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SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020 WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.
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Estelle Morris Tom Peck Andrew Buncombe Shappi Khorsandi

Williamson must ask if Boris’s oven-ready Has Biden shown he I’m not sure I can face
he’s fit to lead Brexit deal is stale has what it takes? lockdown again
Is this the film to save cinema?
Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster ‘Tenet’ is out next week, but can it tempt us back to the big screen?
U-turn will stop rental evictions

– for now
One-month reprieve for tenants as government caves to pressure
JON STONE that letting it lapse would from MPs and charities. The
POLICY create a “wave of news will come as a relief to
CORRESPONDENT homelessness”. The ban was an estimated 227,000 renters
due to end tomorrow but at risk of homelessness, but
The government yesterday Robert Jenrick, the housing Tory peer Lord Pickles is
performed its second U-turn secretary, confirmed yesterday among those urging ministers
this week by extending its that the suspension of evictions to follow the lead
would continue until 20 of Scotland and extend the
temporary ban on evictions by September after pressure ban further – until spring
a month after it was warned next year.
SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020
News
Editorials
The eviction ban extension is

necessary but these virus
stopgaps are unsustainable
Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, has done the right thing, without much conviction. At the last
moment yesterday he announced a further extension of the ban on evicting tenants until 20 September.
The government was right to ban evictions temporarily at the start of the coronavirus crisis, but never
devised a plan for a return to normality. The ban has to be lifted, and soon, because otherwise the private
rented market will seize up. The country needs responsible landlords, and they in turn need to be able to
start, end and change tenancies.
But equally, as the opposition and housing charities have been pointing out with increasing urgency, there
is a pent-up problem of some tenants in desperate straits, struggling with arrears, who cannot simply be cut
adrift.
Mr Jenrick has bought some time, not just by extending the ban on evictions by four weeks but by
extending the three-month notice period for ending a tenancy to six months. This means he has until March
next year to come up with a plan for dealing with the inevitable cases of hardship. He needs to work with
the courts to start to tackle the backlog of cases while devising a fair scheme of support for those tenants at
risk of becoming homeless.
But this has to be part of the government’s wider strategy to support people through the recovery phase of
the coronavirus recession. The Independent has argued that Boris Johnson should act not just to prevent
evictions but to tackle the causes of evictions. The loss of jobs as the result of Covid-19 and the lockdown is
the main reason why so many tenants are falling into rent arrears.
Which is why we have argued that the focus of government policy has to be turned to job creation. This may
sound to some like an old-fashioned statist idea left over from the opposition to Margaret Thatcher in the
Eighties, but in fact it requires some tough decisions. It means that temporary measures such as the
evictions ban and the hugely expensive furlough scheme do have to come to an end. It does tenants and
workers no good in the medium term to preserve their position as of March for too long.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is right to unwind the furlough scheme. Some of the jobs it is supporting no
longer exist, and nothing is gained by keeping them going artificially. It is a better use of public resources to
switch to supporting the creation of new jobs. This has not been a priority for British governments for some
time. Even after the financial crisis of 2008, the labour market continued to generate employment, and
avoided a return to the mass unemployment during the Thatcher era. This time, such an outcome cannot be
avoided, but we have learnt a great deal since then about the kinds of government intervention that work.
The first priority is to sustain activity by pumping cash into the economy and by the state directly
employing people. The second is to provide targeted support to help people to find work, to start their own
business or to gain the skills they need.
These are the policies that will start to deal with the root causes of our housing crisis, rather than stopgap
measures to treat the symptoms.
News
Ministers extend ban on rental

evictions by a month
Labour and some Tories say the extension is still too brief
Landlords are now required to give six months’ notice to tenants (Getty)
JON STONE
POLICY CORRESPONDENT
The government has extended its temporary ban on evicting tenants by a month after it was warned that
letting the moratorium lapse would create a “wave of homelessness”.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed yesterday afternoon that the
suspension of evictions would continue until 20 September. Landlords will also be required to give six
months’ notice to any tenants they want to evict, with this separate provision in force until “at least 31
March 2021”, ministers said.
However, a senior Tory politician warned that the move did not go far enough and suggested the ban on
evictions should have been extended until spring next year.
Evictions in England were due to start again tomorrow, with approximately 227,000 private renters known
to have fallen into arrears as of the end of June, and 174,000 known to have been threatened with eviction
by their landlord or agent.
The Scottish government has already extended a full ban on evictions to March next year, while in Wales,
where the new extension will also apply, any eviction will require a notice period of six months.
Lord Pickles, a former Tory cabinet minister, said he “would have preferred to see an extension until
spring”. That would allow the government time to make a number of changes that could ease the impact of
any lift of the ban, he said.
As the government’s furlough scheme winds down between now and the end of October it will also
“become more apparent the number of people who have lost jobs”, he told the BBC.
A number of Tory MPs are also understood to have made their concerns known in recent days about this
weekend’s upcoming cliff edge.
The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, who had called for an extension in The Independent earlier this
week, said: “This eleventh-hour U-turn was necessary, but such a brief extension means there is a real risk
that this will simply give renters a few more weeks to pack their bags.”
He added that the prime minister had “been warned for months about the looming evictions crisis, but
stuck his head in the sand”, and he called for Section 21 evictions to be scrapped as the government has
promised.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) also said the government should go further and extend the
ban for six months.
“Today’s announcement provides renters with some breathing space. However, we know they are more
likely to have been adversely affected by Covid-19,” said Luke Murphy, IPPR associate director.
“Even now, the government is withdrawing measures of support for private renters sooner than they are for
landlords, who can obtain a mortgage holiday until the end of October. Ministers must step in and extend
the ban on evictions for another six months if they are to prevent a potential surge in homelessness.”
The Lib Dems and Greens said the extension did not go far enough. Housing charities welcomed the move
but said more needed to be done. Polly Neate, chief executive of the charity Shelter, said the government
had “dodged a bullet” on homelessness and that it “must use this short window of time wisely to put proper
safeguards in place for renters”.
The Independent reported this week on families who have been hit by the economic effects of the pandemic
and who are set to be made homeless when the ban ends.
Ghazal Haqani, an organiser with the London Renters Union, said: “This U-turn has been forced through
by people power. But until there’s a permanent evictions ban and rent debt is forgiven, the government will
just be kicking the can down the road.
“We’ve had a series of short-term extensions, and that’s caused enormous misery and stress for renters like
me. Because so many of us are in arrears, we have been constantly worried for months that we are about to
become totally defenceless against landlords who want to kick us out of our homes. It looks like that could
happen all over again in September.
“Rents have been sky-high for decades; the pandemic has cut our incomes, and this recession has only just
begun. Of course we’re in arrears, and of course we’re not going to be able to pay off our rent debt for a very
long time.”
One group not pleased by the announcement was the National Residential Landlords Association, which
said the extension was “unacceptable”.
Ben Beadle, the organisation’s CEO, said: “An enormous amount of work as gone into finding a balance
between supporting tenants who have been affected by the pandemic and preventing significant financial
harm to landlords, in accordance with the government’s promise. This announcement satisfies no one.”
Announcing the move, the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, said: “I know this year has been challenging
and all of us are still living with the effects of Covid-19. That is why today I am announcing a further four-
week ban on evictions, meaning no renters will have been evicted for six months. I am also increasing
protections for renters – six-month notice periods must be given to tenants, supporting renters over winter.
“However, it is right that the most egregious cases, for example those involving anti-social behaviour or
domestic abuse perpetrators, begin to be heard in court again; and so when courts reopen, landlords will
once again be able to progress these priority cases.”
News
Restrictions tightened in
Oldham and Blackburn
A sign asks pedestrians to keep their distance in Oldham (AFP/Getty)
EMILY GODDARD
People in Oldham, Blackburn and parts of Pendle will be told not to socialise with anyone from outside their
household from midnight today to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Although business closures have been avoided, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said new
measures mean social activities indoors and outdoors can be shared only by people who live in the same
home.
No more than 20 people will be able to attend weddings, civil partnerships and funerals, and this must be
made up of household members and close family only, and residents must avoid public transport, except for
essential travel. People can still shop and go to work, while schools and other childcare settings will open as
normal under the new restrictions, the government said.
Oldham’s council leader Sean Fielding had earlier this week warned a total lockdown could be
“catastrophic” for businesses. Commenting on the restrictions introduced yesterday, he said: “Over the last
few days we’ve made a clear argument that an economic lockdown was not the answer for Oldham.
“Instead, we put forward a strong case to government for a different approach – one where we increase
testing, use our powers to drive compliance and enforcement among those not currently following
guidelines and carry out intensive door-to-door engagement in areas with higher cases.”
There have been 187 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in Oldham in the week to 17 August – the equivalent
of 78.9 per 100,000 people, figures published on Thursday showed. This was a decrease from 111.8 in the
seven days to 10 August. Pendle’s latest weekly rate was also down to 64.1, while Blackburn with Darwen’s
was 67.5.
Elsewhere, measures will be relaxed in Wigan, Rossendale and Darwen, while Birmingham was added to a
watch list as an “area of enhanced support” and Northampton became an “area of intervention”.
The DHSC said coronavirus cases are “rising quickly” in Birmingham, with 30.2 per 100,000 and more
than half of cases in the last week in people aged 18-34.
Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, warned some people in Birmingham “have not been strict
enough” with measures. “People across the region have made an enormous sacrifice since the start of
lockdown to keep the virus at bay, but the virus is now returning and recent efforts to counter that have
been insufficient,” he said.
“It is evident that some people have not been strict enough when it comes to keeping up the basics of social
distancing, hand-washing and wearing a face covering, nor following the guidelines on avoiding mass
gatherings. This has to change immediately and I would ask every single citizen, both across Birmingham
and the West Midlands, to redouble their efforts.”
Mr Street was scheduled to meet with Mr Hancock and local council leaders to discuss “urgent next steps”
yesterday. Ian Ward, the leader of Birmingham City Council, said the watch list should be a “wake-up call
for everyone”.
Meanwhile, the Greencore sandwich factory that was at the centre of the outbreak in Northampton closed
yesterday, with staff and members of their households having to isolate for 14 days. It was announced last
week that more than 200 people had tested positive for Covid-19 after an outbreak linked to the factory.
The DHSC said regulations will be introduced “to ensure that this self-isolation period is legally enforced”
and warned breaking the rules could result in fines being issued. The new restrictions will not apply in the
Darwen area of the Blackburn with Darwen upper tier local authority area, parts of Pendle, in Rossendale or
in Wigan.
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said the main objectives this week had
been to avoid a full local lockdown in Oldham and to lift restrictions in areas with consistently low infection
rates, such as Wigan.
They added: “We have all been concerned about the situation in Oldham and this is why we have sought to
work in partnership both with the local council and the government to agree the most suitable and effective
measures, as set out by Oldham Council. Increased measures to restrict the mixing of households are a
much more sensible approach than local lockdown.”
News
Brexit negotiations ‘going

backwards’, Barnier warns
The EU’s chief negotiator still thinks an agreement is ‘unlikely’ (Getty)
JON STONE
Trade talks between the UK and EU are actually “going backwards” as negotiators “waste valuable time”,
Brussels’ chief negotiator has said.
A visibly annoyed Michel Barnier told reporters yesterday after a week-long round of Brexit talks that, on
some subjects, there had been “no progress whatsoever on the issues that matter”.
“Too often this week, it felt as if we were going backwards more than forward. Given the short time left ...
today at this stage an agreement between the UK and the European Union seems unlikely. I still do not
understand why we are wasting valuable time,” he said.
David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator, said in a written statement that he believed “agreement is still
possible” but that “it is clear that it will not be easy to achieve”.
Mr Barnier stuck to his previous assessment that an agreement was “unlikely”. He said there had been some
minor progress on “technical issues”, such as UK participation in EU programmes and anti-money
laundering, but that the fundamentals were still out of place.
Mr Frost said: “The EU is still insisting not only that we must accept continuity with EU state aid and
fisheries policy, but also that this must be agreed before any further substantive work can be done in any
other area of the negotiation, including on legal texts.
“This makes it unnecessarily difficult to make progress. There are other significant areas which remain to be
resolved and even where there is a broad understanding between negotiators, there is a lot of detail to work
through. Time is short for both sides.”
However, Mr Barnier said the UK would find that all countries with which it tried to negotiate agreements
would require the British government to sign up to common rules.
“No international agreement was ever reached without the parties agreeing to common rules, and I can
predict with absolute certainty this will also be the case of trade agreements between the UK and other
partners in the future such as the United States, Japan, and Australia,” he said.
He continued: “Apart from the question of a level playing field, there are still many other areas where
progress is needed.
“For example, obviously, fisheries, where we have made no progress whatsoever on the issues that matter;
governance, where we are still far from agreeing on the essential issue of dispute settlement; law
enforcement, where we still struggle to agree on the necessary guarantees to protect citizens’ fundamental
rights and personal data; and also mobility and social-security coordination, where our positions also remain
far apart.”
The Brexit transition period ends on 31 December this year, after which EU rules and benefits will cease to
apply to the UK. Both sides want to get a trade deal agreed by the autumn so that it can be ratified before
the UK’s economic break with Europe.
The economic damage to the UK from the new barriers to trade is expected to be significant, even more so
if no free-trade agreement can be reached.
News / Comment
EU talks can be successful but

only if defeat is again sold as
victory for Britain
‘Wasting valuable time’: UK adviser David Frost (left) and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels yesterday (AP)
JOHN RENTOUL
CHIEF POLITICAL COMMENTATOR
Ignore the shadow boxing: the only question that matters is whether Boris Johnson can dress up a retreat as
a negotiating triumph. He has done it before, and there is still time, but the nervousness on both sides today
was palpable.
Michel Barnier, the EU negotiator, and David Frost, his British counterpart, both put on a good show.
Barnier said: “I simply do not understand why we are wasting valuable time.” Frost retorted that the EU
side was holding things up by insisting the UK must accept its position on state aid and fisheries “before
any further substantive work can be done in any other area of the negotiation”.
They traded semantics on the meaning of “Brexit means Brexit”, which Barnier quoted only slightly
mockingly to say that we could not continue to enjoy the benefits of membership now that we have left.
Frost retaliated by saying the EU was refusing to accept the “reality” of Brexit, with the British team
accusing the EU side of “still insisting we must accept arrangements that are like the Common Fisheries
Policy”, for example.
Time is now running out to draft, negotiate, check and sign off a long and complex legal text by the end of
the year. The character of Frost – now Lord Frost – is key to how this deal will get done, if it is done.
Denis MacShane, the former Europe minister, has unearthed an interesting paper Frost wrote in 2015,
before the Brexit referendum. In it, Frost argued that “two essential requirements for a successful
negotiation” are firstly “having allies” and second “making what you want seem normal”. The allies are
unclear, although we know EU leaders want a deal, but Frost has done a good job of explaining that Britain
wants only what the EU has accepted in free trade agreements with other countries.
The trick ought to be to allow the EU to impose its state aid rules on the UK, while making it look as if the
UK has decided of its own sovereign accord not to dish out state aid
Frost was also the prime mover behind last year’s deal with Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, which
opened the way to a new withdrawal agreement, making Brexit possible. That deal basically meant Johnson
putting a border down the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and denying that he
had done it.
If some of that same creativity and skill at selling defeat as victory can be applied to the trade negotiations,
Frost and Johnson should be able to make something work. The sticking point ought not to be difficult to
finesse. What Barnier calls the “level playing field”, even when he is speaking in French, amounts to the EU
wanting to prevent the UK from competing unfairly by using state subsidies to lower prices.
Most trade agreements ban unfair competition and create mechanisms to enforce the rules. The EU has
already agreed that, in this case, the mechanism has to be separate from the European Court of Justice. So
the trick ought to be to allow the EU to impose its state aid rules on the UK, while making it look as if the
UK has decided of its own sovereign accord not to dish out state aid, which ought to come easily enough to
a Conservative government that is against state subsidies in any case. This is complicated by Johnson’s
populist economic interventionism, but he is nothing if not ideologically flexible.
The deal is there to be done but the UK desperately needs allies, preferably in the form of Angela Merkel
and Emmanuel Macron, to get it done in time.
News / Sketch
Paralysis on Brexit is the one

thing we can all rely on
Quelle surprise: Britain and the EU are still miles apart (AFP/Getty)
TOM PECK
No progress, then, in the latest round of Brexit talks, with both sides blaming the other. Would you really
want it any other way? How quaint to think that, once upon a time, this kind of thing used to be maddening.
Now it serves as a comforting reminder of times past.
Absolutely zero advancement in the Brexit talks is the only constant in our lives. Once upon a time,
Britain’s Trident submarine commanders were instructed to listen out for the BBC World Service, and if it
could not be picked up, it was reasonable to assume the country no longer existed, and it would be up to
them to retaliate.
Today, complete Brexit paralysis is the most reliable certainty out there, to the extent that should any
meaningful breakthrough actually occur, it could accidentally trigger a nuclear war. We know where we are
with Brexit, which has already become a kind of I Love the 2016s late-night Channel 5 nostalgia fest, in
which the last 19 remaining members of Goldie Lookin Chain sit in front of a green screen background
spitting scripted lols about the “Breaking Point” poster.
The never-ending Brexit shitshow is all so reassuringly familiar, even though the curtain still hasn’t actually
gone up. Back when we chose to shoot ourselves in the foot, shooting oneself in the foot was considered a
stupid thing to do. Now, it’s barely worth even worrying about. From the range of available options these
days, you’d probably take it.
Michel Barnier gave a press conference saying he was “disappointed and surprised” by the lack of progress,
as he has done almost every month since he was appointed the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator,
shortly after the 1815 Congress of Vienna, when he was just 28 years old.
His UK counterpart, David Frost, doesn’t give press conferences. Instead, he issues statements, then holds
anonymous conference calls with journalists on which the things he says cannot be attributed to him. This is
the Johnson-Cummings method: blatant untruths can be namelessly inserted into the general information
ecosystem, for which no one can ever actually be held accountable, because no one ever actually said them.
The last time anyone from the UK government gave an actual press conference about Brexit was on 24
January, when Boris Johnson went to Brussels to sign his “oven-ready” deal, for which it turns out the oven
is not ready. The UK’s current strategy is to make unreasonable demands then brand the EU unreasonable.
All Frost can ever say is that all he is asking for is the same terms the EU has given to Canada, Japan and
various others with whom it has signed a free trade agreement.
And all Barnier can ever point out is that the UK is not Canada, is not Japan. This time, he explained that
the UK won’t sign up to EU standards on haulage, won’t have EU tachographs fitted, won’t obey rules on
working hours, it just wants to make its own rules then come into the EU and do its own thing,
undercutting EU businesses, and can’t understand why the EU isn’t having it.
Because trade still remains all about proximity, and it will always be so. It is why the UK does more trade
with Belgium than it does with China, and it is why the ever-unquotable Frost is talking disingenuous
garbage when he says that all the UK wants is a simple free trade agreement and the EU won’t do it.
Johnson and co still want to have their cake and eat it. Failing that, they want to blame the EU for the
straightforward impossibility of their being able to deliver on the lies they told four years and a hundred
thousand lifetimes ago.
And when it all goes wrong, will anyone even care?

News / Politics Explained
The issues that will have to be

resolved to secure a deal
David Frost (left) with his counterpart from the EU, Michel Barnier (Reuters)
JOHN RENTOUL
David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator in the post-Brexit trade deal talks, says that the EU side refuses to
discuss legal texts on other subjects until there is agreement on state aid and fisheries, so those are the two
sticking points at the moment.
If those are resolved, other problems may emerge when the two sides start to discuss legal wording on
subjects on which they currently think there is broad agreement. So what are the problems that need to be
resolved (by October, for ratification at the end of the year) in order to reach a deal?
The level playing field. EU jargon for rules against unfair competition. These include everything from
minimum employment conditions to environmental standards, but the problem area is the rules on state
subsidies. There is a lot of EU law defining state aid that is not allowed, including the definition of subsidy
in the case of state-owned enterprises, which the EU wants to apply to imports from the UK.
Fisheries. The UK side accuses the EU of insisting on “arrangements that are like the Common Fisheries
Policy”, whereas it says it is looking for a relationship like the EU’s existing deal with Norway. Although the
issue of fisheries is an obstacle to the EU discussing anything else, the British accuse the EU of refusing to
discuss any other aspect of fisheries until there is progress on the question of quota sharing.
Energy. There is no reason why electricity shouldn’t continue to be traded across interconnectors with
France and Ireland.
Road haulage. Michel Barnier, the EU negotiator, accused the UK of wanting its lorries to have access to
EU roads without having to follow EU rules, such as on minimum periods of rest. The British side says it
seeks only reciprocal rights. Hard to see this as a deal-breaker.
EHIC cards. The EU seems willing to agree to reciprocal healthcare arrangements that would in effect
continue the European Health Insurance Card scheme, which already covers non-EU countries Norway,
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Governance. There are complicated questions of the institutions to oversee UK-EU trade, and enforcement
of rules, but these should be soluble, as such arrangements are common in free-trade agreements, and the
EU has agreed that the European Court of Justice would not have a role.
If the first two questions can be agreed, therefore, it looks as if a deal is possible.
News
PM returns from holiday early

over security fears
Concerns after Boris Johnson’s location in Scotland was published (Getty)
ANDY GREGORY
Boris Johnson and his fiance Carrie Symonds were forced to cut their Scottish holiday short after their
location was leaked.
Images of the prime minister’s cottage and a tent the pair had pitched on the west coast, near Applecross,
were published on the front page of yesterday’s Daily Mail.
The PM was reportedly advised to cut short his first holiday in six months – which he briefly paused on
Monday to discuss the exams fiasco with education secretary Gavin Williamson – by minders who believed
the images put the couple at risk of sniper fire.
“They had been camping in the garden of the cottage but the security threat was too much,” a source
told The Sun. “The tent could be spotted by a sniper from too far away for them to stay after the location
was published.”
However, there appears to have been some confusion over where Mr Johnson pitched his tent.
A Scottish sheep farmer has alleged that the prime minister in fact camped overnight in his field without
permission and left his police detail to clear up the leftover rubbish.
Kenny Cameron claimed that the prime minister climbed over a fence into his field, going on to erect an
eight-foot tent and lighting a small campfire – pictures of which suggested Mr Johnson abandoned the
charred remains as he hurriedly headed back to London.
Metropolitan Police officers were overhead by a MailOnline reporter apologising to Mr Cameron for the
inconvenience, saying they had believed the field was part of their rented holiday cottage.
“We are going to take the tent down and clear away any rubbish,” the officers were reported as telling the
farmer. Scotland Yard said it would not comment on matters of security.
“Mr Johnson is meant to be leading the country and yet he is not setting a great example,” Mr Cameron
told the MailOnline. “Usually if people want to go inside a fenced area, they ask for permission first, but I
was not asked at all. It is only polite to ask.
“He could have put up his tent in the garden of the cottage and there would have been no problem – but he
didn’t do that. He could easily have damaged the fence by climbing over it as a short cut. There is a gate a
little way up and they could have just used that.
He also expressed concerns that the prime minister had lit a fire.
“Having a bonfire is always a risk when you have dry weather. I know we had rain last night but it has been
very dry,” Mr Cameron said.
Mr Cameron is reported to have gone to check on the field after a friend noticed the pictures on the front of
the Daily Mail and informed him.
While he had not found any damage, he told the paper that he had feared the tent would be left to “blow
away in the wind” and that he would have to clear up the fire.
Mr Johnson had resisted calls to return from the holiday with Ms Symonds and his young son, Wilfred, as
universities grapple with the fallout from the government’s exams fiasco.
Downing Street was contacted for comment.

News
Make virus tests mandatory for

students, scientists urge
Experts are worried about the potential for transmission in autumn (PA)
ADAM FORREST
Coronavirus tests should be mandatory for UK university students and staff to help control potential
transmission, according to a group of independent experts.
As Britain’s higher education institutions prepare to open up again this autumn, the Independent Sage
group of scientists fear crowded campuses could see lead to new outbreaks of the disease.
The group has called for students and staff to undertake compulsory Covid-19 tests – either before they
come to campus or as soon as they arrive, as well as submitting to further regular tests.
In a new report published yesterday, the academic collective – which has been highly critical of the
government’s handling of the pandemic – also recommended that universities make remote learning the
new “default”.
It wants most classes to be conducted online, with only lab-based or practical degree programmes taught in
person – particularly as higher-than-usual numbers of students are expected to start this year following the
A-level grading scandal.
Worried by the difficulty in enforcing social distancing at parties and formal freshers’ events, the group has
also called for socialising to be restricted to students’ residential “bubbles”.
The new report pointed to two US universities, the University of North Carolina and Notre Dame, which
have been forced to shut down on-campus teaching soon after students returned. In at least one case, this
was due to lack of infection control at social events.
Co-author of the report Liz Stokoe, professor of social interaction at Loughborough University, said: “It’s
hugely important that universities are reopened but students will be travelling from all over the country and
the world, that will create risks of infection transmission.
Experts are worried about freshers’ week

events and socialising on the campus
(Imagesource)
“So it is essential to put detailed procedures in place so as to guarantee a safe return. It would be disastrous
if universities were forced to close as we’ve seen happen in the US so we are urging them to play safe and
work with students to mitigate the risks.”
Yet the representative body for British universities does not agree. The Independent Sage group’s call for
caution challenges the position of Universities UK – which has made clear students should be able to
socialise and benefit from in-person teaching.
Universities UK’s chief executive Alistair Jarvis stated in June that “most students can expect significant in-
person teaching and a wide range of social activities and support services” when term begins this autumn.
The Independent Sage report called for universities to work with student groups to forge a “social
agreement”, committing everybody on campus to act “responsibly”.
However, Professor Devi Sridhar – chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh and a
member of the Scottish government’s advisory group – warned that any attempt to ban social activities
would backfire.
“I don’t think you can ban things without the risk of driving them underground. You have to be realistic
that the 20 to 29 years age group is least likely to abide by pandemic restrictions.”
The University and College Union said it backed the idea of “comprehensive testing” to protect the most
vulnerable to Covid-19.
The president of the National Union of Students (NUS), Larissa Kennedy, also welcomed the report: “We
hope that universities will take this advice onboard and finally provide clarity to students on how their
courses will be delivered, what support will be available to them and what social activities will be open.”
News
Pandemic may take two years

to end, says WHO
Worshippers leaving the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem yesterday: a global effort is needed to curb the virus warns chief
(AFP)
CONRAD DUNCAN
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said he hopes the coronavirus crisis can be ended in
less than two years. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director general, noted yesterday that the
Spanish flu pandemic which began in 1918 took two years to end.
“Our situation now with more technology, of course with more [connectivity] ... the virus has a better
chance of spreading, it can move fast,” Mr Tedros said. “At the same time we have the technology and
knowledge to stop it.”
More than 22.81 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported around the world and 793,382
have died from the virus, according to a Reuters tally.
At the WHO’s media briefing yesterday, Mr Tedros also warned that countries needed to continue to
suppress Covid-19 transmission until a vaccine or treatment is found.
“No country can just ride this out until we have a vaccine,” the health chief said. “A vaccine will be a vital
tool, and we hope that we will have one as soon as possible.
“But there’s no guarantee that we will, and even if we do have a vaccine, it won’t end the pandemic on its
own.”
He added: “We must all learn to control and manage this virus using the tools we have now, and to make
the adjustments to our daily lives that are needed to keep ourselves and each other safe.”
His comments came amid growing optimism about the possibility of having a safe and effective coronavirus
vaccine by the end of this year.
On Thursday, French president Emmanuel Macron said a vaccine for Covid-19 could be ready “in the
coming months” as he spoke at a joint press conference with German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr Macron said there had been improvements in European cooperation on the issue of vaccines to ensure
there would be capacity to produce and deliver them to people when they become available.
Russia claimed earlier this month that it had approved the first safe and effective vaccine against
coronavirus but experts said the candidate had not passed sufficient tests to justify its use.
Scientists have also warned that a partially effective vaccine could encourage the coronavirus to mutate,
potentially making the pandemic worse.
“Less than complete protection could provide a selection pressure that drives the virus to evade what
antibody there is, creating strains that then evade all vaccine responses,” Ian Jones, a virology professor at
Reading University, said.
“In that sense, a poor vaccine is worse than no vaccine.”

News
Coronavirus forces STA Travel

UK out of business
STA specialised in cheap air fares and adventure tours (Getty)
SIMON CALDER
TRAVEL CORRESPONDENT
STA Travel UK has gone out of business, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said, in news that will
leave thousands of customers chasing refunds.
The company employed about 500 staff in 50 high street branches and its central London headquarters. It is
the latest travel business to shut down after global tourism ground to a halt as a result of the coronavirus
pandemic.
The long-established agency – whose initials are derived from its original parent company, Student Travel
Australia – specialised in cheap air fares and adventure tours for young people.
When restrictions started coming into effect in March, many trips were cut short or did not begin. Long-
stay trips to distant destinations, which was the mainstay of STA Travel, have since been near-impossible to
undertake.
On Thursday, Qantas said that it would not operate intercontinental flights to and from Australia before the
second half of 2021. Australia and New Zealand were key markets for STA Travel UK.
Yesterday, STA Travel UK’s website carried the message: “To our valued customers. Due to the recent
announcement that STA Travel UK has ceased trading, unfortunately our travel experts are unable to assist
you at this time.
“Please be assured that if you had a previous booking with us, or hold a live booking, you will receive further
communication in the coming days. We are sorry for the inconvenience and the limited information
available to you at this time.”
Thousands of customers whose trips were cancelled have been trying to claim money back for months, with
the company offering only partial refunds or vouchers.
The CAA told customers: “We are aware of a number of consumers whose bookings have been cancelled by
STA Travel Ltd as a result of government advice or flight cancellations. Consumers that have accepted valid
refund credit notes or are due refunds for the cancellation of their Atol-protected booking will be able to
submit a claim to Atol through our online portal.
“If consumers have a flight-only booking that was Atol protected, they will only be able to make a claim if
they are still due to travel and have not received a valid ticket. Otherwise, consumers should speak to their
airline, including if the flight has been cancelled or they have received a voucher for a cancelled flight.”
A spokesperson for Abta, the travel association, said: ”People will have used STA Travel to book package
holidays as well as individual air tickets. The majority of holidays sold were flight-inclusive packages, which
are protected by Atol, and scheduled airline tickets only, which should proceed as normal. Non-flight-based
packages will be protected by Abta.
“If customers booked a package holiday through STA Travel, and the holiday is provided by another tour
operator, they will need to contact the tour operator, who should be able to confirm that their booking will
go ahead as normal. STA Travel will be a name that is familiar to most people, who will have used them to
travel or been aware of their name on the high street, and this distressing news will sadly affect the
livelihoods of hundreds of employees.”
The company was licensed to carry about 30,000 package holidaymakers a year under its Atol bond. Many
more customers bought flight-only tickets or land arrangements, which do not have the same protection.
The agency’s Swiss parent, STA Travel Holding AG, filed for insolvency on Thursday but said that it hoped
individual businesses could continue trading.
“Sales have not picked up as anticipated, due to consumer uncertainties, further restrictions and renewed
lockdown measures, which are expected to largely continue into 2021,” it said in a statement. “As a
consequence, STA Travel Holding AG, is filing for insolvency.”
News / Q&A
What does STA’s collapse mean

for holidaymakers?
Many thousands will be worrying about refunds, vouchers and new bookings (iStock)
SIMON CALDER
STA Travel UK, one of the biggest names for backpackers and adventurers has gone out of business.
Yesterday evening, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced that the London-based firm had failed
with the loss of 500 jobs.
The news leaves thousands of customers who are owed refunds uncertain about when they might get their
money back.
These are the key questions and answers.
What was the background?
STA was launched in Australia in 1971. Five years later it capitalised on the collapse of the dominant
British student travel enterprise, NUS Travel, to establish a foothold in the UK.
The company’s stated mission was: “We are youthful, adventurous and have a desire to experience new
cultures.”
Originally its main appeal was in selling cut-price air tickets to students and young people.
But as low fares for all became more common, and online competitors started to take some of that core
business, STA Travel moved into providing tailor-made adventures for a wider age range.
STA Travel UK took over the long-haul specialist Bridge the World in 2010.
Before the coronavirus pandemic began, STA had a network of around 50 high-street stores.
What went wrong?
The firm depended on a constant flow of business to pay staff costs and high-street rents, and for decades it
succeeded – despite intense online competition.
But like other travel enterprises, STA saw forward sales dry up because of the coronavirus pandemic.
When travel restrictions started coming into effect in March, many trips were cut short, or did not begin.
Long-stay trips to distant destinations, the mainstays of STA Travel, have since been near-impossible to
undertake.
Instead of selling, staff face demands for refunds from thousands of increasingly frustrated customers.
How have customers been affected?
With intercontinental travel almost at a standstill, there are believed to be a negligible number of STA
Travel customers abroad. Many abandoned their long-haul, long-stay trips in the spring and flew back to
the UK.
Others were not able to start their trips due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There are relative few customers with forward bookings, because STA Travel has sold virtually nothing
since March. Most future trips, such as they are, will be the result of customers postponing journeys rather
than demanding a refund.
My trip booked with STA was cancelled due to Covid-19. How do I claim a refund?
Most STA sales were package holidays: typically a flight plus some accommodation and one or more
adventure tours. Those are covered by the Atol scheme, administered by the Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA).
Many customers whose trips were cancelled have been trying to claim money back for months, with the
company offering only partial refunds and/or vouchers.
Assuming you have a correctly written “refund credit note,” you will be able claim for any outstanding
monies owed by STA Travel under the Atol scheme.
The CAA told customers: “Consumers that have accepted valid refund credit notes or are due refunds for
the cancellation of their Atol-protected booking will be able to submit a claim to Atol through our online
portal.”
What about flight-only tickets?
Abta, the travel association, says: “You will need to contact the airline about your booking. The airline is
responsible for your booking and this should proceed as normal.”
If your flight was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and you have been trying to get your money
back from STA, you will need to make a claim direct with the airline concerned.
The CAA broadly concurs, saying: “If consumers have a flight-only booking that was Atol protected, they
will only be able to make a claim if they are still due to travel and have not received a valid ticket.
”Otherwise, consumers should speak to their airline, including if the flight has been cancelled or they have
received a voucher for a cancelled flight.”
I booked a holiday through STA Travel but a different company is providing it
Where an Atol-protected package with another tour operator has been booked through STA Travel,
your Atol certificate will say “package sale” in the bottom right-hand corner.
Abta says: “You will need to contact the tour operator named on your paperwork or Atol certificate (listed
under ‘Who is protecting your trip?’). “Your tour operator should be able to confirm that your booking will
proceed as normal.”
How significant was STA Travel?
Millions of travellers booked formative travel experiences with the company over the past few decades.
One of many expressions of sadness was tweeted by Michael Rogers: “I bought a very reasonably priced
Round [the] World ticket from STA about 15 years ago and it changed my life. Very grateful for that and
very sad news.”
Dawn Smith said: “Booking student travel at STA opened the door to a new and exciting world. Happy
memories.”
And Alice Brown wrote: “They sparked my love for travel when I was 21 and planning my first-ever trip.”
Are more travel casualties expected?
Sadly, yes. Travel restrictions are stifling business. In the UK, the rules on different European destinations
keep changing. Due to the uncertainty this creates among prospective travellers, sales are not picking up
as anticipated.
On Thursday Qantas said it did not expect to start flying intercontinental routes until the second half of
2021 – signalling the continued closure of a key market, Australia, to UK travel firms.
STA’s holding company said there was no prospect of any improvement this year.
News
Protesters call for action to

