The Times - 27 September 2024 - Educação e Diversidade (2024)

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<p>Rachel Reeves will free up as much as</p><p>£50 billion to spend on roads, housing,</p><p>energy and other large-scale projects</p><p>under plans being drawn up by officials.</p><p>The chancellor has asked the</p><p>Treasury to look at changing the</p><p>government’s borrowing rules to hand</p><p>her a windfall to fulfil Labour’s pledge</p><p>to increase investment in the economy.</p><p>The present system has long been</p><p>criticised by economists for discourag-</p><p>ing long-term investment that could</p><p>grow the economy.</p><p>Senior government sources said that</p><p>Reeves had asked officials to draw up</p><p>options for changing the way the</p><p>government measures debt, which</p><p>could allow the government to offset</p><p>“assets”, such the £236 billion owed in</p><p>student loans, against the wider</p><p>national debt — freeing up more</p><p>money for investment.</p><p>Economists have calculated that if</p><p>such rules had been in place at the time</p><p>of the last budget it would have</p><p>amounted to about £50 billion worth of</p><p>additional headroom.</p><p>This would not only fund the new</p><p>£7 billion national wealth fund and the</p><p>£8 billion cost of Great British Energy</p><p>but also free up billions of pounds to</p><p>invest in other infrastructure priorities</p><p>such as new rail and road links and cap-</p><p>ital investment in the NHS. However,</p><p>Oliver Wright Policy Editor</p><p>Mehreen Khan Economics Editor</p><p>Elon Musk has stepped up his war of</p><p>words with the UK government after</p><p>being denied an invitation to a business</p><p>investment summit.</p><p>Responding to news of the snub,</p><p>the Tesla billionaire said: “I don’t think</p><p>anyone should go to the UK when</p><p>they’re releasing convicted paedo-</p><p>No one should go to the UK, claims Musk after summit snub</p><p>Katie Prescott philes in order to imprison people for</p><p>social media posts.” It follows the mass</p><p>release of inmates to ease prison over-</p><p>crowding, though sex offenders were</p><p>not included in the scheme.</p><p>The owner of X was not invited to</p><p>next month’s International Investment</p><p>Summit after a spat with Sir Keir</p><p>Starmer over the role played by social</p><p>media platforms in the riots that fol-</p><p>lowed the deaths of three children in an</p><p>attack in Southport, Merseyside.</p><p>Starmer told tech firms at the time:</p><p>“Violent disorder was clearly whipped</p><p>up online. That is also a crime. It is hap-</p><p>pening on your premises, and the law</p><p>must be upheld everywhere.”</p><p>In response, Musk goaded the prime</p><p>minister, blaming the clashes on multi-</p><p>culturalism. “If incompatible cultures</p><p>are brought together without assimila-</p><p>tion, conflict is inevitable,” he wrote.</p><p>He added, in relation to a man’s arrest</p><p>over offensive comments on Facebook:</p><p>“Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?” He</p><p>also accused Britain of having “mis-</p><p>placed priorities” after Huw Edwards,</p><p>the BBC news presenter, was spared jail</p><p>for child pornography offences.</p><p>The decision not to invite Musk, first</p><p>reported by the BBC, marks a departure</p><p>from his courting by the previous</p><p>government. He was a prominent guest</p><p>at the inaugural AI safety summit, held</p><p>in Bletchley Park last November, and</p><p>took part in a “fireside chat” with Rishi</p><p>Sunak as the grand finale to the event.</p><p>Jeremy Hunt, the shadow chancellor,</p><p>said it was a “big loss” for Britain that</p><p>Friday September 27 2024 | thetimes.com | No 74525</p><p>da i ly n e w s pa p e r o f t h e y e a r</p><p>£2.80 £2.00 to subscribers</p><p>(based on a 7 Day Print and Digital Subscription)</p><p>Putting antisemitism</p><p>on the stage</p><p>At last!</p><p>The property</p><p>market is</p><p>heating up</p><p>Bricks&MortarTimes2David Baddiel</p><p>Reeves set</p><p>to profit by</p><p>tweaking</p><p>debt rules</p><p>the move will not allow Reeves to</p><p>increase day-to-day spending — for</p><p>example, by reinstating winter fuel</p><p>payments for pensioners — because</p><p>Labour has pledged to fund this</p><p>through annual tax receipts.</p><p>In order to meet Labour’s plans to</p><p>increase day-to-day spending, Reeves</p><p>is widely expected to raise taxes on cap-</p><p>ital gains and change the rules around</p><p>inheritance tax.</p><p>Meanwhile, Reeves has been forced</p><p>to reassess another key budget measure</p><p>after being warned that cracking down</p><p>on non-dom tax perks might not raise</p><p>any money. Labour said it hoped to</p><p>increase tax revenues by up to £1 billion</p><p>a year by closing tax loopholes that</p><p>allow some wealthy individuals living</p><p>in the UK to register overseas for tax</p><p>purposes.</p><p>However, the chancellor is now</p><p>looking again at the policy, which was</p><p>intended to fund universal school</p><p>breakfast clubs and more hospital</p><p>appointments. Reeves has been warned</p><p>that, as currently designed, it could lead</p><p>to an exodus of non-doms and poten-</p><p>tially even cost the government money.</p><p>Leading organisations such as the</p><p>International Monetary Fund are sup-</p><p>portive of changes to borrowing rules</p><p>that could “allow for public investment</p><p>in a high debt environment”.</p><p>This week, the Organisation for Eco-</p><p>nomic Co-operation and Development</p><p>Dressing down The supermodel Naomi Campbell has been banned from running</p><p>a charity for five years after an investigation into her Fashion for Relief. It came</p><p>as she was made a knight of France’s Order of Arts and Letters in Paris.</p><p>Why weekend</p><p>warriors don’t</p><p>need to try</p><p>daily exercise</p><p>Eleanor Hayward Health Editor</p><p>Life often gets in the way of exercise</p><p>during the working week. However, a</p><p>study has shown that those wanting to</p><p>keep fit should not be deterred: so-</p><p>called weekend warriors who cram</p><p>their workouts into two days get similar</p><p>benefits to doing them daily.</p><p>The study of 90,000 adults in the UK</p><p>found that those who went on intense</p><p>weekend exercise sprees were at a</p><p>lower risk of 264 diseases compared</p><p>with those who were not active.</p><p>The benefits were about the same</p><p>whether people only picked up their</p><p>trainers on Saturdays and Sundays, or</p><p>diligently did workouts throughout the</p><p>working week. For example, weekend</p><p>exercisers were at a 43 per cent lower</p><p>risk of diabetes, while their daily coun-</p><p>terparts were at a 46 per cent lower risk.</p><p>As well as cutting the risk of heart</p><p>disease, weekend warriors were also at</p><p>lower risk of depression, kidney issues</p><p>and obesity over an average follow-up</p><p>period of six years, the study published</p><p>in the journal Circulation found.</p><p>Dr Shaan Khurshid, the lead author</p><p>from Massachusetts General Hospital,</p><p>said that while previous research had</p><p>shown weekend activity protected the</p><p>heart, his study showed it could guard</p><p>against diseases “spanning the whole</p><p>spectrum, ranging from conditions like</p><p>chronic kidney disease to mood disor-</p><p>ders”. He added: “Because there ap-</p><p>pears to be similar benefits for weekend</p><p>warrior versus regular activity, it may</p><p>be the total volume of activity, rather</p><p>than the pattern, that matters most.”</p><p>The NHS recommends that adults</p><p>aim to do at least 150 minutes of moder-</p><p>ate-intensity activity, such as brisk</p><p>walking or gardening, or 75 minutes of</p><p>vigorous activity a week.</p><p>Offsetting assets could free up £50bn for budget</p><p>y(7HB7E2*OTSNPQ( |||+@!}'</p><p>2 S1 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>said changing the fiscal rules “could</p><p>strengthen the incentive for govern-</p><p>ments to focus on investing in high-</p><p>quality projects”.</p><p>Under the government’s present fis-</p><p>cal rules, national debt has to be falling</p><p>as a percentage of GDP on a rolling</p><p>five-year basis. The system has been</p><p>criticised by economists for allowing</p><p>ministers to “game” the system and for</p><p>discouraging long-term investments.</p><p>One option being examined by the</p><p>Treasury would be to move to a system</p><p>that targets “public sector net worth”,</p><p>which calculates debt as the difference</p><p>between government assets and liabili-</p><p>ties. Another option would be to ex-</p><p>NEWS</p><p>Britain will do less talking and more</p><p>listening as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s</p><p>promised “reset” in relations on the</p><p>world stage.</p><p>In a speech to the UN, the prime min-</p><p>ister signalled that he would reject the</p><p>UK’s past “paternalism” and called for</p><p>countries to work together more to</p><p>avoid a fatalistic slide into more global</p><p>conflicts.</p><p>The speech came as Starmer said</p><p>that he had reviewed President Zelen-</p><p>sky’s peace plan, although he declined</p><p>to reveal how “viable” it was due to</p><p>security sensitivities. Starmer is also</p><p>meeting Donald Trump in a move that</p><p>will be seen as an attempt to curry fa-</p><p>vour</p><p>the charity in</p><p>2005, saying she had been inspired by</p><p>her “honourable mentor”, Nelson Man-</p><p>dela. She vowed to use it to “unite the</p><p>fashion industry as a force for good” by</p><p>providing relief during humanitarian</p><p>disasters and giving health and educa-</p><p>tion opportunities to the poor.</p><p>Investigators found an organisation</p><p>with little grip on its finances that made</p><p>only meagre donations. Financial ir-</p><p>regularities included unauthorised</p><p>consultancy fees of £290,000 over two</p><p>years to Campbell’s fellow trustee,</p><p>Bianka Hellmich, a lawyer. Hellmich,</p><p>who was contracted to receive 10 per</p><p>cent commission on all sponsorships</p><p>received, also had expenses averaging</p><p>£26,000 a year.</p><p>The investigation, launched in</p><p>November 2021, raised particular</p><p>concerns about fashion shows hosted</p><p>by Campbell on the French Riviera in</p><p>2017 and 2018. The commission high-</p><p>lighted illegitimate expenses around</p><p>the events in Cannes, which coincided</p><p>with the city’s film festival.</p><p>The charity paid €14,800 (£12,300)</p><p>for a flight from London to Nice con-</p><p>nected to the 2018 event for one trustee</p><p>and a donor to transfer art and jewel-</p><p>lery worth more than €1.5 million.</p><p>Charity funds were used to pay for</p><p>Campbell’s three-night stay in a five-</p><p>star hotel, costing €9,400. The trustees</p><p>said the hotel was chosen to reduce her</p><p>security costs. Campbell ran up a bill of</p><p>€7,939, paid for by the charity, on spa</p><p>treatments and room service and buy-</p><p>ing cigarettes and hotel products.</p><p>The commission said some of the ex-</p><p>penditure amounted to misconduct by</p><p>the trustees. Its inquiry found that Save</p><p>the Children, one of the charity’s part-</p><p>ners, had been promised €450,000</p><p>raised at the 2017 event but received</p><p>only £225,361.09. The Mayor’s Fund for</p><p>London also said it was owed £50,000</p><p>from fundraising carried out by the</p><p>charity. Both bodies submitted com-</p><p>plaints to the Charity Commission.</p><p>Interim managers recovered</p><p>£344,000 in funds, with £244,000 paid</p><p>to Save the Children and the Mayor’s</p><p>Fund. The charity was registered in the</p><p>UK in 2015 and dissolved in March.</p><p>The commission banned Campbell</p><p>from serving as a charity trustee for</p><p>five years, while Hellmich was banned</p><p>for nine years. Veronica Chou, the</p><p>charity’s third trustee, who resigned</p><p>when the investigation was launched,</p><p>was banned for four years.</p><p>Campbell was asked about the finan-</p><p>cial misconduct allegations at an event</p><p>last night in Paris where she was hon-</p><p>oured for her contribution to French</p><p>culture. Before being named a knight</p><p>of the Order of Arts and Letters, the</p><p>model said she was “extremely con-</p><p>cerned” by the findings of the regulator.</p><p>She said: “I was not in control of my</p><p>charity, I put the control in the hands</p><p>of a legal employer”, adding: “We are</p><p>investigating to find out what and</p><p>how, and everything I do and every</p><p>penny I ever raised goes to charity.”</p><p>Charity role ban for Naomi Campbell</p><p>The model’s Fashion for</p><p>Relief charity donated</p><p>just £389,000 of £4.8m</p><p>raised to good causes,</p><p>writes Mario Ledwith</p><p>Naomi Campbell fundraising in</p><p>Cannes in 2018 and, above, with fellow</p><p>Fashion for Relief trustee Veronica</p><p>Chou, who has also been banned.</p><p>The Charity Commission said some</p><p>spending amounted to misconduct</p><p>10 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>A man who is accused of committing a</p><p>sexual assault within hours of being</p><p>freed from prison under the govern-</p><p>ment’s early release scheme was al-</p><p>lowed out in error, it has been reported.</p><p>Amari Ward, 31, was one of 37 prison-</p><p>ers released despite being ineligible for</p><p>the scheme because they had breached</p><p>a restraining order. He was freed from</p><p>HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey</p><p>in Kent and allegedly assaulted a</p><p>woman at Sittingbourne railway sta-</p><p>tion shortly afterwards. It is believed</p><p>that he later got on a train to London</p><p>and was arrested in Croydon.</p><p>The BBC reported that officers in-</p><p>vestigating Ward’s case discovered that</p><p>he and the other wrongly released</p><p>prisoners had been convicted under an</p><p>outdated law from 1997. It was not</p><p>recognised during checks as the system</p><p>only looked at offences under the</p><p>Sentencing Act 2020.</p><p>The scheme, known as SDS40, al-</p><p>lows criminals to be freed after serving</p><p>40 per cent of their sentence. Five of</p><p>those mistakenly released have not</p><p>been located, the Ministry of Justice</p><p>confirmed. The department said that</p><p>police were working “urgently” to</p><p>locate them. Ward is due to attend</p><p>Recycling rates in the UK have fallen,</p><p>government statistics show, with</p><p>Gen Z most likely to ignore appeals not</p><p>to discard plastics and cardboard de-</p><p>spite perceptions that they are the most</p><p>eco-conscious.</p><p>The UK recycling rate for waste from</p><p>households was 44.1 per cent in 2022,</p><p>down from 44.6 per cent in 2021, official</p><p>figures show. England was the only</p><p>country in the UK not to improve in</p><p>2022, with a recycling rate of 43.4 per</p><p>cent. It was put to shame by Wales,</p><p>which recycled 56.9 per cent.</p><p>Under-27s were worst at recycling, a</p><p>separate poll suggested: 92 per cent of</p><p>Gen Zs admitted throwing something</p><p>in the bin because they could not be</p><p>bothered to clean it. Baby boomers —</p><p>aged 60 to 78 — were found to be the</p><p>most diligent.</p><p>A lack of recycling bins in public</p><p>places and confusion over what can and</p><p>cannot be recycled were among the ex-</p><p>cuses given by Gen Z for not recycling.</p><p>Michael Orye, managing director of</p><p>European recycling at DS Smith,</p><p>the paper and packaging company</p><p>that commissioned the poll, said:</p><p>“What we’re seeing is a generational</p><p>gap when it comes to recycling. We</p><p>must come together to ... ensure that all</p><p>generations have the information to</p><p>become elite recyclers.”</p><p>Gen Z are</p><p>the worst</p><p>at recycling</p><p>Nicole Cherruault</p><p>Prisoner accused of</p><p>sexual assault was</p><p>released by mistake</p><p>Maidstone crown court next month.</p><p>SDS40 was introduced to ease seri-</p><p>ous overcrowding in prisons. The gov-</p><p>ernment had said that those convicted</p><p>of offences linked to domestic abuse, in-</p><p>cluding breaching a restraining order,</p><p>would not be eligible for early release.</p><p>Nick Hardwick, former chief inspec-</p><p>tor of prisons, told Today on BBC Radio</p><p>4 that the HMP Swaleside case would</p><p>be “very distressing and frightening for</p><p>the victims”. The MoJ suggested that</p><p>the issue had been fixed for forthcom-</p><p>ing early releases and all victims had</p><p>now been contacted.</p><p>Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector,</p><p>told the BBC that it was “disappointing</p><p>and particularly concerning” that pris-</p><p>oners had been mistakenly let out, add-</p><p>ing that it was a concern that a “lack of</p><p>quality preparation is being done”</p><p>before prisoners are allowed back into</p><p>society. “People going out from prison</p><p>without the work being done to help</p><p>them resettle, without proper housing,</p><p>allocated drugs, mental health workers</p><p>— there is a risk they will fall back into</p><p>reoffending,” he said.</p><p>“The scheme was only ever going to</p><p>be a sticking plaster around a bigger</p><p>piece of thinking around who we lock</p><p>up, how long they are locked up for and</p><p>what happens to them afterwards.”</p><p>Ben Ellery Crime Editor</p><p>Shrinking feeling Francesca Hayward plays the lead role in the Royal Ballet’s</p><p>Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, opening tomorrow at the Royal Opera House</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 11</p><p>News</p><p>A mental health worker said he was</p><p>asked to leave a restaurant in London</p><p>after being told his facial disfigurement</p><p>was scaring customers.</p><p>Oliver Bromley, 42, has neurofibro-</p><p>matosis type 1, a genetic condition that</p><p>causes non-cancerous tumours to grow</p><p>on his nerves. As a result his eye had</p><p>to be removed two years ago.</p><p>Bromley said the incident occurred</p><p>last month while he was an inpatient</p><p>at King’s College Hospital and he had</p><p>gone into a nearby restaurant in</p><p>Camberwell for lunch.</p><p>“After entering I noticed a cash-only</p><p>sign, so went straight back outside to</p><p>withdraw my money,” he told the BBC.</p><p>The British coastguard will monitor a</p><p>damaged ship carrying 20,000 tonnes</p><p>of explosive nitrate fertiliser from</p><p>Russia that is expected to pass through</p><p>the Channel after refuelling.</p><p>Ruby, a Maltese-flagged cargo ship</p><p>floating off Kent, has been denied entry</p><p>to other countries due to concerns</p><p>about its</p><p>cargo.</p><p>The ship left Kandalaksha in Russia</p><p>last month carrying a large shipment of</p><p>ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that can</p><p>also become an explosive in certain</p><p>conditions and when exposed to fire.</p><p>There have been mounting safety</p><p>fears about the vessel as it sought a port</p><p>denied entry to Lithuania, where the</p><p>authorities specifically referenced</p><p>concerns about its cargo.</p><p>Ruby is carrying seven times more</p><p>ammonium than the 2,750 tonnes of</p><p>fertiliser that exploded in Beirut,</p><p>Restaurant ordered one-eyed diner to leave</p><p>Laurence Sleator “I went back into the restaurant to place</p><p>an order and they told me to ‘please</p><p>leave’, because, in their words, I was</p><p>‘scaring the customers’, and there had</p><p>been complaints about me.</p><p>“There had not been enough time</p><p>between the time I had been there first</p><p>and the time I went back for anyone</p><p>to have made a complaint about me, so</p><p>obviously the restaurant staff were not</p><p>happy with the way I looked.”</p><p>He said the incident left him “very</p><p>upset” so he did not challenge the res-</p><p>taurant employee about the decision</p><p>or explain his condition.</p><p>Bromley, who lives in Surrey, has</p><p>since written to the restaurant but has</p><p>yet to receive a reply. He is deliberately</p><p>not naming the restaurant to avoid</p><p>“retribution” but wants to speak out to</p><p>raise awareness of his condition.</p><p>He also reported it to the police, who</p><p>recorded the incident as a hate crime.</p><p>No arrests have been made.</p><p>“People stare, young children espe-</p><p>cially, but I’ve never been treated as</p><p>directly as that,” he said. “It was very</p><p>direct and very clear that I was not</p><p>wanted.”</p><p>The charity Nerve Tumours UK said</p><p>Bromley may have a case under</p><p>the Equality Act 2010 because “severe</p><p>disfigurement” is a protected charac-</p><p>teristic.</p><p>“We were extremely disappointed</p><p>to hear news of the dreadful, but sadly</p><p>not uncommon, incident that Oliver</p><p>Bromley experienced while attempting</p><p>to purchase lunch,” said Karen</p><p>Cockburn, the charity’s director.</p><p>“We have written to both the restau-</p><p>rant concerned and to UK Hospitality,</p><p>the trade association body.”</p><p>“All [the restaurant] needed to do was</p><p>ask,” Bromley said. “There’s a lot of na-</p><p>ivety around the issue.</p><p>“I would really like to educate</p><p>the hospitality industry about what</p><p>it is. There is nothing to be afraid of,</p><p>it’s just something some individuals</p><p>have to live with.”</p><p>He added: “I am hoping this raises</p><p>awareness and that, going forward,</p><p>there might be a positive outcome and</p><p>[we can] prevent it happening again.</p><p>There’s always going to be nasty people</p><p>in the world, but that’s my hope.”</p><p>Oliver Bromley lost his eye because of</p><p>a genetic condition, neurofibromatosis</p><p>E</p><p>ighty-five years</p><p>after their</p><p>plaque first</p><p>went up on the</p><p>wall at</p><p>Westminster Abbey, the</p><p>Brontë sisters finally</p><p>have their diaereses</p><p>back (Jack Blackburn</p><p>writes). Why the dots</p><p>were dropped is still a</p><p>mystery — as is why no</p><p>one suggested a</p><p>correction for almost</p><p>nine decades.</p><p>The omission</p><p>was not</p><p>commented upon</p><p>until Sharon</p><p>Wright, editor of</p><p>the Brontë</p><p>Society Gazette,</p><p>popped into the</p><p>abbey to conduct</p><p>some research in</p><p>January. She was</p><p>aghast at what</p><p>she saw: “I looked</p><p>around, going a</p><p>bit mad, thinking:</p><p>‘Really — has</p><p>no one ever</p><p>mentioned this?’ ”</p><p>Wright raised the</p><p>alarm, and the case</p><p>was brought swiftly</p><p>before the dean, the</p><p>Very Rev Dr David</p><p>Hoyle, who said a</p><p>correction must be</p><p>made. “I am grateful to</p><p>have this omission</p><p>pointed out and now put</p><p>right,” Hoyle said.</p><p>“Memory is not a locked</p><p>cupboard but an active</p><p>thing. The Brontë</p><p>Society have given us a</p><p>glimpse of their</p><p>commitment to a lively</p><p>remembering.”</p><p>The sisters’ father,</p><p>Patrick Brontë was born</p><p>Brunty, but adopted the</p><p>new name when he was</p><p>at St John’s College,</p><p>Cambridge,</p><p>studying</p><p>theology. It</p><p>is unclear</p><p>exactly why</p><p>he did this,</p><p>though</p><p>many assume</p><p>it was out of</p><p>snobbery and</p><p>an attempt to</p><p>hide his Irish</p><p>background. More</p><p>charitable theories are</p><p>that it was an allusion to</p><p>the ancient Greek word</p><p>for thunder, bronte, or</p><p>perhaps a tribute to</p><p>Admiral Nelson, the</p><p>Duke of Brontë.</p><p>The memorial to the</p><p>sisters was first</p><p>suggested in 1939, and</p><p>soon after Donald</p><p>Hopewell, president of</p><p>the Brontë Society, sent</p><p>a letter to the Dean of</p><p>Westminster with the</p><p>text for the tribute,</p><p>including the diaereses.</p><p>This would have been</p><p>seen by Sir Charles</p><p>Peers, the abbey’s</p><p>surveyor of the fabric,</p><p>or architect, who made</p><p>the design for the</p><p>memorial. Laurence</p><p>A Turner, who made</p><p>many such tablets for</p><p>the abbey, worked</p><p>with Peers on the</p><p>Brontë memorial. In</p><p>the course of their</p><p>correspondence, Turner</p><p>repeatedly used a dash</p><p>above the “e” in Brontë,</p><p>as if he knew something</p><p>should be there, and</p><p>even included one in his</p><p>invoice of £24 for the</p><p>project. Nevertheless,</p><p>when the memorial</p><p>was finished, the dots</p><p>were missing.</p><p>The memorial was put</p><p>up on October 8, 1939,</p><p>just over a month after</p><p>the outbreak of the</p><p>Second World War.</p><p>The dean at the time,</p><p>Bishop Paul De</p><p>Labillière, wrote to The</p><p>Times to draw attention</p><p>to the memorial and to</p><p>express his wish for a</p><p>proper unveiling once</p><p>things had quietened</p><p>down a bit.</p><p>There was indeed a</p><p>formal unveiling on</p><p>July 19, 1947. Wright</p><p>has tried to research</p><p>why nobody complained</p><p>at the time, but so far</p><p>to no avail.</p><p>“We know what their</p><p>name was, it was spelt</p><p>incorrectly and we’re</p><p>putting it right,” Wright</p><p>said. “It’s not about their</p><p>dad’s name, or Sir</p><p>Charles’s spelling skills</p><p>— it’s not about the</p><p>men. It’s about the</p><p>women, and their name</p><p>was Brontë.”</p><p>Abbey finally dots</p><p>the Es for Brontës</p><p>The plaque at Westminster</p><p>Abbey went up in 1939.</p><p>The then president of the</p><p>Brontë Society included</p><p>diaereses in his proposed</p><p>text for the sign, above</p><p>Damaged ship carrying explosive fertiliser to cross Channel</p><p>in which to undergo repairs, having</p><p>cracked its hull after running aground</p><p>in a storm.</p><p>Ruby eventually made its way</p><p>towards British waters this week while</p><p>being escorted by a tug. The coastguard</p><p>said on Thursday that Ruby was secure-</p><p>ly anchored about two miles outside</p><p>UK waters, north of Margate and west</p><p>of the Thames estuary while waiting for</p><p>appropriate weather conditions in</p><p>order to refuel at sea.</p><p>It is then expected to continue</p><p>through the Channel with its destina-</p><p>tion listed as Marsaxlokk in Malta. The</p><p>authorities in Malta said that they</p><p>would only accept the vessel if it got rid</p><p>of its cargo beforehand. The coastguard</p><p>said that Ruby had appropriate safety</p><p>certificates and was able to make its</p><p>own way, though a commercial tug re-</p><p>mains contracted to assist the ship. Brit-</p><p>ish officials are in regular contact with</p><p>Ruby and said that they would continue</p><p>to monitor its progress.</p><p>The vessel previously tried to dock in</p><p>Tromso, Norway, before being sent to</p><p>anchor at sea where an inspection was</p><p>carried out to determine if it met safety</p><p>and environmental standards.</p><p>Despite finding damage to its</p><p>rudder, hull and propeller, Norway’s</p><p>maritime authority determined that</p><p>Ruby was seaworthy.</p><p>The vessel left with an escorting tug,</p><p>Amber II. The ship has previously been</p><p>Lebanon, in 2020, causing 218 deaths</p><p>and more than 7,000 injuries. The</p><p>explosion came after a fire broke out in</p><p>a warehouse storing the cargo. Ammo-</p><p>nium nitrate is regularly shipped and</p><p>there is no suggestion that Ruby poses</p><p>an imminent danger.</p><p>There have been concerns in Nato</p><p>countries about Russia’s use of non-</p><p>military vessels for monitoring Euro-</p><p>pean infrastructure. Gabrielius Lands-</p><p>bergis, the Lithuanian foreign minister,</p><p>previously said that there was “no evi-</p><p>dence” Ruby was acting maliciously. He</p><p>added: “However, when we are dealing</p><p>with Russia or other international</p><p>actors that are unfriendly to us, we</p><p>always keep this possibility in mind.”</p><p>Mario Ledwith</p><p>Ruby, the Maltese-flagged cargo ship</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 13</p><p>News</p><p>Ministers may have “overdone” the</p><p>dangers of coronavirus in public health</p><p>messages that made people “incredibly</p><p>afraid”, Professor Sir Chris Whitty said.</p><p>Giving evidence to the Covid inquiry</p><p>yesterday, the chief medical officer said</p><p>that advice to</p><p>stay at home during the</p><p>pandemic meant too many people</p><p>having heart attacks did not seek help.</p><p>Whitty was asked by Jacqueline Car-</p><p>Whitty: Overdone Covid warnings scared heart attack patients away</p><p>Eleanor Hayward Health Editor ey KC, counsel to the inquiry, if the UK</p><p>“got the balance right” between telling</p><p>people the NHS was open, while urging</p><p>them to “protect the NHS”.</p><p>He replied that the government and</p><p>health chiefs “didn’t get it across that</p><p>people should still go to hospital”, and</p><p>that they may also have “pushed too</p><p>strongly” on the risks of the virus. He</p><p>said: “I am confident what we didn’t do,</p><p>was to identify over and over again —</p><p>you couldn’t say it too often — that the</p><p>NHS is open, in particular if it’s an</p><p>urgent and emergency life-threatening</p><p>situation, you must go to hospital, as</p><p>you usually would.</p><p>“And there is reasonable evidence</p><p>that the number of people who came</p><p>into hospital with heart attacks was</p><p>lower than you’d predict. So some of</p><p>those people were staying at home, who</p><p>otherwise would not have done, and</p><p>they would have had remediable condi-</p><p>tions. So the bit, did we get it across that</p><p>people should still go to hospital? We</p><p>didn’t get it across well enough.”</p><p>Whitty said it was harder to tell if the</p><p>government overstated the risks, add-</p><p>ing: “It was really important people un-</p><p>derstood why if they were going to do</p><p>this terrible thing for their society, for</p><p>the economy, for their families.”</p><p>Asked if health chiefs failed to em-</p><p>phasise the risk posed by long Covid at</p><p>the beginning of the pandemic, Whitty</p><p>said that some would argue that “we, if</p><p>anything, overdid it” in terms of stress-</p><p>ing the dangers of the virus. He said:</p><p>“Were we either over-pitching it so that</p><p>people were incredibly afraid of some-</p><p>thing where, in fact, their actuarial risk</p><p>[of dying] was low or were we not pitch-</p><p>ing it enough, and therefore people</p><p>didn’t realise the risk they were walking</p><p>into? I think that balance is really hard.”</p><p>Public hearings for the inquiry, ex-</p><p>pected to last until 2026, are exploring</p><p>the impact on healthcare systems.</p><p>Economic inactivity due to sickness is a</p><p>problem in Middlesbrough. More than</p><p>29 per cent of people aged 16 to 64 are</p><p>neither in paid work nor looking for a</p><p>job, according to the Office for National</p><p>Statistics. That is 5 percentage points</p><p>higher than the rest of the northeast</p><p>and 8 points above the national average.</p><p>More than 15 per cent of people aged</p><p>16 to 64 claim health-related benefits.</p><p>This week Wes Streeting, the health</p><p>secretary, said that “crack teams of top</p><p>clinicians” would be sent into 20 hospi-</p><p>tals in the Midlands or northern En-</p><p>gland. The areas they serve have the</p><p>highest rates of sickness absence.</p><p>His top target is South Tees Hospitals</p><p>NHS Foundation Trust, which serves</p><p>Teesside and runs the James Cook Uni-</p><p>versity Hospital in Middlesbrough. The</p><p>trust was ranked highest after the gov-</p><p>ernment examined percentages of</p><p>people who were inactive due to ill</p><p>health, combined with waiting lists per</p><p>population size.</p><p>Streeting said the clinicians would</p><p>perform rapid surgery techniques mod-</p><p>elled on Formula 1 pit stops, to reduce</p><p>NHS waiting times and boost the eco-</p><p>nomy by getting the sick back to work.</p><p>But do those in Teesside think the</p><p>help is targeted in the right areas? Com-</p><p>munity centre volunteers Andy Rawl-</p><p>inson and his wife, Vicky, who are both</p><p>on long-term sickness, doubt it. He is</p><p>recovering from a kidney operation,</p><p>and she has had cancer and has mental</p><p>‘Sickest town in Britain’ doubts</p><p>Streeting’s surgeons are the cure</p><p>health problems. Mr Rawlinson, 38,</p><p>said: “I need to have routine blood</p><p>tests, so I can’t work for at least a year</p><p>regardless. It can’t suddenly be</p><p>fixed. Getting back to work is not as</p><p>straightforward as people think</p><p>because every case is individual. The</p><p>government wants everyone to work</p><p>but there are lots of people who can’t.</p><p>People might die because of the NHS</p><p>waiting lists, but I don’t think they can</p><p>do this F1-style idea.”</p><p>Leigh Ivison, 25, who has been off</p><p>work through mental illness, said such</p><p>conditions could be difficult to address,</p><p>with those who had been unwell for a</p><p>while harder to treat. “It’s not as easy as</p><p>saying they can be fixed,” she said. “I</p><p>used to say I wish I had a physical dis-</p><p>ease so at least people could see it and</p><p>be more likely to treat it.”</p><p>Mace Robinson, 18, a student, said:</p><p>“Cutting down NHS waiting times can</p><p>only be a good thing in the short term.</p><p>But if the clinicians all leave when</p><p>enough people are fixed, what’s going</p><p>to happen then? They won’t have tack-</p><p>led the root causes of the issues.”</p><p>James Beal Social Affairs Editor</p><p>League table</p><p>could help</p><p>cut police</p><p>sick leave</p><p>Ben Ellery Crime Editor</p><p>A policing report has recommended a</p><p>force league table, recording the num-</p><p>ber of staff off sick, to cut the amount of</p><p>officer hours lost to illness.</p><p>The report found that “police officer</p><p>sick pay arrangements are relatively</p><p>generous” and suggested a “national</p><p>force resilience table”. It highlighted</p><p>Northumbria police, which reduced</p><p>the number of sick-leave hours by a</p><p>third since 2019-20 by “prevention, and</p><p>a robust position around reduction of</p><p>pay for those who are long-term ill”.</p><p>A progress update on the Policing</p><p>Productivity Review, commissioned by</p><p>the Home Office, found that chiefs</p><p>have discretion over how much an offi-</p><p>cer on long-term sick leave is paid, with</p><p>large discrepancies between forces. “In</p><p>12 forces, less than 25 per cent of officers</p><p>absent for more than six months have</p><p>their pay reduced, whilst nine forces</p><p>take a firmer stand and reduce pay for</p><p>75 per cent”, the report says.</p><p>It found that 3,394 of officers, 2.3 per</p><p>cent, suffered long-term sickness and</p><p>“hours lost in short-term sickness have</p><p>been rising in the last two years”.</p><p>Nationally, 16 per cent of officers with</p><p>long-term sickness had been absent for</p><p>more than six months, but in seven</p><p>forces, that proportion was above 25</p><p>per cent.</p><p>The Policing Productivity Review,</p><p>published last autumn, proposed meas-</p><p>ures to free up 38 million police hours</p><p>over the next five years by improving</p><p>efficiency. However the progress</p><p>update, seen by The Times, warned that</p><p>it may not meet its five-year target and</p><p>in order to do so, “the Home Office will</p><p>need to lean in more”.</p><p>The report urges more forces to</p><p>embrace new guidelines that stop</p><p>police responding to call outs to deal</p><p>with mental health issues, an initiative</p><p>launched last year entitled Right Care</p><p>Right Person (RCRP). The Metro-</p><p>politan Police reported that it had freed</p><p>up more than 100,000 officer hours in</p><p>three months but 12 forces were still not</p><p>expected to introduce RCRP this year.</p><p>The report, written by Alan Pugh-</p><p>sley, an adviser to the National Police</p><p>Chiefs’ Council and former chief con-</p><p>stable of Kent, acknowledges that “po-</p><p>licing is a difficult, challenging career”</p><p>and “40,330 assaults on police officers</p><p>were recorded in 2022-23”. It said each</p><p>officer was likely to experience 400 to</p><p>600 traumatic incidents in their career.</p><p>The report says: “A national force</p><p>resilience table, bringing together</p><p>indicators such as short and long-term</p><p>sickness” would help “drive more</p><p>pro-active people management in</p><p>outlier forces.” However, while the</p><p>sickness figures were higher than the</p><p>private sector, they were not “out of</p><p>sync” with other public organisations.</p><p>Support of kings A novel pushchair used by the future Edward VIII at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight is for sale at Woolley & Wallis auctioneers in Salisbury</p><p>Twenty hospitals to be targeted by ‘crack teams’ of clinicians</p><p>1. South Tees Hospitals</p><p>NHS Foundation Trust</p><p>2. Royal</p><p>Wolverhampton</p><p>NHS Trust</p><p>3. Sandwell and West</p><p>Birmingham Hospitals</p><p>NHS Trust</p><p>4. Newcastle Upon Tyne</p><p>Hospitals NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>5. Dudley Group NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>6. Rotherham NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>7. Doncaster and</p><p>Bassetlaw Teaching</p><p>Hospitals NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>8. Sheffield Teaching</p><p>Hospitals NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>9. Northern Care</p><p>Alliance NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>10. Wrightington, Wigan</p><p>and Leigh NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>11. Bolton NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>12. Hull University</p><p>Teaching Hospitals NHS</p><p>Trust</p><p>13. Northern</p><p>Lincolnshire and Goole</p><p>NHS Foundation Trust</p><p>14. East Lancashire</p><p>Hospitals NHS Trust</p><p>15. Mersey and West</p><p>Lancashire Teaching</p><p>Hospitals NHS Trust</p><p>16. Wirral University</p><p>Teaching Hospitals NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>17. Warrington and</p><p>Halton Teaching</p><p>Hospitals NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>18. Manchester</p><p>University NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>19. Blackpool Teaching</p><p>Hospitals NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>20. University Hospitals</p><p>of Morecambe Bay NHS</p><p>Foundation Trust</p><p>14 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>A cyclist has been jailed after killing</p><p>a pensioner with one punch after</p><p>the older man told him not to ride on</p><p>the pavement.</p><p>Michael Dawson, 78, was heading</p><p>home from an evening of karaoke at a</p><p>pub in Bury last year when he had a</p><p>“brief exchange” with Nathan Pilling,</p><p>24. Pilling punched Dawson in the</p><p>head, knocking the great-grandfather</p><p>to the pavement where he hit his head.</p><p>Dawson, a former engineer, suffered</p><p>a fractured skull and a bleed on the</p><p>brain and died in hospital just under</p><p>two weeks later. Sentencing Pilling, of</p><p>Bury, to five years and four months in</p><p>prison for manslaughter, Judge Tina</p><p>Landale told him that the attack was a</p><p>“gross overreaction”.</p><p>Dawson left The Bank pub just before</p><p>11.50pm on August 24, Manchester</p><p>Minshull Street crown court was told.</p><p>CCTV showed him pointing towards</p><p>Pilling, who was riding an electric bike</p><p>on the pavement on the other side of</p><p>the road. Pilling rode across, put his</p><p>bike against a rail and a confrontation</p><p>took place. Pilling twice moved away to</p><p>leave but when he returned for the final</p><p>time he punched Dawson with “such</p><p>force”, Greater Manchester police said,</p><p>The risk of older motorists being killed</p><p>or seriously injured triples after the age</p><p>of 75, figures have revealed.</p><p>Data from the Department for</p><p>Transport showed a sharp increase in</p><p>Pavement cyclist killed a</p><p>pensioner with one punch</p><p>that Dawson “had no opportunity to</p><p>defend himself or break his fall”. The</p><p>senior investigating officer, Phillip Re-</p><p>ade, said the attack was “unprovoked”.</p><p>Two men who were outside the pub</p><p>rushed to help, with one trying to stop</p><p>Pilling riding away. He escaped but was</p><p>arrested nearby. He initially suggested</p><p>that Dawson had hit him and he had</p><p>acted in self defence.</p><p>Dawson was taken to hospital where</p><p>his brain injuries were “irreversible”</p><p>and life support was switched off on</p><p>September 4. His family said Dawson</p><p>was “charismatic, kind” and a “loving</p><p>great grandad”. He was a widower who</p><p>lived alone in walking distance from his</p><p>daughter and granddaughters and was</p><p>“an independent man who proudly</p><p>didn’t need much support”.</p><p>Pilling changed his plea to guilty on</p><p>the first day of the trial.</p><p>Seren Hughes</p><p>Squash court Tim Saint shows off a pumpkin that will be judged in the National</p><p>Giant Vegetables Championship, part of the Malvern Autumn Show this weekend</p><p>Risk of death while driving triples after 75</p><p>the rate at which older car drivers were</p><p>involved in catastrophic accidents,</p><p>compared with middle-aged motorists.</p><p>The figures, which charted the</p><p>number of drivers killed per billion</p><p>miles driven, showed that the rate of</p><p>deaths began to tick up from 66. Last</p><p>year 32 drivers aged 66-70 were killed</p><p>per billion miles and 33 aged 71-75. It</p><p>then climbs dramatically, with 69</p><p>deaths of those aged 76-80; 104 deaths</p><p>for ages 81-85 and 203 for those aged 86</p><p>and above. Overall the data showed</p><p>deaths fell to their lowest level ever, ex-</p><p>cluding the pandemic. There were 1,624</p><p>fatalities. However, some 29,711 people</p><p>were killed or seriously injured on the</p><p>roads, a figure that remains steady.</p><p>Ben Clatworthy</p><p>Transport Correspondent</p><p>Dan Atherton</p><p>Michael Dawson, 78, was attacked by</p><p>Nathan Pilling, 24, and died in hospital</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 S1 15</p><p>News</p><p>Microbiologists have warned that bac-</p><p>teria are more likely to grow in hummus</p><p>that is kept refrigerated without airtight</p><p>lids after two supermarket chains got</p><p>rid of the plastic caps.</p><p>Tesco and Sainsbury’s earlier this</p><p>month stopped selling hummus pots</p><p>with plastic lids to cut down on single-</p><p>use plastic but insisted that this change</p><p>had no impact on shelf life.</p><p>Instead, they are now selling the dip</p><p>with a thin sheet of plastic that is peeled</p><p>off and cannot be reused, similar to</p><p>packaging used for some yoghurts.</p><p>Primrose Freestone, professor of</p><p>clinical microbiology at the University</p><p>of Leicester, warned that storing hum-</p><p>mus without airtight lids could lead to</p><p>food poisoning. She said: “Hummus, or</p><p>any fresh dip, is not sterile so by default</p><p>will have microorganisms. Having that</p><p>plastic lid would have helped exclude</p><p>oxygen getting into the hummus and</p><p>stimulating growth of anything that</p><p>might be present. In terms of food</p><p>safety, it does have some implications.”</p><p>Once opened, airborne bacteria can</p><p>Hummus should not be</p><p>left for more than two days</p><p>Scientists spread concern over loss of hummus lids</p><p>Charlotte Alt settle on the dip and — through contin-</p><p>uous exposure to oxygen due to the lack</p><p>of airtight lids — these microorganisms</p><p>can grow until there is a chance of food</p><p>poisoning, Freestone said. She pointed</p><p>out that bacteria, fungi and viruses can</p><p>transfer from our hands and mouths</p><p>while dipping vegetables or crackers in</p><p>the hummus. “My strong advice is, eat it</p><p>in one sitting or wrap it in cling film,</p><p>stick it in the fridge and don’t leave it for</p><p>more than a day or two.”</p><p>Sainsbury’s and Tesco said the</p><p>change in packaging had no impact on</p><p>product quality or shelf life and added</p><p>that the hummus should still be</p><p>consumed within two days of opening</p><p>as has always been advised.</p><p>A Tesco spokesman said: “We have</p><p>recently removed the lids on our hum-</p><p>mus pots as part of our ongoing efforts</p><p>to tackle plastic waste. This latest</p><p>change will remove more than 31 mil-</p><p>lion pieces of plastic — equivalent to</p><p>157 tonnes of plastic a year.”</p><p>A Sainsbury’s spokesman said:</p><p>“Earlier this month, we removed</p><p>single-use plastic lids from our own-</p><p>brand hummus pots which will help</p><p>save 22 million pieces of plastic a year,</p><p>equating to over 100 tonnes of plastic.”</p><p>Both chains added that they sell reus-</p><p>able lids for customers to keep their</p><p>hummus fresh in the fridge.</p><p>Dr Kimon-Andreas Karatzas, asso-</p><p>ciate professor of food microbiology at</p><p>the University of Reading, said: “I un-</p><p>derstand why supermarkets are cutting</p><p>down on plastic packaging, because it</p><p>reduces weight in transport and mate-</p><p>rials needed to produce the extra</p><p>plastic, but it’s also annoying for</p><p>people who are used to sticking the lid</p><p>back on and popping it in the same</p><p>place in the fridge.”</p><p>Brian Lodge, director of plastics and</p><p>flexible packaging at the British Plastics</p><p>Federation, said such decisions needed</p><p>to follow “sound science”, adding: “It is</p><p>up to supermarkets and brands to opti-</p><p>mise their packaging so it mini-</p><p>mises the environmental</p><p>impact — but it can be a</p><p>balancing act, and deci-</p><p>sions need to be led by</p><p>sound science. When</p><p>substituting one ma-</p><p>terial for another, you</p><p>need to make sure it</p><p>has a lower environ-</p><p>mental impact and does not compro-</p><p>mise food safety or the shelf life of the</p><p>product. In this case, we are not aware</p><p>of any evidence that the new thin film</p><p>seals will impact the shelf life of</p><p>the product.”</p><p>Sainsbury’s was one of</p><p>the first British super-</p><p>markets to remove plas-</p><p>tic bags for fruit and</p><p>vegetables, in 2019.</p><p>Tesco followed suit</p><p>months later and said it</p><p>aimed to eliminate</p><p>67 million pieces of plas-</p><p>tic by removing wrapping</p><p>from food items.</p><p>patrick kidd</p><p>TMS</p><p>diary@thetimes.co.uk | @timesdiary</p><p>Fishy offer</p><p>for Herring</p><p>It is one thing as a fading celebrity</p><p>to be offered a nice payday via the</p><p>Strictly dancefloor or by eating</p><p>wombat offal in the Australian</p><p>jungle, but the comedian Richard</p><p>Herring was rather insulted to be</p><p>contacted by a television producer</p><p>and asked if he fancied being on</p><p>Britain’s Got Talent, the show for</p><p>undiscovered entertainers. “A nice</p><p>sign of how well my career is</p><p>going,” sighed Herring, 57, who</p><p>had a couple of TV shows with</p><p>Stewart Lee in the 1990s and has</p><p>released 13 DVDs of his stand-up</p><p>comedy tours. “I can’t think of</p><p>anything much sadder than going</p><p>on that show after you’ve had a</p><p>TV career.” Herring, below, is not</p><p>tempted to risk the humiliation,</p><p>even though Amanda Holden, one</p><p>of the judges, is an old friend.</p><p>“Simon Cowell has literally no</p><p>sense of humour,” he said.</p><p>Paul Sinha’s encyclopaedic love of</p><p>trivia earned his parents a hefty</p><p>discount at Dulwich College. The</p><p>professional quizzer and resident on</p><p>The Chase mentioned in his</p><p>interview for the school that he</p><p>liked A Question of Sport and was</p><p>casually asked if he could name the</p><p>world record-holder in the men’s</p><p>long jump. “Once I’d stopped talking</p><p>six minutes later, I had earned a</p><p>half-fees scholarship,” he says.</p><p>crime-writing pays</p><p>Richard Osman has never flown</p><p>on a private jet but is tempted</p><p>now that his publishing career</p><p>is in the stratosphere — and</p><p>not just, at 6ft 7in, for the</p><p>extra leg room. The</p><p>convenience is hugely</p><p>appealing, he found,</p><p>when he overheard</p><p>Lee Child checking out</p><p>of their hotel at the</p><p>Harrogate crime fiction</p><p>festival. “Could you get</p><p>me a car to the airport?”</p><p>the author of the Jack Reacher</p><p>novels asked. “Of course, what</p><p>time’s your flight?” they replied.</p><p>“Whenever I arrive,” he said.</p><p>joker in the pack</p><p>As she nears 50, the Rev Kate</p><p>Bottley feels she is getting too old</p><p>for rugby. The broadcasting cleric</p><p>has played since she was a</p><p>teenager but was in the front row</p><p>of a scrum recently and found she</p><p>was seven years older than the two</p><p>props combined. “I’ve got shoes</p><p>older than both of them and a bra</p><p>older than one,” she says. Her</p><p>hobby has helped her to break the</p><p>ice at church functions, where one</p><p>of her favourite jokes is to see who</p><p>recoils when she declares: “I was a</p><p>hooker before I was a vicar.”</p><p>Let’s euthanise this week’s series on</p><p>last words with the deathbed</p><p>reflection of Niccolo Machiavelli. “I</p><p>want to go to hell and not to</p><p>heaven,” the philosopher said. “In</p><p>the former I shall enjoy the company</p><p>of popes, kings and princes, while in</p><p>the latter are only beggars, monks,</p><p>hermits and apostles.”</p><p>spy’s private part</p><p>A British spy should never be</p><p>caught with his trousers down. A</p><p>story is told in this week’s Spectator</p><p>about the former MI6 agent Nick</p><p>Elliott, who infiltrated the Israeli</p><p>army as a private soldier in the</p><p>hope of seeing what they had. He</p><p>saw rather more than he expected,</p><p>for on a quiet day they all decided</p><p>to go skinny-dipping. As Elliott</p><p>tore off his clothes, the colonel, the</p><p>only man in on his deception,</p><p>dashed over and pointed at his</p><p>groin. “Remember who you’re</p><p>supposed to be,” he said.</p><p>“That’s all right,” said Elliot,</p><p>removing his pants with a</p><p>smile. “My God,” the</p><p>officer said on seeing</p><p>that he fitted in, “you</p><p>lot aren’t half thorough</p><p>when it comes to cover.”</p><p>Someone must have</p><p>given him a tip-off.</p><p>16 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>The number of gambling advertising</p><p>messages during the opening weekend</p><p>of the Premier League season almost</p><p>trebled in a year, putting fans, including</p><p>children, at risk, according to a report.</p><p>Researchers said the findings high-</p><p>lighted the growth of gambling market-</p><p>ing and how self-regulation was failing.</p><p>Close to 30,000 gambling messages</p><p>were counted during a single weekend</p><p>across TV, radio and social media dur-</p><p>ing live match coverage and related</p><p>news reports, the research, led by the</p><p>University of Bristol, found. This com-</p><p>pared with 10,999 recorded over the</p><p>same period last year.</p><p>The match attracting the most ad-</p><p>vertising was West Ham United v Aston</p><p>Villa, with 6,491 gambling messages,</p><p>equating to one every two seconds. The</p><p>A private school is severing links with</p><p>the Catholic Church after almost 200</p><p>years to become more inclusive and</p><p>appeal to a wider range of families.</p><p>Prior Park College in Bath, founded</p><p>in 1830 shortly after Catholic emanci-</p><p>pation, will change its designation to</p><p>Premier League gambling</p><p>adverts treble in a year</p><p>authors said it showed “how much the</p><p>industry is out of control”.</p><p>The gambling industry agreed to a</p><p>voluntary ban on TV adverts for book-</p><p>makers from five minutes before kick-</p><p>off to five minutes after the final whistle</p><p>— known as a “whistle-to-whistle” ban</p><p>— but it does not apply to social media,</p><p>logos on shirts or pitchside billboards.</p><p>The researchers analysed 24 hours of</p><p>live match coverage and 30 hours of</p><p>broadcast coverage on Sky Sports</p><p>News and TalkSport radio, which is</p><p>part of News UK, the parent company</p><p>of The Times. They also studied gam-</p><p>bling advertising posted on Instagram,</p><p>Facebook, and X. In total, a third of the</p><p>gambling messages were found to be</p><p>during the whistle-to-whistle period.</p><p>“It’s clear that the industry’s attempt</p><p>to self-regulate is wholly inadequate</p><p>and tokenistic,” said Dr Raffaello Rossi,</p><p>the co-lead author of the report.</p><p>“Despite having had years to put in</p><p>place effective measures to protect con-</p><p>sumers, the gambling industry contin-</p><p>ues to prioritise profit over safety.”</p><p>The report recommends that minis-</p><p>ters implement a comprehensive</p><p>whistle-to-whistle ban covering all</p><p>forms of marketing during sport.</p><p>The Betting and Gaming Council</p><p>said the study had “fundamentally mis-</p><p>understood” both advertising and its</p><p>regulation. “The previous government</p><p>stated that research did not establish a</p><p>causal link between exposure to adver-</p><p>tising and the development of problem</p><p>gambling,” a spokesman said. “Betting</p><p>advertising and sponsorship must com-</p><p>ply with strict guidelines, and safer</p><p>gambling tools and signposts to help for</p><p>those concerned about their betting are</p><p>regularly and prominently displayed.”</p><p>Tom Witherow</p><p>School cuts Catholic links to ‘broaden appeal’</p><p>Christian so it is less constrained by the</p><p>church. This is partly because of criti-</p><p>cism received when it held Pride events.</p><p>It also comes after the Catholic Church</p><p>criticised the school’s religious teaching</p><p>in an inspection report.</p><p>The school hit back by saying it</p><p>would not proselytise to make up for</p><p>falling church attendance among</p><p>young people. Its plans have been has-</p><p>tened by the addition of VAT on fees</p><p>from January, although discussions</p><p>started some years ago. Ben Horan, the</p><p>head teacher, said in a letter to parents:</p><p>“We pride ourselves on not proselytis-</p><p>ing to our young people, but instead in</p><p>encouraging them to engage with faith</p><p>and spirituality on their own terms.”</p><p>Nicola Woolcock Education Editor</p><p>B</p><p>each</p><p>trinkets, lace</p><p>bloomers</p><p>and a</p><p>bohemian air</p><p>inspired by the St</p><p>Tropez beach scene in</p><p>the Seventies — these</p><p>were the main</p><p>ingredients in</p><p>Chemena Kamali’s</p><p>vision for Chloé’s</p><p>spring 2025 collection</p><p>yesterday but it was</p><p>the accessories that</p><p>added flavour.</p><p>Flipflop-toed jelly</p><p>kitten heels and a</p><p>new style of luxe</p><p>high-top trainers</p><p>joined the label’s</p><p>recent A-list must-</p><p>have wooden</p><p>wedges. Sienna</p><p>Miller and Juliette</p><p>Lewis were</p><p>making their</p><p>shopping lists</p><p>from the front row.</p><p>Kamali</p><p>explained</p><p>backstage that she</p><p>was referencing</p><p>“the rich history</p><p>of the Chloé</p><p>archive” in</p><p>redeveloped floral</p><p>prints from a 1977</p><p>collection by Karl</p><p>Lagerfeld. High-</p><p>Life’s a 1970s beach</p><p>for Chloé in Paris</p><p>Harriet</p><p>Walker</p><p>fashion editor</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 S1 17</p><p>News</p><p>A retired SAS soldier has been killed</p><p>while representing Great Britain in a</p><p>skydiving competition in South Africa.</p><p>Chris Good, who was 52, died on</p><p>Wednesday at the 10th World Canopy</p><p>Piloting Championships in an accident</p><p>that is being investigated, the Para-</p><p>chute Association of South Africa said.</p><p>The Special Air Service Regimental</p><p>Association, the only organisation</p><p>authorised to speak publicly for Brit-</p><p>ain’s special forces, shared news of</p><p>Good’s death in a brief letter to mem-</p><p>bers. Part of his service had been with</p><p>E Squadron, the letter confirmed — the</p><p>most elite of the special forces units,</p><p>which was established to work along-</p><p>side MI5 and MI6.</p><p>Good had completed 5,500 jumps</p><p>since joining the Parachute Regiment</p><p>aged 17. During more than 15 years as a</p><p>soldier, he was part of the</p><p>army’s elite</p><p>Red Devils parachute display team. He</p><p>passed selection for the SAS in 2004.</p><p>He joined A Squadron, one of the</p><p>regiment’s four squadrons, and served</p><p>in 2 Troop, which specialises in deploy-</p><p>ment by parachute, the letter from the</p><p>regiment said. British Skydiving, the</p><p>sport’s governing body, described</p><p>Good, the father of two teenagers, as “a</p><p>cherished member” of its team and “an</p><p>exceptionally skilled skydiver”.</p><p>In a video shared by British Skydiv-</p><p>ing before the championships, which is</p><p>still running in the capital, Pretoria,</p><p>Ex-SAS soldier dies</p><p>in skydiving event</p><p>Good says on camera: “The challenge</p><p>for this year: I have moved on to a new</p><p>harness for distance and speed.”