BEWARE OF THE
PUT A SMILE ON
DOGNAPPERS
January 24, 2021 · Issue No 10,246 · sundaytimes.co.uk
Our disunited kingdom
WMajority back border polls in Scotland and Northern Ireland WSNP set for May landslide
WNearly 1 in 3 want referendum in Wales WFewer people now regard themselves as British
Tim Shipman Political Editor
Jason Allardyce Scotland Editor
The UK is facing a constitutional
crisis that will strain the Union as
new polls reveal a majority of vot-
ers in Scotland and Northern Ire-
land want referendums on the
break-up of Britain.
A four-country survey we com-
missioned also found that the
sense of British identity that once
bound the country together is dis-
integrating.
Children face months at home
as schools stay shut until Easter
Sian Griffiths and
Caroline Wheeler
Children will not go back to school
next month and may not return to
the classroom until after the Easter
holidays.
Gavin Williamson, the educa-
tion secretary, is expected this
week to rule out children returning
to the classroom after the February
half-term holiday and will prepare
parents for the prospect of many
more months of homeschooling.
While he will not put an exact
date on the reopening of schools,
education leaders said they did not
expect them to reopen fully until
mid-April or even as late as May.
A government source said: “We
are in this for the long haul. We are
going to start giving parents more
information so they can start man-
aging their expectations. Although
we have not arrived at an exact
date when we think schools will go
back, it will not be after half-term.”
The prospect of a delay will
trouble exhausted working par-
ents trying to tackle homeschool-
ing young children while simulta-
neously doing their job.
A No 10 source added: “May is a
very long way away and if it was left
The polls revealed that:
l Fifty per cent of Scots and 51 per
cent of voters in Northern Ireland
want a border poll in the next five
years. The figure is a surprisingly
high 31 per cent in Wales
l Scotland would vote for inde-
pendence by a margin of 52 per
cent to 48 per cent when “don’t
knows” are excluded
l In Northern Ireland, unionists
hold only a slender lead — 47 per
cent to 42 per cent — over those
who want a united Ireland
to the NHS and the scientists they
are in favour of pushing back the
return date for schools for as long
as possible. One thing is for sure —
we will not risk coming out of this
lockdown if there is any risk that
we will be plunged into another.”
When schools reopen, it is
understood it will be on a stag-
gered basis with those in specific
year groups, such as those study-
ing for GCSEs and A-levels, allowed
to return first. Rotas could be intro-
duced, with pupils in certain year
NEWMAN’S
VIEW
HOME
REVEALED
l But pollster LucidTalk found
that, among the under-45s, sup-
porters of Irish reunification lead
by 47 per cent to 46 per cent
l Northern Irish voters also think
there will be a united Ireland
within 10 years, by a margin of 48
per cent to 44 per cent
l Voters in Scotland, Wales,
Northern Ireland and even
England say their dominant per-
sonal identity is Scottish, Welsh,
Irish or English rather than British.
The gap is narrowest in England,
groups being taught every other
week from home.
Kevin Courtney, co-general sec-
retary of the National Education
Union, who has been meeting
Department for Education offi-
cials, said any reopening before
Easter seemed “optimistic”, add-
ing: “It could be as late as May.”
Steve Chalke, founder of the
Oasis academy trust, said: “I do not
believe it will be safe for schools to
reopen fully after half-term. There
may be a possibility after Easter.”
This week the government is
expected to nearly double the
number of children who will
receive catch-up tuition, from
250,000 this year to 450,000 next
year. The tutoring programme will
be extended for two years.
Last April the government
promised to hand out laptops to
schools that needed them for
pupils but it has distributed only