‘clean up’ grades chaos
Students and teachers outside Downing Street yesterday (Reuters)
ZOE TIDMAN
Students and teachers called for more to be done to solve this year’s exam grades chaos as they protested
outside Downing Street yesterday, chanting for the education secretary to quit and holding signs
demanding a better appeals process for those unhappy with teacher grades.
Among the demonstrators were A-level students who had missed out on university places this year due to
lower than expected teacher-submitted grades, or who are waiting to hear if they have to defer.
Other protesters held signs calling for more support for BTEC fstudents – tens of thousands of whom were
due to get their results on Thursday, but must now wait while their exam board recalculates grades
following the U-turn over GCSE and A-level marks.
The government said on Monday A-level and GCSE students would be able to take either their teacher-
estimated or moderated grade – whichever one is higher – following public outcry and protests, after tens of
thousands of A-level grades were lowered in a controversial moderation process. However, the protests
have not stopped, as students demand more action amid the fallout to this year’s grading.
Georgia Hewett and Anselm Winner (Zoe

Tidman/The Independent)
“What you are showing to the world, what has been shown this year, through the BLM protests, is that
actually protests work,” one of the organisers, Elizabeth Adofo, told the crowd. “Change doesn’t come from
the top.”
A small group of demonstrators chanted “Gavin Williamson has got to go” outside the gates of Downing
Street yesterday. Anselm Winner, an 18-year-old student holding a sign calling for Mr Williamson to quit,
said he wanted to see politicians take “accountability” for this year’s chaos. The education secretary has
resisted calls to resign over his handing of this year’s grading, but has apologised to thousands of students
for the distress caused.
“Even with the U-turn, there is still a lot of mess to clean up,” Georgia Hewett – who said she initially
missed her Cambridge University offer with downgraded moderated grades – told The Independent.
The 18-year-old said she is still facing uncertainly over her situation after a “really stressful” past week.
“Since the U-turn I got a place,” Ms Hewett, who has now been accepted into Cambridge University, said.
“I’m just not sure yet whether I will have to take a gap year next year.”
People protest outside Downing Street

yesterday (Reuters)
While universities have vowed to do their best to accommodate everyone who met their offer this year,
some institutions said they may have to ask people to defer after thousands of A-level marks were upgraded
when teacher-assessed marks were allowed.
Around 15,000 students got rejected from their first-choice university with moderated marks handed out
last Thursday, but now meet their offers following Monday’s U-turn, according to Ucas data. Meanwhile,
other students have still missed out on offers due to teacher grades they said were lower than they expected.
Darren Ngasseu told The Independent he had lost his medicine offer at Imperial College London after his
teachers submitted BBB grades for him – despite being predicted A*A*A when applying to university. “I sat
admissions tests, interviews, I went through so much to get that offers, worked so hard to be
underpredicted by my own school,” the 18-year-old, who is also a young carer, said.
Thousands of BTEC students are still waiting

for results (Zoe Tidman/The Independent)
He held a sign calling for “CAG appeals” – which students can request if their school made an
“administrative error”.
Fellow protester Kush Bhalla said he also wants a better appeals process for CAGs. He has lost his place at
both his top universities this year, and told The Independent he is now looking at doing an online course
instead. Students can also take resits in autumn if they are unhappy with their moderated and teacher-
assessed marks.
The qualifications were not included in the government’s U-turn letting students take teacher assessments
as grades, and a spokesperson for Pearson exam board said marks would be recalculated “to address
concerns about unfairness in relation to A-levels and GCSEs”. Students will “hopefully” get these results
next week, the UK schools minister said on Thursday.
Darren Ngasseu (left) and Kush Bhalla said they

both missed out on their top choice university
this year (Zoe Tidman/The Independent)
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “In light of the education secretary’s announcement on 17
August, appeals against A and AS level and GCSE grades will only be accepted from schools or colleges
where they think they made a mistake when submitting a student’s centre assessment grade, or if they
believe the exam board made a mistake when it communicated that grade.”
They added: “As in any other year, students will be able to raise a complaint to their centre if they have
evidence of bias or that they were discriminated against in the grading process.”
Ofqual, England’s exam regulator, said it had previously considered whether to let students challenge their
teachers’ assessed grades and decided against it. “This is because we don’t believe there is anyone other
than the teachers at a student’s school or college who would be able to judge their likely grade if exams had
taken place,” an Ofqual spokesperson said.
News / Inside Westminster
PM must heed this warning

before embarking on the great
‘civil service reform’
The shake-up looks like centralisation, but Johnson’s aides deny it (Getty)
ANDREW GRICE
Persistent grumbling about Boris Johnson among Conservative MPs has turned to anger during the fiasco
over exam grades, and despair about the aura of incompetence hanging over his government.
His usual approach to party management is an occasional speech to rally his backbench troops. But in
recognition that he has a problem, he will meet more Tory MPs in small groups after the Commons returns
from its summer break on 1 September.
Johnson and Gavin Williamson, the beleaguered education secretary, were lucky the Commons was in
recess while the exam controversy erupted. By the time MPs get their teeth into what went wrong, the
storm will probably have abated. But there is one Tory critic the prime minister should listen to: his fellow
Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin, who chairs the Liaison Committee of senior MPs and previously chaired a select
committee monitoring Whitehall.
Jenkin is worried by speculation Williamson will oust Jonathan Slater, his top civil servant. Although
officially denied, the move would hardly be a surprise; the permanent secretaries at the Home Office,
Foreign Office and Ministry of Justice have all departed in recent months, and Mark Sedwill, the cabinet
secretary, will soon join them. It is part of Dominic Cummings’ plan for a Whitehall revolution – his one
remaining mission after Brexit.
Jenkin told BBC Radio 4’s The World at One: “I am concerned that there’s a sort of pattern setting in under
this government that something goes wrong and it is the permanent secretary’s fault or it’s some public
body’s fault, but it is never the government’s fault.” (The now dismantled Public Health England has been
blamed for mistakes at the start of the coronavirus crisis.)
He added: “The only way that the civil service can deliver what ministers want is if there is a free and open
and trusting flow of information backwards and forwards from ministers and officials… If the whole
discourse becomes stifled in an atmosphere of blame and fear, then I don’t think civil servants will be able
to support ministers very effectively.”
Cummings will spearhead the reform drive when he and other key Johnson aides symbolically move from
Downing Street into the Cabinet Office, though the PM will remain in Number 10. Johnson aides are
convinced the Cabinet Office has underperformed in the coronavirus crisis, and deny scapegoating.
A review of the Cabinet Office’s operations will be conducted by Tory peer Francis Maude, who has
unfinished business from his time as a minister keen to reform Whitehall. It will probably pave the way for
the creation of a prime minister’s department in all but name. This is not a new idea. The Downing Street
operation is small by comparison with foreign counterparts. Its rabbit warren of corridors and cramped
offices do not make for efficient government. Other prime ministers considered having their own
department but baulked at “power grab” headlines. In contrast, Johnson and Cummings will not lose much
sleep over that.
While the emerging shake-up looks like centralisation, Johnson aides insist it is about having a small,
efficient centre based on Number 10, the Cabinet Office and Treasury, and allowing government
departments to get on with it. Departmental officials will believe that when they see it.
Nor is Johnson the first prime minister to think Whitehall’s fabled “Rolls Royce machine” sometimes feels
more like an old banger. Some, like Tony Blair, complained that when they pulled all the levers, nothing
happened on the ground. Johnson cannot let that happen to him. Allies tell me his Commons majority of 80
creates space for a 10-year plan to transform Britain. Yet Johnson knows his “levelling up” agenda will have
to bear visible fruit in the north and Midlands by 2024 for him to be sure of winning a second term.
The civil service is far from perfect, and there is a strong case for shaking it up. It was set out by Michael
Gove, who heads the Cabinet Office, in a 7,500-word lecture in June. But he also unintentionally gave the
game away by saying: “Groupthink can affect any organisation – the tendency to coalesce around a cosy
consensus, to resist change, look for information to confirm existing biases and to reject rigorous testing of
delivery.”
For many civil servants, that describes the Johnson-Cummings approach as much as it does Whitehall. The
government has appointed a national security adviser in David Frost with little experience of security and a
head of a new public health institute in Dido Harding who has little experience of public health. Another
trusted ally, Lord Maude, will likely give Johnson the verdict he wants on the Cabinet Office.
If Johnson and his ministers continue to shoot the messenger, they will end up shooting themselves in both
feet. To shake off the label of incompetence, ministers will need to work with the civil service rather than
wage permanent war on it.
News / Film review
You feel the world really will

end if the mission fails
‘Tenet’, Christopher Nolan’s high-concept espionage thriller, is his
most confusing film but the most exciting to get lost in
Spy trappings: exotic locations, chilly British dames and a brash hero (AP)
CLARISSE LOUGHREY
★★★★☆
Dir: Christopher Nolan. Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron
Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine. 12A cert, 150 mins
Will Tenet save cinema? We’ve somehow let everything ride on a single film, the first studio tentpole to be
released since the pandemic began. We’re convinced it can take the pressure. Christopher Nolan’s films
have always been great, lumbering beasts of cinema – super-sized, puzzle-box epics that have become
irresistible box office draws. Surely, people will come masked and in droves, ready to dissect it as furiously
as they did with Inception or Interstellar?
And there’s Nolan himself, the purist who made a dogged last stand against the digital release model. Tenet
will be seen in cinemas, he declared, or it will not be seen at all. It’s a shame that the narrative around its
release will inevitably cloud any real discussion of the film’s merits. Tenet is as intricately and exquisitely
designed as Nolan’s earlier work. It boasts some of the most spectacular, memorable set-pieces of his career.
Ostensibly an espionage thriller, it opens on a nameless figure (BlacKkKlansman’s John David Washington),
whose commitment to his work sees him recruited by a mystery organisation, then sent off into the world
with a single palindrome: “Tenet”. This word will “open the right doors and some of the wrong ones, too”.
He crosses paths with allies (Robert Pattinson’s Neil, and Michael Caine in a brief cameo) and foes
(Kenneth Branagh’s Andrei Sator, with a Russian accent as thick as borscht).
He stumbles into a great, yawning chasm of possibility and probability – namely, the discovery that objects
can travel forwards and backwards through time, carving out wide channels in the fabric of reality. It’s a
time travel film. But, also, as the director himself insists, not a time travel film. It’s the most complex of
Nolan’s contraptions. It can be frightening. It can be claustrophobic. At times, it verges on the
incomprehensible. We expect the complex and byzantine from Nolan’s work. But here, with an idea he’s
wrestled with for over a decade, the director’s managed to reach new heights of obfuscation.
John David Washington stars as ‘The

Protagonist’, who’s sent off into the world with
a single palindrome: ‘Tenet’ (AP)
Nolan seems to almost revel in the futility of words here. The central conceit – that it’s possible to reverse
an object’s passage through time – is easy to follow. But the director makes the smaller details deliberately
hard to track, with the dialogue often delivered in whispers or from behind masks. It’s been seemingly
engineered for multiple viewings.
Does it matter all that much, though? Tenet is a thrilling place to get lost in. “Don’t try to understand it.
Feel it,” explains Laura (Clémence Poésy), who serves as one of the film’s exposition machines. The advice
is directed as much to us as it is to the film’s hero. But while the appeal of Nolan’s films usually comes from
watching all the pieces fall neatly into place, the final picture bringing a sense of order to existence, the
director has found himself increasingly drawn towards chaos.
The sturdy, logical dream levels of Inception have been replaced by the bombs of Dunkirk. They whizz past,
without a target or a specific purpose, guided by an invisible hand. The film sends waves of helplessness
crashing over its audience. Tenet, too, has much to do with the terror of the unseen and the unknowable.
Threats emerge from hidden sources, their tendrils reaching out and slowly wrapping themselves around
the Earth’s circumference.
There’s something genuinely unnerving about Sator’s firecracker nature. Branagh is unexpectedly fearsome
in the role. His violence is unpredictable, his nihilism a menace
In the place of words, atmosphere thrives. Tenet is ruled by a deep, perfidious sense of tension. It’s the rare
action film where the characters don’t just say the world will end if they fail in their mission – you feel it,
too. Ludwig Göransson (stepping into the shoes of Nolan’s usual collaborator, Hans Zimmer) creates a
score built of low, anxious vibrations that pulsate through even the most incidental of scenes. Most of the
colours we see are familiar to Nolan’s worlds – yellow tones make everything feel like it’s been lightly
coated in toxic smog – though one particular, showstopping scene is bathed in hellish reds and blues. The
action scenes, all carefully shaped around the idea of “inverted time”, are coordinated to look like some kind
of strange, modernist ballet.
There’s something alluring about the way the surreal rubs shoulders with the usual trappings of the spy
genre: the exotic locations, chilly British dames (The Night Manager’s Elizabeth Debicki as Kat, wife of
Sator), and brash hero. Washington’s charisma is undeniable – an ideal combination of likeability and cool
reserve, that the rising star delivers with Bond-like flair – though his quips can be a little predictable.
“Where I’m from, you buy me dinner first,” he says to a security guard, post-pat-down. Nolan at least seems
aware that the character suffers from a certain two-dimensionality. The credits simply call him “The
Protagonist”.
A little harder to forgive is his script’s depiction of Kat. Nolan may have moved on from his obsession with
dead wives, who haunt the edges of his frames, but his female lead is here still defined by the male figures in
her life – the son she’s been separated from and the husband who holds power over her. But while Nolan
finds almost nothing to say about motherhood, there’s something genuinely unnerving about Sator’s
firecracker nature. Branagh is unexpectedly fearsome in the role. His violence is unpredictable, his nihilism
a menace.
Nolan prides himself on these bold choices. He’s here to shake foundations. But no film could ever save the
theatrical experience single-handed from the jaws of a never-ending pandemic and a cataclysmic recession.
When we look back on 2020, we won’t remember what Tenet did for the film industry. We’ll remember the
governments that failed their people, their economies, and the arts. Tenet is no saviour. It is, and will always
be, a victim of circumstance.
News
‘Unduly lenient’ sentences for

the killers of PC Harper will be
reviewed by judges
PC Andrew Harper died after being dragged by a car during a getaway (PA)
LIZZIE DEARDEN
HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
Judges are to consider increasing the prison sentences given to three teenagers convicted of killing PC
Andrew Harper. The attorney general has referred the terms to the Court of Appeal under the “unduly
lenient sentence” scheme.
PC Harper’s wife, Lissie, is campaigning for a new law to make life sentences mandatory for people who
kill police officers and other emergency workers.
Two of the defendants, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, have launched appeals against their manslaughter
convictions. They were passengers in the car that dragged PC Harper to his death in Berkshire last August,
as the group attempted to flee after stealing a quad bike.
Driver Henry Long, 19, was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment, while Bowers and Cole, both 18, were
each given 13 years. All three men were charged with murder but denied knowing the 28-year-old officer
was attached to their car during a high-speed getaway.
The attorney general, Suella Braverman, said: “This was a horrific crime which resulted in the death of a
much-respected police officer while he was on duty protecting his community.
“Having personally considered the details of this shocking case, I have decided to refer the sentences of PC
Harper’s killers to the Court of Appeal. Attacks made against emergency workers will not be tolerated, and
offenders should be punished with the greatest severity for such heinous crimes.”
Driver Henry Long, 19, and passengers Jessie

Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18 (Thames
Valley Police)
PC Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, said the family hoped judges would “deliver the justice that Andrew
deserves”.
“My family and I know that the whole nation stands with us in outrage at the sentences handed down to my
son’s killers,” she added.
The Court of Appeal will be able to increase, reduce or keep the sentences the same upon its review.
PC Harper’s wife is campaigning for a new law in her husband’s name that would create a mandatory life
sentence for those found guilty of killing an emergency worker.
She hailed the attorney general’s decision as “great news”, and said the sentences did not match the
“heinous crime” against her husband. “It was not justice and it needs to be addressed,” she added. “We
now await the outcome with interest and in the meantime we will continue to campaign for Harper’s Law.”
Ms Harper had been married to the Thames Valley Police officer for a month when he was dragged to his
death. She wrote to the prime minister demanding a retrial after the trio were acquitted of murder last
month. But a judge said there was no evidence of jury intimidation or other issues that would have
invalidated the verdict.
Ms Harper’s campaign for a change in the law is being supported by the Police Federation of England and
Wales, which represents rank-and-file officers.
News / Exclusive
Patients who need steroids to

live get emergency cards
Four people died after steroids were not given to them (Getty/iStock)
SHAUN LINTERN
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
Tens of thousands of patients across England who depend on regular doses of steroids to live will be issued
with a new emergency card to warn hospital staff of their condition, after more than 300 incidents and four
deaths in two years.
A patient safety alert to hospitals has ordered trusts to make sure that all eligible patients with Addison’s
disease, or adrenal insufficiency, are given a new steroid emergency card that they can carry with them and
present to staff if they are taken to hospital in an emergency or admitted for surgery.
More than 8,000 people in the UK have Addison’s disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands, in which the
body does not produce its own steroids. Another 60,000 people are thought to be affected by similar rare
diseases requiring steroids. Some patients who take steroids for other reasons can become dependent on the
medication as their body stops producing the hormones naturally.
In the most serious cases, a patient who goes without their dose can die. In one case, a patient was admitted
to hospital after suffering a broken leg in a fall at home. They had been on steroids following surgery to
remove a brain tumour 40 years before. A safety incident report said that no steroids were given for two
days, leading to the patient vomiting, suffering a cardiac arrest and dying.
A search of the NHS patient safety incident database over two years found four deaths and 320 incidents
where steroids were not given. Four patients had to be treated in intensive care.
The safety alert that was sent to hospitals last week said: “While substantial resources exist, specialist
clinicians and patients have told us that some clinical staff are not aware of the risk of adrenal crisis or the
correct clinical response should one occur.”
As well as alerting staff to the need for steroids, the card also carries advice for what to do if a patient is
suffering an adrenal crisis.
Hospitals have been given until May next year to make sure all eligible patients are given an emergency
card to carry.
Andrew Glass, chair of the Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group (ADSHG) charity, said: “A core principle is
that it’s important for people with diseases like Addison’s to feel independent and have things under control
as much as possible for when things go wrong. Having the card gives us a certain independence and
reassurance, so all of us at the ADSHG welcome the new emergency card together with its associated
updated guidance and national patient safety alert.
“We’ve supported our members through the challenges of both preventing and preparing for an adrenal
crisis since 1984 and helped members to live normal lives. Preventable deaths and the adverse
consequences of treatment delays are reported to us all too frequently and we are grateful to all involved in
bringing about this initiative. Our hope is that it will improve the quality of life for our members and all
those with adrenal insufficiency receiving care from the NHS.”
Dr Helen Simpson, a consultant endocrinologist at University College London Hospital who led work to
develop the card, told The Independent that the safety alert to hospitals, along with new guidance for doctors
and the emergency card itself, would help raise awareness of the care patients need.
She said: “Sadly, we know that some patients have died from omission of steroids, which for our endocrine
patients are a life-sustaining treatment. It has taken over four years and close working between the Society
for Endocrinology, Royal College of Physicians and NHS England’s patient safety team.”
She said cards would be available from the start of September via community services, GPs and hospital
teams.
News
Pictures of the Day
Path of resistance
Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against
Israel’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. AFP/Getty
Holy brow
A patient plucks her eyebrows in her room of a Covid-19 isolation centre at the Lenin vocational school in
Havana, Cuba. AFP/Getty
Purple haze
Harri Teale gathers lavender during the annual harvest on the Wolds Way lavender farm near Malton in
North Yorkshire. PA
Flex appeal
Female bodybuilders wearing face shields flex their muscles on stage in the Mr Thailand 2020 bodybuilding
competition in Bangkok. EPA
Horse sense
An Icelandic horse frolics in its paddock at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany. AP
News
Home news in brief
Jennifer McNern, who lost both legs in the Abercorn bombing, outside Belfast High Court (PA)
Former Tory campaign manager spared jail
A former Conservative Party campaign manager has been spared jail for possessing indecent images of
children. Mark Lerigo had collected more than 1,500 images, including some showing babies and others
involving bestiality and torture. He walked free from Warwick Crown Court yesterday after it heard he has
been judged not to pose a high risk to children. A judge handed Lerigo, 49, a suspended jail term and told
him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Researchers reach record-breaking internet speed
Researchers have created the fastest-ever internet connection. The team from University College London
was able to transmit data at 178 terabits per second. The speed is double the capacity of any system
currently used in the world, and a fifth faster than the previous record. The connection is so fast that it
could download the entire Netflix library in just one second. It is also getting close to the theoretical limit of
data transmission, first proposed by American mathematician Claude Shannon in 1949. Researchers were
able to transmit data through a much wider range of colours than normally used in optical fibre. By
combining different amplifier technologies, they could best use the properties of light transmitting the data,
allowing them to specifically manipulate each individual wavelength.
N Ireland ‘unlawfully’ delaying compensation
Sinn Fein has said it will nominate Stormont department to progress a compensation scheme for injured
victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles after Belfast High Court judge ruled an ongoing delay was
unlawful. Justice McAlinden said yesterday The Executive Office (TEO) was under a “clear, unqualified and
unconditional obligation” to designate a department to take forward the scheme by establishing a victims’
payment board by 29 May. The judge said any argument to the contrary was “obtuse, absurd and irrational”.
The judge said the TEO was deliberately stymieing the introduction of the scheme to pressurise Northern
Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis to change the scheme’s terms. He said TEO stance was “truly shocking”
and said it demonstrated either a “wilful” disregard for the law or “abject ignorance” of it.
Tooth decay in children costing the NHS £40m a year
Hospitals carried out almost 180 operations every day on children and teens last year to remove rotting
teeth, costing the NHS more than £40m. The latest figures reveal there were 44,685 surgical procedures to
remove more than one tooth in those aged 18 and under in England in 2018-19, with the majority driven by
tooth decay. This equates to 177 operations each day, and cost a total of £41.5m – up from 38,208 multiple
tooth extractions in 2012-13, which cost the NHS £27.4m. Local health officials now fear lockdown will
drive up levels of tooth decay as youngsters snack on more sugary foods and drinks while stuck at home and
community oral health programmes are interrupted.
World
Syrians ‘choosing between

bread and masks’ as virus
surges and sanctions hit
Nurse describes impact of US Caesar Act on poor families combined
with authorities ‘playing down’ spread of Covid-19
Pedestrians on a busy street in the capital Damascus in May (AFP/Getty)
PATRICK COCKBURN
“If I don’t buy masks or medicine, I may die or survive, but if I don’t buy bread for the family, we will all die
of starvation,” says a retired 68-year-old teacher in Damascus, explaining why he does not have masks,
sterilisers or medicines. “We need two bundles of loaves every day which costs us at least 600 Syrian
pounds (24 US cents), but if we buy masks they will cost us about 1000 SP (40 cents). The choice is
between bread and masks.”
Millions of ordinary Syrians are having to choose between buying food to eat and taking precautionary
measures against coronavirus, which local witnesses say is much more widespread than the Syrian
government admits.
Poverty and deprivation have worsened dramatically since the US introduced all-embracing sanctions on
Syria on 17 June under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which Donald Trump signed into law late
last year. Named after the individual who documented the murder of thousands of Syrians by the Syrian
government (Syrian officials deny the allegations), the legislation is supposedly intended to restrain it from
carrying out further acts of repression.
In practice the Caesar Act does little to weaken President Bashar al-Assad and his regime, but it does
impose a devastating economic siege on a country where civilians are already ground down by nine years of
war and economic embargo. The eight in 10 Syrians who are listed by the UN as falling below the poverty
line must now cope with a sudden upsurge in the coronavirus pandemic.
As with UN sanctions imposed on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the 1990s, the Syrian leadership will be least
affected by the new American measures because it controls resources. The real victims are the poor and the
powerless who suffer since the price of foodstuffs has risen by 209 per cent in the last year. The cost of a
basic food basket is 23.5 times what it was before the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011 according to the World
Food Programme (WFP).
Beneath a hypocritical pretence that it is helping ordinary people, the Trump administration is stoking a
humanitarian catastrophe in a bid to deny a victory to Russia and Iran, the two main supporters of Assad
during the conflict. Confirming this aim, the US special representative for Syria James Jeffrey says that US
policy is to turn Syria into “a quagmire” for Russia, like the one the US faced in Vietnam, and to give the
US a degree of control over Syria similar to what it had in Japan at the end of the Second World War.
Every day hundreds of sick people come here, most of them suffering from coronavirus symptoms, but the
hospital is already full
Such aims are dangerously unrealistic as Assad, Russia and Iran have already won the war militarily, but US
wishful thinking does have the potential to further devastate the lives of millions of Syrians. Detailed and
reliable information has been lacking about how they are surviving, or failing to survive, as the Caesar Act is
implanted and the virus spreads. Access to Syria by journalists is limited and news from Syria, however dire,
has largely dropped out of the international news agenda because everybody is preoccupied with the
progress of the pandemic in their own countries.
A nurse at one of the largest hospitals in Damascus has given The Independent a detailed account of how
coronavirus and the Caesar Act are combining to bring fresh disasters to Syria, a country already ruined by
nine years of war. Muhanad Shami (which is not his real name) is 28 years old and works in the giant al-
Mouwasat University Hospital in Damascus. He speaks graphically and convincingly of the worsening crisis
in the Syrian capital and in his own hospital as the virus spreads amid crippling shortages and soaring
prices.
“It’s an atmosphere of fear and panic in the hospital,” says Muhanad. “Every day hundreds of sick people
come here, most of them suffering from coronavirus symptoms, but the hospital is already full.” Its
buildings hold more than a thousand patients, many of them sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
He says that the official numbers of infections announced by the Syrian authorities may be only about 10
per cent of the real figure: “On Friday 14 August, the ministry of health announced only 72 cases in Syria,
but in my hospital alone there were about 200 people crowded into the yard nearby and all of them were
sick, coughing, with a high temperature, a need for oxygen, and no feeling of taste and smell.” The hospital
management only had enough equipment to test three people who all tested positive.
Before the Caesar Act things were expensive but now they are unaffordable
The swift rise in the number infected is scarcely surprising, given that, until recently, the government
played down the threat from coronavirus, leading people to take few precautions to avoid catching
it. Muhanad says: “Every day, I go to work in a bus or minibus which should carry eleven people, but is
mostly crowded with 15 people and I am the only one who wears a mask.” He normally gets a mask and
disinfectant from his hospital but, when these are not available, he walks 45 minutes from his flat to the
hospital rather than risk being crammed into a bus.
“I am surprised I am not sick so far,” he says. “Maybe it is because I am walking to work most days and
sweating and that makes me more immune.” Three doctors and several nurses, two of whom he knew, have
died at the hospital, where there is a shortage of masks. “I just wash my hands and drink water every
10 minutes. I spend the day in a state of anxiety.”
Private hospitals are also full up and oxygen cylinders and ventilators often have to be purchased privately.
Muhanad says that his “aunt has four children and the whole family are sick with coronavirus, so our
relatives living in the United Arab Emirates sent her some money to buy equipment.” She spent about $450
(£345) on medicine, ventilators and oxygen cylinders, but then faced the problem that there is no
continuous supply of electricity in Damascus to keep equipment like a ventilator running all the time.
The pandemic strikes at a population already weakened during nine years of war and sanctions – already
stringent and economically destructive before the Caesar Act provoked a collapse in the Syrian currency
this summer. Muhanad’s monthly salary is the equivalent of $20, which he doubles by taking tips from
patients for injections and other medical procedures. He can no longer afford the modest two-room flat he
shares with two others, because the landlord is raising their rent by a third: “About four months ago, before
the Caesar Act, things were expensive but now they are unaffordable.” He used to buy a kilo of tomatoes for
100 Syrian pounds (4 cents), but since the act the tomatoes are three or four times more expensive, while
the cost of a taxi ride has tripled and that of a bus has doubled. There is a cheap government bread ration
but enormous queues outside the bakeries.
Muhanad blames the Syrian government for pretending that coronavirus was less widespread than it really
was, leading people to crowd together without masks in the markets. He sees the Caesar Act plunging an
impoverished people deeper into misery.
The number of Syrians who are food insecure has risen in the last six months by 1.4 million to 9.3 million,
more than half the population, according to the WFP. The Caesar Act and coronavirus do not appear to be
weakening Assad, Russia and Iran, but there is every sign they are together plunging ordinary Syrians into a
deep and lethal quagmire.
World
Accusations of cover-up over

‘poisoned’ Putin critic
Navalny, centre, took ill on Thursday during a flight from Tomsk in Siberia (AP)
OLIVER CARROLL
MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT
The mystery around the apparent poisoning of Alexei Navalny deepened yesterday, with aides at one point
relaying claims that doctors had identified a substance lethal not only to the Putin critic but to those around
him too.
Ivan Zhdanov, head of Mr Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, said a transport police officer had
confirmed the presence of a toxin: “She said everyone around was working in protective costumes, but
wouldn’t name the substance and claimed investigatory privilege.”
The opposition politician’s supporters said they were unconvinced by the claims. His wife, Yulia Navalnya,
suggested that authorities were instead stalling for time to stop his planned evacuation to Germany, in order
to allow whatever toxin might be in his body to disappear.
Anatoly Kalinichenko, a senior clinician at the Siberian hospital treating the critic of Vladimir Putin,
claimed that doctors were satisfied he had not been poisoned. They had found “no trace” of toxins or by-
products of these toxins in blood or urine samples taken from Mr Navalny, he said. Family members had
already been informed of a “final diagnosis”.
Yulia Navalnaya outside the hospital (AFP via