</p><p>Good had established himself in</p><p>competitive canopy piloting, formerly</p><p>known as blade-running. The competi-</p><p>tors send up plumes of water with</p><p>their feet and legs as they steer through</p><p>a pool before touchdown. To score, a</p><p>part of the body needs to be</p><p>no higher than 1.5 metres above the</p><p>surface of the water.</p><p>In a recent Facebook post Good re-</p><p>vealed he had started using a new har-</p><p>ness known as a Mutant that promised</p><p>greater performance in terms of dis-</p><p>tance. “As always, a change or develop-</p><p>ment can bring risk,” he noted.</p><p>Good was ranked 67th in the world</p><p>for canopy piloting in the official</p><p>records for 2018-23 by the Inter-</p><p>national Skydiving Commission.</p><p>Jane Flanagan Cape Town</p><p>Chris Good had been a member of the</p><p>Red Devils parachute display team</p><p>waisted flares, vintage-</p><p>looking T-shirts and a</p><p>romanticised take on</p><p>the classic French</p><p>chore jacket — this</p><p>time with full sleeves</p><p>— gave a sense of</p><p>both time and</p><p>place.</p><p>Yet she seemed</p><p>to dip into a</p><p>golden age of</p><p>Noughties It-bags</p><p>at the label too,</p><p>with a revamp of a</p><p>multi-pocketed</p><p>camera bag</p><p>shape not to</p><p>mention a</p><p>giant version of</p><p>the bestselling</p><p>bracelet-</p><p>handled hobo.</p><p>On a more</p><p>whimsical</p><p>note, golden</p><p>shell shapes</p><p>came encased</p><p>in string bags</p><p>and crochet</p><p>totes were strewn</p><p>with coral and clam</p><p>charms. Models wore</p><p>dangling flotsam</p><p>earrings and dresses</p><p>were diaphanous,</p><p>stepped shorter at the</p><p>front as though tucked</p><p>in to go paddling. “We</p><p>wanted this ‘faded by</p><p>the sun’ palette,”</p><p>Kamali said of the</p><p>beachy look, ‘bleached</p><p>out and worn in —</p><p>washed out, almost.”</p><p>At Balmain on</p><p>Wednesday night,</p><p>Olivier Rousteing’s</p><p>approach was in</p><p>glorious technicolor.</p><p>To coincide with the</p><p>label’s launch of a new</p><p>beauty line, models</p><p>carried surrealist</p><p>clutch bags in the</p><p>shape of perfume</p><p>bottles and walked on</p><p>stilettoes supported by</p><p>lipstick heels.</p><p>A thick crust of</p><p>sequins across dresses</p><p>created a trompe l’oeil</p><p>effect of red lips,</p><p>smokey eyes and</p><p>crimson nails.</p><p>Elaborate shoulder</p><p>pads on nipped-in</p><p>blazers revisited</p><p>Rousteing’s earlier</p><p>work at the house, yet</p><p>the finale of satin</p><p>skintone-matched</p><p>sheath dresses made</p><p>the sharpest</p><p>statement: the last was</p><p>modelled by the 59-</p><p>year-old anti-ageism</p><p>influencer Paulina</p><p>Porizkova. France’s</p><p>first lady, Brigitte</p><p>Macron, 71, applauded</p><p>from the front row.</p><p>Given Rousteing has</p><p>successfully pushed</p><p>better racial</p><p>representation across</p><p>the industry in his 13</p><p>years at Balmain, is</p><p>the designer about to</p><p>do the same for age?</p><p>Anna Wintour, the Vogue</p><p>editor, and Sienna Miller,</p><p>the actress, were in the</p><p>front row (top left) as</p><p>Chloé unveiled its spring</p><p>2025 collection. Balmain</p><p>included a dress</p><p>modelled by 51-year-old</p><p>Paulina Porizkova</p><p>(second from right)</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 19</p><p>News</p><p>There is, astronomers have said, “fortu-</p><p>itous” news. It is possible that the Earth</p><p>and everything on it will not be</p><p>consumed in 6 billion years by a fiery</p><p>cataclysm. Instead, new evidence lends</p><p>support to the idea that a lifeless and</p><p>dead Earth might live on in cold and</p><p>sterile pointlessness, with the only</p><p>thing that remains of its past glories the</p><p>ruins of long-emptied cities.</p><p>The findings come from an observa-</p><p>tion of a star system 4,000 light years</p><p>away and, in a sense, billions of years in</p><p>Earth may avoid a fiery demise (but face icy oblivion instead)</p><p>our future. In this system, astronomers</p><p>have spotted a rocky planet orbiting a</p><p>white dwarf, a star that has exhausted</p><p>its nuclear fuel. Importantly, the white</p><p>dwarf is of a size that implies it was once</p><p>a star similar to our sun. The rocky</p><p>planet, meanwhile, is of a size and posi-</p><p>tion that implies it was once similar to</p><p>the Earth.</p><p>In the most commonly posited future</p><p>of our solar system, the Earth is inciner-</p><p>ated. As the Sun runs out of fuel, it will</p><p>expand into what is called a red giant.</p><p>This will be big enough to engulf Mer-</p><p>cury and Venus and, according to many</p><p>simulations, the Earth too. However,</p><p>this is not the only possible outcome.</p><p>There is enough uncertainty in the</p><p>calculations that there is a chance</p><p>Earth will escape. The key factor, said</p><p>Professor Chris Lintott, of the Univers-</p><p>ity of Oxford, who was not involved in</p><p>the research, is how fast the Sun gets</p><p>lighter. “As the Sun burns hydrogen</p><p>into helium, it is losing mass. As it en-</p><p>ters the unstable red giant phase, it will</p><p>lose more, which means that Earth</p><p>spirals outwards. The question is will</p><p>we spiral outward far enough to avoid</p><p>being engulfed by the red giant?” If we</p><p>do, this star system is a vision of what</p><p>that future might look like. According</p><p>to the researchers’ calculations,</p><p>published in the journal Nature</p><p>Astronomy, it is very plausible that the</p><p>planet they observe once orbited at the</p><p>same distance we do from our own sun</p><p>before moving out to about twice the</p><p>distance and escaping destruction.</p><p>“In this case, this system may provide</p><p>a possible glimpse into the distant</p><p>future of our solar system,” write the re-</p><p>searchers, from University of Califor-</p><p>nia San Diego. Rather than being oblit-</p><p>erated, it “represents a similar yet more</p><p>fortuitous future compared to that of</p><p>our own planet Earth.”</p><p>Without a warm star to heat it, that</p><p>fortuitous future might still seem a little</p><p>unpleasant. But Lintott said that that</p><p>was thinking about it the wrong way;</p><p>the real unpleasantness will come a lot</p><p>sooner.</p><p>“The bad news is still that the Sun is</p><p>heating up over time, and in about a bil-</p><p>lion years it will be hot enough to boil</p><p>away the Earth’s atmosphere. Whether</p><p>our planet survives as a charred husk or</p><p>not may seem less important once that</p><p>happens,” he said.</p><p>Tom Whipple Science Editor</p><p>A mother of five died after allegedly</p><p>getting a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) at</p><p>the home salon of a UK beautician who</p><p>told clients the non-surgical procedure</p><p>was safe.</p><p>Two people have been arrested on</p><p>suspicion of manslaughter after Alice</p><p>Webb, 33, died following a supposed</p><p>“liquid BBL” procedure, which involves</p><p>injecting hyaluronic acid-based fillers</p><p>into the buttocks rather than surgery.</p><p>Webb allegedly received the treat-</p><p>ment at Studio 23, which is run from</p><p>the semi-detached Victorian home of</p><p>Jemma Pawlyszyn, 39, and sits on a</p><p>quiet residential street in Gloucester.</p><p>Pawlyszyn, who offered treatments</p><p>and training from her home for other</p><p>beauticians, is friends with Jordan</p><p>Parke, 32, a cosmetic surgery influencer</p><p>and beautician who dubs himself the</p><p>Lip King. Yesterday Parke said he had</p><p>been arrested over Webb’s death, telling</p><p>Mail Online: “I can’t talk to anybody. I</p><p>was arrested but I’ve been released.”</p><p>Ambulances and police were called</p><p>to the property at about 11.30pm on</p><p>Monday and Webb was taken to the</p><p>Gloucestershire Royal Hospital but</p><p>died in the early hours of Tuesday.</p><p>It is understood to be the first death of</p><p>its kind on UK soil, though 28 Britons</p><p>have died as a result of cosmetic</p><p>surgery in Turkey since 2019, according</p><p>to the Foreign Office.</p><p>Neighbours said they saw two ambu-</p><p>lances arrive at the five-bedroom prop-</p><p>erty on Monday night and the next day</p><p>a police van pulled up outside and four</p><p>officers spent several hours loading</p><p>“technical machinery”, computers and</p><p>paperwork into the vehicle.</p><p>An advert for the liquid BBL pro-</p><p>cedure on Studio 23’s social media</p><p>channels earlier this year asked potent-</p><p>ial customers: “Looking to make that</p><p>booty pop this summer?” It went on to</p><p>describe</p><p>a liquid BBL as “a safe and</p><p>highly effective treatment” that uses</p><p>“precise filler injections to enhance the</p><p>volume and shape of the buttocks”.</p><p>Webb had recently begun offering</p><p>the treatment herself at her Crystal</p><p>Clear Aesthetics company in Wotton-</p><p>under-Edge, Gloucestershire.</p><p>Speaking outside the family home,</p><p>her partner, Dane Knight, 38, told</p><p>The Times: “I have five little ones in</p><p>there. We are grieving and our heads</p><p>are all over the place at the moment.</p><p>We don’t know what to say.”</p><p>Neighbours said the house from</p><p>which Studio 23 operates was bought</p><p>about 18 months ago by an older man</p><p>who substantially renovated it before</p><p>Pawlyszyn and her son moved in. A sign</p><p>for “Studio 23 Aesthetics Hair Beauty”</p><p>on a side entrance of the house was re-</p><p>moved yesterday afternoon after an</p><p>older man drove Pawlyszyn back to the</p><p>property. A neighbour said he was the</p><p>homeowner. When approached by The</p><p>Times outside the property, the man</p><p>said: “I am not telling you anything. It’s</p><p>way too early.”</p><p>A neighbour at an old address of</p><p>Pawlyszyn’s in Gloucester said they</p><p>would see Parke, who appeared on the</p><p>US reality TV series Botched in 2015,</p><p>come to her house to perform a treat-</p><p>ment “every month or so”.</p><p>Ashton Collins, director of Save Face,</p><p>a register of practitioners who offer</p><p>non-surgical cosmetic treatments, said</p><p>he had warned the government nine</p><p>months ago that intervention was nec-</p><p>essary to prevent deaths. “Liquid BBL</p><p>procedures are a crisis waiting to</p><p>happen,” he said. “They are advertised</p><p>on social media as ‘risk-free’, ‘cheaper’</p><p>alternatives to the surgical counterpart,</p><p>and that could not be further from the</p><p>truth. We have supported over 500</p><p>women who have suffered complica-</p><p>tions because of these treatments,</p><p>many of which have nearly died”</p><p>While non-surgical BBLs are not ille-</p><p>gal in the UK, last year Wolverhampton</p><p>city council barred a company from</p><p>carrying out the procedure after identi-</p><p>fying risks associated with their pro-</p><p>cesses, including blood clots and sepsis</p><p>and the potential for the death of body</p><p>tissues. Five local authorities in Essex</p><p>and Glasgow followed suit and have</p><p>banned certain companies from carry-</p><p>ing out liquid BBLs in their area.</p><p>Gloucestershire Police said that an</p><p>investigation led by the major crime</p><p>team was continuing.</p><p>The two arrested people have been</p><p>released on police bail.</p><p>Two arrests after ‘butt lift’ death</p><p>Behind the story</p><p>A</p><p>Brazilian butt lift is a</p><p>type of cosmetic</p><p>procedure designed to</p><p>make the buttocks</p><p>look bigger, plumper</p><p>and rounder. They are known as</p><p>BBLs and can be surgical or non-</p><p>surgical. Surgical procedures</p><p>involve removing fat from one</p><p>part of the body, such as the</p><p>thighs or tummy, then injecting it</p><p>into the bottom (Eleanor</p><p>Hayward writes).</p><p>Non-surgical BBLs involve</p><p>injecting liquid filler — made of</p><p>hyaluronic acid — directly into</p><p>the buttocks and are often</p><p>advertised as a cheaper and less</p><p>risky option. Patients are not</p><p>required to go under the knife, as</p><p>they do not need fat removed</p><p>from elsewhere in the body.</p><p>Brazilian butt lifts are legal in</p><p>the UK. Although surgical BBLs</p><p>can only be performed by</p><p>qualified surgeons, non-surgical</p><p>BBLs are unregulated and can be</p><p>performed at cosmetic clinics by</p><p>non-medically trained workers,</p><p>including beauticians and</p><p>hairdressers.</p><p>BBL surgery, which can cost up</p><p>to £8,000, has the highest death</p><p>rate of all cosmetic procedures.</p><p>The main concern is that the</p><p>injected fat can cause a fatal</p><p>blockage in a blood vessel in the</p><p>lungs. Other risks include scars,</p><p>bleeding, blood clots, infections</p><p>and haematomas, which occur</p><p>when blood collects underneath</p><p>the skin. It takes about six weeks</p><p>to recover from surgery and the</p><p>results are permanent.</p><p>Campaigners have warned that</p><p>non-surgical BBLs, which cost</p><p>£2,000 on average, are rising in</p><p>popularity and leading to life-</p><p>threatening complications.</p><p>Will Humphries</p><p>Southwest Correspondent Staff can inject</p><p>acid-based filler</p><p>without any</p><p>medical training</p><p>Alice Webb, left,</p><p>died after she</p><p>allegedly had a</p><p>non-surgical</p><p>Brazilian butt lift</p><p>procedure at the</p><p>home of Jemma</p><p>Pawlyszyn,</p><p>above. The</p><p>beautician is</p><p>friends with</p><p>Jordan Parke,</p><p>right, a cosmetic</p><p>surgery</p><p>influencer who</p><p>calls himself the</p><p>Lip King</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 21</p><p>News</p><p>In the year the cedar tree died, there</p><p>were still humans using stone axes.</p><p>Over the centuries the tree sank</p><p>beneath the clay soil. It was under-</p><p>ground for the Bronze Age and the</p><p>Iron Age, and for the arrival of the</p><p>steam engine. It lay undisturbed as the</p><p>industrial revolution drove growth, and</p><p>carbon emissions.</p><p>However, throughout, this tree,</p><p>buried in Canada, emitted no carbon</p><p>dioxide. Instead, when it was dug up</p><p>3,800 years on, scientists found that it</p><p>had not degraded in the way wood nor-</p><p>mally does. Preserved in soil without</p><p>oxygen it had, instead, stored almost all</p><p>its carbon in perpetuity.</p><p>Now researchers think that by recre-</p><p>ating its environment to produce a</p><p>“wood vault”, we could perhaps find a</p><p>cheap way to lock up carbon. If so, it</p><p>could be a new method of carbon</p><p>removal. “To capture CO2 out of thin air</p><p>consumes a lot of energy and is costly”,</p><p>said Ning Zeng, from the University of</p><p>Maryland.</p><p>“But if trees can do it for you, then</p><p>that cost is gone. We take advantage of</p><p>what nature already does really well,</p><p>sustainably and essentially for free:</p><p>photosynthesis.”</p><p>Every year, trees and plants remove</p><p>six times as much CO2 as humans emit</p><p>3,800-year-old tree could</p><p>hold key to carbon capture</p><p>through the use of fossil fuels. The</p><p>problem is, when those trees and plants</p><p>die they emit it right back — either</p><p>through burning or biodegrading.</p><p>Most plans for reaching net zero</p><p>require carbon removal, as well as</p><p>emissions reductions, and so scientists</p><p>are looking for ways to exploit the first</p><p>part of this process, photosynthesis,</p><p>while avoiding the second, decay. One</p><p>option under development is burning</p><p>biomass and then capturing the CO2 at</p><p>the chimney, to be pumped and stored</p><p>underground.</p><p>In a paper in the journal Science,</p><p>Zeng suggests that burying the trees</p><p>could be easier and cheaper. He and his</p><p>colleagues also argue that the four</p><p>millennia-old cedar tree, which was</p><p>dug out of the ground in 2013, is proof it</p><p>is possible. Crucially, with bacteria and</p><p>fungi unable to live in the deoxygenat-</p><p>ed clay soil, the tree had kept 95 per cent</p><p>of its carbon. In effect, it was becoming</p><p>a fossil fuel.</p><p>Stephen Smith, executive director of</p><p>CO2RE, a carbon removal institute at</p><p>Oxford University, said the cedar tree</p><p>was clearly a useful find. However, he</p><p>was wary of putting too much faith in it</p><p>yet. “I’m sceptical that it can make a big</p><p>dent in the climate, mainly because</p><p>trees are valuable in many other ways –</p><p>not least as natural havens of life, but</p><p>also for timber, food and fuel,” he said.</p><p>Tom Whipple Science Editor</p><p>British Airways has cancelled an offer</p><p>encouraging staff to take cut-price</p><p>flights on private jets, which it intro-</p><p>duced days before boasting of new</p><p>action to combat climate change.</p><p>The airline emailed employees last</p><p>week: “Ever wanted to experience fly-</p><p>ing in a private jet?”, announcing a perk</p><p>through a partnership with the firm</p><p>Platoon Aviation. Private jets have been</p><p>found to release up to 14 times more</p><p>pollution per passenger than a com-</p><p>mercial flight as they carry so few</p><p>people. Platoon uses Pilatus PC-24 jets</p><p>which carry eight passengers.</p><p>Three days later, BA announced that</p><p>it had signed a £9 million deal to be-</p><p>come the UK’s biggest buyer of carbon</p><p>dioxide removal credits. It called the</p><p>deal a key step in its “drive to accelerate</p><p>the airline’s climate change efforts.”</p><p>Insiders at BA said the timing showed</p><p>the company was not interested in</p><p>“true sustainability”, while Greenpeace</p><p>said it was “laughable” and accused the</p><p>airline of greenwashing.</p><p>Three years ago BA launched its</p><p>“Better World” strategy to make the air-</p><p>line’s operations more environmentally</p><p>friendly. In a video promoting Better</p><p>World this week, it said: “We recognise</p><p>that flying comes at a cost, and we need</p><p>to take urgent action to tackle the im-</p><p>pact it has on our planet.”</p><p>After being contacted by The Times,</p><p>the airline said it would withdraw the</p><p>private jet benefit. “This was an over-</p><p>sight and we’re removing it,” BA said.</p><p>One of the company’s staff perks is a</p><p>scheme allowing employees and their</p><p>companions to fly on heavily discount-</p><p>ed BA flights when there are spaces.</p><p>In an email last Friday, the firm’s chief</p><p>Private jet perk for</p><p>BA staff cut amid</p><p>‘greenwash’ claims</p><p>customer officer and its chief people,</p><p>corporate affairs and sustainability offi-</p><p>cer invited staff to bring friends and</p><p>family with them on private jets. “We’re</p><p>delighted to announce our new agree-</p><p>ment with private jet company, Platoon</p><p>Aviation,” they said.</p><p>Staff travel on the private jets would</p><p>not have been free, as BA needs to</p><p>charge a fee to cover airport taxes and</p><p>other costs. Employees could travel</p><p>from Barcelona to Leeds Bradford on a</p><p>PC-24 jet for €119 (£99), or from Malaga</p><p>to Ibiza for €94. Private jets account for</p><p>a growing share of carbon emissions,</p><p>with one in ten flights leaving a UK air-</p><p>port a private jet. That has alarmed</p><p>campaigners, who note that such flights</p><p>are 50 times more polluting than trains.</p><p>“British Airways has an extensive</p><p>back catalogue of greenwashing scan-</p><p>dals, but the company’s bosses must be</p><p>drunk if they think they can strike deals</p><p>with private jet companies, dish out</p><p>cheap flights on the most polluting</p><p>mode of transport, while trying to con-</p><p>vince us all that they’re attempting to</p><p>cut BA’s emissions by capturing carbon</p><p>from whisky,” said Georgia Whitaker, a</p><p>climate campaigner at Greenpeace UK.</p><p>On Monday BA announced a part-</p><p>nership with UK company Cur8 to cap-</p><p>ture and store CO2 from whisky distill-</p><p>eries and other approaches to mitigate</p><p>emissions from its fleet. The airline ex-</p><p>pects a third of its planned cut in emis-</p><p>sions by 2050 to come from paying</p><p>other industries to remove CO2.</p><p>BA also said that it had become a</p><p>“global alliance member” with Prince</p><p>William’s Earthshot Prize. The scheme</p><p>has five categories for its £1 million priz-</p><p>es, including “fix our climate”</p><p>Platoon Aviation did not respond to</p><p>requests for comment.</p><p>Adam Vaughan Environment Editor</p><p>River rising Fields and parts of St Ives in Cambridgeshire were flooded when the Great Ouse overflowed after heavy rain</p><p>“</p><p>Pension</p><p>Power-up</p><p>We need to get back on track after</p><p>stopping contributions.</p><p>Friends Katie and Harriet signed up to Pension Power-up, Times Money</p><p>Mentor’s newsletter course to supercharge your retirement savings,</p><p>to tackle the impact of self-employment and motherhood on</p><p>their pensions.</p><p>Find out how they got on in the paper tomorrow</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 23</p><p>News</p><p>Two environmental activists who</p><p>threw tomato soup over Van Gogh’s</p><p>Sunflowers should be spared jail</p><p>because their actions belong to the</p><p>“well-established tradition of creative</p><p>iconoclasm”, a group of art profession-</p><p>als have said.</p><p>In October 2022, Phoebe Plummer</p><p>and Anna Holland, both 22, were</p><p>filmed throwing two tins of Heinz</p><p>tomato soup over the 19th-century</p><p>masterpiece at the National Gallery in</p><p>There isn’t a straight line on the</p><p>Houses of Parliament. You can</p><p>almost feel the brush murmuring,</p><p>refusing to commit to anything as</p><p>certain as an outline.</p><p>I saw the exhibition on the greyest</p><p>of days and walked down the Strand</p><p>scowling at the city for not being</p><p>more like a magical Monet.</p><p>Until January 19, courtauld.ac.uk</p><p>Monet’s smog</p><p>is so magical</p><p>it’ll leave you</p><p>misty-eyed</p><p>Visual art Laura Freeman</p><p>Monet and London:</p><p>Views of the Thames</p><p>Courtauld, WC2</p><p>HHHHH</p><p>Bring back smog! That was the</p><p>conclusion I drew from the</p><p>Courtauld’s glorious Monet and</p><p>London exhibition. These aren’t the</p><p>lowering, mourning smogs of</p><p>Dickens, but smogs conjured up by a</p><p>sorcerer, in enchanting, unearthly</p><p>hues. Book your tickets now for this</p><p>bijou blockbuster. While there is</p><p>much to admire at the British</p><p>Museum’s Silk Roads (more than 300</p><p>objects, in fact) and at the National</p><p>Gallery’s Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers</p><p>(60 paintings and drawings), Monet</p><p>knocks your socks off in 21</p><p>transporting scenes.</p><p>The focus is precise: views of the</p><p>Thames painted by the impressionist</p><p>Claude Monet during three long trips</p><p>to London, in 1899, 1900 and 1901,</p><p>many, but not all, from the Savoy, a</p><p>stone’s throw along the river from the</p><p>Courtauld. It’s the exhibition Monet</p><p>had hoped to stage during his lifetime.</p><p>It may have taken 120 years, but it is</p><p>more than worth the wait.</p><p>I thought this exhibition might be</p><p>samey. How wrong I was. Landmarks</p><p>may recur (Charing Cross Bridge,</p><p>Waterloo Bridge, the Houses of</p><p>Parliament) but the sky, the light, the</p><p>water, the brushwork: all are infinitely</p><p>varied. Asked to spot the key colour</p><p>in each painting you might start with</p><p>certainty, but the more you look, the</p><p>more others call out: an illicit slick of</p><p>scarlet or an upstart pool of turquoise</p><p>you could swear wasn’t there before.</p><p>You almost have to go back and forth,</p><p>returning to each piece more than</p><p>once as your eyes adjust and readjust</p><p>to the changing light.</p><p>These aren’t strictly “in situ”</p><p>pictures: Monet returned to the</p><p>canvases at his studio in Giverny, in</p><p>some cases years later; they are</p><p>fantasies, not topographical portraits:</p><p>soup up the peasoupers, a little more</p><p>flash on the water, don’t hold the</p><p>smog. The textures are as changeable</p><p>as the colours: scumbled suns,</p><p>pickable impasto, crusted ridges of</p><p>paint and sulphurous sfumato effects,</p><p>not so much brushed as blown on.</p><p>London’s landmarks may recur but the colours are rewardingly varied in the impressionist’s scenes from his three trips to the city at the turn of the 20th century</p><p>Artists hail ‘iconoclast’ Van Gogh vandals</p><p>Laurence Sleator central London. Earlier this year they</p><p>were found guilty of criminal damage</p><p>after a court was told that the soup</p><p>caused an estimated £10,000 worth of</p><p>damage to the picture’s frame. They</p><p>will be sentenced today at Southwark</p><p>crown court, with Judge Christopher</p><p>Hehir previously telling them to arrive</p><p>“prepared in practical and emotional</p><p>terms to go to prison”.</p><p>Before their court date more than</p><p>100 artists, curators and art historians</p><p>signed a letter likening the Just Stop Oil</p><p>activists to the suffragettes, and said</p><p>their actions will “enrich the story and</p><p>social meaning of Sunflowers”. In the</p><p>letter, which was co-ordinated by</p><p>Greenpeace UK, they said that the act</p><p>“connects entirely to the artistic canon”</p><p>of iconoclasm — the rejection or</p><p>destruction of images or monuments</p><p>often for religious or political reasons.</p><p>It then went on to compare the</p><p>actions to the graffiti of Banksy, the</p><p>German artist Gustav Metzger and his</p><p>auto-destructive art and the modifica-</p><p>tion paintings of Asger Jorn. “The work</p><p>of all these iconoclasts, often far more</p><p>physically destructive than the work of</p><p>JSO [Just Stop Oil], is now venerated in</p><p>museums around the world,” the letter</p><p>said. They also praised the soup-</p><p>covered artwork, saying it made the</p><p>painting resemble an abstract Jackson</p><p>Pollock-style piece.</p><p>“Their iconoclasm was temporary, a</p><p>sight to behold to make their protest,”</p><p>they added. “Judge Hehir should refrain</p><p>from punishing Plummer and Holland</p><p>with custodial sentences for upholding</p><p>a centuries-old tradition of calling on</p><p>our social conscience through art.”</p><p>Phoebe Plummer, left, and Anna</p><p>Holland will be sentenced today</p><p>We are rated EXCELLENT</p><p>24 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>Harrods “failed” its workers by not</p><p>dealing with the “toxic culture of secre-</p><p>cy, intimidation, fear of repercussion</p><p>and sexual misconduct” under</p><p>Mohamed Al Fayed, the managing</p><p>director of the business has said.</p><p>Michael Ward, who worked for four</p><p>years under Fayed, said he was “not</p><p>aware” of the Egyptian businessman’s</p><p>“criminality and abuse” and would have</p><p>acted had he known.</p><p>Ward, 68, was appointed by Fayed at</p><p>the Knightsbridge department store</p><p>and has faced calls from lawyers</p><p>representing</p><p>alleged victims to say</p><p>what he knew.</p><p>Last week Fayed, who died last year,</p><p>was accused of rape and sexual assault</p><p>by many women over a period of at</p><p>least 20 years. Lawyers acting for his</p><p>accusers said yesterday that they had</p><p>received new allegations relating to his</p><p>ownership of Fulham Football Club.</p><p>Ward, 68, said in a written statement:</p><p>“As managing director of Harrods, I</p><p>wanted to convey my personal horror</p><p>at the revelations that have emerged</p><p>over the past week. We have all seen the</p><p>survivors bravely speak about the terri-</p><p>ble abuse they suffered at the hands of</p><p>Harrods’ former owner Mohamed</p><p>the review takes place. One of these</p><p>roles is believed to be with the Royal</p><p>Ballet and Opera, The Guardian</p><p>reported.</p><p>The allegations emerged in a BBC</p><p>documentary last week, which identi-</p><p>fied at least 20 alleged victims of the</p><p>tycoon, including five who said they</p><p>had been raped. Scotland Yard later</p><p>revealed three previously unknown</p><p>allegations against Fayed that were in-</p><p>vestigated but did not result in charges.</p><p>The Metropolitan Police said they</p><p>were looking into whether any-</p><p>Harrods boss: I</p><p>didn’t know about</p><p>Fayed’s criminality</p><p>Fayed. As we have already stated, we</p><p>failed our colleagues and for that we are</p><p>deeply sorry.</p><p>“As someone who has worked at</p><p>Harrods since 2006, and therefore</p><p>worked for Fayed until the change of</p><p>ownership in 2010, I feel it is important</p><p>to make it clear that I was not aware of</p><p>his criminality and abuse.</p><p>“While it is true that rumours of his</p><p>behaviour circulated in the public</p><p>domain, no charges or allegations were</p><p>ever put to me by the police, the CPS,</p><p>internal channels or others. Had they</p><p>been, I would of course have acted im-</p><p>mediately.</p><p>“Fayed, who owned Harrods from</p><p>1985 to 2010, operated this business as</p><p>his own personal fiefdom. It is now clear</p><p>that he presided over a toxic culture of</p><p>secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercus-</p><p>sion and sexual misconduct. The pic-</p><p>ture that is now emerging suggests that</p><p>he did this wherever he operated.”</p><p>He added that the business today was</p><p>“unrecognisable” from the one under</p><p>Fayed and that a settlement process</p><p>and an independent review had been</p><p>established.</p><p>Ward, who has previously spoken of</p><p>his “many happy years with</p><p>Mohamed”, said he would step back</p><p>from a number of charity roles while</p><p>Laurence Sleator</p><p>one “could be pursued for criminal</p><p>offences” in relation to allegations</p><p>against Fayed and asked any potential</p><p>victims to come forward.</p><p>The forced added: “It is not possible</p><p>for criminal proceedings to be brought</p><p>against someone who has died.</p><p>However, we must ensure we fully</p><p>explore whether any other individuals</p><p>could be pursued for any criminal</p><p>offences. As such, we are carrying out</p><p>full reviews of all existing allegations</p><p>reported to us ... to ensure there are no</p><p>new lines of inquiry.”</p><p>Mohamed Al Fayed hired the present boss of Harrods, Michael Ward, in 2006</p><p>Youth pastor’s</p><p>status let him</p><p>‘abuse power’</p><p>Kaya Burgess</p><p>Religious Affairs Correspondent</p><p>His status as a “spiritual celebrity”</p><p>allowed one of the world’s most promi-</p><p>nent youth pastors to get away with</p><p>bullying, manipulating, massaging and</p><p>wrestling young men who attended his</p><p>church group, a report has alleged.</p><p>The Rev Mike Pilavachi was the</p><p>founder of Soul Survivor, a Christian</p><p>movement that has a church in</p><p>Watford and ran youth festivals and</p><p>training schemes for aspiring priests.</p><p>An independent review said it heard</p><p>“credible and consistent evidence” of</p><p>“bullying and abuses of power” by</p><p>Pilavachi over decades. It found that</p><p>concerns were not acted on because he</p><p>was seen as a “spiritual celebrity and the</p><p>anointed leader” of Soul Survivor.</p><p>A report by the barrister Fiona Scold-</p><p>ing KC published yesterday noted: “[Pi-</p><p>lavachi] manipulated and controlled</p><p>others, bullied and sought to abuse his</p><p>power to those whom he worked along-</p><p>side.” The report said that Pilavachi</p><p>engaged in private, one-on-one wres-</p><p>tling sessions with young men from the</p><p>1990s possibly until the 2010s. It also</p><p>noted that in the 2000s, he gave one-</p><p>on-one massages to young men, who</p><p>were often partially clothed or in their</p><p>underwear, while lying on his bed.</p><p>Pilavachi could not be reached for</p><p>comment. He resigned from the board</p><p>of the church last year.</p><p>Buckle up, this is going</p><p>to be a close one</p><p>Gerard Baker</p><p>Page 27</p><p>the contours of domestic policy will</p><p>be set by Reeves’s Treasury.</p><p>At last week’s cabinet meeting the</p><p>chancellor complained that the</p><p>Conservatives had raided capital</p><p>budgets for day-to-day spending. She</p><p>warned that this government would</p><p>struggle if it did not make “decisions</p><p>to invest in the future”, building</p><p>“quality schools and hospitals” with</p><p>private investment leveraged in by</p><p>strategic state borrowing. Louise</p><p>Haigh, who as transport secretary</p><p>will have to deliver much of the stuff</p><p>that voters will notice come 2029,</p><p>similarly spoke of the need to</p><p>separate day-to-day outlay from</p><p>capital spending.</p><p>We will know soon enough</p><p>whether this suggestion of more</p><p>borrowing amounts to a change of</p><p>substance. Reeves knew it would set</p><p>hares running but also that it must</p><p>be more than a suggestion if voters</p><p>are to notice. The chancellor has</p><p>always believed in the case for a</p><p>more strategic, interventionist state:</p><p>is she now confident the markets will</p><p>permit her to make it? Only the</p><p>budget will tell us. But here’s a</p><p>conclusion we can make now:</p><p>Starmer’s political future is once</p><p>again in the hands of Rachel Reeves.</p><p>Only she can ensure he ends up in</p><p>a better place than he started.</p><p>Only one woman can rescue Starmer now</p><p>After an uneasy conference, everything is riding on the chancellor if Labour is to reclaim the initiative it has squandered</p><p>a bogeywoman for others in</p><p>government and shares his</p><p>instinctive dislike of media scrutiny</p><p>is hardly helping. Reeves, by contrast,</p><p>does the politics herself. Corfield was</p><p>quickly moved off the civil service</p><p>payroll, news of her gifted clothes</p><p>was buried by her disavowal of future</p><p>donations and hints of new fiscal</p><p>rules that will permit more</p><p>borrowing for investment suggest her</p><p>budget speech will amount to more</p><p>than a funeral toll of tax rises and</p><p>spending cuts.</p><p>Reeves’s embrace of borrowing to</p><p>invest is surely the most</p><p>consequential decision the</p><p>government will make this year. And</p><p>make no mistake, it is the chancellor’s</p><p>decision. One of the casualties of</p><p>Gray’s drive to slim down the ranks</p><p>of spads has been a dedicated</p><p>economic adviser in No 10, and so</p><p>Rachel Reeves has suggested she will</p><p>raise borrowing in her October budget</p><p>colleagues wavering on Jeremy</p><p>Corbyn’s readmission as a Labour</p><p>MP; only at her insistence do we no</p><p>longer talk of the £28 billion a year</p><p>in climate investment to which she</p><p>and Starmer were once committed.</p><p>These are the decisions the people</p><p>in No 10 believe put them there.</p><p>Similarly, the budget Reeves delivers</p><p>— the things she chooses to tax, the</p><p>spending she chooses to cut, the</p><p>people she chooses to disappoint —</p><p>will determine the length of Labour’s</p><p>tenancy at that same SW1 address.</p><p>Before we consider what that</p><p>budget might look like, we should</p><p>pause to examine something that has</p><p>largely escaped comment in recent</p><p>weeks. If we accept that Starmer has</p><p>made avoidable mistakes, the</p><p>chancellor has made the very same.</p><p>It was Reeves’s hiring of the</p><p>investment banker and Labour donor</p><p>Ian Corfield to a Treasury civil</p><p>service job that set in train all these</p><p>damaging allegations of cronyism.</p><p>Like the prime minister and Angela</p><p>Rayner, she took clothes from</p><p>another donor. Her cut to the winter</p><p>fuel allowance united the Daily Mail</p><p>and the trade unions in the most</p><p>unlikely partnership since the</p><p>marriage of Liza Minelli and David</p><p>Gest. And the fact Reeves delivered</p><p>her conference speech through a</p><p>rictus grin suggests she knows she</p><p>must offer more than a fatalistic</p><p>commentary on the £22 billion black</p><p>hole in the public finances.</p><p>There the similarities with the</p><p>prime minister end. When Starmer is</p><p>confronted with an obvious political</p><p>difficulty, it takes him time</p><p>to alight</p><p>on a political solution. He tends to</p><p>argue the toss and ask why someone</p><p>else has not presented him with an</p><p>answer before weighing the evidence</p><p>and reaching the conclusion those</p><p>around him had reached months</p><p>ago. That his gatekeeper has become</p><p>W</p><p>ell, at least things</p><p>didn’t get any worse.</p><p>That is probably the</p><p>fairest assessment</p><p>one can make of Sir</p><p>Keir Starmer’s first Labour conference</p><p>as prime minister. By turns it was</p><p>tense, jubilant and flat. But it ended in</p><p>a better place than it started.</p><p>There has been a touch of Ronnie</p><p>Biggs about the prime minister this</p><p>week. Just as things looked lost, he</p><p>broke out of reality and sought</p><p>refuge in celebrity company in a</p><p>party city. OK, OK, Starmer’s</p><p>Monday night dinner with football’s</p><p>Jamie Carragher and Conor Coady</p><p>didn’t quite match the Great Train</p><p>Robber’s benders with the Sex Pistols</p><p>on the Copacabana. But when you’re</p><p>feeling as angry and irritable as I</p><p>hear the prime minister has been of</p><p>late, anything counts as an escape.</p><p>Starmer, like Biggs, has since</p><p>made himself busy on the other side</p><p>of the Atlantic but — however</p><p>unappetising a prospect this must be</p><p>— he’ll soon have to come home and</p><p>face the consequences of his own</p><p>decisions. Hiring Sue Gray as chief of</p><p>staff, accepting so much of Lord Alli’s</p><p>largesse, cutting the winter fuel</p><p>allowance, talking down the British</p><p>economy: critics of any one or all</p><p>of these were not hard to find in</p><p>Liverpool. Or, indeed, around the</p><p>cabinet table.</p><p>Conference didn’t really settle</p><p>anything but, then again, it was</p><p>never going to. That will come next</p><p>month and, as so often, the prime</p><p>minister will be relying on somebody</p><p>else to do the hard stuff for him.</p><p>For what it’s worth, Labour’s</p><p>internal research suggests voters</p><p>quite liked Starmer’s speech,</p><p>particularly the passages where he</p><p>spoke of the trade-offs to come and</p><p>the peroration’s promise of a better</p><p>country. Some, though enthusiastic</p><p>about what they heard, questioned</p><p>whether it can be delivered and how</p><p>it might be paid for.</p><p>Inside government, the audience is</p><p>just as sceptical. Downing Street</p><p>increasingly resembles a vacuum —</p><p>the cabinet secretary will be gone by</p><p>Christmas, cabinet ministers are</p><p>briefing against Gray and Starmer is</p><p>still without a principal private</p><p>secretary — so, for now, direction</p><p>must come from someone else.</p><p>In this Labour Party, “someone</p><p>else” is always Rachel Reeves.</p><p>Everything now hinges on the budget</p><p>on October 30 and, with it, the</p><p>political judgment of the chancellor.</p><p>One of the few threads of</p><p>consistency in Starmer’s leadership is</p><p>his reliance on Reeves. Whether you</p><p>agreed with it or not, any one of the</p><p>tough decisions the prime minister</p><p>prays in aid as evidence of his</p><p>ruthlessness was probably made by</p><p>the chancellor or by Morgan</p><p>McSweeney, his chief strategist — or</p><p>both of them. And the chances are it</p><p>was better explained by Wes</p><p>Streeting, too.</p><p>It was Reeves who persuaded the</p><p>shadow cabinet they should vote</p><p>through Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal;</p><p>she held the line and overruled</p><p>There has been a touch</p><p>of Ronnie Biggs about</p><p>the PM this week</p><p>Contours of domestic</p><p>policy will now be set</p><p>by Reeves’s Treasury</p><p>Comment</p><p>red box</p><p>For the best analysis</p><p>and commentary on</p><p>the political landscape</p><p>Patrick</p><p>Maguire</p><p>@patrickkmaguire</p><p>Take part in our inaugural Sunday Times 100 Tech</p><p>ranking of Britain’s fastest-growing tech firms.</p><p>Enter by October 7 at thetimes.com/st100tech or scan the QR code</p><p>Celebrating tech</p><p>entrepreneurs in Britain</p><p>ANNUAL GUIDES</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 25</p><p>26 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Comment</p><p>near the road, like Michael Holding</p><p>at Lord’s. How no one went home</p><p>with a broken wrist God knows.</p><p>So, happy days. Then, a few</p><p>years ago I told my dad I was</p><p>thinking of buying a beach hut</p><p>too. “Don’t do that,” he counselled.</p><p>And he explained. The problem</p><p>with beach huts, he said, is not so</p><p>much that you can’t get them</p><p>insured or that they get</p><p>squatted in by ne’er-do-</p><p>wells or even that, at the</p><p>end of a bad winter, you</p><p>could end up the proud</p><p>owner of four stilts and a</p><p>collection of driftwood</p><p>halfway to France.</p><p>It’s the tyranny of</p><p>presence. Once you have</p><p>a beach hut, he said, you</p><p>never go anywhere else.</p><p>We used to have days by</p><p>the sea all over Essex,</p><p>even down to Kent if the</p><p>fancy took us. Once we</p><p>bought a beach hut, no</p><p>more. If the sun came</p><p>out, Southend it was. We</p><p>had a responsibility. We</p><p>were expected in the</p><p>same place, all the time.</p><p>Like Nigel Farage and</p><p>Clacton. He wanted to be</p><p>an MP, and now he’s an</p><p>MP. And now everyone</p><p>expects him to keep</p><p>turning up in</p><p>Clacton. And Nigel doesn’t want to</p><p>go to Clacton. He much prefers</p><p>Washington DC or Kuala Lumpur or</p><p>Mar-a-Lago. It’s where the money is.</p><p>The irony being that when we had</p><p>the beach hut in Southend, my dad</p><p>missed going to Clacton. He</p><p>actually liked it down there.</p><p>Maybe he should be their MP.</p><p>Nigel’s unsafe seat</p><p>Handily, though,</p><p>Nigel at least has</p><p>an excuse for not</p><p>visiting Clacton.</p><p>Parliament won’t allow</p><p>him to, in case he gets</p><p>stabbed. At least, that</p><p>was what he told</p><p>listeners to a radio</p><p>show on LBC.</p><p>Asked why he</p><p>was yet to hold a</p><p>surgery in a town he</p><p>ostensibly represented,</p><p>he explained that the</p><p>Speaker’s office had a</p><p>security team advising</p><p>MPs on what they should</p><p>and shouldn’t do, and</p><p>their advice to the MP</p><p>for Clacton was to stay</p><p>clear of Clacton, lest he</p><p>be murdered. Although</p><p>when this was put to</p><p>parliament’s security</p><p>services it’s fair to</p><p>say recollections varied.</p><p>G</p><p>rowing up, we had a</p><p>beach hut in Southend.</p><p>Nothing fancy. Not one</p><p>of those that now fetch</p><p>thousands and make</p><p>all the glossiest magazines.</p><p>It was simply a hut, on the beach,</p><p>in Thorpe Bay. I remember the day</p><p>we bought it. Me and my brother</p><p>were sent off to look for crabs and by</p><p>the time we came back we owned a</p><p>humble seaside abode. Great fun.</p><p>Any day it was sunny we’d all pile in</p><p>the car and drive east along the A127,</p><p>often with my nan and grandad too.</p><p>The day was spent in the water or, if</p><p>the tide was out, walking to the</p><p>wreck of the Mulberry harbour, the</p><p>floating dock used on D-Day, and</p><p>clambering all over the boats.</p><p>Then we’d play cricket on the</p><p>green at the back. Real ball, no pads.</p><p>My younger brother was Essex’s</p><p>opening bowler throughout his</p><p>school years. Left arm, fast. Began</p><p>his run-up kicking off the low wall</p><p>Labour’s big idea will prove Mission: Impossible</p><p>Running government as a series of special tasks is unworkable — just look at Camden council</p><p>switching electricity production from</p><p>gas to renewables, getting people to</p><p>drive less, shifting cars from petrol to</p><p>electricity and getting companies to</p><p>cut their emissions all involve cost,</p><p>inconvenience or both. Mazzucato</p><p>says in her book: “Our lethargic</p><p>transition pace [to net zero] is a</p><p>lesson in what can happen if the</p><p>government leaves the market to</p><p>sort out problems.” That’s nonsense.</p><p>The government has not left the</p><p>market to sort out net zero. It has</p><p>intervened energetically, through</p><p>taxation, subsidy and regulation. The</p><p>problem is not right-wing politicians</p><p>or stick-in-the-mud civil servants: it’s</p><p>voters, who are unwilling to pay the</p><p>price for changing the way they live.</p><p>Starmer’s missions will no doubt</p><p>have some effect on the workings</p><p>of government. More civil servants</p><p>will be employed in, for instance, the</p><p>“mission control” Ed Miliband has</p><p>just set up (which I hope looks</p><p>as much like Star Trek as it sounds).</p><p>They will trip over the other civil</p><p>servants trying to do the same job</p><p>in his department. Eventually</p><p>everybody will recognise that</p><p>missions are a wasteful distraction</p><p>and they will be quietly abandoned.</p><p>It’s worse than that, though,</p><p>because our system of government</p><p>needs real reform. We need a civil</p><p>service with more specialists, a prime</p><p>minister’s office fit for the job and a</p><p>second chamber that isn’t packed</p><p>with cronies. But while this ill-</p><p>conceived innovation is working</p><p>its way through the system, it will</p><p>discourage</p><p>and encourage the former presi-</p><p>dent of the United States to maintain</p><p>support for Ukraine if he wins the race</p><p>for the White House in November</p><p>Trump praised Starmer before their</p><p>meeting, telling reporters: “I actually</p><p>think he is very nice. He ran a great</p><p>race, he did very well. It’s very early but</p><p>he is popular.”</p><p>Starmer told the UN he would</p><p>“change how the UK does things”. The</p><p>Starmer: Britain will talk less</p><p>and listen more on world stage</p><p>Aubrey Allegretti Chief Political</p><p>Correspondent in New York</p><p>prime minister said he was focusing on</p><p>“moving from the paternalism of the</p><p>past towards a partnership for the</p><p>future — listening a lot more, speaking</p><p>a bit less, offering game-changing</p><p>British expertise and working together</p><p>in a spirit of equal respect”.</p><p>Starmer called on other nations to</p><p>maintain support for Ukraine and for</p><p>those that have been more sceptical to</p><p>toughen their stance. He said: “People</p><p>talk about an age of polarisation, impu-</p><p>nity, instability; an unravelling of the</p><p>UN charter. And I fear that a sense of</p><p>fatalism has taken hold. Well, our task is</p><p>to say, ‘No, we won’t accept this slide in-</p><p>to greater and greater conflict, instabili-</p><p>ty and injustice. Instead, we will do all</p><p>we can to change it’.”</p><p>The prime minister called for more</p><p>countries to be permanently admitted</p><p>to the UN security council, which has 15</p><p>members, five of them permanent. He</p><p>said an African country should be</p><p>admitted, as well as members</p><p>representing Brazil, India, Japan and</p><p>Germany.</p><p>He also voiced support for boosting</p><p>the UK’s aid spending to 0.7 per cent</p><p>after it was cut by Rishi Sunak following</p><p>the pandemic. However, he stopped</p><p>short of saying when the change would</p><p>happen, only saying that it would be</p><p>“when fiscal circumstances allow”.</p><p>This week Starmer met Zelensky for</p><p>a 30-minute one-on-one talk. Ukraine</p><p>has been pushing the UK to let it use</p><p>British-made weapons to strike inside</p><p>Russia. UK officials say they are poised</p><p>to back the move but are awaiting</p><p>support from the US.</p><p>A decision about allowing Ukraine to</p><p>fire the Storm Shadow missiles into</p><p>Russia is being carefully managed.</p><p>Diplomatic sources have previously</p><p>told The Times an agreement could be</p><p>privately given to Ukraine without a</p><p>decision being made public until after</p><p>the missiles were used, in order to</p><p>maintain the element of surprise.</p><p>During his trip to the UN, Starmer</p><p>has prioritised meeting leaders he had</p><p>not encountered on foreign trips. He</p><p>has held talks with the leaders of Kenya,</p><p>Brazil, Palestine, Lebanon and Kuwait.</p><p>Starmer will visit Brussels next week</p><p>for talks with the president of the EU</p><p>Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.</p><p>The UK has announced an extra</p><p>£5 million for Lebanon to fund Unicef</p><p>aid workers distributing supplies to</p><p>those in need.</p><p>A planned national maths academy</p><p>that had been championed by Rishi</p><p>Sunak as a way of spotting the “Alan</p><p>Turings of the future” has been ditched</p><p>by the Labour government.</p><p>Mathematicians said they were dis-</p><p>appointed by the decision to scrap the</p><p>academy, which had been announced</p><p>by the former prime minister in May.</p><p>Sunak, who had made it a key goal to</p><p>improve the country’s numeracy,</p><p>hoped that the academy would raise</p><p>the profile of mathematics and put the</p><p>subject on a par with the other sciences.</p><p>It would have been the fifth national</p><p>academy, alongside the Royal Society,</p><p>the Royal Academy of Engineering,</p><p>The Academy of Medical Sciences and</p><p>the British Academy. At the time, Sunak</p><p>promised: “It will lead the way in arm-</p><p>ing our society with the skills and</p><p>knowledge to lead the globe in jobs of</p><p>the future — like AI and compute — to</p><p>discover the Alan Turing of tomorrow.”</p><p>Initial funding of £6 million had been</p><p>made available for an open competition</p><p>for organisations looking to set the</p><p>academy up but yesterday it was with-</p><p>drawn by the Department for Science,</p><p>Innovation and Technology without</p><p>WITHERING SLIGHT</p><p>Denied diaereses</p><p>for decades, the</p><p>Brontës’ are back</p><p>PAGE 11</p><p>TRUE GRIT</p><p>Unbearable pain in</p><p>Spain on a 790km</p><p>gravel bike race</p><p>PAGES 62-63</p><p>THE WEATHER</p><p>28</p><p>35</p><p>22</p><p>9</p><p>13</p><p>14</p><p>15</p><p>12</p><p>11</p><p>11</p><p>Rain across England and Wales will</p><p>slowly clear. Sunshine and showers</p><p>elsewhere.</p><p>Today’s highlights</p><p>DAB RADIO l ONLINE l SMART SPEAKER l APP</p><p>9.40am</p><p>2pm</p><p>6.15pm</p><p>6.30pm</p><p>7.30pm</p><p>Luton Town footballer Tom Lockyer on</p><p>having a cardiac arrest mid-match</p><p>Ruth Davidson, the former leader of the</p><p>Scottish Conservatives</p><p>The Post Office IT scandal campaigner</p><p>Sir Alan Bates discusses his week</p><p>The Ladder, with the broadcaster and</p><p>entrepreneur Jenni Falconer, right</p><p>Playwright and director Patrick Marber</p><p>on his latest theatre project</p><p>T O D AY ’ S E D I T I O N</p><p>SPORT TIMES2</p><p>TAKING THE RAP</p><p>The fall and fall of</p><p>hip-hop superstar</p><p>Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs</p><p>PAGES 2-3</p><p>THUNDERER 26</p><p>LETTERS 28</p><p>LEADING ARTICLES 29</p><p>WORLD 30</p><p>BUSINESS 35</p><p>REGISTER 53</p><p>SPORT 60</p><p>CROSSWORD 70</p><p>TV & RADIO TIMES2</p><p>Who are Hezbolllah</p><p>and will there be all-out</p><p>war in the Middle East?</p><p>As fighting intensifies between</p><p>Israel and the Iranian-backed</p><p>group, we explore who they</p><p>are, will there be war and could</p><p>other nations be dragged in?</p><p>Available on the Times Radio app or</p><p>wherever you get your podcasts</p><p>Story</p><p>The</p><p>OFFER</p><p>Save up to 30% with a subscription to</p><p>The Times and The Sunday Times</p><p>THETIMES.COM/SUBSCRIBE</p><p>COMMENT</p><p>‘Downing Street increasingly resembles a</p><p>vacuum. Everything now hinges on the budget’</p><p>PATRICK MAGUIRE, PAGE 25</p><p>changes would involve consultation</p><p>with the government’s independent</p><p>budget watchdog, the Office for Budget</p><p>Responsibility (OBR).</p><p>Richard Hughes, the head of the</p><p>OBR, has previously backed new fiscal</p><p>rules to “incentivise prudent invest-</p><p>ment decisions to address the long-</p><p>term challenges facing the UK”.</p><p>A Treasury spokesman said: “The</p><p>budget will be built on the rock of</p><p>economic stability, including robust fis-</p><p>cal rules ... these include moving the</p><p>current budget into balance, so that</p><p>day-to-day costs are met by revenues,</p><p>and debt falling as a share of the eco-</p><p>nomy by the fifth year.”</p><p>clude certain potential liabilities from</p><p>the calculation of debt. This could in-</p><p>clude student loans and the govern-</p><p>ment’s stake in banks such as NatWest,</p><p>which are judged as debts rather than</p><p>assets that could be realised.</p><p>Isabel Stockton, a senior research</p><p>economist at the Institute for Fiscal</p><p>Studies, said: “If those rules had been in</p><p>place for the March budget then the</p><p>headroom would have increased by</p><p>around £50 billion under both systems.</p><p>Obviously the fiscal position will be dif-</p><p>ferent in October — but it does indicate</p><p>the scale of the likely impact.”</p><p>Treasury officials insist that no final</p><p>decision has been taken and that debt</p><p>interest payments from any additional</p><p>borrowing would still have to be met</p><p>from tax receipts each year. Any</p><p>continued from page 1</p><p>Reeves may tweak debt rules</p><p>Labour scraps Sunak’s</p><p>national maths academy</p><p>Tom Whipple Science Editor any money being disbursed, although a</p><p>number of applications had already</p><p>been submitted.</p><p>Jens Marklof, the president of the</p><p>London Mathematical Society, said</p><p>that he felt it was a mistake. “Funding</p><p>for the academy could be a huge driver</p><p>of economic growth by improving the</p><p>flow of mathematical analysis, cutting-</p><p>edge research and technological inno-</p><p>vation into policymaking,” he said.</p><p>While the UK has risen ten places in</p><p>international league tables since 2009,</p><p>more than eight million adults in Brit-</p><p>ain have numeracy skills below those</p><p>expected of a 9-year-old and about a</p><p>third of young pupils fail GCSE maths.</p><p>Academics have warned that “maths</p><p>deserts” were forming at British univer-</p><p>sities because of cuts, meaning that</p><p>aspiring maths teachers could</p><p>no longer study the subject beyond</p><p>A-levels in their region.</p><p>The government said it “recognises</p><p>the essential, valuable contributions of</p><p>the mathematical sciences in science,</p><p>engineering, innovation and growth in</p><p>the UK and will explore how best to</p><p>provide support and promote mathe-</p><p>matics without supporting the creation</p><p>of a new national academy focused on</p><p>mathematical sciences”.</p><p>Musk would not attend,</p><p>more useful change.</p><p>Mazzucato may be a papal pal but</p><p>her ideas are not going to be the</p><p>salvation of this or any government.</p><p>since the launch of the missions — as</p><p>you would expect after the pandemic</p><p>— but by rather less than the London</p><p>average; the number of those in</p><p>education, employment and training</p><p>has risen by 0.6 per cent to a level</p><p>slightly below the London average.</p><p>If Camden’s renewal missions don’t</p><p>make much difference to the council’s</p><p>residents I wouldn’t be hugely</p><p>surprised because, having read</p><p>Mazzucato’s book Mission Economy, I</p><p>suspect Starmer has been sold a pup.</p><p>“Mission-driven government”</p><p>won’t work, for three reasons. First,</p><p>JFK’s mission was relatively simple</p><p>compared with any of Starmer’s.</p><p>Putting a man on the moon required</p><p>the building of a rocket, for which</p><p>almost limitless cash was available.</p><p>Building an NHS fit for the future</p><p>when there’s no more money</p><p>available would challenge the best</p><p>of America’s rocket scientists.</p><p>Second, the moon mission</p><p>succeeded because it had an</p><p>obsessive focus on a single aim.</p><p>Running a country isn’t like that.</p><p>While Starmer’s five missions are</p><p>important, he is also responsible for</p><p>immigration, social care, defence and</p><p>all the government’s other jobs. He</p><p>can’t walk away from his</p><p>responsibilities in one area simply</p><p>because another appears more</p><p>achievable or politically salient.</p><p>Third, the difficulty in getting to</p><p>the moon was technological. That</p><p>sort of challenge is relatively easy to</p><p>crack. The principal difficulties the</p><p>government faces are political.</p><p>That’s much harder. Take net zero.</p><p>We have all the technologies</p><p>necessary to clean up our energy</p><p>system by 2030. The problem is that</p><p>S</p><p>ir Keir Starmer loves a</p><p>mission. The word popped up</p><p>seven times in his Labour</p><p>conference speech. Its religious</p><p>flavour sits comfortably with</p><p>his passion for “service” and its</p><p>association with a famous economist</p><p>gives it intellectual heft.</p><p>Mariana Mazzucato, a professor</p><p>at University College London, has</p><p>popularised the idea of “mission-</p><p>driven” government. She is, by her</p><p>own admission, “in demand” — from</p><p>presidents, prime ministers, the UN,</p><p>EU and the World Economic Forum.