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Hundreds of GP practices and care homes could be forced to shut down due to tax hikes, which risks “fatally undermining” Labour’s plans to reduce NHS waiting lists. Health leaders have warned that elderly patients will “bear the brunt” of a £25 billion rise in employers’ national insurance...Hundreds of GP practices and care homes could be forced to shut down due to tax hikes, which risks “fatally undermining” Labour’s plans to reduce NHS waiting lists. Health leaders have warned that elderly patients will “bear the brunt” of a £25 billion rise in employers’ national insurance...Hundreds of GP practices and care homes could be forced to shut down due to tax hikes, which risks “fatally undermining”...
Parents who paid the private school fees in advance in a bid to avoid the impact of Labour’s imposition of VAT on school fees face a new tax raid, the government has warned. Leading private schools offered advanced payment schemes before the budget to help parents avoid Labour’s plans to add 20 per cent VAT on fees. In some cases parents...Parents who paid the private school fees in advance in a bid to avoid the impact of Labour’s imposition of VAT on school fees face a new tax raid, the government has warned. Leading private schools offered advanced payment schemes before the budget to help parents avoid Labour’s plans to add 20 per cent VAT on fees. In some cases parents...Parents who paid the private school fees in advance in a bid to avoid the impact of Labour’s imposition of VAT on school fees...
us election
Kamala Harris is on track to become America’s first female president by a narrow margin thanks to the Democratic vote holding up in the rust belt of old industrial states, according to the final Times poll before the US election. Of the seven swing states that will decide the White House, Harris is forecast to win...Kamala Harris is on track to become America’s first female president by a narrow margin thanks to...Kamala Harris is on track to become America’s first female president by a narrow margin thanks to...
in depth
On Saturday morning weather forecasters in Spain began tracking a gota fría, a cold drop forming off the Spanish coast as the warm Mediterranean updraft was hit by cold polar air. “Intense, extensive and persistent rainfall” was predicted.On Saturday morning weather forecasters in Spain began tracking a gota fría, a cold drop...On Saturday morning weather forecasters in Spain began tracking a gota fría, a cold drop...
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
Noted fan of Coronation Street, recent convert to X and probably the only Nobel laureate to play the...Noted fan of Coronation Street, recent convert to X and probably the only Nobel laureate to...Noted fan of Coronation Street, recent convert to X and probably the only Nobel laureate to...
first person
I haven’t saved his name in my phone, yet I receive WhatsApps from him at least once a day. His number is saved with...I haven’t saved his name in my phone, yet I receive WhatsApps from him at least once a day. His...I haven’t saved his name in my phone, yet I receive WhatsApps from him at least once a day. His...
Britain’s oldest motorway celebrates a milestone birthday this weekend with drivers treated to a celebration of roadworks, average speed checks and overnight closures. The average speed on the M1 has fallen to the lowest on record, figures reveal...Britain’s oldest motorway celebrates a milestone birthday this weekend with drivers treated to a...Britain’s oldest motorway celebrates a milestone birthday this weekend with drivers treated to a...
Plans to be unveiled next week, with vaping also to be restricted in public spaces
Smoking will be banned outside schools, playgrounds and hospitals but will still be allowed in pub gardens under new legislation unveiled next week. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban outdoor smoking in a range of venues, part of a push to improve the nation’s health. Vaping will also be banned outside schools and in playgrounds, amid concerns about the habit’s impact...Smoking will be banned outside schools, playgrounds and hospitals but will still be allowed in...Smoking will be banned outside schools, playgrounds and hospitals but will still be allowed in...
The special crime division of the Crown Prosecution Service is considering whether to charge the Labour MP Mike...The special crime division of the Crown Prosecution Service is considering whether to charge the Labour MP Mike Amesbury after video showed him punching a man in the street. Cheshire police confirmed it had handed a file to the CPS about the alleged assault in Frodsham, near Runcorn, in the early hours of last...The special crime division of the Crown Prosecution Service is considering whether to charge the Labour MP Mike Amesbury after...
my week
The Metropolitan Police were aware of sexual abuse allegations concerning Mohamed Al Fayed at least a decade earlier...The Metropolitan Police were aware of sexual abuse allegations concerning Mohamed Al Fayed at...The Metropolitan Police were aware of sexual abuse allegations concerning Mohamed Al Fayed at...
THE TIMES DIARY
We live in an age when talk of a smackdown in the Commons is usually figurative, but this is only a recent development.We live in an age when talk of a smackdown in the Commons is usually figurative, but this is only...We live in an age when talk of a smackdown in the Commons is usually figurative, but this is only...
video
Official death toll hits 202 with at least another 200 missing
newMore than 400 people are feared to have died in the catastrophic flooding in southeast Spain this week, the country’s worst natural disaster in memory. A large-scale emergency response has intensified amid rising public anger at the perceived failure of the authorities to warn of the danger. The...More than 400 people are feared to have died in the catastrophic flooding in southeast Spain this week, the country’s worst natural disaster in memory. A large-scale emergency response has intensified amid rising public anger at the perceived failure of the authorities to warn of the danger. The...More than 400 people are feared to have died in the catastrophic flooding in southeast Spain this week, the country’s worst...
analysis
In the midst of the massive floods that have ravaged southeast Spain, Mati Ribarrocha had her own view about why the natural disaster took such a toll. The 75-year-old, speaking in the devastated town of Paiporta, near Valencia city, said: “The problem with barrancos [ravines] is that since ecologists started getting involved they have...In the midst of the massive floods that have ravaged southeast Spain, Mati Ribarrocha had her own view about why the natural disaster took such a toll. The 75-year-old, speaking in the devastated town of Paiporta, near Valencia city, said: “The problem with barrancos [ravines] is that since ecologists started getting involved they have...In the midst of the massive floods that have ravaged southeast Spain, Mati Ribarrocha had her own view about why the natural...
in depth
In the final stretch before the election, President Biden deliberated over ice cream flavours, bit the thigh of a baby dressed as a chicken for Halloween, and — in offering a closing message to his vice-president’s campaign — managed to offend a huge swathe of the American electorate by calling them “garbage”. The...In the final stretch before the election, President Biden deliberated over ice cream flavours...In the final stretch before the election, President Biden deliberated over ice cream flavours...