Getty)
A little while later, the hospital’s chief clinician, Andrei Mukharovsky, contradicted these comments by
stating that doctors had only “working diagnoses”. The most likely of these, he claimed, was a
“carbohydrate imbalance ... possibly caused by a sharp drop in blood sugar levels”.
Mr Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, fell seriously ill on Thursday morning 40 minutes
into a flight from Tomsk, Siberia. His Moscow-bound plane made an emergency stop in Omsk, 800km (500
miles) away. Already unconscious by the time the plane landed, Mr Navalny was rushed to intensive care,
where he remained in a critical condition yesterday.
Both the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, have offered
state-level assistance to expatriate Mr Navalny for specialist treatment in Europe. Mr Navalny’s team
believe that offers the best chance for his recovery and of identifying whatever might have caused
his condition.
Dr Murakhovsky speaking to the media (AFP

via Getty)
An air ambulance was in Siberia yesterday, ready for a planned evacuation to Berlin.
Last night, Russian doctors said Mr Navalny could be flown to Germany to receive medical care.
Mr Navalny's life was not in immediate danger, he was in an induced coma and his brain was in a stable
condition, medical staff at the Omsk hospital said.
Kira Yarmysh, Mr Navalny's spokesperson, said she expected him to be flown out this morning.
However, in comments to the press yesterday morning, Dr Murakhovsky also said that “no benefit” would
be gained from speaking to foreign experts. Moscow specialists were “no worse”, he claimed. Test results,
available in two days, would give “complete information”.
Mr Navalny’s colleagues said the chief doctor’s behaviour has been suspicious.
World
Irish minister resigns after golf

dinner with 80 people
Event appeared to be in breach of coronavirus restrictions
Dara Calleary, deputy leader of Ireland’s ruling Fianna Fail party (Reuters)
ADAM FORREST
A cabinet minister in the Irish government has resigned after he attended an indoor golf event with more
than 80 people, which appeared to be in breach of coronavirus regulations.
Agriculture minister Dara Calleary stepped down and apologised “unreservedly” for attending a hotel
dinner hosted by the Irish parliament’s golf society – only a day after the government tightened restrictions
on gatherings.
Ireland’s government announced on Tuesday that indoor meetings would be limited to just six people in a
bid to rein in one of the sharpest Covid-19 infection surges in Europe.
“Last night I attended a function I committed to a number of weeks ago… In light of the updated public
health guidance this week I should not have attended the event. I wish to apologise unreservedly to
everyone,” Mr Calleary tweeted on Thursday night.
Micheal Martin, the Irish premier, said in a statement yesterday: “This morning Dara Calleary tendered his
resignation following his attendance at the Oireachtas golf dinner on Wednesday evening. His attendance at
this event was wrong and an error of judgment on his part.”
Mr Calleary, deputy leader of the Fianna Fail party, received thousands of furious replies to his Twitter
apology – many from people angry they had been unable to attend funerals or had to cancel holidays or
weddings because of the restrictions.
He had only been in the post for a little over a month. His predecessor as agriculture minister, Barry
Cowen, was sacked following a scandal over a drink-driving conviction.
Fine Gael senator Jerry Buttimer, who also attended the golf dinner, tendered his resignation as chair of the
upper house of the Irish parliament. He apologised for the “serious lapse in judgement”.
A spokesperson for the hotel claimed the sector’s representative body had said that until further guidance
on the new restrictions was available, the dinner would adhere to rules, so long as fewer than 50 people
dined in adjoining rooms.
The taoiseach made clear the gathering breached the new restrictions in his statement yesterday morning.
“This event should not have gone ahead in the manner it did given the government decision of last
Tuesday,” Mr Martin said.
European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan also attended the event at County Galway Station House Hotel,
according to national broadcaster RTE.
An opposition member of parliament, Paul Murphy, said Mr Hogan’s attendance raised a question over
whether he quarantined if he came from Brussels to attend the dinner.
Visitors from most EU countries, including Belgium, are required to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in
Ireland under some of the strictest travel restrictions in the bloc.
A spokesperson for Hogan as saying the commissioner complied fully with all quarantine and restricted
movement requirements on his return to Ireland, according to the Irish Independent.
World
Biden vows to end ‘national

darkness’ as he accepts
Democratic nomination
Unconventional: a distanced fireworks party capped off the night in Delaware (Getty)
MATT MATHERS
Joe Biden led a socially distanced fireworks party to celebrate the end of the Democratic national
convention (DNC) on Thursday night, after accepting the party’s nomination for president and promising
to end what he described as America’s period of “national darkness”.
In what was arguably his strongest performance of the campaign so far, the former vice president, 77,
delivered a powerful acceptance speech to bring proceedings to a close, as he vowed to be a unifying “ally of
the light” who would move a US in crisis past the chaos of president Donald Trump’s tenure in the White
House.
Positioning himself as a president who could unite the nation, Mr Biden said he would “draw on the best of
us (Americans), not the worst” – a subtle rebuke to the Trump campaign, which has sought to sow division
and distrust, with the president himself recently appearing to praise the support he receives from adherents
of QAnon, a conspiracy theory which falsely claims the world is controlled by a satanic cult of paedophiles
who eat babies.
“Make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America,” Mr Biden added,
on the final night of a convention that has been conducted virtually due to the ongoing coronavirus
pandemic.
Having spent five decades in political office – and overcoming a number of personal tragedies – the end of
this year’s convention will have been an emotional affair for Mr Biden, who missed out on the Democrat
nomination for president on two separate occasions; once in 1988 when he pulled out of the race, and again
in 2008, when he was beaten by Barack Obama, whom he would later serve under as vice president.
An unprecedented global pandemic denied the Pennsylvania-born lawmaker the typical celebration,
complete with the customary balloon drop that both parties often use to fete their new nominees. Instead,
Mr Biden spoke to a largely empty arena near his Delaware home.
Afterwards, fireworks lit the sky outside the arena where supporters waited in a car park, honking horns and
flashing headlights in a moment that finally lent a jovial feel to the evening. The keynote address was the
speech of a lifetime for Mr Biden, who would be the oldest president ever elected if he defeats Mr Trump in
November.
Mr Trump, who is 74, publicly doubts his opponent’s mental capacity and calls him “Slow Joe”, but with the
nation watching, he was firm and clear. Still, the convention leaned on a younger generation earlier in the
night to help energise his sprawling coalition.
Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois senator who lost both legs in Iraq and is raising two young children, said Mr
Biden has “common decency”. Cory Booker, only the ninth African American senator in US history, said
Mr Biden believes in the dignity of all working Americans.
And Pete Buttigieg, a 38-year-old former mayor and a gay military veteran, noted that Mr Biden came out in
favour of same-sex marriage as vice president even before former president Barack Obama. "Joe Biden is
right, this is a contest for the soul of the nation. And to me that contest is not between good Americans and
evil Americans,” Mr Buttigieg said. “It’s the struggle to call out what is good for every American.”
Mr Biden’s positive focus on Thursday night marked a break from the dire warnings offered by Mr Obama
and others the night before. The 44th president of the US warned that American democracy itself could
falter if Mr Trump is re-elected, while Mr Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, the 55-year-old California
senator and daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, warned that Americans’ lives and livelihoods were
at risk.
Mr Biden’s Democratic Party has sought this week to put forward a cohesive vision of values and policy
priorities, highlighting efforts to combat climate change, tighten gun laws and embrace a humane
immigration policy. They have drawn a sharp contrast with Mr Trump’s policies and personality, portraying
him as cruel, self-centred and woefully unprepared to manage virtually any of the nation’s mounting crises
and policy challenges.
Mr Biden’s call for unity comes as some strategists worry that Democrats cannot retake the White House
simply by tearing Mr Trump down, that Mr Biden needs to give his sprawling coalition something to vote
for. Though he has been in the public spotlight for decades as a Delaware senator, much of the electorate
knows little about Mr Biden’s background before he began serving as Mr Obama’s vice president in 2008.
Thursday’s convention served as a national reintroduction of sorts that drew on some of the most painful
moments of his life.”I know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes,” Mr Biden said. He
added: “I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose.”
As a schoolboy, he was mocked for a severe stutter. He became a widower at just 30 after losing his wife and
infant daughter to a car accident. Five years ago, he buried his eldest son who had suffered from cancer. Mr
Biden has maintained a polling advantage over Mr Trump for much of the year, but it remains to be seen
whether the Democratic nominee’s approach to politics and policy will genuinely excite the coalition he is
courting in an era of uncompromising partisanship.
World / Analysis
Has the nearly man finally

shown he has what it takes?
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris appear to enjoy the fact they do not agree on everything (Getty)
ANDREW BUNCOMBE
IN SEATTLE
Joe Biden saved the very best until last.
After four evenings of live streamed speeches, of videos showing Biden as a young man, as a father, and as a
vice president, after four days of earnest seriousness, with the occasional joke, without doubt the most
thrilling part of the Democratic National Convention played out in a parking lot in Delaware.
Having concluded the speech in which he formally accepted the Democrats’ nomination for president, a
solid, seemingly heartfelt address, he and his wife Jill donned their face masks and stood to watch the
fireworks from the car park of the Chase Centre in Wilmington, from where he had delivered his words.
Soon, he was joined by Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, and together they waved and smiled
and even danced a little bit.
The sheer joy of the moment – laughter, relaxed smiles, people driving their vehicles and waving flags,
albeit at a safe distance – at a time when the pandemic has left the nation anxious and fearful, was a huge
success.
Biden must be hoping that for him too, life has saved the best until last. Or at least that part of life devoted
to politics and public service.
Joe Biden accepts the Democratic nomination

on Thursday (Reuters)
Having run for president twice before and having had his trousers handed to him on both occasions, having
suffered the loss of his first wife, his daughter and his eldest son, and having been politely told to step aside
by Barack Obama when he hoped that he, not Hillary Clinton, might be the party’s standard bearer in 2016,
he might have assumed his public life was over.
And yet now at the age of 77, and looking every one of them, here he stands, closer to the highest prize than
ever before. Projected and driven to the moment by a confluence of factors – perhaps the death of his son,
Beau, the unwillingness of too many Democrats to trust Bernie Sanders with defeating Donald Trump, and
the pandemic that fixed the Democrats’ primary campaign in aspic – he sits one good win away from the
Oval Office.
Political parties can usually expect a bump in the polls of anywhere up to five per cent following a national
convention. It is true, those bumps have become less in recent cycles, but Biden can expect to see his
numbers jump at least a point or two in coming days.
What remains unclear, is whether what we witnessed over the four days will persuade enough Americans to
cast their vote for him, at a time when the simple act of voting has itself been made so difficult. Christina
Greer, professor of political science at Fordham University in New York, says she was struck this week by
how speaker after speaker spoke less about policy than about the practical act of voting.
She says Trump’s efforts to reduce access to mail-in ballots, at a time when many are frightened to leave
their homes, had delivered the nation to a precipice on which it had never previously stood. “We saw
Michelle Obama literally walk people through what they should be doing right now, as far as registering,
and becoming a poll worker.”
What I don’t think they’ve done quite so well is to explain why people would want to get out to vote for
Biden
In terms of Joe Biden, we learned little new. After more than 50 years in public life, some commentators felt
the convention devoted too much time to telling his “story” as if he was a newcomer on the political scene.
And while the dark vision spelled out by the likes of Barack Obama underscored the danger with which
many Americans view a second Trump term, there was less than some would have liked on the hard policies
that represented an alternative.
“I think that they have done a good job of saying why people should not support Trump. And why it is
important to get out to vote,” says Jeanne Zaino, professor of political science at Iona College in New York.
“What I don’t think they’ve done quite so well is to explain why people would want to get out to vote for
Biden.”
What appears to be true is that Harris, the hard-elbowed former prosecutor from California, and Biden will
work tougher as a team. They appear to genuinely respect each other, and enjoy the fact they do not agree
on everything.
She appears to be someone who will have his back, and her enthusiasm and energy will make easier the jobs
of grassroots Democrats and organisers whose task will be to ensure people can cast their ballot.
“For make no mistake. United we can, and will, overcome this season of darkness in America. We will
choose hope over fear, facts over fiction, fairness over privilege,” Biden said in his Thursday night address.
“Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to this nation. He failed to protect us. He failed to
protect America. And, my fellow Americans, that is unforgivable.”
World / Exclusive
Group founded by former

president Carter will work in
US election for first time
Organisation cites ‘erosion’ of democracy for surprise move
Jimmy Carter has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work (Reuters)
RICHARD HALL
IN NEW YORK
The democracy promotion organisation founded by former president Jimmy Carter is to launch its first
United States election initiative this year, citing an “erosion” of democracy in the country.
The Carter Centre has monitored more than 110 elections in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and
Asia since 1989 as part of democracy promotion efforts around the world. Although there are no plans yet to
monitor polls in the US, this will be the first time it has engaged in a US election.
“We are now at a point where we have taken an institutional decision to explore some direct engagement on
US election issues. And this is a departure from our whole history trying not to do that,” David Carroll,
director of the centre’s Democracy Programme, told The Independent.
In the past, he added, the centre has prioritised countries where there is “a significant potential for an
important change in the quality of democracy”, or where democracy is “under severe threat”.
“Until the last 10 years, we wouldn’t have thought of the US in that category. But it’s been increasingly the
view of the Carter Centre that the state of democracy in the US has been eroding.”
“This is the first time that we’re really looking at it in a robust manner,” he added.
The decision by the Carter Centre to depart from its decades-long practice of non-involvement in US
elections – partly over concerns that it would be portrayed as partisan for its association with president
Carter – is yet another sign of growing concern among the country’s former leaders at the threat to
democracy posed by the Trump administration.
Just days ago, another former president, Barack Obama, delivered unprecedented criticism of Mr Trump’s
administration at the Democratic convention, warning the incumbent president “will tear our democracy
down if that’s what it takes to win”.
The Carter Centre is still in the early stages of deciding exactly what its US mission will look like or who
will be involved. But it is likely to focus on raising awareness and analysis on some of the issues arising in
this year’s election cycle, such as mail-in ballots.
“We want to put a focus on the things that we do internationally: [stressing] the importance of transparency
mechanisms around an election as a means to really build confidence in the election process, and to try to
break down mistrust and misinformation about what’s going on,” said Mr Carroll.
“And we see increasingly these problems that we never really saw on any scale in the US, but we see them
internationally all the time, where there’s just a great deal of distrust and a lack of awareness.”
Voting rights groups in the US have expressed an increasing alarm over attempts by the Trump
administration to limit access to mail-in ballots – seen by many as a way for citizens to engage in the
electoral process safely in the midst of a pandemic.
In recent weeks, Mr Trump has blocked emergency funding for the postal service in an effort to limit the
use of mail-in ballots, and his campaign is currently suing several states to block their expansion in the
election.
The Carter Centre is a non-profit organisation founded in 1982 by Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. Its
website says it seeks “to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve
health”. It works around the world to promote democracy by monitoring elections and educating on
election integrity.
President Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find
peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote
economic and social development” – much of which was done through his work with the Centre.
World
World news in brief
Firefighters douse a hotel in Marbella yesterday after it was gutted by fire (AP)
Tourist dies in Spain hotel blaze
A French tourist died yesterday in a fire at a luxury hotel in southern Spain while nine other people were
injured trying to escape the flames. Video footage on social media showed people escaping the fire at the
Sisu Boutique Hotel in Puerto Banus, Marbella, through windows and climbing down several stories of the
building’s lattice facade. Around 100 guests and employees were evacuated from the hotel as well as
residents from a nearby building, authorities said.
It took more than three hours to extinguish the blaze, which broke out at 0600 local time [0800 GMT],
Malaga province’s civil protection agency said. A National Police spokesperson in the province confirmed
that the only victim was a Frenchman who was staying at the hotel. AP
Golden State Killer gets life sentence
A former police officer was sentenced yesterday to life in prison without parole. Joseph DeAngelo, 74, who
came to be known as the Golden State Killer, has been charged on 13 counts of first-degree murder and 13
rape-related charges after pleading guilty in a deal that kept him from receiving the death penalty.
He will be required to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims or their family members,
as well as any fees and fines associated with the trial. He told victims and the family members of victims that
he was “truly sorry” prior to his sentencing. “I listened to all your statements, each one of them, and I’m
truly sorry for everyone I’ve hurt,” he said. DeAngelo also admitted that he committed dozens of other
sexual assaults that could not be prosecuted due to statute of limitation restrictions. Most of DeAngelo’s
crimes took place during the 1970’s and 1980’s in California. Prosecutors said he admitted to harming 87
people in 53 crimes.
Teenage girl gang-raped in Israeli hotel
Two men have been arrested after a group of 30 allegedly gang raped a teenage girl in an Israeli hotel.
According to local media reports, the 16-year-old girl travelled with a friend to Eilat earlier this month and
met some men while drinking at a bar, who were acquaintances of her friend. Testimony from the case
suggests afterwards the group returned to the hotel where she was allegedly raped. The victim is said to
have been intoxicated. She filed a report of the alleged offence to police on Friday last week.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, and the defence minister Benny Gantz – due to become prime
minister next year in a coalition deal – have expressed their outrage at the alleged crime in Eilat, a popular
resort town on the southern tip of Israel. “This is shocking, there is no other word. This is not only a crime
against the girl, this is a crime against humanity itself that is worthy of all condemnation,” Mr Netanyahu
tweeted. Mr Gantz tweeted, saying that his heart was with the girl and that “you are not alone”.
Mali coup leader ‘trained by US military’
The military officer who declared himself in charge of Mali after leading a coup that ousted the West
African nation’s president this week received training from the United States, according to military officers
from both countries. Colonel Assimi Goita, who emerged on Thursday as the head of the junta in power,
worked for years with US Special Operations forces focused on fighting extremism in west Africa. He spoke
regularly with US troops and attended US-led training exercises, said the officers, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
Mr Goita, who also received training from Germany and France, headed Mali’s special forces unit in the
country’s restive central region, where fighters linked to al-Qaeda and Isis have established a stronghold
that has alarmed global leaders. “By making this intervention, we have put Mali first,” Mr Goita said in a
broadcast on Thursday alongside top government officials. “Mali is in a sociopolitical and security crisis.
There is no more room for mistakes.” The US Africa Command and the Defence Department did not
immediately respond to questions about the nature of Mr Goita’s training and relationship with US troops.
The Washington Post
German university offers grants to do nothing
Researchers in Germany are giving out scholarships in “idleness” and are willing to pay people to do as little
as humanly possible. The University of Fine Arts in Hamburg is searching for the right people to take part
in a unique project examining laziness and lack of ambition. Applicants will have to convince the academics
they will be inactive in a particularly interesting way to win one of only three €1,600 (£1,450) scholarships
available.
The application form asks potential idlers both “what do you not want to do?” and “why is it important not
to do this thing in particular?” Professor Friedrich von Borries – who designed the project – thinks it is
important to study laziness more closely to help bring about an “eco-social” transformation.
Voices
I resigned after a marking crisis

and Williamson should likewise
consider his position
Getting the details of the education system right must take precedence over politics (Getty)
ESTELLE MORRIS
When the dust settles on the results of this year’s examinations, we ought to ask
ourselves how the position arose whereby our children’s futures depend so much on
one set of examination papers.
Before Michael Gove’s time as secretary of state at the Department for Education (DfE), external
examinations were assessed through a combination of coursework, extended essays and unseen
examination papers. This was not perfect, but it did assess a wider range of skills and knowledge over a
longer period of time, thereby providing a broader view of the candidate’s abilities.
The move to end-of-course examinations was driven by a distrust of school-based marking and a shift
towards what might be called a more traditional curriculum assessed in a more traditional way. We now
have a high-stakes examination system with a single point of assessment.
I acknowledge that key assessments can be fraught with difficulties. I know from my own personal
experience that any fragility in the public examination system causes intense focus on both the education
and politics of the process, and real concern for all involved.
We want examinations that are robust at a national level and fair to every individual. In truth, I doubt that
this can be delivered. Even when there is no crisis, some students will feel aggrieved because they thought
that their efforts deserved more. Grade boundaries are set to protect the integrity of the national system and
can deliver rough justice for individuals. There will always be the candidate, who, on the day, falls on the
wrong side of the grade boundary.
It is now clear that the root of this year’s difficulties was a political determination from ministers that there
should be no grade inflation. That priority governed subsequent instructions and decisions.
I understand the need to maintain standards over time; it is a perennial challenge. I am, however,
incredulous at the way ministers have tried to achieve this.
In tying each school’s results to previous performance, ministers have

resurrected the attitude that low achievement in some schools is inevitable
It would have been straightforward to arrange for examiners – who were not required this year to mark
papers – to check a sample of each school’s centre-assessed grades. This type of moderation is understood
within the education system and could have resolved some obvious problems at an early stage. It would
have shored up confidence and overcome the fears, that many have, that teachers can be over-optimistic.
Ministers – of all political parties – demand rapid improvement and threaten draconian measures should
schools not meet them. In tying each school’s results to previous performance, ministers have resurrected
the attitude that low achievement in some schools is inevitable.
They have delivered a blow to the thousands of teachers who go to work each day believing that significant
year-on-year improvement is possible, and they have undermined those determined young people who are
convinced that they can do better than those who have gone before them.
Politics and education are inextricably linked in this crisis, but the solution has to focus on getting the
education bit right. Whether it is the funding of extra places in universities and colleges, supporting
students who are accepted on to courses, then struggle, or making sure that next year’s cohort aren’t
unfairly treated, it’s the detail of making a damaged system work that has to be the priority.
I sense more politics than education in the approach of Gavin Williamson. The reticence to acknowledge
the problem, his lack of grasp of the detail, and the constant shifting of blame are more to do with political
positioning than anything else.
In 2002, I resigned from my role as secretary of state for education, following an A-level marking crisis. By
the time I left, we had agreed and implemented the solution to the problem, but I judged that the incident
had damaged my credibility to lead the department in the future.
No two sets of circumstances are identical, but Williamson must remember and reflect that when all this is
dealt with, how he has led the education system through this crisis will influence people’s views of his
suitability to lead it in the future.
He could learn a lesson or two from his junior minister, Nick Gibb. I rarely agree with Gibb on school
policy, but his interviews during this time of crisis have at least showed knowledge and a willingness to
engage.
This summer’s crisis ought not to be just one more consequence of the pandemic. We talk about the
importance of a broad curriculum, but our every action tells students that all that really counts is the
examination.
How seriously do universities look at the student statement? Should they interview more applicants? When
do we show how much we value achievements in music, sport or community commitment? We say that a
rounded education is the aim, but our actions show otherwise.
We must, in the immediate term, restore confidence in the present system, but if we stop there, we will
have failed to learn all the lessons of the last six months.
Baroness Morris of Yardley has been a Labour life peer since 2005. She was secretary of state for education and
skills from 2001 to 2002 and Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005
Voices
Local lockdowns are closing in

but will the spirit remain?
‘I’m dreading another lockdown. My world has shrunk enough as it is’ (AFP/Getty)
SHAPPI KHORSANDI
The government’s game of whack-a-mole has forced Aberdeen, parts of Manchester

and other parts of the north back into local lockdown, with new sets of rules to
remember – a full-time job in itself.
I can’t recall where I put my keys half the time. Today, I’m making an essential trip to Wimbledon to
retrieve my phone from the person whose car I left it in last night, so keeping up with loop-the-loop
government rules is a challenge for me. No wonder Boris Johnson’s gone camping. What with the exams
fiasco and disorientating ways we now enter and exit pubs, the poor chap had to escape.
I mean, what is the point of being prime minister if you’re going to constantly be pestered by other people’s
problems? This wasn’t what he signed up for at all. It was meant to be all handshaking and being danced at
by local people as he tumbled adorably out of a plane, not hordes of weeping teenagers and commuters
wondering whether it’s safe to breathe in between stations. These should not be the concerns of the man
running the country, he is the prime minister for goodness sake, not a bleeding social worker.
So far, there seems to be no plan to lockdown my hometown of London. But how long before there is?
People are jittery.
I sneezed on the tube recently. It was a safe, controlled explosion. Nonetheless, a woman about eight feet
away from me got up and moved further down the near-empty carriage. Who can blame her? No one wants
to get ill and no one wants another lockdown and no one wants to find out if my snot-germs can travel eight
feet despite being neatly caught in a hanky by a hugely responsible hay fever sufferer.
In my already friendly neighbourhood, we pulled together and coped with the strict lockdown rules with
WhatsApp quizzes, doorstep coffees and generous sharing of information. “The Polish shop has eggs!”
would come the urgent message from Susie at number 36 and off we schlepped to our local Sklep.
In lockdown, I’ve frequently had nowhere to put my pretty incessant need

to communicate. My neighbours have heard all of my stories, several times,
but their interest is beginning to wane
We coped in the first lockdown – but will that spirit remain? Or will Susie eventually huff, “oh let them lay
their own eggs”?
I’m dreading another lockdown. My world has shrunk enough as it is. Lately, my conversation has been
dominated by the health of a French bulldog called Bluebell who has broken her back and has to have
weekly hydrotherapy. I have become very invested in her recovery and spend so much time online
researching her condition (IVDD, if you’re wondering) you’d think she was my grandmother and not the
neighbour’s dog.
Our local Co-op reopened the other day after an extensive refurbishment. Our street WhatsApp was abuzz
with messages from those who had been to the new store and reported back on the glorious efficiency of the
new layout, the shiny new fridges chock full of a more varied array of produce. Photos were posted of the
glistening new aisles and, with our tongues firmly in our cheeks, we all marvelled at this new oasis of milk,
bread and prosecco. Such updates would not exist had the circumstances not called for it.
I have a chatty nature and am missing being a full time stand-up comedian where my chattiness is expected
and required rather than “oh god, she’s coming towards us, pretend to be on your phone”. In lockdown, I’ve
frequently had nowhere to put my pretty incessant need to communicate. My neighbours have heard all of
my stories, several times. I try to embellish them to keep their interest but it’s beginning to wane. This
week though, with the permission to perform indoors again, I got to perform at the Clapham Grand in front
of a handful of socially-distanced tables with real live people sitting at them.
I was so excited and emotional that when actual human beings welcomed me on to the stage as requested by
the compere, I cried. On stage. So happy was I to get a little bit back of the world I’ve lived in for 25 years.
I’d cried before and after gigs in the past but on stage, before I’d uttered a word, was a first. This is what
lockdown has done to me.
Last night, I performed in a pub garden in Winchester. Halfway through my act, a man rigorously heckled
from inside the woods adjoining the garden with words unprintable in a respectable paper. He then ran
towards the pub brandishing a banana and was responsibly dealt with by the management. The disruption
was a reminder of how brilliantly unpredictable live comedy can be, you never know when Tarzan might
gatecrash your show and threaten you with Cheetah’s tea. Much more fun than the Co-op.
Voices
Johnson’s camping trip was just

for headlines – just like many of
his other promises
The PM outside his home in Oxfordshire (PA)
JANET STREET-PORTER
I’m writing as 50 miles an hour gales lash the Norfolk coast – far too windy to put
my laundry out, let alone consider camping. The dog is having a funny turn as lumps
of twigs fly past his ears and apples thump off the trees every two minutes.
Looking at the tent Boris Johnson has chosen for his holiday – pitched on a slope above rocky cliffs in
Northern Scotland, only one phrase comes to mind – YOU’RE HAVING A LAUGH!
The man in charge (and I use that word loosely) of the country seems to prefer performing for the cameras
to delivering. He loves popping on a medics’ coat, a hard hat, a baker’s hair net or even rubber gloves.
Anything to get on the front pages of the papers, generally accompanied by his favourite catchphrase
“world-class”.
But for the last few days, headline-loving Johnson was conspicuously absent, on holiday with his partner and
their small baby, until he cut it short for security reasons after his location was revealed in several
newspapers. While he was there, Johnson let it be known he was “camping” – an activity which implied he
was enjoying a staycation like normal folk. But the true story (as with everything in his world) is a little bit
different.
People either passionately love camping or tolerate their time in a tent because it’s cost-effective, offering
the freedom to move around after months of incarceration. But Johnson’s “camping” holiday was like so
many of his gaudy promises – the reality doesn’t live up to the billing. That bell tent is a political gesture,
not a statement of personal taste signifying a love of fresh air, burnt sausages and the wind through your
flaps at night.
His temporary “home under canvas” reminds me of the kind parents erect in their gardens for the kids.
Mum has to pretend it’s a big exciting deal to sleep out in the backyard on hot nights. She might also hope
for a bit of privacy and (she can but dream) possibly – a spot of sex without interruption from the sprogs and
the dog.
Johnson has chosen a tent on the edge of a cliff. Is that supposed to send us
a message?
Johnson’s tent could have housed his security men – three cars were said to be permanently parked nearby.
It could contain his bed, useful as a retreat to escape from baby wailing to read Catullus in peace, pondering
on what tricks to devise to stem the downward spiral of his popularity ratings.
Or it could be the Boris and Carrie love nest where they go for intimacy while baby is cared for by
somebody else indoors. Whatever, a tent outside your holiday house isn’t exactly a committal to hardcore
camping, is it? Johnson hasn’t had to dig a toilet trench. He has not erected the tent – it was included with
the rental. He doesn’t have a primus stove, or even a campfire, all catering will happen inside the snug
whitewashed holiday cottage a few yards away.
Popping on a beanie hat doesn’t turn you into a crofter either.
It’s hard to think of a more challenging environment for a small baby than camping in Scotland at the height
of the midge season – Malaysian jungle, perhaps? I love Scotland to my core, visiting every year to fish,
walk and to spend time in glorious isolation with no wifi. I’m off on the sleeper very shortly (with the dog),
hopefully after Johnson has packed up his rucksack and tried to stow the tent in its canvas bag. He’ll find
they never fit back in after a few days of rain.
Camping is for the committed – but we’ve come to realise that Johnson isn’t committed to anything except
the burnishing of his own persona. He’s turned out to be an arch ditherer. A man who held off on lockdown
for too long, who told us track, test and trace would be “world beating” – when it turned out to be rubbish.
Only 28 per cent of those currently tested get their results within 24 hours.
Ministers are still dithering about how to allow testing at airports so that people could enter the UK and not
quarantine for two weeks. Grant Shapps has said a meeting has been scheduled in “a month” to advance
that plan. God help us! Johnson dithered about social distancing, until he caught the virus, and he refused to
follow his own guidelines by supporting his closes aide, Dominic Cummings, who flagrantly broke the rules.
Camping also requires perseverance – in short supply in Borisworld. His rules regarding quarantine chop
and change and are so muddled most of the country has no clue whether it’s OK to travel or not. We don’t
know if we are “flattening the curve” – reducing the level of infection to one we can live with and go back to
work and saving the country from bankruptcy. Or are we “eradicating the disease” with hastily imposed
lockdowns at the drop of a hat (Birmingham may be next) all over the country, causing chaos for schools,
shops and local businesses? Which of the two options does Johnson favour in the long term? No one really
knows.
I have camped all over the world, usually on long walks. It’s not something I often do in the UK. I like a soft
bed, hot showers and a toilet that flushes. Yes, that might be feeble, but I’ve put in my time under canvas
and don’t need to prove anything. I’ve camped in the Himalayas for two weeks, at 15,000ft on Kilimanjaro,
in the searing heat of the Australian bush 100km from Alice Springs and in snowstorms in New Zealand.
I’ve got the equipment, and I have proved I can do it. One look at Johnson in his Highland mufti however
confirms he’s still overweight – not ideal campsite material.
If Johnson had one ounce of the charisma and leadership skills of his hero
Winston Churchill, he would have emerged from his tent and addressed the
nation on Skype or Zoom a week ago
Did Johnson opt for a camping holiday because he saw trouble looming? If so, it was a drastic move – he’s
enraged parents by remaining silent throughout the A-level and GCSE grades cock-up – and he stayed
silent during the sudden imposition of lockdown on France, where a large number of his Tory pals would
have been holidaying.
Silence, in the current circumstances, wasn’t a good choice. Johnson did not place anyone else from his
lacklustre cabinet in charge either, which says a lot about his ego. He has not sacked Gavin Williamson, or
even commented on Matt Hancock’s curious decision to get rid of Public Health England right in the
middle of a health crisis.
If Johnson had one ounce of the charisma and leadership skills of his hero Winston Churchill, he would have
emerged from his tent and addressed the nation on Skype or Zoom a week ago. He could have sacked
Williamson. He could have moved Hancock somewhere else.
Instead, Johnson chose a tent on the edge of a cliff. Is that supposed to send us a message?
How can Germany’s dog-walking rule be implemented?
Dog ownership is soaring and animal charities report up to a 400 per cent increase in enquiries about
adoption and fostering.
Breeders say their waiting lists are full, with desperate wannabe owners turning to the internet and
unscrupulous puppy farms.
Owning a pet has helped many of us get through the boredom and depression of the last few months, but
will we be prepared to carry on exercising our new pets when we return to work?
In Germany, where one in five households own a dog, a proposed law would make it mandatory to exercise
your pet outside for at least an hour a day. Agriculture and food minister Julia Kloeckner has introduced the
legislation, which also includes a ban on keeping dogs tethered to a chain (other than working animals in
exceptional circumstances), and leaving them at home alone all day. She says “animals are not cuddly toys –
their needs must be taken into account”.
Reaction has been mixed – some reckon the new law is patronising, others say it can’t be applied to all dogs.
What about the elderly and arthritic? And in hot weather, isn’t it kinder to give your pet a swim instead?
Kloeckner says she wants to curb mistreatment at the scores of illegal puppy farms – but each one of
Germany’s 16 federal states will have to find a way to implement the new rules.
I doubt similar legislation would work here – although it could be a novel way of implementing an anti-
obesity strategy. Your dog could help walk off those excess kilos… it wouldn’t work with my border terrier
Badger – he stops to sniff every post and tree at five-metre intervals before leaving his calling card. All dogs
exercise differently, just like us.
Voices
Blockbusters won’t save the