</p><p>The Pope has appointed her to the</p><p>Pontifical Academy for “bringing</p><p>more humanity into the world”.</p><p>Mazzucato is a sort of lefty</p><p>Dominic Cummings, in that her</p><p>belief in the need for more state</p><p>intervention is matched by her</p><p>enthusiasm for blowing up traditional</p><p>systems of government. She believes</p><p>governments should build teams of</p><p>people focused on clear, measurable</p><p>objectives, as John F Kennedy did in</p><p>1961 to get a man on the moon in</p><p>1969. That mission demonstrated</p><p>how swiftly a single-minded effort</p><p>can achieve the seemingly impossible.</p><p>Starmer has bought into</p><p>Mazzucato’s vision. He name-checked</p><p>her this year when explaining that</p><p>his government would have five</p><p>missions: securing the highest growth</p><p>rate in the G7; making Britain a</p><p>clean-energy superpower; building an</p><p>NHS fit for the future; breaking down</p><p>barriers to opportunity; and making</p><p>the streets safe. The first “mission</p><p>board” has been established, under</p><p>Ed Miliband, to accelerate the</p><p>transition to net zero.</p><p>It will be some time before we can</p><p>pass judgment on this effort but,</p><p>helpfully, there’s one Mazzucato</p><p>made earlier, in the form of Camden</p><p>council’s Renewal Commission.</p><p>Launched in September 2020, it was</p><p>chaired by Mazzucato and Georgia</p><p>Gould, then Camden’s leader and</p><p>now a Labour minister. Its four</p><p>missions are to achieve “borough-</p><p>wide diversity in positions of power”,</p><p>“access to food for all”, “sustainable</p><p>neighbourhoods” and “opportunities</p><p>for young people”. The first three</p><p>have target dates of 2030 but the</p><p>fourth’s is 2025, so it seems</p><p>reasonable to expect it to have made</p><p>some difference by now.</p><p>The launch document says “we’ll</p><p>know we’re making progress” on</p><p>youth opportunities by measuring six</p><p>different indicators, so I asked the</p><p>council how they were looking. It</p><p>provided data on one of the six (youth</p><p>unemployment) and one that wasn’t</p><p>on the list (the proportion</p><p>of young people in education,</p><p>employment and training). When I</p><p>pressed for the others, I got the brush-</p><p>off. Looking at the two data sets,</p><p>youth unemployment has dropped</p><p>Going to the moon</p><p>was easy compared</p><p>with refitting the NHS</p><p>“Do I have an office in Clacton?”</p><p>said Farage. “Yes. Am I allowing the</p><p>public to flow through the door with</p><p>knives in their pockets? No, I’m not.”</p><p>He cited Sir David Amess, the</p><p>Southend MP slain at a constituency</p><p>surgery in 2021. Yet no MP would</p><p>meet voters again if Amess’s tragic</p><p>death was treated as representative.</p><p>Anyway, is this really what the</p><p>local MP thinks of Clacton? That it’s</p><p>populated by tooled-up maniacs?</p><p>Rather strikes at the idea that</p><p>Farage’s presence is going to put the</p><p>place on the map. As what exactly?</p><p>Farage, who draws an MP’s salary of</p><p>£91,346 plus expenses, is the literal</p><p>embodiment of a man who wouldn’t</p><p>go to Clacton even if they paid him.</p><p>What sort of advert is that?</p><p>Critical surgery</p><p>Nadine Dorries did not hold</p><p>a surgery in her Mid-</p><p>Bedfordshire constituency</p><p>from March 2020 to when she stood</p><p>down as a Conservative MP in</p><p>August 2023. Farage may go the</p><p>same way. It shouldn’t be allowed.</p><p>MPs should be compelled to hold</p><p>at least three in-person surgeries</p><p>each year or face an election.</p><p>Dorries, like Farage, was often</p><p>described as a populist. Funny how</p><p>these populists often seem so</p><p>reluctant to meet holders of the</p><p>popular vote. If Farage is so</p><p>popular, what’s he worried about?</p><p>Martin Samuel Notebook</p><p>Beware the</p><p>beach hut —</p><p>there may be</p><p>no escape</p><p>The use of donor’s</p><p>penthouse pad</p><p>was flat-out wrong</p><p>Jawad Iqbal</p><p>T</p><p>he prime minister has only</p><p>himself to blame for the</p><p>mounting questions over</p><p>gifts and donations he</p><p>received from Lord Alli, the</p><p>multimillionaire Labour supporter,</p><p>which now include the Starmer</p><p>family’s use of an £18 million</p><p>penthouse in central London.</p><p>Sir Keir Starmer used the</p><p>apartment to film TV statements to</p><p>the nation, including one about the</p><p>Christmas 2021 lockdown aimed at</p><p>limiting the spread of a new strain of</p><p>Covid-19. The rules said people</p><p>should work from home where</p><p>possible. In the video, the Labour</p><p>leader appeared to be speaking from</p><p>his own house — the shelves behind</p><p>him were lined with Christmas cards</p><p>and a photograph of his family. What</p><p>could possibly be wrong about a</p><p>“work from home” message delivered</p><p>from someone else’s apartment?</p><p>Starmer used the same location in</p><p>2022 to deliver a sombre address</p><p>about the Queen’s death. He did not</p><p>declare the use of the flat on either</p><p>occasion because it fell below the</p><p>threshold for registering donations.</p><p>Starmer moved in for a month and</p><p>a half during the general election</p><p>campaign and declared a £20,000</p><p>donation. Yet his latest explanation</p><p>begs more questions. He said he</p><p>needed the flat to help his 16-year-</p><p>old son revise for his GCSEs in</p><p>“peace”. Journalists and protesters</p><p>were gathered outside his north</p><p>London townhouse and “any parent</p><p>would have made the same decision”.</p><p>To be fair, it is easy to forget that</p><p>politicians have as much right as</p><p>anyone to a normal family life. But is</p><p>it wise for Starmer to drag his son</p><p>into a toxic political row? How many</p><p>other parents have access to a free</p><p>luxury flat as a revision sanctuary</p><p>for their children?</p><p>Why does this matter? Well, it is</p><p>not a good look for a leader who has</p><p>portrayed himself as “Mr Integrity”</p><p>and promised to restore standards in</p><p>public life. He can hardly complain if</p><p>his own behaviour attracts scrutiny.</p><p>Downing Street insists no rules</p><p>have been broken — a now-familiar</p><p>defence of “freebies” that entirely</p><p>misses the point. It isn’t about the</p><p>rules, stupid, but about right and</p><p>wrong. This damaging row could</p><p>have been swiftly scotched with an</p><p>equivalent value of the donation to</p><p>charity, together with an</p><p>acknowledgment that it was an error</p><p>to take the gifts in the first place.</p><p>Trying to justify the unjustifiable</p><p>has</p><p>only made things worse.</p><p>Someone senior in the Downing</p><p>Street bunker needs to summon up</p><p>the courage to tell the prime minister</p><p>it is time to stop digging.</p><p>Starmer used the</p><p>apartment to film TV</p><p>speeches to the nation</p><p>Emma</p><p>Duncan</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 27</p><p>Comment</p><p>Buy prints or signed copies of Times cartoons from our Print Gallery at timescartoons.com or call 0800 912 7136</p><p>Buckle up, this is going to be a close one</p><p>Polls point to an incredibly narrow race but they badly underestimated Trump’s white working-class support in 2016</p><p>a winner-take-all system for deciding</p><p>how electoral votes are allocated,</p><p>Democrats pile up huge votes and</p><p>vast majorities in some big states.</p><p>They win California, the largest, and</p><p>New York, the fourth-largest, by a</p><p>mile. Republicans win narrower</p><p>majorities in big states such as Texas</p><p>and Florida, producing a similar</p><p>electoral college total on a much</p><p>smaller share of the vote.</p><p>As a result, a Democrat needs a</p><p>lead in the popular vote of about</p><p>three percentage points to be sure of</p><p>winning the electoral college — and</p><p>that margin is more than Harris</p><p>currently has.</p><p>That may be changing, however.</p><p>As Nate Cohn, a polling analyst for</p><p>The New York Times, pointed out</p><p>this week, Trump is actually doing</p><p>much better in big Democratic</p><p>states, especially New York, but not</p><p>by enough to win. He is therefore</p><p>increasing his “wasted” votes and</p><p>reducing the Republicans’ electoral</p><p>college advantage.</p><p>One thing is certain: it will be</p><p>another cliffhanger, with the result</p><p>not known for days, as late postal</p><p>ballots are counted in the closest</p><p>states. So we can update</p><p>Khrushchev’s uncertainty principle:</p><p>The problem with free elections in</p><p>the US is not merely that we don’t</p><p>know in advance who’s going to win;</p><p>these days we don’t know who’s won</p><p>even after it has happened.</p><p>average of four points in the crucial</p><p>states — and came up just short.</p><p>All of this suggests a slight</p><p>advantage for Trump this time. In</p><p>Michigan, Pennsylvania and</p><p>Wisconsin, the three states likely to</p><p>decide the outcome, he trails by tiny</p><p>margins — but these are the states</p><p>where he has most outperformed</p><p>polls in the past. Pollsters think the</p><p>reason is that they have not</p><p>adequately surveyed the white</p><p>working-class vote, which is much</p><p>larger here and which is</p><p>overwhelmingly pro-Trump. They</p><p>think their models are better this</p><p>time — but who knows?</p><p>Third, there is the intriguing</p><p>possibility that the inbuilt advantage</p><p>Republicans have enjoyed in the</p><p>electoral college may be diminishing.</p><p>This has allowed them to lose the</p><p>popular vote (by more than two</p><p>percentage points in 2016) but win</p><p>when voters’ preferences are</p><p>translated into the electoral college</p><p>votes (by 304 to 227 for Trump over</p><p>Clinton that year).</p><p>Because of the overweighting of</p><p>small states in the electoral college</p><p>and the fact that almost all states use</p><p>Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The</p><p>polls pointed to a comfortable</p><p>majority in the electoral college. She</p><p>wound up losing them all.</p><p>In 2020, Biden’s lead at this stage</p><p>was even bigger. He was ahead by</p><p>seven percentage points in the</p><p>national vote and led by solid</p><p>margins in nine of ten states —</p><p>enough to give him what should</p><p>have been an even more comfortable</p><p>majority in the electoral college.</p><p>Instead, he ended up winning by</p><p>only the slimmest of margins in the</p><p>key states.</p><p>This time, Harris has a lead of just</p><p>over two percentage points in the</p><p>national polls — similar to Clinton’s</p><p>and smaller than Biden’s. The swing</p><p>states are even closer. Of the seven</p><p>that will be decisive, she leads in five</p><p>and Trump leads in two. But in</p><p>every single state her lead is</p><p>exiguous — smaller than either</p><p>Clinton’s or Biden’s at this stage in</p><p>the past two elections.</p><p>Second, there is uncertainty about</p><p>whether the polls are repeating a</p><p>consistent error of the past two</p><p>elections in overstating Democratic</p><p>support. Trump ended up</p><p>significantly outperforming his poll</p><p>numbers at this stage in the swing</p><p>states. In 2016 he ended up doing on</p><p>average five percentage points better</p><p>in the pivotal states than polls had</p><p>indicated in the final month. In 2020,</p><p>he outperformed his polls by an</p><p>D</p><p>iscussing the differences</p><p>between the Soviet</p><p>political system and</p><p>that of the West, Nikita</p><p>Khrushchev, the Russian</p><p>leader, is once said to have</p><p>commented: “The only problem with</p><p>free elections is that you never know</p><p>who’s going to win them.”</p><p>Thanks to usually reliable modern</p><p>opinion polling, his quip has proved</p><p>only partly right. Most of the time</p><p>elections in the West are not close</p><p>enough to produce real uncertainty</p><p>about the outcome. Britain’s elections</p><p>are free but a month before July’s</p><p>vote the identity of the next</p><p>government was about as predictable</p><p>as the result of any election to the</p><p>old Supreme Soviet.</p><p>In the United States, however,</p><p>Khrushchev’s democratic</p><p>uncertainty principle has been taken</p><p>to new extremes. When George W</p><p>Bush beat Al Gore by a few hundred</p><p>votes in the decisive state — Florida</p><p>— in 2000, it was regarded as a</p><p>statistical freak. Today, as with so</p><p>much of modern American life,</p><p>the freak has become the norm.</p><p>The last two presidential</p><p>elections were both decided by tens</p><p>of thousands of votes in a country</p><p>with a population of more than 300</p><p>million. In 2016, if Hillary Clinton</p><p>had switched 40,000 votes in three</p><p>states she would have won — on a</p><p>national turnout of 135 million. In</p><p>2020, when almost 160 million</p><p>people voted, Donald Trump would</p><p>have triumphed if 21,000 voters in</p><p>three states had picked him rather</p><p>than Joe Biden. A month out from</p><p>the 2024 election, the outcome of</p><p>the contest between Trump and</p><p>Kamala Harris may be, if anything,</p><p>even more unpredictable, for</p><p>three main reasons.</p><p>First, polls show the race is simply</p><p>closer than it has ever been. At this</p><p>stage of the 2016 race Clinton held a</p><p>lead in the national polls of around</p><p>2.5 percentage points. But in the key</p><p>swing states that determine the</p><p>result, her margin was larger.</p><p>According to the Real Clear Politics</p><p>polling averages, she held leads wider</p><p>than her national lead in the three</p><p>crucial midwestern states that ended</p><p>up deciding the result: Michigan,</p><p>Trump significantly</p><p>outperformed his poll</p><p>numbers at this stage</p><p>Republican advantage</p><p>in the electoral college</p><p>may be diminishing</p><p>Gerard</p><p>Baker</p><p>@gerardtbaker</p><p>28 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor should be sent to</p><p>letters@thetimes.co.uk or by post to</p><p>1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF</p><p>paramedics with specialist training in</p><p>many branches of medicine as well as</p><p>the fully accepted paramedics in</p><p>emergency medicine.</p><p>Dr Adrian Crisp</p><p>Weston Colville, Cambs</p><p>Sir, Suren Arul suggests that with</p><p>respect to physician associates, “it is</p><p>time the medical profession made the</p><p>positive case for this hard-working,</p><p>conscientious and incredibly valuable</p><p>group of clinicians . . . the government</p><p>should ignore the siren calls from the</p><p>British Medical Association to block</p><p>PA registration.” As a registrant of the</p><p>General Medical Council himself, he</p><p>will know that after 40 years of</p><p>lobbying by the BMA, the GMC (as it</p><p>became) was founded in 1858 to</p><p>protect patients and enable them to</p><p>distinguish practitioners who were</p><p>registered by the GMC from others.</p><p>The BMA has contributed to the</p><p>development of all professions</p><p>supplementary to medicine and to</p><p>their regulatory boards, now grouped</p><p>as the Health and Care Professions</p><p>Council (HCPC).</p><p>The BMA has not sought to block</p><p>the regulation and registration of PAs,</p><p>but to have them regulated by the</p><p>HCPC rather than be confused with</p><p>Sir, Andrew Newman (letter, Sep 26)</p><p>and Republic, the anti-monarchist</p><p>group (report, Sep 25), both neglect to</p><p>mention the incalculable revenue the</p><p>royal family brings in from the tourist</p><p>trade. Walking down the Mall during</p><p>the King’s birthday parade, I hardly</p><p>heard an English voice. I doubt that Sir</p><p>Tony Blair, were he the elected</p><p>head</p><p>of state, grinning from the balcony of</p><p>Buckingham Palace, would command</p><p>any interest whatsoever. The enduring</p><p>strength of the monarchy is the horror</p><p>of the alternative.</p><p>Charles Puxley</p><p>Easton, Berks</p><p>registered medical practitioners</p><p>(doctors) and regulated by the GMC.</p><p>Failure to make a clear distinction does</p><p>no service to patients, who might be</p><p>misled and not be able to give properly</p><p>informed consent to their treatment.</p><p>Richard Rawlins, FRCS</p><p>Consultant orthopaedic surgeon,</p><p>Dartmouth, Devon</p><p>Sir, The concept of physician</p><p>associates is not new. In the 1950s my</p><p>father, who was a consultant physician</p><p>in Kenya, trained and supervised</p><p>medical assistants who would then go</p><p>out into remote areas to run clinics</p><p>and treat a spectrum of diseases, as</p><p>well as supervise childhood illnesses.</p><p>They had a limited prescription list</p><p>but my father told me that with a few</p><p>common drugs they could manage</p><p>many illnesses, including malaria.</p><p>They were invaluable and extremely</p><p>good at their jobs. The controversy</p><p>over physician associates here is</p><p>unjustified as they will help to manage</p><p>what are fast becoming intolerable</p><p>workloads for the medical profession.</p><p>The important thing is that physician</p><p>associates should be supervised and</p><p>supported by an experienced doctor.</p><p>Dr Gordon Manson-Bahr</p><p>Ret’d GP, Tharston, Norfolk</p><p>Education for all</p><p>Sir, The prime minister excuses his</p><p>stay at the luxury flat of Lord Alli by</p><p>his wish to afford his son a safe and</p><p>peaceful place to revise for his GCSEs</p><p>(news, Sep 26). The PM has a duty to</p><p>care for his children’s education, as we</p><p>all do. However, given that Sir Keir</p><p>Starmer did not want to disrupt his</p><p>son’s education, why is he ready to</p><p>disrupt the education of those pupils</p><p>who are in fee-paying schools?</p><p>Besides the political rhetoric that VAT</p><p>on fees will raise up to £1.5 billion to</p><p>pay for 6,500 teachers, much public</p><p>money will have to be spent</p><p>accommodating in the state system</p><p>pupils who were at independent</p><p>schools. Starmer’s son should be cared</p><p>for — as should all pupils, irrespective</p><p>of where they attend school.</p><p>Irith Sassoon</p><p>London N3</p><p>Hunchback king</p><p>Sir, I enjoyed Jack Malvern’s piece on</p><p>the A Voice for King Richard III project</p><p>(“Richard III spoke in northern</p><p>accent”, Sep 26) but I take exception to</p><p>the assertion that “Richard had a</p><p>deformed spine and that William</p><p>Shakespeare’s depiction of him as a</p><p>hunchback was not mere propaganda”.</p><p>Richard III was found to have</p><p>scoliosis, which would have made one</p><p>shoulder higher than the other. During</p><p>his lifetime this was not noticed or</p><p>remarked upon. Our late Queen had</p><p>one shoulder higher than the other but</p><p>she placed it on record. Princess</p><p>Eugenie had the operation for scoliosis</p><p>as we know; others diagnosed with it</p><p>include Usain Bolt and Johnny Rotten.</p><p>Philippa Langley</p><p>Edinburgh</p><p>Dry sandwiches</p><p>Sir, What a heartwarming story about</p><p>“Old Dry Keith” (“China grieves for</p><p>Britain’s dry sandwich pensioner”,</p><p>Sep 24). How could one not be moved</p><p>by the beauty of his wife’s writing: “We</p><p>watch him struggling to saw apart two</p><p>slices of dry bread, as hard as</p><p>weapons-grade steel.” It struck a chord.</p><p>My wife is Indonesian and sees the</p><p>same struggles: she cooks spicy nasi</p><p>goreng or soto ayam soup and I stick</p><p>to corned beef and tomato sandwiches,</p><p>which take me back to my youth,</p><p>picking potatoes in Lincolnshire.</p><p>Roger Thompson</p><p>Chester</p><p>Twirly etiquette</p><p>Sir, I am a retired bus driver and can</p><p>confirm that “twirlies” can hold up the</p><p>bus while searching for their bus pass</p><p>or money (letters, Sep 24 & 25). One</p><p>lady, spending ages searching in her</p><p>bag, needed hurrying along, as I could</p><p>hear passengers tut-tutting behind.</p><p>She replied: “I’ve waited long enough</p><p>for you — now you can wait for me!”</p><p>I must confess that floored me.</p><p>Anthony Banton</p><p>Southwick, W Sussex</p><p>Corrections and</p><p>clarifications</p><p>The Times takes</p><p>complaints</p><p>about editorial</p><p>content seriously. We are committed to</p><p>abiding by the Independent Press</p><p>Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules</p><p>and regulations and the Editors’ Code of</p><p>Practice that IPSO enforces.</p><p>Requests for corrections or</p><p>clarifications should be sent by email to</p><p>feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to</p><p>Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge</p><p>Street, London SE1 9GF</p><p>UN’s lost authority</p><p>Sir, Roger Boyes (“Blood seeps across</p><p>Africa”, Sep 25) is right to highlight</p><p>the UN’s absenteeism as international</p><p>law, order and stability collapse. But</p><p>he does not draw the ineluctable</p><p>conclusion: that the day that Russia,</p><p>as a permanent member of the</p><p>security council, decided to break its</p><p>foundational principle (respecting</p><p>sovereign borders of internationally</p><p>recognised states), while retaining its</p><p>security council role to enforce the</p><p>law, marked the end of the UN.</p><p>It was this overarching principle of</p><p>international law that enabled the</p><p>multinational armed forces to evict</p><p>Iraq from Kuwait under the authority</p><p>of a UN security council resolution.</p><p>Vladimir Putin noted that, with the</p><p>later US/UK invasion of Iraq,</p><p>international law was flouted with a</p><p>fabricated casus belli (no immediate</p><p>or genuine threat to another</p><p>sovereign state).</p><p>The leaders of western UN security</p><p>council powers must now</p><p>acknowledge the new reality — that</p><p>Russia (Putin) has finished the</p><p>demolition we started — and wind up</p><p>this anachronism.</p><p>John Crawley</p><p>Beverley, E Yorks</p><p>Controversy over use of physician associates</p><p>Sir, Further to the letter (Sep 25)</p><p>expressing support for the value of</p><p>physician associates (PAs) in</p><p>maintaining continuity of care, it has</p><p>always been the case that PAs could</p><p>have a place in the NHS — but this</p><p>should not be without a clear</p><p>definition of the scope of their</p><p>practice, supervision and regulation.</p><p>Another important issue is the</p><p>distinction between a PA and a</p><p>doctor, which has been deliberately</p><p>blurred by referring to them as</p><p>medical professionals and for the</p><p>GMC to be their regulator. I submit</p><p>that they should be “physician</p><p>assistants” and regulated by the</p><p>Health and Care Professions Council.</p><p>Dr Arun Baksi, FRCP</p><p>Emeritus consultant physician,</p><p>Wootton Bridge, Isle of Wight</p><p>Sir, The controversy surrounding</p><p>physician associates both within the</p><p>medical profession and without arises</p><p>from their name (“Top doctors voice</p><p>safety fears over more physician</p><p>associates”, news, and letter, Sep 24).</p><p>Paramedics perform a valuable role in</p><p>emergency medicine — the public</p><p>know that they are not doctors, but</p><p>doctors and patients alike value their</p><p>expertise. The NHS could appoint</p><p>Value of monarchy</p><p>Lebanon rescue bid</p><p>Sir, The last time we evacuated British</p><p>citizens from Lebanon (news,</p><p>Sep 26), in Operation Highbrow in</p><p>2006, HMS Bulwark rescued most of</p><p>them. Now the Bulwark and her sister</p><p>amphibious assault ship, HMS Albion,</p><p>are both laid up. I sincerely hope the</p><p>Ministry of Defence will recommission</p><p>one of them immediately.</p><p>Captain Nick Kettlewell</p><p>Sherborne, Dorset</p><p>from the times september 27, 1924</p><p>THE LAST</p><p>GERMAN</p><p>ZEPPELIN</p><p>Benefits and work</p><p>Sir, Matthew Parris mentions the</p><p>“rocketing cost of supporting the</p><p>millions who are economically</p><p>inactive and claiming personal</p><p>independence payments” (Notebook,</p><p>Sep 25). Not so. The personal</p><p>independence payment (PIP) is paid</p><p>regardless of whether the individual is</p><p>in employment or not — it is a</p><p>payment made to aid disabled people</p><p>in their daily challenges and not an</p><p>unemployment benefit. Parris should</p><p>be careful in his conflations or</p><p>insinuations of disabled individuals</p><p>being economically inactive. I am one</p><p>such person and I work and pay tax</p><p>happily. PIP enables me to partake in</p><p>everyday life and employment.</p><p>David Mennear</p><p>Hartlepool</p><p>thetimes.com/archive</p><p>NHS crack teams</p><p>Sir, Further to your report (“NHS to</p><p>reduce waiting lists with ‘F1-style</p><p>surgery’”, Sep 26), although “crack</p><p>teams” may reduce headline waiting</p><p>lists, this initiative does nothing to</p><p>address the inefficiency in normal</p><p>working hours, the top-down culture</p><p>and accountability for how taxpayers’</p><p>money</p><p>is spent.</p><p>Moreover, it could hinder the</p><p>recruitment and retention of full-time</p><p>NHS clinical staff. Perhaps the</p><p>government could publish the historic</p><p>audit trail of the cost-effectiveness of</p><p>this engagement.</p><p>Until then, good luck to the “crack</p><p>teams”, as who would not carry out</p><p>their day job for multiples of their</p><p>normal hourly rate?</p><p>Lee Taylor</p><p>Orthopaedic surgeon, Chichester</p><p>Sir, Wes Streeting’s idea for “crack</p><p>NHS surgeons” to be used to get sick</p><p>patients back to work is tantamount</p><p>to queue-jumping. This practice may</p><p>now be deemed acceptable, but it</p><p>should be called what it is.</p><p>Roger Fox</p><p>Cheltenham, Glos</p><p>Oven-ready room</p><p>Sir, I was interested to read (Sep 25)</p><p>that part of one of the Turner Prize</p><p>exhibits is a room clad in tinfoil. For</p><p>years our local pub, The White Hart,</p><p>has been tinfoiling its interior walls</p><p>every Christmas to let customers feel</p><p>how the Christmas turkey feels in the</p><p>oven. We never knew we were in the</p><p>vanguard of contemporary art; maybe</p><p>we should charge an entrance fee.</p><p>Tom Imber</p><p>St Teath, Cornwall</p><p>Freebie culture</p><p>Sir, Freebies are not the preserve of</p><p>politicians. In the 1960s, as a junior</p><p>civil servant, I had official business</p><p>with Fred Perry, the tennis champion.</p><p>I was able to reassure him that what</p><p>he wanted was within the rules. I</p><p>walked with him to the door when he</p><p>suddenly stopped and said: “I reckon</p><p>you’re a 36-inch, Mr Keens.” He</p><p>followed this startling remark by</p><p>saying he would send me a full Fred</p><p>Perry outfit — shirt, shorts, shoes and</p><p>racket. It was convenient and not</p><p>discourteous to tell him I did not play</p><p>tennis and had no special interest in it,</p><p>thus avoiding having to trot out the</p><p>official line about gifts to civil servants.</p><p>Fred Keens</p><p>Epsom, Surrey</p><p>The airship ZR3, built for the United</p><p>States Government, which started</p><p>on a long trial flight yesterday</p><p>morning, visited Sweden and</p><p>Denmark during the night,</p><p>recrossed the Baltic, and entered</p><p>Germany again on its way to Stettin</p><p>and Berlin. Berlin was early astir</p><p>this morning, and every roof was</p><p>crowded to greet “the last German</p><p>Zeppelin”, as it is described, with a</p><p>good deal of bitter comment by the</p><p>German Press. Many enthusiasts</p><p>had gone out by special trains to the</p><p>aerodrome at Staaken, and the</p><p>Heerstrasse, the long military road</p><p>which the former Kaiser had laid out</p><p>to Spandau, was crowded with motor-</p><p>cars and motor-cycles. About 9.30am</p><p>the humming of the heavy engines</p><p>could be heard over the aerodrome,</p><p>and a few minutes later the airship</p><p>burst through the clouds, flying at an</p><p>extremely low altitude. A mighty</p><p>shout went up from the assembled</p><p>crowd, and men, women and children</p><p>sent up in greeting hundreds of toy</p><p>Zeppelin balloons. Handkerchiefs and</p><p>hats were waved, and the enthusiasm</p><p>was tremendous. After the airship had</p><p>circled twice round the aerodrome,</p><p>post-bags, tied up in the old Imperial</p><p>black, white and red colours, were</p><p>thrown out, and the ZR3 continued</p><p>its way to Berlin. Here the Linden, the</p><p>Lustgarten, the great square round</p><p>the Dom, the Wilhelmstrasse, and the</p><p>Konigsplatz were the most favoured</p><p>points of vantage. Every roof was</p><p>crowded, and although the houses</p><p>were not beflagged as they were 15</p><p>years ago, when the first Zeppelin</p><p>crossed over Berlin, the enthusiasm</p><p>was immense. A brisk trade was</p><p>done by street vendors in postcards</p><p>of Count Zeppelin and in toy</p><p>balloons and every second person</p><p>was carrying a miniature Zeppelin.</p><p>Hundreds of school children,</p><p>accompanied by their teachers, were</p><p>assembled round the Victory</p><p>Column on the Konigsplatz,</p><p>opposite the Reichstag. The</p><p>cheering that went up when, shortly</p><p>before 10 o’clock, the airship</p><p>appeared in bright sunshine,</p><p>reminded one of the roar that went</p><p>through London when another</p><p>Zeppelin was seen and came down</p><p>in flames over Potters Bar. After</p><p>crossing and recrossing the streets</p><p>and squares for another quarter of</p><p>an hour, the ZR3 turned towards</p><p>Potsdam on its way to Dresden and</p><p>thence to Friedrichshafen.</p><p>revel in this elegant</p><p>book showing times</p><p>readers at their most</p><p>whimsical and droll</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 29</p><p>Leading articles</p><p>oeuvre, he asked Antoine Armand, his young and</p><p>inexperienced finance minister, to start consulta-</p><p>tions. But Mr Armand pointedly refused to hold</p><p>discussions with Ms Le Pen, who, predictably</p><p>incensed, threatened to withdraw all support</p><p>from the new government. If she joins the left in</p><p>its promise to introduce a no-confidence motion</p><p>at the next opportunity, the government falls and</p><p>Mr Macron would have to search for another</p><p>compromise figure, since he is barred from</p><p>holding fresh elections for another year. Mr Barni-</p><p>er’s attempt to assuage her with a phoned apology</p><p>only antagonised the Macron centrists in his gov-</p><p>ernment, who see the National Rally as the main</p><p>challenge to their chances of winning the next</p><p>presidential election.</p><p>The left is bitter that Mr Macron refused to ask</p><p>the left-wing Popular Alliance to form a govern-</p><p>ment after the Socialists and Jean-Luc Mélen-</p><p>chon’s leftists blocked a power grab by the right.</p><p>Out for revenge, their aim is therefore to exploit all</p><p>the divisions in the Barnier coalition, rendering it</p><p>unable to govern and, they hope, forcing the resig-</p><p>nation of Mr Macron three years before his term</p><p>is up. He has already said he will not go. But para-</p><p>lysis now looms. That might provoke the worst</p><p>political crisis France has known since General de</p><p>Gaulle put an end to the tottering Fourth Republic</p><p>by introducing a constitution that gives an execu-</p><p>tive president extraordinary powers.</p><p>Adding to the turmoil is the public fury over the</p><p>case of a Moroccan suspected of murdering a 19-</p><p>year-old woman in Paris. The 22-year-old man, a</p><p>convicted rapist, had already been served with a</p><p>deportation notice. But although France orders</p><p>the expulsion of more than 34,000 non-EU citi-</p><p>zens a year — a third of all expulsions ordered</p><p>across the EU — it actually deports only around</p><p>4,200. Bureaucracy, diplomatic rows and the re-</p><p>fusal of many countries to accept the return of</p><p>those with criminal convictions ensure that many</p><p>migrants, ruled to be unwelcome, remain in</p><p>France. Public anger has grown steadily, especially</p><p>after recent terrorist atrocities. The case threatens</p><p>to be as toxic for the Macron presidency as the</p><p>recent murders in Solingen have proved for the</p><p>Scholz coalition government in Germany, itself</p><p>reeling with the resignation of senior Green party</p><p>leaders. As in Germany, it is the right which has</p><p>hugely profited from the public uproar.</p><p>France is largely still prospering. But threatened</p><p>tax rises, political paralysis and a surge of anti-</p><p>immigrant support for the right promise to make</p><p>Britain appear a beacon of stability in comparison.</p><p>earned overseas — unless, that is, they bring their</p><p>money into the country or deposit it in a UK bank</p><p>account.</p><p>Since Labour espoused the policy first, it was</p><p>only to be expected that Rachel Reeves, the new</p><p>chancellor, would take it forward and further.</p><p>Party officials spoke of a “full-fat” version of the</p><p>Conservatives’ “semi-skimmed” crackdown. Ms</p><p>Reeves pledged to get rid of Mr Hunt’s “transition-</p><p>al” concessions to existing non-doms, which in-</p><p>cluded only taxing them on 50 per cent of their</p><p>overseas earnings during the first year of the new</p><p>regime, and allowing them to avoid inheritance</p><p>tax by putting overseas funds in family trusts</p><p>before the April 2025 deadline. This extra tighten-</p><p>ing, Ms Reeves claimed, would raise an additional</p><p>£2.6 billion to be spent on schools and the NHS. It</p><p>may prove a step too far.</p><p>Already, suggestions are emerging that this may</p><p>not prove the coup that was intended. Treasury of-</p><p>ficials are reportedly worried that the Office for</p><p>Budget Responsibility will forecast that the policy</p><p>could cost the government revenue, not raise it.</p><p>While many of the “very rich and very mobile”</p><p>may well choose to remain in the UK for its</p><p>schools, culture and amenities, a significant pro-</p><p>portion will relocate to tax-efficient destinations</p><p>such as Monaco, Switzerland, Italy or Dubai,</p><p>where their investments and spending power are</p><p>gladly welcomed. As the telecommunications</p><p>tycoon Bassim Haidar observed in May, when the</p><p>super-rich leave they will no longer contribute the</p><p>considerable taxes they currently pay on UK</p><p>income, capital gains and VAT. He had not only</p><p>decided to move his family elsewhere, he said, but</p><p>to cancel a plan to list his financial services</p><p>company on the London stock market.</p><p>At the heart of this sits a question mark over the</p><p>government’s strategy for growth. In the run-up to</p><p>the election, with loud laments over a black hole in</p><p>the budget, Labour repeatedly staked its plans on</p><p>growing the economy. For ordinary people, finan-</p><p>cially squeezed on every front, an element of re-</p><p>sentment towards the super-rich might be only</p><p>human. But insofar as high-net-worth individuals</p><p>bring badly needed investment to the UK and tax</p><p>revenue to its coffers — a clear benefit to all — the</p><p>government simply cannot afford to follow suit.</p><p>e’s). A diaeresis indicates that a vowel is sounded</p><p>separately. The name Brontë, however, is the only</p><p>example in English where this occurs after a con-</p><p>sonant. All the other words in English that use a</p><p>diaeresis do so in a diphthong, as in Noël, though</p><p>most have been dropped, as in dais, or a hyphen is</p><p>preferred (co-ordinate, re-entry, re-elect).</p><p>The girls’ father Patrick changed the spelling of</p><p>his Irish surname Brunty upon attending St John’s</p><p>College, Cambridge. Quite why no one knows.</p><p>Apocryphal tales include association with Admi-</p><p>ral Nelson, who was Duke of Bronte (in Sicily; no</p><p>diaeresis) or after the classical Greek word for</p><p>thunder. He probably would have known to use a</p><p>diaeresis in a diphthong. Coming from a poor</p><p>family to an elite university, this was a 19th-centu-</p><p>ry equivalent of Hyacinth Bucket insisting her sur-</p><p>name was pronounced “Bouquet”. But unlike Pa-</p><p>tricia Routledge’s Keeping Up Appearances char-</p><p>acter attempting to climb the class ladder in the</p><p>1990s, Patrick Brunty’s pre-emptive soft rebrand</p><p>two centuries earlier has been vindicated. Snob-</p><p>bery notwithstanding, this minor augmentation</p><p>of the family name turned out to be a masterstroke</p><p>in branding for his literarily adroit offspring. “The</p><p>Brunty sisters” does not have quite the same ring.</p><p>Fractured France</p><p>The new Barnier government is assailed from all sides as it tries to balance the</p><p>budget and cope with a growing row over asylum and immigration</p><p>The government of Michel Barnier, the former</p><p>Brexit negotiator appointed by President Macron</p><p>to run an ad hoc coalition in the wake of indecisive</p><p>parliamentary elections, is barely two weeks old.</p><p>Yet already it is riven with dissent, dithering over</p><p>how to balance the budget and is now shaken by</p><p>national uproar over failing migration policies</p><p>following a murder carried out by a Moroccan</p><p>rapist who should have been deported.</p><p>Twice in two days Mr Barnier has had to public-</p><p>ly rebuke cabinet ministers, some with little polit-</p><p>ical experience, who have angered key politicians.</p><p>These include Marine Le Pen of the far-right</p><p>National Rally, on whose tacit support his eclectic</p><p>government depends. This floundering start has</p><p>quickly dented his political credibility, even</p><p>among Mr Macron’s supporters, and undermined</p><p>his urgent attempts to find a solution to France’s</p><p>widening budget deficit. As it is, he faces impossi-</p><p>ble choices: either he flouts Mr Macron’s promise</p><p>not to raise taxes; or he makes heavy cuts in social</p><p>welfare spending, sure to be opposed by the left-</p><p>wing opposition and by many French voters; or he</p><p>submits a 2025 budget that projects a deficit of up</p><p>to 6 per cent of gross domestic product, going far</p><p>beyond European Union limits. It must be final-</p><p>ised within days. In trying to find room for man-</p><p>False Economy</p><p>Plans to crack down on non-doms may cost more revenue than they raise</p><p>When Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative former</p><p>chancellor, announced the phasing-out of non-</p><p>dom tax status in his budget earlier this year, he</p><p>cheerfully observed that those with the “broadest</p><p>shoulders” financially would pay more. He did not</p><p>dwell on the possibility that those with the broad-</p><p>est shoulders — and an enviably international</p><p>range of domiciliary options — might shrug on a</p><p>hand-tooled designer backpack, refuel the private</p><p>jet and relocate to somewhere more tax-friendly.</p><p>Mr Hunt’s announcement, ahead of a general</p><p>election, was a brazen and misguided attempt to</p><p>steal Labour’s clothes, since the latter had long</p><p>argued for the move. It was also, perhaps, an at-</p><p>tempt to recover from a degree of electoral embar-</p><p>rassment over the 2022 revelation that Akshata</p><p>Murty, the Indian-born wife of Rishi Sunak, then</p><p>the chancellor, had benefited from her non-dom</p><p>status. Yet neither were sound reasons for aban-</p><p>doning an understanding which has been part of</p><p>the UK’s tax system for more than 200 years and</p><p>which means that individuals who live in the UK</p><p>but have a permanent residence elsewhere do not</p><p>have to pay UK tax on income and capital gains</p><p>It’s Pronounced Brontey, Dear</p><p>The memorial to Britain’s preëminent literary sisters has had its dots added</p><p>For 85 years since their memorial was unveiled in</p><p>Westminster Abbey, each of Charlotte, Emily and</p><p>Anne’s surnames was missing its dots. Yet few</p><p>naive visitors would have floundered over whe-</p><p>ther or not it should actually be pronounced “the</p><p>Bront sisters”. Some modern publications ignore</p><p>these accents. Though obsolete in most modern</p><p>English words, this newspaper includes them for</p><p>the essential and polite reason that the Brontë</p><p>sisters themselves wrote their names this way.</p><p>The dots are a diaeresis — not an umlaut, which</p><p>only appears in words co-opted from German</p><p>(and only on a’s, o’s and u’s in modern German, not</p><p>UK: Winner of the leadership contest for the</p><p>Scottish Conservative Party is announced;</p><p>an Institute for Fiscal Studies report on the</p><p>delivery of better public services is due.</p><p>The autumn</p><p>migration is in full,</p><p>glorious swing, and</p><p>birdwatchers are</p><p>scanning skies and</p><p>wetlands for the</p><p>seasonal influx of</p><p>visitors. But whereas the annual arrival of</p><p>thrushes, geese and wild swans announce</p><p>themselves in expansive musical flocks,</p><p>some visitors are less conspicuous. Take the</p><p>blue-winged teal which has recently been</p><p>spotted skulking at Tophill Low Nature</p><p>Reserve near Hull. Blue-winged teals breed</p><p>in North America in an area stretching from</p><p>Alaska to Tennessee, and overwinter in</p><p>Central and South America. Storm Lilian</p><p>must have blown it over the Atlantic. In</p><p>fact, there’s a growing trend for this duck</p><p>with a beautiful blue wing to arrive in</p><p>Britain. No longer rare vagrants, they may</p><p>well soon be upgraded to regular vagrants.</p><p>jonathan tulloch</p><p>In 1988 Ben Johnson was stripped of his</p><p>100m world record and Olympic gold medal</p><p>after testing positive for performance drugs.</p><p>Nicky Haslam, pictured,</p><p>interior designer, 85;</p><p>Diane Abbott, Labour</p><p>MP for Hackney North</p><p>and Stoke Newington, 71;</p><p>Bill Athey, cricketer,</p><p>England (1980-88), 67;</p><p>Dame Josephine</p><p>Barstow, opera singer, 84; Baroness (Tessa)</p><p>Blackstone, chairwoman, Royal College of</p><p>Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 82; Max</p><p>Boyce, comedian, 81; Luke Campbell, boxer,</p><p>Olympic gold medallist (2012,</p><p>bantamweight), 37; Shaun Cassidy, singer, Da</p><p>Doo Ron Ron (1977), actor, creator of TV</p><p>series American Gothic (1995), 66; Patrick</p><p>Cescau, chairman, InterContinental Hotels</p><p>Group (2013-22), group chief executive,</p><p>Unilever (2005-08), 76; Barbara Dickson,</p><p>singer, I Know Him So Well (1985, with Elaine</p><p>Paige), 77; Michele Dotrice, actress, Some</p><p>Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em (1973-78), 76; Simona</p><p>Halep, tennis player, Wimbledon’s women’s</p><p>singles winner (2019), 33; Michael Houlihan,</p><p>founding director-general, Japan House</p><p>London (2016-22), 76; John Inverdale, TV</p><p>and radio presenter, former host of Rugby</p><p>Special and Grandstand, 67; Peres Jepchirchir,</p><p>long-distance runner, winner of the London</p><p>2024 marathon (women-only world record,</p><p>2:16:16), 31; Avril Lavigne, singer-songwriter,</p><p>Complicated (2002), 40; Denis</p><p>Lawson, actor,</p><p>New Tricks (2012-15), 77; Brendon McCullum,</p><p>cricketer, New Zealand (2004-16), now head</p><p>coach of the England Test team, 43; Jenny</p><p>Mollica, chief executive, English National</p><p>Opera and London Coliseum, 43; Gwyneth</p><p>Paltrow, actress, Emma (1996), and</p><p>businesswoman (Goop), 52; Peter Sellars,</p><p>opera and theatre director, 67; Sir Richard</p><p>Stagg, warden, Winchester College, UK</p><p>ambassador to Afghanistan (2012-15), 69;</p><p>Indira Varma, actress, Game of Thrones</p><p>(2014-17), 51; Garry Watson, actor, the only</p><p>surviving member of the Watson family of</p><p>child actors, Mr Smith Goes to Washington</p><p>(1939), 96; Irvine Welsh, novelist,</p><p>Trainspotting (1993), 66.</p><p>“Successful people don’t have fewer problems.</p><p>They have determined that nothing will stop</p><p>them from going forward.” Ben Carson, US</p><p>surgeon and politician, Gifted Hands (1990)</p><p>Nature notes</p><p>Birthdays today</p><p>On this day</p><p>The last word</p><p>Daily Universal Register</p><p>30 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>World</p><p>New York mayor</p><p>‘took $100,000</p><p>in Turkish bribes’</p><p>unbelievable for real life,” he wrote on</p><p>social media.</p><p>This week David Banks, 62, an-</p><p>nounced that he was leaving his post</p><p>too, though he insisted that this was</p><p>merely a long-planned retirement.</p><p>“Life is unexpected,” the mayor told</p><p>reporters, launching into tales of times</p><p>when he had triumphed over adversity.</p><p>“It was unexpected for me to wake up</p><p>losing my sight because I had diabetes,”</p><p>he said. “It was unexpected for some-</p><p>one to drive up next to my car and shoot</p><p>out my car windows after calling my</p><p>name. But you know what? After I got</p><p>that diabetes diagnosis I found a way to</p><p>heal myself. When someone shot out</p><p>my car windows, I went to take the</p><p>[police] lieutenant exam and passed.”</p><p>Adams grew up in Queens, the fourth</p><p>of six children of a single mother who</p><p>worked as a cleaner. Later, as an elected</p><p>official, he would often tell of a trans-</p><p>formative incident at age 15 in which he</p><p>was arrested by the police for trespass-</p><p>ing and beaten while in custody.</p><p>He graduated from the police aca-</p><p>demy in 1984. At the peak of his battle</p><p>against racism in the department, in</p><p>1996, someone shot at him in his car,</p><p>Adams has said, suggesting that it</p><p>might have been another officer.</p><p>He retired from the force in 2006 and</p><p>went into politics, first in the state sen-</p><p>ate, then as borough president of</p><p>Brooklyn. In 2015, the New York Post</p><p>reported that Adams had taken a $7,500</p><p>trip to Istanbul, paid for by the Turkish</p><p>government, to promote the borough.</p><p>Adams “has the travel bug, and a tend-</p><p>ency to take freebies from govern-</p><p>ments,” the New York Daily News re-</p><p>ported in 2021, by which time Adams</p><p>was running for mayor.</p><p>Federal prosecutors said Adams</p><p>began raising funds for his mayoral</p><p>campaign in 2018.</p><p>Prosecutors said he had accepted ille-</p><p>gal donations facilitated by a Turkish</p><p>official and by a manager at a Turkish</p><p>airline. A Turkish promoter offered</p><p>$100,000, they added, and one of</p><p>Adams’s employees felt that he would</p><p>not accept it, because it might cause “a</p><p>big stink later on,” but was then directed</p><p>by her boss to proceed.</p><p>Prosecutors said that after Adams</p><p>won the Democratic primary in July of</p><p>2021, which effectively ensured his</p><p>election as mayor in November, a Turk-</p><p>ish official said that it was now “his</p><p>turn” to support Turkey, by helping the</p><p>newly constructed Turkish House</p><p>building, beside the United Nations, re-</p><p>ceive fire safety approvals so that it</p><p>could open in time for a visit by Presi-</p><p>dent Erdogan. An inspector had</p><p>warned there were “major issues” and</p><p>the building was “not safe to occupy.”</p><p>Prosecutors said Adams contacted</p><p>the head of the fire department, who</p><p>hoped to remain in that role when Ad-</p><p>ams became mayor, and the approval</p><p>was granted.</p><p>United States</p><p>Will Pavia New York</p><p>S</p><p>otheby’s hopes to attract</p><p>new buyers to art sales with</p><p>the opening next month of</p><p>a Paris headquarters that</p><p>will offer a view of the world</p><p>of auctions from the street (Adam</p><p>Sage writes).</p><p>The global art market is in the</p><p>doldrums, with Asian economies</p><p>struggling, Russian billionaires no</p><p>longer bidding and growing</p><p>concerns about the provenance of</p><p>many artworks, said Jean Minguet,</p><p>head economist and analyst at the</p><p>market database Artprice.</p><p>Cécile Bernard, the Sotheby’s</p><p>managing director for Europe, said</p><p>the Paris initiative was part of a</p><p>global strategy designed to make</p><p>the auction house more visible. A</p><p>Sotheby’s brings art to the</p><p>streets of Paris in sales drive</p><p>Caught in the scandal</p><p>Edward Caban</p><p>Resigned as police</p><p>commissioner after</p><p>his phone was</p><p>seized by police.</p><p>Investigators are</p><p>looking for evidence of payments</p><p>allegedly made in exchange for</p><p>favours to nightclubs.</p><p>David Banks</p><p>Stepping down as</p><p>schools chancellor</p><p>in December. He is</p><p>alleged to be</p><p>implicated in a</p><p>bribery scheme involving a</p><p>government relations consulting</p><p>company run by his brother.</p><p>Lisa Zornberg Chief</p><p>counsel who</p><p>resigned in response</p><p>to the federal</p><p>investigations</p><p>launched into City</p><p>Hall officials. A fierce defender of</p><p>Adams, she said she could “no</p><p>longer effectively serve” in her</p><p>position.</p><p>Zelensky returns home disappointed after Biden summit</p><p>President Zelensky was last night set to</p><p>return to Ukraine from Washington</p><p>without winning permission to use</p><p>long-range western missiles to strike</p><p>deep into Russia.</p><p>Zelensky met President Biden and</p><p>Vice-President Harris separately at the</p><p>White House to make a personal plea</p><p>for the lifting of restrictions on British-</p><p>supplied Storm Shadow missiles or</p><p>United States-made ATACMS.</p><p>Western countries have allowed Kyiv</p><p>to use the missiles only to hit Russian</p><p>forces in border regions. He was also</p><p>due to unveil his plan for victory in the</p><p>two-and-a half-year-old war.</p><p>However, Karine Jean-Pierre, a</p><p>White House spokeswoman, said no</p><p>shift in Washington’s stance on the use</p><p>of the long-range missiles was expected</p><p>to follow the talks, which came less than</p><p>24 hours after President Putin warned</p><p>that a large conventional air attack on</p><p>Russia by western-backed Ukraine</p><p>could trigger a nuclear response.</p><p>“Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will</p><p>prevail and we’ll continue to stand by</p><p>you every step of the way,” Biden said</p><p>after meeting Zelensky in the Oval</p><p>Office. Beforehand, he promised an in-</p><p>crease in US support for Kyiv, including</p><p>nearly $8 billion in military aid and new</p><p>munitions. “I am announcing a surge in</p><p>security assistance for Ukraine and a</p><p>series of additional actions to help</p><p>Ukraine win this war,” he said.</p><p>The new aid package includes the</p><p>first US deliveries of a precision-guided</p><p>glide bomb called the Joint Standoff</p><p>Weapon (JSOW). The missiles have a</p><p>Marc Bennetts</p><p>New York’s mayor has become the first</p><p>leader of the city in modern history to</p><p>face criminal charges, with prosecutors</p><p>alleging that he accepted bribes worth</p><p>more than $100,000 from Turkish busi-</p><p>nessmen as well as illegal contributions</p><p>to his election campaigns.</p><p>Eric Adams, 64, a former police cap-</p><p>tain raised by a single mother in</p><p>Queens, denied the charges in a video</p><p>released before they were made public.</p><p>He sought to suggest that the charges</p><p>against him came after he had taken a</p><p>stand against the Biden administra-</p><p>tion’s “broken immigration policies”</p><p>that had swamped the city’s shelters</p><p>with migrants. “I always knew that if I</p><p>stood my ground for all of you that I</p><p>would be a target,” he said. At a press</p><p>conference yesterday he maintained</p><p>that he had done nothing wrong.</p><p>Damian Williams, the US Attorney</p><p>for the Southern District of New York,</p><p>set out the substance of five charges</p><p>against the mayor, including bribery,</p><p>wire fraud and campaign finance viola-</p><p>tions. They carry possible sentences of</p><p>between five and twenty years in pris-</p><p>on. The mayor “knowingly accepted</p><p>illegal campaign contributions from</p><p>foreign donors and corporations,” he</p><p>said. The indictment alleges that these</p><p>were funnelled through “straw donors”,</p><p>sometimes employees of the company</p><p>who each made an individual donation</p><p>and claimed it was their own money.</p><p>Under a scheme meant to give indi-</p><p>vidual New Yorkers a greater voice in</p><p>local</p><p>elections, Adams’s campaign was</p><p>then able to receive matching dona-</p><p>tions from public funds, worth more</p><p>than $10 million, Williams said. “We</p><p>also allege that the mayor sought and</p><p>accepted well over $100,000 in luxury</p><p>travel benefits from some of the same</p><p>foreign donors.” Since 2016, Adams</p><p>received “free international business-</p><p>class flights” and visits to “upscale hotel</p><p>rooms in foreign cities and did not dis-</p><p>close them”.</p><p>Williams said that in return for</p><p>these perks and illegal campaign</p><p>donations from Turkish busi-</p><p>nessmen, Adams pressured city</p><p>fire department officials to ap-</p><p>prove the opening of a new sky-</p><p>scraper beside the United</p><p>Nations that would house the</p><p>Turkish consulate, in spite of</p><p>warnings that it would fail</p><p>a fire safety inspection.</p><p>For at least ten</p><p>months it had been</p><p>clear that investi-</p><p>gations were</p><p>afoot into the</p><p>mayor and his top</p><p>deputies. Last</p><p>November inves-</p><p>tigators seized his</p><p>phone. Further</p><p>raids followed, this month, on the</p><p>homes of three brothers Adams has</p><p>known since his years in the police</p><p>force, when he counted their father as</p><p>his mentor.</p><p>After he became mayor, he made the</p><p>eldest of these brothers, David Banks,</p><p>his schools chancellor, while Banks’s</p><p>partner, Sheena Wright, became his</p><p>deputy mayor. Philip Banks III became</p><p>his deputy mayor for public safety while</p><p>the youngest brother, Terence, served</p><p>as a fundraiser for Adams’s mayoral</p><p>campaign and later set up a consulting</p><p>firm that counted among its clients</p><p>companies with business before the</p><p>city. All three have denied wrongdoing.</p><p>Edward Caban, a police officer whose</p><p>father was another close colleague</p><p>of Adams in the police depart-</p><p>ment, was made the police com-</p><p>missioner. His home was raided</p><p>too. Caban resigned after the</p><p>raid, saying it risked causing too</p><p>much of a distraction.</p><p>Jumaane Williams, who</p><p>serves as the city’s ombudsman</p><p>and would be first in line to suc-</p><p>ceed Adams should he resign,</p><p>expressed the bewilder-</p><p>ment of many. “At a cer-</p><p>tain point, we all would</p><p>walk out of the movie</p><p>theatre because the</p><p>script was just too fantas-</p><p>tical, incredulous, and</p><p>Eric Adams claims he</p><p>has been made a target</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 31</p><p>Tesla bosses check up</p><p>on sick workers at home</p><p>Page 34</p><p>Inside Israel’s fortress</p><p>hospital near Lebanon</p><p>Page 32</p><p>new base was opened in Hong Kong</p><p>in July, with others planned for New</p><p>York and Zurich.</p><p>In Paris, “the main point of the</p><p>building is that it is easily seen from</p><p>the street”, said Bernard. “Auctions</p><p>are like theatre, like a performance.</p><p>We’d like more people to</p><p>participate, to see what an auction</p><p>is and what a sale is.”</p><p>Sotheby’s says the artworks and</p><p>items that it will exhibit at the</p><p>opening will be worth more than</p><p>€250 million. Among them is a</p><p>1947 portrait of the French poet</p><p>Francis Ponge by his compatriot</p><p>Jean Dubuffet, estimated at</p><p>between €5 million and €7 million.</p><p>There is also Le Jardin de Pissarro</p><p>by the French post-impressionist</p><p>Paul Gauguin, estimated at between</p><p>€1.5 million and €2.5 million.</p><p>Minguet said: “Prices climbed</p><p>after the subprime crisis but today I</p><p>think we’ve reached a ceiling. The</p><p>market is very calm.”</p><p>He said the prices paid for Jeff</p><p>Koons’s works, for instance, had</p><p>fallen by 40 per cent over the past</p><p>two years. The “most beautiful”</p><p>artworks, he added, were</p><p>increasingly rare on the market.</p><p>Death by drone as</p><p>Ukraine’s frontline</p><p>troops cling on</p><p>The bodies of three Russian soldiers</p><p>were visible in the grey light of dawn.</p><p>The ammunition belt carried by one of</p><p>them had been set on fire by the bomb</p><p>that killed him, and it crackled and</p><p>sparked grotesquely.</p><p>One of the three lay in the middle of</p><p>a track behind their blazing armoured</p><p>personnel carrier, hit by an FPV kami-</p><p>kaze drone, one whose camera gives</p><p>the operator a first-person view. The</p><p>dense smoke mingled with the morning</p><p>mist. Three other Russian infantrymen</p><p>had run from the burning vehicle into</p><p>the undergrowth, pursued by more</p><p>buzzing drones.</p><p>The new day had scarcely begun on</p><p>the front lines near Andriivka, a ruined</p><p>village south of Chasiv Yar, and already</p><p>drones were at work killing men and</p><p>destroying machines.