Table of contents for 1429 in The Week

What happened Humza Yousaf was confirmed as Scotland’s new First Minister (FM) on Tuesday, following a close-fought election that exposed deep divisions within the SNP. At 37, he’s the youngest, and first ethnic-minority, politician to lead the country. The former health secretary, who was widely seen as the continuity candidate, defeated his closest rival, finance secretary Kate Forbes, by 52% to 48% after the third candidate, Ash Regan, was eliminated from the race and the second-preference votes of her supporters were distributed. Yousaf promised to heal SNP divisions “quickly” and to govern for all Scots. But Forbes opted to quit the government and become a backbench MSP rather than accept a demotion to the post of rural affairs secretary. In an emotional final appearance as FM at Holyrood last week,…

This January, Ruth Perry, the headmistress of Caversham Primary School in Reading, killed herself shortly after learning that her school was to be downgraded by Ofsted’s inspectors from “outstanding” to “inadequate”, the lowest rating. Suicides seldom have one single cause, and the inquest has not yet been conducted, but Perry’s family feel strongly that her death was the “direct result” of the pressure put on her by a “deeply harmful” inspection. The episode provoked a “national backlash” against Ofsted, said Mario Ledwith in The Times. Teachers across the country called for boycotts or even the abolition of what many see as a “punitive inspection regime”. In the case of Caversham, its assessment did seem particularly unforgiving. The school was rated “good” in every category other than leadership and management, which…

Matt Hancock, after he was caught up in a “sting” investigating MPs’ willingness to take on paid consultancy work. The ex-health secretary told a fake South Korean company that his daily rate was “10,000, sterling”. Kwasi Kwarteng, the former chancellor, also said that he could “work with” the firm, after he was offered up to £12,000 for each of six meetings he’d attend per year. There is no suggestion that either MP broke any rules. British honey, after the European Commission tested ten samples of honey that had been blended or packaged in the UK, and found that they’d all been adulterated with cheap syrup.…

A quarter of Scots think Scotland is heading in the right direction, according to an Ipsos poll conducted before Humza Yousaf was named as the new leader of the SNP. Half of Scots think it is on the wrong path. 19% said neither was the case. 53% of adults say they don’t care much or at all how rich politicians are, according to a survey taken after PM Rishi Sunak was revealed to have made £4.7m in three years. 43% care a great deal or a fair amount. YouGov 17% of voters in Northern Ireland said they were opposed to the Windsor Framework, in a poll conducted in early March. 45% described themselves as not opposed to it. The Irish News/Institute of Irish Studies…

A potter’s inspiration Today, Emma Bridgewater is Britain’s unofficial queen of pottery, but it all started quite haphazardly, when she went hunting for a birthday present for her mother Charlotte, in 1985. “She had always collected pottery and had a wonderful eye, so I wanted to get her a cup and saucer but I couldn’t find anything that was quite right,” Bridgewater told Judith Woods in The Daily Telegraph. She ended up drawing four simple designs, for a mug, a bowl, a jug and a dish, which she took to a small factory in Stoke-on-Trent to be made. She then applied patterns to them using a cut sponge, and glazed them. The pieces turned out so well that she started selling them from a stall in London, and then at…

A Bedfordshire estate agent has been praised for going the extra mile by recording a musical advertisement for a house in Leighton Buzzard. In the clip, Claire Cossey, now known as “the singing estate agent”, is seen touring the sprawling five-bedroom house while performing “The NeverEnding Property”, a bespoke version of the 1980s hit NeverEnding Story. Some hailed Cossey as a “modern-day hero”; but not all were won over. “I cringed so hard, I folded myself into an alternative dimension,” said one viewer. Another asked: “What in the GCSE music is happening here?” A man from Queensland, Australia, pranked his wife by having her most unflattering photo tattooed onto his thigh. Jarrod Grove says that he and his wife Tegan are always joking around, so he decided to up the…

Sofia Coppola’s 16-year-old daughter Romy (pictured) was hailed as the ultimate “nepo baby” last week, after a video of her cooking pasta in a vodka sauce went viral. In the clip, Romy poses with a Grammy won by her rock star father, Thomas Mars, accuses her parents of being so absent she needs “replacement parents”, and reveals that she has been grounded for trying to “charter a helicopter from New York to Maryland on my dad’s credit card because I wanted to have dinner with my friend”. The latest The Rest Is History podcast comes with a trigger warning advising that the episode contains “graphic details of the torture of enslaved people”, and is “not intended for younger audiences”. Yet its co-host, Dominic Sandbrook, is not normally troubled by such…

