyddion S4C a'r Tywydd 8.00 Pobol y Cwm 8.25 Cartrefi Cymru 8.55 Newyddion S4C a'r Tywydd 9.00 Priodas Pum Mil 10.00 Y Deis 10.30 - 11.35pm Ty Fft

Forecast

General situation

Cloud and brighter periods across the United Kingdom today with showers, some thundery, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Isolated showers in Scotland later in the day.

London, Cent S England, Channel Is, SW England, E England, SE England, E Anglia, Midlands: Broken cloud today with showers, some thundery. Max 68-78F (20-26C). A light to gentle SE wind. Mostly cloudy tonight with showery spells, some thundery. Min 55-66F (13-19C).

- NW England, Lake Dist, IoM, Cent N England, NE England: Mostly cloudy today with showers, some thundery. Max 58-75F (15-24C). A light to gentle E wind. Broken cloud tonight. Min 52-60F (11-16C). - Wales: Showery spells, some thundery, today and

N Ireland:

tonight. Max 62-78F (17-26C). A light E to SE wind. Min 52-62F (11-17C).

N Ireland. Showers today. Max 55-70F (13-21C). A light E to SE wind. The odd shower tonight. Min 52-58F (11-15C). SW Scotland, NW Scotland, Glasgow, Cent Highlands, Argyll, W Isles, SE Scotland, NE Scotland, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Moray Firth, Orkney, Shetland;

Broken cloud with a few showers later today and tonight. Max 55-73F (13-23C). A gentle E wind. Min 45-58F (7-15C).

MAKE THE WORLD YOUR OWN

Expert opinion, trusted reviews and travel planning advice ♦ telegraph.co.uk/travel

British readings Last night's report for 24 hours to 6pm - *estimated readings

The Telegraph •TRAVEL

	Sun hrs	Rain in	Max/Min °C	Daytime weather
Aberdeen	0.5"	0.04	18" 7"	showers
Aberystwyth	6.6"	0.02	23" 13"	showers
Antrim	1.0"	0.02	21" 12"	cloudy
Aviemore	8.0"	0.00	17" 8"	p/cloudy
Barnstaple	2.0"	0.01	23" 15"	showers
Barrow-in-Furns.	3.2"	0.00	22" 13"	cloudy
Basingstoke	8.5"	0.00	26" 14"	p/cloudy
Bedford	8.6"	0.00	25" 13"	p/cloudy
Belfast	8.3"	0.00	21" 15"	p/cloudy
Berwick	2.7"	0.01	19" 12"	showers
Birmingham	8.6"	0.00	25" 13"	p/cloudy
Bodmin	0.2"	0.21	19" 16"	showers
Bournemouth	7.9"	0.00	25" 16"	p/cloudy
Braintree	10.0"	0.00	24" 14"	p/cloudy
Brecon	4.0"	0.19	22" 13"	showers
Bridlington	6.7"	0.00	20" 14"	p/cloudy
Brighton	9.2"	0.00	25" 16"	p/cloudy
Bristol	3.2"	0.00	25" 14"	cloudy
Camborne	0.1"	0.07	19" 16"	showers
Cardiff	10.8"	0.00	23" 15"	p/cloudy
Carlisle	5.1"	0.00	20" 12"	cloudy
Catterick	2.1"	0.00	21" 10"	cloudy
Cheltenham	6.6"	0.00	27" 14"	p/cloudy

	Sun hrs	Rain in	Max/Min °C	Daytime weather
Chester	4.2"	0.00	23" 13"	cloudy
Coventry	6.8"	0.00	24" 14"	p/cloudy
Doncaster	6.7"	0.00	22" 14"	p/cloudy
Dover	9.1"	0.00	22" 16"	p/cloudy
Dundee	1.6"	0.01	19" 11"	showers
Eastbourne	9.3"	0.00	24" 16"	p/cloudy
Edinburgh	3.5"	0.00	21" 7"	cloudy
Epsom	9.1"	0.00	24" 14"	p/cloudy
Falmouth	0.2"	0.05	19" 16"	showers
Farnborough	7.5"	0.00	26" 14"	p/cloudy
Fort William	5.7"	0.00	19" 7"	cloudy
Glasgow	6.6"	0.04	22" 10"	showers
Great Malvern	5.9"	0.00	26" 14"	cloudy
Grimsby	8.2"	0.00	20" 16"	p/cloudy
Guernsey	9.0"	0.03	24" 18"	p/cloudy
Hereford	4.2"	0.00	25" 14"	cloudy
High Wycombe	7.3"	0.00	25" 14"	p/cloudy
Holyhead	2.3"	0.00	21" 14"	cloudy
Huddersfield	3.8"	0.00	19" 12"	cloudy
Ipswich	10.0"	0.00	23" 13"	p/cloudy
Isle of Man	8.3"	0.00	20" 16"	windy
Isle of Skye	7.6"	0.00	18" 9"	p/cloudy
Isle of Wight	6.0"	0.00	25" 16"	windy