multiplex – the future of cinema
lies in reinvention
Unlikely heroes: John David Washington (left) stars in ‘Tenet’, directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner Bros Pictures/Rex)
JOHN SULLIVAN
The release of Tenet on Wednesday is carrying far more than high box office
expectations for its impending opening. It’s also seen by many as the first test of the
post-lockdown cinema industry at a time when the traditional film release strategy is
being reviewed.
To understand the current situation we must look at cinema history. In the 1980s most cinemas were relics
of vast picture palaces, the majority built for cinema’s golden age in the 1920s. Following the introduction of
television, most closed and many limped along as they struggled to balance audience and studio demand for
films with maintaining vast spaces.
The studios needed the screens and the screens needed the blockbusters. In response, studios introduced
the “release window” business model. It allowed them to invest in developing multiplexes, often bland
colourless boxes which were built expediently for the purpose of giving fast-turnaround theatrical release
and kudos to Hollywood product. The release window allowed studios to squeeze maximum box office
revenue from their film before it moved to home entertainment.
Over the past 20 years, studios relinquished control of multiplexes to investors. They now face the rise of
streaming and many now have vested interests in these platforms, like Disney+ – it will premier one of its
parent studio’s long-awaited remakes, Mulan, after its cinema release was pulled because of the pandemic.
While the potential revenue of a streaming-first strategy like this is largely untested, it inevitably drives a
stake into the hearts of many cinemas, which are mostly funded by blockbuster film releases and sustained
by the exclusive release window. Hence why so many have delayed reopening post-lockdown – there are no
major new releases to pull in (socially distanced) audiences.
Balancing spectacle with a different immersive experience, increasing

interactivity, and screening alternative content like esports and theatre will
drive the immediate future for UK cinema
Multiplexes are vast, hugely expensive to develop and maintain, and they seldom connect with audiences. If
you ask anyone about their cherished cinema memories, chances are those who have visited an independent
(or yesteryear’s picture palaces) will say it happened there. The multi-screen cinema is too anonymous to
make memories, and too unwieldy to make decent revenues. Few cinemas were able to maintain the
financial float to see them through weeks of lockdown. For multiplexes burdened with high rents, the strain
may well prove too much.
But resoundingly, people still want the big screen experience. Classics are proving perfect for drive-ins as
they tap into nostalgic, shared-but-unique experiences. Streaming is not yet a viable threat – the Cinema
Advertising Association found cinema attendance only increased alongside streaming subscriptions.
The multiplex may therefore be on its last legs. Balancing spectacle with a different immersive experience,
increasing interactivity, and screening alternative content like esports and theatre – alongside the
inherently personal touch of independent screens – will drive the immediate future for UK cinema.
How quickly current exhibitors can respond and adapt is questionable. There will be significant casualties
en route but we should see more vertical integration, where collaboration between intellectual property
owners, streaming services and carefully selected cinemas could become the new norm – a model that is
already common in European countries and Asia.
While undoubtedly being the memorable 2020 summer release, Tenet carries far too much weight of
expectation as the post-lockdown cinema saviour. But it will be the cinemas which recognise what really
connects them to audiences that survive long into the future.
John Sullivan is founding director of cinema consultancy The Big Picture, The Light Cinemas and NightFlix
drive-in cinemas
Voices
Repressive violence may only

accelerate change in Belarus
The courage of the crowds has achieved a miraculous opening-up (Getty)
STEVE CRAWSHAW
Belarus has been on a rollercoaster of despair and hope in the past two weeks. That
terrifying and inspiring journey is not yet over.
There has been violence on an unimaginable scale against those whose only crime is to demand basic truths
– about the election results, and about their country, whose suffering western politicians have in the past
too often ignored. Meanwhile, the courage of the peaceful crowds has achieved a miraculous opening-up
that would have seemed unthinkable just a few short weeks ago.
Another mass rally is planned for tomorrow, billed as a “March of the New Belarus”. The outcome will give
a clue of what to expect next: peaceful progress, or an attempted return to repressive violence.
Alexander Lukashenko’s confident shamelessness after 26 years in power has helped bring his downfall
closer than ever before. Lukashenko perhaps hoped that harassing or jailing his key opponents would give
him an unchallenged run. Instead, three remarkable women, with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya chosen to be at
their helm, stepped in and united Belarusians against Lukashenko more than ever before.
Even after the elections, Lukashenko’s apparent avarice proved also to be his weakness. If he had claimed a
mere 50 per cent of the vote, that might have been that. But the absurdity of his “80 per cent” landslide,
with electoral crumbs of just 10 per cent left over for Tsikhanouskaya, persuaded many on to the streets for
the first time in their lives.
Equally, the violence against those who dared to challenge the lies was supposed to stop protests in their
tracks. Instead, despite the obvious risks, more came out, not fewer.
Peaceful and creative protests multiplied – not just in Minsk but across the country. Once-loyal servants of
Lukashenko, from policemen and editors to ambassadors, lost their fear, saw the writing on the wall, or – as
so often, with collapsing regimes – a mixture of the two.
The Czech dissident (and later president) Vaclav Havel wrote 40 years ago
of what he called the ‘power of the powerless’ if people decide, despite all
the risks, to ‘live in truth’
Lukashenko, in a moment reminiscent of the fall of Ceausescu in Romania, was forced into a humiliating
retreat when factory workers dared the previously impossible, telling him: “Leave!” Sulkily, the president
(or ex-president) did.
The regime has in recent days seemed determined to claw back power, with renewed arrests and threats of
violence. The defence minister said his commanders should be ready “to fight – with weapons, if
necessary”, and warned of civil war.
Those threats are not necessarily a bluff. But violence might prove only to mark the beginning of what the
Polish writer Ryszard Kapuscinski described, with reference to the Iranian revolution, as the “zigzag to the
precipice”, where official violence hastens the regime’s eventual end.
The Czech dissident (and later president) Vaclav Havel wrote 40 years ago of what he called the “power of
the powerless” if people decide, despite all the risks, to “live in truth”. A decade later, while reporting for
The Independent, I was privileged to witness that power of the powerless become real in the velvet
revolution in Prague, in ways that have obvious echoes on the streets of Belarus today.
I saw the same transformation from hopelessness to hope when reporting from Serbia in October 2000.
Eleven days of mass protests after yet another stolen election finally led to the fall of Slobodan Milosevic
when he “learned” of his electoral defeat. He died behind bars in The Hague.
Victory, on this occasion at least, is not yet a given. Almost forgotten now are the huge Belgrade protests of
1996 and 1997, where Milosevic briefly seemed to have been defeated. He made small last-minute
concessions, and thus survived – at least temporarily – to fight another day.
Lukashenko and his generals should, however, check their history books if they think violence can provide
any kind of durable solution. In East Germany in October 1989, the authorities threatened a massacre ahead
of a key scheduled protest in Leipzig. Like Lukashenko’s defence minister, the East German regime
threatened to crush protests “with weapons in the hand”.
The government thought threats of a massacre would persuade people to stay at home. Instead, as I
witnessed during one of the most extraordinary evenings of my life, the regime backed down at the last
moment, because the courage of tens of thousands of Leipzigers had trumped their violence. A month later,
the Berlin Wall came down.
As for the much-mooted possibility of Russian interference: that, too, might cut both ways. The Soviet coup
of August 1991 was intended to “overcome the profound anarchy and chaos”, and to strengthen the Soviet
Union. The coup collapsed after three days of popular protest, and triggered the collapse of the Soviet
Union itself.
Steve Crawshaw is policy director at Freedom from Torture, a former east Europe editor of The Independent
and author of ‘Street Spirit: The Power of Protest and Mischief’
Voices / Editor’s Letter
An entertainment revolution is
closer than you think...
In the coming months we will see plays and music shows that would
never have otherwise existed, delivered in ways we’ve never
experienced before, writes Alexandra Pollard
Alexandra Palace is putting on a drive-in event to showcase a new version of Puccini’s ‘La bohème’ (Getty)
This week, something extraordinary landed in my inbox. It was an invitation to a

film screening. Not a Vimeo link or a Zoom invite. An actual screening. In an actual
cinema. It was the first of its kind that I’ve received since February, which by my
estimation was 73 years ago.
As a devilishly catchy viral video puts it, the pandemic isn’t over just because we’re over it. But it has been
heartening over the past few weeks to see cultural events slowly but surely popping back up again. If done
safely, they can be wonderful. Folk outfit Fisherman’s Friends performed on a Cornish cliff top.
The Donmar Warehouse put on a play – well, a socially distanced sound installation – called Blindness.
Alexandra Palace is putting on a drive-in event to showcase a new version of Puccini’s La bohème. London’s
first dedicated public art walk has been created. Soon, an immersive outdoor performance called C-O-N-T-
A-C-T will begin its run.
It’s been a strange time to be a culture journalist (and a human, of course). As the pandemic has escalated in
a way that none of us popping the champagne at new year could have possibly imagined, gigs, festivals, film
releases and TV productions have all ground to a halt. But the innovative art that has been created during
lockdown has been genuinely thrilling to witness and cover. And it seems, as we tentatively re-emerge into
something resembling normality, that this innovation isn’t slowing down. Forced to think outside the box,
to figure out a way of presenting their work to an audience without endangering their health, artists are
doing what they do best: using their imagination.
In the coming months, dare I say years, we will see plays, shows and music performances that would never
have otherwise existed, delivered in ways we’ve never experienced before. As silver linings go, this one isn’t
bad.
Yours,
Alexandra Pollard
Deputy culture editor

Voices / Letters
Where’s the common decency in

our immigration policy?
Once again, Priti Patel has missed the point of immigration as she blames anybody
but Britain, and herself, for the chaotic and short-sighted rhetoric she espouses.
The real heartache with the lack of cohesive immigration policy, is all the people still left beleaguered in
France seemingly without hope. And of course the needless channel crossings and the deaths of desperate
would-be immigrants.
Like many other cabinet ministers, Patel has, in my view, been promoted above her competence level
which ultimately endangers those she ought to be aiding. The hackneyed portrayal Patel regurgitates
regarding the plight of migrants lacks empathy for their struggle and smacks of conservative dogma. The
whole framework of our immigration policy not only lags behind common decency, it also causes untold
misery to people who have suffered extremes.
We have people in Britain who are unable to establish if they are able to stay to study and/or work. Families
who are unsure whether they can continue to live together in Britain or be split up and sent back to whence
they came, while thousands find it impossible to obtain permits allowing them to travel to Britain to live in
peace.
We haven’t changed our immigration policies to ease the flow of immigration into Britain. We have
changed it to encourage aggressive attitudes towards immigration, twisting policy to such a confusing
degree that all it’s able to offer is snail pace advice and guidance, while demanding huge payments for visas
and payments to obtain NHS rights.
This situation I am sure is due to promises given when Conservatives were looking for support in the run up
to the Brexit vote. The headlines read that the party would be tough on immigration, only allow low
numbers of immigrants into the country, send back those immigrants deemed to be undesirable. Instead of
this attitude, our government ought to design and develop a policy that actually works. But perhaps that’s
what the government wants.
This is still a caring and tolerant country with much to commend it. That is why so many displaced people
want to live in Britain. If we could decide the criteria for entry and for remaining in Britain it would relieve
so much anxiety, stop so many deaths, give us another pool of people willing to work for Britain and reduce
the amount of time and effort wasted by police, coast guards and government.
Keith Poole Basingstoke

Teacher predictions
My daughter has received some GCSE grades very much lower than her mock results and predicted grades
in school reports. I am unable to challenge this, so she is left with little choice but to resit them after months
off school, and do so while studying for her A-levels. In a neighbouring town, results have been massively
overinflated by an academy chain that has seen fantastic results for their students, while my child is deemed
less than average.
There should be an appeal process to challenge teacher grades. Children have been incredibly let down by a
repeatedly failed system and in some cases have to suffer for it but no one talks about these children, only
the massive successes.
Kelly Haslam Address supplied
Unfortunate timing
What rotten luck that the remarkable improvement in the performance of students completing courses this
year over those in 2019 has coincided with the coronavirus pandemic. The cancellation of exams has robbed
us of objective proof that this represents a real advance.
There are even some malicious sceptics who exploit this technicality to question the progress made and
who talk instead of “grade inflation”. Sarah Raffray, the headteacher of St Augustine’s Priory, warns us
against such “toxic rhetoric” (Letters, yesterday) and calls for it to be halted. She does not specify the means
of doing this, but presumably difficult times call for drastic measures.
John Riseley Harrogate
Exams algorithm
John Rentoul’s article (How foreseeable was the A-level and GCSE fiasco really?, yesterday), is too kind to
the politicians and Gavin Williamson in particular. He acquits him of failing to look further into Ofqual,
saying that taking the enquiry to the next stage requires “a sixth sense for trouble and a vivid imagination”.
That is not so. Williamson simply accepted assurances that the system would work. He displayed a level of
incuriosity about the basis for those assurances which beggars belief. A few simple questions about why the
regulator was so sure that its system was sound would have revealed those assurances to be worthless.
Williamson doesn’t appear to have asked what the mechanism was or how it would work in practice. If he
had, he would have known that it required students to be failed when they were predicted to pass because of
their school’s past record. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, was no better when interviewed repeatedly on
radio and television on Thursday. He said that the model was sound and that the failure was in its
implementation in the algorithm. Not one interviewer asked him what he meant. The algorithm is simply
the mathematical expression of the model. If the algorithm didn’t work, it was because the model was
flawed. That wasn’t an implementation failure. It was a failure of common sense in drawing up the model.
No one comes out of this looking anything other than severely tarnished. But the politicians should not be
excused on the grounds that they lacked the required insight. What they lacked was an enquiring mind and
a modicum of attention to detail. With those basic qualities, this whole mess could and would have been
avoided. Individuals who lack those basic skills should not be in government.
Michael Silverleaf Address supplied

Where is the prime minister?
Does anyone really think that Boris Johnson is camping in Scotland with his fiancee in a tent while looking
after a three-month-old baby? I’m finding it hard to imagine. Who knows, he could be on a yacht in the
Caribbean enjoying the largesse of one of his cronies.
In all seriousness, can you imagine Johnson’s hero, Winston Churchill going missing for days on end in the
middle of a crisis? Perhaps in the middle of the Battle of Britain. Or Margaret Thatcher? Thatcher
apparently used to only get three to four hours sleep a night because the business of governing was so time
consuming. Johnson looks like he is only awake three to four hours a day.
Paul Moore West Horsley, Surrey
Vote of no confidence
Does anybody know whether a member of the general public can call for a vote of no confidence in their
government? Asking for a disillusioned and despairing nation.
Julian Self Milton Keynes

Obituaries
Violinist who inspired

generations of performers
Erich Gruenberg embraced everything from The Beatles to Brahms
with unerring accuracy, sensitivity and a warm tone
Virtuoso: Gruenberg (right) with Lawrence Foster at the Bishopsgate Institute in 1972 (Getty)
KENNETH SHENTON
Erich Gruenberg was that rare jewel: a teenage musical prodigy who matured into one of the finest and
most sought after musicians of his generation.
While maintaining a nonstop global career as a top-flight concert and recording artist, the celebrated
violinist remained at the forefront of that hugely vibrant emigre community who contributed so immensely
to the broadening and enrichment of British cultural life throughout the second half of the last century.
Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, the sheer breadth of his industry brought not only greater
recognition for the instrument itself, but also proved pivotal in inspiring countless generations of aspiring
performers.
The youngest son of a noted Viennese businessman, he first began studying the violin when a youngster in
his native city. In 1938, aged 14, Erich and his elder brother, Eli, were rescued from rapidly increasing Nazi
terror by Emil Hauser, leader of the Budapest String Quartet, who saw to it that they both won scholarships
to study at the Jerusalem Conservatory. While there, Erich became leader of the Palestine Broadcasting
Corporation Orchestra.
Gruenberg moved to London in 1946 to study with Max Rostal and 12 months later he won the highly
coveted Carl Flesch Medal. As a result, he was soon engaged as the soloist in the Brahms Violin Concerto at
the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His performance earned rave reviews.
He became a British citizen in 1950, and alongside his brother Eli Goren, who went on to become leader of
the Allegri Quartet and co-leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Erich too became an integral part of the
capital’s musical scene as well as postwar Anglo-Jewish life.
In a distinguished career, he led the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra
and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He also enjoyed rewarding artistic partnerships with pianists such as
David Wilde, Eric Harrison, Franz Reizenstein, John McCabe, Fanny Waterman, Susan Bradshaw, William
Glock and his eldest daughter, Joanna.
Gruenberg revelled in the unique opportunities afforded by the acquisition of a superb 1731 Stradivarius
instrument, which worryingly went missing during his 1990 American tour, but happily resurfaced some
months later in Honolulu.
With his colourful and virtuosic playing combining precision with unalloyed panache, his seemingly
effortless delivery, unerring accuracy, warm tone and sensitive interpretations endeared him to audiences
worldwide. Likewise, his sense of humour, generous spirit and impeccable timing won him the high regard
of colleagues. As a regular visitor to the Abbey Road Studios, it was there that he appeared on two of The
Beatles’ hit recordings, “A Day in the Life” and “She’s Leaving Home”. At the group’s behest, he wore a
prop gorilla paw on his bow hand.
Notable among Gruenberg’s remarkably extensive repertoire of more than 40 concerti, were a number of
compositions created specifically for him. Particularly challenging was a stunning violin concerto from the
pen of a fellow refugee, Berthold Goldschmidt, which Gruenberg premiered on the BBC Third Programme
in 1955. More recent was John McCabe’s Star-Preludes, which the duo first performed on their 1978
American tour.
Others inspired by his musical personality included Robin Holloway, David Morgan, Roberto Gerhard,
John Mayer and Roy Travis. Many of his performances endure amid numerous radio broadcasts and a most
diverse discography.
He was appointed an OBE in 1994 and his outstanding credentials also saw him regularly in demand as a
keynote contributor to festivals, workshops and master classes worldwide. While maintaining a long
relationship with the Leeds International Piano Competition, he also served as a jurist at numerous other
similar events.
Likewise, as a teacher his influence has been no less immense. Having taught at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama from 1982 until 1989, he then spent the next 30 years as a member of the professorial
staff at the Royal Academy of Music. He finally retired last autumn. He is survived by his wife and two
daughters.
Erich Gruenberg, violinist, born 12 October 1924, died 8 August 2020

Business
Public debt at £2 trillion for

first time as government
borrowing hits record levels
Sunak has been urged to extend the furlough scheme past October (Getty)
KATE NG
Public sector debt in Britain has breached £2 trillion for the first time as government borrowing hit
£26.7bn in July.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which published the figures on Friday, said borrowing for July was
£28.3bn more than the same period last year, and the fourth highest since records began in 1993.
Debt reached £2.004 trillion for the first time, and is up around £227.6bn from a year ago. By the end of
July, debt was 100.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for the first time since March 1961, said the
ONS.
The coronavirus pandemic had “an unprecedented impact” on borrowing, as the government throws
billions at the economy in a bid to keep it afloat as lockdown devastated some industries.
Responding to the new figures, the chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “This crisis has put the public finances
under significant strain as we have seen a hit to our economy and taken action to support millions of jobs,
businesses and livelihoods.
“Without that support things would have been far worse. Today’s figures are a stark reminder that we must
return our public finances to a sustainable footing over time, which will require taking difficult decisions.”
He added the government was taking action to support businesses through its “plan for jobs” scheme,
which is “protecting, supporting and creating jobs to ensure that nobody is left without hope”.
A report published by the Office for Budget Responsibility suggests that borrowing in the current financial
year, between April 2020 to March 2021, could increase to £322bn, around six times the amount borrowed
in the financial year ending March 2020.
Business
Johnson and Sunak at odds over

‘triple lock’ pledges
The chancellor is desperate to cut costs while in the shadow of a debt mountain (PA)
CONRAD DUNCAN
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are said to be at odds over changing the so-called triple lock on pensions due
to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The triple lock, which was a Conservative manifesto pledge in 2019, means the state pension increases each
year in line with either wages, inflation or 2.5 per cent, depending on which of the three figures is highest.
Mr Sunak has publicly expressed concerns about an “anomaly” in the system which could see the state
pension soar as wages are forecast to fall due to the UK’s lockdown and then increase sharply in the next
year.
The chancellor is reportedly considering plans to temporarily suspend the triple lock to help public finances
through the pandemic.
However, Mr Johnson is said to be against the move because “the optics” would be bad for older voters who
have overwhelmingly backed the Conservative Party in recent elections.
“The prime minister hates [changing the triple lock] because it was a manifesto pledge,” a government
source said, according to The Times.
“He really doesn’t want to do it. The optics are terrible for older voters.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility, the government’s budget watchdog, has forecast that wages will
collapse by 7.2 per cent this year before rebounding 18 per cent in 2021 – an outcome which would lead to a
huge increase in the state pension.
Mr Sunak briefly acknowledged the issue during an evidence session for the Treasury Select Committee in
July.
“Your committee on the triple lock has had evidence from others which has pointed out the anomaly in the
way that it might work, depending on the very particular trajectory of earnings declines and the rapid rises
over the next few years,” the chancellor said.
However, he insisted he could not comment on “future policy” at that time.

The Office for National Statistics published figures yesterday which showed UK government debt had risen
above £2 trillion for the first time due to major increases in spending during the pandemic.
Mr Sunak said the figures were a “stark reminder” of the need to return public finances to a sustainable
footing and noted this would require “taking difficult decisions”.
If the government does not reform the triple lock, it may be difficult for them to raise revenue at a time
when public finances are already stretched.
In July, Mr Johnson also stood by a manifesto commitment to not raise the rate of income tax, VAT or
national insurance before the next election.
“I don’t normally talk about fiscal stuff because I leave that to Rishi [Sunak] the chancellor but what is in the
manifesto is in the manifesto,” the prime minister told The Yorkshire Post.
Business
Shoppers boost retail sales to

above pre-virus levels
The high street recovered last month but business at clothes and household goods stores remains below pre-pandemic levels, official
figures show (PA)
KATE NG
Retail sales volumes in July rose 3.6 per cent and are now 3 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, figures
from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.
As shoppers return to the high street post-lockdown, experts are optimistic that the retail sector has
rebounded – but noted a split between food and online retailers, and non-food businesses.
Business at clothes and household goods stores remains below pre-pandemic levels, but food and online
retailers have surpassed February’s sales figures.
Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the ONS, said: “Retail sales have now
regained all the ground lost during the height of the coronavirus restrictions as more stores open for trade
and online sales remain at historically high levels.
“While still below their pre-pandemic levels, both fuel and clothing sales continued to recover.
“Meanwhile, food sales fell back from their recent peaks as people started to venture back into pubs and
restaurants.”
The volume of food store sales fell 3.1 per cent in July compared to the previous month. The same pattern
was observed for online sales, which fell 2.1 per cent from the highs recorded in June, but both still remain
above pre-pandemic levels.
For the clothing industry, sales were 25.7 per cent lower than February. But household goods and DIY
stores showed better recovery and are now at 6 per cent above their February sale levels.
The ONS said DIY products sold particularly well as people were more inclined to carry out home
improvement projects while in lockdown.
The retail industry contributes around 5.4 per cent to the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) and is one of
the largest private sector employers in the UK.
But as lockdown forced store closures and businesses struggled to stay afloat, more than 40,000 job losses
have already been announced in the sector.
Earlier this week, Marks & Spencer announced they would cut 7,000 jobs within three months. Numerous
other retailers announced job cuts in the thousands, including Boots, John Lewis and Tesco.
There are fears even more jobs will be lost when the government’s coronavirus furlough scheme ends in
October, and a growing number of employers have said they plan to shed jobs to keep businesses going.
Britain’s economy still faces a long road to recovery, as it shrank by a record 20 per cent in the second
quarter of 2020 – the biggest decline of any large economy.
Business / Comment
What Missguided shows us

about shifts in fashion retail
It’s too simplistic to see Channel 4’s documentary as merely a PR
disaster for the online brand, say Chris Blackhurst
What came across is its sheer energy (Getty Images for Missguided)
A few years ago, I recall one of our best-known fashion retail moguls explaining to me why he had little faith
in internet shopping. People – especially girls and young women, his target audience – he opined would
always like the experience of going to the high street on a Saturday afternoon to browse, choose and try on
clothes together.
I was thinking about him when I watched Inside Missguided: Made in Manchester, the Channel 4
documentary series about life at the offices of one our most successful online fast-fashion brands. If ever
there was evidence as to how wrong he was, it was there, on the screen.
There are those who insist that the programme is an unmitigated PR disaster. I disagree. I’m observing the
goings-on, hearing the constant swearing and repeated, tedious pronouncements about “female
empowerment” from the largely all-female staff, and wincing. They say they want the label to appeal to all
sizes, not just the skinny, yet promptly go to Ibiza to seek inspiration, and show interest only in the ultra-
glamorous women who most resemble supermodels.
Likewise, they tell us how they believe in the highest ethical standards from their supply chain, having
publicly come a cropper a while back, and are then seen haggling over tiny amounts of money, and visiting a
factory in Leicester where you just know the workers are paid meagre sums for their long, hard hours of toil.
There’s the environmental damage too. Theirs is a sector that produces tonnes of garments, consuming vast
resources in the process, only for much of that output to find its way to landfill sites when it is unsold or
discarded in favour of the next “must have” item.
Throughout is the sense that their consumers are watching the same material they’re watching; they like
what they see, and they want it right now
You can leave, as well, the whole over-repeated “Manchester” thing. Is the Northern city the hottest place
in the world for creativity? Really?
They also display a totally haphazard approach. They seem to book locations for advertising shoots without
first checking what the actual backdrop will be like. A dreary stairwell is a dreary stairwell, even in a
supposedly trendy district of London. A rooftop may appeal, but not if the view is of, er, other flat, boring
rooftops.
I can go on, and pick faults. I could question their own morality – they see something and then blatantly get
as close to copying it as they can without exactly copying it; someone’s genius went into making it look so
good, but it wasn’t theirs – and that person’s brilliance goes unrecognised and unrewarded.
But all my reservations, and those of the critics who have panned the programme, are those of folk who
don’t get it. Missguided is not for us. It’s not aimed at us; we don’t rush to check the website for the latest
creations (which run into the hundreds, every single month) and we don’t have a clue as to the latest
Instagram influencers they’re using to promote their wares. They dress up a limousine in garish pink and
put Gemma Collins in the back and drive her around London during Fashion Week. We cringe at the sheer
tackiness. But the tabloids cover the spectacle, then the accompanying video goes viral and the Missguided
website is swamped.
What comes across brashly loud and clear is the sheer energy. This is a firm, we’re informed relentlessly (in
a sign that they’re not at all stupid, Missguided made sure the person doing the voiceover is one of their
own staff – so this is not objective reporting, of the sort that may ask awkward questions) that “lost £26m in
2018”. Pause for effect. “That’s right, a cool £26m.” Then we’re told, it “is now on the way back”.
It’s never properly explained how they managed to take such a hit, but they closed their bricks-and-mortar
store, in Westfield Stratford City, and made substantial redundancies. Somehow, they called the market
wrong and over-ordered stock that did not sell. We’re invited to believe they’ve learned their lesson, and
certainly, given the constant references, the loss still weighs heavily.
Onwards, though. And they do exhibit a fierce competitiveness and desire to succeed. There is no denying
their impressive work rate. Their turnarounds from conception to sale are ferociously quick. Throughout is
the sense that their consumers are watching the same material they’re watching; they like what they see,
and they want it right now; and if they cannot get it immediately from Missguided, they will go somewhere
else, to Boohoo or PrettyLittleThing or Misspap instead. So much for waiting for a trip up to the shops with
your pals.
My retail mogul may have been correct when he said they enjoy shopping together, but he left out the sheer
hassle of getting to a town or city centre. They also like trying on clothes in their own homes at their
leisure. Whatever they don’t like can go back, easily – the likes of Missguided have got the returns service
off to an art.
As Missguided was leaving us spellbound, and causing some to shake their heads in disgust, Marks &
Spencer unveiled another 7,000 redundancies. Now, I know that M&S’s customers are hardly the sort that
would buy from Missguided, but oh, how the dear old chain could do with the onliner’s zap and verve.
No – my tycoon, it’s so obvious, was hopelessly misguided in saying what he said.

Business
Business news in brief
One of the platforms for the new Elizabeth line at Woolwich station (PA)
London’s Crossrail delayed again until 2022
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the construction of London’s multibillion-pound Crossrail train
line, its developers have said. The opening of the much-anticipated train line has been delayed again, and its
central section, from Paddington to Abbey Wood, is now due to open in the first half of 2022. The project’s
board also said it may need an extra £450m to finish. It was initially due to open in December 2018 but has
faced delay after delay and is now four years behind schedule. Sadiq Khan’s office said the London mayor is
“deeply disappointed” by the delay and has requested TfL’s new commissioner, Andy Byford, to review
Crossrail’s latest plans. Reuters
Number of furloughed workers falls sharply

The number of furloughed workers fell by a quarter between May and June, but the government’s scheme is
still supporting millions of employees, according to a new study. The Resolution Foundation said the
number of furloughed workers peaked at 8.9 million in early May, falling to 6.8 million by the end of June.
The number of fully furloughed workers continued to fall sharply in July and August, as the economy
continued to reopen and partial furloughing was introduced, said the think tank. The Resolution
Foundation said its study highlighted how sectors such as hospitality had been hardest hit, with 96 per cent
of pubs and similar companies making use of the job retention scheme, compared with just nine per cent of
non-specialised retail stores such as supermarkets. PA
UK manufacturing ‘severely depressed’, CBI finds
British manufacturing remains “severely depressed”, with new orders still well below normal, according to a
survey yesterday that shows a very weak recovery is under way. The Confederation of British Industry’s
monthly order book balance rose to -44 in August from -46 in July. A poll of economists had pointed to a
bigger rise to -35. While marking the highest level since March, the survey showed the proportion of
manufacturers reporting below-normal levels of orders still outnumbered those reporting above-normal
orders by a wide margin. Reuters
Britons ‘more financially secure but fear unemployment’
Households’ confidence over their financial situation for the year ahead has edged up, but fears of mass
unemployment are fuelling wider consumer concerns, according to a report. The latest GfK consumer
confidence index found Britons have become slightly more optimistic about their personal financial
situation for the next 12 months, with the score in positive territory – at plus one point – for the first time
since the crisis struck in March. But they remained gloomy over the general economy situation over the
next 12 months, with the score on this measure firmly stuck in negative territory at minus 42, against minus
41 last month. Consumers’ attitudes towards making major purchases improved slightly but also remained
negative, in a worrying sign ahead of the crucial sales season for retailers. PA
SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020 WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK
Miguel Delaney Aristocracy meets nouveau riche in Champions League final
Sport
Six-time champions Crawley ‘elated’ after
maiden Test century
VITHUSHAN EHANTHARAJAH
Zak Crawley produced a magnificent maiden

international century then drove on to 171 not
out to dominate the first day of England’s
series-deciding third Test against Pakistan.
The 22-year-old, who had a top score of 76 in
his first seven appearances, admitted last week
that he had been dreaming about making a
hundred for his country and “pinched himself”
at
the thought.
His hopes became reality as he led the side to
332 for four at the Ageas Bowl with a
deliciously elegant innings that saw him
master the touring attack for the majority of
the day, hitting 19 boundaries and facing 269
deliveries.
“It felt great and just how I imagined it, an
unbelievable feeling of elation out there,” he
said.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve had on a cricket field,
a great moment. It was all a bit of a blur, but I
could see the lads up on the balcony. I was
trying to stay calm but inside I was absolutely
buzzing.
“It almost flashed before my eyes... my whole
career so far. I could kind of see all the nets I’d
done in the past and all the time I had gone on
my own to hit some balls. It was all worth it.”
Sevilla defeated Inter Milan 3-2 in the Europa League final (EPA)
Maguire arrested in Mykonos

MARK CRITCHLEY leading the club to European glory. Hellenic Police’s South Aegean region
NORTHERN FOOTBALL WRITER
The 27-year-old, who is the world’s said there had been an altercation and
most expensive defender following his an exchange of words with the police.
£80m move from Leicester to Old A statement released by United read:
Manchester United captain Harry Trafford last summer, was one of three “Contact has been made with Harry,
Maguire has been arrested following an Englishmen arrested by Greek police and he is fully co-operating with the
altercation with police on the Greek on Thursday night. Greek authorities.”
island of Mykonos, on a day when he The head of the press office for the
could have been
Sport/ Football
Sevilla edge Inter Milan in