about 700,000 out of a planned
1.3 million. One of the country’s
top academy trusts, Ark, is buying
laptops for all its 26,000 pupils,
not just those in need.
Coronavirus crisis, pages 10-11
Gavin’s tough week wasn’t a
patch on ours, page 25
MAGAZINE
YOUR H ME
but wide in Scotland and signifi-
cant in Wales
l YouGov, which polled Wales and
England, found 23 per cent of
Welsh voters want independence,
up from percentages in the teens
five years ago
l Voters in all four countries
expect Scotland to become inde-
pendent within the next 10 years
l Support for independence has
been fuelled by perceptions of
Boris Johnson. Just 22 per cent of
Scots think he has done a good job
RUSSIANS REVOLT
A woman in Moscow was among 2,000 people arrested supporting
the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny Kremlin rattled, pages 16-17
on the coronavirus, compared
with 61 per cent for Nicola Stur-
geon, the first minister.
The Scottish poll, conducted by
Panelbase, found that the Scottish
National Party (SNP) is on course
for a landslide in May’s Scottish
elections. A forecast by Sir John
Curtice, the election expert, shows
nationalists would pick up seven
more seats than in 2016, giving
them 70 of the 129 MSPs. Sturgeon
would take this as a mandate for a
second referendum.
MAXIM SHEMETOV
£3 · only £2 to sub
In a move which could trigger a
political crisis later this year, the
SNP yesterday announced that it is
prepared to call a wildcat vote of its
own if Boris Johnson refuses to
grant one himself. This tactic was
used by supporters of Catalan
independence in Spain.
Ministers say Johnson will flatly
refuse that demand and revealed
that the UK government had little
intention of offering early conces-
sions on further devolution either.
A cabinet committee chaired by
Johnson beats his EU
rivals to bag Biden call
Tim Shipman Political Editor
Boris Johnson has made a decisive
break with Donald Trump, telling
his successor Joe Biden that his
election was “a moment of hope in
a dark time” for the world.
The prime minister made the
comments in a telephone call with
the new president last night.
It is understood he was the first
European leader spoken to by
Biden since his inauguration on
Wednesday.
Johnson also used the call to
welcome Biden’s announcements
that America would rejoin the
Paris climate accords and the
World Health Organisation, and
the two men discussed the
prospects of a free trade deal.
Downing Street called their con-
versation “warm and friendly” and
released a picture of Johnson chuc-
kling on the call.
In a tweet, the prime minister
said: “Great to speak to President
@JoeBiden this evening. I look for-
ward to deepening the longstand-
ing alliance between our two coun-
tries as we drive a green and
sustainable recovery from COV-
ID-19.”
While Johnson was outspoken in
HOM
subscribers
(based on 7 day Print Pack)
Michael Gove met last week to dis-
cuss plans for a campaign to build
the case for the Union. Oliver
Lewis, who helped lead the recent
Brexit negotiations, is to be put in
charge. Gove has also discussed
plans with Gordon Brown, the
former prime minister.
The YouGov poll also lays bare
the level of public apathy about the
future of the Union in England.
While just 17 per cent of English
voters would actively prefer
Continued on page 2 →
his condemnation of the riots in
Washington incited by Trump, his
effusive welcome for Biden’s vic-
tory over a man he had been
closely associated with is likely to
be welcomed in the White House.
A Downing Street spokesman
said: “The prime minister warmly
welcomed the president’s decision
to rejoin the Paris agreement on
climate change, as well as the
World Health Organisation and the
Covax programme to ensure equi-
table access for vaccines.
“They noted the significant chal-
lenges facing the world during the
Continued on page 2 →
INDEX
Lottery News 2
Weather News 27
Letters News 22
Sudoku News 26
TV & Radio Culture 39
y(7HA9F6*LNSTRN( |||+z!@
2 The Sunday Times January 24, 2021