Cyclists in Japan who use a phone while riding risk a six-month prison sentence or a 100,000 yen (£500) fine under...Cyclists in Japan who use a phone while riding risk a six-month prison sentence or a 100,000 yen...Cyclists in Japan who use a phone while riding risk a six-month prison sentence or a 100,000 yen...
Botwana’s political landscape has been redrawn after the ruling party was swept from government after almost six...Botwana’s political landscape has been redrawn after the ruling party was swept from government...Botwana’s political landscape has been redrawn after the ruling party was swept from government...
Dispatch
The priestess has been practising her faith in New Orleans for 35 years and she is used to people coming through the doors of her temple asking the same old questions. “What is vodou? They want to come and see if you are jumping up and down,” said...The priestess has been practising her faith in New Orleans for 35 years and she is used to people...The priestess has been practising her faith in New Orleans for 35 years and she is used to people...
IN maps and CHARTS
Payrolls expanded by 12,000 in October, far lower than forecast, after hurricanes and Boeing strike
The US economy recorded its weakest monthly jobs growth since 2020 after devastating hurricanes and industrial action battered the labour market before next week’s presidential election. An important measure of US payrolls expanded by 12,000 in October, far lower than the 113,000 forecast by...The US economy recorded its weakest monthly jobs growth since 2020 after devastating hurricanes and industrial action battered the labour market before next week’s presidential election. An important measure of US payrolls expanded by 12,000 in October, far lower than the 113,000 forecast by...The US economy recorded its weakest monthly jobs growth since 2020 after devastating hurricanes and industrial action battered...
The Bank of England is expected to deliver its second interest rate cut of the year next week as ratesetters give their first verdict on the government’s budget plans. The nine-strong monetary policy committee, which sets interest rates, is forecast to cut the base rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.75 per cent, as inflation has...The Bank of England is expected to deliver its second interest rate cut of the year next week as ratesetters give their first verdict on the government’s budget plans. The nine-strong monetary policy committee, which sets interest rates, is forecast to cut the base rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.75 per cent, as inflation has...The Bank of England is expected to deliver its second interest rate cut of the year next week as ratesetters give their first...
Reckitt Benckiser’s Mead Johnson has been found not liable over claims that its premature baby formula was responsible for causing intestinal disease, prompting a recovery in shares in the consumer goods giant. A United States jury found that Mead Johnson, Reckitt’s nutrition subsidiary, did not behave negligently...Reckitt Benckiser’s Mead Johnson has been found not liable over claims that its premature baby...Reckitt Benckiser’s Mead Johnson has been found not liable over claims that its premature baby...
dominic o’connell
Rachel Reeves’s big job on Wednesday, alongside working out how much money to spend and how to raise it, was making...Rachel Reeves’s big job on Wednesday, alongside working out how much money to spend and how to...Rachel Reeves’s big job on Wednesday, alongside working out how much money to spend and how to...
The City watchdog has told Crispin Odey that it intends to take action against the hedge fund boss for using...The City watchdog has told Crispin Odey that it intends to take action against the hedge fund...The City watchdog has told Crispin Odey that it intends to take action against the hedge fund...
in depth
As investors, Wall Street and company bosses hedge their bets on the outcome of the US presidential election, and one of their biggest questions is how Donald Trump would handle global trade. Companies are drawing up crisis plans for the...As investors, Wall Street and company bosses hedge their bets on the outcome of the US...As investors, Wall Street and company bosses hedge their bets on the outcome of the US...
The American oil producers ExxonMobil and Chevron posted lower profits as a fall in commodity prices and weaker refining margins offset record high oil production. Exxon’s third-quarter net income fell 5.1 per cent year-on-year...The American oil producers ExxonMobil and Chevron posted lower profits as a fall in commodity prices and weaker refining margins offset record high oil production. Exxon’s third-quarter net income fell 5.1 per cent year-on-year...The American oil producers ExxonMobil and Chevron posted lower profits as a fall in commodity prices and weaker...
The steel business run by the British metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta delayed payments to staff last month despite selling operations in the US for $70 million. Gupta’s company GFG Alliance has sold off its Engineered Wire...The steel business run by the British metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta delayed payments to staff last month despite selling operations in the US for $70 million. Gupta’s company GFG Alliance has sold off its Engineered Wire...The steel business run by the British metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta delayed payments to staff last month despite...
lunch with the times
Early in our lunch I ask Greg Jackson whether he considers Octopus Energy a technology company or an energy provider. “Good ideas come to you multiple times. So sometimes you’d see it from the tech angle, sometimes from the customer experience...Early in our lunch I ask Greg Jackson whether he considers Octopus Energy a technology company or...Early in our lunch I ask Greg Jackson whether he considers Octopus Energy a technology company or...