Europa League final thriller
Sevilla 3
De Jong (12, 33), Santos Silva (74)
Inter Milan 2
Lukaku (5 pen), Godín (35)
Spaniards celebrate becoming six-time champions (EPA)
MARK CRITCHLEY
AT RHEINENERGIESTADION
Whether the touch off his left toe made the difference or not, Romelu Lukaku will know it was not enough
to prevent Internazionale from losing this thrilling Europa League final in devastating fashion, nor enough
to prevent the most successful club in this competition’s history from winning their sixth title. Sevilla are
once again kings of European football’s secondary tournament, courtesy of a cruelly deflected Diego Carlos
overhead kick.
Carlos was officially credited as the scorer, though Lukaku’s slumped shoulders and bowed head as Sevilla's
players celebrated suggested that the deviation off his foot meant he considered it an own goal. For a
centre-forward who had earlier scored his 34th of the campaign, equalling Ronaldo Nazario’s record for an
Inter player in their first year at the club, it was a cruel way to end an extraordinary debut season.
It meant Inter’s nine-year wait for a trophy will now stretch into a decade, but it also meant redemption for
Julen Loeptegui. Back in 2018, he walked away from the Spain national team on the eve of the World Cup
for Real Madrid, only to be sacked after only months in the role. A similar fate seemed likely earlier this
year though his persistence has been rewarded with his first silverware as a coach.
Despite the constant churn of players, despite never being quite able to last among Europe’s elite, Sevilla
remain strangely dominant at this subsidiary level. Few fancied Lopetegui’s side at the start of this mini-
tournament in north-west Germany a fortnight ago, though two goals from Luuk de Jong and Lukaku’s
touch reminded everyone at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne to ignore their Europa League pedigree
at your peril.
Lukaku opened the scoring for Inter (Getty)
Just as against Manchester United in the semi-finals, a noisy band of the Spanish club’s dignitaries with
flags and scarves sat high on the edge of the second tier compensated for the absence of any Andalusian
crowd. They would eventually be celebrating long into the night but again, just as against United in the
semi-finals, they spent the first few minutes roaring in vain protest as Carlos conceded an early penalty.
If Carlos is a genuine target for the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal during this window, he must hope
they missed the first three minutes, as well as the two other spot-kicks he has conceded during his mini-
tournament. And as fouls go, he could have been slightly more subtle. The manner in which he wrestled
Lukaku from behind just as he entered the penalty area left no room for doubt in the mind of referee Danny
Makkelle.
Lukaku converted low and hard into the bottom-left hand corner to score in an 11th consecutive Europa
League game and draw level with Ronaldo. His childhood memories of watching the Brazilian in this
competition played a key part in his decision to opt for Milan over Turin while choosing his escape route
out of Old Trafford last summer and to have matched him will still be a much-cherished milestone in his
career, even if his evening would have a heartbreaking climax.
Luuk De Jong headed past Samir Handanovic
twice (Getty)
The similarities with Sunday’s semi-final at this ground did not start and end with an early penalty. Once
again, Sevilla once again responded to going behind with a furious intensity. Once again, Jesus Navas had
time and space to pick out a cross from the right. Once again, De Jong evaded the attention of the
opposition defence and punished their carelessness emphatically.
Sunday’s match-winner restored parity with a brilliant diving header. Samir Handanovic’s reactions were
fast enough to reach the ball but his hand was not strong enough to stop it, such was the force of De Jong’s
connection. The pace was set and tempers began to fray, but the first yellow card was shown on the other
side of the touchline. Conte protested another penalty shout against Carlos - this time for handball - too
vigorously.
Conte’s mood did not improve when De Jong put Sevilla ahead with a simple yet devastating set-piece
routine. The Newcastle outcast again slipped by unnoticed, running behind Inter’s line of defence, as Ever
Banega swung a free-kick to the far post. Roberto Gagliardini eventually spotted De Jong’s run but too late
to prevent another fine header, this one across a helpless Handanovic and into the far corner.
And yet, in-keeping with this breathless start, that lead lasted no more than three minutes. If De Jong’s far-
post arrival was all studied and considered, the product of practice on the training ground, Godin’s
connection with Marcelo Brozovic’s free-kick was borne of brute force. Set-pieces do not always have to be
smart. Sometimes it is enough to just out-jump your marker and direct the ball well. It was enough to draw
Inter level.
Lukaku should perhaps have completed the turnaround when put through one-on-one midway through the
second half. Instead, he shot straight into Bono. It was a bad miss, but would not be the worst moment of
his evening. With just over a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, Inter failed to properly clear another Banega
set-piece. Carlos’ bicycle kick was hopeful at best but crucially, it sent the ball into an area which asked
questions of Inter. Lukaku stuck his boot out in an attempt to block and clear, then quickly realised he had
given the wrong answer.
Sport / Football
Who will write their name in

European final history?
PSG and Bayern possess excellent players in exceptional form (Getty)
MIGUEL DELANEY
CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER
While there is an “excited focus” around both the Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain squads, Robert
Lewandowski and Neymar are in the kind of mindsets where it feels like everything is falling their way.
They will go through their usual pre-game routines – with the Brazilian’s the more elaborate – but there
isn’t the same urge to complete superstitions. There’s nothing like Benfica’s Eusebio putting a lucky coin
inside his boot ahead of his brilliant 1962 final performance, or Pippo Inzaghi eating all but two biscuits out
of a children’s pack, as he did before the 2007 final and every big game.
Lewandowski and Neymar are already in that kind of serene concentration that is necessary for such
matches.
That comes from much more than recent form, brilliant as it is for both. While Neymar has been decisively
influential in a way not seen since he was at Barcelona, Lewandowski has hit 15 goals in nine games, and
scored in every individual one of them so far. It is quite a streak.
Only the final remains, but it is that prospect that is firing them further.
Robert Lewandowski has scored 15 goals in nine

games (Reuters)
Both players at various points over the last few years wondered whether they would ever be at this stage
again. It is why both also seriously considered moves to Real Madrid or elsewhere. Lewandowski lost the
2013 final with Borussia Dortmund to Bayern. Neymar did score in Barcelona’s 2015 victory. But they were
at different points of their careers, and there was the growing concern that they were wasting their prime in
the Champions League.
This vindicates Lewandowski’s decision to stay at Bayern, and those of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to
move to PSG.
They want that Champions League above all else, and are now fully aware that they can be more influential
in at last delivering it than anybody else.
This is something else that elevates a final that feels so even, where there feels little difference between the
teams in terms of overall quality. The players of finest individual quality can have a greater effect.
Some of the players on both sides have sat around in hotels discussing the night’s historical significance.
They are aware they can enter a lineage of lasting final displays that includes Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc
Puskas in 1960; Eusebio in 1962; Johan Cruyff in 1972; Zinedine Zidane in 2002; Steven Gerrard in 2005;
Inzaghi in 2008; Diego Milito in 2010; Lionel Messi in 2011 and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014.
That is a challenge only charged by the question surrounding the next best player in the world. And that is a
question that for once has much more substance than any other recent season. This is the first season that
neither Ronaldo nor Messi have been in the semi-finals since 2006.
It does feel like we are taking the first few steps into that next era. The wonder is whether any of these
players will stride into it and stake their claim. Perhaps the absence of a Ballon D’Or winner this year may
actually represent a bookend in that regard. This final could certainly go down as a landmark season. It does
have more of the potential next best players than most possible finals.
Two of the best claimants are within one club, in Neymar and Mbappe. They are currently working
together supremely.
That is another element that enlivens the challenge. Excellent as these two teams are, they do feel
particularly susceptible to the specific qualities of individuals on the other side.
Bayern’s high line has struggled with pace in behind. No one in football has pace that hurts you like
Mbappe. Lewandowski draws defenders to punish in precisely the way PSG have found problems with,
partially because they haven’t faced the challenge that often.
But that also points to another possibility in this showpiece, that has just as rich a history in the Champions
League final. That is when stars occupy so much attention that it actually allows other names to be the
decisive figure.
For that, you only have to look to Real Madrid’s Hector Rial 1956; Francisco Gento 1958; Pierino Prati
1969; Franz Roth 1976; Felix Magath 1983; Daniele Massaro 1994; Karl-Heinz Riedle 1997.
Both players have plenty of candidates there, too
Neymar is amid one of his best patches of form

since leaving Barcelona (Reuters)
Consider the semi-final heroes. Serge Gnabry scored two on Wednesday night to make it nine goals in nine
Champions League games this season. He also has precisely the pace from deep that can unravel PSG’s
more pedestrian midfield.
The French champions have similar impact, mind, in Angel Di Maria. He was even more influential than
Gnabry in their own semi-final. He has also been man of the match in a Champions League final in this very
arena before, making the Stadium of Light his own in Real Madrid’s 2014 victory.
It was one of the things so often unfairly forgotten about Di Maria. He might have been disappointing at
Manchester United, but that was just a brief spell amid a career largely characterised by brilliant
performances. The Argentine has really been the ultimate big-game player, as willing to be as industrious as
he is influential.
Di Maria illustrated that in the semi-final. But this is now about the final, and a chance to have an impact
that lasts.
It is rare that so many excellent players go into a Champions League final with each on exceptional
individual form. It probably hasn’t happened in modern times, and that may be due to the distinctive
format.
Every one of them knows they have a chance at a rare type of glory.
Sport / Football
PSG fight French history as

well as Bayern Munich in
Champions League final
This will be France’s seventh final appearance in 65 years (Getty)
MIGUEL DELANEY
IN LISBON
It was an indication of things to come, and maybe not quite what European Cup founder Gabriel Hanot had
envisioned.
In the build-up to the competition’s very first final, in 1955-56, the Stade Reims players had noticed that
their star midfielder Raymond Kopa was unusually subdued. That was because he was in a strange situation,
in this new event. Kopa had agreed to join final opponents Real Madrid once the season ended. It didn’t
affect his performance, since he drove Reims to an early 2-0 lead, but still wasn’t enough. Madrid had too
much. Reims lost the game, then lost their best player.
Kopa played against them with Madrid three years later, winning 2-0. And that – two finals in four seasons
– was about as good as it got for both Reims and French football in the European Cup and Champions
League.
The country that founded the competition has never quite found its feet in it. Even France’s sole victory,
from the controversial Bernard Tapie’s Olympique Marseille in 1993, has always carried an asterisk due to
the club getting relegated and stripped of the domestic title for trying to fix a match against Valenciennes
just days before that Champions League final. Uefa really should have stripped them of that trophy, too.
There are different controversies with Paris Saint-Germain, as they prepare for the country’s first final since
2004, after a lot of trying and billions of euros in Qatari investment. This will only be France’s seventh final
appearance in 65 years, keeping them behind Netherlands (eight) and Portugal (nine), let alone Germany
(18), England (22), Italy (28) and Spain (29). And this is for one of Europe’s five major leagues.
Part of the issue has really been that Ligue 1 has very rarely been even one of the top two or three leagues.
That has a lot of knock-on effects, particularly as regards to keeping good players and teams together. Kopa
was the first of a long line to play his best years outside the country, from Michel Platini to Marcel Desailly
to Zinedine Zidane.
The opening years of the European Cup were actually a rare period when the French league was one of the
continent’s best.
The competition was famously devised when Hanot – a former footballer and manager and by then a
journalist for L’Equipe – became irritated reading a Daily Mail article proclaiming Wolves the greatest team
in the world after beating Honved in a tour game. Uefa came around to his knockout idea, largely due to the
backing of Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
French clubs had been successful in smaller forerunners to the European Cup, like the Mitropa Cup, and
for about two decades had attracted a lot of global talent to the league. That allowed celebrated manager
Albert Batteux to keep together a core of the country’s 1958 World Cup semi-finalists at Reims, including
top scorer Just Fontaine, and twice go so far in the competition.
It was just around that point that France suffered one of those periodic declines in European football.
Between 1960 and 1975, they only had one quarter-finalist. That was again Reims.
FRENCH SEMI-FINAL APPEARANCES
Monaco – 1994, 1998, 2004, 2017

Marseille - 1990, 1991, 1993
Reims - 1956, 1959
PSG - 1995, 2020
Lyon – 2010, 2020
Bordeaux – 1985
Nantes – 1996
This is another indication of a problem in the European Cup for France, but something that has probably
been good for the vitality of its league. No French club had previously been able to grow to the kind of size
where they could have long runs in different eras. France has never previously had a Juventus, or a Real
Madrid, or even a Manchester United or Liverpool.
Saint Etienne remain their most successful ever domestic side, with a mere 10 French titles. All of them
were won between 1956 and 1981, and eight of them between 1963 and 1976. That spell should have seen a
brilliant side become France’s first European champions, but pure bad luck beat them in the 1976 final as
much as Bayern Munich. It became known as “the final of the square posts”, with the way the ball
rebounded back from two shots denying Saint Etienne. They never again reached the same level, which has
been the story for many clubs.
Consider the gaps in years between French teams’ few last-four appearances. PSG and Monaco are the only
clubs to have reached semi-finals more than 10 years apart.
As fervent as French football can be, it’s difficult not to put some of this down to the country’s curious
relationship with the sport. The population’s love for it has never been as widespread or intense as any of
the four other major leagues.
The spread of Silvio Berlusconi’s broadcast model in the late 1980s did foster the growth of clubs like
Monaco under Arsene Wenger, PSG and – above all – Marseille. Marseille might even have been Europe’s
first “super club” such was the immense strength in depth of their squad. They were almost a who’s who of
European stars between 1990 and 1993, with signings from Papin to Alen Boksic to Rudi Voller.
PSG will be fighting history in Lisbon (Getty)
They were also nearly-men in Europe before 1993. Many lament the dismal nature of the 1991 final defeat to
Red Star Belgrade on penalties, but the context is often overlooked. War had already broken out in the
former Yugoslavia by the time of that game in Bari, and the atmosphere was chaotic and tense. There have
been persistent rumours that Belgrade’s players rejected approaches to throw the game.
Tapie finally got the European Cup in 1993, but joy was soon overcome by disgrace.
Both Monaco and PSG themselves went close in the next two seasons, but that was the end of an era for
French football. Wider shifts in the game, from Bosman to the development of the Berlusconi model,
meant bigger TV markets produced more powerful leagues, England and Spain soon overtaking France
again.
It wasn’t long until Ligue 1 primarily became an exporter of the major talent it produced, the biggest feeder
league of all. Selling high was one of Lyon’s guiding principles in their decade of dominance. Monaco
reached the final in 2004 thanks to an outlier of a season, where the major clubs fell and FC Porto won it.
This also points to the grand irony of PSG reaching the final now. They have reached the super-club size
required thanks to a takeover by Qatar, rather than anything really to do with French football. They are now
the ones buying the league’s best players, like Kylian Mbappe.
It’s just, if they win it, it would be as much Qatar’s victory as France’s.
Sport / Football
Aristocracy meets nouveau

riche as Bayern face PSG
Tomorrow’s final puts two contrasting clubs against each other (Getty)
MIGUEL DELANEY
While David Beckham immediately loved playing for Paris Saint-Germain, some more recent players have
never felt completely comfortable. One confided that it felt “more like a fashion house than a football club”.
Their Qatari ownership has led to other descriptions.
Thiago Alcantara felt totally at home on arriving at Bayern Munich in 2013, but not in the way he
expected.
“More than an international club, it’s a family club,” the midfielder told The Independent. “You can move
about easily here, be friends with everyone that works at Sabenerstrasse.”
They are admittedly individual experiences, but point to a considerable difference between the clubs, that
further shapes this final. It is almost the ultimate meeting of old money and new money in football.
Both are super-clubs, yes, but through very different sources. That goes way beyond the highly contrasting
ownership structures. It runs right through the institutions.
While Bayern feel so lived in, as Thiago alluded to, PSG are all glossy new surfaces.
It would be wrong to say the French champions have no history, but it is still a relatively recent history, that
has involved a few different incarnations and almost alternating eras.
They were only founded in 1972 as a merger between different clubs. A group of Parisian businessmen felt
the city lacked a major team, and sought advice from Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabeu. The
location naturally attracted major talent from the off like Safet Susic, Luis Fernandez and Dominique
Rocheteau, something which has been a constant.
They still had to get promoted through the divisions in the first place, and there were early splits. The first
decade of this millennium then saw the club become a basketcase, as they seemed to go from one crisis to
the next.
Di Maria celebrates after Marquinhos scores

the opener (AFP)
The Qatari takeover that solved that was prefaced by another high-profile takeover in the early 90s, of the
type that was distorting football back then. Canal+ followed the model introduced by Silvio Berlusconi in
Italy with AC Milan, and bought out PSG. It brought that first truly stellar spell, involving Rai, David
Ginola and - most famously of all - George Weah.
That side was one of the most memorable of the era, reaching the semi-finals of the 1995 Champions League
before winning the 1996 Cup Winners Cup. Such feats do underpin their current wait for this grand trophy
with a lot more heritage.
That said, beyond the illustriousness of the location, one of the reasons that PSG were so particularly suited
to a takeover by a political project was because their identity has been so varied. That inherently made the
perception of the club more malleable.
Such variances can be felt on matchday at Parc des Princes. The “fashion show” feel of the pre-game
festivities, soundtracked by the Village People’s Go West and watched on by so many A-list celebrities,
strikes such a contrast with the raucous supporter energy in the stands. It is aesthetics and aggression all at
once. PSG do have a very defined ultra culture. That could be witnessed in the scenes of celebration around
the stadium after the semi-final win over Leipzig.
There are similarities with the Bayern matchday experience in that way. You don’t get that customary big-
club quiet at the Allianz Arena. Routine wins over Augsburg or Mainz are still roared on by cacophonous
noise. They very much exemplify the German experience.
It is something else that appeals about Bayern. For all the damaging monopolisation of German football, and
the grotesqueness of modern super clubs - you only have to look at their own sponsorship by Qatar - there
are regular reminders they grew out of a community; out of a representation of people. You can feel it at a
match.
When you walk around the Allianz, you can similarly feel the lineage the current club belongs too. They
have obviously employed many of their legends as key figures, and you can see why they’re legends. There
are so many signs of a glorious past.
Bayern are true aristocracy as regards Champions League history, about as high class as you can get. They
were the third of only four clubs to achieve the gold standard of three European Cups in a row, to then win
it twice more in two different eras. If they are victorious on Sunday, it will be their sixth Champions
League, again making them the third most successful club in the competition’s history.
That is a status PSG would pay anything for. While they are playing their first ever final, Bayern have been
involved in a sixth of those ever played.
And yet there are two sides to that, too. This is Bayern’s 11th final, but they have lost as many as they have
won. Five victories have been offset by five defeats, with many of them coming in a cripplingly traumatic
manner for a club of such arrogance. There were obviously the psyche-damaging late losses of 1999 in Camp
Nou and 2012 in their own stadium, but they went alongside two other finals where Bayern were clearly the
better side and squandered supreme form.
There are some possible parallels this season, given they go into the 2020 showpiece on better form than
any other finalist in history ever has: 10 straight wins in the competition; 20 straight wins in all
competitions; 29 games unbeaten.
Such excellence builds expectation, which brings pressure and a capacity for collapse. Bayern know this too
well. It is one of many ways history can weigh on you.
PSG don’t have such history, but they thereby don’t have such baggage either. It could even be argued that
the very feat of making the final has exorcised all of their own football traumas of the past few years, since
most of those were related to failing to get to the semi-final in farcical fashion.
This is a new feeling for them. This is old ground for Bayern. It reflects the clubs’ identities. The contrast
could yet play a part in who claims the identity of 2020 European champions.
Sport / Football
Hope grows over Newcastle

takeover being resurrected
Parties involved are continuing to work behind the scenes (AP)
TONY EVANS
With Gulf State soft power taking centre stage in football this weekend, the Newcastle United takeover saga
has faded into the background. But the controversy rumbles on.
When Parliament returns next month, Chi Onwurah, the MP for Newcastle Central, will present a petition
to the House calling for transparency and accountability from the Premier League. On Wednesday the
Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) had a meeting with Richard Masters, the chief executive of the
ruling body. It was scheduled for 15 minutes but lasted more than double the allotted time period. NUST
tweeted that it was “constructive.” Nevertheless, the club will start the new season with Mike Ashley
remaining the owner. The anger on Tyneside will not go away.
Neither will the Amanda Staveley-led consortium. Staveley is the public face of the bid that is primarily
financed by Saudi Arabia Public Investment fund (PIF). The Saudis were prepared to take on an 80 per cent
interest in Newcastle, with the Reuben brothers and Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners buying 10 per cent
each. The group walked away last month after waiting in vain for four months to receive a verdict on the
owners and directors test.
The appetite to purchase St James’ Park remains. The three parties continue to work behind the scenes to
find a formula that will allow the takeover to proceed. There is quiet confidence that some sort of
compromise can be found.
The sticking point has been the role of the Saudi government in the future direction of the club. Staveley
maintains that not only does PIF have complete autonomy from the regime but the wealth fund does not
intend to take a hands-on approach to the day-to-day running of Newcastle.
Events in Lisbon this week have sharpened Saudi eagerness to buy into the Premier League. The success of
Paris Saint-Germain in reaching the Champions League final against Bayern Munich has irritated many in
the Gulf. PSG are owned by Qatar, the region’s pariah nation. Saudi Arabia has been the driving force in a
multinational boycott of its neighbour. Another of the major players in the anti-Qatari sanctions is the
United Arab Emirates, whose deputy prime minister is Sheikh Mansour, the owner of Manchester City.
The French side’s exploits have brought mixed publicity for Doha. Accusations of ‘sportswashing,’ the
highlighting of human-rights abuses and the appalling treatment of migrant workers in the country
accompany every PSG success. Yet there are enough positive images generated by football to cause Saudi
Arabia and Abu Dhabi to envy their Qatari enemies.
Those connected with PIF have always claimed that Newcastle would be run very differently to PSG and
City. Both of those clubs are essentially money-no-object vanity projects for their respective states, hence
their problems with Uefa’s financial fair play regulations. The narrative from PIF’s partners is that the Saudi
investment in Newcastle was based on hard-headed business principles. Fans on the Gallowgate were not
getting something for nothing. PIF wanted a return.
If PSG win the Champions League, that thinking could change. Football has always been a expression of
national identity. Before the fall of the Iron Curtain, sporting success represented a vindication of social and
economic programmes for competing systems. A Cold War is in progress in the Gulf and PSG and City are
proxies in a political conflict. Newcastle could be next.
The underlying problem for the Premier League is the Saudi treatment of beIn Sport, the TV rights holder
in the area. The Qatari broadcaster has been refused a licence in the desert kingdom and beIn transmissions
were hijacked and pirated by illegal operations based around Riyadh. This week the Saudi authorities agreed
to work on a framework to tackle piracy and protect intellectual rights in the region. It is unlikely to be
enough for the Premier League to rubber-stamp PIF’s involvement in Newcastle but it is a sign that the
compromise is in the air.
MPs, local politicians and supporters will keep the pressure on the Premier League. The consortium have
hinted that buying Newcastle would be a prelude to wider investment on Tyneside. Clarification of further
spending plans would increase the public clamour for the takeover. The Saudis are not shy of upping the
ante when it suits them. A half-billion “look what you could have had” package of proposed funding would
put intolerable pressure on the owners and directors test. As would the threat of buying elsewhere.
Soft power, hard cash. Both may still be heading towards Newcastle. The new season will start with Ashley
still in place but it is doubtful it will end that way.
Sport / Football
Championship fixtures revealed

for 2020/21 season
The English Football League is back on 12 September (Getty)
JONATHAN VEAL
Jason Tindall’s first game in charge of Bournemouth will be at home against Blackburn as he looks to mount
a Championship promotion challenge.
The 42-year-old has replaced Eddie Howe at the Vitality Stadium following the Cherries’ relegation from
the Premier League after five years in the top flight.
After their clash against Rovers, Bournemouth’s return to the second tier also includes an early visit to
Middlesbrough and a home clash against Norwich.
Neil Warnock’s Boro are the first opponents for new Watford boss Vladimir Ivic as a tough opener lies in
store for the little-known Serbian.
The Hornets then travel to Sheffield Wednesday and host Luton in a local derby, which could see Ivic under
pressure if he does not get off to a winning start at Vicarage Road.
Norwich, back in the Championship after one season in the Premier League, begin with a trip to
Huddersfield, who have appointed Carlos Corberan as their new manager.
Wycombe may have been hoping for a more glamorous opponent for their first-ever match in the second
tier but they play fellow newly-promoted side Rotherham at home, with Coventry’s return beginning with a
trip to Bristol City.
Aitor Karanka’s first game in charge of Birmingham is at home to Brentford, while Cardiff play Sheffield
Wednesday, Derby host Reading and Barnsley welcome Luton.
Elsewhere in the Championship, Millwall take on Stoke, Swansea travel to Preston and QPR are at home to
Nottingham Forest.
Sunderland kick-off their third season in League One with a home game against Bristol Rovers.
The Black Cats will be hoping this is finally the year they return to the Championship and have seemingly
been handed a favourable opener.
Wigan will feel aggrieved to be back in League One following their administration-enforced relegation last
season, and they start with a tough trip to Ipswich, who will also have promotion on their mind.
Hull, back in the third tier for the first time in 16 seasons, hit the road to face Gillingham while Charlton,
also relegated last term, visit Crewe on the opening day.
Beaten play-off finalists Oxford begin with a trip to Lincoln, while promotion hopefuls Portsmouth host
Shrewsbury and Peterborough, who were incensed by the premature ending to last season, visit Accrington.
Doncaster play MK Dons, Fleetwood host Burton, Blackpool have a lengthy trip to newly-promoted
Plymouth, League Two champions Swindon welcome Rochdale and Northampton take on AFC
Wimbledon.
Harrogate’s first ever English Football League match sees them visit Southend on the opening day of the
League Two season.
The Yorkshire club came up via the National League play-offs and their first home game – played at
Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium while their own ground is refurbished – is against Walsall.
Barrow, who were National League champions, are back in the EFL for the first time in 48 years and their
first match sees them host Stevenage, the side reprieved from relegation last season by Macclesfield’s
points deduction.
Bolton were last in the fourth tier of English football in 1988 and they begin at home to Forest Green while
Tranmere, who felt so wronged by their points-per-game relegation last season, start at Mansfield.
Salford’s second season in League Two begins at home to Exeter, Bradford welcome Colchester, Cambridge
play Carlisle and Cheltenham host Morecambe.
Elsewhere, Leyton Orient visit Oldham, Port Vale take on Crawley, Scunthorpe welcome Newport and
Walsall host Grimsby.
Sport / Cricket
Crawley hits maiden Test

century as England take
command against Pakistan
Batsman celebrates scoring his first 100 (Reuters)
AT THE AGEAS BOWL
It was last Saturday Zak Crawley spoke of his desperation to score a first Test century, revealing he pinches
himself at night at the prospect. How it might come about, what he might feel. Any cricketer, regardless of
standard, has had similar thoughts.
Which makes his celebration - a calm raising of the bat and gentle peck of the Three Lions badge - all the
more perplexing. How was it that a 22-year old who had reached a milestone he has obsessed about for so
long, having taken 171 deliveries to get there, reacted to the moment with such unerring calm?
The answer, as we found out by stumps, was because he was not done with his innings or Pakistan's attack.
Having arrived at the crease in the fifth over following the dismissal of Rory Burns, England 12 for one
having won the toss and opted to bat first, he would walk off three times an unbeaten man. 50 not out at
lunch, 97 not out at tea and again to applause from both sides are stumps. Tomorrow morning resumes with
him 171 not out and restful night’s sleep in between. Not just for him but his teammates, who he has helped
to a mammoth day one score of 332 for four. They must go some way to lose this third Test from here.
If you want an idea of how green Crawley is, he is the 18th Englishman to have just three first-class
hundreds before getting one in a Test match, a list that includes a few bowlers and, remarkably, David
Gower who had two at the time. He has also passed his previous highest score of 168, scored against
Glamorgan in 2018.
Perhaps the standout observation to be made of Crawley’s innings was that it all looked so simple. The
boundaries - all 19 of them, all fours - if not struck with perfect timing were struck with intent. And not so
much in the “die wondering” sense. Just bundles of clarity.
Even cycling through what he did well is a basic errand. He drove, he cut, he pulled. All from a height of
six-foot-five: a welcome puncture of the well-evidenced argument that the best red ball batsmen are the
shorties.
But few could argue with the evidence put forward in favour of giants here. Crawley’s forward stride turned
good length deliveries from the usually frugal Mohammad Abbas into half-volleys. Anything short was
cross-batted through the leg side on the front foot. And as high as the elbow got, his hands were able to go
just as low, notably when he decided 131 runs and 219 balls in that he would reverse sweep leg-spinner Yasir
Shah.
Until then, Yasir had been Pakistan’s biggest threat, removing Dom Sibley (22) LBW and Ollie Pope (three)
bowled by a google that he has not played well this series. Shaheen Shah Afridi did for Burns for the third
time this series, this time for six to leave him 20 runs from four innings this series.
That would be the visitors’ lot, though. Crawley, with the help of Jos Buttler, who finished unbeaten on 87
and the verge of a century himself, had their merry way with them, collectively 205 not out from 51 overs of
immaculate batting.
There is a wider point to be made about Crawley and an innings that will perpetuate English cricket’s
“Young Player Privilege”. It is as it sounds: a player of potential with a face that fits promoted above others
with more years, runs and reasons to feel hard done by.
County cricket is a small place, and even though many knew of Crawley’s talents, plenty were irked at a 21
being selected for a Test tour of New Zealand last winter with a first-class average of 31 from 1,908 runs
across 36 first-class matches.
Not that this was anything new. Every domestic cricketer knows those like Crawley are judged by different
standards. Many have benefitted from it themselves, though the only difference between them and the Kent
batsman is that he was never an England Under-19.
And yes, there has been a decent amount of luck in his eight Tests. A crick in Jos Buttler’s backhanded him
a first appearance, in New Zealand. Ruptured ligaments in Rory Burns’ right ankle gave him a second, in his
preferred position at the top of the order. His recall in this series for the second Test came about because
Ben Stokes returned home for a family matter.
Crawley walks off to a standing ovation
(Reuters)
But many others to have sauntered up this gold-brick path spurn their opportunity, in some cases because of
a sense of entitlement. What is most noticeable about Crawley’s short time in the England set-up has been a
willingness to scrap for every opportunity and not assume a few others would be around the corner.
He immediately came into the full England set-up and pushed Stokes and Buttler for aerobic fitness, the
only aspect of his game he could ensure was up to international standards. Escalating scores out in South
Africa gave him a tag among England coaches that he was an excellent learner on the job.
Even those domestic numbers at the start of his Test career need a bit more context given they were
compiled primarily on a Canterbury pitch that now has a bit of spice to it.
His first full campaign in 2018 saw him three in the runs (755) and averages (31), with Heino Kuhn (780 and
33) and Joe Denly (828 and 34.5). The second summer he jumped to second on the list with 820 at 34.16.
But well before he had made his first-class debut in 2017, those who knew of his work spoke of a boy who
had all the tools.
With those, he has carved close to the perfect innings. One that does right by his team and reflects the very
best representation of his qualities and ethos. Suddenly, this England batting card is looking as robust as it
has done in the last five years.
Sport / Cricket
‘Elated’ Crawley’s career

flashed before his eyes
‘I could kind of see all the nets I’d done in the past’ (Getty)
SPORTS FEATURE WRITER
As Zak Crawley hit through the off side to bring up his maiden Test hundred from 171 deliveries, he admits
to his career flashing before his eyes as he soaked up the acclaim from the England balcony.
Granted a career of 44 first-class matches coming into this third Test against Pakistan would not take much
time to flash by. But, seven Tests in, as he finally reached three figures and a moment he had been dreaming
about since making it into the set-up last winter, all the hard work he had done to get there came flooding
back to him.
It was a remarkable innings that is still not yet done, unbeaten as he is on 171 with England 33 two for four.
Their 1-0 lead in the series means they are well on their way to sealing the series win, and potentially only
batting once.
“I could kind of see all the nets I’d done in the past,” said Crawley on the memories going through his head.
“All the time I had gone on my own to hit some balls. It seemed all worth it.
“You do question yourself when you’re in a run of low scores and you can’t buy a run, whether it was worth
it or whether you’re better of doing something else. But it was a feeling that it was all worth it and it was a
great feeling.”
“It feels great and just how I imagined it. An unbelievable feeling of elation out there and it makes you want
it more. Hopefully, there are a few more to come after this.”
It certainly feels like there will be more, even if this was only the 22-year old’s fourth first-class hundred of
his career. Though Crawley admits that even when he was in the innings itself, and as he rounded on that
maiden century which he admitted was keeping him awake at night, there was a great deal of trepidation.
Natural, of course, especially when he went in at tea on 97 not out. A blessing in disguise, in hindsight.
“I didn’t see tea coming because I might have tried to play a big shot,” he said. “I wouldn’t have chosen to
be on 97 at tea and then the umpires said it was tea so that probably helped me. It gave me a good chance to
reset.”
It did not take long for him to get there after the restart, with the final ball of the 57th over. “I was on 99
with one ball left and I didn’t want to have to wait an over on 99 so I was determined to play a shot to that
ball.”
“To find the gap and to run two and come back knowing I had my first Test hundred, tt was all a bit of a
blur. I could see the lads up on the balcony I was trying to stay calm but inside I was absolutely buzzing,
He also credits Jos Buttler, with whom he put on a devastating partnership of 205 for the fifth wicket, at just
over four an over. Buttler, too, is in pursuit of a century – his second – as he sleeps unbeaten on 87.
“It was great to be out there with Jos, he played brilliantly today and was a very calm head for me out there
and made it easier for me.”
For Crawley, while he has already passed his previous first class best of 169 against Glamorgan in 2018, a
double century is on the horizon. Nevertheless, the 22 year-old is not looking that far ahead, even if it is
only 29 runs away.
“The new ball is still fresh and it’s going to be a tricky 20 minutes in the morning when their bowlers would
be rested up. If we can keep going the way we do and Jos keeps batting the way he does and taking the
pressure off me with the way he bats then hopefully I can get a decent score.”
Sport
Sport news in brief
Harry Maguire has been arrested in Mykonos (Reuters)
United captain Maguire arrested in Mykonos