</p><p>“Wherever they hide, in a hole or</p><p>under a tank hull, we’re going to find</p><p>them and kill them,” insisted a Ukraini-</p><p>an captain, codenamed Nara, who was</p><p>co-ordinating the drone hunt for the</p><p>three surviving Russians from his com-</p><p>mand post, a tiny bunker beneath the</p><p>ruins of a shell-blasted house.</p><p>He spoke with a flicker of a smile, but</p><p>there were dried bloodstains on his</p><p>chest rig, gained while trying to assist</p><p>one of his men wounded the day before.</p><p>There is little talk on these eastern</p><p>front lines in Donbas of the great “vic-</p><p>tory plan” presented by President Zel-</p><p>ensky in Washington. There is no vision</p><p>here of war’s end. “We live out each day</p><p>here concerning ourselves with more</p><p>immediate problems,” said Nara, 25, an</p><p>officer in Ukraine’s 93rd Brigade. “Too</p><p>few of our own soldiers, too many Rus-</p><p>sian soldiers; not enough shells for us,</p><p>too many Russian drones; how to kill</p><p>more Russians. Familiar challenges.</p><p>Challenges we have got used to.”</p><p>More than a million Russian and</p><p>Ukrainian soldiers are thought to have</p><p>been killed or wounded since the start</p><p>of the invasion in 2022, according to an</p><p>internal Ukrainian assessment seen by</p><p>The Wall Street Journal. Most have</p><p>died in Donbas, which remains the</p><p>focus of the ground war and is where</p><p>Ukrainian fortunes are in dark disarray.</p><p>The daily experiences of troops in the</p><p>forward bunkers on this front line, the</p><p>“zero point” as they call it, are a vision</p><p>of ghastliness. Beneath the drone-satu-</p><p>rated skies, replacement infantrymen</p><p>often have to walk by night alone or in</p><p>pairs several miles over exposed</p><p>ground to their positions, and may be</p><p>stuck in the same bunker for a month</p><p>before rotation.</p><p>If in an especially exposed position,</p><p>their ammunition and rations will be</p><p>entirely resupplied by drones, even as</p><p>Russian suicide drones try to kill them:</p><p>life and death depending on machines.</p><p>A wounded Ukrainian soldier gave</p><p>an account, chilling in its brevity, of life</p><p>beneath suicide drones on the zero</p><p>point. “There are two of us in a bunker,</p><p>one on watch and one sleeping, one</p><p>hour on, one hour off, for as long as you</p><p>are there,” said Olexii, 50. The former</p><p>tractor driver said he had been on the</p><p>front for only four days before shrapnel</p><p>from a Russian suicide drone attack hit</p><p>him in the face. “The air is constantly</p><p>whining with FPV drones and shells</p><p>flying over you,” he added, his eyes</p><p>glassy. “It feels like every second there is</p><p>something there trying to kill you.</p><p>However brave you are or try to be, it is</p><p>a shock. And you smell it too. You smell</p><p>the death everywhere.”</p><p>Pokrovsk, Ukraine’s key logistical</p><p>and communications hub in Donbas, is</p><p>under daily bombardment from avia-</p><p>tion and artillery, and the Russians are</p><p>grinding slowly forwards in a pincer</p><p>movement. It seems likely that the city</p><p>will face the same fate as Avdiivka and</p><p>Bakhmut. The fortress town of Vuhle-</p><p>dar,about 30 miles south of Pokrovsk,</p><p>once renowned for its fierce defence</p><p>against Russian assault, is under mas-</p><p>sive attack, all but surrounded.</p><p>The audacious Kursk operation —</p><p>Ukraine’s one big offensive of the year</p><p>— has failed to draw away Russian</p><p>forces from pressure points elsewhere,</p><p>leaving defence lines unbalanced fur-</p><p>ther south. “Kursk? It hasn’t affected</p><p>our situation here one way or another,”</p><p>Nara shrugged.</p><p>He turned back to his screen and</p><p>continued hunting men. It showed six</p><p>live video feeds from Ukrainian drones</p><p>as they scoured the ground for the sur-</p><p>viving Russian soldiers, hunting around</p><p>shell craters and examining the wrecks</p><p>of long-abandoned tanks for signs of</p><p>life. As the captain stared at them, in-</p><p>coming Russian artillery rumbled</p><p>above ground, close enough to tremble</p><p>the bunker walls.</p><p>At one point an observation drone</p><p>picked up a Russian soldier trudging to-</p><p>wards a treeline. Yet before he could be</p><p>killed, the Russian had ambled into the</p><p>cover of the trees, apparently unaware</p><p>how close he had come to death.</p><p>Nara was unperturbed.</p><p>In that</p><p>cramped bunker on the Andriivka sec-</p><p>tor, as the shelling thumped outside, the</p><p>mood remained one of cold, lapidary</p><p>focus as the captain stared at the drone</p><p>feed, searching for the Russians who</p><p>had escaped the burning armoured</p><p>personnel carrier, the vision of his own</p><p>“victory plan” redacted to the killing of</p><p>three more invaders. “Their life has be-</p><p>come a wait for death,” he murmured.</p><p>There is scant sign of</p><p>victory in the bunkers</p><p>of Donbas, writes</p><p>Anthony Loyd</p><p>from Pokrovsk</p><p>Zelensky returns home disappointed after Biden summit</p><p>range of about 70 miles and will make it</p><p>easier for Ukraine to hit Russian forces</p><p>at a distance. They are designed to be</p><p>fired by F-16 warplanes, increasing their</p><p>range. While the JSOWs will bolster</p><p>Ukraine’s strike capabilities, they will</p><p>not allow it to destroy Russian military</p><p>bases far from the border, something</p><p>that Kyiv says is necessary to save the</p><p>lives of civilians.</p><p>Biden, who leaves office in January,</p><p>also announced an additional air de-</p><p>fence battery and more Patriot missiles</p><p>to defend Ukrainian cities, as well as an</p><p>expansion of US training for Ukrainian</p><p>F-16 pilots.</p><p>Zelensky visited Capitol Hill earlier,</p><p>where he was met by a bipartisan group</p><p>of senators who support Kyiv. Lindsay</p><p>Graham, a Republican senator, said</p><p>Zelensky had asked for the green light</p><p>for long-range strikes to “bring Putin to</p><p>the table” and strengthen Ukraine’s</p><p>position before any peace talks. “If we</p><p>don’t make that fundamental choice</p><p>this week, I think the outcome for</p><p>Ukraine is dire,” Graham said.</p><p>Neither Biden nor Harris made any</p><p>mention of Putin’s nuclear threats.</p><p>However, Antony Blinken, the US sec-</p><p>retary of state, described them as “total-</p><p>ly irresponsible”. He called on China,</p><p>which has cautioned Russia against us-</p><p>ing nuclear weapons, to reiterate to</p><p>Moscow that “rattling the nuclear sa-</p><p>bre” was unacceptable.</p><p>The results of November’s US presi-</p><p>dential elections seem set to determine</p><p>the outcome of the war, if not the future</p><p>of Ukraine. Donald Trump, the Repub-</p><p>lican candidate, has escalated his</p><p>attacks on the Ukrainian leader in</p><p>recent days, saying Zelensky should</p><p>have “given up a little bit” of his country</p><p>to appease Moscow. Trump has vowed</p><p>to end American military support for</p><p>Ukraine should he win.</p><p>Zelensky said in April that Ukraine</p><p>would have “no chance of winning”</p><p>without US military assistance. The</p><p>United States has provided about</p><p>$175 billion in military and economic</p><p>aid to Ukraine during the war, despite</p><p>opposition from many Republicans.</p><p>“Ukraine is gone!” Trump said at a</p><p>rally in North Carolina this week. “If we</p><p>made a bad deal, it would have been</p><p>much better. [Ukraine] would have</p><p>given up a little bit and everybody</p><p>would be living.” He accused Demo-</p><p>crats of planning to deploy American</p><p>troops to Ukraine but gave no evidence</p><p>to support his claim.</p><p>Sotheby’s, which is aiming to expand rapidly, will be</p><p>auctioning off works by the likes of Pablo Picasso,</p><p>Andy Warhol, above, James Ensor, below, and even the</p><p>original Hermès Birkin bag owned by Jane Birkin</p><p>U K R A I N E</p><p>RU S S I A</p><p>Bakhmut</p><p>Donetsk</p><p>Andriivka</p><p>Pokrovsk</p><p>Luhansk</p><p>20 miles</p><p>Russian-held territory</p><p>Ukrainian countero�ensives</p><p>32 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>World</p><p>Analysis</p><p>B</p><p>inyamin</p><p>Netanyahu had</p><p>the Abraham</p><p>Accords under</p><p>his belt when he</p><p>left office in 2021, signing</p><p>treaties and exchanging</p><p>ambassadors with the</p><p>United Arab Emirates,</p><p>Morocco, and Bahrain</p><p>(Samer Al-Atrush writes).</p><p>Back in power a year</p><p>later, Netanyahu said he</p><p>was aiming for a bigger</p><p>prize: Saudi Arabia.</p><p>Opening official</p><p>relations with the Middle</p><p>East’s most influential</p><p>Muslim power would</p><p>have been a</p><p>breakthrough with no</p><p>parallel since Menachem</p><p>Begin made peace with</p><p>Egypt in 1979.</p><p>Netanyahu courted the</p><p>Saudis and they signalled</p><p>their interest in return.</p><p>President Biden was</p><p>enthused by a potential</p><p>deal. There was, however,</p><p>a problem. Saudi Arabia</p><p>wanted a commitment by</p><p>Netanyahu to</p><p>establishing a Palestinian</p><p>state, among other</p><p>concessions.</p><p>Washington had</p><p>prepared to dispatch</p><p>Antony Blinken, the</p><p>secretary of state, to</p><p>Israel in October last</p><p>year to emphasise that</p><p>this was a red line for the</p><p>Saudis. In the event, he</p><p>arrived days after the</p><p>Hamas attack in which</p><p>more than 1,100 people</p><p>were massacred and 200</p><p>people taken hostage.</p><p>That prompted the war</p><p>in Gaza and attacks by</p><p>Hezbollah on Israel,</p><p>starting a countdown to a</p><p>regional war that the US</p><p>has feverishly been</p><p>attempting to avoid.</p><p>Despite condemnations</p><p>of Israel’s military</p><p>response by Arab states</p><p>— whose governments</p><p>mostly despise Hamas —</p><p>the war in Gaza, and now</p><p>the spiralling hostilities in</p><p>Lebanon, have merely</p><p>frozen the drift towards</p><p>Arab normalisation with</p><p>Israel. There are hopes in</p><p>Riyadh that a new, and</p><p>more moderate, Israeli</p><p>government will resume</p><p>the talks, but Saudi</p><p>Arabia will insist on its</p><p>conditions, Crown Prince</p><p>Mohammed bin Salman</p><p>told a government</p><p>meeting last week.</p><p>The UAE, Morocco,</p><p>Bahrain, Egypt, and</p><p>Jordan have not cut ties</p><p>with Israel.</p><p>There is no love lost</p><p>between any of these</p><p>countries and Hamas or</p><p>Hezbollah.</p><p>But they had all warned</p><p>that if the war did not end</p><p>in Gaza, it would lead to a</p><p>wider conflagration.</p><p>The VIP section of Lebanon’s biggest</p><p>gambling spot, the Casino du Liban,</p><p>was closed on Wednesday night due to</p><p>an unexpected staff shortage.</p><p>An Israeli airstrike had hit two</p><p>houses nearby and killed 18 people</p><p>earlier in the day, disrupting traffic on</p><p>the coastal road that the croupiers —</p><p>and customers — use to get to the hill-</p><p>top casino in the majority-Christian</p><p>port of Jounieh, north of Beirut.</p><p>In the blackjack room, a handful of</p><p>portly men in polo shirts threw dollar</p><p>bills down on blue felt tables. The main</p><p>gaming hall resounded with the usual</p><p>chimes of 400 slot machines, but just a</p><p>few dozen gamblers were present.</p><p>“It’s usually busier,” Roland Khoury,</p><p>the manager, said. The casino, which in</p><p>its 1960s heyday played host to royalty</p><p>and Hollywood stars, has struggled</p><p>since Hezbollah began firing rockets in-</p><p>to Israel days after the Hamas attacks of</p><p>October 7, and Israel responded in kind.</p><p>Khoury lives close to the site of</p><p>Stakes prove too high for most of Lebanon’s casino customers</p><p>Wednesday’s strike, which hit a small</p><p>Shia enclave in the largely Christian</p><p>district of Kesrouane. “We don’t know</p><p>where they will hit next,” he said. “It’s</p><p>not a matter of Shia or Christian. When</p><p>they bomb the roads, they’re not Shia</p><p>roads. They’re bombing Lebanese</p><p>roads.”</p><p>In Jounieh’s old town, some point the</p><p>finger of blame directly at Hezbollah.</p><p>The high street, usually crowded with</p><p>rich Lebanese spending US dollars in</p><p>cafés and wine bars, was all but desert-</p><p>ed. “Look, there’s nobody in the streets,”</p><p>said Eli Jumaa, who runs The Brothers</p><p>cocktail bar. “Every time [Hezbollah</p><p>leader] Hassan Nasrallah starts firing</p><p>his rockets, this is what happens.”</p><p>Jumaa’s small bar had just three cus-</p><p>tomers gathered around a single table.</p><p>The proprietor, in his thirties with a</p><p>nose ring and two crucifix neck tattoos,</p><p>opened the bar with his brother Rabea</p><p>three years ago, just as an economic</p><p>crash plunged Lebanon into crisis.</p><p>They had hoped that this would be</p><p>the year they turned things around. As</p><p>it is, they are down $15,000 since the</p><p>outbreak of the war in Gaza “It’s not</p><p>even our war,” Jumaa added.</p><p>He has banned Hezbollah members</p><p>from his premises, and their followers</p><p>too. “If Hezbollah supporters try</p><p>coming into our bar, waving their flags</p><p>around, we tell them to get lost.”</p><p>Hundreds of thousands of people</p><p>were urged by the Israeli military to flee</p><p>their homes before the bombing began.</p><p>At least 70,000 people are staying in</p><p>municipal shelters, including about 300</p><p>who have been transferred to Jounieh.</p><p>Jumaa is an active member of the</p><p>Lebanese Forces, a right-wing Christ-</p><p>ian political party that sprung from a</p><p>civil war-era militia group that fought</p><p>the predecessors of Hezbollah.</p><p>In principle, he said, he has no prob-</p><p>lem with Shia Muslims from the south,</p><p>but he resents</p><p>those who have fled their</p><p>homes and moved into displacement</p><p>shelters along the Jounieh highway.</p><p>“They wanted this war. And now that</p><p>it’s started, they want to come here.”</p><p>Juan Hobeiche, Jounieh’s mayor, in-</p><p>sists that most people in the town are</p><p>“open-minded”. It is natural people</p><p>from bombed-out areas should want to</p><p>seek safety, he says, although the Kes-</p><p>rouane attack showed that “nowhere is</p><p>100 per cent safe”.</p><p>Edmund Bower Beirut</p><p>The Casino du Liban in Jounieh</p><p>Unaware that he was being watched by</p><p>Hezbollah, Ben Yair, an IDF reservist,</p><p>was installing a camera on the border</p><p>fence with Lebanon when the missile</p><p>hit.</p><p>The sergeant-major in the Golani</p><p>Brigade had just dismissed his troops</p><p>after completing his task last month</p><p>when the anti-tank missile hit the con-</p><p>crete barrier in front of him, sending</p><p>shrapnel scything through his left leg.</p><p>He now lies in a windowless ward be-</p><p>hind bombproof doors in a hospital that</p><p>has moved underground in the town of</p><p>Safed, less than ten miles from the</p><p>border. “I still don’t know when</p><p>I’m going to get out,” Ben Yair,</p><p>25, who can only be identi-</p><p>fied by his first names,</p><p>said. “I’m waiting for the</p><p>wound to close up.”</p><p>Like other patients at</p><p>the fortress-like Ziv</p><p>Medical Centre,</p><p>which is ringed by</p><p>concrete panels, Ben</p><p>Yair is under the care of</p><p>Shauli Kabesa, 43, the</p><p>head nurse, who has di-</p><p>rect experience of the last</p><p>time Israel waged war with</p><p>Lebanon. He was deployed</p><p>there in 2006.</p><p>Kabesa said: “We’re ready, better</p><p>prepared than 2006 when we didn’t</p><p>have these underground facilities. Ten</p><p>times better prepared. But speaking in a</p><p>personal capacity, and not as a repre-</p><p>sentative of the hospital, I think it</p><p>would be a mistake to go in.”</p><p>Professor Salman Zarka, 60, the di-</p><p>rector of the hospital, said: “This week</p><p>has been the highest state of alert we’ve</p><p>been on in the past year. What is impor-</p><p>tant is to be ready for a high number of</p><p>wounded.”</p><p>Binyamin Netanayhu, the Israeli</p><p>prime minister, angrily repudiated</p><p>reports that his country had agreed to a</p><p>US-French ceasefire proposal as he</p><p>arrived in New York to address the UN</p><p>general assembly.</p><p>The death toll in Lebanon during the</p><p>past week exceeds 600 and Israel’s chief</p><p>of the general staff, Herzi Halevi, hint-</p><p>ed at a coming ground invasion during</p><p>an address to troops. “Your military</p><p>boots will enter enemy territory,” he</p><p>said. “You will go in, destroy the enemy</p><p>there, and decisively destroy their in-</p><p>frastructure. These are the things that</p><p>‘Fortress’ hospital braced for war</p><p>George Grylls visits the</p><p>Ziv Medical Centre,</p><p>housed in a bombproof</p><p>shelter close to Israel’s</p><p>border with Lebanon</p><p>will enable us to safely return the resi-</p><p>dents of the north afterwards” — a ref-</p><p>erence to the tens of thousands of</p><p>Israeli civilians forced to evacuate</p><p>towns across the north of the country</p><p>when Hezbollah’s rockets began to fall</p><p>soon after the start of the Gaza war.</p><p>The stalls of the hospital’s under-</p><p>ground lecture hall have been cleared</p><p>away, replaced by patients on gurneys</p><p>— a temporary ward for the depart-</p><p>ments of urology, ophthalmology and</p><p>neonatal care. Two clowns, Sheshbesh</p><p>and Tiltil, try to keep up spirits. “We are</p><p>stressed too,” Sheshbesh said.</p><p>Despite the talk of war, there is little</p><p>sign of an imminent invasion along the</p><p>border. Halevi has called up two re-</p><p>serve brigades, but there has been no</p><p>mass mobilisation similar to the one</p><p>that followed the October 7 attacks that</p><p>provoked the Gaza war, and the roads</p><p>are empty of armoured vehicles.</p><p>Safed, home to a large Haredi com-</p><p>munity, is the headquarters of the</p><p>northern division of the Israel Defence</p><p>Forces, making it a target for volleys of</p><p>Hezbollah rockets, which have set off</p><p>wildfires in recent days.</p><p>During the 34-day war between</p><p>Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, the Ziv</p><p>hospital in Safed treated 1,500 casual-</p><p>ties and was itself struck by Katyusha</p><p>rockets fired from Lebanon.</p><p>Since then, Hezbollah’s arsenal has</p><p>grown to an estimated 130,000-150,000</p><p>rockets and missiles, including Iranian-</p><p>made Fateh-110 missiles. Arguably, the</p><p>Shia militia represents an even more</p><p>deadly foe than the group that fought</p><p>the IDF to a stalemate almost two</p><p>decades ago.</p><p>Hezbollah’s 45,000-strong army now</p><p>includes experienced fighters from the</p><p>civil war in Syria, ready to ambush</p><p>Israeli troops in the hilly terrain of</p><p>southern Lebanon, relying on a net-</p><p>work of tunnels to disappear as quickly</p><p>as they come.</p><p>Flak jackets are piled up at the en-</p><p>trance to the hospital, generators have</p><p>been bought in the event the electricity</p><p>is cut off, and 100 staff have volunteered</p><p>as blood donors in case stocks run out.</p><p>The nurses recently dealt with the</p><p>aftermath of a Falaq-1 rocket attack on</p><p>Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights,</p><p>which killed 12 children as they played</p><p>on a football field. Hezbollah denied</p><p>Israeli accusations that it had deliber-</p><p>ately targeted civilians.</p><p>Like the victims of that attack, Zarka,</p><p>the director of the hospital, is Druze, an</p><p>Arabic-speaking religious group with</p><p>adherents in Israel, Lebanon and Syria.</p><p>“We have Druze, Christian, Muslims,</p><p>Jews, Bedouins, Circassians — all of</p><p>them are working here together,” he</p><p>said. “The war has already been going</p><p>on for a year and I still don’t know when</p><p>it will finish.”</p><p>Israeli missiles target Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. Left: Ben Yair, a wounded Israeli soldier</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 V2 33</p><p>World</p><p>A frown crossed Kamala Harris’s</p><p>face. She was in the midst of her first</p><p>solo network interview as Democratic</p><p>presidential candidate: a conversation</p><p>on a friendly network, focused on the</p><p>economy, which polls suggest is voters’</p><p>top priority, along with immigration.</p><p>Harris, who trails Trump in polls on</p><p>this issue but has been cutting his lead,</p><p>had been asked by MSNBC where the</p><p>money would come from for proposed</p><p>cash giveaways to new parents and</p><p>first-time home buyers, if Republicans</p><p>control the Senate after the election.</p><p>If she cannot persuade Congress to</p><p>increase corporate taxes to pay for her</p><p>promises will she borrow the money?</p><p>The vice-president was stumped.</p><p>“But we’re going to have to raise corpo-</p><p>rate taxes,” she said. “We’re going to</p><p>have to make sure that the biggest cor-</p><p>porations and billionaires pay their fair</p><p>Harris caught out on tax as she</p><p>tries to overtake Trump in polls</p><p>United States</p><p>David Charter Washington</p><p>share. That’s just it,” she added. “It is not</p><p>right that the teachers and the firefight-</p><p>ers that I meet every day are paying a</p><p>higher tax than the richest people.”</p><p>Stephanie Ruhle, the MSNBC host,</p><p>moved on swiftly with a supportive</p><p>comment: “Bill Gates just said it last</p><p>week, if he was in charge of taxes, he</p><p>would have paid more.”</p><p>However, Harris’s flatfooted answer</p><p>exposed a flaw in the economic plans</p><p>that she wanted to focus on this week.</p><p>Many of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which</p><p>mainly benefited large companies and</p><p>wealthier Americans, are due to expire</p><p>next year and will be the focus of a big</p><p>renewal fight in Congress.</p><p>The likelihood of Democrats retain-</p><p>ing control of the Senate appears slim:</p><p>their one-seat majority is under threat</p><p>from strong Republican challenges in</p><p>West Virginia, Montana and Ohio. If</p><p>Harris wins the presidency, she faces</p><p>months of horse trading to push</p><p>through her tax plans. But there is hope</p><p>for one of them, her call for a $6,000 tax</p><p>credit for new parents in their child’s</p><p>first year. JD Vance, Trump’s running</p><p>mate, told CBS last month of his</p><p>support for a child tax credit of $5,000,</p><p>meaning that a deal should be within</p><p>reach. Vance has not said how he would</p><p>pay for it either, although his plan is un-</p><p>likely to involve raising the corporate</p><p>tax rate to 28 per cent, as Harris has</p><p>proposed, from the 21 per cent rate in</p><p>Trump’s 2017 legislation, which cut the</p><p>35 per cent he inherited.</p><p>The Trump campaign wants voters</p><p>to focus on the inflation figures in swing</p><p>states, which he posts on his Truth</p><p>Social site. These put the average</p><p>cumulative rise in the cost of living</p><p>since 2021 in Arizona at $33,823 a</p><p>person and in Pennsylvania at $24,445.</p><p>As the presidential race intensifies</p><p>the Harris campaign is not the only one</p><p>pushing uncosted handouts. Seeking to</p><p>neutralise the Democrats’ polling</p><p>advantage on reproductive rights,</p><p>Trump has vowed to make IVF treat-</p><p>ment free. He has also pledged to end</p><p>tax on tips, a policy that Harris copied.</p><p>They both made their announcements</p><p>in Nevada where it is seen as a vote-</p><p>winner. Neither has said how the costs</p><p>of the measures will be covered.</p><p>Asked at an economic conference</p><p>this month how he would make child-</p><p>care more affordable, Trump said his</p><p>plans to raise tariffs would pay for the</p><p>policy. “We are going to be taking in</p><p>trillions of dollars,” he told the</p><p>Economic Club of New York.</p><p>The president has authority to raise</p><p>tariffs in times of emergency without</p><p>needing Congress to agree, a tool used</p><p>by Trump in his first term to levy taxes</p><p>on China. He says he could put a 60 per</p><p>cent tariff on imports from China and</p><p>10 per cent on those from other coun-</p><p>tries. Harris says the former president is</p><p>effectively proposing a “Trump sales</p><p>tax” on Americans because importers</p><p>will pass on the costs.</p><p>Trump retains an overall polling lead</p><p>on handling the economy but it is</p><p>shrinking. A poll for Fox News last week</p><p>had Trump ahead by five points on the</p><p>economy, compared with a 15-point</p><p>lead that he had over Biden in March.</p><p>AP-NORC put Trump only two points</p><p>ahead on trust on the economy and</p><p>Quinnipiac found just a two-point gap</p><p>in Pennsylvania and Michigan. A</p><p>Morning Consult poll put the two</p><p>candidates level while a Financial</p><p>Times/University of Michigan poll</p><p>found Harris leading by 2 percentage</p><p>points, on 44 per cent.</p><p>Harris has reversed Biden’s low</p><p>ratings for running the economy: he</p><p>was running an average of 12 points be-</p><p>hind Trump when he withdrew from</p><p>the race. Yet, as her MSNBC interview</p><p>showed, she has not found all the an-</p><p>swers on what may prove to be the de-</p><p>fining issue of this election.</p><p>A</p><p>lot has</p><p>changed</p><p>since Melania</p><p>Trump’s last</p><p>interview two</p><p>years ago; even more</p><p>since the interviews she</p><p>gave in 2018 and 2016.</p><p>Presidents have risen</p><p>and fallen, armies have</p><p>marched into war, an</p><p>insurrection has hit the</p><p>Capitol and a pandemic</p><p>has swept the planet, but</p><p>one thing has remained</p><p>exactly the same:</p><p>Melania.</p><p>As the former — and</p><p>potentially next — first</p><p>lady sat down for an</p><p>interview with Ainsley</p><p>Earhardt on Fox &</p><p>Friends to mark the</p><p>release of her new</p><p>memoir, I blinked hard.</p><p>Her hair, is it fixed? For</p><p>ever? I squinted at her</p><p>smokey black</p><p>eyeshadow. It was the</p><p>same as it was in all the</p><p>other interviews.</p><p>Identical. It was like she</p><p>was beaming in from</p><p>2022. Or 2018. Or 2016.</p><p>Time concertinaed,</p><p>right there at my</p><p>kitchen table. “Oh God,”</p><p>I thought. “Where am I?</p><p>What year is it? What is</p><p>time and does it pass all</p><p>at once or never at all?</p><p>Is Melania existing in</p><p>the same time as the rest</p><p>of us or does she just</p><p>land in front of us</p><p>periodically, sent down</p><p>from Trump Tower like</p><p>a Slavic spaceship with</p><p>five-inch stilettos instead</p><p>of landing gear?”</p><p>Melania, 54, has been</p><p>almost entirely absent</p><p>from the spotlight this</p><p>year but here she was in</p><p>a recorded interview for</p><p>breakfast television.</p><p>Excerpts were drip fed</p><p>to viewers across three</p><p>hours. She sat unmoving,</p><p>legs crossed and hands</p><p>folded on top with</p><p>conscientious grace,</p><p>speaking her truth</p><p>(available to purchase in</p><p>book form on October 8,</p><p>$250 collector’s edition).</p><p>Everything was gentle.</p><p>She nodded her head</p><p>slowly, blinked slowly, a</p><p>lovely lady-princess</p><p>perched in a window,</p><p>not making any sudden</p><p>movements.</p><p>Melania spoke about</p><p>her first date with</p><p>Donald Trump, their</p><p>18-year-old son Barron</p><p>(a very good boy) and</p><p>her modelling career.</p><p>“Nothing prepared me</p><p>more for being first lady</p><p>in front of the world</p><p>than the fashion</p><p>industry,” she smiled, a</p><p>warrior hardened in</p><p>Manhattan’s chiffon</p><p>trenches. “It’s glamorous</p><p>but it’s tough.”</p><p>You can see why the</p><p>Republicans are so</p><p>desperate for Melania to</p><p>hit the campaign trail</p><p>with her husband. She</p><p>spoke sincerely and</p><p>fluently, particularly on</p><p>the state of the country,</p><p>on her late mother and</p><p>on the assassination</p><p>attempt in Pennsylvania.</p><p>She showed a depth of</p><p>feeling and fear for her</p><p>fighter husband too. In</p><p>fact, there’s a chance, I</p><p>think, that seeing him</p><p>bloodied and brave,</p><p>hand in the air having</p><p>just survived a bullet,</p><p>that maybe, just maybe,</p><p>she had thought the</p><p>“commander in chief”</p><p>was kind of hot too.</p><p>Melania has always</p><p>framed herself within</p><p>motherhood and</p><p>wifedom. At one point</p><p>we were shown a photo</p><p>from the book of</p><p>Melania somewhere up</p><p>high in a skyscraper,</p><p>sitting at a desk</p><p>scattered artfully with</p><p>papers, Louboutins on,</p><p>hair coiffed and smiling</p><p>gently, white shirt</p><p>buttoned down nearly to</p><p>her navel, a young</p><p>Barron at her feet</p><p>driving a miniature red</p><p>Mercedes around a</p><p>room where everything</p><p>that could be gilded was.</p><p>It was as if AI had been</p><p>asked to draw a scene of</p><p>the inside of the Trump</p><p>Universe. Earhardt said:</p><p>“I looked at this picture</p><p>and thought, this is a</p><p>working mom’s life. We</p><p>can all relate to this.”</p><p>Ten-minute clips were</p><p>interspersed with</p><p>commentary from the</p><p>four Fox News anchors</p><p>who simply adored her.</p><p>“You see the way she</p><p>holds herself?” they</p><p>gushed. “She is very</p><p>polished, very elegant.”</p><p>“She’s fascination, she’s</p><p>beautiful, she’s poised.”</p><p>It was like listening to a</p><p>beauty pageant panel.</p><p>It was over too soon,</p><p>the interview released in</p><p>preparation for the book</p><p>launch, so Melania can</p><p>be beamed back up to</p><p>Trump Tower, where</p><p>she does something or</p><p>other, until she is</p><p>presented to the</p><p>American public all over</p><p>again, the same.</p><p>Melania’s</p><p>back, like</p><p>she’d never</p><p>been away</p><p>Ainsley Earhardt spoke to Melania Trump on Fox & Friends. Melania described the failed attempt on her husband’s life on July 13, below, as a miracle</p><p>Megan Agnew</p><p>Sketch</p><p>34 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>World</p><p>The director of Tesla’s electric car</p><p>plant in Germany has defended</p><p>sending managers to the homes of</p><p>workers on long-term sick leave after</p><p>the country’s most powerful union</p><p>condemned the move.</p><p>In recent weeks Tesla has dis-</p><p>patched managers to check up on</p><p>about two dozen employees who</p><p>have drawn their pay packets while</p><p>claiming to be too ill to work over the</p><p>past nine months. The home visits</p><p>have inflamed the class war between</p><p>Tesla and the trade union IG Metall,</p><p>which represents a growing number</p><p>of the factory’s 12,000 workers.</p><p>The gigafactory at Grünheide, ten</p><p>miles east of Berlin, is the carmaker’s</p><p>first plant in Europe and has been a</p><p>source of contention since Elon</p><p>Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, an-</p><p>nounced the project five years ago.</p><p>For the German government, it is a</p><p>prestige project and a symbol that the</p><p>country’s skilled workforce remains</p><p>attractive to international high-tech</p><p>manufacturers. However, Musk’s</p><p>Tesla sends bosses to check</p><p>on workers off sick at home</p><p>dismissive attitude towards unions</p><p>has collided with a well-entrenched</p><p>labour movement that is used to a</p><p>more consensual model of industrial</p><p>relations.</p><p>IG Metall has campaigned against</p><p>what it describes as intolerable work-</p><p>ing conditions with “unreasonably”</p><p>long hours. One of the chief battle-</p><p>grounds is sick leave. It is not uncom-</p><p>mon for more than 15 per cent of the</p><p>plant’s workforce to be absent</p><p>because of illness and on occasion the</p><p>rate has been above 30 per cent.</p><p>IG Metall argues that this stems</p><p>primarily from stress, overwork and a</p><p>“culture of fear”. Dirk Schulze, the</p><p>union’s regional director, said: “When</p><p>there are staff shortages, the ill</p><p>workers are put under pressure and</p><p>those who remain healthy are</p><p>overburdened with additional work.</p><p>If the factory’s overseers really want</p><p>to reduce the level of sickness, they</p><p>should break this vicious circle.”</p><p>But André Thierig, the plant’s</p><p>manufacturing director, dismissed</p><p>the criticism. He claimed that some</p><p>workers were taking advantage of the</p><p>country’s generous labour protection</p><p>laws and unnecessarily calling in sick.</p><p>Thierig said that among the plant’s</p><p>1,500 temporary workers, who</p><p>operate under similar conditions</p><p>telling the BBC</p><p>that the tech entrepreneur had previ-</p><p>ously signalled he was considering</p><p>building an electric car plant in Britain.</p><p>Kemi Badenoch, who is standing to</p><p>be Conservative Party leader, said she</p><p>was a “huge fan of Elon Musk” and</p><p>praised his stand in favour of free</p><p>speech. She told The Spectator: “I look</p><p>at Twitter before he took over and after:</p><p>there is a lot more free speech. Yes,</p><p>there are many, many more things that</p><p>I see on [X] that I don’t like. But I also</p><p>know that views are not suppressed the</p><p>way that they were. That there was a</p><p>cultural establishment — that was very</p><p>left — that controlled quite a lot of</p><p>discourse on that platform.”</p><p>The Department for Business and</p><p>Trade declined to comment.</p><p>The International Investment Sum-</p><p>mit will take place on October 14,</p><p>two weeks before the budget. Hosted by</p><p>Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, and</p><p>Jonathan Reynolds, the business secre-</p><p>tary, it will bring together 300 business</p><p>leaders as part of a plan to “make clear</p><p>that the UK is open for business”.</p><p>While Labour’s leadership spent a</p><p>good deal of time repairing relations</p><p>with business through a “smoked</p><p>salmon and scrambled eggs offensive”</p><p>in the run-up to the election, a series of</p><p>proposed policies to strengthen em-</p><p>ployee rights have left some employers</p><p>nervous of the new administration.</p><p>continued from page 1</p><p>Musk steps up war of words</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 S1 3</p><p>News</p><p>after his father sent him to learn En-</p><p>glish and work in the wine industry.</p><p>“I adore your country,” he said. “I re-</p><p>member that you were the first market</p><p>of champagne, of good wines, and [this</p><p>winery] was really for me to express</p><p>that gratitude. We have a picture of</p><p>when I was younger, offering the Prince</p><p>of Wales a magnum of champagne at</p><p>the end of the polo, he was completely</p><p>sweating and so on.”</p><p>Pierre-Emmanuel, who once told the</p><p>Irish Times that he was “paid to drink,</p><p>Boris Johnson had a “pep talk” with the prince</p><p>Taittinger, who, as deputy</p><p>mayor of Reims, had</p><p>twinned the city with</p><p>Canterbury.</p><p>Pierre-Emmanuel</p><p>Taittinger was equally</p><p>nostalgic about England,</p><p>where he spent several</p><p>months at Stonyhurst, the</p><p>Catholic independent</p><p>school in Clitheroe, Lan-</p><p>cashire, and lived for a year in</p><p>Chelsea with his young family</p><p>“God could not have done it better than</p><p>that,” said Pierre-Emmanuel Taitting-</p><p>er, the honorary president of Taittinger</p><p>champagne, as rain poured over the</p><p>Kent countryside yesterday afternoon.</p><p>Less than half an hour before, the</p><p>Duchess of Edinburgh had officially</p><p>opened the Domaine Evremond</p><p>winery in Chilham under blazing sun-</p><p>shine. It was so hot that one journalist</p><p>fainted. Taittinger’s purchase of the</p><p>125-hectare site in 2015 marked the first</p><p>time a major champagne house had</p><p>invested in British soil to produce</p><p>sparkling wine.</p><p>The Archdeacon of Canterbury and</p><p>vicaire général of Reims cathedral</p><p>blessed the vineyards, reciting a biblical</p><p>passage in English and French about a</p><p>“fertile hillside”. Then the heavens</p><p>opened. “During the speech I was cry-</p><p>ing,” Taittinger, 71, said. “I was so</p><p>extremely moved by the fact that we</p><p>had sunshine and rain.”</p><p>The estate boasts similar chalk soils</p><p>to the Champagne region, ideal for</p><p>drainage, in addition to south-facing</p><p>slopes and a suitable altitude. Rising</p><p>temperatures, which have forced pick-</p><p>ing to be brought forward in the Cham-</p><p>pagne region, have only made the Kent</p><p>climate kinder to cultivating wines.</p><p>The result, which will be available</p><p>for £50 a bottle in March, is the first</p><p>edition of the Domaine Evremond</p><p>Classic Cuvée.</p><p>Vitalie Taittinger, Pierre-</p><p>Emmanuel’s daughter and</p><p>president of the brand since</p><p>2020, described it as “very del-</p><p>icate, very clean” but with a</p><p>subtle flavour of the Kent</p><p>“sea and soil”. She said: “It’s</p><p>totally different. There’s no</p><p>comparison from champagne.</p><p>We can feel the impression of</p><p>the place.”</p><p>Taittinger aims to produce</p><p>between 300,000 and</p><p>400,000 bottles a year at</p><p>Domaine Evremond,</p><p>with distributors lined up</p><p>to buy the first 100,000</p><p>in March. The estate is</p><p>named after Charles de</p><p>Saint-Évremond, an ex-</p><p>iled French poet and</p><p>the first proponent of</p><p>champagne in England.</p><p>In a speech yesterday,</p><p>Vitalie Taittinger also</p><p>paid tribute to her</p><p>grandfather, Jean</p><p>Sophie toasts Taittinger’s Kent fizz</p><p>Patrick</p><p>McGrath</p><p>broke royal</p><p>protocol by</p><p>hugging the</p><p>Duchess of</p><p>Edinburgh,</p><p>left; below,</p><p>Pierre-</p><p>Emmanuel</p><p>Taittinger</p><p>The champagne house’s</p><p>UK winery had a royal</p><p>opening — and its £50</p><p>bottles are on sale soon,</p><p>writes Lara Wildenberg</p><p>Johnson: I was asked to persuade Harry to stay</p><p>paid to eat and make love sometimes</p><p>and drink wonderful champagne”, was</p><p>in the news last year after a former</p><p>mistress was convicted of harassment</p><p>and given a one-year suspended prison</p><p>sentence. The court was told that she</p><p>confronted him at the family home in</p><p>Reims then chased him with a knife</p><p>threatening to cut off his penis.</p><p>The family have supported</p><p>local businesses in Chilham since</p><p>their purchase, including hosting</p><p>Pierre-Emmanuel’s 71st birthday party</p><p>at the Woolpack Inn, which still has</p><p>Taittinger umbrellas in its garden.</p><p>Pubs in the area are excited to stock the</p><p>Classic Cuvée.</p><p>Patrick McGrath, a wine mer-</p><p>chant, old friend of Taittinger and</p><p>co-founder of Domaine Evre-</p><p>mond, put his arm around the</p><p>duchess during the event,</p><p>breaking royal protocol where-</p><p>by a member of the royal family</p><p>should not be touched unless</p><p>the royal initiates contact.</p><p>The protocol has become increas-</p><p>ingly lax in recent years, with Charles</p><p>accepting a hug from several New</p><p>Zealand women’s rugby players all</p><p>at once this month.</p><p>Boris Johnson was asked to try to convince the</p><p>Duke of Sussex not to step back from his royal</p><p>duties with his wife, Meghan, the former prime</p><p>minister reveals in his new memoir.</p><p>In Unleashed, due to be published on October</p><p>10, Johnson discloses that he was asked to give</p><p>Prince Harry a “manly pep talk” to persuade</p><p>him not to leave the UK. The meeting is said to</p><p>have taken place just weeks after Johnson’s</p><p>election victory in January 2020, during a UK-</p><p>Africa investment summit in London’s Dock-</p><p>lands, one of the duke’s final appearances as a</p><p>working royal. The two men are believed to</p><p>have met for 20 minutes without aides, reported</p><p>at the time to be “an informal ‘catch-up’ chat”.</p><p>A friend of the former prime minister told the</p><p>Daily Mail, which is serialising the memoir, that</p><p>Johnson praised Harry’s work with the Invictus</p><p>Games as well as the duchess’s efforts support-</p><p>ing women and girls’ education in developing</p><p>countries. “He thought they were a great asset</p><p>to UK plc and it was a real shame they were leav-</p><p>ing,” the friend said. “But Harry wasn’t for turn-</p><p>ing, he was unpersuadable by that point. Boris</p><p>succeeded in delivering Brexit but even he</p><p>couldn’t stop Megxit.”</p><p>Officials in Downing Street and Buckingham</p><p>Palace are believed to have thought Johnson</p><p>would succeed in talking the duke out of leaving</p><p>the UK but Johnson wrote it was “a ridiculous</p><p>business [for] me try to persuade Harry to stay.</p><p>Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless.”</p><p>The revelation comes after the Princess of</p><p>Wales visited the English National Ballet’s mati-</p><p>nee performance of Giselle at Sadler’s Wells in</p><p>London yesterday as she takes on more engage-</p><p>ments after the end of her cancer treatment</p><p>Nicole Cherruault</p><p>4 S1 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>Ministers believe they can reach a</p><p>deal with the European Union on a</p><p>youth mobility scheme after Brussels</p><p>appeared to soften its demands to</p><p>allow young Europeans to live and</p><p>work in Britain.</p><p>Pedro Serrano, the EU ambassador</p><p>to the UK, told Times Radio any</p><p>scheme would be like a “gap year” and</p><p>would not give European citizens the</p><p>right to live and work in Britain for a</p><p>significant period. He insisted it would</p><p>not represent a return to freedom of</p><p>movement.</p><p>EU member states are expected to</p><p>approve formal proposals for a youth</p><p>mobility scheme to be presented to</p><p>British ministers within weeks.</p><p>The scheme would allow under-30s</p><p>to live, work and study abroad, with</p><p>European citizens allowed to do the</p><p>same in the</p><p>to</p><p>full-time workers, the average rate of</p><p>absence through illness was only 2</p><p>per cent.</p><p>“In our analyses of attendance at</p><p>work, some phenomena have be-</p><p>come obvious. On Fridays and late</p><p>shifts about 5 per cent more employ-</p><p>ees take sick leave than on other</p><p>weekdays,” he said. “That is not an in-</p><p>dicator of bad working conditions</p><p>because the working conditions are</p><p>the same on all working days and</p><p>across all shifts. It suggests that the</p><p>German social system is being ex-</p><p>ploited to some extent.”</p><p>The company had identified about</p><p>200 members of staff who were still</p><p>being paid but had not turned up for</p><p>work at all this year, Thierig</p><p>suggested, adding: “They submit a</p><p>new sick note from the doctor at least</p><p>every six weeks.”</p><p>He insisted home visits were com-</p><p>mon practice in the industry and said</p><p>the firm simply wanted to “appeal to</p><p>the employees’ work ethic”.</p><p>Germany</p><p>Oliver Moody Berlin</p><p>Isabella Rossellini is among dozens of</p><p>famous actors to call for a ban on</p><p>wind farms in one of Italy’s most</p><p>beautiful landscapes.</p><p>Claudia Cardinale, a veteran of</p><p>Italian cinema, and the Oscar-</p><p>winning director Gabriele Salvatores</p><p>are also among 100 celebrities asking</p><p>the president, Sergio Mattarella, to</p><p>block seven 200 metre-tall turbines</p><p>being built in Tuscia, an area of</p><p>rolling hills, lakes and medieval</p><p>villages. In an open letter, the stars</p><p>acknowledge the need to boost</p><p>Rossellini leads actors against wind farms</p><p>renewable energy to help tackle</p><p>climate change but argue that wind</p><p>farms should not cause “irreversible</p><p>wounds to our land and its incredible</p><p>culture, landscape, history and</p><p>nature”.</p><p>Other signatories of the letter</p><p>include the Slow Food guru Carlo</p><p>Petrini, the novelist Alessandro</p><p>Baricco and the former Uffizi Gallery</p><p>director Eike Schmidt.</p><p>They claim one of the turbines will</p><p>be built within 500 metres of an</p><p>Etruscan tomb, one of many</p><p>scattered across the area, violating a</p><p>government rule that all wind farms</p><p>should be at least three kilometres</p><p>from listed sites. That has been</p><p>contested by the German firm RWE,</p><p>which has the permit to build the</p><p>turbines and says it has been given a</p><p>green light by Italy’s culture ministry.</p><p>The letter supports residents in the</p><p>area who have waged a legal battle to</p><p>halt the turbines but were recently</p><p>defeated in court.</p><p>Among the campaigners is James</p><p>Graham, a British artist who moved</p><p>to the area 12 years ago. “This is not</p><p>about nimbyism,” Graham insisted.</p><p>“People who own properties here feel</p><p>they have a responsibility to Tuscia.</p><p>They feel they are guardians of the</p><p>landscape.”</p><p>Italy</p><p>Tom Kington Rome</p><p>Mexico has rekindled a diplomatic</p><p>row with Spain over the former colo-</p><p>nial power’s refusal to offer an</p><p>apology for imperial-era “abuses”.</p><p>Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican</p><p>left-wing president-elect, has refused</p><p>to invite King Felipe of Spain to her</p><p>inauguration next week because he</p><p>has failed to respond to demands to</p><p>atone for “atrocities” committed dur-</p><p>ing the Spanish conquest of the Aztec</p><p>empire 500 years ago.</p><p>Sheinbaum said that Pedro Sán-</p><p>chez, Spain’s Socialist prime minister,</p><p>had been invited — but not the king.</p><p>She said Felipe had not responded to</p><p>a letter sent to him in 2019 by Andrés</p><p>Manuel López Obrador, her ally and</p><p>predecessor as president, asking him</p><p>to “publicly and officially” recognise</p><p>abuses committed during the con-</p><p>quest of Mexico.</p><p>Sanchez, who has declined to</p><p>attend because of the snub, described</p><p>it as “totally unacceptable” and “inex-</p><p>plicable”. He added: “We have made it</p><p>known to the Mexican government</p><p>that there will be no diplomatic rep-</p><p>Mexico snubs Spanish</p><p>king over past ‘abuses’</p><p>resentative from the Spanish govern-</p><p>ment, as a sign of protest.”</p><p>In 2019, López Obrador also sought</p><p>a similar apology from the Pope for</p><p>atrocities committed against</p><p>Mexico’s indigenous population in</p><p>the name of the church, as well as the</p><p>repatriation of pre-Hispanic books</p><p>and artefacts held in European muse-</p><p>ums and libraries.</p><p>Hernán Cortés, a Spanish adven-</p><p>turer, and a force of only 600 soldiers</p><p>destroyed the Aztec empire of Mon-</p><p>tezuma in 1521. The 500th annivers-</p><p>ary in 2021 was marked by acrimony.</p><p>López Obrador demanded that the</p><p>Pope and Felipe atone for it and the</p><p>colonial rule that followed.</p><p>López Obrador reiterated his re-</p><p>quest for a formal apology shortly</p><p>after his letter was made public.</p><p>Spain’s foreign ministry rejected it,</p><p>arguing that the conquest should not</p><p>be “judged in light of contemporary</p><p>considerations”.</p><p>The outgoing president has often</p><p>invoked the conquest to rally nation-</p><p>alist sentiment, stressing that Mexico</p><p>is no longer a colony. He has twice</p><p>declared that his country’s relations</p><p>with Spain were “on pause”.</p><p>Mexico</p><p>Isambard Wilkinson Madrid</p><p>Steam room Grape molasses is prepared by traditional methods in Konya, Turkey, with family and neighbours stirring cauldrons</p><p>*Discount on selected departures only. Prices correct at time of print.</p><p>Prices shown are based on twin occupancy of a double or twin bedded room</p><p>and economy fl ights. All holidays are subject to availability. Images used</p><p>in conjunction with Travelsphere. Operated by and subject to the booking</p><p>conditions of Travelsphere, ABTA Y6412, ATOL 11266 a company wholly</p><p>independent of News UK.</p><p>Our nine-day escorted tour of the</p><p>Canadian Rockies is truly magical -</p><p>seeing the snow and ice bringing</p><p>this spectacular landscape to life. Head</p><p>straight to the Unesco-listed Ban� National</p><p>Park. Here the Ban� Gondola cable car ride</p><p>takes you to the top of Sulphur Mountain for</p><p>unrivalled views of the area. You’ll also be</p><p>taken on a horse-drawn sleigh ride and visit</p><p>Ban� ’s natural hot springs. The adventure</p><p>continues in Jasper National Park deemed</p><p>by the World Heritage Committee to be</p><p>among the most significant sights on earth.</p><p>It’s then on to picture-perfect Lake Louise</p><p>for a stay at the famous Fairmount Chateau</p><p>Lake Louise Hotel, which is situated right on</p><p>the shore of the lake itself.</p><p>Rockies Winter Wonderland</p><p>Departures | January 2025 to February 2026</p><p>CALL TODAY ON</p><p>0808 258 5637</p><p>thetimes.com/</p><p>ts-rockieswinterwonderland</p><p>QUOTE TIMES</p><p>Price includes</p><p>Return flights from</p><p>London, overseas</p><p>transfers, other</p><p>transportation and</p><p>porterage</p><p>Seven nights’</p><p>accommodation plus one</p><p>night in flight</p><p>Five breakfasts and</p><p>welcome drink</p><p>Explore Ban� and Jasper</p><p>National Parks</p><p>Stay at the Fairmont</p><p>Chateau Lake Louise</p><p>Ban� Gondola ride, hot</p><p>springs and horse-drawn</p><p>sleigh ride</p><p>Our trusted</p><p>partner</p><p>NINE DAYS FROM</p><p>£2,599*</p><p>per personSave up to</p><p>£150 per</p><p>couple on</p><p>selected</p><p>departures*</p><p>We have travelled with Travelsphere to The</p><p>Canadian Rockies Winter Wonderland a definite</p><p>must do… The whole holiday was absolutely</p><p>magnificent, we loved every minute. No stress at</p><p>all. We were looked after every minute, therefore</p><p>could enjoy our holiday and relax.</p><p>K Braund</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 35</p><p>Business</p><p>Tom Saunders</p><p>More than £10 billion was wiped off the</p><p>stock market value of Britain’s two oil</p><p>supermajors yesterday after reports</p><p>that Saudi Arabia is preparing to aban-</p><p>don its unofficial $100-a-barrel target</p><p>for oil prices.</p><p>BP and Shell tumbled to the bottom</p><p>of the FTSE 100 share index after re-</p><p>ports from the Gulf sent the price of</p><p>Brent crude down sharply by 2.5 per</p><p>cent towards $71 a barrel.</p><p>Shell’s shares dropped by 117p, or 4.6</p><p>per cent, to £24.15 and BP lost 16½p, or</p><p>4.1 per cent, to 383¾p, sinking while the</p><p>FTSE 100 itself had an otherwise strong</p><p>day, lifted by optimism about a recovery</p><p>in China’s stuttering economy.</p><p>The sell-off in the sector came after</p><p>signals that the world’s largest oil ex-</p><p>porter is preparing to increase its oil</p><p>output, with officials reconciled to an</p><p>era of lower prices.</p><p>Energy companies enjoyed bumper</p><p>profits after oil prices soared in the aft-</p><p>ermath of the pandemic, from lows of</p><p>$20 a barrel in the depths of the Covid</p><p>outbreak in 2020 to almost $120 when</p><p>Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The oil</p><p>price has slipped back since then, with</p><p>the United States increasing its produc-</p><p>tion, amid subdued demand from</p><p>China and despite</p><p>fears over the threat</p><p>of escalation in the Israel-Hamas war</p><p>into a regional conflict.</p><p>The International Monetary Fund</p><p>has calculated that Saudi Arabia needs</p><p>the oil price to hold at about $100 a bar-</p><p>rel to balance its budget and to fund a</p><p>series of multibillion-dollar projects in-</p><p>tended by Crown Prince Mohammed</p><p>Aug 29 12Sept 5 Sept 5 Sept 5 Sept 5 Sept 52619 Aug 29 12 2619 Aug 29 12 2619 Aug 29 12 12 Sept 5 122619 Aug 29 2619 Aug 29 2619</p><p>1.400</p><p>1.300</p><p>1.200</p><p>1.100</p><p>1.300</p><p>1.200</p><p>1.100</p><p>1.000</p><p>commodities currencies</p><p>$</p><p>8,500</p><p>8,000</p><p>7,500</p><p>7,000</p><p>world markets</p><p>Brent crude (6pm)</p><p>$71.06 (-1.92) $</p><p>£/$</p><p>$1.3433 (+0.0095)</p><p>£/€</p><p>€1.2005 (+0.0036) ¤</p><p>(Change on the day)</p><p>120</p><p>100</p><p>80</p><p>60</p><p>FTSE 100</p><p>8,284.91 (+16.21)</p><p>Dow Jones</p><p>42,175.11 (+260.36)</p><p>43,000</p><p>42,000</p><p>40,000</p><p>38,000</p><p>36,000</p><p>$</p><p>2,800</p><p>2,600</p><p>2,400</p><p>2,200</p><p>Gold</p><p>$2,671.32 (+13.86)</p><p>The furore engulfing the Financial</p><p>Conduct Authority over its chairman’s</p><p>failure to abide by its own whistleblow-</p><p>ing policy has intensified after Ashley</p><p>Alder resisted pressure to resign.</p><p>A review undertaken by Richard</p><p>Lloyd, the senior independent director</p><p>on the regulator’s board, and published</p><p>by the watchdog on Monday found that</p><p>FCA chairman rejects calls to quit over whistleblower blunder</p><p>Ben Martin Banking Editor Alder “did not follow the policy to the</p><p>letter” when he forwarded emails from</p><p>two whistleblowers to senior col-</p><p>leagues without removing the individu-</p><p>als’ personal details or obtaining their</p><p>consent.</p><p>Lloyd concluded that Alder’s aim had</p><p>been “simply to ensure that appropriate</p><p>action was taken in respect of all the</p><p>matters the complainants were raising”</p><p>and that he had acted “in the firm belief</p><p>that there was no realistic prospect of</p><p>causing harm to them”.</p><p>However, Alder, 65, has attracted</p><p>criticism for his actions, not least</p><p>because the authority is responsible for</p><p>policing whether financial services</p><p>firms have appropriate whistleblowing</p><p>arrangements in place. The regulator</p><p>also encourages individuals to come to</p><p>it directly to report wrongdoing by a</p><p>firm or an individual and it promises to</p><p>protect whistleblowers’ identities. Kev-</p><p>in Hollinrake, the shadow business and</p><p>trade secretary, called the episode</p><p>“extraordinary. It seems odd to me that</p><p>they’re not following their own process</p><p>in terms of how they handle whistle-</p><p>blowers, given their responsibility for</p><p>overseeing whistleblowing policies for</p><p>all the organisations they regulate. He</p><p>should consider his position, of course.”</p><p>Georgina Halford-Hall, who runs</p><p>WhistleblowersUK, also said it was a</p><p>resigning matter. However, Alder said</p><p>after the regulator’s annual public</p><p>meeting yesterday that “it did not cross</p><p>my mind” to resign.</p><p>“I’m absolutely firm in my view that I</p><p>acted with the best of intentions,” he</p><p>said. “Of course if a policy sets expecta-</p><p>tions, even though that policy is im-</p><p>practical, we would obviously regret</p><p>BP and Shell hit by plan to abandon $100 target</p><p>Saudi price</p><p>move hurts</p><p>oil majors</p><p>bin Salman, the prime minister of the</p><p>country, to diversify its petrostate eco-</p><p>nomy toward tourism, technology and</p><p>manufacturing.</p><p>The kingdom and other members of</p><p>the Opec+ group of producers have</p><p>eased their production since 2022 in a</p><p>co-ordinated effort to tighten supply</p><p>and maintain the oil price. Saudi Arabia</p><p>lowered its production by two million</p><p>barrels a day, accounting for more than</p><p>a third of the reduction.</p><p>The agreement, however, is under-</p><p>stood to be faltering, with Riyadh now</p><p>planning to step up production from</p><p>December to shore up its market share.</p><p>The Financial Times cited sources sug-</p><p>gesting that it would boost output by a</p><p>total of a million barrels a day by</p><p>December 2025.</p><p>Delegates from Libya’s divided east</p><p>and west regions have agreed on a</p><p>process of appointing a central bank</p><p>OpenAI chief in line for $10bn payday</p><p>Katie Prescott</p><p>Technology Business Editor</p><p>The chief executive of OpenAI is set to</p><p>enter the ranks of Big Tech billionaires</p><p>under proposals to shift the company to</p><p>a “for-profit” model.</p><p>Sam Altman, 39, could be handed a</p><p>7 per cent stake in the American start-</p><p>up behind ChatGPT, which was</p><p>launched as a non-profit organisation</p><p>in 2015. Under the new structure,</p><p>analysts calculate that the company’s</p><p>value cwould soar to $150 billion,</p><p>making Altman’s prospective stake</p><p>worth more than $10 billion on paper.</p><p>Suggestions that the Microsoft-</p><p>backed company could upend its</p><p>founding principles, under which it was</p><p>designed as a non-profit researcher,</p><p>coincided with the exit of three more</p><p>key executives.</p><p>Mira Murati, 35, the chief technology</p><p>officer who was chief executive in</p><p>November when Altman was ousted</p><p>and then reinstated in a fraught week-</p><p>end, said she was “stepping away</p><p>because I want to create the time and</p><p>space to do my own exploration”. Bob</p><p>McGrew, the company’s chief research</p><p>officer, and Barret Zoph, vice-president</p><p>of research, also said they were leaving.</p><p>OpenAI has struggled to balance its</p><p>commercial pursuits with its original</p><p>structure, established when it was</p><p>founded by entrepreneurs including</p><p>Elon Musk in 2015 to safely build</p><p>futuristic AI to help humanity.