NEWS

This week in The Sunday Times

Also on our phone app, on tablet Travellers from virus
and online at thesundaytimes.co.uk hotspots face UK ban
STYLE NEWS REVIEW
Visitors from Covid-hit cials have been shocked that the corona-
virus infection rate has failed to fall as
shopping centre in Stratford, east Lon-
don, and the Nightingale hospital in Sun-

DRESSED THE COVID countries could be forced

to pay for their stay in
quickly as expected.
They privately expressed fury at pic-
derland will also begin offering vaccina-
tions to members of the public.

TO KILL HEDONISTS quarantine or be barred

tures yesterday of passengers arriving at
Heathrow to a second day of queues with
little social distancing. Airport chiefs
Separately, hundreds of pharmacies
are to begin offering vaccines to the most
vulnerable and those who cannot or do
How Ana de Social media from Britain altogether blamed the Home Office for border not want to travel to one of the mass vac-
Armas, the Bond stars have been delays of up to three hours. Arrivals at cination centres.
shamed for going Tim Shipman, Andrew Gregory terminal 5 complained that the self-ser- The Queen’s official pharmacist, John
girl everyone is vice e-gates stayed closed while short- Bell & Croyden, which was established in
talking about, to Dubai, but its and Nicholas Hellen
staffed Border Force personnel struggled 1798, is to begin vaccinating members of
wowed Hollywood ruler won’t mind Boris Johnson will approve a new border to check extra paperwork, including evi- the public from Saturday. The store, in
crackdown on Tuesday that could ban dence of a negative coronavirus test. the Harley Street district of London, has
foreign passport-holders from countries The number of mass vaccination cen- been chosen by NHS England as a Cov-

BUSINESS & MONEY

NEY CULTURE where the coronavirus is mutating from
entering Britain.
Arrivals, including British citizens,
would be met and escorted to isolation
tres is to treble from tomorrow as the
NHS steps up efforts to vaccinate Britain’s
15 million most vulnerable people within
three weeks. Almost six million people
id-19 vaccination site and will vaccinate
1,000 people a week.
Millions of those who have been vacci-
nated were warned by Professor Jonat-

BATTERY LIFE GAME BOYS

hotels, where they will have to stay at
their own expense. The proposals will
have to be approved by a cabinet commit-
Gigafactories for With venues tee. Cabinet and Downing Street sources
batteries are key closed, pop stars say plans are also “actively” under dis-
to the future of have found a cussion for an outright ban on all
passport-holders from hotspot countries
the car industry. new place to to stop them entering Britain, regardless
We must build a play online — of where they have been.
supply chain fast inside games The government has stopped flights
from countries including Brazil and
South Africa where new variants have
sprung up, and ministers already have
have received a first dose. The govern-
ment has promised to provide the first
dose to 15 million people by mid-Febru-
ary, including all health and social care
staff, everyone over the age of 70 and
people in care homes.
There are 17 mass vaccination centres.
From tomorrow at 8am, this number will
expand to more than 50. New venues will
include the Black Country Living
Museum in Dudley, a Victorian heritage
site made famous after it was used as the
set for hit BBC television drama Peaky
han Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical
officer, not to ignore lockdown restric-
tions. He said “protection takes up to
three weeks to kick in” and they could
spread the virus to friends and families.
Minutes of meetings held by the Scien-
tific Advisory Group for Emergencies
(Sage) cite research suggesting 29 per
cent of people will stick to the rules less
strictly once they have received a vac-
cine, while 11 per cent will “probably no
longer follow the rules”.
Figures released yesterday showed

TRAVEL Christmas Appeal

the power to turn away foreign nationals
who have been in a Covid hotspot in the
previous 10 days.
Blinders. The Winter Gardens in Black-
pool, a former Ikea store at the Westfield
another 1,348 people had died in the UK
within 28 days of a Covid test, while a fur-
ther 33,552 people had tested positive.
A group of senior ministers want to go That takes the total deaths since the start

THE WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS
Discover the white sands and wildlife-rich waters
of this astonishing Australian archipelago by boat
You can still donate to even further, bringing in the first outright of the pandemic to 97, 329. It was also
our Christmas appeal in block on certain passport-holders in revealed that 4,076 Covid patients were
support of FareShare, recent history. The group is concerned by on hospital ventilators as of Friday, the
a loophole that means a Brazilian or highest number since the start of the
Tusk and Sported
South African could enter the UK if they
flew via another international hub such More vaccination pandemic.
l More than 500 cases of the virus have
To donate
Call 0151 284 2336, go to
as Dubai or Paris.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is centres are to been recorded at the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency’s offices in Swansea,
thetimes.co.uk/
christmasappeal
pressing hardest for the move but has
heavyweight support not just from his open tomorrow, where employees claim people with
symptoms were encouraged to return to
or use the QR code perennial lockdown ally Michael Gove
but also from Priti Patel, the home secre- including a work while vulnerable workers have had
requests to work from home turned
tary, and, crucially, the chancellor, Rishi
Sunak, who is usually an opponent of museum used in down, according to The Observer. It is
believed to be the largest workplace out-
such moves.
The draconian proposals are on the Peaky Blinders break of the virus.