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been arrested following an altercation with police on the
Greek island of Mykonos, on a day when he could have been leading the club to European glory. The 27-
year-old, who is the world’s most expensive defender following his £80m move from Leicester to Old
Trafford last summer, was one of three Englishmen arrested by Greek police on Thursday night. The head
of the press office for the Hellenic Police’s South Aegean region said there had been an altercation and an
exchange of words with the police.
United said: “The club is aware of an alleged incident involving Harry Maguire in Mykonos last night.
Contact has been made with Harry, and he is fully co-operating with the Greek authorities. At this time we
will be making no further comment.”
Wolfsburg and Barca advance to Women’s Champions League semi-finals
Glasgow City’s Champions League campaign came to an end in humbling fashion with a 9-1 quarter-final
defeat to Wolfsburg in San Sebastian. Wolfsburg captain Pernille Harder scored four goals and Ingrid
Syrstad Engen (2) and Felicitas Rauch were also on target before own goals from Leanne Ross and Jenna
Clark completed the rout. Lauren Wade gave Glasgow some cheer with the goal of the night from 20 yards
but Wolfsburg – European champions in 2012 and 2013 – showed again why they are among the main
contenders for major honours.
Barcelona booked their semi-final spot against Wolfsburg with a 1-0 victory over Spanish rivals Atletico
Madrid. Kheira Hamraoui fired home the winner, a low drive, 10 minutes from time after the Atletico goal
had come under increasing pressure.
Djokovic clarifies stance on vaccinations

Novak Djokovic has sought to clarify comments he made earlier this year about his distrust of vaccinations
amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Djokovic, who is the No1-ranked men’s player in the world, drew
criticism in April for saying he is “opposed to vaccinations”, before the Serb courted more controversy
when his exhibition tour of Croatia and Serbia resulted in several players – himself included – testing
positive for Covid-19 due to a lack of social-distancing measures.
Speaking to The New York Times this week about his previous comments on vaccinations, Djokovic said: “I
see that the international media has taken that out of context a little bit, saying that I am completely against
vaccines of any kind. My issue here with vaccines is if someone is forcing me to put something in my body.
That I don’t want. For me that’s unacceptable. I am not against vaccination of any kind, because who am I to
speak about vaccines when there are people that have been in the field of medicine and saving lives around
the world? I’m sure that there are vaccines that have little side effects that have helped people and helped
stop the spread of some infections around the world.”
The Magazine / The Big Read
One for sorrow, two for joy:

much-maligned magpies are far
from black and white
Predator, thief or good luck? When David Barnett sees one he salutes
it but there’s more to the bird than meets the eye
The magpie, the Marmite of the bird world (Getty/iStock)
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by magpies. There is no rhyme nor reason for this. I
never had a notable encounter with a magpie as a child nor saw one at an important juncture in my life. I
simply feel a strong and magnetic affinity with what is both one of our most mesmerising yet much-
maligned birds. So I decided to find out why.
First, the science bit. The magpie’s scientific name is Pica pica, and it belongs to the crow family of birds, or
corvids. On average, magpies are around 45cm from beak to tail, with a wingspan of around 52-60cm. There
are 600,000 breeding pairs in the UK, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which
gives it a conservation status of “green”, meaning the birds are not under threat.
What else does the RSPB say about the magpie? “With its noisy chattering, black and white plumage, and
long tail, there is nothing else quite like the magpie in the UK.” Well, that’s a good start in terms of my
vague and unformed attraction to them – it is a unique bird. “When seen close up, its black plumage takes
on an altogether more colourful hue, with a purplish-blue iridescent sheen to the wing feathers and a green
gloss to the tail.” This is possibly one of the most beautiful aspects of the magpie, as its monochrome
silhouette becomes so subtly colourful the closer it gets.
Sophie was hatched 10 years ago and has her

own Twitter account (Sophie The
Magpie/Twitter)
“Magpies seem to be jacks of all trades: scavengers, predators and pest destroyers, their challenging, almost
arrogant attitude has won them few friends.” And there it is. The thing that makes the magpie the most
Marmite of British birds. Magpies; you love ‘em or hate ‘em.
Andy Bowdie loves them, or at least he loves one particular magpie: Sophie. And Sophie has her own
insanely popular Twitter account (find her at @breesophiebree) with 47,000 followers, and has lived with
Andy and his wife Sheryl almost since she was hatched a decade ago.
“She was stolen as an egg by kids,” says Andy. “And when she hatched, they dropped her off with a local
RSPCA volunteer. Sophie lived the first four months of her life in a parrot cage in the person’s living room
with visitors coming and going – TV on, that sort of thing. So by then the damage was done, she was firmly
imprinted on humans. Fortunately, the volunteer must have been cool, because Sophie has always been a
friendly bird. I get the feeling she had a very strong ‘who’s a pretty birdy?’ upbringing.”
Andy and Sophie just clicked (Sophie The
Magpie/Twitter)
Andy and Sheryl already had a rook, Rory, and a crow, Conn, that they had rescued and lived with them in
an aviary in their garden, so they were a natural port of call when it came to re-homing Sophie. “I took some
persuading,” says Andy. “It was Sheryl that wanted another corvid. I set up an aviary in our box room so we
could house Sophie over winter. We got her in August 2010 and she was living outside by the following
May.”
While Sheryl was the one with the affinity for corvids, Sophie “chose” Andy. He recalls: “We just clicked.
We gave Sophie a clear choice in the first days, we both stood in the room with her, and let her go to
whoever she wanted. She just picked me. I still don’t really understand why Sophie chose me, before I really
knew what was happening, she was bringing me sticks and sitting on my hand. I still do catch myself
sometimes, as she dozes on my hand, or brings me something. How lucky I am to share this trust with her.”
Andy knows of three other people that have had similar bonds with magpies. He says: “I spoke to a kitchen
fitter a few years ago at my office, and he had a wild magpie friend that would sit in his bicycle basket and go
to school with him. He mentioned it after seeing my phone lock screen. And true to his word, he came in
the next day with a black and white photo of a him with this magpie happily sitting on his shoulder. I think
because they’re so clever, they’re able to reason and work out which human is going to be cool.”
It was Sheryl who wanted another corvid
(magpie_daily/Instagram)
Another human who forged a bond with a magpie is Charlie Gilmour, whose book on the subject,
Featherhood, is published this month. Gilmour found a young magpie that fell from its nest in a Bermondsey
junkyard and changed his life.
So it’s unusual, but not rare. Does this affinity with humans that magpies have go any way to explaining my
fascination with them?
“Other people have asked me that as well,” muses Andy. “I think it’s because they’re visibly interested in
things. You can see the spark of intelligence there, and while some people assume it’s malice, I think some
people correctly see a bright, thoughtful animal that can be communicated and reasoned with.”
But there’s another aspect to magpies, which is their place in folklore and superstition. For as long as I can
recall, I have saluted a single magpie then loudly asked after its wife (without knowing its gender or sexual
proclivities) and hoped that it has healthy chicks. Other people I know have similar reactions. One friend
grew up with his mother ritually greeting any magpie with “hello, sir or madam!” and his wife saluting
them, and this led him to base all important life decisions on their appearance or non-appearance. Another
says she had to forcibly stop herself from pinching and slapping herself when she saw a lone magpie.
The superstition surrounding a single magpie stems from the folklorish rhyme, which we all know a version
of – especially those who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s and remember the ITV children’s TV show
Magpie, which had as its theme tune a variation of the rhyme.
The children’s TV show ‘Magpie’ was a trendier

alternative to ‘Blue Peter’ (Fremantle
Media/Rex)
The most common version goes like this: “One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five
for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret, never to be told.”
Give yourself extra points if you know the rest of it: “Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss, ten for a bird you must
not miss, eleven is worse, twelve for a dastardly curse.”
There are many other variations, some of them regional, and the rhyme was first recorded in 1780 in the
book Observations on Popular Antiquities by John Brand. The folklorist and academic Dr Jacqueline Simpson
collaborated with the late Terry Pratchett on the book The Folklore of Discworld when she met him at a
book signing. The author was researching his next book and routinely asking people in the queue how many
versions of the magpie rhyme they knew. Dr Simpson apparently replied: “About 19. Which one do you
want?”, which led to the collaboration.
The magpie is regarded as an uncanny bird. In Sweden it is connected with witchcraft, while in Devon it was
customary to spit three times to avoid bad luck when a magpie was seen
I consulted my faithful folklore library for more information on why magpies are so entrenched in British
Isles myth, legend and superstition. Brewer’s Myth and Legend, edited by J C Cooper, has an interesting
note on the etymology of the name, suggesting it was originally “maggot-pie”, maggot being a corruption of
Margaret – in the way that birds were often given human names such as Robin readbreast, Tom-tit, etc –
and pie from pied, a nod to its black and white plumage.
“The magpie has generally been regarded as an uncanny bird,” notes Brewer’s. In Sweden, it says, it is
connected with witchcraft, while in Devon it was customary to spit three times to avoid bad luck when a
magpie was seen.
Magpies crop up in the Christian tradition quite extensively. It is said that the magpie was not allowed
inside Noah’s Ark because of its incessant chattering, but instead had to perch on the roof.
And my copy of Zolar’s Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens and Superstitions suggests that the magpie has its
black and white plumage because “unlike other birds, it never went into full mourning after Christ’s
crucifixion. A Christian tradition in France says that magpies actually pricked Christ’s feet with thorns
while he was on the cross; the swallows tried to pull them out, causing their breasts to be blood red. As a
result, magpies were condemned to nest in tall trees while the swallows could find easy shelter under the
eaves of houses.”
The magpie is steeped in myth, legend and

superstition (Getty/iStock)
In The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, by John and Caitlin Matthews, it is said that in medieval
bestiaries the magpie was seen as a symbol of the devil, and represented “the unseemly chatter of those who
do not pay attention in church”, while its black and white feathers are a sign of vanity. Zolar says that the
magpie is believed to have “a drop of Satan’s blood on its tongue. Tradition holds that it can acquire human
speech, if its tongue is scratched and a drop of human blood is inserted therein.”
In Germany, a magpie calling near a house was a portent of death, as is a magpie preceding a person into
church. In Yorkshire, magpies congregating on a dead branch is a sign of rain. But if the magpie merely
chatters rather than calls, then it is simply heralding the arrival of a guest.
While the magpie is an often ominous symbol in Britain and Europe, in China and the East it is a very
different affair, where the bird is considered to bring joy and good luck. The Qixi (also Qiqiao) Festival,
which this year falls on 25 August, is a Chinese event also known as the Magpie Festival. It is built around a
folk-tale about two lovers, a cowherd and a weaver girl, whose love was banned and the pair were banished
to opposite banks of a river.
China’s Qixi festival, also known as the Magpie

festival, where magpies form a bridge across a
river to enable star-crossed lovers to meet
(Getty)
Every year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, a parliament of magpies would form a bridge
over the river so the star-crossed lovers could meet.The Qixi (also Qiqiao) Festival, which this year falls on
25 August, is a Chinese event also known as the Magpie Festival. It is built around a folktale about two lover
The magpie is an aficionado of shiny things, and will steal and hoard them – so much so that any human
who exhibits the same love of gold or silver and shiny trinkets will be dubbed a magpie. That might also be
an unfairness on the bird; we might have picked that up from the opera La Gazza Ladra by Giannetto De
Rossi – aka The Thieving Magpie, which is built around the theft of a silver spoon by a swooping magpie.
Magpies, along with their corvid family, do get a bad press. Not just in folklore and superstition, but in
more pragmatic ways.
The magpie is an aficionado of shiny things,
and will steal and hoard them (Getty)
Mark Cocker is a British author and naturalist who has written extensively on corvids, especially in his 2007
book Crow Country, Birds Britannica (with Richard Mabey) and his current volume, A Claxton Diary.
“There’s a lot of folklore attached to magpies and a lot of that is to do with the fact they’re black and white,”
says Mark. “They seem to combine opposing moral qualities, and the rhyme that everyone knows alternates
between bad and good luck… one for sorrow, two for joy, the kind of binary rhyming couplet that reflects
our attitudes.
“In Western thought anything black was seen as evil so corvids especially have been painted with a lot of
negative responses by people for thousands of years. Magpies are party to that negative trend in our
attitudes, which are rooted in prejudice and have very little substantial evidence behind them.”
Aside from the bad omens associated with magpies – or perhaps that’s a deep-rooted if unacknowledged
reason for it – people have a bit of a beef with magpies and their corvid cousins: ravens, crows, rooks,
jackdaws and jays. They are generally believed to kill livestock on farms and because corvid numbers are
increasing and songbird populations on the wane in Britain, many people have drawn conclusions from that.
Corvids can be pretty vicious with their prey. There is evidence that crows and ravens will kill young lambs,
but there’s also strong evidence that the lambs they take were doomed to die anyway
“People have put two and two together and made five,” says Mark. “There’s very little evidence that corvids
are behind the songbird decline. The real reason is our agricultural practices, but we need a scapegoat and
blame the corvids.”
That said, Mark acknowledges that corvids can be pretty vicious with their prey. “There is evidence, for
instance, that crows and ravens will kill young lambs, but there’s also strong evidence that the lambs they
take were already doomed to die anyway, so they’re not as vicious and predatory as we imagine. And we
have some of that prejudice towards magpies as well. But we are also now recognising that corvids are
highly intelligent – perhaps equal to very young children or primates.”
Mark has also delved deeply into the folklore surrounding magpies, especially in the book Birds Britannica.
He says: “It’s hard to find anything consistent in folkore, it’s always a blend of irrational, illogical
associations. For that book I found some extraordinary stories of people’s fear of seeing one bird, and the
sometimes ridiculous rituals they go through. I use my own brother’s family as an example, they have all
these little sayings when they want to ward off the bad luck associated with magpies.”
Intelligence aside, it seems my mild obsession with magpies still doesn’t have much logic to it. That said,
says Mark, even though they’re not particularly well-loved in farming communities, they do have their fans.
“Some people just love them,” he says. “They love them for their resilience, for the fact that they are
persecuted, and they like them because they’re the underdog. And let’s face it, they’re incredibly beautiful
birds. They’re not black and white at all, they’ve got lots of rich colours, particularly a sort of rich, sky-blue
right through to turquoise and iridescent colours in that black plumage and then those lovely areas of white.
They’re very characterful and they’ve got lots of personality.
“They’re alert to opportunities: one of the things that we can say is that in our decimated landscape much
reduced by human activity, corvids are highly successful and one of the few groups of birds to buck the
trend and actually increase. They are able to adapt to the reduced landscape we have created. So, love them
or hate them, they’re fantastic survivors.”
The Magazine / Features
ANIMAL TRAFFIC
Brooke Jarvis on how to transport an elephant 1,700 miles across the
borders of Argentia and Brazil in a pandemic
Fifty-year-old Mara spent more than two decades in an enclosure (AFP/Getty)
The border between Argentina and Brazil had been closed by the pandemic for nearly two months when, in
early May, an unusual convoy approached the checkpoint in Puerto Iguazu. There were 15 people, all of
whom had gone days with little sleep, and six vehicles, including a crane and a large truck.
Behind the truck was a specialised transport box. Inside the box was an elephant.
The elephant’s name is Mara. She is around 50 years old, and has spent the last two and a half decades of
her life in a dusty zoo enclosure in the Palermo neighbourhood of central Buenos Aires. The zoo was once a
centrepiece of the city’s grand Victorian parks, a symbol of its prestige. There is, as Argentina’s vice
president observed in 1888, no such thing as a major city that did not have a zoo.
In the fashion of the time, Mara’s enclosure was built to look like the romantic ruins of a Hindu temple. But
for her, it was a difficult home, small and tense, crowded with two other elephants. They were African
elephants, a different species than Mara, who is an Asian elephant, and because they did not get along,
keepers made sure they never shared their small space – swapping them back and forth between the indoor
and outdoor sections of the enclosure every day. Mara spent a lot of time standing inside, despite elephants
needing to walk a lot to digest properly and to keep their feet healthy, and she spent a lot of time alone,
even though elephants are deeply social. She often spent hours swaying her head in a circle, a stereotypic
behaviour considered a sign of stress in captive elephants. Visitors watched the same behaviour in a polar
bear, Winner, before he died in a heatwave in 2012. A few years later, two of the zoo’s sea lions died within
days of each other.
People began to protest that something had to be done – not just for Mara, but for all the animals, some
2,500 of them as of 2016, that were squeezed onto just 42 acres. One protest group, SinZoo, said that it was
petitioning “for the liberty of the prisoners in Palermo”. The city, which owned the land, decided to step in
and take over management from the private company that had been running the zoo.
Pupi (right) and Kuki, who are different

species, don’t get on with Mara (AFP/Getty)
But by then, says Tomas Sciolla, who became the new wildlife and conservation manager, the protests
raised a question that the city had to take seriously: Was it enough to improve the lives of animals that still
lived in a zoo? Had its view of animals and their role in society changed at all since 1888?
“Are we only going to provide better conditions?” he asks. “Or do we want to do something a little more
profound?”
Two years before, in 2014, Argentina had become the first country to recognise a great ape – an orangutan
named Sandra, also a resident of the Buenos Aires zoo – as a nonhuman person with legal rights of her own.
Now a planning committee, convened to determine what was next for her neighbours, decided it should
start by examining the zoo’s most fundamental assumptions. “Do we want a zoo?” Sciolla asks. “Is that
something that’s aligned with how we think animals should be respected?” The answer they came to was
no.
Everything is worth it when you see an animal that has spent most of her life in an unnatural way connecting
with her essence and what she is
The city decided that the land should transition to an “ecopark”, where children could learn about
conservation and native animals could be rehabilitated but would not live their lives on display. The
committee began researching how it could send the zoo’s current animals away, to new homes in
sanctuaries and nature reserves. Some were too old or ill to move, and some animals died. But, as the
logistics came together, many others left: three spectacled bears to an animal sanctuary in Colorado; Sandra
the orangutan to the Centre for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida. By this spring, 860 animals had been
relocated. Mara would be number 861.
The committee made a plan to move her to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, a 2,800-acre compound recently
established in the state of Mato Grosso. But to relocate an elephant 1,700 miles across international borders
requires a great deal of paperwork. (This is to guard against the smuggling and laundering of animals,
especially endangered species.) In Mara’s case, getting permits means proving where she was born and
where she had lived before she came to the zoo in 1995. Then, she had been confiscated from a circus, Circo
Rodas, because of poor treatment. But where had her life taken her before that?
The Buenos Aires Zoo, circa 1890s (Archivo

General de la Nación)
Media attention to Mara’s case got the public involved, and people came forward with information. The
Tejedor family, which once ran a number of circuses, reported that in the early 1970s they had purchased
Mara, along with two other elephants, from Tierpark Hagenbeck, a zoo in Hamburg, Germany. It turned
out this zoo had acquired her at a young age from India, where she had been born into captivity at a work
camp. Victor Veira Tejedor, whose grandfather and great-uncle owned the circus that bought her,
remembers Mara as a member of the family, hungry for attention and affection.
“She’s a very special being,” he says. For years, Mara travelled with the family from town to town in
Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, performing for crowds. Old photos show her as a baby, with two men
leaning on her back; grown up and doing tricks on a little stool while wearing a headdress; balancing on her
front feet and her trunk inside an empty circus tent.
Veira’s family left the circus business in 1980, when he was 12, and sold Mara to Circo Rodas.
“That’s when things started to get ugly for her,” Sciolla says. Mara didn’t “behave” – “because what is
‘behaving’ for an elephant that’s in captivity and being forced to perform?”
It’s not a lie that elephants do not forget
The new circus hired Mara’s former trainer to get her to start performing again. But Mara, perhaps feeling
threatened, killed him. “It’s not a lie that elephants do not forget,” Sciolla says. Before she was confiscated
and taken to live at the zoo, she was found chained in a parking lot.
But the zoo was only a relative improvement in conditions, and after two and a half decades, Sciolla was
desperate to get Mara out. The departure plan required intense coordination with multiple ministries and
two national governments, but at last, the pieces fell into place: Mara would finally move to the sanctuary in
Brazil in March.
“And of course, then Covid-19 started,” Sciolla says.
Argentina imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in Latin America, and the original plan had to be
scrapped. But the window for the hard-won permits for moving Mara was closing fast. Sciolla, who has a
large picture of Mara hanging in his apartment, found himself making a strange case on the phone with a
parade of government officials.
A depiction of Mara in a 1970 poster

(Unknown)
“I know you’re dealing with a crisis,” he told them. “But we need to translocate this elephant.”
He was moved by how eager the officials were to help make that possible.
And so Mara, after a long and complicated life, found herself in a box, in a pandemic, waiting at the closed
border between nations. Only four of the humans were allowed to cross with her and make the final journey
to the sanctuary. But once the smaller party was safely through the border, Sciolla began to feel some relief
from, as he put it, “all the pressures you feel when you’re thousands of kilometres from home with an
elephant”.
There was one final barrier – moving the exhausted elephant onto a truck that could handle the last 40 miles
of rough road – and finally, the box arrived to open space, grass and trees. Sciolla chokes up when he
remembers it.
“Everything is worth it when you see [an] animal that has spent most of her life in an unnatural way
connecting with her essence and what she is,” he says. “For her, it took a long time.”
Mara quickly bonded with another Asian elephant named Rana. Their connection was so instant and
intense that some people present wondered if they had known each other in their childhoods – could Rana
be one of the three brought from Hamburg all those years ago? Veira is doubtful, but he finds it moving to
watch videos of Mara exploring her new home all these decades after their time travelling together.
The zoo was once a centrepiece of the city

(AFP/Getty)
“It’s lovely to see her in a place like she should have been all along,” he says.
These days, his family members who are still in the circus industry have long since removed animals from
their acts. “It would be madness to be travelling around with a circus elephant now,” he says – the times had
changed, and so had the understanding of what people owe to animals.
In Brazil, Scott Blais, a co-founder of the sanctuary, has watched Mara explore her new relationships with
the other elephants.
“She was labelled a killer,” he says, but he had come to see her as “a ball of insecurity” who had been
starving for interaction.
Blais has been working on the permitting to bring in more elephants, including from a zoo in Mendoza,
Argentina, that had, after a long string of deaths amid poor conditions, also decided to rethink its purpose.
It is closing exhibits and making plans to send animals elsewhere. One of the elephants he is most eager to
relocate would be leaving her small concrete enclosure for the first time since she was born there 22 years
ago.
Still, Blais likes to think of the sanctuary as a temporary measure, a step in what he hoped would be a
continuing reevaluation of how people think about our relationships with animals. Some future day, he
imagines, would be “the happiest day of my life”: the day there are no more captive elephants that need to
be moved there.
For now, though, there was Mara – out of the box, the circus and the zoo – stretching her legs, scratching
her back on trees, making a friend.
© The New York Times

The Magazine / Photography
ORPHANS OF DARFUR
Photojournalist Paddy Dowling travels to Sudan to see what hope
remains for fatherless children orphaned by genocide
Suleiman’s father was working as a driver when he was murdered in 2005 (Photography by Paddy Dowling)
The Darfur genocide claimed the lives of more than 300,000 civilians, forced 1.6 million internally
displaced people to flee their homes and a further 600,000 refugees to spill across borders of neighbouring
countries, with Chad shouldering the burden.
In 2003, Janjaweed rebels – tribal militia who traded spears for kalashnikovs – answered the president’s call-
to-arms to support the Sudanese army to cleanse, ethnically, the uprising of Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa
tribal minorities, which were aligned with the Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice Equality Movement.
Rahamat, 18, left her village in 2004 after
militia groups entered their camp and
massacred the villagers
Rapid Support Forces widely known for their

origins in the Janjaweed militia group
Fatima, 16, at her home in the Sakaly IDP

Camp, southern Darfur
Following aerial bombardment by the Sudanese army, Janjaweed rebels spilled through the villages. They
killed; they raped; they looted; they burned; and they abducted boys as child soldiers.
Delivering aid to Sudan has not been without challenge. Efforts to delay, limit and deny access by
humanitarian aid agencies to civilians in need of assistance are well documented.
Rahman, 16, lost his father in an attack on their
village at 4am
Umsalama, 16, reached the Mosai as a baby

with her brother
Today the security situation in the Darfur region of Sudan remains unstable. More than eight million people
are in need of assistance, and the race to escalate urgent humanitarian intervention and protection remains.
Qatar Charity’s commitment to child welfare dates back to the 1980s. It has been working with Sudanese
governments past and present to protect the orphaned populace in Darfur through its Rofaqaa sponsorship
programme since the outbreak of conflict. The ministry of social welfare in Sudan estimated that there are
45,000 orphans in south Darfur alone.
In 2002 Nasser, 48, joined the Sudan

Liberation Army, however defected to the
‘freewill movement’ after disagreeing with the
brutality of the group
Alnile informal settlement, on the outskirts of
Nyala
Soheiba, 14, was just 40 days old when her

father was killed in 2006
Mohamed al Ghamdi of the charity explained: “Since its inception in 1984, Qatar Charity’s core
commitment to child protection is deeply rooted. We honour this commitment through various projects
worldwide, notably our child sponsorship programme, which ensures the provision of shelter, food, clean
water, access to education and protection to more than 3,500 orphaned children in Darfur and 12,244 across
Sudan.
Ikram’s father was shot and killed defending

their family home from Janjaweed rebels
Ibrahim, 20, lives in Drage IDP settlement
Nibras Abdullah, 16
A key prerequisite for long-term peace and stability in Darfur is disarmament. The Darfur Peace Agreement
of 2006 and the subsequent accord of 2011 required the disarmament and demobilisation of Janjaweed
militia along with various rebel groups. Although perceived to be positive steps, there must be significant
provision for alternative livelihood opportunities for ex-combatants. If this should fail, the risk remains of
re-recruitment to other factions perpetuating a continuous cycle of insecurity.
Mohamed, 39, is enrolled on a disarmament,

demobilisation and reintegration programme
Islam, 17
Khidar, 18, was just two when his father was

killed
Indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity,
President Omar al-Bashir’s tenure will be remembered for its brutality by thousands of traumatised and
destitute families.
The pro-democracy revolution of 2019 forced a change in Khartoum. If Sudan’s transitional government can
resist being drawn into conflicts in foreign lands and instead provide a realistic prospect of return for the
displaced, then perhaps establishing a new road map for peace in the region might be possible.
The Magazine / Ask Simon Calder
Can I stop isolating if and when

quarantine is lifted?
Portugal will soon be removed from the UK’s high-risk list (Getty/iStock)
Q I am currently self-isolating having returned from Portugal 10 days ago. With quarantine being lifted from
4am on Saturday, do I need to continue to isolate or can I end my self-isolation immediately?
Name supplied
A It is not the answer you wish to hear, but you must continue to self-isolate in the same rigorous conditions
as you have endured for the past 10 days: no associating with others, no venturing out except for a few
tightly defined reasons (medical treatment, a court appearance or essential shopping that absolutely no one
else can do for you), no dog-walking and no smiling. I made that last one up, but I don’t imagine you have
been experiencing a laugh a minute during quarantine.
You would be forgiven for believing that self-isolation should be forgone as soon as the country of Portugal
is regarded as low-risk by the UK government. Surely, you might think, people who happened to arrive in
the UK from Faro, Madeira, Lisbon or Porto on Friday night – perhaps just six hours before the 4am
deadline – will not be expected to go straight home and stay there for a fortnight?
You might have taken comfort from the words of the transport secretary in early July when he announced
the easing of the UK’s blanket quarantine. He said at the time that anyone who had come from countries
such as Greece and Italy would be able to cease self-isolation from 10 July, the day the rules were relaxed.
But Grant Shapps misspoke, and it has since become clear that the government expected earlier arrivals to
carry on with their self-sacrifice.
I have not had an explanation from officials about this, but I imagine the reasoning goes something like: we
remove quarantine when we know that rates have declined to a low level of risk. People who return before
our specified time are likely to have spent a significant length of time in the country when it had a higher
level. So please continue – on pain of a £1,000 fine if you so much as step outside your home.
Such is travelling life in the strange summer of 2020.
Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder

The Magazine / Food & Drink
USE YOUR NOODLE

The former cancer researcher and winner of ‘Britain’s Best Home
Cook’, Pippa Middlehurst, tells Hannah Twiggs about her book and
why science is your friend in the kitchen
At the molecular level: Middlehurst is about to open her own events space (All images by Giulia Zonza Photography)
At one point or another, most of us in lockdown will have tried out a new recipe – and failed. Perhaps you
couldn’t bring your sourdough starter to life, or maybe your hand-cut noodles were too thick, too chewy or
too much of a sloppy mess. At the time, you probably weren’t thinking about what was happening on a
molecular level. But for cancer research scientist-turned-cook Pippa Middlehurst, “it’s the way my brain
understands the world”.
Two years ago, Middlehurst swapped her lab coat for an apron to pursue her love of Asian cooking – and
even appeared on and won the first series of Britain’s Best Home Cook on BBC One – but the decision was
less a choice of one over the other, and more a merging of two passions. “It sounds silly that there would be
so much science involved with noodles,” she tells me over the phone. “Science is comforting for me in
some way and I think it has really helped me in cooking because if I could understand what’s happening
from a scientific perspective inside the food, if something goes wrong I can change it.”
That’s exactly what she aims to educate novice cooks about in her new book Dumplings and Noodles, out 20
August, with a whole section dedicated to “Noodle Science”. It explains everything from bond formation vs
bond degradation to what riboflavin (vitamin B2) and kansui (Chinese alkaline solution) are and how to use
them. That’s not to say there isn’t something for everyone, though. While many of Pippa’s 46,600
Instagram followers will be coming to it from the science angle, “some people want to know how to
navigate pantries, for example. I know that not everyone is going to want to jump in and start stretching
noodles and that might feel like a recipe for when they’ve had a bit more practice.”
After feeling overwhelmed while looking for

ingredients in supermarkets,
Middlehurst turned to Asian food blogs
Middlehurst admits she wrote the book with her past self very much in mind. “One of the things I struggled
with the most when I started out was just being completely overwhelmed by Asian ingredients,” she says.
“If you go to an Asian supermarket, there are seven to 10 different types of soy sauce, and Chinese soy
sauces are different to Japanese soy sauces and then knowing which brand to use and what’s the difference
between light and dark soy sauce... it’s just totally overwhelming and it’s one of the questions that I get
asked the most.
“I was kind of writing it for me but 10 years ago, because this is the sort of information that I wish had been
compressed and made accessible. I hope that’s what it can give to somebody who’s just started out.” Pantry
lovers will certainly enjoy that section of the book, with lists of essential ingredients and which brands are
best, information about what you can freeze and for how long, and the kitchen items worth investing in.
There’s even a meal planner indicating which recipes are suitable for Friday nights in or dinner parties, and
others for when you have a bit more time: the book really truly is suitable for both those looking for a quick
fix and those after a deeper dive into the cuisine.
It’s taken me such a long time to go with what I think, like if I think something is a good idea not to
automatically turn around and dismiss it
Middlehurst’s love for Asian cooking started in childhood. Her first interaction with it was when her well-
travelled grandfather would take her and her brothers for authentic dim sum. She has fond memories of the
“steaming dim sum trolleys”, “bamboo baskets” and “new and unfamiliar flavours and textures”, an
experience that was far removed from the typical Asian food available in Britain at the time. “Meat and two
veg never really did it for me,” she adds, and this combination of factors inspired her to seek out her own
recipes to try.
But she struggled to recreate the authenticity she had experienced in the dim sum restaurant with her
grandfather. “[The recipes] would always be slightly westernised and they’d never taste like what I
remembered,” she says. “It was always too sweet or just not the same.”
She turned to Asian chefs Ken Hom, Ching He Huang and Fuchsia Dunlop for inspiration. “That’s where I
learned most of the early knowledge I had, that’s how I found different recipes, that this is called this and
that is called that,” she explains. “But I still found it difficult to know which brand of sauce to buy or why am
I using that or where do I get that, what aisle is it in in the supermarket, where does it come from in the
world, what its flavour profile is, can I use it in these dishes or is just for this one dish?” She wanted to go
deeper, so she started searching for blogs written by Asian people for Asian people. “I’m really good now at
deciphering Mandarin recipes that have been translated on Google,” she jokes.
Like most food personalities, and indeed most of us in lockdown, Middlehurst started posting pictures of
her creations on social media (“But nothing like a food blog, just sporadically in between all the rest of the
junk you put on Facebook or Instagram”), much to the amusement of her then-partner and his friends.
“They’d say, ‘oh no one wants to see your tea’ ... And so I stopped doing it and I was genuinely convinced
that no one was interested in what I was cooking and nobody wanted to see it and that it was annoying.”
Pippa ran supper clubs like this one in