“Art frees us from the tyranny of the mean, mode and median, which exist nowhere but on a spreadsheet.” Ben Wright in The Daily Telegraph “Hollywood is like high school with money.” Michael Ovitz, quoted in The Wall Street Journal “Middle age is when you’ve met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.” Ogden Nash, quoted on The Knowledge “Me to 99.99% of men: Please speak to me like an intelligent adult. Me to my financial adviser: Please speak to me like I’m the dumbest person to ever live on this planet.” Sophie Vershbow, quoted on HuffPost “I examined myself … and found a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds.” C.S. Lewis, quoted…

To The Guardian A question for the head of Ofsted, lead inspectors and education ministers: would you be happy if your child’s school report was summarised by one of these headings: “outstanding”, “good”, “requires improvement”, “inadequate”? Pat Jones, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire To The Daily Telegraph There has been much criticism of Ofsted’s choice of headings in reporting on a school’s performance. However, this summation is always accompanied by a detailed explanation of the process used to reach that conclusion, including consultations with pupils, staff, parents and governors. The reports are then published online and are freely available for anyone to read. Nobody particularly enjoys being subjected to scrutiny, and the process can be stressful, but inspectors are invariably respectful, considerate and above all fair. I know, because I have experienced…

by Philip Hensher Fourth Estate 304pp £16.99 The Week Bookshop £13.99 “The pandemic has prompted a spate of novels, and more no doubt will follow,” said Adrian Turpin in Literary Review. But few are likely to better capture the “strangeness” of that time than Philip Hensher’s To Battersea Park. This clever, original work consists of four sections, said Lucy Scholes in The Daily Telegraph. Part one follows a writer with a “striking resemblance to Hensher” who “bakes elaborate cakes” and seethes at joggers in the park. Part two widens the perspective to other characters, before, in part three, Hensher ventures into “postapocalyptic” territory, as he follows a man walking in Kent in the aftermath of a deadly “fifth wave”. The final section returns to the writer, who’s by now struggling…

Finding inspiration in pantry porn Look on the social media profiles of certain public figures – Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham – and you’ll be treated to pictures of their impeccable pantries, says Ajesh Patalay in the FT. With “row upon regimented row of condiments, canisters and Kilner jars”, these spaces are like “temples to a higher order”. Most of us don’t have a pantry, but we all have “cupboards and drawers and a modern-day larder (in the form of a refrigerator)”. And with “a little discipline”, these can be made similarly inviting. Start with a stock take. It can be a wake-up call: how did you end up with five pots of Dijon mustard? Keep the items you use daily closest to hand; for everything else, ask yourself: does it…

Escape to the Bahamas Wake up to views of the ocean from the beachfront Margaritaville Beach Resort. Seven nights from £1,622pp b&b (incl. Manchester flights). 0344-472 9646, virginholidays.co.uk. Depart 6 October. Tahitian treasures cruise Seventeen nights onboard the Celebrity Solstice from Hawaii with stops in French Polynesia & Australia. From £1,281pp full-board. 0344-493 2043, celebritycruises.com. Depart 1 October. Classic Cambodia This 5-night adventure begins in lively Phnom Penh, with visits to the ancient Angkor Wat and the enigmatic faces of Bayon. From £762pp b&b. 0808-274 5111, intrepidtravel.com. Arrive 22 April. Scenic isles of Scotland Departing from Southampton, this 9-night cruise will take you to Invergordon, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Lerwick. From £759pp full-board. 020-3131 2019, iglucruise.com. Depart 3 May. Covid-19: please check government websites for testing and quarantine requirements, and the…

Royal Mail: going bust? How are Royal Mail’s negotiations with striking unions going? Not so well, said Nils Pratley in The Guardian. With talks now “on the brink of collapse”, the board is toying with the “politically explosive” move of declaring Royal Mail’s loss-making postal service “insolvent”. The step is regarded by Royal Mail’s board “as a last resort”. You can understand why. It would mean the end of its “universal service obligation” to deliver to every address in the country. According to the company’s parent, the recently renamed International Distributions Services (IDS) – which also owns the profitable Amsterdam-based parcels business GLS – Royal Mail is on course to make operating losses of £350m-£400m this year. The question, were it declared insolvent, is who the Government might appoint as…