table because ministers and No 10 offi- Covid questions and answers, page 11
8.35am Political scientist 10.35am Shadow home secretary 7pm Past Imperfect withh Ann
Professor Sir John Curtice Nick Thomas-Symonds ve,
Summers’s chief executive,
10am Health secretary 12 noon Personality Politics with Jacqueline Gold, right
Matt Hancock former MP Gyles Brandreth
NHS manager ‘jumped queue’ to get
SATURDAY
JAN 23
SATURDAY
JAN 23
FRIDAY
JAN 22
FIND US ON NEWSPAPERS
SUPPORT RECYCLING jab meant for frontline workers
The recycled paper content of UK
1, 6, 25, 45, 49, 52 4, 16, 26, 29, 39 8, 16, 42, 44, 47 and she is understood to have hospital the following day for should be fined, the home
Thunderball 11 Lucky Stars 6, 7 newspapers in 2019 was 63.2% Sabah Meddings
Bonus 56 been working from home. At her jab, which took place secretary, Priti Patel, said it
A senior manager in the NHS 49, she is not in an age group between 11am and 11.45am. was “morally reprehensible”
has been accused of jumping that makes her eligible for a “Is there a VIP lane for to skip the queue.
the vaccine queue after vaccine. some NHS staff to get the A source close to Baynham
booking herself in for a Covid It is understood Baynham, vaccine?” asked a source. said that she was a “decent
jab despite falling outside the who lives in Nottinghamshire, “Diane didn’t fall into any and dedicated person” and
priority groups. drove to her local hospital on priority category to get the she had gone to the hospital
Diane Baynham, who leads Sunday evening to see vaccine. That’s someone and booked a vaccination on
a team at NHSX, the health whether any vaccines were else’s space she’s taken.” the understanding that
service’s digital arm, is spare. When told there were Under-50s are not likely to otherwise a dose would be
understood to have received none, she said she was an be invited for a vaccine until wasted.
the vaccine last week. While NHS worker and booked a jab autumn. In response to a NHS England said: “No one
she works for the NHS, she the next day. It is understood question last week over has been vaccinated as a
does not deal with patients, she then drove back to the whether queue-jumpers result of working for NHSX.”

Caribbean tax haven awash with vaccines

Emily Dugan
Social Affairs Correspondent
More than one in 10 adults on
the Cayman Islands have
been protected against Covid-
19 after a gift of Pfizer vaccine
from the UK.
While many over-80s in
Britain await a jab, the
Caribbean islands have
inoculated most over-70s and
will soon move on to younger
people. The UK has pledged
to provide vaccinations free
to all British overseas
territories. The Caymans
were the first to receive the
vaccine, despite having just
38 people with the
coronavirus. The islands have
had 383 cases and two deaths
in a population of about
65,000. The Caymans have
no corporation, income or
capital gains tax. The first
9,750 doses of vaccine arrived
from Britain on January 5,
with more due on Thursday.
The islands’ premier, Alden
McLaughlin, has said: “The
relationship we have with the
United Kingdom is paying
massive dividends.”
Martyn Roper, 55, the
islands’ governor, was given
the vaccine on the first day of
the roll-out. That was four
days before the RAF delivered
it to Gibraltar, where 59 of its
34,000 residents have died
from Covid-19. The Falkland
Islands expects 3,000 doses
of the Oxford vaccine within a
fortnight. Bermuda, with 12
deaths, has had 9,750 doses
with more due this week.
Anguilla expects a delivery by
the middle of February.
The Foreign Office said it
had a duty to protect the
people of the overseas
territories and was
“committed to supply them
with a proportionate share of
the vaccines that it procures”.

Revealed: claims Holyrood has the

power to act unilaterally.
Alan Trench, of University
Johnson launched a lighthearted
bribery campaign to get the
president to the UK.
our College London’s constitution
unit, said it was “crystal
beats EU Ted Kaufman, the head of
the White House transition