	Sun hrs	Rain in	Max/Min °C	Daytime weather
Isles of Scilly	5.5"	0.00	26"	15" cloudy
Jersey	10.5"	0.00	26"	18" p/cloudy
Keswick	4.6"	0.00	19"	12" cloudy
Kew Gardens	9.0"	0.00	24"	15" p/cloudy
King's Lynn	8.6"	0.00	22"	15" windy
Leeds	4.8"	0.00	21"	12" cloudy
Leek	3.6"	0.00	22"	13" cloudy
Leominster	4.9"	0.00	24"	14" cloudy
Lincoln	8.0"	0.00	25"	15" p/cloudy
Liverpool	4.1"	0.00	22"	13" cloudy
London	8.8"	0.00	25"	15" p/cloudy
Manchester	6.9"	0.00	22"	13" p/cloudy
Middlesbrough	5.0"	0.00	20"	11" cloudy
Newcastle	2.9"	0.02	20"	10" cloudy
Newquay	0.3"	0.04	21"	17" showers
Nottingham	7.5"	0.00	23"	13" windy
Orkney	9.2"	0.00	16"	12" p/cloudy
Oxford	7.7"	0.00	26"	14" p/cloudy
Perth	4.0"	0.05	19"	10" showers
Peterborough	7.4"	0.00	24"	13" windy
Plymouth	0.1"	0.19	21"	17" showers
Portsmouth*	7.3"	0.00"	26"	16" windy
Prestwick	9.2"	0.00	21"	10" p/cloudy

Four day forecast

Atlantic front

Sun & moon (Greenwich)
Noon today: Low pressure will bring showers and thunderstorms to Portugal, Spain, France, the U.K. and Ireland. Dry in northeast Europe.

High water

Sun rises	0605
Sun sets	2001
Moon rises	1931
Moon sets	0343
Full moon	Aug 28

Warmest	Benson 27C (81F)
Coldest	Cairngorm Summit 4C (39F)
Wettest	Leuchars 0.26 in.
Sunniest	Tiree 12.1 hr.

Lighting up

Aberdeen	2022 to 0600
Belfast	2031 to 0623
Birmingham	2009 to 0610
London	2001 to 0606
Manchester	2013 to 0610
Penzance	2019 to 0629

Aberdeen	0003	3.8m	1239	3.8m
Belfast	1014	3.1m	2224	3.3m
Cardiff	0543	10.6m	1804	11.3m
Dover	1004	6.1m	2222	6.1m
Falmouth	0407	4.5m	1620	4.9m
Harwich	1039	3.7m	2307	3.8m
Holyhead	0930	4.9m	2133	5.3m
Hull	0452	6.7m	1733	6.5m
Liverpool	1012	8.3m	2219	8.8m
London	0030	6.3m	1250	6.4m
Portsmouth	1033	4.3m	2238	4.3m
Southampton	0932	4.1m	1539	1.5m

Provided by the National Polen and Aerobiology Research Unit

	Sun hrs	Rain in	Max/Min °C	Daytime weather
Ramsgate	9.4"	0.00	22" 16"	p/cloudy
Rhyl	3.5"	0.00	22" 13"	cloudy
Rugby	6.6"	0.00	24" 14"	p/cloudy
Salisbury	4.9"	0.00	26" 15"	cloudy
Scunthorpe	6.5"	0.00	22" 14"	windy
Sheffield	6.7	0.00	22 14	p/cloudy
Shetland	4.3"	0.00	16" 12"	cloudy
Shrewsbury	3.4"	0.00	25" 12"	windy
Skegness	8.8"	0.00	22" 15"	windy
Southampton	11.7"	0.00	27" 16"	sunny
Southend-on-Sea	9.1"	0.00	24" 15"	p/cloudy
Stockport	2.7"	0.00	22" 13"	cloudy
Stornoway	10.9"	0.00	19" 7"	p/cloudy
Swansea	3.5"	0.17	23" 13"	showers
Swindon	7.6"	0.00	25" 14"	p/cloudy
Thirsk	2.6"	0.00	21" 11"	windy
Tiree	12.1"	0.00	18" 13"	sunny
Weymouth	0.0"	0.00	24" 16"	cloudy
Whitehaven	5.5"	0.00	21" 13"	cloudy
Windermere	5.7"	0.00	20" 12"	cloudy
Worcester	5.4"	0.00	26" 14"	cloudy
Yeovil	7.6"	0.00	25" 15"	p/cloudy
York	5.1"	0.00	21" 13"	cloudy