Easter crunch Soaring sugar prices have pushed food inflation to a fresh record high, “in a blow to shoppers stocking up on chocolates for the Easter weekend”, said Telegraph.co.uk. Food prices jumped by 15%, year-on-year, in March – after a 14.5% increase in February – according to figures from the British Retail Consortium and NielsenIQ, marking “the highest level of food inflation on record”. BRC boss Helen Dickinson said the rising cost of sugar had left “a sour taste”. Bailey in blame mode Early retirees have been cited as a cause of Britain’s poor growth, but according to the BoE governor, Andrew Bailey, they’re also driving up inflation (now running back at 10.4% following a shock bounce) and partly explain “why we have had to raise the Bank rate by…

Enjoying The Week? Join over 300,000 readers and discover a refreshingly clear and unbiased view of the last seven days. We can’t slow the world down, but we can give you the space to step back from the noise and digest the news on your own terms. Why subscribe? ✔ Money-back guarantee If for any reason you’re not satisfied with your subscription, you can cancel anytime and we’ll refund on any issues not received. ✔ Great savings As a subscriber you’ll benefit from great savings off the RRP and from special offers and discounts. ✔ Free delivery A subscription includes free delivery so you can receive the magazine directly to your door every week. Get your first 6 issues free Visit theweek.co.uk/offer Or call 0330 333 9494 Offer code P1429…

What happened The wave of violent unrest sparked by President Macron’s reforms to the French pension system intensified this week, following his decision to use his constitutional powers to bypass a vote by MPs, and push the legislation through by executive decree. Last Thursday, protesters fought running battles with police on the streets of Paris, and on Tuesday, demonstrators were once again out in force. It was the tenth day of action since January, when the rolling protests against Macron’s plan to raise the pension age from 62 to 64 began. The government had announced that a record 5,500 security personnel would be deployed in Paris alone, citing “a major risk to public order”. Last week, the protests forced the 11th-hour postponement of King Charles’s state visit. He had been…

A cruise line is aiming to attract “digital nomads” with a 135-country, round-the-world trip that takes three years to complete. For £73,060, passengers will get full-board accommodation on a ship that has been remodelled with remote workers in mind. As well as the usual cruise features, it will have offices, meeting rooms and full Wi-Fi. Life at Sea Cruises says demand has been unprecedented, with the newly retired also proving particularly keen. Rowers have been asked by the animal rights group Peta to stop saying they have “caught a crab” when their blade gets stuck in the water, because it normalises animal cruelty. Instead, Peta is urging them to use a more “animal friendly” alternative, such as “liberating a lobster”.…

A major incident was declared this week after around 200 barrels of reservoir fluid, consisting of 85% water and 15% oil, leaked into the waters of Owers Bay in Poole Harbour. The leak came from a pipeline carrying oil from Wytch Farm, an oil field run by the company Perenco, which produces about 14,000 barrels of oil per day. Dorset police advised the public not to swim in the harbour or surrounding area until further notice. The Poole Harbour Commissioners, the body that regulates activities on the harbour, said the cleanup would last until at least the end of the week, but that the leak was “not as bad as initially thought”.…

Berlin Mega-strike: Germany was brought to a near-standstill on Monday as transport workers staged one of the country’s biggest-ever strikes. The nationwide walkout, in demand of better pay, led to all domestic flights being cancelled and severely disrupted train and bus services as well as trams and metro lines. Freight traffic was also affected, owing to large ships being unable to dock at or depart from Hamburg, the country’s biggest port. The “mega-strike” was called by two of Germany’s biggest unions, ver.di and the EVG. Both are demanding double-digit pay rises for their members, to help them cope with rising food and fuel prices. Employers (mostly the state and public sector firms) have so far only offered pay rises of 5%, supplemented by one-off payments. Major industrial action has traditionally…

1 Kiss by Prince, performed by Prince and the Revolution2 Requiem in D Minor, K626: No. 1, Introitus and Kyrie – Requiem and Kyrie by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (cond. Sir Colin Davis)3 Glanfaidh Mé, written and performed by Kíla4* Groove is in the Heart by Dmitry Brill, Chung Dong-Hwa, Kierin Kirby, Herbie Hancock and Jonathan Davis, performed by Deee-Lite5 Cuba Libre by Emilio Estefan Jr, Gloria Estefan and Flavio Enrique Santander, performed by Gloria Estefan6 All About My Girl, written and performed by Jimmy McGriff7 Piazza, New York Catcher, written and performed by Belle and Sebastian8 Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker (cond. Sir Simon Rattle) Book: The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman Luxury: astrophotography equipment…