disunited clear” the Scottish parliament

kingdom
→ Continued from page 1
Scotland to leave, another 28
per cent do not care one way
or the other. Taken together,
the 45 per cent of voters
balances the 46 per cent who
would be upset if Scotland
decided to go it alone.
In all three countries a
plurality of voters believes
they would have done better
on the coronavirus if they had
been independent.
The SNP’s decision
yesterday to back a
referendum dares the prime
minister to challenge the
move in court. With serious
doubts about the legality of
such a move, Sturgeon’s
preference is still for Johnson
to grant a section 30 order
giving a referendum the UK
government’s backing to
ensure the process and result
can be internationally
recognised. However, she
can hold a vote only if the UK
gives consent because
constitutional matters are
reserved to London.
But he believes it would be
lawful for the nationalists to
hold a referendum seeking
negotiations on
independence, without
directly calling for it.
The UK government said:
“People . . . want to see
politicians across the UK
working in partnership to
focus on defeating
coronavirus. That remains
the top priority of the UK
government, which has
supported jobs and
businesses across all four
nations. The question of
Scottish independence was
settled decisively in 2014,
when Scotland voted to
remain part of the UK. Now,
more than ever, we should be
pulling together to
strengthen our United
Kingdom, instead of trying to
separate it.”
Reports, pages 6-7
Editorial, page 20
rivals to bag
Biden call
→ Continued from page 1
pandemic, but also the
unparalleled opportunities to
build back better and greener
together. The prime minister
praised President Biden’s
early action on tackling
climate change and
commitment to reach net
zero by 2050.
“Building on the UK and
America’s long history of co-
operation in security and
defence, the leaders
recommitted to the Nato
alliance and our shared
values in promoting human
rights and protecting
democracy.”
The two leaders are not
expected to meet in person
until the G7 meeting in
Cornwall in June.
But it is understood that
Dame Karen Pierce, the
British ambassador in
Washington, has already
team used an interview last
week to joke that someone
could buy him a beer if
Biden’s first overseas visit is
to the UK. Pierce promptly
dispatched a case of British
beer to Kaufman to “seal the
deal” a source said.
Pierce said in exchanges
with senior administration
officials that America has
signalled it wants Britain to
join a global alliance to
develop technology so that
democratic countries are no
longer reliant on Chinese
firms such as Huawei.
Dominic Raab, the foreign
secretary, spoke on Thursday
with Biden’s national security
adviser, Jake Sullivan.
Raab said the two
countries should work
together to combat Chinese
influence. “In the horn of
Africa, many countries well
disposed to the West are
coming under quite a lot of
pressure from China. There’s
a lot of work to be done by
Britain, US and Europe.”
Danny Fortson, Business
Dominic Lawson, page 20
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 3

NEWS
ALAMY

Branagh
to play
Johnson
in drama
Tony Grew
Sir Kenneth Branagh, the
award-winning actor best
known for his Shakespearean
screen portrayals of Henry V
and Hamlet, is to take on the
role of Boris Johnson in a new
series for Sky TV.
This Sceptred Isle is a five-
part drama that will chart
how the prime minister, the
government and the country
dealt with the first wave of
the global pandemic. It is due
to be broadcast in autumn
next year.
The drama will be co-
written and directed by
Michael Winterbottom, who
said it would “weave together
countless true stories — from
Boris Johnson in No 10 to
Upper-middle-class women in the time of Pride and Prejudice were expected to be accomplished at the traditional arts. ‘The aim was to distinguish themselves on the marriage market,‘ says the historian Lucy Worsley frontline workers around the
country — chronicling the

By Georgian! Needlework and

efforts of scientists, doctors,
care home workers and
policy makers to protect us
from the virus”.
The prime minister has
already been portrayed on

piano keep lockdown Lizzies busy

screen by several actors,
including Richard Goulding
in the 2019 drama Brexit: The
Uncivil War, Stuart
McQuarrie in the 2005
television film A Very Social
Secretary — which features
Johnson when he was editor
Hobbies familiar to Jane Austen heroines are making a comeback as families swap screens for cross-stitch of The Spectator magazine —
Christian Brassington in the
More4 drama documentary
Louise Eccles nitely the most popular. Home crafts There has been strong demand for When Boris Met Dave, and
Consumer Affairs Editor such as needlework and art have stood WINSLET’S HAPPY TO novels despite shops being forced to Will Barton in the 2017 BBC