Fears have been raised that the change will impede the sale of otherwise viable businesses to the next generation
RECRUITMENT
The industry is seeing a surge in interest from graduates
The anti-obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy may be shrinking the nation’s waistlines, but they have helped to expand the appeal of the pharma sector for new employees. The rise of the “pharma with purpose” career has resulted in the number of graduate scheme places jumping by 50 per cent on this time last year. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)...The anti-obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy may be shrinking the nation’s waistlines, but they have...The anti-obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy may be shrinking the nation’s waistlines, but they have...
SIX FROM THE BEST
Working in construction since 1997, Angela Rushforth is one of the sector’s most high-profile leaders. As founder of...Working in construction since 1997, Angela Rushforth is one of the sector’s most high-profile leaders. As founder of the Construction Inclusion Coalition and managing director of Toolstation, she is dedicated to increasing numbers of female and ethnic minority background staff. Here she shares her expert advice on...Working in construction since 1997, Angela Rushforth is one of the sector’s most high-profile leaders. As founder of the...
The most fabulous sight greeted the commuters who were heading eastwards away from Lisbon on the Vasco da Gama bridge this week. Not a cloud in sight, the skyline of Portugal’s capital looked splendid in the rear-view mirror and, down below in the glistening waters of the Tagus estuary, old-timers soaked up the sun in their tiny fishing boats. Just a few miles down the...The most fabulous sight greeted the commuters who were heading eastwards away from Lisbon on the...The most fabulous sight greeted the commuters who were heading eastwards away from Lisbon on the...
Rúben Amorim has said that he wanted to stay at Sporting Lisbon until the end of the season but Manchester United...Rúben Amorim has said that he wanted to stay at Sporting Lisbon until the end of the season but Manchester United told him it was “now or never”. Speaking for the first time since he signed a 2½-year-deal to succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, Amorim cut an emotional figure as he spoke about the difficulty of the...Rúben Amorim has said that he wanted to stay at Sporting Lisbon until the end of the season but Manchester United told him it...
Sam Warburton
There should be grounds for optimism. England may have lost two Tests in New Zealand in the summer but I do think...There should be grounds for optimism. England may have lost two Tests in New Zealand in the...There should be grounds for optimism. England may have lost two Tests in New Zealand in the...
Gregor Robertson
Has a manager or head coach ever publicly questioned the leadership qualities of his team, and club captain, quite as...Has a manager or head coach ever publicly questioned the leadership qualities of his team, and...Has a manager or head coach ever publicly questioned the leadership qualities of his team, and...
OWEN SLOT
Let’s go back to the Sergio Agüero goal and ask a rather complicated question: what if he hadn’t scored it? Not just: what if he hadn’t scored in that fourth minute of injury time to reward Manchester City with that first Premier League title in 2012? But what if he hadn’t actually been at City at all? What if he’d been at Spurs? That’s not completely ridiculous. At the...Let’s go back to the Sergio Agüero goal and ask a rather complicated question: what if he hadn’t...Let’s go back to the Sergio Agüero goal and ask a rather complicated question: what if he hadn’t...
Senior Foreign Office officials asked for updates about the Premier League’s charges against Manchester City for 115...Senior Foreign Office officials asked for updates about the Premier League’s charges against Manchester City for 115 alleged rule breaches, new documents have shown. James Cleverly, who was Foreign Secretary in the Tory government, asked for an update in September 2023 while the British Embassy in Dubai asked for...Senior Foreign Office officials asked for updates about the Premier League’s charges against Manchester City for 115 alleged...
JAMES ANDERSON INTERVIEW | MIKE ATHERTON
PAUL JOYCE AND HAMZAH Khalique-Loonat
brazilian grand prix
As the 21st race weekend of the Formula 1 season begins, only 47 points separate title rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, while there is a three-way constructors’ battle. With four grands prix to go, including two sprint races, the season is heading for the most dramatic conclusion since Abu Dhabi in 2021, when Verstappen claimed the crown in controversial...As the 21st race weekend of the Formula 1 season begins, only 47 points separate title rivals Max...As the 21st race weekend of the Formula 1 season begins, only 47 points separate title rivals Max...
MARTYN ZIEGLER | SPORT NOTEBOOK
Christian Horner has had a difficult year off the track but the 50-year-old has at least reinforced his position as...Christian Horner has had a difficult year off the track but the 50-year-old has at least reinforced his position as the highest-paid team principal in Formula 1 with an 11 per cent pay rise, seeing his salary increase to £8.9million. Horner, the Red Bull team principal, has been cleared by two investigations after...Christian Horner has had a difficult year off the track but the 50-year-old has at least reinforced his position as the...
alex lowe
New Zealand sport is flying high and for once it is not the All Blacks who are at the vanguard of that success. The...New Zealand sport is flying high and for once it is not the All Blacks who are at the vanguard of...New Zealand sport is flying high and for once it is not the All Blacks who are at the vanguard of...
STUART BARNES
‘He’s a guy who knows how to deliver on the biggest of stages and that’s important.” You may have read these words...‘He’s a guy who knows how to deliver on the biggest of stages and that’s important.” You may have...‘He’s a guy who knows how to deliver on the biggest of stages and that’s important.” You may have...
premier league
Over the past couple weeks Enzo Maresca has sprung a couple of notable tactical surprises: against Liverpool a fortnight ago he used Malo Gusto as an attacking midfielder and last week, against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, he used Reece James at...Over the past couple weeks Enzo Maresca has sprung a couple of notable tactical surprises...Over the past couple weeks Enzo Maresca has sprung a couple of notable tactical surprises...
TAILENDER | PATRICK KIDD
They used to call it a hunch. Now it is a “high ceiling”: picking a player for the top level based on a sense there...They used to call it a hunch. Now it is a “high ceiling”: picking a player for the top level...They used to call it a hunch. Now it is a “high ceiling”: picking a player for the top level...