Sheffield isn’t the only council that has been taken to task over its tree-felling plans. Early last month, the people of Plymouth woke up to a scene of environmental devastation on the city’s Armada Way. Plymouth’s Tory council leader, Richard Bingley, had signed an executive decision that led to 110 trees being cut down under cover of darkness to make way for a £12.7m regeneration scheme in the city centre. Bingley said that the new development would create a “wonderful tree-lined zone whereby businesses and cafés and people feel safe”, and promised that 169 semi-mature trees would be planted in place of those felled. The council insisted that it had carried out “meaningful engagement” with local people before acting. However, it later emerged that 68% of those consulted had objected…

America’s bad bet on sports gambling Jack Meserve Vox America is in the middle of a “sports gambling boom”, says Jack Meserve. Until quite recently, the practice was limited to shadow-economy bookies and the state of Nevada. But in the wake of a 2018 supreme court ruling that cleared the way for other states to legalise sports betting, it has proliferated. The change has been dramatic – and unwelcome. In New Jersey, the state that brought the suit to the court, sports bets have risen from $1.2bn in value in 2018 to $10.9bn in 2022; a forthcoming study estimates that 13% of New Jersey residents now qualify as having a gambling problem. National data on this recent phenomenon is still sparse, but America need only look at the UK, which…

The development, cultivation and sale of gene-edited crops has become legal in England. Proponents of the Precision Breeding Bill say that it will facilitate the development of more resilient and higher-yielding crops, by enabling technologists to alter crops’ DNA in ways that could have occurred either naturally or through traditional crossbreeding – but in much less time. (Genetic modification can involve introducing genes from other species, and that remains banned.) Critics, however, have raised concerns that the GE crops will not be rigorously tested and could introduce toxins into the food chain. They have also questioned how GE food from England will be prevented from entering the rest of the UK where its sale is still banned (as it is in the EU). The act has a provision for gene-edited…

“It was a victory few had expected,” said Janice Turner in The Times. When Lord Coe, the president of World Athletics, unveiled the organisation’s response to the issue of transgender women taking part in elite female events, it seemed likely that it would be a mere tweak to current rules on the levels of testosterone allowed in female athletes’ blood. Instead, he expressed a “simple yet hitherto unspeakable sentiment”: that “we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations”. Following a consultation, World Athletics had decided that “the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount”, and that trans athletes who have been through male puberty will no longer be eligible to compete in women’s categories. A welcome “return to sanity”, it means that “new generations of…

“This game is more than just a football game for us,” the legendary Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko told spectators at Wembley on Sunday before Ukraine and England kicked off. Indeed it was, said David Hytner in The Guardian. For the Ukrainian players – and the millions watching back at home – Sunday’s Euros qualifier provided a “short respite from the suffering”, and a chance to dream. But though Ukraine “had the passion” and everyone’s goodwill, their opponents ultimately had something more valuable: “England had Bukayo Saka”. The 21-year-old winger was simply electric as Gareth Southgate’s side backed up last week’s win over Italy with a dominant 2-0 victory, said Jason Burt in The Daily Telegraph. Saka set up England’s opener after 37 minutes with a “pinpoint, in-swinging” cross to Harry…

Football Scotland beat Spain 2-0 in their Euro qualifier; Wales beat Latvia 1-0; France beat the Netherlands 4-0. In Portugal’s 4-0 win over Liechtenstein, Cristiano Ronaldo made his 197th appearance for his country, a new world record. Cricket South Africa produced the highest ever successful Twenty20 international run chase, overtaking the West Indies’ total of 258-5 for the loss of four wickets. MotoGP World champion Francesco Bagnaia began the new season with victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix.…

There have been at least 18 prominent adaptations of Great Expectations since the invention of the moving image, said Nick Hilton in The Independent. “That’s Pip upon Pip, Magwitch upon Magwitch, Miss Havisham upon Miss Havisham.” Now, “for no discernible reason”, the BBC is treating its viewers to a new one, this time scripted by the Peaky Blinders supremo Steven Knight. The results, alas, are only so-so. The drama follows the adventures of Pip (Tom Sweet as a boy, Fionn Whitehead later), the orphan from the Kent marshes who is thrust into the orbit of Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman). Aspects of Knight’s telling of Dickens’s classic are “familiar” (there are the usual images of stopped clocks and wedding dresses); but he has innovated by, for instance, having his characters make…