SWEEP THE BOARDS

To fill the long days spent at home, the
heroines in Jane Austen’s novels mas-
tered the arts of needlework, painting
and playing the pianoforte. For Mr Darcy
in Pride and Prejudice, knowledge of
music, singing, drawing and “extensive
reading” was the definition of an accom-
plished woman.
Fast-forward 200 years, and the
enforced confinement of a third national
lockdown is making many of us feel like
we’re living in an Austen novel ourselves.
Retailers report that Britons are buy-
ing needlework kits, acrylic paints, nov-
els and even pianos to pass the time.
Fatigued by endless video conferences,
home schooling and family Zoom chats, a
growing rebellion against screen time has
also fuelled the nation’s love of physical
books as they seek out tech-free hobbies.
The resurgence of traditional arts has
been boosted by the Netflix series Bridg-
erton, an adaptation of Julia Quinn’s
novel The Duke and I, set in the early
1800s, during which characters are often
seen playing the piano, reading and sew-
ing in their drawing room.
Cross-stitch kit sales have risen by
545 per cent this January compared with
the same month last year, according to
Hobbycraft, while acrylic paints and can-
vases are up by 369 per cent and 207 per
cent respectively.
John Lewis said embroidery and cross-
stitch kits were “a huge growing trend”
with sales up 261 per cent last week com-
pared with the same week last year. Sev-
eral traditional designs, including a Vic-
torian lavender sachet kit and a heritage
honeysuckle bookmark, are sold out.
Katherine Paterson, customer director
at Hobbycraft, said: “Throughout the
pandemic we’ve seen increased demand
for all things craft, but traditional crafts
and those synonymous with the regency
era, such as needlework and art, are defi-
the test of time.
“During the lockdown periods, cus-
tomers have returned to these crafts, as
skills to learn or rediscover, but also,
many of our customers tell us it offers
them escapism and the therapeutic
nature of crafts such as embroidery and
cross stitch for example, helps them to
switch off.”
For many, such pastimes are a wel-
come break from spending too much of
their day staring at their mobile phone or
TV screen.
Cavendish Pianos, the UK’s only piano
manufacturer, said sales rose by 50 per
cent this month compared with January
last year.
Adam Cox, 53, who runs the business
with his wife Charlie, in Bolton Abbey, in
the Yorkshire Dales, said: “During all
three lockdowns we have seen better
sales than we would have normally. Many
people have more time on their hands
and have perhaps finished all the DIY
they needed to do around the house by
now. I have started painting, for example.
I had always wanted to but never had
time previously.”
Jon Kelly, the owner of The Piano Shop
Bath, said that piano sales rose in 2020,
while sheet music had sold particularly
well, increasing by 25 per cent in 2020.
He said: “People [are] spending more
time indoors and re-evaluating their lifes-
tyles and interests. With significantly
more time at home, pianists have had
time to re-engage or to rediscover an
interest in piano-playing.”
Jane Austen would practise the piano
early in the morning before a leisurely
breakfast at 9am. Rachel Dodge, a
contributor to Jane Austen’s Regency
World magazine, said the author “wrote
newsy letters, played the pianoforte,
prayed with her family, sewed beauti-
fully, and loved brisk walks” during a typ-
ical day. In the evenings, she would read.
The actress Kate Winslet has
revealed that she has turned to
housework to cope during lockdown.
“I have become obsessed with
sweeping my kitchen floor,” Winslet,
45, said. “I’m really going into the
cracks around the edges of the
skirting going: ‘Why is it dusty again?
Why is there more dog hair again? I
just hoovered this six hours ago.’ ”
She said she had not “become too
obsessed with any of the other
aspects of cleaning” but that she was
“in charge of the laundry”. She was
speaking in an interview with the
American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA.
Winslet shot to fame in the 1995
film adaptation of Jane Austen’s
Bridgerton has Sense and Sensibility and became a
helped push up global superstar two years later with
sales of her lead role in Titanic, opposite
embroidery kits. Leonardo DiCaprio.
Right, Colin Firth Netflix’s decluttering guru Marie
as Mr Darcy Kondo and Sophie Hinchliffe, better
known as Mrs Hinch, have found their
tips on looking after the home very
popular during the pandemic.
@IamLiamKelly
Winslet: titanic love for doing the
housework during the pandemic
close in November and January. At P&G
Wells, a bookshop in Winchester two
doors down from the house where Aus-
ten died and where her family held an
account, sales have been buoyant.
David Simpkin, a manager, said: “As
with the previous lockdowns, people are
really enjoying reading novels. Jane Aus-
ten books have ticked along very nicely.”
The book chain Blackwell’s said cus-
tomers were looking for “comfort reads”
including returning to novels they have
already read, such as those by Austen.
Waterstones said online sales of
romance novels were up by more than
900 per cent in January, compared with
the same month last year.
The historian Lucy Worsley, joint chief
curator at Historic Royal Palaces and
author of Jane Austen at Home, said that
while many people were emulating the
slow pace of Austen-esque pastimes,
their motivation for doing so was very dif-
ferent from those in the 19th century.
She said: “Young women were
expected to do these things, which they
called accomplishments, to distinguish
themselves on the marriage market. So it
has a dark undertone to it. The difference
is we are doing these activities now for
fulfilment and relaxation, rather than
feeling that we have to do them.”
Meanwhile, a winter spent in lock-
down has also helped to revive the British
tradition of marmalade-making. The
craze for baking sourdough bread has
given way on social media to videos of
people boiling oranges and labelling jam
jars. Waitrose said online searches for
classic Seville orange marmalade were up
by 1,136% this month. Even Elizabeth
Hurley posted a photograph of herself on
Twitter holding two jars of homemade
marmalade aloft.
@Louise_Eccles
News Review, page 24
drama Theresa vs. Boris: How
May Became PM.
The prime minister,
however, has some way to go
before he reaches the A-list
heights of his predecessor
Margaret Thatcher, who
received the ultimate
Hollywood accolade of being
portrayed by Meryl Streep.
His hero Winston Churchill
has an even more impressive
list of screen appearances,
having been played by
Richard Burton, Albert
Finney and Gary Oldman,
among others.
Johnson also has a record
of appearing as himself on
our screens, first attracting
attention outside politics with
his appearances when a
backbench MP on the satirical
BBC panel show Have I Got
News for You.
He has one TV drama
credit, appearing in a 2009
episode of Eastenders when
he was mayor of London.
Branagh: series looks at
first wave of pandemic