Pollen count

Fungal spores are high. Weed pollen is moderate. Tree and grass pollen are low.

S North Sea: A gentle to moderate east-southeasterly wind today. Seas will be rough. Visibility will be poor.

Sea forecast

Dover Strait, English Channel: A light air to light southerly wind today. Seas will be very rough on the east and the west. Visibility will be poor.

St. George's Channel: A light to moderate east-northeasterly wind today. Seas will be high. Visibility will be poor.

Irish Sea: A gentle to fresh easterly wind today. Seas will be very rough. Visibility will be fair.

Crossword 31,328 telegraph.co.uk/puzzles

Across

destocking, original shade (7)
5 Dull periods periodically
rotating US spies (7)
9 Study gazing at the stars? (3,2)
10 One having a small bite here
in Mexico? (9)

12 Temporary setback as Mike bales out of small airship (4) 14 Painter & decorator getting nice Hello! mag spread (12) 18 His job is to sort out the classroom (12)

22 Something from the Savoy Hotel, a grip perhaps (5,5)
25 Swiss city hosting today's Facebook lead? (4,5)
26 Boredom leads to extremely nasty nationalists urging insurrection (5)
27 Where toy manufacturer is dependent on elf 'n' safety at work? (7)

11 Firm undertaking involving mass trade-off (10)

21 Crazy to write off British force (4)

28 Pardon means roughly twenty to be discharged (7)

1 Military jumpers for

Down

By Karl Grafton

Quick Crossword

	Max °C	Min °C	Daytime weather
Akrotiri	31	26	sunny
Alicante	35	25	sunny
Amsterdam	25	13	p/cldy
Athens	38	28	sunny
Barcelona	32	23	windy
Bari	39	23	sunny
Belgrade	33	17	p/cldy
Benidorm	33	25	sunny
Bergen	20	8	sunny
Berlin	24	11	sunny
Biarritz	25	21	p/cldy
Bodrum	37	23	sunny
Bordeaux	27	21	showers
Brest	23	16	p/cldy
Brussels	24	11	sunny
Bucharest	35	17	sunny
Budapest	30	19	p/cldy
Cagliari	38	28	sunny
Chamonix	24	14	rain
Copenhagen	22	10	sunny
Corfu	36	24	sunny
Cork	16	15	showers
Corsica	32	26	sunny
Crete	32	22	sunny
Dublin	19	13	showers
Dubrovnik	33	21	p/cldy
Faro	23	19	p/cldy
Florence	31	19	storms

Yesterday's solutions:

	Max °C	Min °C	Daytime weather
Frankfurt	19	16	showers
Funchal	23	20	cloudy
Gdansk	20	9	sunny
Geneva	28	16	sunny
Gibraltar	29	21	p/cddy
Hamburg	23	10	sunny
Helsinki	19	10	p/cddy
Innsbruck	20	15	storms
Istanbul	32	24	sunny
Kyiv	24	8	p/cddy
La Rochelle	25	20	p/cddy
Lisbon	24	19	p/cddy
Locarno	26	17	showers
Luxembourg	16	13	rain
Madrid	28	18	p/cddy
Majorca	32	23	sunny
Malaga	30	21	sunny
Malta	34	26	sunny
Marseille	29	18	sunny
Menorca	33	27	sunny
Milan	29	20	storms
Monaco	29	20	sunny
Moscow	16	12	showers
Munich	17	13	rain
Naples	32	25	p/cddy
Nice	29	21	windy
Nicosia	38	22	sunny
Oporto	23	19	p/cddy