While most British hospitals are gloomy visions of concrete, parts of St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London “would not look out of place in the National Gallery”, says Shaun Lintern in The Times. In its Grade I-listed north wing, dating from the 1730s, a spectacular staircase is adorned by murals painted by William Hogarth. Barts, which marked its 900th anniversary last week, is launching a project to return the north wing “to its former glory”. The two-year programme will start this year. Hogarth, who lived nearby, painted two biblical scenes for which he took no payment: The Pool of Bethesda, and The Good Samaritan (pictured). Will Palin, head of Barts Heritage, has raised nearly £10m for the restoration, including a donation from his father, Michael Palin, who saw…

Adam welcomes a returning Debbie, and they talk about Jennifer and the farm. At the shop, Jim challenges David over the charging station. Overhearing, Justin talks to Jim about his campaign and makes a mystery call. Susan and Clarrie do a trial run of questions at the new window. There’s a clash at Brookfield as Jim leads a protest, complete with press coverage, to David’s anger. Joy visits Brian to return Jennifer’s things from the WI sale, but Debbie walks in and misinterprets the situation, laying into Brian. Looking for somewhere to hold his birthday party, George butters up both his grans. Adam urges Debbie to apologise to Brian, but instead she ends up accusing him of contributing to Jennifer’s heart condition. Harrison tries to smooth matters between Jim and…

Prawn, spring onion & curry leaf pancakes Serves 2 50g gram flour, sifted 4 tbsp water 2 free-range eggs 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ginger paste 2 green chillies, finely sliced ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp garam masala ½ tsp black pepper 10 fresh curry leaves, finely shredded 1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed 500g peeled raw prawns (or shrimp) small handful of chopped coriander vegetable oil, for frying • In a bowl, mix together the flour, water and eggs until smooth. Add the salt, ginger paste, chillies, spices and curry leaves. • Cut each spring onion into thirds, retaining the green tops, then in half lengthways. Wash well and drain on paper towels. • Split the prawns lengthways as if you were butterflying them, but cut them into…

● Some cough remedies have been withdrawn owing to evidence that one of their ingredients – pholcodine – increases the risk of anaphylactic shock in people having surgery. But it’s mainly the sugar in these medicines that stops the coughing, so if your normal drug has gone, you could try a spoonful of honey instead, perhaps with a couple of paracetamol. ● Camphor, eucalyptus and echinacea are effective plant-based cough remedies. A daily dose of 75mg of zinc has been proven to reduce the duration of colds. Gargling warm salty water will relieve a tickly throat. ● Use a saline spray to loosen mucus and the postnasal drip that will often trigger a cough. Humidifiers and vaporisers can help ease an irritated throat, and essential oils or decongestants can be…

Patrick French 1966-2023 Patrick French, who has died of cancer aged 56, was a brilliant writer and historian, a man of great sensitivity who was also possessed of a mischievous wit. He was perhaps best known for his books on India and Nepal. But he was also the author of arguably the most extraordinary authorised biography ever written, said The Daily Telegraph. In 2003, on the back of his dazzling debut biography of the British Army officer, adventurer and spiritualist Francis Younghusband, French was invited to write the life of V.S. Naipaul. He was reluctant: for all his literary genius, the Trinidad-born novelist was known to be rude and wilfully offensive. “He said, or was said to have said, that Africa had no future, Islam was a calamity, France was…

Recession averted, but what’s next? David Smith The Times For once, both the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Bank of England “are flavour of the month” among ministers, says David Smith – largely because both now reckon the UK economy can avoid a “technical” recession of two consecutive quarters of falling growth this year. If so, it will be “quite a result”, given the huge energy shock and cost-of-living crisis generated by the Ukraine War. “A recession that once looked certain has been averted, so far at least.” That doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods. “UK economic forecasts are not yet what you would call cheerful”: the Treasury’s latest compilation of independent predictions shows that the average new forecast is for a 0.5% drop in GDP this year.…