BROUGH SCOTT
It’s time for delivery, not dreamland. All the talk about City Of Troy being the next “Pegasus” is irrelevant to what...It’s time for delivery, not dreamland. All the talk about City Of Troy being the next “Pegasus”...It’s time for delivery, not dreamland. All the talk about City Of Troy being the next “Pegasus”...
Vendée Globe | PIP HARE INTERVIEW
“There is a difference between being lonely and alone,” Pip Hare says. It is a line that touches on the romance and endurance wrapped up in sailing solo around the world in the name of sport. So in a café on Poole Quay, a gangplank away from her...“There is a difference between being lonely and alone,” Pip Hare says. It is a line that touches...“There is a difference between being lonely and alone,” Pip Hare says. It is a line that touches...
The budget tax raid means inflation is expected to fall more slowly in a blow to homeowners hoping for lower borrowing costs
Rachel Reeves introduced £40 billion worth of tax rises on Wednesday. Lucy Andrews examines how you can protect your finances
the big question
The chancellor increased CGT with immediate effect in the budget, saying that rates are still below those in Europe. We ask two experts for their opinions
interview
‘I’m Heidi on the catwalk and nicknamed Helga at home. Helga is less cute and fluffy than Heidi, but both Heidi and Helga wear suspenders.” Heidi Klum is a blast. She’s an international star, the Victoria’s Secret Angel with the hazel eyes and blonde mane who lives in Los Angeles, hosts America’s Got Talent, and before that Project Runway, and throws the most...‘I’m Heidi on the catwalk and nicknamed Helga at home. Helga is less cute and fluffy than Heidi...‘I’m Heidi on the catwalk and nicknamed Helga at home. Helga is less cute and fluffy than Heidi...
Caitlin moran
I recently made casual mention, in a feature, that I can’t drink wine or champagne, because “it makes me crazy”.I recently made casual mention, in a feature, that I can’t drink wine or champagne, because “it makes me crazy”. I was surprised by the response — it seemed to hit a nerve. “Ah, the white wine werewolf,” said one woman knowingly, on X. “C’est moi.” “Yes: lady petrol,” said another. “Setting fire to brains...I recently made casual mention, in a feature, that I can’t drink wine or champagne, because “it makes me crazy”. I...
INTERVIEW
How the Rivals star and new mum put sexist trolling behind her
The actress Emily Atack, now starring in Rivals, Jilly Cooper’s Eighties bonkbuster brought to screen and the most talked-about television show of the year, recalls waking on the first day of its promotion campaign and thinking, “Life doesn’t get better than this. I’ve hit the jackpot.” “I feel like my whole life had been building up to that moment, not just getting...The actress Emily Atack, now starring in Rivals, Jilly Cooper’s Eighties bonkbuster brought...The actress Emily Atack, now starring in Rivals, Jilly Cooper’s Eighties bonkbuster brought...
spinal column
Often, to negotiate today’s world on my own, I need a lot of courage. “Well done, Mel,” I regularly yell. “You did...Often, to negotiate today’s world on my own, I need a lot of courage. “Well done, Mel,” I regularly yell. “You did it!” I did that the first time I went to a supermarket alone in a wheelchair. The first time I uploaded a photo online. The day I passed my driving assessment using hand controls. And I did it last year...Often, to negotiate today’s world on my own, I need a lot of courage. “Well done, Mel,” I regularly yell. “You did it!” I did...
New-season updates needn’t cost an arm and a leg, and on the high street there are plenty of must-haves for under...New-season updates needn’t cost an arm and a leg, and on the high street there are plenty of...New-season updates needn’t cost an arm and a leg, and on the high street there are plenty of...
Beta male
Our trip to Crete last month was the second time my wife, Nicola, and I had visited the island. The first time was...Our trip to Crete last month was the second time my wife, Nicola, and I had visited the island.Our trip to Crete last month was the second time my wife, Nicola, and I had visited the island.
Selling counterfeit accessories and jewellery is the second-biggest source of criminal income worldwide after drugs. But as the fakers get better, so do the detectors
A new generation of funeral directors is offering ceremonies that are more personal and extravagant than ever
She went from model to soil activist over the course of one illuminating lunch. Now she is trying to persuade the big fashion houses to join her cause
Dark sky reserves, telescopes and expert guides are in the ascendant as more and more of us appreciate the luxury of a night sky
At the helm of the most powerful empire in yachting, Giovanna Vitelli is determined to make boats greener
claudia winkleman
Now, nobody loves Christmas more than I do. I start dressing up as an elf in October. I mention turkey brining in June.Now, nobody loves Christmas more than I do. I start dressing up as an elf in October. I mention...Now, nobody loves Christmas more than I do. I start dressing up as an elf in October. I mention...
HUGO RIFKIND
‘Whereof one cannot speak,” Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote, “thereof one must be silent.” It’s a beautiful, brilliant line...‘Whereof one cannot speak,” Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote, “thereof one must be silent.” It’s a...‘Whereof one cannot speak,” Ludwig Wittgenstein wrote, “thereof one must be silent.” It’s a...
It’s time to block-colour your wardrobe and go big on graphic looks. This season, designers are determined to get us to wear one colour at a time: to wrap our body in a mustard Hermès raincoat and don a similarly golden scarf. To buy a...It’s time to block-colour your wardrobe and go big on graphic looks. This season, designers are...It’s time to block-colour your wardrobe and go big on graphic looks. This season, designers are...