1 Upper part of a dress (6)

	Max °C	Min °C	Daytime weather
New Orleans	32	24	storms
New Delhi	34	25	rain
New York	23	17	p/cldy
Ottawa	20	14	storms
Perth	21	8	p/cldy
Port-of-Spain	32	25	p/cldy
Rio de Janeiro	22	19	cloudy
Riyadh	45	28	sunny
San Francisco	16	15	p/cldy
Santiago	21	12	cloudy
Seattle	21	16	haze
Seoul	33	25	p/cldy
Seychelles	29	25	p/cldy
Singapore	33	27	p/cldy
Sydney	23	14	showers
Taipei City	28	25	showers
Tangier	27	19	sunny
Tel Aviv	33	24	sunny
Tokyo	34	28	windy
Toronto	23	16	p/cldy
Tunis	40	28	sunny
Vancouver	22	16	p/cldy
Washington	27	18	sunny
Wellington	17	12	windy
Winnipeg	22	16	showers

5 Young sheep (4)
8 50 per cent (4)
9 Mildness (8)
10 Famous admiral (6)
11 Pay attention (6)
12 Low-level flora (11)
15 Polar feature (6)
17 Items for discussion (6)

Suguru NO 2556

19 Intrinsic; triangle (anag.) (8) 20 Rank (4) 21 Song of praise (4) 22 Obelisk (6)

	Max °C	Min °C	Daytime weather
Oslo	23	9	sunny
Palermo	38	28	sunny
Paris	28	15	rain
Perpignan	30	18	p/cldy
Prague	20	13	p/cldy
Reykjavik	11	7	showers
Rhodes	31	25	sunny
Riga	17	13	p/cldy
Rome	33	24	p/cldy
Saint Malo	27	18	p/cldy
Salzburg	19	12	showers
Santander	25	20	p/cldy
Santiago/Comp.	22	17	showers
Sofia	31	17	p/cldy
St. Petersburg	18	12	p/cldy
Stockholm	20	7	p/cldy
Strasbourg	20	15	rain
Tenerife	28	21	windy
Tirana	38	19	sunny
Toulouse	30	18	p/cldy
Valencia	36	24	sunny
Venice	27	20	storms
Vienna	26	14	showers
Vigo	22	17	showers
Vilnius	18	12	p/cldy
Warsaw	22	9	sunny
Zagreb	27	14	showers
Zurich	24	15	showers

Down

1 Rodents beneath edges of plateau rock (6)
2 Note Russian jet circling on eastern course (6)
3 Delightful guest ignoring tech boss (10)
4 Temporary vicar Old Jock Hume entirely stripped off (5)
5 Maritime campaigner Samuel, originator of sea pumps (9)
6 Work over - drink up! (4)
7 Lad who went for a dip feeling sick, beset by pains (8)
8 Tory eating meat pie without base - excellent! (8)
13 Angry Lebanon regularly denying former queen (4,6)
15 Clumsy, poor actor is deft when tipsy (3-6)
16 City in Turkmenistan bulldozed (8)
17 Little Tom's out of bed, which is an encouraging sign (6-2)
19 Game served up in Moonrakers Inn, Eton (6)
20 National Insurance collected in tax year is an extravagance (6)
23 Turkish sweet hearts left entertained by Ms Gardner (5)
24 Daughter in law initially goes off puzzle book (4)

2 Hold forth (5) 3 Filled or pervaded (7) 4 Former prisoner (2-3)

Bright sea slug 'is new species'

Sujiko® MODERATE NO 5468

Just 0.6 inches long, it was found around 65ft deep among the wreckage of the MV Robert, which sank in 1975.

A TINY brightly coloured sea slug spotted off the British coast could be a brand new species, experts say.

Ms Ashton said: "I was just swimming along and not really looking that carefully when I suddenly saw it.

Marine naturalist Bernard Picton believes the animal belongs to Lomanotus, a genus of sea slug.

Diver Maggs Ashton discovered the orange, purple and white creature at a shipwreck off Lundy, Devon.

"It just stood out and I'd never seen anything like it before in my 29 or 30 years of diving – it was really special."

She sent a photo to marine biologists, who told her it appeared to be an undocumented species.

Ms Ashton has since returned to the wreck “but I can’t find it”.

European readings Last night's report for 24 hours to 6pm

Help with today's clues Single clues 0905 757 0120, All Across/Down clues 0905 757 0121. Calls cost £1/minute, plus network access charge. You must be 18 or over and have the bill payer's permission. Services open Mon-Fri. SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390.