</p><p>According to reports, under the latest</p><p>corporate reshuffle being considered</p><p>by the board, the San Francisco-based</p><p>company would shift its designation to</p><p>become a “public benefit corporation”.</p><p>This would combine the role of helping</p><p>society with that of making a profit.</p><p>Speaking at a technology conference</p><p>in Italy, Altman confirmed that Open-</p><p>AI had been considering an overhaul to</p><p>get to the “next stage”, but insisted that</p><p>this was not connected to the latest res-</p><p>ignations. “I saw some stuff that this</p><p>was, like, related to a restructure,” he</p><p>said. “That’s totally not true.”</p><p>OpenAI said it would retain a non-</p><p>profit division. “We remain focused on</p><p>building AI that benefits everyone and</p><p>we’re working with our board to ensure</p><p>that we’re best positioned to succeed in</p><p>our mission. The non-profit is core to</p><p>our mission and will continue to exist.”</p><p>Sir Keir Starmer with Jon Gray, president of the asset manager</p><p>Blackstone, in New York yesterday. The prime minister’s staff earlier had</p><p>sought to publicise Blackstone’s work in a LinkedIn post, but instead</p><p>mistakenly posted an image with Larry Fink, boss of BlackRock.</p><p>Starmer has black</p><p>mark over photo</p><p>6 The London stock market was</p><p>cushioned from the impact of a</p><p>steep drop in the value of two of its</p><p>biggest constituents by news that</p><p>China is turbo-charging planned</p><p>stimulus to revitalise its economy.</p><p>The government said that it would</p><p>deploy “necessary fiscal spending”</p><p>to meet its economic growth target</p><p>of 5 per cent, amid reports that it is</p><p>considering injecting up to a trillion</p><p>yuan (£110 billion) into its biggest</p><p>banks. The announcement also</p><p>increased the prices of base metals</p><p>sold on the London Metal Exchange.</p><p>36 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Business</p><p>The additional cost of bringing glacial meltwater from the Norwegian highlands</p><p>Households in southeast</p><p>England could be supplied</p><p>with glacial meltwater</p><p>shipped from Norwegian</p><p>fjords during extreme droughts, under</p><p>a contingency plan by Southern</p><p>Water.</p><p>The utility is in early discussions</p><p>with Extreme Drought Resilience</p><p>Service, a private company that</p><p>supplies bottled water from Norway,</p><p>to bring in water in times of severe</p><p>shortage. The bulk imports, of up to</p><p>Southern Water plans to</p><p>ship supplies from fjords</p><p>Tom Saunders 45 million litres per day, would be</p><p>used only in the case of a particularly</p><p>severe drought.</p><p>Tim Mcmahon, of Southern, said:</p><p>“Importing water would be a last</p><p>resort contingency measure that</p><p>would be used for a short period in</p><p>the event of an extreme drought</p><p>emergency in the early 2030s,</p><p>something considerably worse than</p><p>the drought of 1976.”</p><p>It would involve bringing water</p><p>from glacial melts in Norway’s</p><p>highlands to Southampton, where it</p><p>would be transferred by pipeline to</p><p>1Rachel Reeves will free up as</p><p>much as £50 billion to spend on</p><p>roads, housing, energy and</p><p>other large-scale projects under</p><p>plans being drawn</p><p>up by officials.</p><p>The chancellor has asked the</p><p>Treasury to look at changing the</p><p>government’s fiscal rules, handing</p><p>her a windfall to increase</p><p>investment in the economy.</p><p>2Elon Musk has stepped up his</p><p>war of words with the UK</p><p>government after being</p><p>denied an invitation to a business</p><p>investment summit. The owner of</p><p>X has not been asked to attend the</p><p>International Investment Summit</p><p>after a spat with Sir Keir Starmer</p><p>over the role that social media</p><p>played in the summer riots.</p><p>3More than £10 billion was</p><p>wiped off the stock market</p><p>value of Britain’s two oil</p><p>supermajors after reports that</p><p>Saudi Arabia could abandon its</p><p>unofficial $100-a-barrel target for</p><p>oil prices. BP and Shell tumbled to</p><p>the bottom of the FTSE 100 share</p><p>index as oil prices fell.</p><p>4The chief executive of</p><p>OpenAI is set to enter the</p><p>ranks of Big Tech billionaires</p><p>under proposals to shift the</p><p>company to a “for-profit” model.</p><p>Sam Altman, 39, could be handed</p><p>a 7 per cent stake in the American</p><p>start-up behind ChatGPT, which</p><p>was launched as a non-profit</p><p>organisation in 2015.</p><p>5The furore engulfing the</p><p>Financial Conduct Authority</p><p>over its chairman’s failure to</p><p>abide by its own whistleblowing</p><p>policy has intensified after Ashley</p><p>Alder resisted pressure to resign.</p><p>6Thames Water has been</p><p>judged by two of the world’s</p><p>leading credit rating agencies</p><p>as being on the brink of default,</p><p>possibly bringing a government-</p><p>backed rescue deal closer. Moody’s</p><p>and S&P said that Thames was</p><p>struggling to access cash quickly</p><p>enough to fulfil its debt repayment</p><p>obligations.</p><p>7The process to build the first</p><p>wave of mini nuclear plants in</p><p>Britain has moved a step</p><p>closer. Rolls-Royce, Holtec,</p><p>Westinghouse and GE-Hitachi</p><p>were the successful bidders going</p><p>through to the next round to</p><p>compete for £20 billion in funding</p><p>for small modular reactors.</p><p>8The boss of Wm Morrison has</p><p>blamed a “noticeably softer”</p><p>market for a slowdown in</p><p>sales in the third quarter. Like-for-</p><p>like sales at Britain’s fifth largest</p><p>supermarket, excluding fuel and</p><p>VAT sales tax, rose by 2.9 per cent</p><p>in the 13 weeks to July 28.</p><p>9A number of Rightmove</p><p>shareholders said that the</p><p>property website should start</p><p>takeover talks with an Australian</p><p>rival. Rightmove has rejected three</p><p>indicative offers from REA Group</p><p>as opportunistic and undervaluing</p><p>the company’s prospects.</p><p>10The operator of the All</p><p>Bar One, Harvester and</p><p>Toby Carvery chains</p><p>blamed dismal weather and the</p><p>August riots for taking the edge off</p><p>an otherwise strong summer.</p><p>Mitchells & Butlers kept all its</p><p>brands in growth.</p><p>Need to know</p><p>Germany faces threat of downturn</p><p>Germany is on course to be the only</p><p>leading economy to contract this year,</p><p>according to economists.</p><p>A group of German and Austrian</p><p>institutions said that Germany’s gross</p><p>domestic product would shrink by</p><p>0.1 per cent this year, down from a pre-</p><p>vious projection of 0.1 per cent growth.</p><p>They said output growth would</p><p>accelerate to 0.8 per cent next year and</p><p>by 1.3 per cent in 2026, well below its</p><p>previous trend.</p><p>If the contraction materialises, it is</p><p>likely that Germany will be the only</p><p>country in the G7 to suffer so-called</p><p>negative growth in 2024 after shrinking</p><p>by 0.3 per cent last year.</p><p>According to forecasts released by</p><p>the Organisation for Economic Co-</p><p>operation and Development, the UK</p><p>economy is set to expand by 1.1 per cent</p><p>this year, upwardly revised from a</p><p>previous projection of 0.4 per cent.</p><p>“In addition to the economic down-</p><p>turn, the German economy is also</p><p>being weighed down by structural</p><p>change,” Geraldine Dany-Knedlik,</p><p>head of forecasting and economic</p><p>policy at DIW Berlin, one of the five</p><p>institutions that regularly produce</p><p>reports on the German economy, said.</p><p>“Decarbonisation, digitalisation and</p><p>demographic change — alongside</p><p>stronger competition with companies</p><p>from China — have triggered struc-</p><p>tural adjustment processes that are</p><p>dampening the long-term growth</p><p>prospects of the German economy.”</p><p>China has captured market share in</p><p>some of Germany’s key industries, such</p><p>as motor vehicle production, by manu-</p><p>facturing cheaper goods. Although</p><p>supply in China is robust, demand has</p><p>been constrained by a prolonged</p><p>property crisis, which also is weighing</p><p>on German exports.</p><p>Inflation in Germany is tipped to</p><p>average 2.2 per cent this year, down</p><p>from 5.9 per cent in 2023, before</p><p>stabilising at the widespread 2 per cent</p><p>target in 2025 and 2026. Unemploy-</p><p>ment will average 6 per cent this year</p><p>and next year before falling to 5.7 per</p><p>cent in 2026.</p><p>The damaging effects of the</p><p>European Central Bank tightening</p><p>monetary policy has weighed on</p><p>Europe’s consumers and businesses,</p><p>keeping growth subdued on the Conti-</p><p>nent. Rates were lifted to a peak of 4 per</p><p>cent, although the central bank of the</p><p>20 countries that use the euro has</p><p>started to ease the restrictiveness of its</p><p>policy, cutting its main deposit rate by</p><p>25 basis points at its June and Septem-</p><p>ber meetings. Further rate cuts are</p><p>widely expected over the next year.</p><p>Jack Barnett</p><p>Thames Water</p><p>on the brink</p><p>of default, say</p><p>credit agencies</p><p>Jack Barnett</p><p>Thames Water has been judged by two</p><p>of the world’s leading credit rating</p><p>agencies as being on the brink of</p><p>default, possibly bringing a govern-</p><p>ment-backed rescue deal closer.</p><p>Moody’s and S&P said that Thames</p><p>Water was struggling to access cash</p><p>quickly enough to fulfil its debt</p><p>repayment obligations.</p><p>The pair downgraded their credit</p><p>assessments of the company’s top-rat-</p><p>ed £16 billion debt by five rungs to the</p><p>equivalent of CCC+, a rating that means</p><p>that the business is extremely risky and</p><p>on the edge of failure.</p><p>“We see material risk of a debt</p><p>restructuring, which we would con-</p><p>sider akin to a default,” S&P said, add-</p><p>ing that it viewed Thames Water’s</p><p>“management and governance as</p><p>negative” after the company said this</p><p>month that it could run out of cash after</p><p>Christmas if it could not gain access to</p><p>reserve funding and roll over some</p><p>credit arrangements.</p><p>S&P said Thames Water was grap-</p><p>pling with “near-term liquidity stress”.</p><p>Moody’s said Thames’ access to funds</p><p>was “significantly tighter than previ-</p><p>ously expected”. The Financial Times</p><p>reported this month that Thames was</p><p>trying to gain access to reserve capital</p><p>because it was burning through cash</p><p>much more rapidly than expected.</p><p>The utility is said to be in talks with</p><p>creditors to tap £1 billion of funds that</p><p>could allow it to restructure some of its</p><p>liabilities. Without a clear rescue plan,</p><p>the government or Ofwat, the water</p><p>industry regulator, could place Thames</p><p>Water in a “special administration re-</p><p>gime”, in effect a renationalisation.</p><p>In April Kemble Water Finance, one</p><p>of the parent companies of Thames</p><p>Water, said that it had defaulted on</p><p>some of its debt. Britain’s biggest water</p><p>supplier serves households in London</p><p>and the southeast. It is owned by a web</p><p>of parent companies, a complex struc-</p><p>ture set up by its former owner Mac-</p><p>quarie, an Australian infrastructure in-</p><p>vestor. In July Macquarie acquired the</p><p>final fifth of Britain’s core gas transmis-</p><p>sion grid that it did not already own in</p><p>a £700 million deal, handing it total</p><p>control of the network.</p><p>In order to repay debt and raise</p><p>investment to upgrade infrastructure,</p><p>last month Thames Water told Ofwat</p><p>that annual water bills should be</p><p>increased by 59 per cent, or £228, by</p><p>2030. Ofwat had rejected a request to</p><p>lift bills by 44 per cent in July.</p><p>Thames Water’s financial struggles</p><p>have raised speculation that the</p><p>government will be forced to intervene</p><p>to save the company in order to keep</p><p>water flowing to about a quarter of</p><p>households in England.</p><p>Britain’s utility companies were</p><p>privatised in the 1990s with largely</p><p>debt-free balance sheets and, according</p><p>to some experts, were handed guaran-</p><p>teed profits thanks to high barriers to</p><p>entry in the water supply market.</p><p>However, they have been accused of</p><p>building up tens of billions of pounds of</p><p>debt and neglecting investment while</p><p>generously remunerating chief execu-</p><p>tives and shareholders.</p><p>Labour ministers have said pre-</p><p>viously</p><p>that the renationalisation of</p><p>Thames Water was not compatible</p><p>with the government’s fiscal rules.</p><p>Thames Water said: “The announce-</p><p>ment by the credit rating agencies is</p><p>consistent with our liquidity position</p><p>set out in our market statement last</p><p>Friday. We continue to operate to the</p><p>undertakings agreed with our regulator</p><p>in July 2024 following the reduction in</p><p>our class A debt rating to sub-invest-</p><p>ment grade and we continue to engage</p><p>with creditors to consider options for</p><p>the extension of our liquidity run-</p><p>way. Formal discussions with potential</p><p>equity investors will commence in the</p><p>coming weeks.”</p><p>governor, according to United Nations</p><p>advisers, a step that could help to re-</p><p>solve turmoil over control of oil reve-</p><p>nue that has driven down the country’s</p><p>oil exports from more than a million</p><p>barrels per day to about 400,000.</p><p>Analysts suggest that a combination</p><p>of rising volumes and seasonally lower</p><p>demand could lead to a considerable oil</p><p>surplus in the first quarter of 2025,</p><p>pushing prices down further.</p><p>Kim Fustier, head of European oil</p><p>and gas research at HSBC, said the lat-</p><p>est reports coming from Saudi Arabia</p><p>“seem to support our view that Opec+</p><p>has miscalculated repeatedly, now real-</p><p>ises it and wants to gain back market</p><p>share”. Among Europe’s oil majors, BP</p><p>is understood to be among the most</p><p>vulnerable to a falling oil price. Ana-</p><p>lysts at RBC Capital Market warned in</p><p>August that BP’s gearing remained well</p><p>above those of its peers because of share</p><p>buybacks and recent acquisitions.</p><p>continued from page 35</p><p>Oil majors slump</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 37</p><p>Business</p><p>A plan by the European Union to phase</p><p>out combustion engine vehicles by</p><p>2035 should be put on ice unless Europe</p><p>can build its own batteries, compensate</p><p>carmakers and allow hydrogen and bio-</p><p>fuel cars to compete with electric</p><p>vehicles, Italy has said.</p><p>Adolfo Urso, the Italian industry</p><p>minister, set down Rome’s tough</p><p>conditions at a meeting in Brussels. He</p><p>claimed that car industry workers</p><p>across the Continent would take to the</p><p>streets if their jobs were not protected.</p><p>“There is a concrete risk that entire</p><p>parts of the industry will vanish, wiping</p><p>out large numbers of jobs,” he said,</p><p>adding that protests would match the</p><p>scale of the marches by European</p><p>farmers against green regulations this</p><p>year.</p><p>Last year the European Union ruled</p><p>to Southampton and treating it would probably be added to customers’ bills</p><p>T</p><p>he Financial Conduct</p><p>Authority must go back to</p><p>holding a proper face-to-</p><p>face annual public</p><p>meeting. Yesterday’s</p><p>charade, where the regulator’s</p><p>chairman and executives addressed</p><p>an empty room, was a squirm-</p><p>inducing car crash.</p><p>Every user of financial services</p><p>indirectly pays the £699 million that</p><p>keeps this accident-prone</p><p>organisation on the road. Public</p><p>accountability is crucial. The live-</p><p>streamed meeting was a stage-</p><p>managed sham.</p><p>Questions had to be sent in online</p><p>in advance. The chairman Ashley</p><p>Alder then tried to paraphrase</p><p>them, stumblingly, and even</p><p>cheekily tried to interject his answer</p><p>before he’d completed telling us</p><p>what the question was.</p><p>There was no chance for the</p><p>questioner to have their own voice</p><p>heard or to contradict the speaker</p><p>or to interject with a follow-up</p><p>question, a much-needed</p><p>requirement when Alder’s team</p><p>blathered and dodged the issues.</p><p>There was no sense of what the</p><p>wider audience was actually</p><p>thinking. In a conventional public</p><p>meeting, we get a feel of how the</p><p>panel is being received, whether</p><p>with applause or (surely a more</p><p>likely response in this case) boos.</p><p>And there was a strong suspicion</p><p>that some awkward questions were</p><p>simply being put straight to one</p><p>side. Alder’s recent breaches of his</p><p>own whistleblowing rules, for</p><p>example, never came up for</p><p>discussion.</p><p>The technology creaked. The</p><p>livestream completely crashed for a</p><p>couple of minutes, while those</p><p>taking part said it had been difficult</p><p>at times to send in questions online.</p><p>One claim caught the eye: an</p><p>FCA official asserted that British</p><p>savers had received £4 billion in</p><p>additional interest “as a result of our</p><p>actions”. No evidence was given for</p><p>that implausible boast and no one</p><p>was there to challenge it, of course.</p><p>We learnt a little about the</p><p>furnishing of the front rooms of</p><p>FCA non-executive directors who</p><p>Zoomed in from home (not a good</p><p>look for part-timers on fees of</p><p>£45,000, by the way) and chief</p><p>executive Nikhil Rathi’s taste in gold</p><p>ties. And not a lot else.</p><p>The FCA is in danger of being</p><p>seen as being guilty of the same sins</p><p>as the industry it regulates: another</p><p>unaccountable organisation run by</p><p>a distant elite that never gets to be</p><p>troubled by the tiresome problems</p><p>of the people it is supposed to serve,</p><p>that never gets to truly feel and</p><p>understand the heat of their anger</p><p>and frustration. The public meeting</p><p>is not some optional gesture kindly</p><p>offered by the FCA public relations</p><p>department. It is an obligation</p><p>enshrined in the Financial Services</p><p>and Markets Act.</p><p>The regulator’s defence that the</p><p>online approach is more inclusive</p><p>doesn’t hold much water. It would</p><p>be perfectly possible to hold a</p><p>hybrid meeting, where people could</p><p>take part remotely along with</p><p>people in the room. The irony is</p><p>that this self-serving approach was</p><p>unnecessary. Rathi at least has</p><p>proved himself an empathetic and</p><p>competent master of his brief when</p><p>grilled by MPs and is perfectly</p><p>capable of handling a public stoning.</p><p>Running dry</p><p>Thames Water is meandering</p><p>inexorably towards a</p><p>restructuring. Yesterday’s</p><p>gruesome five-notch downgrade by</p><p>the credit rating agencies Standard</p><p>& Poor’s and Moody’s confirms</p><p>what bondholders, shareholders and</p><p>regulators know only too well. The</p><p>cash is running out fast and the</p><p>company cannot possibly survive</p><p>without a massive conversion of a</p><p>large chunk of its £16 billion of debts</p><p>into equity, at the very least.</p><p>The severity of the haircut to</p><p>bondholders depends partly on how</p><p>much Ofwat allows Thames to lift</p><p>its prices. Thames doesn’t have to</p><p>end up in a special administrative</p><p>regime, effectively a kind of</p><p>temporary nationalisation. But it is</p><p>essential that ministers prepare the</p><p>groundwork for an SAR now so that</p><p>it could. In the gigantic game of</p><p>brinkmanship that is going to take</p><p>place in the coming months, it is</p><p>essential that the threat is a credible</p><p>one if bondholders are to be</p><p>sufficiently accommodating.</p><p>Crude calculations</p><p>Investors in Shell and BP are</p><p>feeling bruised: £12 billion was</p><p>wiped from their share values</p><p>amid reports that Riyadh has</p><p>abandoned hopes of getting $100 a</p><p>barrel for its crude.</p><p>The big swing producer of Opec,</p><p>Saudi Arabia, is crucial in making</p><p>the cartel work. If it has really</p><p>capitulated, the taps could open</p><p>further. The 2.5 per cent fall in</p><p>Brent crude to $71 represents a</p><p>distinct departure from the $80 to</p><p>$100 range of the past two years.</p><p>This is indisputably good news for</p><p>the wider British economy. If the</p><p>latest fall is sustained, it will boost</p><p>discretionary spending while also</p><p>reducing inflation and hastening</p><p>further base rate cuts. The stronger</p><p>pound is already helping in curbing</p><p>import costs. All bets for a lower</p><p>crude price are off, however, if the</p><p>horrors in Israel, Gaza and southern</p><p>Lebanon erupt into a wider</p><p>conflagration in the region.</p><p>Picked up by Visa</p><p>Ayear after Arm Holdings</p><p>snubbed London in favour of</p><p>a New York listing, another</p><p>Cambridge-based technology</p><p>winner heads into American</p><p>ownership. Featurespace, which</p><p>uses artificial intelligence to identify</p><p>and combat financial fraud, has</p><p>been sold to the San Francisco-</p><p>based Visa for about £700 million.</p><p>One bit of good news is that the</p><p>deal frees up a useful £89 million in</p><p>cash for one backer, Chrysalis</p><p>Investments, the embattled FTSE</p><p>250 investment vehicle, to help it to</p><p>support other potential unicorns</p><p>and to provide cash for buybacks.</p><p>patrick.hosking@thetimes.co.uk</p><p>Alistair Osborne is away</p><p>business commentary Patrick Hosking</p><p>Italy calls for delay to ban on petrol cars</p><p>that only cars</p><p>and vans emitting no</p><p>carbon dioxide could be sold as of 2035,</p><p>which would result in a ban on petrol</p><p>and diesel vehicles.</p><p>Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime</p><p>minister, condemned the decision as</p><p>“ideological madness”.</p><p>The Italian government is fearful</p><p>that its car industry will not be ready for</p><p>large-scale electric car production by</p><p>then, thus allowing Chinese imports to</p><p>conquer the market.</p><p>Urso said that the deadline must be</p><p>delayed if Europe proved to be unable</p><p>to reach self-sufficiency in the produc-</p><p>tion of lithium batteries and was unable</p><p>to source raw materials “extracted and</p><p>processed on the Continent”.</p><p>Domenico Lombardi, of Rome’s</p><p>Luiss University, said: “Italy believes</p><p>that transitioning to electric vehicles</p><p>means favouring China because it</p><p>controls the extraction of minerals like</p><p>lithium, as well as their processing. And</p><p>it has huge stocks.”</p><p>Matteo di Castelnuovo, an expert at</p><p>Bocconi University in Milan, agreed,</p><p>adding: “It is obvious that Europe will</p><p>not have sufficient mining and pro-</p><p>cessing of materials or battery</p><p>assembly by then. Italy knows that and</p><p>is clearly keen to push the 2035 dead-</p><p>line back.”</p><p>Two other conditions set by Urso</p><p>were compensation to help Europe’s</p><p>industry to shift to electric vehicles,</p><p>with incentives to push buyers to</p><p>choose European-made vehicles, as</p><p>well as more engines powered by</p><p>hydrogen, biofuels and synthetic fuels.</p><p>“The Italian government is opposed</p><p>to EVs because it is less worried about</p><p>climate targets than other countries,</p><p>more concerned about jobs and is one</p><p>of the few EU states pushing biofuels,”</p><p>di Castelnuovo said.</p><p>Tom Kington Rome</p><p>Pennon rues</p><p>heavy cost of</p><p>Devon crisis</p><p>Jessica Sharkey</p><p>The parent company of South West</p><p>Water has set aside £16 million to cover</p><p>the cost of the parasite contamination</p><p>crisis in Devon.</p><p>More than 17,000 households and</p><p>businesses in Brixham were affected</p><p>after cryptosporidium, a parasite that</p><p>can cause diarrhoea and sickness, was</p><p>discovered in a local reservoir in May.</p><p>Pennon, the FTSE 250 owner of</p><p>South West Water, said its staff had</p><p>worked “24 hours a day” to clean and</p><p>flush the 20-mile network 27 times,</p><p>with ultra-violet treatment plants</p><p>deployed and some sections of the grid</p><p>replaced entirely.</p><p>A “boil water” notice stayed in force</p><p>for up to eight weeks. Pennon paid</p><p>£3.5 million in compensation to house-</p><p>holds and provided bottled water to</p><p>customers for two months. Investiga-</p><p>tions have suggested that the drinking</p><p>water pollution was caused by cattle</p><p>manure entering a damaged air valve in</p><p>a farmer’s field.</p><p>“The cryptosporidium water quality</p><p>event in Brixham this summer was an</p><p>incredibly rare event for South West</p><p>Water and we worked swiftly and</p><p>diligently to identify the issue, clean the</p><p>network and restore full supply to all</p><p>customers,” Pennon said.</p><p>In a trading update, the company</p><p>said that the number of sewage spills</p><p>had increased over the half-year to</p><p>September 26, blaming “the third wet-</p><p>test October to August since records</p><p>began”, which had left groundwater</p><p>levels “exceptionally high”. It said</p><p>action to focus on preventing sewage</p><p>pollution on Britain’s beaches had led to</p><p>a reduction during the peak summer</p><p>bathing season, with average spills at</p><p>one of the lowest levels since 2016.</p><p>Pennon said that like-for-like reve-</p><p>nue in its first half had been affected by</p><p>lower levels of water usage, which it put</p><p>down to a Water is Precious efficiency</p><p>publicity campaigns. It said its annual</p><p>results would show that the lower de-</p><p>mand had offset higher bills and an in-</p><p>crease in customer numbers.</p><p>Pennon came under fire after an-</p><p>nouncing in June that the pay of Susan</p><p>Davy, 55, its chief executive, had</p><p>jumped by 58 per cent after she picked</p><p>up a £298,000 shares bonus, despite</p><p>pollution incidents nearly doubling at</p><p>South West Water last year.</p><p>Shares in Pennon were down by 4½p,</p><p>or 0.8 per cent, at 595½p at the close last</p><p>night.</p><p>FCA stage-managed</p><p>an online sham</p><p>one of Southern Water’s treatment</p><p>works. The additional cost of shipping</p><p>and processing the water probably</p><p>would be added to customers’ bills.</p><p>The privately owned water</p><p>company admitted in its draft water</p><p>resources management plan that</p><p>there remained “significant</p><p>uncertainties around deliverability</p><p>and water quality”, which would need</p><p>to be resolved by 2029.</p><p>In addition, the tanker imports</p><p>would be used solely in combination</p><p>with other measures, which include</p><p>the construction of a new reservoir in</p><p>Hampshire in collaboration with</p><p>Portsmouth Water, which is due to</p><p>operate from 2034.</p><p>Analysis suggests that in a severe</p><p>drought Southern Water could face a</p><p>shortfall of about 166 million litres a</p><p>day. Nearly 70 per cent of its supplies</p><p>are abstracted from groundwater and</p><p>chalk streams. The Environment</p><p>Agency has warned that an</p><p>overreliance on aquifer abstraction</p><p>causes environmental damage and</p><p>can leave the country even more</p><p>susceptible to droughts.</p><p>The last time there was a severe</p><p>drought in England was in 1976. In</p><p>2022, the hottest summer on record,</p><p>Thames Water came within three and</p><p>a half weeks of exhausting water</p><p>storage.</p><p>The drought plan was disclosed as</p><p>Ofwat, which regulates the water</p><p>sector, provisionally agreed that</p><p>Southern Water would be allowed to</p><p>raise bills by 44 per cent over the next</p><p>five years from April. The company,</p><p>which supplies 4.7 million homes, had</p><p>proposed increasing bills by 73 per</p><p>cent, but this was rejected.</p><p>38 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Business</p><p>individual to come forward with similar</p><p>allegations, the FCA disclosed.</p><p>Both were former employees and</p><p>their cases were “highly unusual”, relat-</p><p>ing to “matters that have been ad-</p><p>vanced by the two individuals in exten-</p><p>sive correspondence over a number of</p><p>years, raising numerous issues via vari-</p><p>ous channels, some of which are in the</p><p>public domain”, the authority said.</p><p>It also disclosed that it was reviewing</p><p>its internal whistleblower policy and</p><p>that some of its content was “somewhat</p><p>impractical”.</p><p>Alder said that it was “impracticable</p><p>for non-executive directors to act on</p><p>issues which are escalated to them</p><p>without support and advice” and</p><p>added: “Obviously, in a whistleblowing</p><p>context, that has to be limited to senior</p><p>advisers, where there is no doubt that</p><p>they would treat information with the</p><p>utmost confidence.”</p><p>that those expectations were not met in</p><p>this case.”</p><p>It is the latest debacle to embroil the</p><p>authority, which oversees the conduct</p><p>of about 42,000 financial firms. It has</p><p>attracted fierce criticism of its handling</p><p>of the £237 million London Capital &</p><p>Finance scandal and of its oversight</p><p>of Neil Woodford’s £3.7 billion Wood-</p><p>ford Equity Income Fund before it</p><p>imploded.</p><p>Alder became the authority’s</p><p>chairman in February last year and</p><p>previously had a long career as a lawyer</p><p>before running the the Securities and</p><p>Futures Commission in Hong Kong.</p><p>Lloyd started his review after the</p><p>Financial Times last month reported</p><p>allegations that Alder had unmasked a</p><p>whistleblower. This prompted a second</p><p>T</p><p>he process to build the first</p><p>wave of mini nuclear plants in</p><p>Britain has moved a step</p><p>closer, with Rolls-Royce</p><p>among four companies</p><p>shortlisted to provide a design for the</p><p>nascent technology.</p><p>Alongside Rolls-Royce, Holtec,</p><p>Westinghouse and GE-Hitachi, a joint</p><p>venture between GE Vernova, an</p><p>American energy equipment manufac-</p><p>turer, and Hitachi, the Japanese</p><p>conglomerate, were the successful bid-</p><p>ders going through to the next round to</p><p>compete for £20 billion in government</p><p>funding for small modular reactors.</p><p>The selection process is being led by</p><p>Great British Nuclear, an arm’s-length,</p><p>state-backed body set up by the</p><p>previous government to drive the</p><p>deployment of nuclear power. “In the</p><p>next stage of the procurement process,</p><p>bidders will be invited to enter nego-</p><p>tiations with GBN,” it said.</p><p>The plan is for the winning one or</p><p>two designs to be selected before the</p><p>end of the year, with contract negotia-</p><p>tions to take place in the spring.</p><p>EDF, the French energy group that</p><p>also operates the remaining fleet of</p><p>nuclear power stations</p><p>in Britain, had</p><p>been in the running, but it opted not to</p><p>submit an initial tender in July.</p><p>Chris Cholerton, the chief executive</p><p>of Rolls-Royce SMR, said his group was</p><p>the only small modular reactor com-</p><p>pany in Britain and was already 18</p><p>months ahead of competitors in the</p><p>regulatory approvals process. “Today’s</p><p>news that we will progress to formal</p><p>negotiation with GBN will help us to</p><p>maintain this important first-mover</p><p>advantage,” he said.</p><p>This month Rolls was chosen to build</p><p>a fleet of mini nuclear power plants in</p><p>the Czech Republic, the first deal of its</p><p>kind in Europe.</p><p>Andy Champ, the UK lead at GE-</p><p>Hitachi, said that site works were</p><p>already under way in Canada for its</p><p>BWRX-300 design. “We are in a strong</p><p>position to lead SMR deployment in</p><p>the UK by leveraging our expertise in</p><p>other markets,” he said.</p><p>The first small modular reactor is not</p><p>expected to be generating electricity</p><p>before 2035, so therefore it will not be in</p><p>time to contribute towards Labour’s</p><p>2030 net zero goals.</p><p>Ed Miliband, the energy secretary,</p><p>has said that the new government will</p><p>“strive” to keep to the timetable previ-</p><p>ously set out. Questions remain about</p><p>who will finance the construction and</p><p>operation of modular reactors, as well</p><p>as what stake, if any, the government</p><p>will retain in the new plants. It is envi-</p><p>sioned that once a final investment de-</p><p>cision has been taken on the first modu-</p><p>lar reactors, private financing could be</p><p>sought.</p><p>Advocates of small modular reactors</p><p>say that the technology provides a</p><p>more cost-effective and faster way of</p><p>boosting Britain’s supply of nuclear</p><p>power, which can provide a baseload of</p><p>power as more intermittent renewable</p><p>energy comes on to the system.</p><p>Nuclear accounts for about 14 per</p><p>cent of the UK’s electricity mix, down</p><p>from 20 per cent as recently as 2018. All</p><p>bar one of the remaining nuclear power</p><p>stations are due to be decommissioned</p><p>by the end of the decade. Only one new</p><p>generator is under construction, by</p><p>EDF at Hinkley Point C in Somerset,</p><p>while talks are dragging on over</p><p>funding for a proposed sister station at</p><p>Sizewell C in Suffolk.</p><p>Unlike the previous government,</p><p>Labour has not set any targets for</p><p>Britain’s nuclear capacity, but Miliband</p><p>has said that there should be “no doubt</p><p>about my absolute support for the SMR</p><p>programme”.</p><p>In June, Tufan Erginbilgic, the chief</p><p>executive of Rolls-Royce, said Britain</p><p>was at risk of missing out on building</p><p>the supply chain for small reactors if the</p><p>winning designs were not chosen by the</p><p>end of the year.</p><p>Where the first reactors will be built</p><p>is yet to be decided. A deal in March</p><p>with Hitachi brought two sites — Wylfa</p><p>on Anglesey and Oldbury-on-Severn</p><p>in Gloucestershire — back under gov-</p><p>ernment ownership. Moorside, which is</p><p>adjacent to the Sellafield facility in</p><p>Cumbria, is also state-owned.</p><p>The Department for Energy Security</p><p>and Net Zero said: “We are reversing a</p><p>legacy of no new nuclear power being</p><p>delivered, ensuring the long-term</p><p>security of the nuclear sector. Small</p><p>modular reactors will play an impor-</p><p>tant role in helping the UK achieve</p><p>energy security and clean power while</p><p>securing thousands of skilled jobs.”</p><p>Behind the story</p><p>U</p><p>nlike</p><p>regular</p><p>nuclear</p><p>plants,</p><p>small</p><p>modular reactors can</p><p>be factory-built, take</p><p>up the space of one or</p><p>two football pitches</p><p>and have a capacity of</p><p>between 300 and 500</p><p>megawatts (Emma</p><p>Powell writes). That’s</p><p>about a sixth to a</p><p>tenth of the 3.2-</p><p>gigawatt capacity that</p><p>is set to be offered by</p><p>Hinkley Point C,</p><p>which is being built</p><p>over a site equivalent</p><p>to 245 football pitches.</p><p>Great British</p><p>Nuclear has selected</p><p>companies that say</p><p>they will build smaller</p><p>versions of</p><p>conventional tried-</p><p>and-tested</p><p>technologies, rather</p><p>than pioneering new</p><p>designs such as</p><p>Terrapower, an</p><p>American developer</p><p>backed by Bill Gates,</p><p>which uses sodium</p><p>fast reactor</p><p>technology. The</p><p>shortlisted designers</p><p>insist that they are</p><p>building mini versions</p><p>of existing pressurised</p><p>water reactors, such as</p><p>Rolls-Royce’s design,</p><p>or boiling water</p><p>reactor technology,</p><p>like that put forward</p><p>by GE-Hitachi, that</p><p>have already been</p><p>tested at a larger scale.</p><p>Rolls-Royce has said</p><p>that its pressurised</p><p>water reactor would</p><p>generate 470MW of</p><p>electricity, enough to</p><p>power a million</p><p>homes, with a 60-year</p><p>lifespan. GE Hitachi,</p><p>based in North</p><p>Carolina, proposes to</p><p>build 300MW</p><p>reactors, as do</p><p>Westinghouse</p><p>Electric, a</p><p>Pennsylvania-based</p><p>group owned by</p><p>Cameco, of Canada,</p><p>and Brookfield</p><p>Renewable Partners,</p><p>and Holtec</p><p>International, from</p><p>New Jersey.</p><p>While compelling,</p><p>the small modular</p><p>reactor approach has</p><p>yet to be proven,</p><p>though. Westinghouse</p><p>was driven to</p><p>chapter 11 bankruptcy</p><p>in 2017 after</p><p>attempting off-site</p><p>prefabrication for two</p><p>large-scale plants.</p><p>A computer image of</p><p>Rolls-Royce’s small</p><p>modular reactors. The</p><p>Czech Republic ordered</p><p>a batch this month</p><p>continued from page 35</p><p>FCA chairman defies calls to quit Behind the story</p><p>A</p><p>t the last</p><p>annual</p><p>meeting the</p><p>Financial</p><p>Conduct</p><p>Authority held in person</p><p>five years ago, its bosses</p><p>were heckled by the</p><p>public and were told to</p><p>“stop protecting the</p><p>crooks” (Ben Martin and</p><p>James Hurley write).</p><p>Since then the meeting</p><p>has been far more staid,</p><p>having been moved</p><p>online after the onset of</p><p>the pandemic in 2020 and</p><p>kept as a digital event.</p><p>It is conducted as a</p><p>livestream, with members</p><p>of the public allowed to</p><p>submit questions in</p><p>advance or online during</p><p>the meeting. This means</p><p>that the regulator decides</p><p>which questions are put</p><p>to Ashley Alder, its</p><p>chairman, Nikhil Rathi,</p><p>its chief executive, and</p><p>other executive directors</p><p>on the day, with the</p><p>meeting moderated by</p><p>Alder. It publishes written</p><p>responses to any</p><p>questions that are not</p><p>answered during the two-</p><p>hour session.</p><p>This inevitably gives</p><p>the authority far more</p><p>control over proceedings,</p><p>prompting one individual</p><p>to ask at the meeting</p><p>yesterday when the</p><p>regulator “will stop</p><p>hiding behind webinars”.</p><p>The authority argues</p><p>that holding the event</p><p>online is fairer, as it</p><p>allows people from all</p><p>over the UK to attend,</p><p>not only those who are</p><p>able to go to London. It</p><p>also means that it gets</p><p>through more questions</p><p>on the day, with 38</p><p>answered at the latest</p><p>meeting, compared with</p><p>15 in 2019.</p><p>There are pitfalls. The</p><p>feed went down for about</p><p>two minutes yesterday</p><p>and some individuals</p><p>were unable to sign up to</p><p>access the livestream</p><p>when the registration</p><p>process was closed in</p><p>error on Monday. The</p><p>authority said the</p><p>disruption had lasted less</p><p>than two hours.</p><p>Asked whether it could</p><p>be changed to a hybrid</p><p>meeting, both in-person</p><p>and online, Alder said</p><p>that a web-based event</p><p>ensured “equality across</p><p>all participants”, but</p><p>added: “We’ll think</p><p>through any alternatives</p><p>that can produce better</p><p>outcomes for</p><p>participants.”</p><p>British group says it has</p><p>a head start in building</p><p>a wave of mini-nuclear</p><p>plants in the UK,</p><p>Emma Powell writes</p><p>Rolls-Royce ‘leads race’ for reactors</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 39</p><p>Business</p><p>What sub-postmasters have in</p><p>common with Challenger astronauts</p><p>concerns to the very top. None of the</p><p>astronauts knew that plenty of people</p><p>had serious and long-standing</p><p>concerns about launching in cold</p><p>weather. The space agency had</p><p>shifted from a position of flying only</p><p>if it could be proved that it was safe to</p><p>launch, to grounding the shuttle only</p><p>if it could be proved that it</p><p>was not safe to launch.</p><p>After he testified at the Rogers</p><p>Commission and refused to toe the</p><p>company line, Boisjoly was shunned</p><p>by Thiokol executives and moved</p><p>away from space work. Although he</p><p>was lauded in the national media for</p><p>his bravery, he was ostracised in his</p><p>community. One day he found a dead</p><p>rabbit left in his mailbox; twice, while</p><p>taking walks out of town beside the</p><p>highway, drivers tried to run him off</p><p>the road with their cars.</p><p>He suffered depression and never</p><p>got over the idea that if he had been</p><p>even more determined he could have</p><p>delayed the flight and saved seven</p><p>lives. He died in 2012, aged 73.</p><p>The Rogers Commission</p><p>led to a</p><p>reorganisation of Nasa. The hardware</p><p>was redesigned, safety became</p><p>paramount, the shuttle project was</p><p>resumed. By 2003, though, it was</p><p>back to business as usual. The same</p><p>arrogance, groupthink and</p><p>unwillingness to listen to doubters</p><p>contributed to the Columbia shuttle</p><p>disaster, when the spacecraft broke up</p><p>on re-entry, killing all seven people</p><p>on board.</p><p>This week at the Post Office</p><p>Horizon inquiry Paul Patterson, the</p><p>chief executive of Fujitsu Europe, has</p><p>been giving evidence. He explained</p><p>that only this year the Post Office had</p><p>asked the technology company for</p><p>data to support chasing postmasters</p><p>for missing funds. “It seems clear that</p><p>the Post Office continues to have</p><p>significant cultural issues,” he said.</p><p>“[It] sees itself as a ‘victim’, with the</p><p>enforcement and prosecution of</p><p>postmasters considered as a business-</p><p>as-usual activity.” The real lesson of</p><p>Higginbotham’s book is not simply the</p><p>importance of taking whistleblowers</p><p>seriously, but,</p><p>depressingly, our</p><p>inability to learn</p><p>from institutional</p><p>failure. ’’Harry Wallop is a consumer</p><p>journalist and broadcaster. Follow</p><p>him on X @hwallop</p><p>Harry Wallop</p><p>estimated $1.6 billion over 15 years.</p><p>He was one of a number of senior</p><p>Thiokol employees convinced that the</p><p>O-rings, designed to stop 500 tonnes</p><p>of burning fuel from destroying the</p><p>shuttle it was powering,</p><p>malfunctioned in cold weather. He</p><p>had seen the damage caused by them</p><p>on previous launches, notably one</p><p>undertaken on a freakishly cold day,</p><p>and he had undertaken tests to prove</p><p>that they performed poorly if the</p><p>temperature fell below 50F (10C).</p><p>When he learnt that the shuttle was</p><p>due to take off on another sub-zero</p><p>January day, with the thermometer</p><p>falling to 29F (-2C), he insisted on an</p><p>emergency meeting hours before lift-</p><p>off. At this, he and other Thiokol</p><p>engineers pleaded with Nasa to delay.</p><p>An exasperated senior Nasa executive</p><p>responded: “My God, Thiokol. When</p><p>do you expect me to launch, next</p><p>April?”</p><p>At no point did Nasa escalate these</p><p>This week the Post</p><p>Office Horizon</p><p>inquiry continues its</p><p>hearings, 30 months</p><p>after it started</p><p>gathering evidence and a full 24 years</p><p>after Alan Bates lodged his first</p><p>complaint about the software.</p><p>In Britain we seem astonishingly</p><p>slow when it comes to public</p><p>inquiries. In the United States, when</p><p>the Challenger shuttle blew up in</p><p>1986, killing all seven astronauts on</p><p>board, the White House appointed</p><p>the Rogers Commission, which heard</p><p>evidence, analysed the data and wrote</p><p>a report in just over four months.</p><p>The parallels between a</p><p>catastrophic malfunction in a</p><p>spacecraft broadcast live to a</p><p>traumatised nation and the slow,</p><p>steady and largely hidden scandal of</p><p>hundreds of sub-postmasters being</p><p>falsely blamed for fraud may not</p><p>seem obvious, but I have just read</p><p>Challenger by the British writer Adam</p><p>Higginbotham, which came out a few</p><p>months ago, and found it not only</p><p>engrossing but also pertinent to so</p><p>many failures of our age.</p><p>It lays bare in detail how</p><p>groupthink at the top of a beloved</p><p>national institution, political pressure,</p><p>a desperate desire to deliver</p><p>favourable headlines, years of budget</p><p>cuts, an unwavering belief in the</p><p>power of technology and a reluctance</p><p>to listen to whistleblowers all</p><p>conspired to kill the astronauts. I</p><p>cannot recommend it enough, both</p><p>for those wanting a thrilling read and</p><p>those keen on management lessons.</p><p>Challenger was one of the seminal</p><p>disasters of my childhood in the</p><p>1980s. Although I did not watch the</p><p>launch live, I can clearly remember</p><p>beforehand a noticeboard in the</p><p>school lobby full of newspaper</p><p>clippings about the first teacher in</p><p>space: the reason so many tuned in</p><p>and were invested in what Nasa</p><p>believed would become the start of</p><p>making space travel as commonplace</p><p>as catching an aircraft. After the</p><p>teachernaut, Nasa planned to send a</p><p>journalist into orbit and after that an</p><p>artist, to stop the American public</p><p>becoming jaded with the enterprise.</p><p>Higginbotham’s book is full of</p><p>incredible details, including the fact</p><p>that the salvage team collecting</p><p>debris off the seabed of the Atlantic</p><p>discovered, accidentally, a duffel bag</p><p>containing $13 million of cocaine. And</p><p>that the infamous rubber O-rings,</p><p>ultimately responsible for the</p><p>explosion, were so enormous yet so</p><p>delicate that they had to be assembled</p><p>by hand and were done so by a small</p><p>family company in Salt Lake City.</p><p>They, in turn, employed a team of</p><p>women, part of a local polygamous</p><p>sect who wore the bonnets and long</p><p>skirts of the 19th century and</p><p>“possessed of the extraordinary</p><p>patience necessary to splice the pieces</p><p>successfully together”.</p><p>The shuttle was, as Higginbotham</p><p>describes it, “the most complicated</p><p>machine in history”, with 2.5 million</p><p>working parts, 230 miles of wiring</p><p>and 2,200 switches and gauges in the</p><p>cockpit. Its supply chain, involving</p><p>bonneted women, was just as</p><p>complex.</p><p>The hero of the book is Roger</p><p>Boisjoly, an engineer at Thiokol, the</p><p>supplier that built the solid booster</p><p>rockets, a contract worth an</p><p>‘‘</p><p>Photo gaffe</p><p>overshadows</p><p>Starmer’s</p><p>talks in US</p><p>Emma Taggart</p><p>Sir Keir Starmer’s staff posted a picture</p><p>with the wrong business mogul when</p><p>thanking Blackstone, the American</p><p>private equity firm, for its multibillion-</p><p>pound investment in a new data centre</p><p>in Northumberland.</p><p>Days after mistakenly calling for the</p><p>return of the Israeli “sausages” rather</p><p>than “hostages”, Starmer found himself</p><p>caught up in another gaffe, this time on</p><p>social media.</p><p>The prime minister’s account on</p><p>LinkedIn posted a photo of himself</p><p>alongside Larry Fink, the boss of Black-</p><p>Rock, the asset manager, instead of Jon</p><p>Gray, the president and chief operating</p><p>officer of Blackstone.</p><p>The prime minister wrote: “Black-</p><p>stone has announced new investment</p><p>to create one the largest AI data centres</p><p>in Europe, delivering jobs and wealth</p><p>creation across the northeast of</p><p>England.</p><p>“The number one mission of my</p><p>government is to grow our economy, so</p><p>hard-working British people reap the</p><p>benefits. More foreign investment is a</p><p>crucial part of that plan. Britain is back</p><p>as a major player on the global stage.</p><p>We are open for business.”</p><p>The post that included the photo of</p><p>Fink and Starmer was quickly deleted</p><p>and re-uploaded without an image.</p><p>Starmer met Gray yesterday at a break-</p><p>fast meeting with business leaders</p><p>while in New York for the United</p><p>Nations general assembly.</p><p>On Wednesday, Blackstone</p><p>announced a £10 billion investment in a</p><p>new artificial intelligence data centre in</p><p>Blyth, Northumberland. The new site</p><p>will create about 4,000 jobs and will</p><p>become one of Europe’s largest AI data</p><p>centres. Construction on the site is due</p><p>to begin next year.</p><p>Starmer isn’t the first person to mix</p><p>up the similarly named American</p><p>companies. Steve Schwarzman, the co-</p><p>founder of Blackstone, said on CNBC in</p><p>2017: “There is a little confusion. And</p><p>every time that happens I get a real</p><p>chuckle.”</p><p>Schwarzman founded Blackstone in</p><p>1985 before Fink, the chief executive of</p><p>BlackRock, decided to set up his own</p><p>asset management business. The pair</p><p>are said to have agreed on the idea of</p><p>having a family name with “black” in it.</p><p>However, advisers warned both</p><p>Schwarzman and Fink that they should</p><p>avoid having business names that were</p><p>too similar because “it will completely</p><p>confuse people”.</p><p>A 75th anniversary celebration featuring… Michael Palin • Fearne Cotton • Ian Rankin • Neneh Cherry</p><p>Hamza Yassin • Danielle Jawando • David Nicholls • Cressida Cowell • Michael Rosen</p><p>Rupert Everett • Miranda Hart • Trevor McDonald • Sally Phillips • Boris Johnson</p><p>Plus free activities for all the family and so much more....</p><p>Tickets on sale now. Scan the QR code or visit cheltenhamfestivals.org/whats-on</p><p>40 V2 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Business</p><p>The boss of Wm Morrison has blamed</p><p>a “noticeably softer” market for a slow-</p><p>down in sales in the third quarter.</p><p>Like-for-like sales at Britain’s fifth</p><p>largest supermarket, excluding fuel and</p><p>VAT sales</p><p>tax, rose by 2.9 per cent in the</p><p>13 weeks to July 28, having increased by</p><p>Asda to offer better terms</p><p>for sustainable suppliers</p><p>Sian Bradley</p><p>Asda has begun a partnership with</p><p>HSBC to offer preferential financing</p><p>rates to suppliers that can prove they</p><p>are seeking to be more sustainable.</p><p>The scheme, which starts in January,</p><p>will mark suppliers on environmental,</p><p>social and governance criteria that</p><p>measure a business’s impact on society</p><p>and the world around us. The United</p><p>Nations has calculated that the global</p><p>food sector is responsible for more than</p><p>a third of greenhouse gas emissions.</p><p>Britain’s third largest grocer hopes</p><p>that financial incentives will encourage</p><p>better sustainability practices within its</p><p>supply chain. Michael Gleeson, the</p><p>chief financial officer at Asda, said the</p><p>initiative would drive greater transpar-</p><p>ency over sustainability data and would</p><p>give suppliers an incentive to become</p><p>more sustainable.</p><p>The voluntary scheme will offer hun-</p><p>dreds of Asda suppliers that use an</p><p>existing scheme to access three differ-</p><p>ent tiers of financing. Access to each tier</p><p>will be based on suppliers disclosing</p><p>their ESG performance data. Perform-</p><p>ance will be scored by EcoVadis, a</p><p>sustainability data platform, with high</p><p>scorers rewarded with the most prefer-</p><p>ential terms.</p><p>Asda wants its largest suppliers,</p><p>which account for about 80 per cent of</p><p>its product carbon emissions, to share</p><p>sustainability data through EcoVadis.</p><p>Suppliers that do not engage will re-</p><p>main on their existing payment terms</p><p>and default rates.</p><p>Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket</p><p>chain, is working with NatWest to pro-</p><p>vide preferential rates on finance to</p><p>farmers that switch to more sustainable</p><p>practices. It also has introduced “digital</p><p>passports” to its F&F fashion range to</p><p>allow shoppers to see how garments</p><p>have been sourced.</p><p>Softer market puts dent in</p><p>sales growth at Morrisons</p><p>Isabella Fish Retail Editor 4.1 per cent in the previous quarter. The</p><p>stunted sales growth delivers a fresh</p><p>blow to the private equity-owned gro-</p><p>cer, which has been undergoing a turn-</p><p>around under Rami Baitiéh, its chief</p><p>executive.</p><p>The chain, which has about 500 su-</p><p>permarkets and some convenience</p><p>stores, has struggled since it was bought</p><p>by Clayton Dubilier & Rice, the Amer-</p><p>ican private equity group, in 2021 in a</p><p>deal that added £6.6 billion of debt to its</p><p>balance sheet.</p><p>The Bradford-based company’s</p><p>share of the grocery market had de-</p><p>clined as shoppers have turned towards</p><p>its discounter rivals, with Aldi overtak-</p><p>ing it as Britain’s fourth biggest grocer.</p><p>Morrisons’ market share has stabilised</p><p>since the arrival of Baitiéh, 53, in No-</p><p>vember. He has focused on improving</p><p>its price competitiveness, product avail-</p><p>ability and its More Card loyalty pro-</p><p>gramme. In the latest figures from</p><p>Kantar, the retail sector data provider,</p><p>the group’s share stood at 8.5 per cent,</p><p>down by 0.1 percentage points on a year</p><p>before.</p><p>“Our focus on listening to customers,</p><p>better availability and improving</p><p>the Morrisons More Card has driven</p><p>another quarter of good headway</p><p>across the board,” Baitiéh said. “Like-</p><p>for-like sales remained positive, the</p><p>switching data improved year-on-year</p><p>and although the market was noticea-</p><p>bly softer in [the third quarter], our rela-</p><p>tive position improved and our market</p><p>share stabilised.”</p><p>In his first interview since taking the</p><p>job, Baitiéh said that he would reintro-</p><p>duce Saturday work calls for his leader-</p><p>ship team if market share dropped</p><p>again. “You have to earn it. If we come</p><p>back to losing market share, we’ll bring</p><p>back Saturday calls.” The boss intro-</p><p>duced virtual meetings with his top 150</p><p>senior leaders every evening, Monday</p><p>to Saturday, in an effort to improve</p><p>company performance. However, he</p><p>rowed back on Saturday calls after</p><p>complaints from employees.</p><p>Morrisons has been reducing its</p><p>debts with a series of asset sales, includ-</p><p>ing the sale of its petrol forecourts busi-</p><p>ness to Motor Fuel Group for £2.5 bil-</p><p>lion, in return for a 20 per cent stake in</p><p>the service stations operator. Motor</p><p>Fuel Group is also owned by Clayton</p><p>Dubilier & Rice.</p><p>Sky News reported this week that</p><p>Morrisons had raised £331 million</p><p>through the sale of ground leases on 76</p><p>supermarkets.</p><p>Since its private equity takeover,</p><p>there has been speculation about</p><p>whether the company will sell off its</p><p>prized manufacturing business. Morri-</p><p>sons processes and packs much of the</p><p>meat, fish and vegetables it sells. It</p><p>owns and operates 17 food manufactur-</p><p>ing sites, including abattoirs, egg-</p><p>packing houses and fish-processing</p><p>plants. Baitiéh said that he had no plans</p><p>to sell off those assets.</p><p>Christmas</p><p>cheer in</p><p>short supply</p><p>at IG Design</p><p>£25 £20 £30£25 £20 £30</p><p>£20 £28 £18.99£20 £28 £18.99</p><p>Browse the best new books this month at our very own</p><p>bookshop, highlights include Intermezzo, the hotly-anticipated</p><p>new novel from Sally Rooney, an exquisitely moving story about</p><p>grief, love and family and Wild Thing, a vital re-examination of</p><p>the trailblazing and controversial artist Paul Gauguin.</p><p>To buy now visit timesbookshop.co.uk,</p><p>call 020 3176 2935 or scan the QR code</p><p>Find your next</p><p>read at The Times</p><p>Bookshop</p><p>Free UK P&P on online orders over £25. All orders placed by phone will incur a minimum £2.99 delivery charge. Special discount available for Times+ members, T&Cs apply.</p><p>BOOKS</p><p>20% OFF</p><p>FOR</p><p>MEMBERS</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 V2 41</p><p>Business</p><p>many retailers to have been hampered</p><p>by militant attacks on ships in the Red</p><p>Sea, resulting in a delay in summer</p><p>stock hitting store shelves.</p><p>This year Pepco appointed Stephan</p><p>Borchert as its new chief executive. The</p><p>group said he was due to complete his</p><p>three-month induction on October 1,</p><p>when Bond would become non-execu-</p><p>tive chair.</p><p>Bond, 59, returned to Pepco as its</p><p>chairman in November 2022, having</p><p>made a full recovery from health prob-</p><p>lems that had forced him to quit as its</p><p>group chief executive. Under Bond’s</p><p>watch — he had led the company for</p><p>seven years until March 2022 — Pepco</p><p>grew from 200 shops to about 3,500 in</p><p>17 countries. He also oversaw the</p><p>group’s stock market float in Poland.</p><p>Upon his return to the company, he</p><p>accused the leadership team of having</p><p>“lost focus” and announced a new</p><p>executive committee to undertake a</p><p>review of all activities.</p><p>Shares in Pepco, which before yester-</p><p>day had declined by 20 per cent in the</p><p>past year, rose by 62 grosz, or 3.2 per</p><p>cent, to 19.82 zloty.</p><p>H&M Group’s pursuit of global fast-</p><p>fashion dominance appears to be</p><p>slipping further out of reach after the</p><p>retailer was forced to discard its annual</p><p>profitability targets.