The Crystal Palace dinosaurs, which are to be saved from the brink of extinction, thanks to a £5m Lottery Heritage grant to restore them. The dinosaurs were erected in the 1850s, when the Great Exhibition moved to Crystal Palace; they received a Grade I listing in 2007. But lately, large cracks have been appearing in the statues, and in 2020 they were put on an at-risk register. Nathan Anthony, a home cook and former BT manager, after his new book became the fifth-fastest-selling cookbook of all time. Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book is a follow-up to the bestselling Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book, both of which he wrote while working full-time for BT. BBC Singers, which won a reprieve. In March, the BBC decided…

Junior doctors will strike for four consecutive days this month as part of their ongoing pay dispute. The industrial action, which will affect every NHS hospital in England, will begin on Tuesday 11 April. The British Medical Association is calling for a 35% pay rise for junior doctors (hospital doctors below consultant level); but Steve Barclay, the Health Secretary, has called this “unreasonable”. NHS leaders have said that 250,000 appointments and operations were likely to be postponed as a result of the walkout.…

Nashville, Tennessee School massacre: A 28-year-old graphic artist broke into an elementary school in an affluent suburb of Nashville this week, and shot dead six people. The shooter was identified by the police as Audrey Hale – a former pupil at the fee-paying, evangelical-Christian Covenant School. Armed with two assault rifles and a handgun, Hale had roamed the school for about 15 minutes, killing three nine-year-old children and three staff members – including the principal – before being shot dead by police. A detailed map of the school was recovered from Hale’s car, as well as a “manifesto” detailing other planned attacks. The suspect was initially described by the police as a young woman; however, it later emerged that Hale had used male pronouns on social media, and gone by…

“Agatha Christie has become the latest author to fall victim to posthumous censorship. New digital editions of her novels, we learnt at the weekend, have been edited to reflect ‘modern sensitivities’. Just about anything that might offend a progressive 21st century reader has been rewritten or removed. Especially if it relates to race. I find this odd. As much as anything else, a novel is a kind of time capsule: a record of the period in which it was written. Sanitising it gives the modern reader a misleading impression of the past. It makes it seem as if the people of 100 years ago held the exact same views and values that we hold today. Which is, of course, utterly false.” Michael Deacon in The Daily Telegraph…

Beanz, beanz, good for the profit margin Will Dunn The New Statesman Heinz baked beans. Once they were a byword for frugality, says Will Dunn. At one point in the 1990s, you could pick up a tin for just 3p. Amazing, then, that in the past year the price of a tin has shot up to £1.40. Why? Heinz says its price rises (including a 60% hike in the cost of ketchup) reflect the rising cost of energy, and other factors brought about by the Ukraine War and the global slowdown. But could it be that food giants such as Kraft Heinz and Mars are using these as an excuse to boost profits? It would be by no means the first such example of corporate opportunism. The introduction of the…

You’ve got to hand it to Donald Trump, said Susan B. Glasser in The New Yorker: he’s still “a master when it comes to setting the terms of a media frenzy”. Last week he had America on tenterhooks after he claimed he was about to become the first former president to be charged with a crime. He claimed that he would be “arrested” on Tuesday 21 March, for violating New York state law by falsely accounting for $130,000 of hush money he allegedly paid to the former porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. “PROTEST,” Trump urged his followers. “TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” His breathless warnings generated huge media coverage and Republicans once again rallied to their embattled figurehead – even after the arrest failed to materialise. By the…

Babies need peanut butter Roughly one in 50 British children have a peanut allergy, but researchers have calculated that this proportion could be slashed if all babies were introduced to peanut butter from about four months. Previously, the official advice was not to give peanut products to children until they were three years old; then in 2018, this was reduced to six months, in light of studies showing that delayed exposure to peanut products was causing most of the allergies. Now, however, a team from King’s College London, have looked at the data from various randomised control trials, and found that the real “window of opportunity” for curbing allergies is between four and six months. Using computer modelling, they calculate that if all babies were exposed to peanut products at…

“At some point – it’s almost a constitutional convention – every prime minister announces a crackdown on antisocial behaviour,” said Stephen Pollard in the Daily Express. This week it was the turn of Rishi Sunak to lay out his yob-tackling action plan. The package of measures includes more police patrols; more powers for landlords to evict “unruly tenants”; and tougher penalties for graffiti, littering and fly-tipping. It’s all “sensible stuff and all much needed”, but we’ve heard these sorts of ideas many times before. Remember Tony Blair’s pledge in 2000 to have yobs marched to cashpoints to pay on-the-spot fines? Let’s wait to see whether any of these policies actually happen. It’s good that our political leaders are at least talking about this stuff, said The Independent. Antisocial behaviour has…