World readings

Visit telegraph.co.uk/puzzles today*

Purchase the latest Telegraph puzzles books via the Telegraph bookshop. Please visit books.telegraph.co.uk

	Max °C	Min °C	Daytime weather
Accra	30	24	p/cldy
Addis Ababa	23	14	cloudy
Adelaide	15	8	showers
Alexandria	31	22	sunny
Algiers	36	25	sunny
Amman	34	24	sunny
Anchorage	15	12	rain
Ankara	30	17	sunny
Ascension Is.	28	23	p/cldy
Auckland	16	8	p/cldy
Baghdad	47	34	haze
Bahamas	32	26	storms
Bahrain	43	34	haze
Bamako	36	22	p/cldy
Bangkok	34	28	p/cldy
Beijing	32	24	storms
Beirut	37	24	sunny
Bermuda	30	27	p/cldy
Bogota	17	7	rain
Bridgetown	31	28	showers
Brisbane	24	14	sunny
Buenos Aires	12	9	p/cldy
Cairo	37	26	haze
Canberra	16	8	rain
Cape Town	23	12	sunny
Casablanca	30	18	sunny
Chicago	24	16	p/cldy
Christchurch	19	7	windy
Colombo	31	26	rain

To play Sujiko, enter the numbers 1 to 9 in the spaces so that the total in each circle is equal to the sum of the four surrounding squares. Today's solutions appear tomorrow.

	Max °C	Min °C	Daytime weather
Damascus	38	17	sunny
Dar es Salaam	30	21	p/cldy
Dhaka	33	27	rain
Dubai	43	34	haze
Falkland Is.	6	3	windy
Harare	26	9	sunny
Havana	33	22	rain
Hong Kong	33	29	storms
Honolulu	28	26	showers
Jakarta	34	25	haze
Jeddah	36	31	haze
Jerusalem	31	20	sunny
Johannesburg	23	13	haze
Kabul	32	18	haze
Karachi	32	28	p/cldy
Kolkata	31	27	rain
Kuala Lumpur	32	26	storms
La Paz	9	0	sunny
Lahore	37	29	rain
Lima	23	20	p/cldy
Los Angeles	28	22	sunny
Maldives	32	27	showers
Manila	31	27	rain
Marrakesh	35	20	sunny
Melbourne	18	11	p/cldy
Miami	33	26	storms
Montego Bay	33	27	storms
Mumbai	30	28	cloudy
Nairobi	27	11	p/cldy

5 Yorks city (5)
6 "The Scottish Play" (7)
7 Basement (6)
12 Supernatural (7)
13 Noise of a gun or

Nature Notes

The aim of Suguru is to fill the grid so that no same digit is touching. A two-cell outlined block contains the digits 1 and 2; a three-cell block contains 1, 2, 3; and so on. The same digit must not appear in neighbouring cells, not even diagonally.

Solution No 31,327

Sujiko 5467:	472	Suguru 2555:
	961
	583

explosion (6) 14 Grapple (7) 16 Guiltless (5) 17 Exhausted (3,2) 18 Remain (5)

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather.com ©2026

Yesterday's Quick Crossword Solution Across: 1 Musk, 4 Hit, 6 Bawl, (Musket ball) 8 Hiatus, 9 Obtain, 10 Referees, 11 Site, 12 Nursery rhymes, 17 Vast, 19 Petulant, 22 Habits, 23 Stitch, 24 Weed, 25 Ewe, 26 Grew. Down: 2 Unite, 3 Kittens, 4 Haste, 5 Trouser, 6 Bites, 7 Whistle, 10 Run, 13 Unaware, 14 Riposte, 15 Yelling, 16 Sot, 18 Tried, 20 Taste, 21 Niche.

Help with today's Quick Crossword clues Single clues 0905 757 0122, Solution 0905 757 0123. Calls cost £1/minute, plus network access charge. You must be 18 or over and have the bill payer's permission. Services open Mon-Sat. SP: Spoke – Helpline 0333 202 3390.

READER SOLUTIONS BY TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP Dating Service from our selected partner

Take the first step this August Bank Holiday. Join our huge network of like-minded singles and receive a seven-day free trial.

Claim your FREE ONE-WEEK trial today at dating.telegraph.co.uk/Try4Seven

Applicable to new members only who join Telegraph Dating by 23:59 on August 31, 2026. UK only. 18+. No credit cards necessary. Once the free trial ends, you may choose to subscribe from just £12 a month.