Gavanndra Hodge
Our lives are dominated by work — doing it and worrying about it when we don’t have it. Work underpins our existence...Our lives are dominated by work — doing it and worrying about it when we don’t have it. Work...Our lives are dominated by work — doing it and worrying about it when we don’t have it. Work...
Collections are the themes of this month’s coffee-table tomes, from very different parts of the
globe. From Japan...Collections are the themes of this month’s coffee-table tomes, from very different parts of...Collections are the themes of this month’s coffee-table tomes, from very different parts of...
Mykonos has long been known for its hedonistic nightlife. But when the fun-loving shipping magnate turned hotel entrepreneur Elias Papageorgiou came to the island and bought a plot in 1979, all that existed on the land was a small house, a...Mykonos has long been known for its hedonistic nightlife. But when the fun-loving shipping...Mykonos has long been known for its hedonistic nightlife. But when the fun-loving shipping...
Sometimes you don’t feel like staying in a hotel. All that dressing up. Checking in — and being checked out by other guests. Having to change for dinner. What you really want is a gorgeous home, with all the perks of a hotel but none of the...Sometimes you don’t feel like staying in a hotel. All that dressing up. Checking in — and being...Sometimes you don’t feel like staying in a hotel. All that dressing up. Checking in — and being...
Do I want a mirror that tells me I’m not fit enough? Do I want it to then conjure up a little mirror genie to get me squat-thrusting my way back to health? Turns out — actually I do. If it gets me moving again, then the Suunto Vertical watch will...Do I want a mirror that tells me I’m not fit enough? Do I want it to then conjure up a little...Do I want a mirror that tells me I’m not fit enough? Do I want it to then conjure up a little...
INTERVIEW | SATHNAM SANGHERA
The writer, who was left paralysed after a fall two years ago, reflects on sex, drugs and why novelists should never be afraid of causing offence
interview
After eight years, Bobby Gillespie and the producer David Holmes are back with a new album
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
interview
The star talks about achieving the ‘perfect level of fame’ in Endeavour
review | memoir
The news that the Olympic multi-gold-medallist Chris Hoy had terminal cancer made him briefly the national topic of...The news that the Olympic multi-gold-medallist Chris Hoy had terminal cancer made him briefly the...The news that the Olympic multi-gold-medallist Chris Hoy had terminal cancer made him briefly the...
interview
Jonathan Coe has always looked back with fondness to the early 1990s, when he was cantering towards the murderous...Jonathan Coe has always looked back with fondness to the early 1990s, when he was cantering...Jonathan Coe has always looked back with fondness to the early 1990s, when he was cantering...
review | Sarah ditum
review | biography
The Akenfield author escaped extreme rural poverty to become the grand old man of English country letters
review | history
This revisionist history argues that the women of ancient Rome have been traduced by male writers as sex-mad or power-drunk
REVIEW | humour
This collection of pet peeves shows that you’re not alone in being perpetually irked
REVIEW | FICTION
Ali Smith’s new novel set in a dystopian Britain is full of rich and dazzling language. Shame about the ideas
review
November’s selection includes ‘the best crime novel I’ve read this year’
The Have I Got News for You producer, Hat Trick Productions, is reportedly working on a sports spin-off. The company...The Have I Got News for You producer, Hat Trick Productions, is reportedly working on a sports...The Have I Got News for You producer, Hat Trick Productions, is reportedly working on a sports...
Below are some of the best tracks our critics have heard over the past week, alongside some news titbits from the...Below are some of the best tracks our critics have heard over the past week, alongside some news...Below are some of the best tracks our critics have heard over the past week, alongside some news...
first night review
first night review
first night review
FIRST NIGHT REVIEW
VIEWING GUIDE
When you think of the scariest TV your mind inevitably travels back to what terrified the pyjamas off you as a child. What frightens you as a child goes in deep, and as a grown-up nothing spooks you in quite the same way. Those of a certain age will tell you that 1970s classics such as Children of the Stones or The Stone Tape have been the most spooky things on TV.When you think of the scariest TV your mind inevitably travels back to what terrified the pyjamas...When you think of the scariest TV your mind inevitably travels back to what terrified the pyjamas...
What is the best horror film? The finest aren’t just about jump scares or gore — they tap into our deepest anxieties...What is the best horror film? The finest aren’t just about jump scares or gore — they tap into our deepest anxieties and make a mark in our memory. The genre explores fear in its purest form, from classics such as The Exorcist, which set the bar for supernatural terror, and Stanley Kubrick’s mad and wonderful ...What is the best horror film? The finest aren’t just about jump scares or gore — they tap into our deepest anxieties and make a...
Great food and drink, a crackling fire — and chic rooms upstairs. Jane Knight picks the best pub stays across the UK
Caitlin Moran
Conservationists said this week that the hedgehog is under serious threat. Our columnist writes about a vanishing species
first person
We’ve never kissed but we message secretly. Is it so wrong, asks one married mother.
Enthusiasm may be waning but fitness is even more crucial at this time of year, says Antonia Hoyle. Here’s how she keeps up the habit
Claire Cohen has a guilty shopping secret, and she’s not alone
What is bad for dogs? Chocolate and grapes of course. But also regicide. I wonder if Guy Fawkes ever considered, when...What is bad for dogs? Chocolate and grapes of course. But also regicide. I wonder if Guy Fawkes...What is bad for dogs? Chocolate and grapes of course. But also regicide. I wonder if Guy Fawkes...
DR Suzi Godson
Q. My partner and I are in our forties, have been together for five years and have generally had a good sex life....Q. My partner and I are in our forties, have been together for five years and have generally had...Q. My partner and I are in our forties, have been together for five years and have generally had...