</p><p>Daniel Ervér, its chief execu-</p><p>tive, said the group had</p><p>dropped its earnings margin</p><p>target for the year because of</p><p>higher marketing costs, weak-</p><p>ening demand and “turbulence</p><p>in the world around us. Exter-</p><p>nal factors have impacted our</p><p>sales revenue and purchasing</p><p>costs more than we expected.”</p><p>Of the group’s 10 per cent</p><p>forecast, he added: “At</p><p>present, we estimate that this</p><p>year’s operating margin will</p><p>be lower.”</p><p>The Swedish group be-</p><p>hind the H&M, Arket and</p><p>Cos labels said that a chilly</p><p>start to the summer had</p><p>taken its toll in the third quarter.</p><p>Rightmove facing</p><p>pressure to enter</p><p>into takeover talks</p><p>Martin Strydom</p><p>H&M profit warning on sales shortfall</p><p>Isabella Fish Operating profit was down 26 per cent</p><p>from a year earlier to SwKr3.5 billion</p><p>(£258 million), well below analysts’</p><p>expectations of SwKr4.9 billion. It</p><p>reported revenue of SwKr59 billion,</p><p>relatively flat against the same period</p><p>last year.</p><p>Ervér said that the quarter had</p><p>“started with slow sales in June</p><p>due to cold weather in many of</p><p>our key European markets”. Sales</p><p>had picked up in July and August,</p><p>however, “with even stronger</p><p>sales development in Septem-</p><p>ber”.</p><p>H&M, founded in 1947</p><p>under the name Hennes, is the</p><p>second largest international</p><p>clothing retailer after Inditex,</p><p>the Spanish company that</p><p>owns Zara. It has more than</p><p>4,200 shops in 77 markets. For</p><p>more than a decade it has</p><p>grappled with weak profitability while</p><p>struggling to keep pace with Inditex,</p><p>which has</p><p>been able to pass on inflated</p><p>costs to its less price-sensitive shoppers.</p><p>The rise of the fast-fashion competi-</p><p>tor Shein has further intensified the</p><p>challenges facing H&M, putting</p><p>additional pressure on its market</p><p>position.</p><p>The anticipated shortfall in its</p><p>margin targets is a setback for Ervér, 43,</p><p>who stepped in after the abrupt resig-</p><p>nation of Helena Helmersson. In</p><p>recent months he has emphasised the</p><p>need for H&M to increase sales while</p><p>also achieving its profitability goals.</p><p>He told investors that 2024 was “a</p><p>year in which we’re laying the founda-</p><p>tion for future growth. We’re increasing</p><p>the pace of improvements in our cus-</p><p>tomer offering and deprioritising</p><p>things that don’t strengthen our brands</p><p>or contribute to our sales and profitabil-</p><p>ity.”</p><p>Stockholm-quoted shares in H&M</p><p>closed down by SwKr8.35, or 4.6 per</p><p>cent, at SwKr173.</p><p>Poundland owner on track</p><p>to report ‘record’ revenue</p><p>Isabella Fish</p><p>The owner of Poundland says it is on</p><p>course to achieve “record” annual</p><p>revenue despite disruption to container</p><p>shipping in the Red Sea.</p><p>Pepco Group, which also owns the</p><p>Pepco and Dealz discount retail</p><p>brands, expects its revenue to rise by</p><p>10 per cent to more than €6 billion,</p><p>driven in large part by a store expansion</p><p>programme. It is set to open 64 shops in</p><p>the fourth quarter, finishing the year</p><p>with 390 net new stores.</p><p>In a trading update, the Warsaw-</p><p>listed retailer said its underlying</p><p>earnings before interest, tax and other</p><p>charges were expected to rise by 20 per</p><p>cent to €900 million.</p><p>Andy Bond, its executive chairman,</p><p>said it continued to be affected by</p><p>supply chain issues in the period. How-</p><p>ever, he believed mitigating actions</p><p>such as shipping products earlier,</p><p>optimising transport routes and using</p><p>faster carrier options would improve</p><p>availability during the first half of the</p><p>new financial year. The group had</p><p>warned in July that it was among the</p><p>A number of Rightmove shareholders</p><p>have said that the property website</p><p>should start takeover talks with an</p><p>Australian rival.</p><p>Rightmove has rejected three</p><p>indicative offers from REA Group as</p><p>opportunistic, unattractive and under-</p><p>valuing the company’s prospects.</p><p>Jamie Forbes-Wilson, a fund mana-</p><p>ger at Axa Investment Managers,</p><p>which holds 1 per cent of Rightmove,</p><p>said: “We would agree that it feels a</p><p>little opportunistic for REA to be</p><p>coming along at this time, but it is also</p><p>recognition that REA sees Rightmove</p><p>as the high-quality business that we, as</p><p>long-term holders of the share, think</p><p>that it is.”</p><p>He said that the Australian suitor’s</p><p>latest indicative offer was “more</p><p>reflective of the true value of the busi-</p><p>ness and a level at which the Rightmove</p><p>board should engage”.</p><p>GCQ Funds Management and ECP</p><p>Asset Management, the Australian</p><p>fund managers that are said to hold</p><p>shares in the Rightmove, also have said</p><p>that its board should engage with REA.</p><p>It is unclear how some of Rightmove’s</p><p>biggest shareholders, such as Lindsell</p><p>Train, with 7 per cent, and Baillie</p><p>Gifford, with 4 per cent, view the deal.</p><p>The latest cash-and-shares offer</p><p>values Rightmove at about £6 billion,</p><p>or 771p a share. Shares in Rightmove,</p><p>which stood at about 550p at the end of</p><p>August before REA’s interest was</p><p>revealed, were down by 7½p, or 1.1 per</p><p>cent, at 665p at the close of trading last</p><p>night.</p><p>The shares have been under pressure</p><p>in recent years amid concerns about</p><p>increased competition in the domestic</p><p>market from CoStar, the American</p><p>property market powerhouse, which</p><p>has bought OnTheMarket, a rival</p><p>property platform.</p><p>Rightmove has an 86 per cent share</p><p>of the house search market in Britain</p><p>and enjoys high profit margins. For</p><p>every £1 spent by estate agents and</p><p>developers with Rightmove, it made</p><p>69p of profit in the first half. About</p><p>19,000 estate agents and developers</p><p>advertise on the portal.</p><p>REA Group, which is 61 per cent-</p><p>owned by News Corp, the publisher of</p><p>The Times, said on Wednesday that it</p><p>was disappointed after its sweetened</p><p>offer of 341p in cash and 0.0422 new</p><p>REA shares had been rejected. The</p><p>Melbourne-based company said that</p><p>there had been “no substantive engage-</p><p>ment with Rightmove” and it urged</p><p>shareholders to “encourage Right-</p><p>move’s board to engage in constructive</p><p>discussions”.</p><p>Under Takeover Panel rules REA,</p><p>which was founded in 1995 and has a</p><p>market capitalisation of A$26 billion</p><p>(£13 billion), has until Monday to make</p><p>a firm offer or walk away.</p><p>REA Group is listed on the Austra-</p><p>lian stock exchange, but it has said that</p><p>it would seek a secondary listing in</p><p>London if the deal were to go ahead. It</p><p>is Australia’s dominant property</p><p>platform. There is thought to be frus-</p><p>tration on REA Group’s part at the lack</p><p>of engagement from Rightmove</p><p>following the offers, which it believes</p><p>are compelling.</p><p>Rightmove is the dominant force in</p><p>the online property search market</p><p>Poor weather in</p><p>June depressed</p><p>sales for H&M</p><p>W</p><p>hen it</p><p>omes to</p><p>the season</p><p>to be jolly,</p><p>the</p><p>company behind the</p><p>King’s Christmas crackers</p><p>might be an expert, but</p><p>IG Design doesn’t appear</p><p>to be in the laughing</p><p>mood right now (Sian</p><p>Bradley writes).</p><p>The world’s biggest</p><p>maker of greeting cards,</p><p>wrapping paper and gift</p><p>bags issued a profit</p><p>warning yesterday, citing</p><p>challenges in its Americas</p><p>division, where growth</p><p>has been slower than</p><p>expected.</p><p>It said revenue in its</p><p>Americas business had</p><p>declined by 14 per cent in</p><p>the five months to the end</p><p>of August as customers</p><p>ordered more cautiously.</p><p>The message was quickly</p><p>picked up in the markets,</p><p>where more than a</p><p>quarter was wiped off IG’s</p><p>shares, which closed</p><p>down by 43p at 128p.</p><p>The company said that</p><p>while it expected adjusted</p><p>profits for the year to the</p><p>end of March 2025 to</p><p>show year-on-year growth</p><p>of more than 20 per cent,</p><p>this would be below</p><p>previous market</p><p>expectations of</p><p>£36 million.</p><p>IG said it remained on</p><p>track to return margins to</p><p>above pre-pandemic</p><p>levels of at least 4.5 per</p><p>cent over the full year. It</p><p>said there had been</p><p>continued growth from</p><p>key customers in</p><p>continental Europe, albeit</p><p>offset by softness in the</p><p>British and Australian</p><p>markets.</p><p>There had been</p><p>warning signs that the</p><p>Americas were not</p><p>performing as hoped in</p><p>the summer, when a fall</p><p>in revenue was attributed</p><p>to poor sales and</p><p>consumers being less</p><p>keen to spend on seasonal</p><p>gift packaging and decor.</p><p>The chief executive of</p><p>the DG Americas division</p><p>left the business in July</p><p>and the company is</p><p>recruiting a successor.</p><p>Meanwhile, Paul Bal, IG’s</p><p>chief executive, is visiting</p><p>the United States more</p><p>regularly.</p><p>After soaring paper</p><p>costs caused demand to</p><p>drop away during the</p><p>pandemic, Bal, 57, has</p><p>been trying to rebuild</p><p>profit margins. Part of his</p><p>strategy was to leave</p><p>unprofitable contracts</p><p>and to focus on better</p><p>options, such as one with</p><p>Walmart, the American</p><p>retailer.</p><p>Overall, group revenue</p><p>declined by 13 per cent in</p><p>the five months to the end</p><p>of August compared with</p><p>the same period last year.</p><p>IG expects its annual</p><p>group revenue to decline</p><p>by 5 per cent, mainly</p><p>driven by the trends in its</p><p>Americas business.</p><p>Panmure Liberum, the</p><p>broker, has lowered its</p><p>revenue expectation for</p><p>the Americas divisions</p><p>from 3.5 per cent growth</p><p>to a 10 per cent loss.</p><p>IG Design is Britain’s largest</p><p>designer and in-house</p><p>manufacturer of gift wrap</p><p>and Christmas crackers</p><p>42 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Business</p><p>We’ll be back when market</p><p>improves, says Diageo boss</p><p>Dominic Walsh</p><p>The boss of Diageo believes that the</p><p>world’s biggest spirits maker will</p><p>rebound strongly as a challenging</p><p>consumer environment eases.</p><p>“The fundamentals for the spirits</p><p>industry remain strong and, when the</p><p>consumer environment improves,</p><p>growth will return,” Debra Crew said.</p><p>“The actions we are taking will position</p><p>us well to outperform the market.”</p><p>The reassuring tone was greeted</p><p>warmly by the stock market, with</p><p>shares in Diageo rising by 117p, or</p><p>4.7 per cent, to £26.14½ last night. The</p><p>stock has lost almost a fifth of its value</p><p>since the appointment of Crew, 53, in</p><p>June last year.</p><p>Her promotion had been brought</p><p>forward</p><p>after the hospitalisation of the</p><p>long-serving Sir Ivan Menezes, who</p><p>died later that month aged 63. Three</p><p>months later Diageo issued a surprise</p><p>profit warning after a sharp slowdown</p><p>in business in Latin America and the</p><p>Caribbean.</p><p>The prolonged share price slump has</p><p>prompted speculation that the com-</p><p>pany, with its stable of powerhouse</p><p>brands including Guinness, Smirnoff</p><p>vodka, Johnnie Walker whisky and</p><p>Baileys liqueur, could attract activist</p><p>interest or a takeover bid.</p><p>“While consumers continue to be</p><p>cautious, we are focused on strength-</p><p>ening the resilience of our business</p><p>through operational excellence, pro-</p><p>ductivity and strategic investments to</p><p>win quality market share,” Crew said.</p><p>“We have made good progress on our</p><p>strategic initiatives, including our US</p><p>route-to-market enhancements, and in</p><p>Nigeria we are progressing well</p><p>towards completion of the agreement</p><p>to restructure our business model</p><p>there.”</p><p>The trading update came a day after</p><p>Diageo North America took a fresh</p><p>step into the fast-growing alcohol-free</p><p>sector with the acquisition of Ritual</p><p>Zero Proof non-alcoholic spirits.</p><p>Diageo employs 28,000 people</p><p>worldwide and sells more than 200</p><p>brands in 180 markets. It is the biggest</p><p>company by net sales value in Scotch</p><p>and Canadian whisky, vodka, gin, rum,</p><p>liquors and tequila.</p><p>Edward Mundy, a drinks analyst at</p><p>Jefferies, the investment bank, said he</p><p>was becoming more positive on spirits</p><p>after concluding that the reasons for</p><p>the market’s weakness were cyclical</p><p>rather than structural.</p><p>The operator of the All Bar One, Har-</p><p>vester and Toby Carvery chains has</p><p>blamed dismal weather and the August</p><p>riots for taking the edge off an other-</p><p>wise strong summer.</p><p>Mitchells & Butlers reported like-for-</p><p>like sales growth of 5.2 per cent for the</p><p>51 weeks to September 21, enabling it to</p><p>stay ahead of its competition and keep-</p><p>ing all its brands in growth.</p><p>The Birmingham-based company</p><p>said it had retained its leading position</p><p>through the final quarter, although the</p><p>rate of growth reflected “a progressive</p><p>easing of the inflationary environ-</p><p>ment”. It also cited factors including “an</p><p>unseasonally cool and wet summer</p><p>period and the disruption caused by</p><p>anti-immigration riots in city centres</p><p>during August”.</p><p>The company said that the impact of</p><p>the riots had not been restricted to</p><p>trouble flaring in places where it had</p><p>pubs. There were also knock-on effects</p><p>of people avoiding city centres after</p><p>work and of workers being sent home</p><p>for safety reasons.</p><p>Although M&B achieved a positive</p><p>outcome for the year, there was some</p><p>variation in the performance of differ-</p><p>ent parts of the business. Thus, while</p><p>the first quarter delivered like-for-like</p><p>sales growth of 7.7 per cent, by the final</p><p>weeks of the year trading had dipped to</p><p>growth of only 2.5 per cent.</p><p>The company’s marathon campaign</p><p>to upgrade or rebrand its venues con-</p><p>tinued as it completed 185 conversions</p><p>and remodels, in addition to a rollout of</p><p>initiatives to cut energy bills with solar</p><p>panels. It also opened six new sites.</p><p>Net cost headwinds are set to fall by</p><p>about £55 million in the present finan-</p><p>cial year, with increased labour costs</p><p>being substantially mitigated by defla-</p><p>tion in its energy bills and by slowing</p><p>Mitchells & Butlers</p><p>healthy after spell</p><p>under the weather</p><p>Dominic Walsh food prices inflation. It also benefited</p><p>from strong cost controls at its pubs and</p><p>restaurants. “Coupled with a robust</p><p>sales performance, ahead of the</p><p>market, we remain confident in the de-</p><p>livery of a full year result at the upper</p><p>end of consensus expectations,” the</p><p>company said. Shares of M&B, which</p><p>are up more than 40 per cent over the</p><p>past 12 months, added a further 7½p, or</p><p>2.5 per cent, to 304½p.</p><p>JD Wetherspoon, a rival pubs chain,</p><p>also reported a slowdown in sales</p><p>growth in the first ten weeks of the</p><p>fourth quarter, but it still hit record</p><p>levels despite a drop in pub numbers</p><p>throughout the year. Marston’s, which</p><p>tends to operate in more suburban and</p><p>rural locations, recorded a 2.4 per cent</p><p>rise in like-for-like sales for the 16-week</p><p>period, helped by fans who gathered to</p><p>watch the European football champi-</p><p>onship.</p><p>M&B has a portfolio of brands and</p><p>formats that include household names</p><p>such as Harvester, Miller & Carter,</p><p>Premium Country Pubs, Sizzling Pubs,</p><p>Stonehouse, Vintage Inns, Browns,</p><p>Castle, Nicholson’s, O’Neill’s, Ember</p><p>Inns and Ego Restaurants. In addition,</p><p>it operates Innkeeper’s Collection ho-</p><p>tels in Britain and Alex restaurants and</p><p>bars in Germany.</p><p>Created in 2003 through a demerger</p><p>of the old Bass brewing empire, it has</p><p>1,716 venues. Phil Urban, 61, the M&B</p><p>chief executive, said: “Sales growth has</p><p>continued to normalise as inflationary</p><p>cost pressures ease, while our diverse</p><p>portfolio of established brands and lo-</p><p>cations underpin our outperformance</p><p>against the market. We enter the new</p><p>financial year armed with a fresh wave</p><p>of initiatives and a full capital invest-</p><p>ment programme planned to deliver</p><p>cost efficiencies, increased sales and to</p><p>further drive market out-performance</p><p>and increasing profitability.”</p><p>B</p><p>ritain’s biggest</p><p>fund manager</p><p>has stepped up</p><p>its criticism of</p><p>businesses that</p><p>offer the use of private</p><p>jets as a perk (Sian</p><p>Bradley writes).</p><p>Legal & General</p><p>Investment Management,</p><p>which oversees</p><p>£1.2 trillion in assets, has</p><p>been piling pressure on</p><p>the companies in which it</p><p>is a leading shareholder</p><p>to remove the benefit.</p><p>Legal & General</p><p>Investment Management</p><p>said in a report by the</p><p>Financial Tmes: “Aviation</p><p>is a high emitter of</p><p>carbon emissions and at</p><p>present there is</p><p>insufficient supply of</p><p>alternative fuels to</p><p>reduce these emissions.</p><p>“Although we accept</p><p>that there may be a</p><p>legitimate reason for</p><p>some of these companies</p><p>to use corporate jets for</p><p>business purposes, we do</p><p>not support the use of</p><p>corporate jets as a perk</p><p>as it increases overall</p><p>emissions.”</p><p>There is growing</p><p>hostility to the</p><p>unnecessary use of</p><p>private jets, as seen in the</p><p>case of Brian Niccol. His</p><p>package as Starbucks’</p><p>new chief executive</p><p>includes the use of a</p><p>corporate jet to travel</p><p>1,000 miles from his</p><p>home in Newport Beach,</p><p>California, to Starbucks’</p><p>headquarters in Seattle.</p><p>Eric Pedersen, head of</p><p>responsible investments</p><p>at Nordea Asset</p><p>Management, a</p><p>shareholder in the coffee</p><p>chain, said: “A situation</p><p>where senior managers</p><p>commute by private</p><p>aircraft to be able to live</p><p>up to their own hybrid</p><p>work policies is not</p><p>ideal.” Starbucks was</p><p>approached for comment.</p><p>Private jet</p><p>use comes</p><p>under fire</p><p>Legal & General Investment</p><p>Management says it cannot</p><p>be justified to offer</p><p>corporate jets as a company</p><p>perk because they increase</p><p>carbon emissions</p><p>24/7 same day access to</p><p>a GP, 365 days a year</p><p>Speak to a GP from just £60, with virtual, in-clinic or at home</p><p>appointments available. So you can feel better, faster.</p><p>Call us today on</p><p>0203 130 6763</p><p>or scan to book</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 43</p><p>Business</p><p>Commerzbank is set to hold discus-</p><p>sions with UniCredit after the German</p><p>lender stepped up its defences against a</p><p>potential takeover by promising to</p><p>increase profits and payouts to share-</p><p>holders.</p><p>Bettina Orlopp, Commerzbank’s</p><p>finance chief who was named as its next</p><p>chief executive on Wednesday,</p><p>revealed that the bank was due to</p><p>engage in its first set of discussions with</p><p>UniCredit, which is based in Milan, on</p><p>Friday to “exchange views”.</p><p>The Italian bank revealed this month</p><p>that it had acquired a 9 per cent stake in</p><p>what is one of Germany’s biggest len-</p><p>ders and that it was considering a bid for</p><p>the Frankfurt-based group.</p><p>UniCredit, which is led by Andrea</p><p>Orcel, significantly increased its inter-</p><p>est in Commerzbank on Monday when</p><p>Commerzbank vows to bolster</p><p>profits as it fends off takeover</p><p>it said that it was using derivatives to</p><p>boost its stake in the lender to about 21</p><p>per cent. This prompted Berlin to warn</p><p>that it was against a takeover, with Olaf</p><p>Scholz, the German chancellor, de-</p><p>scribing UniCredit’s manoeuvring as</p><p>“unfriendly” and “hostile”.</p><p>However, the German government,</p><p>which owns a 12 per cent</p><p>UK. The plan will be a key</p><p>demand of Brussels in negotiations</p><p>EU hints at concessions to UK in</p><p>push for ‘gap year’ travel scheme</p><p>with the UK over Sir Keir Starmer’s</p><p>desire for a “reset” of relations with</p><p>European leaders.</p><p>In public, ministers have sought to</p><p>play down expectations amid concern</p><p>that the plan could be portrayed as a</p><p>return to freedom of movement.</p><p>But privately, government sources</p><p>indicated that ministers believed there</p><p>was a “landing zone” that could allow</p><p>greater reciprocal access for young</p><p>people. That could include making it</p><p>easier for school trips and introduce</p><p>strict limits on the time that young</p><p>people are allowed to live, work and</p><p>study under the scheme, as well as a</p><p>potential cap on numbers.</p><p>All aspects of the scheme are likely to</p><p>be subject to negotiations between</p><p>London and Brussels.</p><p>In a sign that both sides want a deal,</p><p>Serrano said he realised there were</p><p>concerns about the plan in the UK and</p><p>suggested that it was likely to be limited</p><p>in scope. “Some people mix it up with</p><p>migration-related issues ... it has</p><p>nothing to do with any of that,” he said.</p><p>“This is about ensuring that our</p><p>youth continues to get together to</p><p>know each other. And if we have a</p><p>mechanism that allows young British</p><p>citizens to go for a gap year, for</p><p>example, to any of 27 states within the</p><p>European Union, to do a bit of learning</p><p>and get pay ... while they’re there, why</p><p>not?”</p><p>Serrano said if a young person</p><p>wanted to extend their stay to work that</p><p>would be part of a “totally different</p><p>process ... limited in time”.</p><p>He added: “Yes, there is the fear of</p><p>migration. It’s a big topic not only in this</p><p>country but in Europe, but it has</p><p>nothing to do with the youth mobility</p><p>scheme.</p><p>“It’s something very different and it’s</p><p>good that people understand it and</p><p>probably they will accept it. I think all</p><p>those that are parents and have kids at</p><p>university age or students or young</p><p>people that just want a bit of adventure,</p><p>they will understand this quite well.”</p><p>Starmer has rejected proposals made</p><p>by the EU Commission in April. The</p><p>initial plan was bloc-wide and said</p><p>citizens should be able to work or study</p><p>for up to four years.</p><p>The proposal took many by surprise</p><p>and was viewed as a way to avoid the</p><p>previous Conservative government</p><p>trying to strike bilateral youth mobility</p><p>deals with specific EU countries.</p><p>Rishi Sunak rejected the plan, as did</p><p>Starmer at the time.</p><p>Starmer is said to be nervous about</p><p>anything that would be portrayed by</p><p>critics as backsliding on Brexit. How-</p><p>ever, a government source suggested a</p><p>deal was possible.</p><p>“Ministers think there is a landing</p><p>zone that will make it easier for young</p><p>people to travel,” they said. “Exactly</p><p>what that looks like is going to be sub-</p><p>ject to negotiations but it is something</p><p>that is being worked on.”</p><p>Oliver Wright Policy Editor</p><p>Baroness Warsi, the former Conserva-</p><p>tive Party co-chairwoman and Britain’s</p><p>first Muslim cabinet minister, has</p><p>resigned the party’s whip in the Lords,</p><p>saying the Tories are “hypocritical” and</p><p>have moved too far to the right.</p><p>Warsi, who served in the cabinet dur-</p><p>ing David Cameron’s premiership, said</p><p>the party no longer resembled the one</p><p>she represented in government. In a</p><p>Warsi quits Tories as Jenrick seeks to end foreign aid</p><p>post on X, she said: “It is with a heavy</p><p>heart that I have today informed my</p><p>whip and decided for now to no longer</p><p>take the Conservative whip.</p><p>“This is a sad day for me. I am a Con-</p><p>servative and remain so but sadly the</p><p>current party are far removed from the</p><p>party I joined and served in cabinet.</p><p>“My decision is a reflection of how</p><p>far right my party has moved and the</p><p>hypocrisy and double standards in its</p><p>treatment of different communities.”</p><p>Meanwhile, Robert Jenrick, the Tory</p><p>leadership favourite, has announced a</p><p>new policy to withdraw foreign aid and</p><p>impose “severe” visa restrictions on</p><p>countries that refuse to take back illegal</p><p>migrants. He called on the government</p><p>to end the practice of other countries</p><p>“exploiting the UK’s generosity” by re-</p><p>fusing to co-operate on returns.</p><p>Labour accused Jenrick of wasting</p><p>time and money committing to the</p><p>previous government’s Rwanda policy</p><p>rather than focusing on boosting</p><p>returns. A Labour source said: “In just</p><p>12 weeks, Labour has increased</p><p>enforced removals by 20 per cent and</p><p>deployed hundreds more officials to</p><p>work on immigration enforcement.”</p><p>Tom Tugendhat, another Conserva-</p><p>tive leadership contender, has outlined</p><p>plans to crack down on prolific offend-</p><p>ers by requiring them to serve the</p><p>entirety of their custodial sentence</p><p>rather than qualifying for early release.</p><p>Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor</p><p>Late bloomers The last flowering of the hydrangeas at Mallard Pond in Trebah Garden, Falmouth in Cornwall, voted one of the top ten gardens in the world in July</p><p>Breakfast:</p><p>6am to 10am</p><p>Our free radio station has all the</p><p>latest headlines, interviews and</p><p>debates every morning</p><p>Listen seven days a week</p><p>On DAB,</p><p>app,</p><p>website</p><p>and smart</p><p>speaker</p><p>Rogue surgeon row</p><p>The father of a six-year-old girl</p><p>who was operated on by a</p><p>“rogue” surgeon, Yaser Jabbar, at</p><p>Great Ormond Street Hospital</p><p>has said he should have been</p><p>stopped sooner. Dean Stalham</p><p>said his daughter, Bunty, had her</p><p>leg amputed after “surgeries</p><p>which had no positive impact”.</p><p>Jabber has not had a licence to</p><p>practise medicine since January.</p><p>Long cars, short drives</p><p>People on a housing estate in</p><p>Hampshire have been given</p><p>parking tickets because their</p><p>driveways are too short for their</p><p>cars. Maciej Gawlik, 42, said that</p><p>two of his neighbours had been</p><p>fined £30 by wardens patrolling in</p><p>Harefield, near Bitterne, because</p><p>their cars hung over double</p><p>yellow lines. A councillor told</p><p>drivers to appeal.</p><p>Sycamore Gap lives on</p><p>Communities around the UK will</p><p>be able to request a sapling grown</p><p>from the Sycamore Gap Tree to</p><p>mark a year since the landmark</p><p>in Northumberland was illegally</p><p>felled. Seeds were salvaged from</p><p>the site and propagated by the</p><p>National Trust at its centre in</p><p>Devon. Andrew Poad, a manager</p><p>at the charity, said the initiative</p><p>would allow the tree to “live on”.</p><p>Rail wi-fi ‘hacktivism’</p><p>A man has been arrested for</p><p>cybervandalism after passengers</p><p>at UK railway stations were</p><p>shown details of Islamist terror</p><p>attacks while logging on to wi-fi.</p><p>Network Rail’s wi-fi services</p><p>remained suspended at the 19</p><p>stations affected until security</p><p>checks were completed. A</p><p>cybersecurity expert labelled the</p><p>act as “opportunistic hacktivism”.</p><p>A A B D D E E E</p><p>E E G G H H I I</p><p>L L M N N O O O</p><p>O O P R R S U X</p><p>Solve all five concise clues using</p><p>each letter underneath once only</p><p>1 Carried in one’s hands (4)</p><p>2 Walkie-talkie (5)</p><p>3 Quarrel, bicker (5)</p><p>4 Recently coined word (9)</p><p>5 One who fears foreigners (9)</p><p>- - - -</p><p>- - - - -</p><p>- - - - -</p><p>- - - - - - - - -</p><p>- - - - - - - - -</p><p>Quintagram®No 2058</p><p>Solutions see MindGames</p><p>Cryptic clues see MindGames</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 S1 5</p><p>News</p><p>Metropolitan Police officers including</p><p>an inspector who once met Prince Will-</p><p>iam allegedly accessed confidential</p><p>files relating to the disappearance and</p><p>murder of Sarah Everard.</p><p>Five serving and two former officers</p><p>are accused of having no “proper polic-</p><p>ing purpose” for looking at the file of</p><p>Everard, who was raped and murdered</p><p>by firearms officer Wayne Couzens.</p><p>Akinwale Ajose-Adeogun, 61, a</p><p>former inspector based in Croydon, is</p><p>the most senior officer facing allega-</p><p>tions. On LinkedIn he claims he now</p><p>works for the Home Office, but a</p><p>spokesman said they could find no</p><p>record of him being an employee.</p><p>All but one of those accused allegedly</p><p>accessed the file on multiple occasions.</p><p>Everard, 33, was kidnapped by</p><p>Couzens near Clapham Common on</p><p>March 3, 2021 while he was off-duty. He</p><p>raped and strangled her, burned her</p><p>body and disposed of her remains in a</p><p>pond. He was arrested on March 9 on</p><p>suspicion of her kidnapping and a day</p><p>later on suspicion of her murder. Her</p><p>remains were discovered on March 10.</p><p>After her murder, officers from the</p><p>Met’s Directorate of Professional Stan-</p><p>dards carried</p><p>stake in</p><p>Commerzbank, a legacy of the lender’s</p><p>rescue during the 2007-09 financial</p><p>crisis, does not have any powers to</p><p>block a deal.</p><p>In an apparent effort to bolster the</p><p>case for its independence, Commerz-</p><p>bank has set new performance targets,</p><p>including for its net profits to rise to</p><p>more than €3 billion in 2027 and for its</p><p>return on tangible equity, a key meas-</p><p>ure of profitability, to increase to above</p><p>12 per cent by the same date.</p><p>It also expects to boost capital re-</p><p>turns to its shareholders, with the aim</p><p>of achieving a payout ratio of more than</p><p>90 per cent in 2025 and the two follow-</p><p>ing years.</p><p>A takeover of the German bank by</p><p>UniCredit would be the first big cross-</p><p>border banking deal in Europe since the</p><p>financial crisis and would represent a</p><p>significant move towards a full banking</p><p>union in the European Union. Worries</p><p>about EU countries losing their</p><p>“national champion” banks have long</p><p>acted as a break on dealmaking, as has</p><p>the lack of a deposit insurance scheme</p><p>that spans the bloc.</p><p>Even so, UniCredit has been tipped</p><p>as a possible suitor for Commerzbank</p><p>in the past and it already has a big pres-</p><p>ence in Germany through its HypoVer-</p><p>einsbank business. A turnaround of the</p><p>Italian group since Orcel became its</p><p>chief executive in 2021 has served to fu-</p><p>el speculation that it could make a bid.</p><p>Orcel, 61, is regarded as a shrewd</p><p>dealmaker. He previously spent much</p><p>of his career as an investment banker,</p><p>becoming a well-known figure in the</p><p>City of London.</p><p>Orlopp, 54, his incoming counterpart</p><p>at Commerzbank, is replacing Manfred</p><p>Knof, who will stand down from the</p><p>lender at the end of the month. She has</p><p>been with the bank for a decade and be-</p><p>came its finance chief in 2020.</p><p>Commerzbank is viewed as an im-</p><p>portant institution within Germany</p><p>because it is a big lender to the Mittel-</p><p>stand, the swathe of small and medium-</p><p>sized businesses in the country. Deut-</p><p>sche Bank, Germany’s biggest lender,</p><p>also previously looked at buying Com-</p><p>merzbank and could emerge as a rival</p><p>to UniCredit.</p><p>Shares in Commerzbank closed up</p><p>by €1.05, or 6.9 per cent, at €16.34 in</p><p>Frankfurt. UniCredit’s stock rose by</p><p>€1.83, or 4.8 per cent, to €39.70 in Milan.</p><p>Ben Martin Banking Editor</p><p>Beijing plans to inject more cash into</p><p>the Chinese economy only days after its</p><p>main economic institutions slashed in-</p><p>terest rates and stepped up support for</p><p>the country’s stock market.</p><p>The politburo, the highest committee</p><p>of the Chinese Communist Party, said</p><p>that it intended to stimulate investment</p><p>by selling more debt and channelling</p><p>the proceeds into the economy.</p><p>The committee, headed by President</p><p>Xi, said that it would leverage the funds</p><p>to finance “the driving role of</p><p>government investment” amid</p><p>warnings from analysts that its latest</p><p>round of stimulus would fall short of re-</p><p>viving growth.</p><p>It is rare for the politburo to hold</p><p>meetings in September. State media</p><p>outlets did not report on the scale of the</p><p>stimulus or whether it was in addition</p><p>to previously announced debt issuance,</p><p>but they quoted officials as saying: “We</p><p>should increase the intensity of coun-</p><p>tercyclical adjustment of fiscal and</p><p>monetary policies.”</p><p>This week the People’s Bank of</p><p>China, the central bank, cut a key inter-</p><p>est rate by 20 basis points to 1.5 per cent</p><p>and lowered the share of capital that</p><p>banks need to set aside by half a per-</p><p>centage point, all in an effort to kick-</p><p>start demand that is reeling from a pro-</p><p>longed property crisis.</p><p>Economists estimated that the pack-</p><p>age amounted to a £106 billion injec-</p><p>tion of cash into the world’s second</p><p>largest economy.</p><p>The announcement drove the</p><p>benchmark Shanghai Composite index</p><p>and the CSI300 index to their highest</p><p>closing levels since June, with bearish</p><p>investors advised to cover any short po-</p><p>sitions. Economists have said that the</p><p>two-pronged monetary and fiscal stim-</p><p>ulus is necessary to prevent Beijing</p><p>from missing its target of 5 per cent</p><p>annual GDP growth.</p><p>Financial crises at some of China’s</p><p>largest developers, including Evergran-</p><p>de and Country Garden, have weighed</p><p>on demand for residential properties</p><p>and dampened consumer confidence.</p><p>In response to the economic down-</p><p>turn, Beijing has launched rounds of</p><p>monetary policy easing, stock market</p><p>stimulus and fresh injections of govern-</p><p>ment spending.</p><p>Experts have cautioned that these</p><p>measures are too small to solve the</p><p>structural challenges gripping the</p><p>Chinese economy.</p><p>China to</p><p>inject more</p><p>cash into</p><p>economy</p><p>Jack Barnett</p><p>Economics Correspondent</p><p>T</p><p>he recovery</p><p>from strikes</p><p>staged by</p><p>American</p><p>writers’ and</p><p>actors’ unions last year</p><p>has taken longer than</p><p>expected, Videndum</p><p>said yesterday as the</p><p>video equipment</p><p>supplier reported a loss</p><p>for the first half and</p><p>issued a full-year profit</p><p>warning (Emma</p><p>Taggart writes).</p><p>The group narrowed</p><p>its pre-tax loss to</p><p>£13.4 million for the six</p><p>months to the end of</p><p>June, down from a</p><p>£20.9 million loss</p><p>before tax in the same</p><p>period last year.</p><p>However, revenues at</p><p>the London-listed</p><p>company rose by 7 per</p><p>cent to £154.9 million.</p><p>Founded in London</p><p>in 1910, Videndum</p><p>provides specialised</p><p>camera equipment and</p><p>software products for</p><p>the film industry.</p><p>“Although market</p><p>Video firm’s profits</p><p>do not follow script</p><p>conditions in the first</p><p>half remained</p><p>challenging for</p><p>Videndum, we saw</p><p>signs of improvement</p><p>with some post-strike</p><p>recovery in the cine</p><p>and scripted TV</p><p>market,” Stephen Bird,</p><p>its chief executive, said.</p><p>He added that while</p><p>there was strong</p><p>demand for the group’s</p><p>premium compact</p><p>system cameras, the</p><p>economic environment</p><p>that affected its</p><p>consumer and</p><p>independent content</p><p>creator divisions</p><p>“remained</p><p>challenging”. The</p><p>company said it had</p><p>lowered expectations</p><p>for its annual results as</p><p>a result of a slower</p><p>than expected recovery</p><p>in its key markets.</p><p>The company, which</p><p>is based in Richmond,</p><p>southwest London, is to</p><p>implement a cost-</p><p>cutting programme</p><p>that it hopes will result Videndum provides specialised camera equipment for the film industry</p><p>in £10 million in</p><p>permanent savings.</p><p>In the second half of</p><p>the year its broadcast</p><p>television division is</p><p>expected to benefit</p><p>from large-scale events,</p><p>including the 2024</p><p>Olympic Games in</p><p>Paris and the United</p><p>States’ presidential</p><p>election in November.</p><p>Videndum said that</p><p>despite indications of a</p><p>recovery in its cinema</p><p>and scripted television</p><p>market, both the</p><p>company and the wider</p><p>sector had “yet to see</p><p>the anticipated</p><p>improvement in</p><p>orders”.</p><p>Tom Fraine, an</p><p>analyst at Shore</p><p>Capital, the broker,</p><p>said: “We believe the</p><p>historically weak cash</p><p>conversion, limited</p><p>organic growth and</p><p>lack of visibility are at</p><p>least partly priced into</p><p>the shares. The US</p><p>presidential election is</p><p>a near-term tailwind</p><p>that could support a</p><p>recovery.”</p><p>Shares in Videndum</p><p>fell by 55p, or 19.6 per</p><p>cent, to close at 225p,</p><p>their lowest since 2009.</p><p>Visit mytimesplus.co.uk</p><p>Win an unforgettable</p><p>trip to India</p><p>Don’t miss this chance to visit vibrant India. To celebrate the release of The Golden Road</p><p>from bestselling historian William Dalrymple, one lucky winner and a guest will explore</p><p>the country’s rich culture and fascinating history, courtesy of escorted touring experts</p><p>Travelsphere. Return UK flights included.</p><p>T&Cs apply.</p><p>44 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Business Markets</p><p>Commodities</p><p>PRICES</p><p>Major indices London Financial Futures</p><p>© 2021 Tradeweb Markets LLC. All rights reserved.</p><p>The Tradeweb FTSE Gilt Closing Prices information contained</p><p>herein is proprietary to Tradeweb; may not be copied or</p><p>re-distributed; is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely; and does not constitute</p><p>investment advice. Tradeweb is not responsible for any loss or damage that might result</p><p>from the use of this information.</p><p>news in brief</p><p>Schroders’ reshuffle</p><p>Schroders has appointed Meagen</p><p>Burnett as its new chief financial</p><p>officer while Johanna Kyrklund,</p><p>its chief investment officer, is set</p><p>to join the group’s board. At</p><p>present Burnett, who joined the</p><p>asset manager last year, holds the</p><p>role of chief operating officer. She</p><p>previously</p><p>worked in various</p><p>operational, audit and risk</p><p>positions at Goldman Sachs,</p><p>JP Morgan and M&G. The</p><p>reshuffle at the FTSE 100</p><p>company comes as Peter</p><p>Harrison, 58, its chief executive,</p><p>prepares to step down after eight</p><p>years in the post.</p><p>Segro still growing</p><p>Segro said it had signed</p><p>£58 million of new headline rent</p><p>this year, ahead of the same</p><p>period in 2023. In a trading</p><p>update, the landlord, which owns</p><p>more than £20 billion of</p><p>warehouses, logistics depots and</p><p>data centres, said the overall</p><p>balance of supply and demand in</p><p>its occupier markets “remains</p><p>favourable”. The occupancy rate</p><p>was said to be “broadly</p><p>unchanged” at 94.3 per cent. Its</p><p>shares rose 6¼p, or 0.7 per cent,</p><p>to 874¾p.</p><p>Octopus’s green plan</p><p>Octopus Energy has said it will</p><p>invest £2 billion in clean energy</p><p>projects by the end of the decade.</p><p>The company began by buying</p><p>four solar farms that are being</p><p>built in Bristol, Essex, Yorkshire</p><p>and Wiltshire and will generate</p><p>enough electricity for 80,000</p><p>homes. Octopus also increased its</p><p>stake in Exagen, which builds</p><p>solar farms and energy storage</p><p>sites. The government has</p><p>announced it will invest more</p><p>than £8 billion in renewable</p><p>energy over the next five years.</p><p>Amazon’s £932m tax</p><p>Amazon, the online marketplace,</p><p>said it had paid £932 million in</p><p>direct taxes in the UK in 2023, a</p><p>£151 million increase from the</p><p>previous year. The American</p><p>company recorded revenues of</p><p>about £27 billion last year, up</p><p>from £23 billion in 2022. Amazon,</p><p>one of the UK’s largest private</p><p>sector employers with 75,000</p><p>staff, pays corporation tax,</p><p>business rates and digital services</p><p>tax. The company has ruled that</p><p>its staff must return to the office</p><p>five days a week from January.</p><p>Lauren Almeida Tempus</p><p>Buy, sell or hold: today’s best share tips</p><p>Asset managers looking to be loved</p><p>B</p><p>ritish asset managers are</p><p>squeezed in the middle.</p><p>They lack the scale of big</p><p>American firms such as</p><p>BlackRock that can afford</p><p>to charge much lower fees on a huge</p><p>range of passive funds. They do not</p><p>have the same depth of niche</p><p>expertise that specialist funds can</p><p>use to justify their much higher costs.</p><p>And, just to make things worse, big</p><p>investors are simply not as interested</p><p>in British shares as they used to be.</p><p>It is not surprising, then, that</p><p>shares in the likes of Schroders,</p><p>Abrdn and Liontrust are trading at</p><p>such low levels. Schroders, the</p><p>largest of them all by market</p><p>capitalisation, has delivered a</p><p>negative total return of 16 per cent in</p><p>the past five years, while Abrdn has</p><p>lost 15 per cent. Liontrust has</p><p>managed to gain 6 per cent, but they</p><p>all still pale in comparison with the</p><p>FTSE All-Share index, which has</p><p>gained 32 per cent over the same</p><p>period.</p><p>The stocks are clearly unloved by</p><p>the market, with their recent falls</p><p>warping the dividend yield to an</p><p>average of 9 per cent, compared with</p><p>a historic five-year average of 6 per</p><p>cent. Yet the lowly valuations of</p><p>these long-established City names</p><p>prompt the question: is there a</p><p>screaming value opportunity for</p><p>investors?</p><p>Both Schroders and Abrdn named</p><p>new chief executives this month,</p><p>hiring former chief financial officers</p><p>as their new heads. At Schroders,</p><p>Richard Oldfield will take over from</p><p>Peter Harrison as chief executive in</p><p>November. Meanwhile, Abrdn gave</p><p>the top job to Jason Windsor, who</p><p>has been managing the company on</p><p>an interim basis since the exit of</p><p>Stephen Bird in May.</p><p>Both men have big jobs to do. The</p><p>core of the problem for most</p><p>London-listed asset managers is the</p><p>rise of passive investing and the</p><p>relative fall of actively managed</p><p>assets in Britain. There is now more</p><p>than £300 billion invested in tracker</p><p>funds, according to the Investment</p><p>Association, a trade body for fund</p><p>managers. That makes up 23 per cent</p><p>of funds under management,</p><p>compared with 11 per cent a decade</p><p>ago. In the United States, the</p><p>trend-setter for global markets, that</p><p>figure is around half of all mutual</p><p>funds.</p><p>schroders heads into m&a</p><p>Schroders, the asset manager</p><p>founded in 1804 and one of the</p><p>oldest names in the City, has been</p><p>pushing into high-growth areas such</p><p>as private markets and wealth</p><p>management. Assets under</p><p>management have risen in recent</p><p>years, but profits have fallen and</p><p>costs are higher. Shareholders,</p><p>including the founding Schroders</p><p>family who own roughly 40 per cent</p><p>of the business, have suffered.</p><p>The FTSE 100 group has invested</p><p>heavily in mergers and acquisitions</p><p>to diversify its business, including the</p><p>2021 acquisition of River and</p><p>Mercantile Group’s solutions</p><p>business for £230 million and a 75</p><p>per cent stake in Greencoat, the</p><p>renewable energy specialist, for £358</p><p>million. But this push into growth</p><p>areas has been expensive: its cost-to-</p><p>income ratio typically has been</p><p>higher than its European</p><p>competitors, according to analysis by</p><p>Jefferies, the broker.</p><p>costs still a burden at abrdn</p><p>Abrdn, which has been ejected from</p><p>the FTSE 100 twice in the past four</p><p>years, has had to pivot its strategy,</p><p>too. Since Bird joined as chief</p><p>executive in 2020, it has sought to</p><p>cut costs and boost profits by</p><p>expanding its wealth management</p><p>business and selling investments</p><p>directly to consumers via its</p><p>£1.5 billion acquisition of Interactive</p><p>Investor in 2021.</p><p>The company restructured under-</p><p>performing parts of the business by</p><p>merging or closing more than 250</p><p>investment funds, as well as</p><p>offloading some of its non-core</p><p>businesses and joint ventures,</p><p>including one with Virgin Money, the</p><p>bank, although this was for less than</p><p>half the amount that it had paid.</p><p>Still, its costs have remained high.</p><p>The company started off this year by</p><p>announcing 500 job cuts, about a</p><p>tenth of the workforce, as part of</p><p>efforts to save £150 million.</p><p>Ultimately, both companies cannot</p><p>escape the secular decline across</p><p>their industry. At Schroders, fee</p><p>margins have declined by a third</p><p>over the past decade, analysis by</p><p>Morningstar, the research firm, has</p><p>found and there are no signs of this</p><p>decelerating as competition from</p><p>passive investment and regulatory</p><p>pressure eats into its margins.</p><p>At the smaller end of the market,</p><p>consolidation may be the route to</p><p>survival. Alongside Liontrust, there</p><p>are a number of smaller asset</p><p>managers, such as Jupiter, Premier</p><p>Miton and Polar Capital, all of which</p><p>trade at lowly price-to-earnings</p><p>multiples of 11 to 12. Reports this year</p><p>suggested that Liontrust was in</p><p>discussions with Artemis, a smaller</p><p>rival, about a possible tie-up.</p><p>This may be a less likely route for</p><p>bigger outfits. In any case, at</p><p>Schroders a large family holding</p><p>makes a takeover more difficult. The</p><p>group’s strategy to transition away</p><p>from traditional active funds and</p><p>towards areas where there is</p><p>structural growth — private markets,</p><p>complex investment solutions and</p><p>wealth management — looks the</p><p>best course of action. Bulls are</p><p>hoping that as interest rates fall, the</p><p>appetite for Schroders’ private</p><p>market investments could grow.</p><p>name brings credit</p><p>So far, results have been mixed. Its</p><p>solutions business suffered a</p><p>£7.8 billion outflow in the first half of</p><p>the year. Wealth management looks</p><p>the most promising, especially given</p><p>the growing market for defined-</p><p>contribution pensions, but there are</p><p>plenty of other ways for investors to</p><p>buy into this growth without having</p><p>to buy the rest of Schroders’ asset</p><p>management story.</p><p>The company does have some key</p><p>markers of a high-quality holding. It</p><p>is a well-known brand with a market</p><p>capitalisation of £5.7 billion, £774</p><p>billion of assets under management</p><p>and a high dividend yield to boot. It</p><p>is certainly enough for Nick Train,</p><p>the closely followed fund manager,</p><p>who counts Schroders among the top</p><p>ten holdings in his £1.6 billion</p><p>Finsbury Growth and Income Trust.</p><p>Shareholders are also rewarded</p><p>with a chunky level of income:</p><p>Schroders is expected to yield 6 per</p><p>cent over the next 12 months and</p><p>cash payouts are healthily supported</p><p>by profits, with a forecast dividend</p><p>cover of 1.3 times this year.</p><p>At this</p><p>lowly valuation and high income, the</p><p>shares are hardly worth selling now,</p><p>but a decent and reliable rate of</p><p>growth could help the stock to re-</p><p>rate quickly.</p><p>ADVICE Hold UK asset</p><p>managers</p><p>WHY Sector in decline —</p><p>building up new growth</p><p>areas or consolidating is</p><p>the best way forward</p><p>schroders</p><p>Market cap</p><p>£5.7bn</p><p>Market cap</p><p>£2.8bn</p><p>Behind the curve</p><p>Total return</p><p>So</p><p>ur</p><p>ce</p><p>: F</p><p>ac</p><p>tS</p><p>et</p><p>2020 21 22 23 24</p><p>How they compare</p><p>Schroders</p><p>Abrdn</p><p>Liontrust Asset Management</p><p>FTSE All-Share</p><p>250</p><p>200</p><p>150</p><p>100</p><p>50</p><p>0</p><p>-50</p><p>%</p><p>Schroders</p><p>Abrdn</p><p>Liontrust</p><p>Schroders and Abrdn results for the year ended</p><p>31 December 2023, Liontrust for the year ended</p><p>31 March 2024 Source: Annual reports</p><p>Market cap</p><p>Assets under</p><p>management</p><p>Annual</p><p>revenue</p><p>Annual pre-</p><p>tax profit/loss</p><p>Forward p/e</p><p>Forward</p><p>dividend yield</p><p>£5.7bn</p><p>£750.6bn</p><p>£2.9bn</p><p>£487.6m</p><p>12</p><p>6.1%</p><p>£2.8bn</p><p>£494.9bn</p><p>£1.4bn</p><p>-£6m</p><p>12.3</p><p>9.1%</p><p>£367m</p><p>£27.8bn</p><p>£197.9m</p><p>-£6m</p><p>8.7</p><p>12.4%</p><p>abrdn</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 45</p><p>Markets Business</p><p>by €1.53, or 13.4 per</p><p>cent, to close at €9.89</p><p>in Paris. The games</p><p>business now expects</p><p>sales of €1.95 billion in</p><p>the year 2024-25. In</p><p>the meantime, it said it</p><p>also planned to do</p><p>some work on Star</p><p>Wars to boost its</p><p>performance.</p><p>“In response to</p><p>player feedback,</p><p>Ubisoft’s development</p><p>teams are currently</p><p>fully mobilised to</p><p>swiftly implement a</p><p>series of updates to</p><p>polish and improve the</p><p>player experience in</p><p>order to engage a large</p><p>audience during the</p><p>holiday season,”it said.</p><p>Ubisoft has suffered</p><p>a run of game delays</p><p>and cancellations. In</p><p>2023 it had to write off</p><p>208¼p. Miners and other Asia-</p><p>focused stocks rose after China</p><p>pledged additional measures to</p><p>support the country’s economic</p><p>growth. Prudential, the insurer, rose</p><p>by 39½p, or 6.1 per cent, to 681½p,</p><p>while Burberry, the luxury fashion</p><p>brand that has a keen focus on the</p><p>Far East market, improved 53¼p, or</p><p>8.7 per cent, to 663¾p. Among those</p><p>miners, Anglo American advanced</p><p>141½p, or 6.2 per cent, to £24.39½ and</p><p>Antofagasta added 111p, or 5.8 per</p><p>cent, to £20.31.</p><p>Zinc Media rose 3½p, or 5.5 per</p><p>cent, to 67½p after the television and</p><p>audio producer said it had secured</p><p>new contracts for the recommissions</p><p>of two TV series, worth a total of</p><p>£4 million in revenue. Zoo Digital,</p><p>which translates films and television</p><p>shows, reported a strong recovery in</p><p>its pipeline over the first half of its</p><p>financial year and said that it</p><p>expected to deliver sales of at least</p><p>$27 million for the period. Its shares</p><p>added ½p, or 1.4 per cent, to 37½p.</p><p>Watches of Switzerland</p><p>finds its time has come</p><p>Jessica Newman Market report</p><p>A</p><p>fter a torrid start to 2024,</p><p>it appears that Watches of</p><p>Switzerland is back in</p><p>fashion. Shares in Britain’s</p><p>biggest seller of Rolex and</p><p>Omega watches, albeit down by</p><p>nearly a third since the start of the</p><p>year after a stinging profit warning in</p><p>January, have recovered by more than</p><p>15 per cent over the past month.</p><p>A reassuring trading update a few</p><p>weeks ago, which revealed a 6 per</p><p>cent rise in sales during the first 18</p><p>weeks of its financial year, improved</p><p>sentiment, but that warm feeling was</p><p>given a further boost when Deutsche</p><p>Numis laid out its investment case</p><p>yesterday. Its analysts reckon Watches</p><p>is being valued as a “low-visibility</p><p>retailer”, rather overlooking its stable</p><p>earnings outlook and opportunities to</p><p>expand over the medium term,</p><p>including growth in the United States</p><p>and a push into the pre-owned and</p><p>jewellery markets.</p><p>“Opportunities for growth outside</p><p>of the mature part of the UK business</p><p>remain intact and while visibility isn’t</p><p>high, we view the balance of risk/</p><p>reward as skewing favourable,” the</p><p>analysts said as they upgraded the</p><p>stock to “buy”. Watches of</p><p>Switzerland’s shares promptly jumped</p><p>by 47½p, or 11.1 per cent, to a near-</p><p>nine-month high of 473½p.</p><p>The stock was the biggest mover in</p><p>the FTSE 250, which added 255</p><p>points, or 1.2 per cent, to 21,010.44.</p><p>The FTSE 100 closed up 16.21 points,</p><p>or 0.2 per cent, at 8,284.91, but its</p><p>gains would have been greater had it</p><p>not been for sharp declines in</p><p>heavyweight oil stocks.</p><p>Falling oil prices, triggered by</p><p>reports that Saudi Arabia is</p><p>considering increasing its crude</p><p>output, prompted panic selling and</p><p>drove down BP’s shares by 16½p, or</p><p>4.1 per cent, to 383¾p, while Shell fell</p><p>117p, or 4.6 per cent, to £24.15.</p><p>Other fallers included British</p><p>American Tobacco, which fell 80p, or</p><p>2.8 per cent, to £27.62 as it traded</p><p>without an entitlement to a dividend.</p><p>While a brief trading update from</p><p>Future reassured that its annual</p><p>performance would be in line with</p><p>expectations, it was not enough to</p><p>drive the shares, up by 60 per cent in</p><p>the past six months, any higher. In</p><p>fact they slipped by 32½p, or 3.2 per</p><p>cent, to 993½p.</p><p>Raspberry Pi, the microcomputer</p><p>maker whose shares before yesterday</p><p>had risen by more than 9 per cent this</p><p>week, was a victim of profit-taking,</p><p>falling 14½p, or 3.7 per cent, to 375¼p.</p><p>Oil’s woes put fuel prices on</p><p>investors’ radar and sparked buying of</p><p>London’s airline stocks. Wizz Air rose</p><p>by 70p, or 5.2 per cent, to £14.15 and</p><p>easyJet added 9½p, or 1.8 per cent, to</p><p>530½p. International Consolidated</p><p>Airlines Group, the British Airways</p><p>owner, rose 2¾p, or 1.4 per cent, to</p><p>Deltic pays for North Sea exit</p><p>natural resources</p><p>T the stock market</p><p>value of Deltic</p><p>Energy was</p><p>slashed almost in half</p><p>yesterday after the</p><p>London-listed oil</p><p>sector minnow</p><p>suffered a</p><p>multimillion-pound</p><p>impairment charge</p><p>from abandoning a</p><p>North Sea project.</p><p>The Aim-listed</p><p>energy company</p><p>recorded an</p><p>£18 million</p><p>impairment owing to</p><p>its decision in June to</p><p>withdraw from the</p><p>Pensacola project,</p><p>one of the largest</p><p>discoveries made in</p><p>the southern North</p><p>Sea in at least a</p><p>decade.</p><p>As a result, the</p><p>value of Deltic’s</p><p>exploration assets in</p><p>the six months to the</p><p>end of June dropped</p><p>to £1 million, down</p><p>from £17.5 million as</p><p>at the end of</p><p>December.</p><p>The company</p><p>believes that it will</p><p>need access to extra</p><p>funds within the next</p><p>12 months in order</p><p>pay for its operations,</p><p>which it expects to be</p><p>sourced via asset</p><p>disposals, issuing new</p><p>equity or third-party</p><p>investment.</p><p>Graham Swindells,</p><p>52, its chief executive,</p><p>said: “Despite our</p><p>necessary withdrawal</p><p>from Pensacola,</p><p>Deltic remains in a</p><p>strong position to</p><p>extract significant</p><p>value for shareholders</p><p>from our existing UK</p><p>asset portfolio over</p><p>the coming months</p><p>and years.”</p><p>Investors were less</p><p>convinced and</p><p>Deltic’s shares closed</p><p>down 4p, or 45.6 per</p><p>cent, to 4¾p.</p><p>Exploration assets’</p><p>value fell to £1 million</p><p>from £17.5 million</p><p>Wall Street report</p><p>Indices climbed higher after soft</p><p>jobless claims numbers eased</p><p>investors’ nerves. The Nasdaq added</p><p>108.09 points, or 0.6 per cent to</p><p>close at 18,190.29, while Dow Jones</p><p>industrial average rose 260.36</p><p>points, or 0.6 per cent to 42,175.11.</p><p>The day’s biggest movers</p><p>€500 million of</p><p>development costs as it</p><p>scrapped three other</p><p>projects and put off the</p><p>launch of its Skull and</p><p>Bones game.</p><p>Yves Guillemot, its</p><p>co-founder and chief</p><p>executive, said: “Our</p><p>second-quarter</p><p>performance fell short</p><p>of our expectations,</p><p>prompting us to</p><p>address this swiftly and</p><p>firmly, with an even</p><p>greater focus on a</p><p>player-centric,</p><p>gameplay-first</p><p>approach and an</p><p>unwavering</p><p>commitment to the</p><p>long-term value of our</p><p>brands. We</p><p>acknowledge the need</p><p>for greater efficiency</p><p>while delighting</p><p>players.”