Manchester before appearing on ‘Britain’s Best
Home Cook’
That self-doubt and imposter syndrome is something she still struggles with today, she tells me. “It’s taken
me such a long time to go with what I think, like if I think something is a good idea not to automatically turn
around and dismiss it.” She says all that changed when she gave birth, though, adding: “I think going
through something like that you kind of realise what you’re capable of and you’re not afraid of failing.”
It wasn’t until she met her partner now, Christian, that the Pippy Eats brand as it’s known today really
materialised, after he set her up a website and Instagram account. “One day I just thought, ‘what’s the
harm?’ So I just started uploading pictures, because he’d done all the hard work for me. That was three and
a half years ago.” A scroll through her feed today is a mouth-watering experience, from gloriously juicy
ramens and stir fries to delicately folded dumplings and gyozas to shots of Pippa hand-pulling noodles as
long as she is tall. “I guess the rest is history!”
Well, “the rest” was actually a string of successful supper clubs (“Back then, a supper club was this really
underground thing, especially in Manchester... they had a bit of an air of mystery”), which kicked off after
the owners of Pollen Bakery invited Pippa to host a supper club as a Kickstarter reward in their new
premises. “After that I was getting asked more and more frequently, so I started doing them here and
there,” Pippa tells me. “I’d do my workshops, and then the TV show aired and that gave me a lot of
exposure.” Pippy Eats was born, and saw the aspiring chef lugging her equipment to small, independent
venues all over the city, such as Pollen, Idle Hands and Form, to trial her Insta-worthy noodle and dumpling
recipes, or teach others how to make them.
Even lockdown saw a boom in business, of sorts. When coronavirus struck in the middle of her maternity
leave, and without a guaranteed income from selling tickets for her events, Middlehurst got creative. “I’d
make jars of chilli oil for my mum and my family and they’d rave about it, but I thought they were just being
nice,” she explains. “So I made a batch in a five-litre pan that I had in the kitchen and sent it to friends and
gradually I got a bigger pan, and a bigger pan, and a bigger pan, and now I have a 50-litre one.” She started
selling three flavours of her chilli oil online, which would take around two weeks to make, jar and label, to
huge success: the entire batch would sell out within minutes of launch, often to the disappointment of some
of her more avid fans. “You wouldn’t believe the abuse that I get ... the people that were missing out were
getting really irate,” she says. “It’s stressful when they sell out and I get this crazy level of anxiety every
time it happens.” But, she adds: “It feels like I’ve got this level of security knowing that people want the
product, so I can keep paying my bills!” Those who did miss out will be pleased to hear that Middlehurst is
currently trying to outsource the whole operation, so maybe they’ll have better luck next time...
With Pippy Eats well and truly booming, it seems only natural, then, that she is now opening Noodlehaus, a
dedicated space for events like supper clubs and cookery workshops, not just for Pippy Eats but other
independent food businesses in Manchester too. “The idea for Noodlehaus came to me before lockdown
when I was on maternity leave,” Pippa explains. “I’ve got a lot of friends who work in independent food
businesses, with street food carts or small cafes or whatever, and they’d all started to show interest in doing
workshops ... they were asking me where do you do them, does this place have a kitchen, asking me about
facilities, and then they’d ask if they could borrow my equipment.” Pippa knew the start-up costs of
workshops – buying 12 or so of everything from bowls to pasta makers – can be steep, and wouldn’t be
possible for every small business. She started keeping a list of who was borrowing what, when it dawned on
her: “I just thought we need a space that has the equipment, that has everything that everybody needs, and
they can just come to the space. It can be like a little hub.”
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, in which more

than £43,000 was raised, Pippa is working hard to get the space
ready to open mid-September. “Because the space is in an old
mill, we’re going to have to do things in a bit of a special way.
We can’t just go and fit an Ikea kitchen,” she says. “There’s no
running water so I’m going to have to figure out a way to get that
to the space. It needs heating... because it’s an old mill, it’s not
energy efficient.
“So I’ve got a lot of stuff to do to get it ready, but once it’s ready
I’m so excited.” Pippa also plans to make the space completely
multi-functional so it can be hired out by other creatives,
whether that’s for yoga, life drawing, embroidery workshops or
parties. She says she’s got plenty of recipes for a second book,
too. So there’s certainly lots to be excited about.
While some of her followers might be disheartened to learn she

has no intention of opening a restaurant, something tells me it’s
better that way. Middlehurst’s passion for her craft and her
desire to help others starting out on the same path are what
make Pippy Eats what it is today, and will be what keeps her fans
coming back for more supper clubs and workshops, more
delicious noodle and dumpling recipes and more chilli oil (if
they’re quick enough, that is).
‘Dumplings and Noodles: Bao, Gyoza, Biang Biang, Ramen and

Everything in Between’ by Pippa Middlehurst is published by
Quadrille, £16.99
Mistress of spices: from lo mein

to Singapore mei fun
Pippa Middlehurst recipes from her new book
Make this vegetable lo mein dish as a cheaper alternative to a Friday night takeaway
Veggie lo mein
This recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner or as a quicker, cheaper alternative for a Friday night takeaway.
The dish looks and tastes quite similar to chow mein, and the ingredients are similar too. The cooking
method is different, however. Whereas lo in Chinese means ‘to toss’, chow means ‘to fry’. Lo mein noodles
are boiled separately, then added to cooked vegetables and sauce and tossed through. By contrast,
chow mein noodles are dry-fried along with the meat and vegetables, cooking in the wok.
Serves 4
Prep 10 mins
Cooking 10 mins
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light (soft) brown sugar
About 400g (14oz) fresh egg noodles or 250g (9oz) dried egg noodles
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp neutral oil 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
3 spring onions (scallions): 2 julienned and 1 thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, grated
150g (5oz) mushrooms (any kind – I used oyster), sliced
150g (5oz) pak choi (bok choy) or any leafy green (such as spinach or purple-sprouting broccoli), sliced
1 red (bell) pepper, julienned
1 orange (bell) pepper, julienned
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp sesame seeds, to garnish
Mix the light and dark soy sauces and sugar together in a mug or shallow bowl with a dash of hot water to
dissolve the sugar. Cook your noodles until al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and
rinse in cold water, then add the sesame oil to the cooked noodles and toss to coat. This will prevent them
from sticking together.
Heat the neutral oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Add the ginger to the pan and stir quickly,
followed by the julienned spring onions (scallions) and the garlic, mushrooms and pak choi (bok choy). Stir-
fry for three-four minutes until the mushrooms become a little darker and the pak choi leaves begin to wilt.
Add the red and orange (bell) peppers and continue to stir quickly. Add the rice wine and let it bubble away.
After a minute, tip in the drained noodles, followed by the soy mixture, and toss everything together. Stir-
fry for one minute more. Serve immediately, garnished with the sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.
Note: You can add or substitute any vegetables that you like in this recipe – bean sprouts, carrots, broccoli,
mangetout (snow peas), water chestnuts, etc.
Dan Dan noodles
This is probably my favourite noodle recipe. I say that about a lot of dishes, but I think this one actually is.
It’s also one of my longest standing recipes, one that I have been making again and again for years, an
organic process that has meant that, over time, it has changed little by little and become very much my
own. It is different in appearance and substance from a dan dan mian (mian for ‘noodles’) that you might
get in a restaurant or on the streets of a Sichuanese city, but the essence is the same.
Serves 2
Prep 15 mins
Cooking 10 mins
About 200g (7oz) fresh thick ramen

Noodles or 120g (4½oz) dried thick wheat noodles (2 nests)
1 tbsp neutral oil
200g (¾ cup) minced (ground) beef (>15% fat) or 100g (scant ½ cup) each of minced (ground) beef and pork
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
2 tbsp sesame paste (or tahini)

1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar
2 tsp light (soft) brown sugar
¼ tsp freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns
2 tbsp homemade chilli oil or Lao Gan Ma Crispy Chilli Oil
To serve
100ml (½ cup) chicken stock (preferably homemade) or water

2 handfuls of leafy greens (such as pak choi/bok choy, kai lan, choi sum or spinach), sliced
2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts
2 tbsp sui mi ya cai or 1 tbsp finely diced gherkin
2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
2 radishes, julienned (optional)
Begin by cooking the noodles until al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Drain, reserving a
little of the cooking liquid, and then rinse in plenty of cold water until they are completely cool (this will
prevent them from sticking), then set aside.
Next make the sauce. Add the sesame paste (or tahini) and peanut butter to a small bowl, along with the soy
sauce, rice vinegar and two tablespoons of the reserved noodle-cooking water, and gradually mix this
together. Sesame paste is quite solid and can be difficult to dissolve, but stick with it. I use the back of a fork
to mash it in with the liquid ingredients to begin with. Once the sesame paste is incorporated, add the rest
of the sauce ingredients. You can add more chilli oil if you want more of a kick. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the minced (ground) beef (or mixed
beef and pork) and let it brown and caramelise for at least one minute, without stirring. Then, stir and
continue to cook for five-six minutes until browned all over. Once the meat is browned, add the Chinese
five spice powder and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the rice wine and deglaze the pan, then add the sweet
bean sauce (or hoisin), soy sauce and black pepper. Mix well and turn down the heat to cook for another two
minutes.
To assemble, add 50ml (¼ cup) of the hot chicken stock or water to each bowl. Add half of the sauce to each
bowl and combine with the stock/ water. Add half the cooked noodles and sliced greens, then top with half
the meat mixture, followed by a tablespoon each of the peanuts and sui mi ya cai, and half the spring onions
(scallions) and radishes (if using). Mix it all together and enjoy!
Singapore mei fun rice noodles
Often called Singapore vermicelli, this dish is well known for its yellow colour and curry flavour. It is
common in restaurants in Hong Kong and southern China, where rice noodles make a frequent appearance
due to the abundance of rice in those regions (as opposed to wheat-based products, which are more popular
in the northern regions of China).
Serves 4
Prep 10 mins + soaking
Cooking 15–20 mins
4–5 nests dried vermicelli rice noodles

Neutral oil, for frying
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 white onion, sliced
1 long red chilli, deseeded and sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp mild curry powder
165g (½ cup) raw peeled king prawns (jumbo shrimp) – fresh, or frozen and defrosted
1 small red (bell) pepper, julienned
1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
1 handful of bean sprouts
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 120g (4½oz)
Char Siu Pork (see below), cut into 1cm (½in) dice
2 spring onions (scallions), julienned, to serve
For the seasoning sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
A pinch of freshly ground white pepper
½ tsp light (soft) brown sugar
Soak the noodles in boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. It’s important not to
overcook the noodles when you boil them as they will finish softening in the wok. Drain and rinse in plenty
of cold water to prevent them from sticking, then set aside.
Combine all the ingredients for the seasoning sauce in a small bowl or mug, stir to dissolve the sugar and
then set aside.
Heat a teaspoon of neutral oil in a hot wok or non-stick frying pan (skillet) and add the beaten eggs. Sprinkle
over one teaspoon of the turmeric and quickly scramble until just set, then remove from the heat and set
aside.
Heat a little more oil in your wok over high heat and quickly stir-fry the onion slices for two–three minutes,
allowing them to char very slightly. Add the chilli and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the garlic, curry
powder and the remaining turmeric; keep everything moving around the pan with a wooden spoon.
Tip in the king prawns (jumbo shrimp) and cook for one-
two minutes until just translucent. Add the red (bell) pepper,
carrot and bean sprouts and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Pour in the rice wine and let this bubble away, then add the
pork, quickly followed by the cooked rice noodles. Toss these
with the ingredients in the pan until well combined. Everything
should be a lovely yellow colour. Pour in the seasoning sauce
and let this bubble away slightly.
Once the pan is dry, add the scrambled eggs and combine.
Remove from the heat and add the spring onions (scallions) to
serve.
Extracted from ‘Dumplings and Noodles’ by Pippa Middlehurst

(Quadrille, £16.99) Photography © India Hobson
Care in the community

Riaz Phillips tells Ed Cumming about his new book, which brings
together heritage recipes to support those in need
Phillips is raising money for minority ethnic families affected by Covid-19
“It was around the beginning of lockdown when the news came out that black and Asian communities were
more affected by Covid in terms of fatalities and illness,” says the writer Riaz Phillips, explaining the origins
of Community Comfort, his new cookbook.
The ebook celebrates the meals in which British families took solace this year, with more than 100 recipes
from cooks from migrant backgrounds, with the proceeds going towards a fund for Bame victims of
Covid-19.
“It was a bit of a downer, because my family’s majority black and Asian. Like a lot of other people, I felt
helpless. I didn’t know what to do to make a difference, but I had noticed a lot of people on social media
were cooking heritage foods, food they’d had when they were a kid, that their parents or grandparents had
made, talking about what that food meant to them.”
Shakya Manage has shared her Sri Lankan
recipes in the book (Jade Nina Sarkhel)
Around the same time, Phillips read a piece in the New York Times about community cookbooks in the US.
“I hadn’t thought of it before. A lot of cookbooks we know are centred around one person’s ideas, so the
idea of a cookbook that featured many different people struck a chord.”
The idea came to him to do a British version, featuring chefs from minority-ethnic backgrounds, including
Vivek Singh, Ruby Tandoh and Selasi Gbormittah.
“It wasn’t just a black and white thing, it was cross-cultural,” Phillips says. “I wanted to champion chefs I
like and appreciate, and I thought if Mexican people knew about jolly rice or Nigerian people knew about
empanadas and Middle Eastern people knew about jerk chicken and Caribbean people knew about lentil
dal, there was so much to be gained.”
People are everywhere, and the work is out there. If you choose not to know who they are, that shows your
own ignorance
He started by calling in favours from friends, using contacts he has made as a food journalist and the author
of Belly Full, a book about Caribbean food, in the UK.
Word quickly spread, and the book was put together in six weeks before being released in July. He chose
the Majonzi Covid-19 Bereavement Fund as his charity, because it was one of the few charities looking
towards the long-term future after coronavirus.
The Black Lives Matter protests that followed the killing of George Floyd increased the scrutiny on
representation in food writing.
Phillips says it remains to be seen whether the short-term boost in attention for these causes will lead to
permanent improvements. Chefs from migrant backgrounds remain underrepresented in a food media
dominated by a handful of predominantly white, middle-class editors and publishers.
Phillips’s own recipes include this Jamaican
stew and peas dish
“The real change is diversifying the voices and rooms of power,” he says. “In some industries you might
argue the talent pool isn’t there, but in food there is no excuse for saying you don’t know who the chefs or
writers or editors are.
“People are everywhere, and the work is out there. If you choose not to know who they are, that shows your
own ignorance.
“When I was writing Belly Full, in about a year I was able to find Caribbean restaurants across the whole
country, and hardly any of them had been written about on a national scale. If I could do it with a young
person’s rail card, how hard is it when you have the backing of a huge media outlet?”
Another problem, he adds, is the pigeonholing of chefs into their respective cuisines. “Obviously these
people are of diaspora heritage but a lot of them were born in England, so I was keen to say that if they
wanted to do a sprinkle cake, or an apple custard pie, that was fine. Someone did a mushroom and
cauliflower pie. Whatever’s your comfort food.
“I also hoped people would see all these diverse foods and realise
how similar they are. If you look at the ingredients and prep, a
lot are really the same: gathering fruit and veg and starch,
chopping and cooking it down, with coconut milk or scallions.”
It’s a reassuring thought that countries thousands of miles apart

all have the same ideas when it comes to meals that soothe,
nourish and comfort.
‘Community Comfort’ is available for a minimum donation of £10
SUMMER IN A BOTTLE
Terry Kirby on aromatic, refreshing whites for sultry August
Been a bit hot hasn’t it? And a bit wet more recently. Even though the storms over the last week broke the
intense heatwave, the humidity has been high in many parts and the air often heavy.
At times, the thunderstorms are tropical in nature. So what to drink in this sultry but changeable weather,
hot and wet at the same time, weather than can dampen the appetite and dull the palate? Well, if you have
followed my advice over the past few weeks, it should have been lighter reds in the fridge door and pinks at
almost freezer temperatures.
So, now for some more aromatic and refreshing whites, ones that don’t just quench our thirst, but also have
enough about them to rejuvenate those dulled palates and revive our appetites. And these are easygoing
wines for lazy, late summer days, ideal for when it stops raining, for gardens and picnics and, with a couple
of exceptions, bottles that will give you great pleasure for under £10.
Firstly, a brace of new budget wines from Marks & Spencer which derive from less well-known Italian
grapes, both of which are real finds. The Famosa Rubicone IGT 2019 (£8 M&S stores only) is grape from
Italy’s Emilia Romagna region which was rediscovered only a decade ago: and it’s odd that it has never
achieved prominence before because it is a real find: fullish on the palate but unoaked, with floral aromas
and flavours of jasmine and mango.
The Passerina 2019 (£7 M&S stores only) is a rare grape local to the Marche region, but like the Famosa, it
has got real individuality: again it is fullish on the palate with floral notes with a flavour palate that leans
towards apricots and limey citrus. Both grapes have a bolder profile than a lot of other mainland Italian
white, such as pinot grigio and will match fuller flavoured fish dishes as well as salads and lighter cheeses.
Speaking of white, here is a fabulous pinot grigio from Romania’s reliable and remarkably productive
Cramele Recas operation, all zesty, refreshing, light citrus and jasmine flavours and at the price, the
Sorcova Pinot Grigio (£7.79 waitrose.com) is something of a steal.
A really good, all-purpose fridge door white, one to grab after a hard day on Zoom. Aldi also has a couple of
excellent new whites in their summer range, both of which come highly recommended: the South Eastern
Australia Kooliburra Viognier 2019 (£6.99 .aldi.co.uk) is a really good value viognier, with typical new
world punchy peachy honeyed flavours, while the Assyrtiko 2019 (£9.99 aldi.co.uk) is a classy bottle
indeed. Very dry, with crisp and bracing minerality and complex and enticing citrus flavours, from grapes
grown in the northern Peloponnese. Ideal with grilled sardines or mackerel on the barbecue.
Sauvignon blanc is of course among the very best grapes for reviving a jaded palate and the Marquis de
Goulaine Sauvignon Blanc 2018 (£9.79 baythornewines.co.uk) does not disappoint: it’s the restrained,
Loire style in its original home: good minerality, some herbal, grassy touches, plenty of gooseberry flavours
and some riper tropical fruit in the background – a lovely refreshing wine for a humid evening. Staying in
France and moving to the southwest and the remarkable Plaimont co-operative, which specialises in
reviving obscure grapes, has the Les Vignes Retrouvees Saint-Mont 2018 (£11.49 gustowines.co.uk) the
name itself translates ‘the rediscovered vines’ and the grapes here in question are the local gros manseng,
courbu and arrufiac and the result is a blend of floral aromas, exotic and intense tropical fruits and a lovely
clean, but long finish.
Probably more one for the dinner table than the picnic rug. And certainly I’d drink the next wine at a special
occasion, say the first socially distanced dinner party for a while: the attractively bottled Mar des Prades
Albarino Rias Baixas 2019 (£18.95 greatwine.co.uk) is a fabulous wine – redolent of waves crashing on
rocks and a whiff of salt spray in the air – hailing from the Atlantic-facing Rias Baixes area of northwestern
Spain and made by exciting winemaker Paula Fandino, it is an enticing and complex combination of
salinity, tropical fruits like lychees and mango and grassy citrus flavours, all brilliantly mineral clear on the
palate. Guaranteed to liven anyone’s taste buds and a lovely wine for a grilled prime Atlantic fish, such as a
turbot or sea bass, eaten indoors or out.
A kohlrabi-heavy taste of
normality in south London
Grill supremos Coal Rooms return but Harriet Hall finds fault
with the vegan menu in this meat-eaters paradise
Restaurant is in the ex-ticket office at Peckham Rye station (Coal Rooms)
Food ★★★★☆ Service ★★★★☆ Value ★★★☆☆
The staff at Coal Rooms in south London are very glad to be back. “Oh, it’s great,” our waiter tells me. “I’ve
missed everyone. And it’s nice to see people enjoying the food – after four months, pasta and pesto just
won’t cut it.” He’s right there. Lockdown has meant that most of us painfully middle-class folk have either
developed a bank-breaking Deliveroo habit or discovered the true limitations of our culinary capabilities
over the past five months.
Being back inside a restaurant is a delight – the clink of cutlery from neighbouring diners, the din of
conversation, a meal cooked by someone else and of course, no washing up afterwards. It’s a taste of
normality or, to cite an over-chewed phrase, “the new normal”. For the extra cautious, Coal Rooms makes
for a good first step: it is big enough for some serious social distancing (though one over-zealous waitress
does lean in a little close for my liking), it’s airy and the hand sanitiser is as flowing as the wine.
The Peckham restaurant occupies the former ticket office at Peckham Rye station. The owner, Richard
Robinson, restored the building in 2017, transforming the front into a coffee shop and the back into a bright
breakfast-room style dining area. The bathrooms are unchanged since the 1930s (with exception to, I
assume, the plumbing) complete with low level lighting and plants. Coal Rooms knows a thing or two about
the Instagram craze for bathroom selfies. And, this being Peckham, they are, of course, unisex.
Anyone familiar with Peckham will know the dilapidated station well, making Coal Rooms feel a bit too
boujie for its surroundings. The rattle of the Thameslink overhead and the barred windows of the dining
room are an incongruous pairing with my kholrabi ravioli.
I’ve come to try out Coal Rooms’ new chef’s tasting menu, launched for the restaurant’s reopening post-
coronavirus and offered as part of the government’s saucily named Eat Out to Help Out scheme. During
lockdown, Coal Rooms pivoted to takeaway, serving its favourites to locals, but now the restaurant is back
in full force.
The five-course offering has been created by head chef Adrian Fernandez Farina – whose CV boasts a host
of top London eateries including Hawksmoor and Chiltern Firehouse – and sous chef, Ritz alumnus Liam
Walker.
Foccacia, baguette and treacle bread paired

with scoops of sweet plum chutney, aubergine
puree and seaweed butter
There’s only one small hitch: Coal Rooms’ modus operandai is classic British dishes cooked on the charcoal
grill, and the restaurant is known for its meat and fish. As a vegetarian, I’m not really the target audience.
Nonetheless, alongside the £48 per head carnivorous menu is a £38 per head vegetarian option. But I
decide I want to see all offerings (I can still window shop, right?) so I take along a meat-eater friend with me
for comparison’s sake.
Things are off to a flying start: a bread course. Modest slices of foccacia, baguette and treacle bread fresh
from the oven are paired with scoops of sweet plum chutney, smoked aubergine puree and seaweed butter.
Each dip melts into the hot slices and the saltiness of the seaweed butter offsets the sweetness of the plum.
Paired with this is a bubbly aperitif of Italian pinot grigio pet-nat, which barely touches the sides.
I’m ready for a more substantial second act. My
dinner mate, meanwhile, has hoovered up her
beef tartar
The entree is where the vegetarian and carnivores part ways. My dish is a kohlrabi ravioli, which is just a
way of describing two delicately sliced discs of the “German turnip” sandwiching thin slices of mushroom
and a smattering of ricotta. The presentation, sadly, is the best part and while the sugariness of the
accompanying sauce compensates for any bitterness of the cabbage, I’m ready for a more substantial second
act. My dinner mate, meanwhile, has hoovered up her beef tartar.
The food was all exquisitely presented but I won’t pretend I wasn’t disappointed to see that the next course
was… more kohlrabi, though this time it was kholrabi sashimi. Has there been a particularly successful
kohlrabi crop this year? Has Covid led to a glut of the stuff? I wonder as I tuck in. The dish is layered with
cool sorbet which creates a sensory and slightly Heston Blumenthal touch. The non-vegetarian option here
is a seabass dish, which looks suspiciously identical to mine, but with added seabass. I feel somewhat short-
changed. Luckily the accompanying wine is a deliciously crisp Bianco di Custoza which takes my mind off
of feeling like a rabbit.
The non-vegetarian option here is a seabass dish, which looks suspiciously identical to mine, but with added
seabass. I feel somewhat short-changed
Next up is another dish of purely vegetables – this time, beetroot. I’m glad to get a sense of the Coal Rooms
roasting and these are beautifully cooked, served with ajo blanco foam, hazelnut oil and pine nuts. The meat
option is a roast chicken breast accompanied by creamed corn and girolles mushrooms. I look on in envy at
the diversity on her plate. Despite choosing the wine pairing option, we seem to have been forgotten on the
wine front this time around. Luckily my friend is driving, so I down her white and drown my sorrows.
The main event is a pinto bean empanada, which the waiter tells me is the chef’s special, introducing his
American background. I’m pleased that the vegetarian offering is a little more substantial, and just as good
as the meat offering, but it feels a little jarring next to the delicate flavours and presentation of the other
courses.
Bumper crop this year? The ubiquitous kohlrabi
For dessert it’s a creamy dark chocolate cremeux, sitting atop a bed of popping candy and paired with a
velvety red cherry and mezcal sorbet and macerated cherries. The cold, the crunch and the silkiness
combine in an appealing explosion of textures and flavours.
Coal Rooms is certainly a restaurant for meat eaters. My friend commented that the chicken dish was the
standout for its flavour, and that it was pretty good value, especially considering the generous size of the
wine pairings. But for me, the vegetarian tasting course option felt like a bit of an afterthought, which is
surprisingly considering veggie and vegan is a necessary menu addition for a 2020 clientele.
But that’s not to say the restaurant should be ruled out if you don’t eat meat. I’ve been to Coal Rooms for
brunch before, and would give that a double thumbs up. The back dining room makes a perfect spot for a
morning gossiping with friends, with the light openness of the setting perfect for spreading out with the
Sunday papers and several Bloody Marys – and I’m assured that the Sunday roast dinner (both the
vegetarian and meat versions) are the best in south London, but basing it purely on the tasting menu? I’d
sooner just choose my own food from a more vegetarian-friendly menu or eat in to help myself out.
Coal Rooms, 11a Station Way, London SE15 4RX; 020 7635 6699; open daily: coalroomspeckham.com
The Magazine / IndyBest
HEROES OF ZEROS
Joanne Gould on the 11 best-tasting alcohol-free beers
IPAs, lagers and pale ales without the hangover (iStock/The Independent)
Although we’re hearing lots of reports of alcohol sales shooting up thanks to lockdown, it’s interesting to
note that there has also been a surge in low and no alcohol drinks searches – suggesting that many of us are
simply craving the ritual of cracking open a nice cold one after a hard day at the home office – booze or no
booze.
Indeed, Waitrose reports that its sales of low- and no-alcohol beer have shot up by 50 per cent compared to
last year, and Waitrose.com searches for “non-alcoholic beer” have climbed by nearly 30 per cent. The good
news is that for those of us looking to enjoy a refreshing pint or two without the negative effects are in luck,
as the “no and low” market has come on in leaps and bounds, even since we last tested the best low alcohol
beers around.
So now, take your pick from sophisticated IPAs, foamy wheat beers, and all manner of craft ales, knowing
that most of them are going to contain something pretty decent. In looking for a great alcohol-free (ie less
than 0.5% ABV) beer we wanted to find something that had fairly universal appeal while also tasting
genuinely good, having a bit of personality and crucially, feeling like a real beer and not a consolation prize.
So, pregnant people, designated drivers, and anyone simply looking for a day, week, month, life off the
sauce, cast your eyes over our list of brilliant alcohol-free beers that will still very much hit the spot. Cheers!
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never
allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Insel-Brauerei snorkeler’s sea salt IPA, 6 x 330ml: £14.99, Dry Drinker
Insel-Brauerei has won four golds at the World Beer Awards, and while this 0.5% ABV sea salt IPA isn’t a
medal winner itself, it’s clear the brewers know their stuff as we were very surprised to find out this was
alcohol-free. Deep amber with a rich foamy head, this has forward citrus aromas, lots and lots of bitterness,
a persistent fizz and – unsurprisingly – sea salt. Insel has incorporated a generous amount of Baltic sea salt
into this IPA and it is brilliant, providing the beer with a glorious tang. We love this one – and it’s worth
saying the rest of the low ABV beers in its range are almost as great too.
Buy now
Brookyln Brewery special effects, 335ml: £1.30, Waitrose

Brooklyn Brewery has come up with this excellent lager that is light, bright, very hoppy and distinctly beer
like from pronounced malt flavours, so we don’t think you’d know it is alcohol-free, which is the “special
effect”, if you will. Apparently the big hoppiness comes from it being dry hopped with three hop varieties –
not usually a process employed in alcohol-free beer making and this is a negligible 0.4% ABV. We think it’s
really good for BBQs, nights out and most beer o’clock moments.
Buy now
Good Living Brew Co binary botanical, 250ml: £2, Harvey Nichols
If you sometimes find beer a little too heavy to drink much of, then you might enjoy the lighter, fresher feel
of Binary Botanical. It’s called a “table beer” and while it is certainly beer-like, it’s also… not. There are lots
of herbaceous green flavours – it’s brewed using the leaves of the hops too – and the bitterness found in
many beers is replaced by a gentle sparkling zing instead. Made for drinking with food, but equally as
refreshing as an aperitif on a balmy evening when you’re driving – or not.
Buy now
Unltd alcohol free lager, 12 x 330ml: £24.99, Unltd
A newcomer to the alcohol-free beer scene, Unltd is brewed for beer lovers who might want to abstain for
health and fitness reasons. It tastes like many popular German lagers with a balanced easy-drinking mix of
citrus, hops and malt, and it also uses the increasingly popular process of brewing with the low ABV rather
than brewing then extracting the alcohol, so the flavour is better.
Buy now
Krombacher Weizen alcohol free beer, 500ml: £2.19, Wise Bartender
We tried this alongside the Krombacher Weizen alcoholic counterpart for interest and found this 0.5% ABV
version offers many of the same yeasty, banana aromas and flavours you’d expect from this well-known
wheat beer. It’s incredibly refreshing, has a lovely rounded mouth feel and ticks a lot of the alcohol-free beer
boxes. The beer is brewed in the same way as the original and while the taste matches up, the way that the
alcohol has then been removed afterwards has just taken the edge off a bit – we miss the tell-tale bitterness.
Buy now
Jump/Ship yardarm lager, 12 x 330ml: £32.50, SoberSauce
This one smells the business: lots of burnt caramel malt, citrus and bitterness bouncing around. The flavour
is lighter than expected with more of the citrus and a welcome crispness to it, making it the ideal lager for
drinking in the park on a sunny day. There’s a bitter tang to the aftertaste which is exactly what we’re
looking for in a good “low or no” drink, too. We came across this beer as part of SoberSauce’s new mixed
discovery box, which aims to introduce new booze-avoiders to alcohol-free beers they’ll love. Explore the
pack for yourself or purchase this excellent example as a case.
Buy now
BRLO naked pale ale, 6 x 330ml: £14.50, Dry Drinker
Close your eyes and this Berlin-made pale ale could be any well-made craft ale coming in at full ABV.
Instead, this quirkily packaged beer is 0.5% ABV. We liked the distinctive hoppiness, with citrus-led
mandarina Bavaria, citra, and lemondrop on the honours list, all matched against a sweet malt background
and complex earthy notes. This is one to really savour.
Buy now
BrewDog punk IPA, 4 x 330ml: £4.45, BrewDog
We like nanny state, the original BrewDog alcohol-free offering, but this punkier version is also up there.
There’s so much pine and a hint of malt in there that it distracts from the lack of alcohol, while the
discernible tropical notes (think pineapple and passionfruit but without the sweetness) keep things going on
the palate. A worthy effort at an alcohol-free IPA and gratifyingly easy to get hold of too.
Buy now
Freestar alcohol free beer, 330ml: £1.85, Ocado
This has been our booze-free beer of choice all summer, and it continues to be a solid pick for relaxed
sipping without the hangover. A light golden beer with an abundance of malted barley and subtle hops that
make it a crowd-pleasing all-rounder, Freestar is made using the yeast-less method, so no alcohol is created
in the brewing – hence the 0.0% volume – plus it’s a more sustainable method, creating 70 per cent less
waste than other brewing processes. As well as tasting great, with refreshing herbal and zesty fruited notes,
it’s also gluten-free, vegan and low in sugar. Win win all round.
Buy now
Drynks smashed pale ale, 330ml: £1.99, Wise Bartender
We liked smashed citrus a lot last time we tested the best alcohol-free beers, and this is the newest
incarnation from low alcohol specialists Drynks. A pale ale bursting with hops and barley, with a fizzing
tropical fruit layer that makes it perfect for drinking in the warmer months. We liked the caramel backnote
and thought this could easily pass for a full-on pale ale, though it is 0.0%. Another smasher, smashed.
Buy now
Lucky Saint unfiltered low alcohol lager, 330ml: £1.80, Sainsbury’s
Lucky Saint is another alcohol-free option that has never let us down. It’s unfiltered in its processing, which
means it is absolutely full of recognisable Bavarian pilsner flavours. Plus, the expertise behind the brewing
gives this beer a satisfying blend of sweetly mature malt, yeast and a strong hopped flavour that makes it a
great beer whatever the occasion and genuinely makes moderation easy. You can’t go wrong.
Buy now
The verdict
We’ve plumped for Insel-Brauerei snorkeler’s sea salted IPA as it really took us aback how refreshingly
different it was; it’s great to see so much innovation, expertise – and fun! – going into brewing non-
alcoholic beers today. We thought the sea salt flavour was just right for now, and it manages to bring a sense
of occasion and expectation that opening a beer on a hot summer’s day should do.
Having said that, Lucky Saint is probably the best everyday all-rounder beer; we’ve never met anyone who
wasn’t convinced by it. SoberSauce and DryDrinker also offer brilliant ways to try a series of new and
interesting alcohol-free beers for those just starting out on the hangover-free journey, so do check them out.
Right, time for a pint.
The Magazine
BIRTHDAYS
Actor and broadcaster James Corden is 42 today (CBS Television)
Tori Amos (Myra Amos), singer-songwriter, 57; Sir John Banham, former director-general, Confederation
of British Industry (CBI), 80; Professor Roger Cashmore, emeritus professor of physics, University of
Oxford, and former chair, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, 76; Natalie Ceeney, chair, Innovate
Finance and former chief executive, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service, 49; Charlie Connelly,
writer, 50; James Corden, actor, writer and television broadcaster, 42; Iain Coucher, chief executive,
Atomic Weapons Establishment, 59; Steve Davis, pundit and former snooker player, 63; Donna Jean
Godchaux, singer (Grateful Dead), 73; Kelvin Hopkins, former MP, 79;
Sir Julian King, diplomat and former European commissioner for the Security Union, 56; Dua Lipa, singer,
25; Donald MacLaren of MacLaren and Achleskine, former diplomat, and chief of the Clan MacLaren, 66;
Professor David Maguire, interim principal and vice-chancellor, University of Dundee, 61; Alun Michael,
police and crime commissioner for South Wales, and former first minister of Wales, 77; David Moran,
diplomat and former ambassador to Armenia, 60; Elisabeth Murdoch, media executive, 52; Alexander Neil
MSP, 69; Roland Orzabal, singer, songwriter and producer (Tears for Fears), 59; Debbi Peterson,
drummer and singer (The Bangles), 59;
Baroness Prosser, former president, Trades Union Congress, 83; Annie Proulx, novelist and short story
writer, 85; Annie Tempest, cartoonist, 61; Rev Professor Keith Ward, philosopher and former professor of
divinity, University of Oxford, 82; Kristen Wiig, actor and comedian, 47; Mats Wilander, pundit and
former tennis player, 56; Mark Williams, actor, 61; Dr Theodore Zeldin, historian, philosopher and writer,
87.
Culture / The Saturday Interview
‘People doing gigs without