A lone kestrel hung above Woolstone Hill as we climbed a bright, grassy path through scrubby grassland, aiming for the top of the North Wessex Downs. To our left, the hillside fell away steeply: the deep, dry valley of the Manger, scalloped slopes carved by retreating permafrost during the last Ice Age. On this particular autumn day, the Giant’s Steps, as they are known...A lone kestrel hung above Woolstone Hill as we climbed a bright, grassy path through scrubby...A lone kestrel hung above Woolstone Hill as we climbed a bright, grassy path through scrubby...
STEPHEN ANDERTON
Garden looking bedraggled after a long wet autumn? It’s fine with enormous gardens to leave everything alone till...Garden looking bedraggled after a long wet autumn? It’s fine with enormous gardens to leave everything alone till spring and to let nature take its course, but for most of us who have small gardens, there needs to be compromise. You want it to still look pleasant over winter and, more importantly, in a small garden...Garden looking bedraggled after a long wet autumn? It’s fine with enormous gardens to leave everything alone till spring and to...
deepak chopra
Jane MacQuitty
Our writer reconnects with nature and her roots on a yomp through this West Country national park – which turned 70 this year
Want to find the most fabulous new chalet in Val d’Isère? The deepest snow in Japan or a bargain family break? Our expert knows the most exciting ski holidays to book this season
The Basque seaside city of San Sebastian has more links with the Land of the Rising Sun than you’d expect — and the new Nobu hotel brings the two even closer
travel doctor
What to know if you’re amending a flight booking for a child, the best place to go in Tuscany for a car-free break and your rights when it comes to parking fines
From Europe to America and beyond, here’s how to explore the world via its waterways
video
Mind-boggling landscapes, sultry heat, a deep-rooted culture and fantastic food scene — the draw of Indonesia is hard to ignore. Comprising some 17,000 islands, you could quite easily spend months exploring the lush archipelago. So when it comes...Mind-boggling landscapes, sultry heat, a deep-rooted culture and fantastic food scene — the draw...Mind-boggling landscapes, sultry heat, a deep-rooted culture and fantastic food scene — the draw...
Dr Francis Collins
video
The Times has been publishing life stories of the great and the good (and the not so good) for more than 170 years. Now the obituary is also becoming a podcast, explains Anna Temkin
1st November, 2024
The Princess Royal, Visitor, Strathcarron Hospice, this afternoon visited the Hospice...1st November, 2024
The Princess Royal, Visitor, Strathcarron Hospice, this afternoon visited...1st November, 2024
The Princess Royal, Visitor, Strathcarron Hospice, this afternoon visited...
I DELIGHT to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40.8 (AV) Bible verses are provided by the...I DELIGHT to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40.8 (AV) Bible verses...I DELIGHT to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40.8 (AV) Bible verses...
MindGames
1 The sword in the stone is a myth usually associated with which legendary king of Britain? 2 Which round, thin Mexican bread is named from the Spanish for “little cake”? 3 In the Laurel and Hardy short The Music Box , the duo move which musical...1 The sword in the stone is a myth usually associated with which legendary king of Britain? 2...1 The sword in the stone is a myth usually associated with which legendary king of Britain? 2...
Jen Hack and Alastair Johnstone
Jen Hack, 31, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, and Alastair Johnstone, 32, a climate visuals manager for the charity Climate Outreach, were married on July 13, 2024, at Whirlow Hall Farm, in the Peak District Alastair has an eye for photographs. He was deputy news picture editor at The Times and The Sunday Times, and now promotes the power of photography to...Jen Hack, 31, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, and Alastair Johnstone, 32, a climate...Jen Hack, 31, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, and Alastair Johnstone, 32, a climate...
Marlowe Sutton Rose Rogers was born on August 15, 2024, at Poole Hospital in Dorset to Georgina, 31, and ...Marlowe Sutton Rose Rogers was born on August 15, 2024, at Poole Hospital in Dorset to Georgina, 31, and Benedict Rogers, 29 Georgina and Benedict watched so many videos about “the newborn trenches” that they expected life with a baby to be brutal, but “Marlowe has been amazing”, says Georgina. “We’ve been...Marlowe Sutton Rose Rogers was born on August 15, 2024, at Poole Hospital in Dorset to Georgina, 31, and Benedict Rogers...
Shona Robison, the finance minister, ordered the wide-ranging cuts to allow public sector pay deals to be struck
Civil servants have been banned from travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh to cut costs as the scale of SNP spending controls is laid bare. Internal documents show that Shona Robison, the finance minister, ordered wide-ranging cutbacks affecting prisons, health, support for Ukrainian refugees...Civil servants have been banned from travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh to cut costs as the scale of SNP spending controls is laid bare. Internal documents show that Shona Robison, the finance minister, ordered wide-ranging cutbacks affecting prisons, health, support for Ukrainian refugees...Civil servants have been banned from travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh to cut costs as the scale of SNP spending...
Patients have been urged to look up their symptoms online this winter rather than contacting the NHS 24 helpline to relieve pressure on the health service. Neil Gray, the Scottish health secretary, said a third of callers to the 111 phone number can instead retrieve the information they required from the NHS Inform website. He encouraged...Patients have been urged to look up their symptoms online this winter rather than contacting the NHS 24 helpline to relieve pressure on the health service. Neil Gray, the Scottish health secretary, said a third of callers to the 111 phone number can instead retrieve the information they required from the NHS Inform website. He encouraged...Patients have been urged to look up their symptoms online this winter rather than contacting the NHS 24 helpline to relieve...