</p><p>The maker of</p><p>Assassin’s Creed</p><p>has cut its</p><p>financial outlook for</p><p>the year ahead after</p><p>pushing back the latest</p><p>release of a popular</p><p>game (Katie Prescott</p><p>writes).</p><p>Ubisoft said it</p><p>planned to delay the</p><p>release of Assassin’s</p><p>Creed Shadows to</p><p>“further polish the</p><p>title” after the launch</p><p>of its new Star Wars</p><p>Outlaws game proved</p><p>weaker than expected.</p><p>The French</p><p>company’s shares fell</p><p>Assassin</p><p>must bide</p><p>his time</p><p>Dollar ratesOther sterlingGold/Precious</p><p>metals</p><p>Exchange rates Money rates %</p><p>Sterling spot and forward rates</p><p>Data provided by ICE. Data as</p><p>shown is</p><p>for information</p><p>purposes only. No offer is made</p><p>by ICE or this publication</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 47</p><p>Business</p><p>The Times unit trust information service</p><p>Sell Buy +/­</p><p>Yld</p><p>%Sell Buy +/­</p><p>Yld</p><p>%Sell Buy +/­</p><p>Yld</p><p>%Sell Buy +/­</p><p>Yld</p><p>% Sell Buy +/­</p><p>Yld</p><p>% British funds</p><p>This is a paid for information service. For</p><p>further details on a particular fund, readers</p><p>should contact their fund manager.</p><p>Data provided by ICE. Data as</p><p>shown is for information</p><p>purposes only. No offer is made</p><p>by ICE or this publication</p><p>GIVING YOU THE SPACE TO</p><p>LIVE, WORK AND PLAY</p><p>Call 0808 134 2118 or</p><p>find more inspiration at</p><p>LANAIOUTDOOR.CO.UK</p><p>Verandas, Glass Rooms,</p><p>Patio Awnings and Canopies</p><p>supplied and installed</p><p>throughout the UK.</p><p>SUMMER SALE NOW ON – SAVE UP TO 30%</p><p>48 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Business Equity prices</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Health</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Construction &</p><p>Property</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Consumer Goods</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Engineering</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>Automobiles & Part</p><p>Banking & Finance</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Investment companies</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>Dividend yields Please note dividend yields are supplied</p><p>by ICE Data Services. The yield is the sum of a company’s</p><p>annual 12-month dividend payments divided by the last day’s</p><p>closing share price.</p><p>12-month high and low High/low prices for UK equities</p><p>and investment trusts are based on intra-day figures.</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 49</p><p>Equity prices Business</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Telecoms</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Transport</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Utilities</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Real Estate</p><p>Retailing</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Technology</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Professional &</p><p>Support Services</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Industrials</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Leisure</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Media</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>12 month Price</p><p>High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Natural Resources</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>v</p><p>Data provided by ICE. Data as</p><p>shown is for information</p><p>purposes only. No offer is made</p><p>by ICE or this publication</p><p>50 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Business Recruitment</p><p>I</p><p>t has been 50 years since the</p><p>American economists William</p><p>Nordhaus and James Tobin pro-</p><p>posed adjusting GDP to include</p><p>the cost of environmental damage.</p><p>As the United Nations summit of the</p><p>future takes place this week in New</p><p>York, there are fresh calls to update</p><p>the outdated GDP measurement to in-</p><p>clude the value of “nature capital”.</p><p>The calculation assesses human</p><p>impact on three key areas of the global</p><p>economy — food, land and ocean use;</p><p>the infrastructure and the built envi-</p><p>ronment; and energy and extractive</p><p>industries — and encourages the tran-</p><p>sition to a “nature-positive” world</p><p>where damage is not just halted but the</p><p>natural environment is replenished</p><p>and restored.</p><p>According to the World Economic</p><p>Forum, moving to a nature-positive</p><p>model by 2030 would add 395 million</p><p>jobs globally and unlock £7.5 trillion</p><p>in business opportunities. Roles created</p><p>could range from biodiversity experts</p><p>to eco supply-chain managers and jobs</p><p>managing environmental projects.</p><p>While the climate change sector is</p><p>well established in the UK, there are</p><p>only 38,000 people working in the</p><p>nature-positive industry; but a new</p><p>“Notts nature hub” is being established</p><p>in Nottinghamshire, with a cluster of</p><p>local organisations, activists and aca-</p><p>demics driving the movement forward.</p><p>The University of Nottingham is</p><p>leading a £1 million project to develop</p><p>the world’s first biodiversity credit stan-</p><p>dards and is signed up to “Nature Posi-</p><p>tive Universities” along with Notting-</p><p>ham Trent University. The Royal</p><p>Society of Wildlife Trusts is based in</p><p>nearby Newark.</p><p>Also headquartered in Nottingham</p><p>is the Biodiversify nature-positive con-</p><p>sultancy led by Dr Mike Burgass. “The</p><p>concept of a nature-positive economy</p><p>(NPE) is a forward-thinking approach</p><p>that aligns economic activities with the</p><p>regeneration of the natural environ-</p><p>ment,” he said. “Unlike traditional eco-</p><p>nomic models, which can often priori-</p><p>tise short-term gains at the expense of</p><p>environmental wellbeing, NPE empha-</p><p>sises long-term sustainable practices.”</p><p>The consultancy works with house-</p><p>hold names from Primark to Tetra Pak,</p><p>helping to improve business practices,</p><p>from reducing water use to curbing bio-</p><p>diversity loss.</p><p>As well as encouraging the develop-</p><p>ment of practical in-the-field jobs, Bur-</p><p>gass believes that addressing the green</p><p>skills gap at C-suite and senior business</p><p>level is vital to drive the sector forward.</p><p>“While we need both conservationists</p><p>with knowledge of business and policy,</p><p>we also need a upskilling in other pro-</p><p>fessions. For instance, financial teams</p><p>must understand natural capital and</p><p>environmental economics,” he said.</p><p>There are signs that this change is be-</p><p>ginning to happen. With building</p><p>work responsible for almost 40 per cent</p><p>of global energy-related carbon emis-</p><p>sions, NPE thinking is starting to be</p><p>built in to the way construction organi-</p><p>sations do business. Andrew Carpenter,</p><p>chief executive of the Structural Tim-</p><p>ber Association, said: “It is all about</p><p>safeguarding the future.”</p><p>Professor Karen Wooley, chief tech-</p><p>nology officer at Teysha Technologies,</p><p>the bioplastics company, said: “Adopt-</p><p>ing a nature-positive approach is not</p><p>only good for the planet but also essen-</p><p>tial for long-term economic growth.”</p><p>Tips for building a nature-positive career</p><p>Career paths are</p><p>emerging, but here are</p><p>key points to consider.</p><p>6 Choose a relevant</p><p>degree such as</p><p>environmental science,</p><p>biology or data science.</p><p>6 Consider your personal</p><p>qualities: the people who</p><p>do best are curious, keen</p><p>problem-solvers,</p><p>creative, patient and</p><p>resilient.</p><p>6 Get real-world</p><p>experience, particularly</p><p>in the private sector. It’s</p><p>still a niche areas, so</p><p>even an internship will</p><p>stand you in excellent</p><p>stead to find a full-time</p><p>role.</p><p>6 Data is key. Learning</p><p>coding languages like</p><p>Python or R will broaden</p><p>your skill set.</p><p>6 Stay informed on</p><p>industry trends. Keep up</p><p>to date with the latest</p><p>research and changes in</p><p>biodiversity policy to</p><p>improve decision-making</p><p>and ensure your skills</p><p>remain relevant.</p><p>6 Develop new skills —</p><p>for example, how to build</p><p>appropriate habitats —</p><p>with relevant courses</p><p>and research what works</p><p>at the interface between</p><p>business and nature. You</p><p>don’t learn biodiversity</p><p>on a short course. It</p><p>requires a deeper</p><p>learning experience.</p><p>6 Look at non-academic</p><p>roles too. There is a</p><p>wealth of entrepreneurial</p><p>opportunities such as</p><p>upskilling ground crews</p><p>to have knowledge of</p><p>habitat creation.</p><p>Working week</p><p>Hairdresser Toni & Guy</p><p>seeks property director</p><p>Toni & Guy, the British</p><p>hairdressing brand, is seeking a</p><p>property director to execute the</p><p>company’s property strategy. The role</p><p>entails leading on all salon and</p><p>building refurbishments at the</p><p>company, which has</p><p>680 salons</p><p>globally, providing advice and support</p><p>to franchise partners and ensuring the</p><p>company’s building portfolio is</p><p>maintained in good order. The</p><p>successful candidate will also ensure</p><p>that health and safety standards are</p><p>met, develop an approved contractor</p><p>list and act as a principal point of</p><p>contact with property and legal</p><p>advisers for all lease matters.</p><p>To be shortlisted, applicants must</p><p>have project-management experience,</p><p>knowledge and understanding of</p><p>industry legislation and the ability to</p><p>facilitate cross-functional working.</p><p>The salary is £80,000 to £95,000</p><p>per annum, depending upon skills and</p><p>experience. The position is field-based</p><p>with a minimum of one day per week</p><p>at the company’s global support office</p><p>in London. Applicants who are</p><p>looking to take their first step into a</p><p>director-level role will be considered.</p><p>Apply by October 14</p><p>at appointments.thetimes.com</p><p>Appointment of the week</p><p>Build a career that’s nature-positive</p><p>From eco supply-chain</p><p>workers to biodiversity</p><p>experts, new jobs and</p><p>paths are being created,</p><p>writes Jane Hamilton</p><p>‘We must</p><p>grow the</p><p>sector and</p><p>up salaries’</p><p>Case study</p><p>A</p><p>s a co-founder</p><p>of the nature-</p><p>positive</p><p>consultancy</p><p>Biodiversify,</p><p>Dr Michael Burgass is</p><p>pioneering the sector in</p><p>the UK. Burgass, 36, from</p><p>Newark on Trent, in</p><p>Nottinghamshire, said: “I</p><p>founded the company</p><p>with Dr Sam Sinclair in</p><p>2018 while finishing my</p><p>PhD. The aim was to</p><p>deploy our academic</p><p>skills into the real world.</p><p>There is a gap as most</p><p>conservation</p><p>organisations don’t talk</p><p>the same language as</p><p>business. We set out to</p><p>change that.</p><p>“Biodiversity is lagging</p><p>behind the climate sector,</p><p>but if you look at the</p><p>expansion there’s no</p><p>reason why this shouldn’t</p><p>overtake it as an area of</p><p>growth given that it is</p><p>even more complex.</p><p>“It must be seen as a</p><p>viable and skilled career</p><p>path and we need to grow</p><p>the sector to increase</p><p>salaries and attract more</p><p>people. The economy is</p><p>driving the destruction of</p><p>nature, so it’s critical we</p><p>get this right.”</p><p>Six from the best</p><p>1 in 4 employers ‘ghosted’</p><p>Twenty-seven per cent of employers</p><p>have been “ghosted” by new recruits</p><p>who fail to turn up for their first day</p><p>in a job. The Chartered Institute of</p><p>Personnel and Development also</p><p>found that 41 per cent of companies</p><p>had experienced new employees</p><p>resigning within 12 weeks. Claire</p><p>McCartney, policy manager at the</p><p>CIPD, said: “Engaging and retaining</p><p>employees begins before new starters</p><p>even walk through the door.”</p><p>Marketing ‘ADventure’</p><p>The Brixton Finishing School, a</p><p>marketing social mobility programme,</p><p>has appointed Jo Royce, an industry</p><p>specialist, to lead its “ADventure”</p><p>scheme. The role is funded by a grant</p><p>from the Marketing Skills Trust and</p><p>Royce’s remit is to reach 100,000</p><p>people aged between 14 and 19 from</p><p>under-represented backgrounds and</p><p>equip them with skills for a media</p><p>and marketing career. Backers include</p><p>News UK, publisher of The Times.</p><p>‘Gym factor’ is key</p><p>Almost a quarter of staff have</p><p>declined a job as they did not like the</p><p>office environment, rising to a third of</p><p>under-25s. Reasons included lack of</p><p>on-site facilities such as a gym or</p><p>poor availability of local bars and</p><p>restaurants. Michael Kovacs from</p><p>Castleforge, which conducted the</p><p>research, said: “As most businesses</p><p>settle into hybrid working, it shows</p><p>the importance that high-quality</p><p>spaces have taken on for employees.”</p><p>£1.4bn in lost expenses</p><p>Workers failed to claim £1.4 billion in</p><p>expenses in the past year, with staff</p><p>forgoing an average of £16.71 in a</p><p>typical month. A study from Equals</p><p>Money, the expense management and</p><p>payments provider, also claimed that</p><p>22 per cent of employees had</p><p>expenses outstanding for more than a</p><p>year. Spokesman Steve Paul said:</p><p>“What might seem a few pounds here</p><p>and there can add up to hundreds or</p><p>even thousands over time.”</p><p>Don’t be afraid to call out</p><p>crap. Always question</p><p>quality. I have a BS bell on</p><p>my desk.</p><p>Create value, not</p><p>money. Focus on solving</p><p>a problem that actually</p><p>matters — and where</p><p>you can add real value. Money is a</p><p>by-product.</p><p>Learn from bad</p><p>experiences and move</p><p>on. They say that out of</p><p>tragedy, something good</p><p>comes. We have to take our</p><p>experiences and drive forward.</p><p>Don’t force something. I</p><p>always say, “Water finds its</p><p>own level”. Find people that</p><p>share your values and</p><p>interests. The universe will always</p><p>correct itself.</p><p>Take time out. Running a</p><p>business requires you</p><p>to go all in. I find time in</p><p>the morning that’s</p><p>just for me. I am up at five in the</p><p>morning and I jump in the sea</p><p>at six, which really sets me up for</p><p>the day.</p><p>No is not an option. You</p><p>don’t have to be</p><p>argumentative. You just</p><p>have to figure out the best</p><p>solution for the business you’re in.</p><p>1</p><p>2</p><p>3</p><p>4</p><p>5</p><p>6</p><p>As chief executive of Cubic Telecom,</p><p>Barry Napier recently led his team to</p><p>one of the biggest tech deals in Irish</p><p>history in a £393 million partnership</p><p>with SoftBank</p><p>Corp. From running</p><p>a party bus in</p><p>Dublin to</p><p>partnering with</p><p>Tesla, here are</p><p>Barry’s key</p><p>leadership insights.</p><p>“It’s powerful, beautiful to look at and the light is really bright.</p><p>I love having the separate cleaner to do the stairs. It has made</p><p>my life so much easier. Also the tools and air fresheners.”</p><p>Sandra K � � � � �</p><p>“This innocuous-looking machine hides a world of power.</p><p>My carpets have never looked so good. “</p><p>Chrissie M � � � � �</p><p>“I just love this hoover my carpets have had a new lease of life.</p><p>It is so light and easy to manoeuvre, also easy to empty and store,</p><p>most importantly it does a great job of what it was designed for.“</p><p>Eileen M � � � � �</p><p>Introducing the Gtech System Platinum. Two lightweight, cordless vacuums</p><p>in one powerful combination. Glide from carpets to hard fl oors, with our award</p><p>winning upright, the AirRAM Platinum or use the handheld Multi Platinum to</p><p>tackle stairs, upholstery and everything in between. The forefront of innovation</p><p>and beautifully cra� ed using superior materials, the System Platinum</p><p>combines advanced cordless technology with fi rst-class performance.</p><p>Even longer</p><p>run-time</p><p>Powered by</p><p>22V lithium-ion</p><p>batteries, the</p><p>AirRAM Platinum</p><p>and Multi Platinum</p><p>have a combined</p><p>runtime of up to 90</p><p>minutes*.</p><p>Anti Hair Wrap Technology</p><p>The AirRAM’s built-in comb keeps</p><p>the brush bar clean, so</p><p>hair and dust go straight</p><p>into the bin – so your</p><p>vacuum can keep per-</p><p>forming at its best.</p><p>Easy-empty bin</p><p>The dust bins effi ciently</p><p>compress dirt and hair as</p><p>you vacuum. Empty it away</p><p>by removing the waste cylinder and sliding</p><p>compressed dirt into the bin.</p><p>Handy attachments</p><p>The Multi Platinum comes with a crevice tool for awkward spaces,</p><p>an extension tube to reach high or low, and a dusting brush to make</p><p>delicate surfaces sparkle.</p><p>Easy to manoeuvre</p><p>The AirRAM Platinum’s low-profi le handle glides easily under</p><p>furniture, while the Multi Platinum is the handheld cleaning</p><p>solution for spotless upholstery and stairs.</p><p>Forward Inertia Drive</p><p>Enhanced with Forward</p><p>Inertia Drive, the AirRAM</p><p>Platinum glides forward,</p><p>making cleaning your home</p><p>virtually eff ortless.</p><p>Aluminium strengthened</p><p>More robust than ever, we’ve reinforced</p><p>both vacuums with aluminium to help</p><p>withstand the strain of busy homes</p><p>and pets.</p><p>Introducing the Gtech System PlatinumGtech System Platinum. 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It is</p><p>so easy to use and very easy to clean. I would</p><p>definitely recommend it to anyone.</p><p>Our best cleaning companion for</p><p>effortlessly removing spills, stains</p><p>and pet messes – with complete</p><p>home versatility.</p><p>Car Cleaning Tools For Every Task</p><p>PAY M E N T O P T I O N S</p><p>A V A I L A B L E</p><p>FREE DELIVERY</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 53</p><p>Register</p><p>First female singer to</p><p>record with the Stones</p><p>Cleo Sylvestre</p><p>Page 54</p><p>“Chairman Mao, Chairman Mao,”</p><p>screamed a million young Red Guards</p><p>as the Chinese leader stepped on to the</p><p>balcony of Tiananmen Gate that over-</p><p>looks the vast square in central Beijing.</p><p>They waved aloft copies of the Little Red</p><p>Book of his quotations. Some even</p><p>wept. The day was August 18, 1966. The</p><p>Cultural Revolution that Mao Zedong</p><p>had launched was just a few months old.</p><p>Schoolchildren and students were</p><p>overjoyed to see in person their revered</p><p>architect of the radical movement that</p><p>he had set in motion to do away with the</p><p>old, the traditional, education and class.</p><p>A slight bespectacled teenage girl in a</p><p>baggy khaki Mao jacket, her hair tied</p><p>back in two short pigtails, stepped for-</p><p>ward on the rostrum smiling with de-</p><p>light and pinned a bright red armband</p><p>embellished with the characters for</p><p>“red guard” around the chairman’s left</p><p>arm. She jumped up and down, unable</p><p>to contain her excitement as she shook</p><p>the hand of the elderly, pudgy leader.</p><p>Mao asked her name. “Binbin,” she told</p><p>him. “Is your name ‘bin’ from ‘wenzhi</p><p>binbin’ [refined and cultured]?” he</p><p>asked. “You should be ‘martial’, not ‘cul-</p><p>tured’.” With that remark, apparently</p><p>changing Song Binbin’s name to Song</p><p>Yaowu, her life changed for ever.</p><p>Two days later, the government-</p><p>owned Guangming Daily published a</p><p>first-person essay in the name of Song</p><p>Yaowu titled I Pinned a Red Band on</p><p>Chairman Mao’s Arm. “Violence is</p><p>truth,” it said. The piece, which Song</p><p>Binbin almost certainly did not write,</p><p>was instrumental in unleashing and</p><p>fomenting the orgy of death and</p><p>destruction that subsequently swept</p><p>across China. Schools nationwide were</p><p>renamed “Yaowu”. Overnight, the 19-</p><p>year-old became one of the most</p><p>famous Red Guards in the country. In</p><p>August alone, 1,772 people were killed</p><p>in Beijing.</p><p>The first of those deaths had come</p><p>more than two weeks before Song</p><p>found herself standing face-to-face</p><p>with the Great Leader, on the very spot</p><p>from which he had proclaimed the</p><p>Communist victory in China in Octo-</p><p>ber 1949. And Song was implicated.</p><p>Her school was the Experimental</p><p>High School Attached to Beijing Nor-</p><p>mal University, the alma mater for the</p><p>daughters of China’s highest leaders.</p><p>Song Binbin was a daughter of Song</p><p>Renqiong, a top general in the People’s</p><p>Liberation Army and an associate of</p><p>Mao. Among her classmates were the</p><p>daughters of the president, Liu Shaoqi,</p><p>and of Deng Xiaoping, who would serve</p><p>as the country’s leader following the</p><p>death of Mao. She became a student</p><p>leader as the Cultural Revolution began</p><p>in May 1966 and took part in writing</p><p>vitriolic “big character posters” that de-</p><p>nounced teachers and other authority</p><p>figures accused by Mao of betraying the</p><p>Party. Among the main targets of the</p><p>schoolgirls was the vice-principal and</p><p>Party secretary, Bian Zhongyun.</p><p>Bian had joined the Party in 1941, es-</p><p>tablishing her revolutionary creden-</p><p>tials by working at a guerrilla base</p><p>before the Communists came to power.</p><p>But her staunchly loyal background</p><p>was typical of the establishment figures</p><p>whom Mao wanted to purge. In July,</p><p>Mao encouraged students to attack</p><p>those in authority. They responded at</p><p>admitted to committing the countless</p><p>vicious attacks on friends and col-</p><p>leagues, parents and siblings amounts</p><p>to little more than a handful. Under Xi</p><p>Jinping, the Communist Party still em-</p><p>ploys censorship and suppression to try</p><p>to ensure that the movement it dubs</p><p>“the ten years of chaos” is ignored and</p><p>forgotten. It dreads any reckoning that</p><p>might see blame pinned on the Great</p><p>Helmsman himself.</p><p>Who actually carried out the beat-</p><p>ings at one of China’s most prestigious</p><p>high schools may never be known.</p><p>Song herself kept silent for decades. In</p><p>her account, given many years later, she</p><p>described how she twice tried to stop</p><p>her fellow pupils but to no avail. The</p><p>question over the role of Song and so</p><p>many others like her is one that China</p><p>remains unable to answer.</p><p>Song Binbin was born in Beijing in</p><p>1947, one of the seven children of Song</p><p>Renqiong, who in his final years be-</p><p>came one of the “Eight Immortals” —</p><p>senior leaders who ran China after</p><p>Mao’s death. She entered high school in</p><p>1960 and became a reserve</p><p>member of</p><p>the Communist Party in 1966, thus</p><p>launching her into the revolutionary</p><p>movement.</p><p>Her prominence was short-lived. As</p><p>the revolution turned against its own,</p><p>her father was purged in Mao’s drive to</p><p>rid himself of rivals. In April 1968, Song</p><p>and her mother were taken to the</p><p>northeastern city of Shenyang while</p><p>under house arrest. In early 1969, Song</p><p>made her way, along with many other</p><p>urban youths sent into internal exile, to</p><p>the Chinese autonomous region of In-</p><p>ner Mongolia, where she worked on the</p><p>once. On August 4, Bian and the school</p><p>principal were badly beaten by their</p><p>students. That night Bian told her</p><p>husband that the girls might kill her.</p><p>Leaving for school the next morning,</p><p>she shook her husband’s hand as if in</p><p>farewell.</p><p>The girls fell on her at once. They</p><p>battered her with nailed clubs, they</p><p>daubed slogans on her clothes, they</p><p>stabbed at her scalp with scissors and</p><p>poured ink on her head. When she</p><p>began foaming at the mouth they</p><p>laughed and sent her to scrub the</p><p>toilets. There she collapsed and lay</p><p>ignored for hours. At last she was load-</p><p>ed into a wheelbarrow and taken to a</p><p>nearby hospital, where she died, the</p><p>first teacher to be killed in the Cultural</p><p>Revolution. Among the seven signa-</p><p>tures on the paperwork admitting her</p><p>to hospital was that of Song Binbin.</p><p>That death became a symbol for the</p><p>whole ten years of the chaotic revolu-</p><p>tion, which lasted until Mao’s death in</p><p>September 1976. By the revolution’s</p><p>conclusion more than a million people</p><p>had died, tens of millions had been per-</p><p>secuted and purged and numberless</p><p>ancient monuments and artworks had</p><p>been destroyed. Much of the destruc-</p><p>tion had been perpetrated by the Red</p><p>Guard, fired up by Mao’s embrace of</p><p>violence.</p><p>The number of Red Guards who have</p><p>In July 1966 Mao</p><p>encouraged students to</p><p>attack those in authority</p><p>Obituaries</p><p>Song Binbin</p><p>Red Guard leader emblematic of Mao’s sociopolitical movement who denied, unconvincingly, beating her deputy headmistress to death</p><p>Song with Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate in 1966, a couple of weeks after her schoolteacher’s death</p><p>land. In 1972, as</p><p>more of these ed-</p><p>ucated youths</p><p>tried to find ways</p><p>to resume their</p><p>interrupted edu-</p><p>cation, Song won</p><p>a place at the</p><p>Changchun Insti-</p><p>tute of Geology</p><p>as a “worker-</p><p>peasant-soldier”</p><p>student. She grad-</p><p>uated in 1975 and</p><p>was assigned as a</p><p>research assistant at the Geological and</p><p>Mineral Research Institute of the Chi-</p><p>nese Academy of Geological Sciences.</p><p>She won admission to the graduate</p><p>school of the Chinese Academy of Sci-</p><p>ences in 1978 and in 1980 moved to the</p><p>United States, graduating in 1983 with a</p><p>master’s degree in geochemistry from</p><p>Boston University. In 1989 she gained a</p><p>doctorate from the Massachusetts</p><p>Institute of Technology. She married a</p><p>wealthy Chinese-American business-</p><p>man and worked as an environmental</p><p>analysis officer at the Massachusetts</p><p>Department of Environmental Protec-</p><p>tion until 2003, when she returned</p><p>to China.</p><p>Her past, however, always followed</p><p>her around. In 2003 she broke her</p><p>silence on her encounter with Mao in</p><p>an interview in the ground-breaking</p><p>US-made Cultural Revolution docu-</p><p>mentary Morning Sun. “I was still very</p><p>naive, regarding what the chairman</p><p>said as a casual conversation … the</p><p>name Song Yaowu went against my</p><p>moral principles and I consider that the</p><p>whole affair has become a historical</p><p>misunderstanding and tragedy.”</p><p>She made no mention of the brutal</p><p>death of her teacher.</p><p>In 2007 she resurfaced when her</p><p>school celebrated its 90th anniversary</p><p>by publishing a book of famous alumni,</p><p>including a photo of her meeting with</p><p>Mao on the rostrum of Tiananmen. On</p><p>the opposite page, by coincidence, was a</p><p>photo of her vice-principal, Bian. It</p><p>caused an uproar.</p><p>In 2012 she wrote a long magazine</p><p>article titled The Words I’ve Wanted To</p><p>Speak For 40 years, to explain how she</p><p>tried to stop her classmates from at-</p><p>tacking Bian and how she hated her</p><p>association with the name Song Yaowu</p><p>and the violence it conjures. “After</p><p>August 18, many people sent letters ad-</p><p>dressed to Song Yaowu but I never</p><p>opened any of them because I didn’t ac-</p><p>knowledge that Song Yaowu was me.”</p><p>At last, in January 2014, she joined</p><p>several classmates standing in front of a</p><p>bust of Bian at</p><p>their school to</p><p>bow and apolo-</p><p>gise. “Please allow</p><p>me to express my</p><p>everlasting solici-</p><p>tude and apolo-</p><p>gies to Principal</p><p>Bian. I failed to</p><p>properly protect</p><p>the school</p><p>leaders, and this</p><p>has been a lifelong</p><p>source of anguish</p><p>and remorse.” She</p><p>said that she had</p><p>been afraid.</p><p>She went fur-</p><p>ther in assigning</p><p>blame. “How a</p><p>country faces the</p><p>future depends in</p><p>large part on how</p><p>it faces its past. I</p><p>hope that all those</p><p>who did wrong in the Cultural Revolu-</p><p>tion … will face up to themselves, reflect</p><p>on the Cultural Revolution, seek for-</p><p>giveness and achieve reconciliation.”</p><p>Bian’s widower rejected the apology,</p><p>saying that even if Song did not herself</p><p>take part in the torture of his wife,</p><p>she could — as a leader — have done</p><p>more to stop it and indeed had never</p><p>revealed the identities of those actually</p><p>responsible.</p><p>She was on holiday at the Beidaihe</p><p>seaside resort favoured by China’s lead-</p><p>ing elite in 2022 when she began to</p><p>experience abdominal pain and was</p><p>diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She</p><p>returned to the US for treatment. Her</p><p>husband, Jin Jiansheng, predeceased</p><p>her. She is survived by her one son,</p><p>Jin Yan.</p><p>She died without ever naming those</p><p>who killed her teacher.</p><p>Song Binbin, geologist, Red Guard and</p><p>Cultural Revolution symbol, was born in</p><p>1947. She died of cancer on September</p><p>16, 2024, aged 77</p><p>Song’s father was</p><p>purged in Mao’s drive to</p><p>rid himself of rivals</p><p>54 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>Register</p><p>Sylvestre starred in Crossroads and, right, recorded with the Rolling Stones</p><p>One night in 1963, while dancing at the</p><p>Marquee Club in Soho, Cleo Sylvestre</p><p>caught the lascivious eye of various</p><p>members of the Rolling Stones. At the</p><p>time Sylvestre was an 18-year-old</p><p>drama student and the Stones were</p><p>about to embark on their first tour, a</p><p>30-date package around the provincial</p><p>towns and cities of Britain, on which</p><p>they were third on the bill.</p><p>Their chat-up line included the sug-</p><p>gestion that she might like to make a</p><p>record with them, and in January 1964</p><p>the group’s manager Andrew Oldham</p><p>took Sylvestre into the studio to record</p><p>a version of the Teddy Bears’ 1958 hit</p><p>To Know Him Is To Love Him, with</p><p>the Stones as her backing band and</p><p>Mick Jagger trilling “la la la’s” in the</p><p>song’s chorus.</p><p>Released as a single, the record was</p><p>promoted with a publicity shot of Syl-</p><p>vestre being carried down a London</p><p>street by Mick Jagger and Keith Rich-</p><p>ards. The record was not a hit but</p><p>she was the first female singer to</p><p>record with the group, before Marianne</p><p>Faithfull, Tina Turner or, most recently,</p><p>Lady Gaga.</p><p>The original 45 rpm single was prized</p><p>as a rare collectors’ item until the song</p><p>was reissued in 2022 on a CD compila-</p><p>tion titled Gotta Get a Good Thing Goin’:</p><p>Black Music in Britain in the Sixties.</p><p>There were no further recordings but</p><p>Jagger and his fellow Stone Brian Jones</p><p>were regular visitors to the council flat</p><p>near Euston where Sylvestre lived with</p><p>her mother, Laureen.</p><p>In the pre-war years Laureen Sylves-</p><p>tre had been a cabaret dancer at the</p><p>Shim Sham Club in Soho and she took</p><p>great delight in feeding the various</p><p>waifs and strays that her daughter</p><p>brought home after nights out in</p><p>London’s beat clubs.</p><p>Others who feasted on her mother’s</p><p>home cooking included Long John</p><p>Baldry, a then unknown session guitar-</p><p>ist named Jimmy Page and members of</p><p>the Hollies. “She would easily prepare a</p><p>meal for a dozen or more in our tiny</p><p>kitchen,” Sylvestre recalled.</p><p>Even as her music career stalled, her</p><p>life as an actress took off. By the time</p><p>she was 20 she had appeared on TV in</p><p>Doctor Who as a belly dancer and in</p><p>Ken Loach’s Up The Junction. Appear-</p><p>ances followed in further landmark</p><p>working-class TV dramas such as Cathy</p><p>Come Home and Poor Cow and in 1966</p><p>she became the first black female on</p><p>Coronation Street.</p><p>Four years later she landed a leading</p><p>role as Melanie</p><p>Harper, the adopted</p><p>daughter of Meg Richardson, the</p><p>matriarchal patron of the motel in ITV’s</p><p>Crossroads. “Enoch Powell had been</p><p>making those terrible ‘Rivers of Blood’</p><p>speeches,” she recalled. “So the decision</p><p>to introduce a main character who was</p><p>black was unprecedented and brave.”</p><p>She made her West End debut in 1967</p><p>alongside Alec Guinness in Simon</p><p>Gray’s first play, Wise Child. Gray de-</p><p>scribed the role as “a simple-minded</p><p>Cockney West Indian” but she im-</p><p>pressed Sir Laurence Olivier, who</p><p>called upon her in her dressing room,</p><p>an occasion she recalled with a hilari-</p><p>ous “Larry” imitation: “Oh, Miss</p><p>Sylvestre, I’d just like to congratulate</p><p>you on the most wo-o-o-nderful</p><p>performance.”</p><p>Two years later she became the first</p><p>black woman to play a lead role at the</p><p>National Theatre, as a nurse in Peter</p><p>Nichols’ comedy The National Health.</p><p>Olivier was the theatre’s artistic direct-</p><p>or and according to the 2013 book The</p><p>National Theatre Story, the organisa-</p><p>tion’s official history, this time he was</p><p>less impressed. “Much as I admire the</p><p>negro races, I’m not a great admirer of</p><p>their histrionic abilities,” he was report-</p><p>ed as saying after the first night. “Per-</p><p>haps the regular girls in the company</p><p>should black up?”</p><p>Her promising start should have</p><p>been the springboard to even greater</p><p>things but the attitude evident in Oliv-</p><p>ier’s remarks was hardly unique and</p><p>represented a serious obstacle. “You’d</p><p>do a show and get great reviews, but</p><p>nothing led anywhere,” she said.</p><p>At one point she wrote to every rep-</p><p>ertory company in Britain and received</p><p>only three replies. They were all a varia-</p><p>tion on the same theme: “If we’re doing</p><p>The Crucible, we’ll bear you in mind.”</p><p>with two further children, Lucy and</p><p>Rupert, from her marriage to Ian Palm-</p><p>er, who predeceased her in 1995.</p><p>Sylvestre’s parents divorced when</p><p>she was ten but there were other male</p><p>role models in her life, including the un-</p><p>conventional Labour MP Tom Driberg</p><p>and the composer Constant Lambert,</p><p>both of whom had been admirers of her</p><p>mother at the Shim Sham Club and</p><p>became godparents.</p><p>Educated at Camden School for</p><p>Girls, she trained as an actor at the</p><p>Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.</p><p>Early on at the drama school a teacher</p><p>warned her that there were no roles for</p><p>“coloured” actors. “She was right, but</p><p>that made me even more determined,”</p><p>Sylvestre said. As a young black actress,</p><p>she felt like an outsider when she at-</p><p>tended meetings of the actors’ union</p><p>Equity and so it gave her considerable</p><p>satisfaction when she was subsequently</p><p>elected to its board.</p><p>In later years she resumed her musi-</p><p>cal career with a blues band called</p><p>Honey B Mama & Friends but her</p><p>proudest achievement came when she</p><p>created an acclaimed one-woman</p><p>show about the life of Mary Seacole. On</p><p>the back of the show she raised money</p><p>for a statue of the pioneering British-</p><p>Jamaican nurse, who served in the</p><p>Crimean war, and it was unveiled in the</p><p>gardens of St Thomas’s Hospital,</p><p>London, in 2016. “It summed up why I</p><p>wanted to act,” she said. “To entertain,</p><p>educate and enlighten.”</p><p>Cleo Sylvestre, actress, was born on April</p><p>19, 1945. She died of undisclosed causes</p><p>on September 20, 2024, aged 79</p><p>The Arthur Miller play includes a black</p><p>slave — it was the only part for which</p><p>they considered her eligible.</p><p>She bore such rejection stoically and</p><p>eventually the slowness of cultural</p><p>change led Sylvestre to set up her own</p><p>company, the Rosemary Branch</p><p>Theatre, which she ran as artistic di-</p><p>rector for 20 years.</p><p>As attitudes in mainstream theatre</p><p>became more enlightened, she enjoyed</p><p>a late-career resurgence. In 2021 she</p><p>sparkled at the National in a version of</p><p>Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood as</p><p>the battle-axe Mrs Pugh, deliciously</p><p>telling her long-suffering husband that</p><p>“some persons were brought up in</p><p>pigsties”. Two years later, at the age of</p><p>78, she finally landed a leading Shake-</p><p>spearean role when she was cast as</p><p>Audrey in an RSC production of As You</p><p>Like It.</p><p>Cleopatra Mary Sylvestre was born</p><p>in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in April 1945.</p><p>Her mother brought her up to believe</p><p>that her father was Owen Sylvestre, a</p><p>Trinidadian flight-sergeant in the RAF</p><p>whom she had married in 1944. It was</p><p>not until 2007 that Cleo’s daughter, Zoë</p><p>Palmer, a writer and TV presenter, did</p><p>some research and found that her</p><p>mother’s biological father was a lawyer</p><p>from Sierra Leone, Ben Lewis, who</p><p>wrote her letters as “Uncle Ben” during</p><p>her childhood. By then he was long</p><p>deceased but she travelled to west</p><p>Africa to meet her newly discovered</p><p>half-siblings. Zoë survives her along</p><p>Jagger and Jones were</p><p>regular visitors to her</p><p>council flat near Euston</p><p>Cleo Sylvestre</p><p>First female singer to record with the Rolling Stones and the first black actress to have a lead role at the National Theatre</p><p>Email: obituaries@thetimes.co.uk</p><p>stock, the senior trustee of the Oxford</p><p>Literary and Debating Trust, a charity</p><p>founded in 1970 by Jeremy Lever QC,</p><p>his university contemporary, to</p><p>overcome the union’s then financial</p><p>troubles.</p><p>He chaired its meetings with efficien-</p><p>cy, albeit with elan, always respecting</p><p>the union’s status as a student-run</p><p>society and restricting what he called</p><p>“the greybeards’’’ role as a right in</p><p>Bagehotian terms to be consulted, to</p><p>encourage and to warn its junior offi-</p><p>cers. He was heavily involved in re-</p><p>drafting and modernising the union’s</p><p>constitution and helpful in its perennial</p><p>fundraising.</p><p>He relished a pastiche Westminster</p><p>phraseology — to him I was always “the</p><p>ex-president from Magdalen and Trini-</p><p>ty’’— reflecting perhaps a regret that</p><p>he himself, while always immersed in</p><p>politics, never became an MP as have so</p><p>many Oxbridge ex-presidents before</p><p>and after. Even so, in the refrain of the</p><p>Strawbs lyric, he was always “a union</p><p>man’’ and it was a source of sadness to</p><p>his many friends and admirers that his</p><p>decreasing mobility prevented his at-</p><p>tendance at the union’s bicentenary</p><p>dinner last year.</p><p>Andrew Goodrick-Clarke writes: Peter</p><p>Jay had a fixed view about sub-editors.</p><p>As a colleague during his spell at The</p><p>Times, I remember Peter joining an</p><p>editorial conference, apologising for his</p><p>lateness due to a hospital appointment</p><p>about a severe migraine which, in a</p><p>moment of hypochondria, he had</p><p>feared going blind. He then announced</p><p>that it would mean applying for a job on</p><p>the sub-editors desk. There were many</p><p>such joke comments from Peter that</p><p>some thought arrogant but were well</p><p>meant, I think.</p><p>Andrew Morgan writes: Peter Jay’s regu-</p><p>lar presence at our monthly Wootton</p><p>Talks in a village a few miles from his</p><p>home in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, was</p><p>always a time to savour. Speakers with a</p><p>widespread reputation couldn’t dis-</p><p>guise a frisson of concern when told Pe-</p><p>ter was in the audience, and furtively</p><p>checked their notes. Latterly in an elec-</p><p>tric wheelchair, he would invariably ask</p><p>a penetrating question that briefly</p><p>caught the speaker off guard. Some-</p><p>times, Peter had even featured in their</p><p>books and they would hastily find the</p><p>index to be reminded of what they had</p><p>written about him. Usually, but not</p><p>always, it was complementary.</p><p>Lives remembered</p><p>Peter Jay</p><p>Michael Beloff KC</p><p>writes: You rightly</p><p>note that the first of</p><p>Peter Jay’s many glit-</p><p>tering prizes was his</p><p>presidency of the</p><p>Oxford Union (obit-</p><p>uary, September 22),</p><p>which he achieved,</p><p>as he recalls in his unpublished memoir</p><p>An Unfinished Life, after “three crush-</p><p>ing defeats”.</p><p>It was an institution to which he</p><p>showed a lifetime loyalty, becoming in</p><p>due course, when resident in Wood-</p><p>Dame Elizabeth</p><p>Esteve-Coll</p><p>@</p><p>Nikki Hunter writes:</p><p>In, perhaps, 1990, I</p><p>lived behind the</p><p>V&A, facing the back</p><p>of the museum. The</p><p>rear roof was covered</p><p>in a huge, bright blue</p><p>tarpaulin, not sur-</p><p>prisingly as, at the</p><p>time, it was famous for its leaky roof and</p><p>endless buckets. Dame Elizabeth (obit-</p><p>uary, September 25) wrote to, I imagine,</p><p>all the local residents asking them for a</p><p>donation to the restoration fund. I</p><p>wrote back saying I would happily</p><p>donate when they disposed of the blue</p><p>tarpaulin. By return, I received a hand-</p><p>written, hand-delivered note from her</p><p>saying that they needed the money to</p><p>get rid of it. By return I made a donation</p><p>of £1,000. A remarkable woman, and</p><p>one I am sure was an inspiration to</p><p>many women in the arts.</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 55</p><p>Register</p><p>Balmoral Castle</p><p>26th September, 2024</p><p>Major General Eldon Millar was</p><p>received by The King this</p><p>morning upon relinquishing his</p><p>appointment as Defence Services</p><p>Secretary.</p><p>Kensington Palace</p><p>26th September, 2024</p><p>The Prince of Wales, President,</p><p>the Earthshot Prize, this morning</p><p>received Mr David Fein (Vice</p><p>Chairman) at Windsor Castle.</p><p>St James’s Palace</p><p>26th September, 2024</p><p>The Duke of Edinburgh this</p><p>afternoon arrived at Heathrow</p><p>Airport, London, from Monaco.</p><p>Mrs Angus Galletley was in</p><p>attendance.</p><p>The Duchess of Edinburgh</p><p>today opened the Domaine</p><p>Evremond winery, Chalk Hill,</p><p>Chilham, Kent.</p><p>St James’s Palace</p><p>26th September, 2024</p><p>The Princess Royal, President,</p><p>Commonwealth War Graves</p><p>Commission, this morning</p><p>inaugurated the Loos British</p><p>Cemetery extension and attended</p><p>a Reburial Service of Unknown</p><p>Soldiers at 121 Rue Roger,</p><p>Salengro, before attending a</p><p>Reception at the Town Hall, Place</p><p>de la République, Loos-en-</p><p>Gohelle, France, and was received</p><p>by His Majesty’s Ambassador to</p><p>the French Republic (Her</p><p>Excellency Mrs Menna Rawlings).</p><p>Colonel John Boyd and Captain</p><p>Fergus Lupton were in</p><p>attendance.</p><p>Her Royal Highness, Patron,</p><p>this evening attended a Dinner at</p><p>Church House, Westminster,</p><p>Dean’s Yard, London SW1, to</p><p>With his basketball ambitions</p><p>faltering, Otis Davis took up</p><p>athletics as a high jumper at the</p><p>age of 26. Within two years he</p><p>was a double Olympic sprint</p><p>champion.</p><p>The American owed his start-</p><p>ling successes in the 400m and 4</p><p>x 400m relay at the Summer</p><p>Games in Rome in 1960 to natu-</p><p>ral talent and determination</p><p>channelled by one of the most</p><p>influential figures in modern</p><p>athletics, Bill Bowerman. He</p><p>was coached at the University of</p><p>Oregon by Bowerman, an inno-</p><p>vator who co-founded Nike, the</p><p>US athletic apparel giant.</p><p>Davis played a role in the ori-</p><p>gins of the footwear and apparel</p><p>giant. Bowerman, who asserted</p><p>he was not a coach but a “profes-</p><p>sor of competitive response”,</p><p>was on a quest to create a light-</p><p>weight and comfortable run-</p><p>ning shoe, and the first students</p><p>to test his prototypes were Davis</p><p>and a middle-distance runner</p><p>named Phil Knight.</p><p>Wearing Bowerman’s spikes,</p><p>while training twice a day and</p><p>imbibing copious amounts of</p><p>wheatgerm oil, Davis improved</p><p>rapidly after switching his focus</p><p>to the 440-yard dash. Knight</p><p>took note of the experimental</p><p>white shoes on Davis’s fleet feet</p><p>as he easily defeated the favour-</p><p>ite at a meet in 1959. “A seed was</p><p>planted that day,” Knight re-</p><p>membered. In 1964, Knight and</p><p>Bowerman formed Blue Ribbon</p><p>Sports, the company that would</p><p>become Nike.</p><p>With Bowerman yet to per-</p><p>fect his inventions, Davis wore</p><p>conventional running shoes as</p><p>he triumphed in the 400m final</p><p>at the 1960 Olympic Games in</p><p>Rome, but he recalled slipping</p><p>on a pair of his coach’s hand-</p><p>made spikes in the relay heats</p><p>before anchoring the United</p><p>States to victory over a united</p><p>Germany team in the final,</p><p>setting a world record time in</p><p>the process.</p><p>In the individual event, Davis</p><p>battled a Brooklyn-born Ger-</p><p>man, Carl Kaufmann, for the</p><p>title. “Relax, nobody is going to</p><p>beat me,” Davis told himself</p><p>when leading with 200m to go,</p><p>maintaining his distinctive up-</p><p>right stance as Kaufmann at-</p><p>tempted to chase him down in</p><p>the final stages.</p><p>In a famous Olympic photo-</p><p>finish, Kaufmann dived for the</p><p>tape and looked to be ahead by a</p><p>nose, but what counted was that</p><p>Davis’s torso crossed first as he</p><p>glanced, open-mouthed, at his</p><p>a radio awarded as prizes. With</p><p>his weaker left leg affecting his</p><p>performances, he essentially re-</p><p>tired from competitive athletics</p><p>at the age of 29 in 1961 and</p><p>became a physical education</p><p>teacher, a salesman in a</p><p>menswear shop and sporting</p><p>director at a young offender</p><p>institution.</p><p>Otis Crandall Davis was born</p><p>in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1932,</p><p>to Mary Eaton, a science teacher</p><p>and cinema cashier, and Johnie</p><p>Davis, a hotel bellhop who was,</p><p>his son said, perpetually drunk</p><p>on moonshine. Of black and</p><p>Native American heritage and</p><p>mostly raised by his grandpar-</p><p>ents, he had one early memory</p><p>of seeing the Ku Klux Klan</p><p>march past the Coca-Cola bot-</p><p>tling factory near his home. The</p><p>high school adjacent to his</p><p>house was “whites-only”, forc-</p><p>ing him to walk a mile and a half</p><p>to classes.</p><p>At 17 he joined the US air force</p><p>and became a military police-</p><p>man. Racism was also rife in the</p><p>service but he began to feel a</p><p>growing confidence in his physi-</p><p>cal talents while playing basket-</p><p>ball in his spare time, in</p><p>particular during a tour of duty</p><p>in England at Sculthorpe base</p><p>in Norfolk.</p><p>After an honourable dis-</p><p>charge in 1954 he enrolled at Los</p><p>Angeles City College, paying his</p><p>rival. Both men were credited</p><p>with a then world record of 44.9</p><p>seconds as timed by hand.</p><p>Being an Olympian also deliv-</p><p>ered thrills off the track for</p><p>Davis, who met Bing Crosby in</p><p>Rome and Muhammad Ali, then</p><p>18 and known as Cassius Clay, at</p><p>a uniform-fitting session in New</p><p>York. “He almost never stopped</p><p>talking. I had no problem listen-</p><p>ing to him, so we got along</p><p>just fine,” Davis wrote in his</p><p>2023 autobiography, Destiny’s</p><p>Daredevil.</p><p>They reconnected in the</p><p>Olympic Village, where Ali was</p><p>showing off his light-heavy-</p><p>weight gold. “Hey, man, did you</p><p>win a gold medal?” Ali asked</p><p>Davis, who confirmed that</p><p>he had. Not one to downplay</p><p>his achievements, Ali respond-</p><p>ed: “Well, why ain’t you got it</p><p>on, then?”</p><p>Davis’s career was over as rap-</p><p>idly as it began. A competitive</p><p>tour of Europe followed the</p><p>Olympics but as an amateur he</p><p>returned to Oregon with little</p><p>more than some medallions and</p><p>‘No matter your</p><p>colour, every athlete</p><p>had to start from</p><p>the same spot’</p><p>mark the Thirtieth Anniversary of</p><p>Sense International.</p><p>Kensington Palace</p><p>26th September, 2024</p><p>The Duke of Gloucester this</p><p>morning visited Nestlé Purina</p><p>Petcare UK Limited, Cromwell</p><p>Road, Wisbech, and was received</p><p>by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant</p><p>of Cambridgeshire (Mrs Julie</p><p>Spence).</p><p>His Royal Highness this</p><p>afternoon visited Peckover House,</p><p>North Brink, Wisbech.</p><p>The Duke of Gloucester</p><p>afterwards visited Octavia Hill</p><p>Birthplace House, 7 South Brink,</p><p>Wisbech.</p><p>To book a Birth, Marriage or Death</p><p>announcement in the Register, visit:</p><p>newsukadvertising.co.uk</p><p>for help, please call 020 7782 7553</p><p>or email BMDs@thetimes.co.uk</p><p>THEREFORE if you have any</p><p>encouragement from being united with</p><p>Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any</p><p>common sharing in the Spirit, if any</p><p>tenderness and compassion, then make</p><p>my joy complete by being like-minded,</p><p>having the same love, being one in spirit</p><p>and of one mind. Philippians 2.1-2 (NIV)</p><p>Bible verses are provided by</p><p>The Bible Society</p><p>Births, Marriages and Deaths</p><p>Births</p><p>PINKS</p><p>On 20th September 2024 to Victoria</p><p>(née Smith) and Thomas, a son,</p><p>Theodore Charles Nicholas Campbell,</p><p>brother to Frederick and Sebastian.</p><p>Forthcoming Marriages</p><p>MR C. R. ROW</p><p>AND MISS E. L. DAVIES</p><p>The engagement is announced between</p><p>Charles, eldest son of Mr T Row and Ms J</p><p>Wilding of Essex, and Ellie, daughter of Mr</p><p>and Mrs L Davies, UAE.</p><p>Deaths</p><p>BROOKE-HUNT Tim died peacefully at</p><p>home, aged 76, on Monday 23rd</p><p>September. Adored brother of Claire and</p><p>Fiona and greatly-loved by all their children</p><p>and grandchildren.</p><p>GOLDSTONE</p><p>Michael on 23rd September 2024,</p><p>aged 83, peacefully in his sleep at</p><p>home in Cambridge. He spent his</p><p>entire working life as an antiques</p><p>dealer in Bakewell in Derbyshire.</p><p>Married to Suzette for over 60 years</p><p>and father of David and Miranda and</p><p>grandfather of Holly and Georgia.</p><p>Private family funeral. Donations</p><p>to Alzheimer’s Society, charity</p><p>number 296645.</p><p>GORER David Charles, 1936-2024. Poet,</p><p>soldier, adored brother, uncle and great-</p><p>uncle. Loved by so many. Funeral service at</p><p>Holy Innocents Church, Church Road, Great</p><p>Barton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 2QS,</p><p>on Tuesday 15th October 2024 at noon. No</p><p>flowers. Donations to SSAFA Suffolk</p><p>and/or</p><p>RNLI can be made at the service or online</p><p>or donate to the RNLI and help save lives at</p><p>sea. Inquiries to L. Fulcher, 01284 754049.</p><p>MUIR Ann Mary (née Corbally) passed</p><p>away peacefully on 14th September 2024.</p><p>Beloved wife of Andy, devoted mother of</p><p>Katherine, Henrietta (dec’d), Charlie, Jamie</p><p>and Andy, stepmother of Alexandra and</p><p>Philip, and adored grandmother of Alec,</p><p>Millie, Cora, Cosmo, James, Hugo, Orlando,</p><p>Zac, Rafe, Bella, Teddy, Isla, Tana, Clover,</p><p>Alfred, Pearl, Gio and Maggie. Requiem</p><p>Mass at St Peter’s Catholic Church,</p><p>Winchester, at 10.30am on Thursday 10th</p><p>October. Colourful or dark attire</p><p>acceptable. Family flowers only, but</p><p>donations, if desired, to Winchester</p><p>Hospice at www.steelsfunerals.co.uk.</p><p>SINGLETON Brian passed away</p><p>peacefully on 7th August 2024, aged 92. A</p><p>service will be held at Christ the Prince of</p><p>Peace, Weybridge, on Friday 11th October</p><p>2024 at noon. Family flowers only.</p><p>Donations, if desired, to benefit Médecins</p><p>Sans Frontières (UK) c/o Lodge Brothers,</p><p>Weybridge.</p><p>WATES Sir Christopher Stephen FCA died</p><p>peacefully at home on 22nd September</p><p>2024, aged 84. Beloved husband of</p><p>Georgie. Father of Melina, Georgie and Jo</p><p>and proud grandfather of Kira, Sam, Jake</p><p>and Jamie.</p><p>WHITCOMB Hugh Denis Engert died on</p><p>18th September 2024, aged 94, at Salisbury</p><p>District Hospital.</p><p>Court Circular</p><p>Otis Davis</p><p>Olympic gold medalist sprinter and early tester of the shoe that would become Nike</p><p>way by working as a janitor,</p><p>before moving to Oregon to</p><p>study health and physical</p><p>education on a basketball schol-</p><p>arship.</p><p>In 1966 he married Lucille</p><p>Mathes, a German-American 14</p><p>years his junior, after they met</p><p>when he was on holiday in Man-</p><p>nheim. The marriage ended in</p><p>divorce after five years; their two</p><p>daughters, Liza and Diana, sur-</p><p>vive him. Davis moved to Rome</p><p>to work as an athletics coach,</p><p>hired an agent and appeared as</p><p>an extra in two Italian films. He</p><p>then became a community</p><p>sports director for the US mili-</p><p>tary before devoting his time to</p><p>sports programmes for disad-</p><p>vantaged and troubled young</p><p>people in the New York and New</p><p>Jersey area.</p><p>His Olympic adventure,</p><p>Davis said, was a welcome res-</p><p>pite from the inequalities that</p><p>defined much of his childhood</p><p>and which he sought to mitigate</p><p>in his work as a mentor. “No</p><p>matter who you were, what col-</p><p>our you were, how much money</p><p>you had, every participant had</p><p>to start from the same spot, and</p><p>the best athlete was victorious,”</p><p>he said.</p><p>Otis Davis, Olympic champion,</p><p>was born on July 12, 1932. He</p><p>died on September 14, 2024,</p><p>aged 92</p><p>Davis pipped Germany’s Carl Kaufmann in the final of the 400m at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome</p><p>LEGAL, PUBLIC,</p><p>COMPANY &</p><p>PARLIAMENTARY</p><p>NOTICES</p><p>To place notices for</p><p>these sections please</p><p>call 020 7782 7553</p><p>Notices are subject to</p><p>confirmation and</p><p>should be received by</p><p>11.30am three days</p><p>prior to insertion</p><p>The simple way to</p><p>place your Birth,</p><p>Marriage or Death</p><p>announcement in</p><p>the Register. Available</p><p>24 hours a day. 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Wight</p><p>Jersey</p><p>Keswick</p><p>Kinloss</p><p>Leeds</p><p>Lerwick</p><p>Leuchars</p><p>Lincoln</p><p>Liverpool</p><p>London</p><p>Lyneham</p><p>Manchester</p><p>Margate</p><p>Milford Haven</p><p>Newcastle</p><p>Nottingham</p><p>Orkney</p><p>Oxford</p><p>Plymouth</p><p>Portland</p><p>Scilly, St Mary’s</p><p>Shoreham</p><p>Shrewsbury</p><p>Snowdonia</p><p>Southend</p><p>South Uist</p><p>Stornoway</p><p>Tiree</p><p>Whitehaven</p><p>Wick</p><p>Yeovilton</p><p>Around Britain</p><p>Key: b=bright, c=cloud, d=drizzle, pc=partly cloudy</p><p>du=dull, f=fair, fg=fog, h=hail, m=mist, r=rain,</p><p>sh=showers, sl=sleet, sn=snow, s=sun, t=thunder</p><p>*=previous day **=data not available</p><p>Temp C Rain mm Sun hr*</p><p>midday yesterday 24 hrs to 5pm yesterday</p><p>Noon today</p><p>10 C 5.4 5.7</p><p>13 S 12.4 1.8</p><p>14 R 20.8 0.0</p><p>9 C 0.0 5.5</p><p>16 C 13.4 **</p><p>17 PC 10.6 **</p><p>10 R 11.2 1.3</p><p>17 C 9.0 **</p><p>16 R 26.0 0.3</p><p>14 C 15.0 **</p><p>17 C 9.0 1.0</p><p>13 R 8.6 1.4</p><p>15 R 10.8 2.5</p><p>10 C 20.2 5.8</p><p>9 D 17.6 5.0</p><p>10 R 2.8 9.5</p><p>16 B 12.2 **</p><p>19 R 9.4 0.1</p><p>17 C 11.8 0.1</p><p>12 R 43.2 1.8</p><p>15 C 8.8 **</p><p>17 C 5.0 0.0</p><p>11 R 18.2 **</p><p>10 C 1.2 3.3</p><p>12 C 20.8 **</p><p>10 R 1.2 8.6</p><p>11 C 2.2 9.2</p><p>14 C 12.2 0.2</p><p>14 C 5.8 **</p><p>18 R 16.8 1.2</p><p>15 C 11.0 0.2</p><p>13 C 4.8 0.1</p><p>19 PC 3.4 0.1</p><p>16 C 13.2 **</p><p>10 R 37.2 **</p><p>13 D 9.6 0.4</p><p>11 PC 0.2 7.0</p><p>17 R 18.4 **</p><p>15 R 18.0 **</p><p>16 C 12.0 **</p><p>14 C 13.8 **</p><p>17 C 14.4 0.3</p><p>12 D 5.0 0.0</p><p>12 R 24.0 **</p><p>19 PC 10.0 0.7</p><p>11 C 0.0 **</p><p>10 C 1.0 1.0</p><p>11 C 0.2 6.8</p><p>10 R 26.4 0.1</p><p>11 B 0.4 **</p><p>14 R 15.6 1.9</p><p>The world</p><p>All readings local midday yesterday</p><p>Alicante</p><p>Amsterdam</p><p>Athens</p><p>Auckland</p><p>Bahrain</p><p>Bangkok</p><p>Barbados</p><p>Barcelona</p><p>Beijing</p><p>Beirut</p><p>Belgrade</p><p>Berlin</p><p>Bermuda</p><p>Bordeaux</p><p>Brussels</p><p>Bucharest</p><p>Budapest</p><p>Buenos Aires</p><p>Cairo</p><p>Calcutta</p><p>Canberra</p><p>Cape Town</p><p>Chicago</p><p>Copenhagen</p><p>Corfu</p><p>Delhi</p><p>Dubai</p><p>Dublin</p><p>Faro</p><p>Florence</p><p>Frankfurt</p><p>Geneva</p><p>Gibraltar</p><p>Helsinki</p><p>Hong Kong</p><p>Honolulu</p><p>Istanbul</p><p>Jerusalem</p><p>Johannesburg</p><p>Kuala Lumpur</p><p>Kyiv</p><p>Lanzarote</p><p>Las Palmas</p><p>Lima</p><p>Lisbon</p><p>Los Angeles</p><p>Luxor</p><p>Madeira</p><p>Madrid</p><p>Malaga</p><p>Mallorca</p><p>Malta</p><p>Melbourne</p><p>Mexico City</p><p>Miami</p><p>Milan</p><p>Mombasa</p><p>Montreal</p><p>Moscow</p><p>Mumbai</p><p>Munich</p><p>Nairobi</p><p>Naples</p><p>New Orleans</p><p>New York</p><p>Nice</p><p>Nicosia</p><p>Oslo</p><p>Paris</p><p>Perth</p><p>Prague</p><p>Reykjavik</p><p>Riga</p><p>Rio de Janeiro</p><p>Riyadh</p><p>Rome</p><p>San Francisco</p><p>Santiago</p><p>São</p><p>out an audit of who had</p><p>accessed files relating to her disappear-</p><p>ance and investigation. They also</p><p>looked at whether there was a proper</p><p>policing purpose for doing so. The offi-</p><p>cers will answer allegations that their</p><p>conduct amounted to breaches of the</p><p>Police investigating the murder of a taxi</p><p>driver in Aberdeen almost 41 years ago</p><p>have identified 200 people with a</p><p>potential genetic link to DNA found at</p><p>the scene.