knowing what the hell this
virus is yet? It’s crazy’
The Killers have come up with a defiant new album at what is ‘a pretty
gloomy time’, as frontman Brandon Flowers and drummer Ronnie
Vannucci Jr admit to Mark Beaumont
Flowers predicts ‘a really quick turnaround for another record’ (FilmMagic/Bonnaroo Festival)
Brandon Flowers settles back into an imaginary Chesterfield, pictures himself at the desk of an Oval Office
decorated with neon lightning bolts and considers what would enter the statute books in the reign of his
presidency.
“I don’t have the most romantic vision of what leaders do,” The Killers’ podium-perfect frontman says, not a
little statesmanlike. “I don’t know how much power they really have but I do believe that they can inspire
people and bring people together as the face of the country or their state, and we’re seeing the precise
opposite of that with what’s going on right now. One thing that would be on my agenda would be to stop
dividing and remind people of where we’re similar. I think that’s better than finding our differences and
exploiting them, like Trump’s doing at the moment.”
Two years ago, Las Vegas’s breakout glamour rockers shattered their firmly apolitical stance to release the
stand-alone single “Land of the Free”, an attack, six years in the writing, on the rot setting into America’s
values. “Everything from school shootings to talk about building the border wall, or someone would capture
their boyfriend getting killed by a police officer on their phone, it was just relentless,” Flowers says of the
surprise protest song from a band more associated with emotional synthrock like “Mr Brightside” and
“Human”. “Finally, enough was enough and I just had to finish the song and put it out. I just couldn’t take it
anymore.”
Today, Trump’s disastrous handling of the pandemic has tipped Flowers clean over the edge and onto the
barricade. “You’re sitting there watching what was happening in Italy and Spain a few months ago and your
heart went out to them,” he says down the phone from his new home in the wholesome mountain town of
Park City, Utah, “and before you knew it we were the ones that people’s hearts were going out to. You can’t
even turn to your leaders. It’s a pretty gloomy time for America and we’re hoping that we can at least get a
new face and a change of pace come November.”
You think about the timing of the whole thing, it’s very weird. If it is a man-made timing thing it’s very evil,
which makes me want to just curl up under a rock somewhere
He could have President Kanye... “I’m just frustrated with him, y’know?” Flowers laughs. “I think he means
it. I don’t rule out him trying again in 2024. It scares me a little bit that we’re letting a lot of celebrities get
that gross, but I hope that somebody more qualified is elected. We’re pulling for Biden I guess. I don’t want
the same old business as usual, I think it’s good to stir things up and maybe Trump has done that somewhat,
but we need real leadership and real experience and that’s who should be in that position.”
Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr, whom I catch up with on a separate call, appears to have spent his pandemic
downtime browsing the internet’s darker scientific corners. “This whole thing is very convenient, y’know?
It feels oddly suspicious.” Does he think someone put Covid out there to sway the global order? “I don’t
know. You think about the timing of the whole thing, it’s very weird. If it is a man-made, timing thing it’s
very evil, which makes me want to just curl up under a rock somewhere.” Is Ronnie a closet conspiracy
theorist? “I love it! I love a good conspiracy theory. This alien stuff, they released [UFO] footage that the US
government is just putting out there, it’s very interesting what’s happening now.”
If Flowers were to launch his 2020 bid for the presidency, he’s got his stirring national address in the bag.
The band’s fifth album Wonderful Wonderful, from 2017, gave the band their first US number one thanks to
its rich, enveloping updates of the Eighties art rock of Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, The Cars and Fleetwood
Mac, combined with Flowers’s most personal lyrics yet, dissecting his wife Tana’s PTSD from a variety of
traumas in her upbringing. If that record was about reassurance, their new album Imploding the Mirage is all
about defiance. As Flowers pictures his wife as a “featherweight queen” with “Hollywood eyes” escaping
the town that triggers her on “Caution” (“it’s our Leaving Las Vegas song,” he confirms), or the steely
heroine of “Blowback”, it’s clear this is Wonderful Wonderful’s sister record.
The Killers have released their sixth studio
album, ‘Imploding the Mirage’ (Olivia Bee)
“Definitely,” Flowers declares. “You want a record to be cathartic, and making Wonderful Wonderful was
going into new territories for me as a writer. For my wife to allow me to do that and for her to see the
beauty in it and for people to feel like they weren’t alone, that was really important. So it was a release to
make this record and to show the other side of it, to push on and persevere and what can happen. What I’m
experiencing now with my family and the changes we’ve made, moving and not giving up, that’s an
overarching message of this record.”
On “Running Towards a Place” and the bombastic “When the Dreams Run Dry”, Flowers even pictures his
perfect family life extending into the hereafter, when “we’ll beat the birds down to Acapulco” on some kind
of celestial jet stream. “I’m still a member of the LDS [Latter Day Saints, or Mormon] church and we’re
brought up with something we refer to as an eternal perspective on life. The idea of our families being
together in an afterlife as well.” As he approaches 40, is he thinking more about death? “Yeah, I’m halfway
there! So you definitely start to think about how you spend your time and what you’re doing with it.”
Hence Flowers is entering his forties facing forward. From the outside, The Killers might seem in slo-mo
collapse: both bassist Mark Stoermer and guitarist Dave Keuning retired from live duties with the band over
recent years, Stoermer suffering from hearing issues caused by pyrotechnics at their Wembley Stadium
show in 2013 and a creatively frustrated Keuning coming down with an all-consuming case of parenthood.
While Stoermer attended sessions for Imploding the Mirage, it’s the first Killers album not to feature
Keuning at all, leaving the band with a gaping hole to fill. An initial attempt at the album in Utah, with
producer Jacknife Lee marshalling a “speed dating” parade of guests to fill Keuning’s shoes, felt “dishonest”
and the sessions were scrapped.
We’re talking about a guy who’s basically responsible for why I’m in music, who is probably largely
responsible for my musical sensibilities. Here’s the guy, right here!
It was hearing Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride album that reignited the old competitive fire Flowers
once got from The Strokes’ Is This It. Envious and inspired, he realised he needed to raise his own bar
again. So, rather than try to voodoo up the spirits of classic acts like The Cars, Springsteen or New Order as
before, The Killers embraced contemporary alt-pop influences. Relocating sessions to LA with producers
Shawn Everett and Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, they welcomed suggestions to call in current indie heroes
such as Weyes Blood, AKA Natalie Mering, and Adam Granduciel from The War on Drugs, for the stoner
drivetime vibe.
The result is The Killers’ most relevant, enthused and plain best album since 2006’s Sam’s Town, a
transitional modernist record that finds them spinning on a dime to face the future. “We made a record
completely different than we would have with the full band,” says Vannucci, “and perhaps took more
liberties, more chances with regards to sonics and even composition.”
Not that they could help hooking up with a hero or two. KD Lang plays the love interest on the Peter
Gabriel-gone-gospel “Lightning Fields”, and when they were thinking of someone to come and burn guitar
rubber over the final minutes of “Caution”, a call went out to none other than Lindsey Buckingham,
formerly of Fleetwood Mac. “That was surreal,” Vannucci chuckles. “We’re talking about a guy who’s
basically responsible for why I’m in music, who is probably largely responsible for my musical sensibilities.
Here’s the guy, right here!”
A sister record for ‘Wonderful Wonderful’

(Island)
“There are some of these iconic, almost mythical figures that are still walking amongst us,” Flowers adds,
“Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Don Henley, Peter Gabriel, and he’s one of them for sure. He was really
gracious and knew about The Killers and praised us for being able to be around for so long and stick
together.”
Like any candidate for society’s highest offices, Flowers has had to deal with dirt. Just weeks before the
release of Imploding the Mirage, sound engineer Chez Cherrie re-shared a blog from 2018 concerning a tour
she’d worked on in 2009. One night at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, she wrote, the front of house
engineer told the audio crew members via radio that there was “a girl set up in Dressing Room A” and that
they could put their names on a list to be called up “when it’s [their] turn”. The post claimed that a security
guard reported the woman “passed out and naked” as the crew bus left, and this time named the crew
concerned as that of The Killers.
The band themselves weren’t implicated, but their legal team conducted an internal investigation into the
allegations, interviewing band, crew and venue staff. “We were able, thank heavens, to actually locate the
woman that was alleged to have been assaulted,” Flowers says, “and she is still a Killers fan and, thank
heavens, was not assaulted. Her and her friend were there at the gig and were invited by our front of house
engineer at the time, and they corroborate that nothing illegal happened and there was no non-consensual
thing happening and they’re totally fine. For some reason, which I still don’t quite understand, a woman on
our crew was led to believe that an assault had taken place by multiple men and I feel bad for her that she’s
carried that with her for the past 11 years, thinking that that was a possibility.”
It may not be as widespread as it would’ve been in the Seventies and Eighties but I’m sure it exists. It
doesn’t exist within my band. Maybe just because we’re getting older
Has he been aware of anything like that happening on any of the band’s tours? “That kind of behaviour is
nothing that I recognised in The Killers’ camp. If you come to a Killers gig, after the gig you’re gonna see
Ronnie and a dog, there’s possibly gonna be kids there, there’s pizza, it’s nothing like... if you read the
story, it’s like a tale out of Mad Max or something like that... Anything remotely like that in the crew, we
would never turn a blind eye to it, Ronnie wouldn’t, Mark wouldn’t, Dave wouldn’t, our tour manager
wouldn’t, our assistant tour manager, who is a female and was also there at the time, would not. No one in
the band and none of the crew that I know would ever allow anything that even resembled what was alleged
to happen.”
Vannucci insists that the names-on-the-list story didn’t happen at all, and venue staff reported no sign of
any such activity. Are they saying that Cherrie was the victim of an in-joke from what the investigation calls
a “problematic workmate” prone to “sexist remarks”? “Perhaps,” he says, “but I’m not even sure if that
happened. This whole thing was a complete ‘what the fuck?’ shocker. I felt like it was our duty to get to the
bottom of this – if this was true, I wanna roast the people that were involved with this. It’s scary to think
that we could be involved in something like that. So I was happy to find out that there was nothing under
the rug and this was fabricated.”
Does that sort of “groupie culture” exist anymore? “I’m certain it still exists,” says Flowers. “It may not be
as widespread as it would’ve been in the Seventies and Eighties but I’m sure it exists. It doesn’t exist within
my band. Maybe just because we’re getting older, it’s a different environment than some young band might
encounter.”
Flowers live on stage with The Killers (Rob

Loud)
The investigation did acknowledge “crass jokes” among “a small faction of crew” around that time, the sort
of behaviour which has made rock music an uncomfortable and unwelcoming place for women to work and
perform. Isn’t it long overdue for rock to shed that toxic attitude towards women? “Yeah,” Vannucci agrees.
“In the end it’s sort of a mean culture, it’s keeping people down. I love jokes but when it comes to being a
bigot or when you’re trying to be malicious, that’s just mean. I don’t want that around us. I’ve never seen it,
certainly in our organisation, where it’s been too much of a boys’ club... we’ve been pretty good with
sharing the company of ladies, in a nice working way. Our crew are lovely people and anybody who was a
problem before, even if they didn’t create a problem, the meanies get canned. If you don’t meet with the
vibe you end up falling off.”
Vannucci says the allegations “did raise some flags for us because what if something like this did happen?”
Keen to ensure a safe and inclusive working environment, the band claim that sexist behaviour in their
camp now leads to dismissal and have vowed to include a HR helpline in future tour team material,
something which Flowers hopes “other bands pick up on and can help the entire industry”. Indeed, that a
band like The Killers – who, in nobody’s almanac of shameless rock piggery are exactly Mötley Crüe – have
found themselves at the centre of a debate about rock’n’roll ethics in 2020 might act as a conversation
changer, a sign to an industry rife with outdated attitudes that old-school misogyny will no longer be
tolerated.
In her response blog, Cherrie hoped so, and Vannucci agrees. “My hope is that people will treat other
people with more respect and kindness,” he says, recalling a South African tour on which he insisted a racist
driver was fired. “I’ve got my own bullshit detector, a shitty people detector, and the radar is always on…
We need to go around saying ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’, holding the door open for ladies, just being respectful. It’s
time.”
Has this experience given them an insight into cancel culture? “It’s a fine line,” says Vannucci. “I think it’s
situational. I certainly don’t want to make anybody feel unsafe to raise a flag if there’s reason to raise a flag,
but I also think things should be investigated and if you’re going to make accusations, make sure they are
founded, make sure you do them as soon as possible and clean up the mess.”
I was pleasantly surprised to find that you kinda have this muscle that you’re exercising and massaging and
strengthening while you’re writing and then you just go on tour and you stop it
A little controversy isn’t going to hold The Killers back, though. Not even the pandemic could. They’ve
been enjoying the family pleasures of lockdown, and trips back to Nephi, the small town where a shy and
self-conscious teenage Flowers first got into bands like The Smiths and U2 before he blossomed into
Vegas’s most gleam-toothed rock ringmaster, have inspired him to crack on with The Killers’ seventh
album.
“I’ve gotten quite pricked by nostalgia,” he says, “weirdly Nineties vibrations and ruminations on being a
teenager in a town where I felt hopeless. This is the point where I’d usually be on tour promoting and
celebrating the record that we just made and, having that swept out from underneath me, I just turned right
back to the piano and the studio. I was pleasantly surprised to find that you kinda have this muscle that
you’re exercising and massaging and strengthening while you’re writing and then you just go on tour and
you stop it. It’s been real interesting to keep that going and a lot of songs have been coming. I predict a
really quick turnaround for another record.”
Vannucci, too, is settling in for a long-haul rock lockdown, agreeing with Coachella mastermind Marc
Geiger that major events might not return until 2022. “I think that is the absolute best-case scenario. Unless
there’s good work in therapeutic drugs or a vaccine, it’s only getting worse. What’s even scarier is the
irreparable damages, we don’t know how they work yet. We don’t know what it’s gonna be like in two years’
time. I know someone who’s a triathlete, they got it bad, hospitalised, and even getting up from the couch
to grab something is [hard]. They’re negative now, but they have lung damage. I’m happy to stay inside,
happy to limit my distance and my exposure. People doing gigs without knowing what the hell this thing is
yet, it’s crazy, y’know? I wanna be sure we’re making healthy decisions because this could really be bad for
humans.”
For once, The Killers are gazing off to a horizon where the haze is contaminated. But if they keep conjuring
Mirages out in the desolate Covid landscape, they get our vote.
Culture / Film
Calling out white privilege, one

pom pom at a time
Though ‘Bring It On’ was initially written off as a soapy cheerleading
romp, its themes of black oppression and appropriation ring even more
true today, says Adam White
Unapologetically political: rivals Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union (Kobal/Shutterstock)
Bring It On is a glittery bath bomb of a movie, awash with spirit fingers and aerial stunts. Twenty years after
its release on 25 August 2000, it remains a classic of that era’s teen cinema boom, which was kick-started by
Clueless in 1995 and petered out once Freddie Prinze Jr’s hairline began to recede. The film’s surface
charms remain much the same after two decades, with only a few too-casual homophobic slurs to make you
bristle. That aside, however, its major themes have only deepened. Smuggled in beneath the pom poms, the
result is a film far more politically and socially resonant than likely remembered.
Kirsten Dunst, in the midst of an enviable run of films that included The Virgin Suicides (1999), Drop Dead
Gorgeous (1999), Dick (1999) and Spider-Man (2002), plays rich LA cheerleader Torrance Shipman, who is
determined to carry her team to victory at a national championship. There are feuds, love interests and a
snarky tomboy newcomer in the form of Eliza Dushku’s Missy to deal with, but all pale in comparison to
her biggest problem: the routines handed down to her team from the previous year’s head cheerleader were
actually stolen from a troupe of black, working-class cheerleaders led by Gabrielle Union’s Isis.
Today, Bring It On has only grown in popularity since its release. It also spawned five (five!) straight-to-
video sequels, one of which featured a ludicrously overqualified cast that included Solange, Rihanna and
Hayden Panettiere. But at the time, in 2000, its recognition had to be fought for. Upon release, the film
drew mixed reviews. Roger Ebert called it “juvenile and insipid” and Variety argued that director Peyton
Reed struggled to align “jarring” shifts in comic tone from the sweet to the broad. Only a handful of critics
seemed to recognise the film’s political slant: look closer and the film, said The New York Times, had an
“unapologetically feminist heart” and took on “serious matters of race and economic inequality”.
‘Bring It On’ isn’t subtle about what it’s eager to explore. There are no token white Clovers or black
cheerleaders on the Toros to dilute the racial disparities between both teams
Bring It On, ultimately, is about white ignorance in the face of black oppression. Torrance and her squad
didn’t for one second suspect that their primary cheer, complete with rap and music courtesy of DJ Kool
and rapper Biz Markie, may have been written by black cheerleaders rather than a privileged white one. “I
know you didn’t think a white girl made that shit up,” remarks Isis at one point. The dialogue that follows
succinctly explains cultural appropriation, with white people snatching at elements of black culture, often
diluting them, and then passing them off as their own. “Every time we get some, here y’all come trying to
steal it,” Isis says. “Putting blonde hair on it and calling it something different.”
Jessica Bendinger’s script is also interested in what tends to happen when white people are alerted to their
own privilege. Many of the Toros, the name of Torrance’s squad, are at first ambivalent to the cheating,
arguing that Isis and her fellow Clovers have no proof of the theft, so why bother acknowledging it?
Torrance is more outwardly empathetic, but she attempts to

quell her own guilt by literally paying her way out of, coaxing
her wealthy father into writing a cheque for the Clovers so they
can afford to travel to the national championship. She intends it
to be a peace offering. Isis scoffs at it. “You pay our way in and
you sleep better at night,” she says. She then rips up the cheque,
insisting that the Clovers only want the Toros to “bring it” at
nationals, not offer “guilt money”. It’s an early refusal to make
Bring It On the story of a white person improving themselves, or
a film where black characters exist as mere tools in their political
awakening.
Bring It On isn’t subtle about what it’s eager to explore. There

are no token white Clovers or black cheerleaders on the Toros to
dilute the racial disparities between both teams. Union appeared
to be an important influence on set, recognising the weight of
the film’s themes and refusing to say absurdist dialogue she
described in 2015 as verging on “blaxploitation”. What results is
a story of strong and ambitious black women fighting for a spot
on a platform dominated by white people, who only got there,
and maintained that subsequent power, through illicit means.
Before Isis in ‘Bring It On’, only Dionne in ‘Clueless’ was allowed

the same dynamism, personality and screen time as her white co-
stars
It’s most striking as a theme because this was Union’s third ride
on the teen movie rodeo. In both She’s All That (1999) and 10
Things I Hate About You (1999), she’d played largely anonymous
BFFs to white protagonists; high schoolers devoid of much inner
life or clear story arcs. Union wasn’t alone in the genre back
then. Get Over It (2001), Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) and Never
Been Kissed (1999) are just some of the films that feature
characters of colour as sidekicks and bit players in otherwise all-
The film’s original poster artwork (Universal
white ensembles. Many of the actors playing them were already Pictures)
famous but that didn’t make much difference, either – Fresh
Prince star Tatyana Ali briefly pops up as a cheerleader in
Jawbreaker (1999), while Lil’ Kim may have been the biggest
female rapper in the world in 1999 but she still barely has lines
as a prom queen hanger-on in She’s All That.
Race was rarely acknowledged in the Nineties teen movie. Before Isis in Bring It On, only Dionne in
Clueless, portrayed by Stacey Dash, was allowed the same dynamism, personality and screen time as her
white co-stars. Bring It On isn’t flawless in its treatment of race. The film’s trailer suggests that the Clovers
had far more scenes in its original cut, but the fact that Bring It On made race such a fundamental part of its
narrative, all while exposing white ignorance in the process, was wildly subversive for the era. It also results
in something far less problematic than many of its peers today.
Teen movies capture their young audiences early but, after a while, they also tend to disappoint us – as we
grow older, our politics and moral stances shifting, they stay the same, forever trapped in a Juicy Couture
tracksuit. It means we spend a lot of time excusing the films we once held dearest to us, forcing us to bite
our lips at the Asian jibes in Mean Girls (2004), or the apparent need to give Rachael Leigh Cook a
makeover in She’s All That. We can exhale over Bring It On. A film ahead of its time 20 years ago feels just
right for today – not altogether flawless, but smart and incisive and admirably invested in the bigger picture.
Culture / State of the Arts
The laptop movie plugging into

our coronavirus fears
A seance over Zoom goes awry in ‘Host’, a smart horror film
delivering very timely scares, writes Micha Frazer-Carroll
Box clever: the frights come via video app (Shudder/Shadowhouse Films)
Whether or not we know it at the time, horror stories have always reflected our societal anxieties. When
critics look back to the very earliest horrors, we see King Kong as a metaphor for the Great Depression and
the perceived threat of black men to white society. Marking the dawn of science fiction, Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein can be read as an expression of people’s enlightenment-era fears surrounding scientists playing
God. This rule holds just as true in 2020 – and in the same vein, Host, the new British-made laptop-horror
movie that’s leaving audiences shaking, is a film about our anxieties around coronavirus.
The premise, from writers Rob Savage, Jed Shepherd and Gemma Hurley, may seem a little unassuming, as
six friends are roped into a seance and may not live to tell the tale. Our protagonists, monsters and
surroundings are horror archetypes at this point – youngish attractive white characters; anonymous
demonic spirits that want to torment and kill them; and big empty house(s). So far, so Paranormal Activity.
But for Host, there’s a twist: the entire film was made during lockdown and is set on the ubiquitous video-
conferencing service, Zoom. So, we watch the rag-tag group as they are petrified and tortured in the
individual little Brady Bunch-boxes that are now synonymous with modern-day communication.
Clocking in at just under an hour, the film destroyed me. I’m someone who likes to brag about being
unfazed by horror, but I spent most of the film literally hiding behind a sofa cushion, popping my head up to
screech every other minute. But beyond the jumpscares (and I cannot stress how many there are) and the
gimmick of it being a lockdown movie, the film is genuinely smart and makes a valuable contribution to the
genre’s tradition of social commentary.
I see Host as a pandemic tale: the demons that plague the film’s protagonists are airborne and undetectable
to the naked eye, much like coronavirus. Characters try all sorts of techniques to track them, like throwing
flour down to see their footprints, but the fact remains that if they take one misstep, they might die.
Meanwhile, the friends find themselves weaker because they are divided – all socially distancing in their
respective homes.
But the most bone-chilling device throughout the film is that sometimes, in the height of the drama, a
character will suddenly lose their internet connection and disappear from the screen. That’s scary not only
because millennials hate bad wifi but because, in lockdown, we are reliant on the internet to know our
friends and family are safe. And so, while the surface-level story of Host is simply a seance gone wrong, the
film is really about the terror of being attacked by an invisible force that could be anywhere, and the
vulnerability of being isolated from each other.
The video-chat format only adds to the film’s brilliance. There is a unique relationship between technical
constraints and horror: sometimes, limitations force creators to think outside the box, which actually makes
their movies far spookier. The most famous example of this is when The Blair Witch Project changed the
landscape for DIY filmmakers in 1999. Shot by three students on handheld video cameras over a long
weekend, the film cost a mere $35,000 (in the film budget world, that’s pennies). It went on to gross a hefty
$248.6m at the box office, smashing the record for an indie film at the time.
The Zoom setting is genuinely unsettling because it’s how we spend so much of our time now. Five minutes
in, it feels like you’re on a call with your friends, particularly if you watch it on a laptop
The Blair Witch Project, to put it bluntly, is aesthetically rubbish – the shaky-cam effect meant that
moviegoers notoriously experienced motion sickness and some even threw up in cinema lobbies. But it was
also terrifying, because the threat to our protagonists almost always lies just out of shot. When you do catch
it, it’s liminal – a split-second glimpse or a blurry outline obscured by a night vision lens. What’s more, the
fact that it looked rubbish actually made the found-footage film believable. The creators managed to
popularise the idea that the film was actually a real documentary, but even critics who knew the truth
praised the inventiveness of Blair Witch’s immersive set-up.
Host teaches us the same thing. The Zoom setting is genuinely

unsettling because it’s how we spend so much of our time now.
Five minutes in, it feels like you’re genuinely on a call with your
friends, particularly if you watch it on a laptop. Of course, it isn’t
the first film set on a computer screen – director Timur
Bekmambetov popularised what he dubbed “Screen Life”
filmmaking with horrors like Unfriended, which tells the story of
a girl’s death through social media posts and video calls. When
Unfriended was released in 2015, it received modest reviews and
critics pondered whether the gimmick might have mileage, but
in hindsight, the computer-screen format truly captured what
communication looked like in the 2010s. By taking to Zoom, and
playing with the idiosyncrasies of the platform to make a wider
point about the pandemic, Host pushes the envelope that bit
further, delivering a timely scare via a medium that feels just as
ambitious five years on.
When lockdowns were announced across the world, the bustling

film industry, which hinges on a frenetic and tactile production
process, ground to a halt. With scores of movies cancelled and
postponed this year, and cinemas shutting for months, both
creators and audiences are braced for an oncoming industry
Heather Donahue in ‘The Blair Witch
crisis. But there are glimmers of blue light in the darkness. It’s Project’ (Artisan Entertainment)
not surprising that, like The Blair Witch Project, Host was
hatched from the minds of young creatives: from 20-part Twitter
threads to the new meme formats ushered in by TikTok, young
people are constantly utilising technology to tell stories in novel
ways. Now, as we grapple with the limitations put in place by
the pandemic, it seems that we might have to just get that bit
more innovative.
And those innovations could save film as we know it. As the pandemic was declared, the filmmakers and
scholars behind the Future of Film report argued that “virtual techniques” are key to making the industry
more democratic and accessible, and they also happen to be largely Covid-friendly. CGI, “creative
distancing” and Screen Life films such as Host are the kinds of solutions that could get the industry through
a pandemic. In theory, that might all sound a little stifling or bleak. But after watching Host, I’m filled with
genuine optimism that filmmakers can still create great art in the most tumultuous of times.
Host was produced by Shadowhouse Films and is available to watch via Shudder on Amazon Prime Video
Culture / Story of the Song
THE GOSPEL TRUTH

From The Indy archive, 2003: Robert Webb on Aretha Franklin’s
‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’
Aretha Franklin: ‘Being a singer is a natural gift’ (Getty)
According to the producer Jerry Wexler, a singer who can play an instrument should play on their record,
even if they don’t play well. But Aretha Franklin could play well, “almost at genius level”, says Wexler. “We
sat her down at the piano, because she’s a great piano player. She has a great gospel root in her piano,
naturally.”
In summer 1967, Franklin was in a New York recording studio, soul in the lost and found, her voice and
fingers poised to cut a classic. To put her at ease, Wexler surrounded her with musicians flown in from
Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Franklin had just broken big for Atlantic Records. For her next hit, Wexler had
proposed the title “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” to songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole
King. It was a good call: no one was more natural an artist than Franklin. Wexler’s title was inspired by a
Jimmie Noone foot-stomper from the Thirties, “The Blues Jumped a Rabbit”, which includes a line about a
“natural child”.
“The expressions ‘natural child’, ‘natural man’ are part of the lexicon of inner black life,” he explains. King
and Goffin jumped like a rabbit at the chance to write for the new Queen of Soul. King later recorded her
own version of the song on the Seventies multimillion-seller Tapestry. The melody is magnificent,
especially when Franklin, her backing singers and the bass line converge on the chorus. “It’s all on stress
syllables, all down beats,” says Wexler. “To get a nice match to that was a testimony to Carole and Gerry’s
inspiration.” “Natural Woman” remains one of Franklin’s greatest performances. “Being a singer is a natural
gift,” Aretha said. “It means I’m using to the highest degree the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy
with that.”
Culture / Book of a Lifetime
RUNNING WILD
From The Indy archive, 2008: Paul Kingsnorth on the dark prophecies
aired in ‘Selected Poems’ by Robinson Jeffers
Jeffers brought us messages we didn’t want to hear (Rex Features)
As both a writer and an environmentalist, I have long been on a quest for writing which finds a language for
our relationship with what we like to call “nature” without recourse to agitprop, hippie sentiment or an
over-dependence on science. I have searched in the usual places – Schumacher, Lovelock, Thoreau,
Wordsworth – but it was the work of an almost-forgotten poet which gave me what I had been looking for.
Living a reclusive life on the Californian cliffs, in a stone house he built himself, Robinson Jeffers (1887-
1962) wrote dark, powerful narrative verse about man’s propensity for violence against nature and
ourselves. In his day, Jeffers was a star: he appeared on the cover of Time, read his poems in the US
Congress and was respected for the alternative he provided to the Modernist juggernaut.
Today he has been written out of poetic history. When I first came across his Selected Poems it was clear
why. He set out to destroy the last genuine taboo: humanity’s own self-importance. He believed that our
narcissism as a species was driving everything to destruction. Add this hard message to verse which itself
follows the rhythms of nature – flows like the ocean, roars like the wind – and you have something unique
and thrilling. Jeffers was a prophet, rejected because he brought us messages we didn’t want to hear.
Who, in an age of “consumer choice”, wants to be told that “it is good for man... To know that his needs and
nature are no more changed in fact in ten thousand years than the beaks of eagles”? What good liberal wants
to hear the poet’s angry warning issued at the height of the Second World War: “Keep clear of the dupes
that talk democracy/ And the dogs that talk revolution/ Drunk with talk, liars and believers .../ Long live
freedom, and damn the ideologies”?
Towards the end of his life, Jeffers saw the crowds move away from him. His dark prophecies (“this America
settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening to empire”) and visions of a world in which humanity
was doomed to destroy its surroundings and itself (“I would burn my right hand in a slow fire / To change
the future ... I should do so foolishly”) were never going to be popular in the rising age of consumer
democracy which he also predicted: “Be happy, adjust your economics to the new abundance ...”
At last, even his lonely house on the cliffs was surrounded by suburban houses. But the poet remained
sanguine. The world, he wrote, “has all time. It knows the people are a tide/ That swells and in time will
ebb, and all/ Their works dissolve.” Our best hope is to “unhumanize our views a little, and become
confident/ As the rock and ocean that we were made from”.
Puzzles
GET THE PICTURE

Find the well known word, name or phrase made by each group of
pictures, and the theme that unites them all
Tap here for a clue
Tap here for answers
Puzzles
SATURDAY QUIZ
Chris Maume presents his weekly general knowledge quiz
1. Who are the above, and what’s the sporting link?
2. Who famously died 535 years ago today near Ambion Hill in Leicestershire?
3. Which actor was named by Forbes for the second year running as the best-paid?
4. When he was asked what he thought of western civilization, what did Mahatma Gandhi famously reply?
5. Isak Dinesen; Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell; George Sand; George Eliot: what’s the link?
6. Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, James Garner, John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Nick Nolte,
Michael Douglas, Jeff Bridges, Robert De Niro, Ryan O’Neal and Paul Newman were all considered for
which role in which 1982 film, directed by Ted Kotcheff, which spawned several sequels?
7. What in the Anglophone world do we call “Les Schtroumphs”?
8. Which American writer was born 100 years ago today? He was described in The New York Times as “the
writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream”.
9. A Whole New World; Pushed to the Limit; You Only Live Once; Love, Lipstick and Lies; Reborn: five of the
six autobiographies of whom, published between 2006 and 2016?
10. On this day in 1851, the oldest international sporting trophy was won following a race around the Isle of
Wight. The trophy was renamed for the winner, whose name it still bears today. What is it?
Tap here for answers

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SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020 WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.

Estelle Morris Tom Peck Andrew Buncombe Shappi Khorsandi

Is this the film to save cinema?

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Brexit negotiations ‘going

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EU talks can be successful but

Paralysis on Brexit is the one

And when it all goes wrong, will anyone even care?

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STA specialised in cheap air fares and adventure tours (Getty)

What does STA’s collapse mean

These are the key questions and answers.

What was the background?

What went wrong?

How have customers been affected?

I booked a holiday through STA Travel but a different company is providing it

How significant was STA Travel?

Are more travel casualties expected?

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