Scottish football clubs have still to pay back £23 million in emergency Covid loans taken out from the government. Ministers made £25.2 million available to Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs in 2021 after many games were played behind closed doors from March 2020 to help try to suppress the spread...Scottish football clubs have still to pay back £23 million in emergency Covid loans taken out...Scottish football clubs have still to pay back £23 million in emergency Covid loans taken out...
The first black man to climb all 282 Munros in Scotland has said he hopes his feat will inspire black youngsters to take up mountaineering. David Solomon, from Inverness, set off to climb Ben Nevis when he was looking for an escape during lockdown...The first black man to climb all 282 Munros in Scotland has said he hopes his feat will inspire...The first black man to climb all 282 Munros in Scotland has said he hopes his feat will inspire...
Scottish business digest
Richard Demarco gestures towards his vast art collection, which may soon become homeless or permanently damaged by flooding. “At the age of 94 I’ve never been so busy, but I’m devastated as three out of my 13 archival rooms are waterlogged and I...Richard Demarco gestures towards his vast art collection, which may soon become homeless or...Richard Demarco gestures towards his vast art collection, which may soon become homeless or...
Premiership | Michael Grant
TIM VISSER INTERVIEW
photography
Each year the Beltane Fire Society lights up the night with its Samhuinn Fire Festival in Holyrood Park, marking the changing of the seasons and the approach of winter. The event is a modern take on an ancient Celtic festival that celebrated the...Each year the Beltane Fire Society lights up the night with its Samhuinn Fire Festival in...Each year the Beltane Fire Society lights up the night with its Samhuinn Fire Festival in...
The new ride near Edinburgh is the longest in the UK and has views of Arthur’s Seat as you whizz 980m to the bottom. Would you dare reach top speed?
Crunching through the snow in slippers and a dressing gown to a hot tub on the coast only makes sense in a landscape as beautiful as Mull’s
Gabriella Bennett
What a reputational nosedive: from wartime heroes to rats of the sky. But these birds are on the way back up — and somehow it’s thanks to TikTok
Peter Irvine picks his favourite historic holiday homes, including James Boswell’s Ayrshire family seat and a survivor of the Scottish Renaissance
REVIEW
Chitra Ramaswamy devours the entire lunch menu to see if the restaurant remains Finnieston’s finest
The Times’s Alba restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy has eaten all over Edinburgh, from Marchmont noodle bars to Auld...The Times’s Alba restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy has eaten all over Edinburgh, from Marchmont...The Times’s Alba restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy has eaten all over Edinburgh, from Marchmont...
The Times’s Alba restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy has eaten at almost every table in Glasgow, from a kebab shop...The Times’s Alba restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy has eaten at almost every table in Glasgow...The Times’s Alba restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy has eaten at almost every table in Glasgow...
Plus more of Scotland’s best bike rides
Criss-crossed by car-free tracks and quiet country lanes, Scotland is packed with stunning cycle routes. From easy coastal loops and gentle city trundles to all-day epics and trips through brooding glens, here is your definitive list of the best cycle trips in Scotland in one easy-to-access place. No need to buy a map — we’ve got those covered — and each ride tells you...Criss-crossed by car-free tracks and quiet country lanes, Scotland is packed with stunning cycle...Criss-crossed by car-free tracks and quiet country lanes, Scotland is packed with stunning cycle...
recipe
We love a cocktail at Alba, so we’ve asked mixologists from across Scotland to share the recipe for their signature...We love a cocktail at Alba, so we’ve asked mixologists from across Scotland to share the recipe for their signature drink. We’ll update the list regularly, so if you’re a cocktail fan, make sure you save this page. And please let us know if you’ve come across any bars or drinks worth shouting about in the comments...We love a cocktail at Alba, so we’ve asked mixologists from across Scotland to share the recipe for their signature drink.
Comment
Britain needs immigrants to make sums add up
Trevor Phillips
Voters want to be sure migrants increase the nation’s prosperity and productivity — and they want to decide who comes
janice turner
Brave nurses just want the right to privacy
giles coren
I’m leavin’ it… how McDonald’s got deplorable
lara spirit
Now that the budget’s done Labour can get back to squabbling over freebies
ann treneman | notebook
Effort to be down with the brats will date quickly
Weekend Essay | gerard baker
Whoever wins next week, this era of American discord is far from over
ben macintyre
The Jewish homeland in Africa that nearly was
rose wild | feedback
Biblical grammar can be odd: that’s the gospel truth
Some readers of this column have made a life’s work of scrutinising our pages for supposed solecisms — or keeping us...Some readers of this column have made a life’s work of scrutinising our pages for supposed...Some readers of this column have made a life’s work of scrutinising our pages for supposed...
jonathan tulloch | nature notebook
Sparrows are a joy after blitz of fake butterflies
Had I strayed into some dystopian sci-fi world? Standing on London’s Tottenham Court Road on a warm day in late...Had I strayed into some dystopian sci-fi world? Standing on London’s Tottenham Court Road on a...Had I strayed into some dystopian sci-fi world? Standing on London’s Tottenham Court Road on a...
Leading Articles
On Borrowed Time
Market jitters in the wake of the budget are partly a reaction to a gloomy picture on growth and spending. The chancellor must pay heed to their lesson
Who Cares about Care?