</p><p>Police Scotland said those identified</p><p>were not suspects but they hoped the</p><p>DNA leads would help in the hunt for</p><p>the murderer. The family of George</p><p>Murdoch, 58, known as Dod, said it was</p><p>a “huge leap forward”.</p><p>Murdoch was attacked on the even-</p><p>ing of September 29, 1983 after telling</p><p>his control room he was heading to the</p><p>suburb of Culter. He turned on to a road</p><p>near the Deeside railway line, where he</p><p>was attacked with a cheese wire and</p><p>died. It is one of Scotland’s longest un-</p><p>solved murder cases.</p><p>Last year, in a public appeal on the</p><p>40th anniversary of the murder, the</p><p>police said advances in forensic ana-</p><p>lysis had enabled a DNA profile from</p><p>the scene to be identified. This has been</p><p>Parents tell of despair after</p><p>12-year-olds killed their son</p><p>Ben Ellery Crime Editor</p><p>The family of a teenager murdered by</p><p>two 12-year-old boys using a machete</p><p>have said they are haunted by thoughts</p><p>of how scared he must have been in his</p><p>last moments.</p><p>Shawn Seesahai, 19, was visiting from</p><p>Anguilla for a cataract operation when</p><p>he was stabbed through the heart in</p><p>Wolverhampton last November.</p><p>His killers, now aged 13, are Britain’s</p><p>youngest convicted murderers since</p><p>the death of James Bulger in 1993.</p><p>The first day of a two-day sentencing</p><p>hearing at Nottingham crown court</p><p>was told that both defendants, who</p><p>blamed each other at their trial, still</p><p>deny being responsible for the murder.</p><p>In a victim impact statement read to</p><p>the judge, the family said Seesahai was</p><p>incredibly close to his younger sister,</p><p>who had always dreamed of being there</p><p>for his wedding and him being there for</p><p>hers. It said: “Mentally, it has been hard</p><p>for any of us to function normally. None</p><p>of us have had an unbroken night’s sleep</p><p>since Shawn was taken from us. Every</p><p>time I close my eyes all I can think about</p><p>are what his last moments were and</p><p>how scared he must have been.</p><p>“It continually breaks my heart. The</p><p>impact on us as a family is devastating.</p><p>It’s hard to believe that we will ever</p><p>come to terms with what has happened.</p><p>We will never get to see Shawn get mar-</p><p>ried or have a family of his own. These</p><p>things have been taken from us for what</p><p>appears to be no reason at all.</p><p>“Losing a child is a parent’s worst</p><p>nightmare. To put it down in a state-</p><p>ment on how it has impacted our lives</p><p>would take more than a day to read.”</p><p>Mrs Justice Tipples ruled that the</p><p>boys cannot be identified because of</p><p>concerns surrounding their welfare.</p><p>Officers including Inspector Akinwale Ajose-Adeogun and trainee Detective</p><p>Constable Hannah Rebbeck allegedly accessed the Sarah Everard case files</p><p>200 new DNA leads for 1983 death</p><p>enhanced to allow officers to search for</p><p>anyone genetically linked to it. Familial</p><p>DNA searching is based on the princi-</p><p>ple that DNA is inherited and all mem-</p><p>bers of a family share certain aspects.</p><p>Officers have searched the national</p><p>DNA database to identify potential</p><p>close relatives of the person in the</p><p>sample. An initial list of 200 possible</p><p>genetic matches has been compiled and</p><p>officers will try to contact these people</p><p>to establish any familial link.</p><p>Detective Inspector James Callander</p><p>said: “This new DNA data is significant</p><p>and will help take us a step closer to get-</p><p>ting justice for Mr Murdoch’s family.”</p><p>Murdoch’s family said: “This latest</p><p>development with the familial DNA is a</p><p>huge leap forward.”</p><p>They added: “It is very encouraging</p><p>and refreshes our hope that we can</p><p>finally identify who is responsible for</p><p>Dod’s murder.”</p><p>Alex McKay, Murdoch’s nephew, said</p><p>somebody “absolutely knows” who</p><p>killed his uncle. McKay, 67, said while</p><p>he was unsure if a close relative of the</p><p>killer would expose him, he believes</p><p>someone less close could.</p><p>“I’ve asked myself, would I, if it was</p><p>my brother? And I don’t know,” he said.</p><p>“I’m being honest, I don’t know, I don’t</p><p>think I would, and that’s terrible</p><p>because I’m asking them to do it and</p><p>I’m not sure I would myself. But, if the</p><p>person is dead, they certainly should, I</p><p>definitely would. OK, it’s his memory</p><p>that will be impacted, but he’s killed</p><p>somebody so he deserves to have that</p><p>happen. But families, they fracture at</p><p>times, and allegiances change.”</p><p>There have been no arrests in con-</p><p>nection with the murder.</p><p>Marc Horne</p><p>George Murdoch</p><p>was killed nearly</p><p>41 years ago</p><p>Met officers</p><p>‘accessed</p><p>confidential</p><p>Everard files’</p><p>Standards of Professional Behaviour, in</p><p>respect of confidentiality, orders and</p><p>instructions and discreditable conduct.</p><p>Ajose-Adeogun allegedly accessed</p><p>the file between March 10 and 12. The</p><p>former inspector met Prince William</p><p>when he visited Croydon custody</p><p>centre to pay his respects to Sergeant</p><p>Matt Ratana, who was shot and killed</p><p>while on duty in September 2020.</p><p>Ajose-Adeogun, who lives in Wor-</p><p>thing, West Sussex, was Ratana’s line</p><p>manager and friend. He told The</p><p>Times: “The Met say I wrongly ac-</p><p>cessed the computer but that’s not the</p><p>case. I am disputing it.”</p><p>Deputy Assistant Commissioner</p><p>Stuart Cundy said: “Our thoughts re-</p><p>main with Sarah Everards’s family. We</p><p>have kept them updated throughout</p><p>the investigation and apologised ... for</p><p>the added distress this has caused. All</p><p>Met officers and staff should have no</p><p>doubt of the rules around accessing</p><p>files and know there must be a legiti-</p><p>mate policing purpose to do so. As well</p><p>as mandatory training on this issue,</p><p>they are regularly reminded of our poli-</p><p>cies when logging into IT systems.</p><p>“It is right this was subject to an in-</p><p>vestigation. It will now be for the hear-</p><p>ing panel to look at all of the evidence</p><p>and decide whether conduct matters</p><p>are proven for any of these individuals.”</p><p>Detective Sergeant Robert Butters</p><p>allegedly accessed the file on March 10.</p><p>Sergeant Mark Harper between March</p><p>10 and 13, PC Myles McHugh between</p><p>March 5 and 9, trainee Detective Con-</p><p>stable Hannah Rebbeck, who has left</p><p>the force, between March 10 and 15, PC</p><p>Clare Tett on March 10 and Detective</p><p>Constable Tyrone Ward on March 10</p><p>and 11. All serving officers under in-</p><p>vestigation are on restricted duties.</p><p>The misconduct hearing will start on</p><p>October 28 and run until November 15.</p><p>The force has apologised</p><p>to victim’s family as</p><p>staff face misconduct</p><p>hearings, Ben Ellery and</p><p>Peter Chappell report</p><p>Murderer cut</p><p>up woman’s</p><p>body after</p><p>life sentence</p><p>David Woode Crime Correspondent</p><p>A man who murdered a woman and</p><p>used power tools to dismember her</p><p>body had been jailed in 1999 for stab-</p><p>bing a taxi driver to death for £25.</p><p>Yesterday Steve Sansom, 45, was</p><p>facing a second life sentence after he</p><p>admitted murdering Sarah Mayhew,</p><p>38, between March 8 and April 2 this</p><p>year. She was last seen on March 8 and</p><p>is believed to have been killed that</p><p>night, a court was told.</p><p>Sansom, of Sutton, Surrey, also ad-</p><p>mitted a charge of perverting the</p><p>course of justice by dismembering the</p><p>body and disposing of it in various loca-</p><p>tions, including a park.</p><p>Gemma Watts, 48, his girlfriend, is</p><p>also charged with murdering Mayhew.</p><p>She appeared in court via videolink</p><p>from Bronzefield prison in Ashford,</p><p>Surrey. She was not asked to enter a</p><p>plea and will return to court in Novem-</p><p>ber. Her trial has been fixed for April.</p><p>The cause of Mayhew’s death re-</p><p>mains unknown but a post-mortem ex-</p><p>amination found that two small verte-</p><p>brae were broken in her voicebox.</p><p>There was bruising to her skull and her</p><p>head had been shaved, prosecutors said</p><p>at an earlier hearing.</p><p>Details of Sansom’s previous murder</p><p>conviction emerged during his first ap-</p><p>pearance at Bromley magistrates’ court</p><p>on April 11 but could not be reported on</p><p>until now. On Christmas Eve 1998 he</p><p>called a taxi to take him from East Croy-</p><p>don station, south London, to his home</p><p>in New Addington. He stabbed</p><p>Paulo</p><p>Seoul</p><p>Seychelles</p><p>Singapore</p><p>St Petersburg</p><p>Stockholm</p><p>Sydney</p><p>Tel Aviv</p><p>Tenerife</p><p>Tokyo</p><p>Vancouver</p><p>Venice</p><p>Vienna</p><p>Warsaw</p><p>Washington</p><p>Zurich</p><p>30 S</p><p>18 SH</p><p>28 PC</p><p>16 B</p><p>35 S</p><p>32 PC</p><p>31 SH</p><p>26 PC</p><p>23 S</p><p>30 S</p><p>27 S</p><p>17 DU</p><p>28 SH</p><p>19 C</p><p>18 PC</p><p>26 S</p><p>24 S</p><p>21 PC</p><p>30 PC</p><p>28 T</p><p>7 DU</p><p>20 PC</p><p>24 PC</p><p>15 R</p><p>27 PC</p><p>32 **</p><p>40 S</p><p>13 D</p><p>23 B</p><p>27 PC</p><p>18 B</p><p>15 R</p><p>25 B</p><p>15 SH</p><p>31 PC</p><p>31 PC</p><p>25 S</p><p>30 PC</p><p>28 S</p><p>29 PC</p><p>** **</p><p>23 PC</p><p>27 PC</p><p>15 DU</p><p>24 PC</p><p>19 DU</p><p>35 S</p><p>26 PC</p><p>21 B</p><p>30 PC</p><p>28 PC</p><p>28 PC</p><p>12 B</p><p>20 C</p><p>32 C</p><p>16 R</p><p>30 PC</p><p>16 C</p><p>19 S</p><p>27 SH</p><p>20 S</p><p>26 B</p><p>25 PC</p><p>31 S</p><p>20 C</p><p>18 R</p><p>32 PC</p><p>10 PC</p><p>17 SH</p><p>28 S</p><p>17 PC</p><p>7 S</p><p>19 S</p><p>34 S</p><p>37 S</p><p>25 PC</p><p>19 PC</p><p>16 S</p><p>32 S</p><p>26 PC</p><p>30 PC</p><p>27 B</p><p>20 S</p><p>15 PC</p><p>12 SH</p><p>30 PC</p><p>28 PC</p><p>27 B</p><p>14 R</p><p>21 PC</p><p>24 S</p><p>19 PC</p><p>21 C</p><p>16 R</p><p>Five days ahead</p><p>Spells of heavy rain and</p><p>heavy showers at times.</p><p>Windy on Sunday and</p><p>Monday</p><p>Today Rain across England and Wales will slowly clear. Sunshine and showers elsewhere. Max 16C (61F), min -2C (28F)</p><p>Tides</p><p>Tidal predictions.</p><p>Heights in metres</p><p>Today Ht Ht</p><p>Aberdeen</p><p>Avonmouth</p><p>Belfast</p><p>Cardiff</p><p>Devonport</p><p>Dover</p><p>Dublin</p><p>Falmouth</p><p>Greenock</p><p>Harwich</p><p>Holyhead</p><p>Hull</p><p>Leith</p><p>Liverpool</p><p>London Bridge</p><p>Lowestoft</p><p>Milford Haven</p><p>Morecambe</p><p>Newhaven</p><p>Newquay</p><p>Oban</p><p>Penzance</p><p>Portsmouth</p><p>Shoreham</p><p>Southampton</p><p>Swansea</p><p>Tees</p><p>Weymouth</p><p>10:52 3.4 23:03 3.6</p><p>03:34 8.9 16:06 9.4</p><p>08:12 2.8 20:20 3.1</p><p>03:16 8.2 15:55 8.7</p><p>02:12 4.0 14:41 4.3</p><p>07:40 5.1 20:57 5.2</p><p>08:45 3.3 21:00 3.6</p><p>02:01 3.7 14:30 4.0</p><p>09:52 2.6 20:57 2.8</p><p>08:06 3.1 20:55 3.3</p><p>07:43 4.4 20:04 4.7</p><p>02:35 5.7 15:29 5.7</p><p>11:43 4.4 --:-- --</p><p>08:03 7.1 20:36 7.5</p><p>09:57 5.3 22:44 5.7</p><p>05:43 2.2 19:19 2.3</p><p>02:46 4.9 15:33 5.3</p><p>08:17 6.9 20:49 7.4</p><p>07:57 5.0 20:34 5.1</p><p>01:44 5.0 14:30 5.4</p><p>03:52 2.7 16:36 3.1</p><p>01:18 4.1 13:57 4.4</p><p>08:23 3.8 20:48 3.7</p><p>08:04 4.6 20:46 4.6</p><p>06:54 3.5 22:05 3.7</p><p>02:44 6.5 15:27 6.8</p><p>--:-- -- 13:07 4.4</p><p>03:38 1.2 15:57 1.4</p><p>Synoptic situation</p><p>An occlusion associated with</p><p>an area of low pressure over</p><p>the Low Countries will clear</p><p>southeastern England through</p><p>the morning. This will mean a</p><p>cloudy and west morning for</p><p>much of southern and eastern</p><p>England. Elsewhere, a northerly</p><p>airflow will bringing a bright</p><p>day with the chance of a few</p><p>showers, especially on northern</p><p>and eastern coasts.</p><p>Highs and lows</p><p>24hrs to 5pm yesterday</p><p>Warmest: Writtle, Essex, 19.6C</p><p>Coldest: Cairngorm, -1.6C</p><p>Wettest: Pateley Bridge,</p><p>North Yorkshire, 52.2mm</p><p>Sunniest: Glasgow,</p><p>Strathclyde, 9.5hrs*</p><p>Sun and moon</p><p>For Greenwich</p><p>Sun rises:</p><p>Sun sets:</p><p>Moon rises:</p><p>Moon sets:</p><p>New Moon: October 2</p><p>Hours of darkness</p><p>Aberdeen</p><p>Belfast</p><p>Birmingham</p><p>Cardiff</p><p>Exeter</p><p>Glasgow</p><p>Liverpool</p><p>London</p><p>Manchester</p><p>Newcastle</p><p>Norwich</p><p>Penzance</p><p>Sheffield</p><p>19:23-06:37</p><p>19:39-06:51</p><p>19:23-06:34</p><p>19:29-06:39</p><p>19:30-06:40</p><p>19:32-06:45</p><p>19:27-06:39</p><p>19:16-06:27</p><p>19:24-06:36</p><p>19:21-06:34</p><p>19:10-06:22</p><p>19:38-06:48</p><p>19:21-06:33</p><p>General situation: Outbreaks of rain</p><p>will slowly clear in England and Wales</p><p>through the day. A day of sunshine and</p><p>showers elsewhere.</p><p>London, SE Eng, E Anglia: A cloudy</p><p>day with outbreaks of rain, heavy at</p><p>times during the morning. Moderate to</p><p>strong northwesterly winds. Maximum</p><p>14C (57F), minimum 0C (32F).</p><p>Cen S Eng, Mids, E Eng, Cen N Eng:</p><p>A cloudy morning with outbreaks of</p><p>rain, turning brighter in the afternoon</p><p>with the chance of a shower. Gentle</p><p>to fresh north or northwesterly winds.</p><p>Maximum 15C (59F), minimum</p><p>1C (34F).</p><p>SW Eng, Wales, NW Eng, NE Eng,</p><p>Lake District: Cloud and rain clearing</p><p>first thing to leave a day of sunny</p><p>spells and the chance of a heavy</p><p>shower. Moderate to strong northerly</p><p>winds. Maximum 16C (61F), minimum</p><p>-1C (30F).</p><p>Scotland, IoM: Lengthy sunny spells</p><p>with the small chance of an isolated</p><p>shower in southern Scotland and the</p><p>Isle of Man. Sunny spells and scattered</p><p>showers in northern Scotland, some</p><p>of which may turn wintry over the</p><p>highest ground. Moderate to strong</p><p>north or northwesterly winds on</p><p>northern and western coasts. Light</p><p>winds elsewhere. Maximum</p><p>13C (55F), minimum -2C (28F).</p><p>N Ireland, Republic of Ireland: Sunny</p><p>spells and scattered heavy showers.</p><p>Fresh north or northwesterly winds.</p><p>Maximum 13C (55F), minimum</p><p>0C (32F).</p><p>Tomorrow</p><p>14</p><p>13</p><p>14</p><p>15</p><p>Sunday</p><p>15</p><p>13</p><p>14</p><p>15</p><p>Tuesday</p><p>15</p><p>10</p><p>13</p><p>15</p><p>Wednesday</p><p>13</p><p>11</p><p>11</p><p>13</p><p>28</p><p>to fresh north or northwesterly winds.</p><p>25</p><p>25</p><p>Hull</p><p>38</p><p>LiverpooLiverpooLiverpooLiverpooLiverpoo</p><p>25</p><p>Edinburgh</p><p>NewcastleNewcastle</p><p>33</p><p>21</p><p>23</p><p>25</p><p>OrkneyOrkneyOrkneyOrkneyOrkney ShetlandShetland</p><p>17</p><p>17</p><p>12</p><p>13</p><p>11</p><p>12</p><p>10</p><p>10</p><p>11</p><p>9</p><p>9 9</p><p>13</p><p>14</p><p>15</p><p>14</p><p>12</p><p>12</p><p>12</p><p>11</p><p>13</p><p>13</p><p>eter14</p><p>14</p><p>Norwich</p><p>SEA</p><p>Llandudno</p><p>rk</p><p>Hull</p><p>F</p><p>95</p><p>86</p><p>77</p><p>68</p><p>59</p><p>50</p><p>41</p><p>32</p><p>23</p><p>14</p><p>5</p><p>C</p><p>35</p><p>30</p><p>25</p><p>20</p><p>15</p><p>10</p><p>5</p><p>0</p><p>-5</p><p>-10</p><p>-15</p><p>Wind speed</p><p>(mph)</p><p>Temperature</p><p>(degrees C)28</p><p>34</p><p>Sea state</p><p>Calm</p><p>Slight</p><p>Moderate</p><p>Rough</p><p>Flood alerts and warnings</p><p>At 17:00 on Thursday there were</p><p>85 flood alerts and 30 warnings</p><p>in England and no flood alerts or</p><p>warnings in Wales or Scotland.</p><p>For further information and updates</p><p>in England visit flood-warning-</p><p>information.service.gov.uk, for Wales</p><p>naturalresources.wales/flooding and</p><p>for Scotland SEPA.org.uk</p><p>Cold front</p><p>Warm front</p><p>Occluded front</p><p>Trough</p><p>LOW</p><p>HIGH</p><p>LOW</p><p>LOW</p><p>HIGH</p><p>HIGH</p><p>LOW</p><p>LOW</p><p>HIGH1024</p><p>1024</p><p>1024</p><p>1016 1016</p><p>1016</p><p>1016</p><p>1008</p><p>10081000</p><p>992</p><p>984</p><p>ISAAC</p><p>An unsettled day with spells of heavy</p><p>rain and showers. It will also be rather</p><p>windy, especially in eastern areas.</p><p>Max 17C, min 3C</p><p>Sunny spells and scattered showers</p><p>in northern and western Scotland and</p><p>western Ireland. Sunny spells with the</p><p>small chance of an isolated shower</p><p>elsewhere.</p><p>Max 15C, min 1C</p><p>Spells of heavy rain and blustery</p><p>winds will spread into Wales, western</p><p>England, Ireland and western Scotland</p><p>through the day. Largely dry with</p><p>some sunny spells in other areas.</p><p>Max 16C, min 4C</p><p>Sunny spells with scattered heavy</p><p>showers, most frequent in northern</p><p>and eastern areas. Driest weather will</p><p>be across Ireland.</p><p>Max 15C, min -1C</p><p>Showers or longer spells of rain in</p><p>Scotland and Northern Ireland. Largely</p><p>dry with spells of sunshine elsewhere.</p><p>Max 13C, min 3C</p><p>06.55</p><p>18.46</p><p>00.29</p><p>17.26</p><p>12</p><p>I</p><p>s there no end to the wild</p><p>deluges of rain and flooding</p><p>chaos that has afflicted much of</p><p>Britain? Much of the blame for</p><p>the wet weather this month,</p><p>and indeed large swathes of this</p><p>year, lies at the feet of a jet stream</p><p>that has shifted further south than</p><p>usual, meaning that storm tracks</p><p>and belts of rain are hitting the UK</p><p>— especially in southern parts — at</p><p>a far higher level than expected.</p><p>This begs the question: why is the jet</p><p>stream steering off course? The</p><p>answer, however, is far from clear.</p><p>Of course, Britain is famed for</p><p>having a notoriously wet climate</p><p>and the complaints about incessant</p><p>rains this year echo the grievances</p><p>of the past. In 1818, John Keats, in a</p><p>letter penned from a wet Devon to</p><p>his fellow poet JH Reynolds,</p><p>exploded: “It is impossible to live in</p><p>a country which is continually under</p><p>hatches ... Rain! Rain! Rain!”</p><p>Rain is something of a national</p><p>emblem, being embedded in British</p><p>culture. Shakespeare wrote “the rain</p><p>it raineth every day”, a line he</p><p>relished so much he repeated it in</p><p>Twelfth Night and King Lear.</p><p>Indeed, AA Milne left Piglet entirely</p><p>surrounded by water in a Winnie-</p><p>the-Pooh tale: “It rained and it</p><p>rained and it rained. Piglet told</p><p>himself that never in all his life, and</p><p>he was goodness knows how old —</p><p>three, was it, or four? — never had</p><p>he seen so much rain.”</p><p>Even though rain is a key part of</p><p>Britain’s climate history, there has</p><p>been something of a step change</p><p>with regards to precipitation in</p><p>recent times. The Met Office points</p><p>out in its report, the State of the UK</p><p>Climate in 2023, that the country</p><p>has become wetter over the past few</p><p>decades. The overall trend is</p><p>unmistakable and the ten-year</p><p>period from 2011-2020 was 9 per</p><p>cent wetter on average than the</p><p>period from 1961-1990.</p><p>Furthermore, the rain is also</p><p>coming down in heavier bursts.</p><p>Overall, this fits patterns predicted</p><p>by climate-change</p><p>the</p><p>driver, Terrence Boyle, 59, moments</p><p>after he arrived. Boyle sustained de-</p><p>fence wounds as he tried to fend off the</p><p>attack and Sansom fled with just £25.</p><p>He later turned up at a friend’s home</p><p>in blood-soaked clothes and laughed as</p><p>he described the killing.</p><p>Yesterday he also denied three char-</p><p>ges of making indecent images. Pros-</p><p>ecutors said they would be left on file.</p><p>Investigators are</p><p>not sure how Sarah</p><p>Mayhew died</p><p>6 S1 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>Rachel Reeves is reassessing a Labour</p><p>manifesto commitment to crack down</p><p>on non-dom tax perks after being</p><p>warned that her plans might not raise</p><p>any money.</p><p>In the run-up to the election Labour</p><p>said it hoped to increase tax revenues</p><p>by up to £1 billion a year by closing tax</p><p>loopholes that allow some wealthy</p><p>individuals living in the UK to register</p><p>overseas for tax purposes. The money</p><p>was earmarked to pay for priorities</p><p>including funding school breakfast</p><p>clubs and providing more hospital and</p><p>dental appointments.</p><p>However, Treasury sources con-</p><p>firmed yesterday that Reeves was look-</p><p>ing again at the plans after warnings</p><p>that they could potentially end up cost-</p><p>ing the government money.</p><p>Earlier, Andy Haldane, a former</p><p>chief economist at the Bank of England,</p><p>had questioned the plan’s effectiveness.</p><p>“Is this really garnering us any extra tax</p><p>revenue?” he said on LBC radio.</p><p>“What is that doing to sentiment</p><p>about UK plc? Does that make it more</p><p>or less likely people will park their</p><p>money, set up businesses here and</p><p>therefore generate growth? It would</p><p>give you cause for pause.</p><p>“We’ve seen that in terms of business</p><p>confidence in the UK, which has been</p><p>heading south over the last six weeks or</p><p>so. This is a time where we need more</p><p>private finance to fuel growth and re-</p><p>covery. If it were me, I’d be a bit careful</p><p>in not deterring the flow of finance we</p><p>need to get growth going. If it indeed is</p><p>not helping fill what’s sometimes called</p><p>the black hole, then we’ll need to look</p><p>elsewhere.”</p><p>Non-domiciled status allows individ-</p><p>uals who live in the UK but who have a</p><p>permanent residence elsewhere to</p><p>shield overseas income and profits from</p><p>UK taxes unless they are transferred</p><p>into the country.</p><p>The fear is that some of those affect-</p><p>ed could choose to leave the UK alto-</p><p>gether rather than pay the new charges,</p><p>which include making inheritance tax</p><p>payable on foreign assets held in a trust.</p><p>About 74,000 people claimed non-dom</p><p>status in 2022-23.</p><p>One source said how much money</p><p>the changes brought in, or cost the</p><p>Treasury, was “highly dependent” on</p><p>behavioural factors that were “notori-</p><p>ously hard to model”. The source said</p><p>Q&A</p><p>When Sir Keir Starmer</p><p>entered Downing Street he</p><p>promised to lead a</p><p>government of “service”.</p><p>But after a string of</p><p>revelations about free</p><p>designer clothes, holidays</p><p>and the use of a penthouse</p><p>flat for his son to study for</p><p>his GCSEs it is all looking, as</p><p>the Tories are fond of</p><p>saying, like a government of</p><p>“self-service”.</p><p>So what are the rows</p><p>about, have rules been</p><p>broken and does it matter?</p><p>How did the scandal</p><p>begin?</p><p>Concerns were first raised</p><p>last month after it emerged</p><p>that a multimillionaire</p><p>Labour peer had been given</p><p>a pass to Downing Street</p><p>shortly after Starmer won</p><p>the last election. Lord Alli</p><p>had been responsible for</p><p>persuading donors to give</p><p>money to Labour’s election</p><p>campaign in the run-up to</p><p>polling day. He had also</p><p>given Starmer almost</p><p>£20,000 for new clothes</p><p>and spectacles.</p><p>What happened next?</p><p>While Downing Street tried</p><p>to play down the story, it</p><p>emerged that as well as</p><p>being a large party donor,</p><p>Alli had had a role in</p><p>advising Starmer on</p><p>potential appointments in</p><p>government.</p><p>The Sunday Times then</p><p>revealed that on top of suits</p><p>and glasses, Alli had paid</p><p>for clothes for Starmer’s</p><p>wife, Victoria. But unlike</p><p>those given to Starmer</p><p>these had not been</p><p>declared on the register of</p><p>members interests — as is</p><p>required by parliamentary</p><p>rules. Downing Street</p><p>claimed this was a mistake</p><p>because Starmer thought</p><p>he did not need to declare</p><p>clothes given to his wife.</p><p>How did Starmer defend</p><p>the donations?</p><p>Starmer insisted that he had</p><p>followed the rules at all</p><p>times and that his team had</p><p>initially not declared them</p><p>after seeking advice from</p><p>the “relevant authorities”.</p><p>But he confirmed they</p><p>would now be declared</p><p>after “further advice”. He</p><p>said he had been “very</p><p>consistent” in following the</p><p>rules and, to the dismay of</p><p>many Labour MPs, refused</p><p>to rule out accepting</p><p>donations in the future.</p><p>This position changed</p><p>last Friday — on the eve of</p><p>Labour’s conference in</p><p>Liverpool — when it</p><p>emerged Starmer had not</p><p>been alone in getting</p><p>sartorial support from Alli.</p><p>Angela Rayner, Labour’s</p><p>deputy leader, had also</p><p>been given more than</p><p>£10,000 by Alli, some of</p><p>which had been spent on</p><p>clothes, but this had been</p><p>declared as “support” for</p><p>her role.</p><p>Separately, Rachel</p><p>Reeves, the chancellor,</p><p>received £7,500 from a</p><p>donor, Juliet Rosenfeld, in</p><p>four instalments that were</p><p>registered as donations “to</p><p>support the shadow</p><p>chancellor’s office”.</p><p>In response Downing</p><p>Street said ministers would</p><p>no longer accept such</p><p>donations — but pointedly</p><p>did not promise to return</p><p>the donations.</p><p>What other donations did</p><p>senior Labour figures</p><p>accept?</p><p>The controversy over Alli</p><p>led to greater scrutiny of</p><p>donations to Starmer and</p><p>other Labour figures more</p><p>generally. It emerged that</p><p>Starmer stayed on in flat</p><p>after son’s exams were over</p><p>Max Kendix Political Reporter</p><p>Aubrey Allegretti</p><p>Chief Political Correspondent, New York</p><p>Sir Keir Starmer is facing further</p><p>questions about his explanation for</p><p>accepting the use of a Labour donor’s</p><p>£18 million penthouse after he insisted</p><p>that “nothing wrong has been done”.</p><p>The prime minister said he used Lord</p><p>Alli’s accommodation for 46 days this</p><p>year, from May 29 to July 13, because his</p><p>son needed a peaceful place to study for</p><p>his GCSEs. Starmer’s son is understood</p><p>to have finished his exams before June</p><p>19, meaning Starmer was still using the</p><p>flat for almost a month afterwards.</p><p>The prime minister appeared to</p><p>make light of the controversy. During</p><p>a trip to New York yesterday he met</p><p>business investors at the UK consul-</p><p>general’s residence, joking that “I’d like</p><p>to pretend this is my apartment to wel-</p><p>come you to”. He also claimed that it</p><p>was “farcical” to suggest that he tried to</p><p>pass off Alli’s home as his own when he</p><p>used the flat to record video messages</p><p>urging the public to work from home in</p><p>December 2021, during the pandemic.</p><p>Starmer insisted that “nothing wrong</p><p>has been done here” and that “every-</p><p>body has complied with all of the rules”.</p><p>He moved into the 5,000 sq ft flat in</p><p>Covent Garden, central London, for a</p><p>month and a half during the general</p><p>election campaign and declared the</p><p>£20,437.28 donation on his register of</p><p>interests. He said he needed the flat,</p><p>which was valued at more than £450 a</p><p>night, because his son, who was 15 at the</p><p>time, was being disturbed by photogra-</p><p>phers and protests outside his house.</p><p>Starmer told Sky News: “I wasn’t</p><p>going to let my son fail or not do well in</p><p>his GCSEs because of journalists out-</p><p>side the front door.”</p><p>Alli donated almost £19,000 in clothes</p><p>and glasses to the prime minister and his</p><p>wife this year. Starmer has said he will</p><p>no longer accept clothes as gifts.</p><p>News Politics</p><p>Reeves to rethink non-dom tax</p><p>Steven Swinford Political Editor officials were reassessing the plans but</p><p>suggested they were likely to be altered</p><p>rather than scrapped altogether.</p><p>“There are versions that do make</p><p>money and versions that don’t,” they</p><p>said. “Everything is being looked at but</p><p>there is no decision to scrap the policy.”</p><p>A government spokesman described</p><p>the rethink, first reported by The</p><p>Guardian, as “speculation”.</p><p>Part of the problem for Reeves is that</p><p>any projections for how much money</p><p>the policy might make will have to be</p><p>signed off by the government’s budget</p><p>watchdog, the Office for Budget Re-</p><p>sponsibility. It originally forecast that</p><p>scrapping the tax break for wealthy for-</p><p>eigners could raise about</p><p>£3.2 billion a</p><p>year, although this was “highly uncer-</p><p>tain” as wealthy people could leave Brit-</p><p>ain to avoid paying the tax.</p><p>In March Jeremy Hunt, when he was</p><p>chancellor, announced changes to the</p><p>rules that would mean new arrivals in</p><p>the UK would only be able to avoid tax</p><p>on overseas earnings for the first four</p><p>years of their residency. This was pre-</p><p>dicted to generate more than £1 billion</p><p>a year of extra revenue, to help pay for</p><p>cuts in national insurance.</p><p>Labour insisted it would go further</p><p>than Hunt and in its manifesto used the</p><p>revenues it expected to raise to pay for</p><p>election pledges. There is concern that</p><p>these revenues might not materialise.</p><p>One option could be to restrict who is</p><p>entitled to be a non-dom by reducing</p><p>the residency test to below four years.</p><p>However, there is concern that this</p><p>might deter high-earning foreign work-</p><p>ers from accepting jobs in the UK.</p><p>A Treasury source said no decisions</p><p>had been taken, while Reeves is said to</p><p>be committed to the principle behind</p><p>the tax changes.</p><p>The Treasury said: “These reports</p><p>are purely speculation. The independ-</p><p>ent Office for Budget Responsibility</p><p>will certify the costings of all measures</p><p>announced at the budget in the usual</p><p>way. We are committed to addressing</p><p>unfairness in the tax system, which is</p><p>why we are removing the outdated</p><p>non-dom tax regime — so we can raise</p><p>the revenue needed to rebuild our</p><p>public services — and replacing it with</p><p>a new, internationally competitive,</p><p>residence-based regime focused on</p><p>attracting the best talent and</p><p>investment to the UK.”</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 7</p><p>News</p><p>A row has erupted between scientists</p><p>over the future of carbon capture</p><p>schemes in Britain after one group</p><p>called on ministers to pause support</p><p>while another warned that a freeze</p><p>would make climate change worse.</p><p>The previous government pledged</p><p>up to £20 billion over ten years to devel-</p><p>op carbon capture and storage (CCS) in</p><p>the UK and Labour’s manifesto had a</p><p>promise to invest in it.</p><p>The technology works by capturing</p><p>carbon dioxide emitted in industrial</p><p>facilities such as power stations and</p><p>hydrogen production plants and</p><p>burying it in places such as old oil fields</p><p>under the North Sea.</p><p>However, a group of 23 scientists and</p><p>climate campaigners have now written</p><p>to Ed Miliband, the energy secretary,</p><p>warning that the wrong decisions on</p><p>how to decarbonise the UK could prove</p><p>“catastrophic”.</p><p>The signatories include Professor</p><p>Kevin Anderson of the University of</p><p>Manchester, Professor Mark Maslin of</p><p>University College London and staff at</p><p>the campaign group Friends of the</p><p>Earth. In their letter they urge Miliband</p><p>to pause support for CCS in gas-fired</p><p>power stations and plants making hy-</p><p>drogen from natural gas — so-called</p><p>blue hydrogen.</p><p>“This policy would lock the UK into</p><p>using fossil fuel-based energy genera-</p><p>tion to well past 2050,” they warn,</p><p>adding that Britain could be forced to</p><p>rely on imports of liquefied natural gas</p><p>from other countries.</p><p>Final investment rulings are expect-</p><p>ed imminently for several CCS projects,</p><p>including at a planned BP facility in</p><p>Teesside designed to produce hydrogen</p><p>from natural gas while capturing most</p><p>of the carbon dioxide emitted.</p><p>The letter says government support</p><p>for such schemes should be halted</p><p>because of how much methane — a</p><p>strong greenhouse gas — leaked into</p><p>the atmosphere during the extraction</p><p>process, even if carbon was captured</p><p>and stored at later stages. Organised by</p><p>Professors clash</p><p>over UK’s carbon</p><p>capture schemes</p><p>Adam Vaughan Environment Editor the group Campaign Against Climate</p><p>Change, the letter goes on to claim that</p><p>the technology does not always</p><p>successfully store and transport carbon</p><p>dioxide without leaks.</p><p>The letter sparked a fierce reaction</p><p>from other scientists. Asked if a pause</p><p>was sensible, Niall Mac Dowell,</p><p>professor of future energy systems at</p><p>Imperial College London, said:</p><p>“Emphatically, no.” He added: “It’s un-</p><p>helpful because climate change is real,</p><p>it’s anthropogenic and there’s some ur-</p><p>gency — we need to do something</p><p>about it now. Pausing really is not an</p><p>option.” He said the issue of methane</p><p>leaks from natural gas extraction was</p><p>well known and being addressed.</p><p>Professor Myles Allen, a climate</p><p>scientist at Oxford University, said:</p><p>“Why are so many of those who claim to</p><p>be concerned about climate change also</p><p>keen to delay the deployment of</p><p>responsible and permanent CO2</p><p>disposal? Their safety concerns are</p><p>unsubstantiated or false, while their</p><p>cost-effectiveness arguments miss the</p><p>UK’s global responsibilities.”</p><p>Professor Stuart Haszeldine of the</p><p>University of Edinburgh, one of the</p><p>UK’s leading CCS experts, has orga-</p><p>nised a letter in response, saying the first</p><p>one was “remarkable for its advocacy of</p><p>continuing to release millions of tonnes</p><p>of fossil CO2 each year into the atmos-</p><p>phere”. His letter was signed by nine</p><p>other experts, including Mac Dowell</p><p>and Allen. He said he shared concerns</p><p>about the emissions from extracting</p><p>natural gas but a large amount of future</p><p>UK gas supply would be imported from</p><p>Norway, where extraction emissions</p><p>are lower than in most countries.</p><p>The call for a pause is likely to fall on</p><p>deaf ears in the government. A senior</p><p>government source said: “All credible</p><p>energy agencies and scenarios show</p><p>the importance of CCS in achieving a</p><p>decarbonised energy system.”</p><p>They indicated ministers were going</p><p>“full steam ahead” with CCS and had no</p><p>intention of changing their plans.</p><p>Lady Starmer accepted free</p><p>tickets to see Taylor Swift —</p><p>as did Wes Streeting, the</p><p>health secretary, Bridget</p><p>Phillipson, the education</p><p>secretary, and Lisa Nandy,</p><p>the culture secretary.</p><p>Rayner accepted a</p><p>holiday in Alli’s New York</p><p>flat and the prime minister</p><p>accepted a gift of</p><p>accommodation from him.</p><p>What about football?</p><p>Starmer was pictured</p><p>watching Arsenal’s match</p><p>against Tottenham in a box</p><p>alongside a corporate</p><p>lobbyist and admitted that</p><p>he had accepted corporate</p><p>hospitality from the club. He</p><p>said this was because police</p><p>had told him that if he sat in</p><p>the stands where he had his</p><p>season ticket then the seats</p><p>around him would have to</p><p>be taken by close</p><p>protection officers.</p><p>As a result he said</p><p>Arsenal had allowed him to</p><p>use the board’s corporate</p><p>box, which he argued saved</p><p>the taxpayer money.</p><p>What is the latest</p><p>controversy in the</p><p>donations row?</p><p>As well as the clothes it was</p><p>revealed that Starmer had</p><p>also used Alli’s £18 million</p><p>London house penthouse</p><p>during the election, which</p><p>he claimed was so his son</p><p>could prepare for his GCSE</p><p>without being disturbed by</p><p>media and protesters</p><p>outside their family home.</p><p>He also used the property</p><p>to record a video urging the</p><p>public to work from home</p><p>during the pandemic and</p><p>for an address to mark the</p><p>Queen’s death. In the video</p><p>Starmer appeared to be</p><p>speaking from his own</p><p>home, with shelves behind</p><p>him lined with Christmas</p><p>cards and a picture of his</p><p>family. The video was</p><p>broadcast on December 13,</p><p>2021, the day the new rules</p><p>came into effect.</p><p>Downing Street said it</p><p>was confident that no rules</p><p>had been broken.</p><p>Did Starmer break the</p><p>rules?</p><p>It is likely that Starmer can</p><p>claim he did not break</p><p>Covid rules by filming the</p><p>video in Alli’s flat because it</p><p>was necessary for work</p><p>purposes. However, it is</p><p>questionable as to whether</p><p>it should have been</p><p>declared to the</p><p>parliamentary authorities.</p><p>More broadly, Starmer</p><p>appears to have followed</p><p>the letter of the law rather</p><p>than the spirit of it by</p><p>declaring as little</p><p>information as possible.</p><p>Why does this matter?</p><p>Before the election Starmer</p><p>made much of his probity</p><p>compared with the previous</p><p>Conservative government.</p><p>He promised Labour would</p><p>be a government of</p><p>“service”. The revelations</p><p>undermine this — and raise</p><p>questions about the access</p><p>that large donors have to</p><p>senior political figures in</p><p>return for helping them out</p><p>in a personal capacity.</p><p>Senior Labour figures say</p><p>that Alli has been a long-</p><p>standing Labour supporter</p><p>— and a peer — and has</p><p>always had a close</p><p>relationship with Starmer.</p><p>They dispute that the</p><p>donations</p><p>were in any way</p><p>improper or could be seen</p><p>to be seeking influence.</p><p>However, it will</p><p>undoubtedly increase</p><p>pressure on Starmer to</p><p>tighten the rules around</p><p>donations. In particular,</p><p>government ministers do</p><p>not have to publicly declare</p><p>the hospitality they receive</p><p>as a result of their positions,</p><p>but other MPs do. There are</p><p>calls for this to be changed.</p><p>Public sector wages need</p><p>£17bn rise, says think tank</p><p>Chris Smyth Whitehall Editor</p><p>Public sector pay will have to rise by</p><p>£17 billion to catch up with the private</p><p>sector and make good Labour’s pro-</p><p>mises on schools and the NHS, the Insti-</p><p>tute for Fiscal Studies has estimated.</p><p>Doctors, teachers, police and others</p><p>should be allowed to top up their sala-</p><p>ries using generous public sector pen-</p><p>sions in order to deal with increasing</p><p>struggles to recruit and retain enough</p><p>staff, the think tank says.</p><p>Senior staff have seen their pay fall</p><p>the most and are likely to need a pay</p><p>rise to stop increasing numbers leaving,</p><p>a new report says today.</p><p>Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, cited</p><p>the £9.4 billion cost of public sector pay</p><p>rises this year as a key reason for emer-</p><p>gency cuts to public spending, includ-</p><p>ing the contentious scrapping of winter</p><p>fuel payments for all but the poorest</p><p>pensioners.</p><p>Paying public sector staff currently</p><p>costs £270 billion including pension</p><p>contributions and National Insurance,</p><p>22 per cent of all government spending.</p><p>However, after years of pay squeezes,</p><p>real-terms pay in the public sector is</p><p>still below 2010 levels and has fallen</p><p>relative to private sector workers, par-</p><p>ticularly for senior staff. The IFS says</p><p>that falling pay has contributed to</p><p>problems attracting staff, with teacher</p><p>vacancy rates double pre-pandemic</p><p>levels and increasing numbers of top</p><p>civil servants leaving their jobs.</p><p>The think tank estimates that keep-</p><p>ing pace with private sector pay would</p><p>require the overall public sector pay bill</p><p>to rise by 6 per cent by 2029. However,</p><p>it says that there is “good reason to</p><p>believe that there will be pressure in</p><p>coming years to deliver public sector</p><p>pay increases that, on average, outstrip</p><p>private sector wage growth”, saying that</p><p>previous pay squeezes are causing “real</p><p>difficulties recruiting the right number,</p><p>and type, of public sector workers”.</p><p>News</p><p>amid cost warning</p><p>John Healey, the</p><p>defence secretary,</p><p>flanked by Richard</p><p>Marles of Australia</p><p>and the US’s Lloyd</p><p>Austin, at the Aukus</p><p>defence meeting in</p><p>Greenwich, London</p><p>8 Friday September 27 2024 | the times</p><p>News</p><p>T</p><p>he number of</p><p>harbour seals</p><p>counted</p><p>basking on the</p><p>sandbanks of</p><p>the Thames estuary has</p><p>fallen to its lowest level</p><p>in 11 years (Adam</p><p>Vaughan writes).</p><p>An aerial and sea</p><p>survey undertaken by</p><p>the Zoological Society of</p><p>London (ZSL) using</p><p>military helicopters and</p><p>boats found only 431</p><p>harbour seals over</p><p>several days in August,</p><p>the lowest count since</p><p>the monitoring scheme</p><p>started in 2013.</p><p>Conservationists are</p><p>still investigating the</p><p>cause of the decline</p><p>along the river after</p><p>numbers started their</p><p>downward trend in 2018.</p><p>ZSL said that one factor</p><p>contributing to the fall</p><p>could be that harbour</p><p>seal were losing out to</p><p>grey seals in the</p><p>competition for food.</p><p>This year’s survey</p><p>counted 714 grey seals,</p><p>up from 203 in 2013.</p><p>Their numbers have</p><p>stayed roughly steady</p><p>over the past five years.</p><p>“Grey seal numbers</p><p>have continued to rise,</p><p>even after we started to</p><p>see a decline in harbour</p><p>seals. Grey seals could</p><p>be outcompeting</p><p>harbour</p><p>seals,” said</p><p>Hannah</p><p>McCormick</p><p>of ZSL.</p><p>Another</p><p>potential</p><p>factor could</p><p>be human</p><p>disturbance,</p><p>she added,</p><p>such as the</p><p>maintenance</p><p>of wind</p><p>farms affecting feeding</p><p>behaviours. There are</p><p>four offshore wind farms</p><p>in the estuary, which</p><p>were brought</p><p>into</p><p>operation</p><p>before the</p><p>survey</p><p>began.</p><p>Similar</p><p>declines in</p><p>harbour</p><p>seals have</p><p>been noted</p><p>in other</p><p>colonies</p><p>around the</p><p>UK, leading to wider</p><p>investigations.</p><p>Based on the counts</p><p>this year, ZSL estimated</p><p>that there were 599</p><p>harbour seals and</p><p>2,988 grey seals in the</p><p>estuary. A slight dip in</p><p>numbers of both species</p><p>this year could be due to</p><p>a change in survey</p><p>methods. A helicopter</p><p>was used this year</p><p>instead of a plane, which</p><p>meant staying at a</p><p>higher altitude.</p><p>McCormick said that</p><p>although the area is one</p><p>of the busiest marine</p><p>environments in the</p><p>world, it remains very</p><p>important for wildlife.</p><p>Thames harbour seals</p><p>dive to an 11-year low</p><p>A harbour seal, above, by</p><p>the estuary, where grey</p><p>and harbour seals were</p><p>counted from the air</p><p>Eight Liberal Democrat councillors in</p><p>Hertfordshire have quit the party and</p><p>accused officials of enabling sexual</p><p>harassment, alleging that an internal</p><p>committee overruled a misconduct</p><p>investigation into its former leader.</p><p>The councillors, who are all women,</p><p>resigned the party whip at a live-</p><p>streamed meeting of Dacorum</p><p>borough council, which is based in</p><p>Hemel Hempstead, on Wednesday</p><p>night. The resignations mean the Lib</p><p>Dems have lost their overall majority on</p><p>the council, which they won last year.</p><p>Sir Ed Davey, the party leader,</p><p>launched his 2023 local election cam-</p><p>paign in Berkhamsted, in the borough,</p><p>driving a yellow tractor.</p><p>Claire Hobson, the chair of the stra-</p><p>tegic planning and environment over-</p><p>view and scrutiny committee, accused</p><p>Adrian England, leader of the council</p><p>and Lib Dem group, of failing “to deal</p><p>with allegations of bullying and harass-</p><p>ment, including sexual harassment”.</p><p>“In all good conscience I can no</p><p>longer remain a member of the Liberal</p><p>Democrat group,” she said, adding: “I</p><p>am not alone in my concerns about this</p><p>and other issues and a further seven</p><p>colleagues are tonight leaving the</p><p>Liberal Democrat councillor group to</p><p>sit as independent members.”</p><p>The meeting was adjourned, because</p><p>some of the resigning councillors were</p><p>portfolio holders and unable to update</p><p>the council on their work. In July,</p><p>the former leader of the party, Ron</p><p>Tindall, was suspended from the</p><p>Liberal Democrats after allegations of</p><p>misconduct, pending investigations by</p><p>the council and the party. He resigned</p><p>from his cabinet post for people and</p><p>transformation.</p><p>At the time, he said he had been</p><p>asked to stand down “temporarily” but</p><p>he was “confident” he would be rein-</p><p>stated following the investigations.</p><p>“From what I know of [the allegations],</p><p>2021, there were no specialist units or</p><p>wards in the NHS for treating severe</p><p>ME. The situation continues today and</p><p>senior NHS managers have been told</p><p>there are no plans to set up a national</p><p>service.</p><p>On Friday, Archer will hold a hearing</p><p>to decide whether she should write a</p><p>prevention of future deaths report in an</p><p>attempt to stop other ME sufferers dy-</p><p>ing from the disease. After the inquest</p><p>Gwynne said: “Every patient deserves</p><p>to have their condition understood and</p><p>treated to the highest standard, and this</p><p>is a heart-wrenching example of a</p><p>patient falling through the cracks.”</p><p>Karen Hargrave, co-founder of</p><p>ThereForME, said the government had</p><p>made encouraging commitments to</p><p>improving the care for ME and long</p><p>Covid patients. But, she warned, there</p><p>did not seem to be a sense of urgency,</p><p>even though lives were at risk. The gov-</p><p>ernment’s ME delivery plan will not be</p><p>published not until the late winter and</p><p>then it will have to be implemented.</p><p>“We need action now,” Hargrave</p><p>said. “Patients are being failed, but</p><p>healthcare workers are being failed just</p><p>as badly. They need proper structures</p><p>and clear guidance to provide people</p><p>with ME-safe care and save lives.”</p><p>A spokesman for NHS England said:</p><p>“Improvements are needed within the</p><p>health service and across society to in-</p><p>crease understanding and awareness of</p><p>ME — also known as chronic fatigue</p><p>syndrome — and to make sure that</p><p>patients and their families are listened</p><p>to and receive the care they need, in line</p><p>with Nice guidance. We will work close-</p><p>ly with the government, patients and</p><p>clinicians to achieve these ambitions.”</p><p>NHS bosses resisting calls</p><p>for specialist care of ME</p><p>Fiona Hamilton Chief Reporter</p><p>Eleanor Hayward Health Editor</p><p>Lib Dems quit en masse</p><p>over ‘sexual harassment’</p><p>I deny them absolutely,”</p><p>he said. In July</p><p>an investigation by Olwen Brown, a so-</p><p>licitor, concluded that Tindall’s actions</p><p>“constituted sexual harassment”.</p><p>However, a statement from the eight</p><p>councillors accused the Liberal Demo-</p><p>crat group of rejecting the findings of</p><p>this report. On September 12, a sub-</p><p>committee on standards comprising</p><p>three Lib Dems and one Conservative</p><p>dismissed complaints against Tindall.</p><p>The resigning councillors also</p><p>alleged that England appointed Tindall</p><p>to the cabinet and gave him oversight of</p><p>the party’s human resources last year,</p><p>despite being told of the complaints.</p><p>Victoria Santamaria, the former</p><p>chair of the Lib Dem group, said: “I have</p><p>been shocked to see the level of sexism</p><p>within the Liberal Democrats, where I</p><p>had rather naively assumed such</p><p>behaviour would not be tolerated.”</p><p>Tindall said: “The whole matter</p><p>about the malicious allegations against</p><p>me was dealt with by the standards</p><p>committee and there was no case to</p><p>answer and neither complaint was up-</p><p>held. What disappoints me most about</p><p>this whole business is the fact that these</p><p>individuals, having been elected by the</p><p>Liberal Democrat voters, chose to</p><p>follow personal ambitions and not</p><p>support party objectives.”</p><p>A spokesman for Dacorum Liberal</p><p>Democrats said: “Ron Tindall remains</p><p>suspended from the Dacorum Liberal</p><p>Democrat council group, pending an</p><p>internal investigation.” England has</p><p>been approached for comment.</p><p>Dominic Hauschild</p><p>NHS bosses have rejected pleas for</p><p>specialist care for people with severe</p><p>myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) —</p><p>despite promises from a health minister</p><p>to tackle the lack of provision.</p><p>The recent inquest into the death of</p><p>Maeve Boothby-O’Neill, 27, whose case</p><p>exposed failings in the treatment of</p><p>patients with severe ME, led a minister</p><p>to say she had fallen through the cracks.</p><p>Andrew Gwynne, the minister for</p><p>public health and prevention, pledged</p><p>in August to boost research, improve at-</p><p>titudes and “better the lives of people</p><p>with this debilitating disease”.</p><p>The inquest heard doctors lacked the</p><p>expertise to treat Boothby-O’Neill, the</p><p>daughter of Times journalist Sean</p><p>O’Neill, and there were calls for</p><p>national expert provision and a special-</p><p>ist centre for the most severely affected</p><p>patients. However, The Times has been</p><p>told a national service for ME patients</p><p>is not on the agenda despite acknowl-</p><p>edgement that patients are not receiv-</p><p>ing the expert care they need.</p><p>Deborah Archer, assistant coroner</p><p>for Devon, found that Boothby-O’Neill</p><p>died at her home in Exeter from natural</p><p>causes after three admissions to hospi-</p><p>tal in her last months of life because</p><p>doctors “were unable to treat the conse-</p><p>quences of her severe myalgic encepha-</p><p>lomyelitis”. Archer said because there</p><p>was no known treatment or cure for</p><p>ME, which has an unknown cause, it is</p><p>“not possible to say whether any treat-</p><p>ment would have halted the disease</p><p>process in Maeve, even if she had been</p><p>treated against her will”. At the time, in</p><p>Sir Ed Davey in Berkhamsted; Claire</p><p>Hobson resigned in protest and Ron</p><p>Tindall is facing two investigations</p><p>the times | Friday September 27 2024 9</p><p>News</p><p>A manager at a prominent barristers’</p><p>chambers stole £2.75 million from the</p><p>lawyers in what a court heard was an</p><p>attempt to finance her “lifestyle”.</p><p>Pump Court Chambers, which</p><p>is based in the Temple, part of</p><p>London’s historic Inns of Court, had</p><p>tried to keep the loss of the money</p><p>secret but a judge has ruled that the</p><p>theft can be reported.</p><p>The court ruled that Gillian Good-</p><p>field, who also went under the surname</p><p>Brown, had stolen the money while</p><p>working as the chambers’ credit control</p><p>manager. She had been with the cham-</p><p>bers since 2015 but left in June. She was</p><p>responsible for managing the account</p><p>into which clients paid bills owed to the</p><p>barristers and ensuring that the lawyers</p><p>received their fees.</p><p>After Goodfield left, they discovered</p><p>that over five years she had stolen £2.75</p><p>million from the account. The court</p><p>The judge of the employment tribu-</p><p>nal in Manchester, Hilary Slater,</p><p>agreed that Guest’s post was “ill-</p><p>judged”. She said: “To describe the initi-</p><p>ative as ‘dubious’ on a forum open to all</p><p>employees was an inappropriate way of</p><p>raising any concerns.” The judge added</p><p>that Brown had “proper cause” for re-</p><p>sponding in support of the initiative but</p><p>said his comments “went beyond a pro-</p><p>portionate and appropriate employee-</p><p>wide response.”</p><p>The judge accepted that Brown’s</p><p>comments were “effective cause” for</p><p>Guest’s decision to leave Citizens Ad-</p><p>vice. But she said that even if Guest held</p><p>a “subjective view” that there was a</p><p>breach, “this does not mean that there</p><p>was one”. She said this could constitute</p><p>a breach if there were other matters —</p><p>but there weren’t. For this reason,</p><p>Guest’s claims were dismissed.</p><p>Manager stole £2.75m from lawyers</p><p>noted that Goodfield had since “can-</p><p>didly admitted” stealing the funds and</p><p>said in a witness statement that she</p><p>“bitterly regretted” her action.</p><p>In a statement, the chambers con-</p><p>firmed that police were investigating.</p><p>Goodfield is said to have maintained</p><p>that she spent all the stolen money, al-</p><p>though the High Court ruling did not</p><p>provide details of how she spent it. Law-</p><p>yers for the chambers told the court</p><p>they “found it hard to accept” that</p><p>Goodfield had “frittered away” what</p><p>amounted to about £700,000 a year.</p><p>They told the judge some of the funds</p><p>“must still be preserved” and called for</p><p>moves be taken to retrieve it.</p><p>Earlier, Pump Court lawyers argued</p><p>before the judge that conducting the</p><p>hearing in public would damage the</p><p>“integrity” of the chambers. However,</p><p>the judge rejected the argument and</p><p>lifted the anonymity order on proceed-</p><p>ings. In his ruling, Mr Justice Morrison</p><p>said lawyers had argued for secrecy to</p><p>protect the chambers as “a going con-</p><p>cern”. It was argued that publicly re-</p><p>vealing the theft “could be something</p><p>analogous to a run on [a] bank” and that</p><p>“high-earning barristers might decide</p><p>to leave” the chambers.</p><p>The judge was also told that former</p><p>members of the chambers “might make</p><p>claims for sums unpaid to them”, creat-</p><p>ing “a spiral of decline”. However, in a</p><p>blow to the chambers he ruled that to</p><p>“secure the proper administration of</p><p>justice” it was not necessary to keep the</p><p>hearing private and the theft secret.</p><p>In a statement, the chambers said the</p><p>“fraud took place some time ago and</p><p>did not impact upon the operational</p><p>running of chambers”. It added that</p><p>having discovered the theft, the lawyers</p><p>“took immediate and decisive recovery</p><p>action” and were “pursuing all legal</p><p>avenues vigorously”.</p><p>The lawyers noted that they had “put</p><p>in place new systems to address any</p><p>future risks”.</p><p>Jonathan Ames Legal Editor</p><p>Citizens Advice sued after</p><p>solicitor’s row with boss</p><p>A solicitor sued Citizens Advice after</p><p>she got into a row with bosses by com-</p><p>plaining about a scheme to give hard-</p><p>working staff their birthday off.</p><p>Sarah Guest posted on an employee-</p><p>wide forum that an initiative allowing</p><p>staff members their birthday off as a</p><p>reward was “a bit dubious”.</p><p>Her comments angered the chief</p><p>executive of the Manchester service,</p><p>Andy Brown, who said the only “dubi-</p><p>ous” matter was whether Guest’s values</p><p>“aligned” with those of Citizens Advice.</p><p>This “humiliated” Guest, who admit-</p><p>ted her comment was “ill-judged”, and</p><p>resulted in her finding another job and</p><p>leaving the organisation. She then sued</p><p>for constructive unfair dismissal and,</p><p>while an employment judge agreed the</p><p>response from Brown was “dispropor-</p><p>tionate”, she said this did not amount to</p><p>a breach of trust and confidence.</p><p>Naomi Campbell has been banned</p><p>from running charities for five years</p><p>after an investigation found wide-</p><p>spread financial misconduct at her</p><p>anti-poverty fundraising body.</p><p>The supermodel enjoyed a stay at</p><p>a five-star hotel in Cannes, where</p><p>she used funds from her Fashion for</p><p>Relief charity to pay for spa treatments,</p><p>room service and cigarettes. A Charity</p><p>Commission inquiry found that of</p><p>£4.8 million generated by the charity</p><p>at fashion events from 2016 to 2022,</p><p>only £389,000 found its way to good</p><p>causes.</p><p>Campbell, 54, founded</p>