When picturing the Boat Race, said Kit Shepard in The Times, the first images that come to mind are of “hulking humans, straining every sinew of their bodies as they battle through the water … and the agony”. The “comparatively slight figure of the cox” receives less attention. Yet their role can be pivotal. In the men’s race last Sunday, an audacious early decision by the Cambridge cox proved the key factor in helping his team regain the title they lost last year. Jasper Parish’s “wholly unexpected” move took place a couple of minutes into the race, as the two boats, neck-and-neck, rounded the corner taking them past the “splendid new grandstand at Fulham Football Club”, said Jim White in The Daily Telegraph. Conventional wisdom dictates that boats should always…

The pain of Partygate To The Independent Boris Johnson argues that it was fair and reasonable to hold drinks parties for colleagues leaving a job they had worked hard in. And yes, we would all agree that gathering with colleagues, many of whom you dislike and most of whom you will never see again, drinking warm wine from plastic cups, is a fine British tradition. However, at the same time, Johnson also effectively argued that my mother should leave this life without me, her only daughter, by her side holding her hand. Many people, young and old, were required to leave life without their families being able to say goodbye. The only real similarity between these scenarios is that, like the colleagues you don’t really like, we will never see…

by Alice Robb Oneworld 304pp £16.99 The Week Bookshop £13.99 “Like millions of other young girls, Alice Robb dreamt of pink tutus and sparkling tiaras,” said Debra Craine in The Times. But, unlike millions of others, Robb (pictured) nearly made her dream come true. Aged nine, she was accepted into the School of American Ballet – the prestigious feeder for New York City Ballet – and felt she was headed for a stellar career. But just three years later, she was thrown out of the school, her teachers having decided she had “no future” as a ballerina. Now in her early 30s, Robb has written a “critical yet personal examination of classical ballet”, considering it “through the lens of 21st century feminism”. Her book is “certainly no love letter”, but…

Red Plenty by Francis Spufford, 2010 (Faber £10.99). Part historical fiction, part economic treatise, this book takes you into the lives of the utopians trying to build a new society in communist Russia. It helps you understand why they and the West thought it might work, and why it didn’t. The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century by Walter Scheidel, 2017 (Princeton University Press £15.99). This shows how inequality has increased across all of human society under every form of political organisation since the Stone Age – except in the wake of mass mobilised warfare or natural catastrophes. Sobering. Janesville: An American Story by Amy Goldstein, 2017 (Simon & Schuster £9.99). Goldstein’s book lets you walk in the shoes of…

Programmes Magpie Murders Lesley Manville stars in this six-part adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling novel about an editor of crime novels who is drawn into a real-life mystery when one of her authors is murdered. Sat 1 Apr, BBC1 21:15 (45mins). Simon Reeve’s Return to Cornwall An eye-opening look at the often harsh reality of life in Cornwall – one of the poorest counties in England – after the summer holidaymakers leave. Sun 2 Apr, BBC2 21:00 (60mins). Secrets of the Chippendale Murders Four-part true-crime docuseries about the rise of the 1980s dance troupe from LA strip club to global phenomenon, and its ultimate collapse. Mon 3 Apr, BBC2 21:00 and 21:45 (45mins each). Films So Long, My Son (2019) Poignant, critically acclaimed drama about the lives of two Chinese…

Sprawling over more than 110,000 hectares, Bordeaux’s vineyard is “way bigger than Germany’s and almost as large as the whole of Australia’s”, said Jane MacQuitty in The Times. The region is best known for its “50 or so” top wines, which cost a fortune. But unsurprisingly, given its “huge variations in soil, style and quality”, it can offer “terrific value” at the budget end too. The “big story for me” of recent years has been the emergence of a new generation of winemakers producing “fruit-filled, early-drinking, less oaky reds”. Try 2020 Château La Perrière Bordeaux (£7.25; Wine Society), a delicious merlot-dominant claret “overflowing with mocha and mulberry fruit”. Yet more reasonable is Tesco’s “vibrant, spicy” 2020 Des Tourelles Claret – a “merlot-led, bay leaf- and blackcurrant-edged £5 bargain buy”. If…