The rise in national insurance could be disastrous for care homes and GP surgeries
Striking Behaviour
A cabinet minister has put party before country by refusing to cross a picket line
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Challenges remain for a difficult budget
newWrite to letters@thetimes.co.uk Sir, The budget’s emphasis on public investment and the changes to the fiscal framework are encouraging signs that the new government understands the need to invest in Britain. This change in fiscal approach is...Write to letters@thetimes.co.uk Sir, The budget’s emphasis on public investment and the changes...Write to letters@thetimes.co.uk Sir, The budget’s emphasis on public investment and the changes...
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
Today, UK: Conservative Party leadership contest result announced.
Mexico: Day of the Dead festival.
Tomorrow, UK: The environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey leads a march for clean water in London.
US: New York City Marathon.
On this day
Today
In 1920 more than eight million women voted in a US presidential election for the first time, after the passing of the 19th amendment granted them the right to vote. The last state to ratify the act was Mississippi on March 22, 1984 — accepting women as fully enfranchised citizens; in 1930 Tafari Makonnen was proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia, taking the name Haile Selassie (Might of the Trinity). After being deposed in 1974 he remained under house arrest in his palace until his death on August 27, 1975; in 1936 the world’s first regular high-definition television service began with a two-hour BBC broadcast from Alexandra Palace, London, with a 25-mile transmission radius. Two systems were trialled, with the EMI-Marconi 405-line being selected in 1937; in 1960 Penguin Books was acquitted of obscenity in publishing DH Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Mervyn Griffith-Jones, for the prosecution, had told the jury: “Is it a book that you would even wish your wife or your servants to read?”
Tomorrow
In 1704 the Queen Anne’s Bounty was established to support poor clergy, with modern-day investigations revealing investments in the slave-trading South Sea Company. On June 16, 2022, the Most Rev Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said he was “deeply sorry for the links” to the Church’s £10.1 billion fund; in 1748 the French political activist Olympe de Gouges was guillotined, aged 45, during the French Revolution. Her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen (1791) challenged male authority; in 1839 the first Opium War between China and Britain began, with the Battle of Chuenpi. HMS Volage and HMS Hyacinth defeated 29 Chinese vessels; in 1957 Laika, a stray dog from Moscow, was sent into space in Sputnik II, becoming the first animal to orbit the Earth. The satellite was not designed to return safely to Earth.
Nature notes
A month after the corn was cut, the 250-horsepower tractors arrived. Within a few days, the vast field had been ploughed and drilled. The tractors disappeared, leaving behind them a series of deep ruts where they’d turned at the headland. That night, heavy rain filled these ruts. The following morning, it took only a couple of hours of sunshine before a dragonfly arrived to inspect the new chain of little headland pools. Medium-sized and orange-red, it was a male common darter. Common darters are a pioneering species. Roving the countryside looking for habitat, they often arrive first at new water bodies. The darter darted over a puddle, then basked on a discarded fertiliser bag, absorbing heat from the plastic. Jonathan Tulloch
Jonathan Tulloch
Birthdays
Birthdays today
Mark Bullingham, chief executive, the Football Association, 50; Danny Cipriani, rugby union player, England (2008-18), 37; Larry Fink, co-founder, chairman and chief executive, BlackRock, 72; Mark Florman, businessman, co-founded African private equity firm 8Miles with Bob Geldof and Kofi Annan (2009), 66; Tony Gallagher, editor, The Times, 61; Maggie Gee, novelist, 76; Sir Simon Gass, chairman, Joint Intelligence Committee (2019-23), 68; Rory Godson, founder and chief executive, Powerscourt, business editor, The Sunday Times (2000-02), 62; Sir Mark Hendrick, Labour (Co-op) MP for Preston, 66; Alan Jones, racing driver, 78; kd lang, singer-songwriter, 63; Lord (Neil) Mendoza, chairman, Historic England, 65; Baroness (Pauline) Neville-Jones, security minister (2010-11), 85; Lord (Ronald) Oxburgh, geologist and geophysicist, chairman, Shell UK (2004-05), 90; Ian Rosenblatt, lawyer, founder of Rosenblatt Group, 65; Ken Rosewall, tennis player, 90; Michael Samuel, businessman, chairman, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, 72; David Schwimmer, actor, Friends (1994-2004), 58; Matthew Syed, Times and Sunday Times columnist, and three-time Commonwealth table tennis champion, 54; Bruce Welch, songwriter and guitarist, the Shadows, 83.
Birthdays tomorrow
Adam Ant (Stuart Goddard), singer, 70; Lord (Kenneth) Baker of Dorking, education secretary (1986-89), 90; Roseanne Barr, comedian, 72; Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent East, shadow women and equalities secretary (2017-20), 55; Roisin Currie, chief executive, Greggs (bakery chain), 53; Malcolm Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, chief of Clan Sinclair, foreign minister (1990-92), 76; Roy Emerson, tennis player, 88; Prof Andrew Hamilton, chemist, vice-chancellor, University of Oxford (2009-15), 72; Larry Holmes, former heavyweight boxing champion, 75; Kendall Jenner, media personality, 29; Lulu, singer, 76; Dylan Moran, actor and comedian, Black Books (2000-04), 53; Prof Amartya Sen, economist, 91; Nick Simper, bassist, co-founder, Deep Purple, 79; Baroness (Jacqui) Smith of Malvern, minister for skills and government spokeswoman for equalities, home secretary (2007-09), 62; Martin Cruz Smith, novelist, Gorky Park (1981), 82; David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, furniture designer, chairman, Christie’s UK (2005-15), 63; Alison Williamson, archer, Olympic bronze medallist (2004), 53; Dame Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief, US Vogue (since 1988), and chief content officer and global editorial director, Condé Nast, 75; Ian Wright, footballer, Arsenal and England (both 1991-98), and broadcaster, 61.