Mynydd Derwydd Wild Camping, outside Snowdonia, has pitches scattered over 250 acres of hill farm, with amazing dark skies, mountain views, eco-toilets and fire pits (from £20/night; wildcampingwales.co.uk). Fairy Bell Wood is a magical off-grid camp: a single yurt set in four acres of native woodland in the Lakeland Fells, Cumbria, with a basic kitchen and log burner (sleeps 2, from £105/night; fairybellwood.co.uk). Owl Valley Glamping, in Bideford, Devon, set in a private nature reserve, has a solar-lit geodome tent with a wood-fired hot tub on the private deck; perfect for stargazing (from £135/night; owl-valley.co.uk). A simple beachside campsite in countryside close to Penzance, Garris Farm Camping occupies a big open field above Mount’s Bay (pitches from £18/night; pitchup.com). Shieling Holidays, in a stunning location on the Isle of Mull,…

The booming art scene in Accra Ghana’s art scene is booming, says Ellen Himelfarb in National Geographic Traveller. You can see work by some of its brightest young stars in London, Paris and elsewhere – but there’s much more on display in the West African country’s own capital, Accra. Galleries have “multiplied and flourished” in the city since 2016, when the Lebanese émigré Marwan Zakhem opened its first major art venue, Gallery 1957. Among other indispensable stops are the artists’ collective Artemartis (where you might come across Accra’s “newest art darling”, Araba Opoku), the ADA Contemporary Art Gallery (conveniently located below the city’s first members’ club, Front/Back), and Noldor Artist Residency. The latter is located in the old township of Labadi, which is also home to the studios of “local…

Jacqueline Gold 1960-2023 In 1970, a businessman named Michael “Dandy Kim” Caborn-Waterfield opened what he described as a “sex supermarket” near Marble Arch in central London, and named it after Annice Summers, his secretary and sometime lover. A year later, he sold the fledgling business to David Gold and his brother Ralph. When Jacqueline Gold – then 19 – came to work at her father’s company in the late 1970s, Ann Summers was still mainly catering to what she referred to as the “seedy raincoat brigade”. She found this frustrating, and a wasted opportunity. “I felt angry there was all this for men and nothing for women.” Under her watch, Ann Summers would become a shop mainly for women – with scores of branches across the UK. Jacqueline Gold was…

“Welcome to safer gambling with William Hill,” runs the blurb on the bookie’s website. “Gambling is all about having fun. But it’s also about staying in control.” Tell that to the punter who opened a new account and spent £23,000 in just 20 minutes, said Laurence Sleator in The Times. Or to the customer who blew £32,000 over two days. These are just two of dozens of examples of failures revealed by the Gambling Commission’s investigation into William Hill, which concluded with a record £19.2m fine. It didn’t just fail to protect customers, said The Daily Telegraph. The regulator also found that both William Hill and its sister brand Mr Green – both owned by London-listed 888 Holdings – were guilty of a series of anti-money-laundering (AML) failures: “the lapses…

Susan Shaw and Hilary Pearson Hardly anyone these days has heard of Susan Shaw and Hilary Pearson. But 50 years ago, says Harry Wallop in The Times, they “made history” – by turning up for work. They were among the first female members of the London Stock Exchange – the first, apart from the Queen, to even “walk on the hallowed teak floor of ‘The House’”. It was the culmination of a two-decade battle that had exposed the misogyny of the age. One male City worker summed up the opposition at the time, telling a newspaper: “There are certain professions best done by men, like coal mining and stockbroking.” Shaw, still engagingly modest at 87, recalls being “slightly shocked”, as she tackled a pile of ironing on returning home, “to…

THE WEEK CROSSWORD 1356 An Ettinger pass holder and two Connell Guides will be given to the sender of the first correct solution to the crossword and the clue of the week opened on Monday 10 April. Send it to The Week Crossword 1356, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR, or email the completed grid/listed solutions to crossword@theweek.co.uk. Tim Moorey (timmoorey.com) This week’s winner will receive an Ettinger (ettinger.co.uk) travel pass holder in assorted colours, which retails at £115, and two Connell Guides (connellguides.com). ACROSS 4 Composer outspoken about contralto (6) 7 Criticise article concerning Greek temple (8) 9 A bishop’s vice – the drink! (8) 10 Zelensky, perhaps, rota organised, leads in outdoor rallies (6) 11 Toxic stuff left in Strand (6) 13 Hits a cricket ball for boundaries?…