You can still go on safari this Lloyd Webber battles to bring

summer . . . in the wilds of Wales Broadway-style bailout to West End
PERU SAFARI

Jenny Coad
and Chris Haslam
Until last year Paul Boardman
and his wife, Marisol, spent
most of their time in South
America running intrepid 4x4
tours with Peru Safari.
Now, after Covid killed the
business, their explorations
of Cusco, Lima and Lake
Titicaca have been replaced
with horse riding trips to the
Black Mountains and boat
rides to see dolphins, run by
their new company Celtic
Routes. Rather than Andean
condors and alpacas,
travellers will see otters,
golden eagles and ospreys.
Welcome to summer
holidays 2021. Travel
companies are scrambling to
provide UK holidays as the
virus keeps foreign trips in
limbo. “It’s a tour for the
times — it’s private, it’s Covid-
safe, it doesn’t involve flights
but it’s funky and different,”
Boardman said.
Operators more familiar
with Africa than Aberystwyth
are also offering original ways
to enjoy the UK this summer.
Steppes Travel is introducing
cycling trips in Wales and
working on a journey in
Devon that will involve guests
following rivers to the sea.
“It might seem like a
here at home,” he said. The
company, which normally
offers trips to destinations
ranging from Armenia to the
Azores and Antarctica,
reports that its current
bestseller is a three-day safari
to the Forest of Dean in
Gloucestershire where you
can spot nightjars, goshawks,
hawfinches, mandarin duck,
wild boar and badgers.
Abercrombie & Kent is
offering trips including a
“royal journey” with a stay at
the Goring hotel, London,
where the Duchess of
Cambridge spent her last
night as a Middleton, a tour of
the Tower of London and a
visit to Glamis Castle, the
Queen Mother’s childhood
Celtic Routes is organising adventures to Wales home in Scotland.
The small group tour
quantum leap swapping the Andy Tucker, general specialist Riviera Travel,
Danakil [in Ethiopia] for manager at Naturetrek, said offering UK-based travel for
Devon — but the same skills the firm organised the first time, has sold out of
are required,” said Jarrod birdwatching trips in the UK its tours to the Highlands and
Kyte, product and sales last summer and was Skye. It is planning to add
director. “If you’re prepared “overwhelmed” with new dates in the coming
to look, you can still find bookings. “We’ve been spoilt weeks and announce details
wildlife spectacles that are by the ease of travel and had of its first cruise along the
quite amazing here. Take the our minds waylaid by the lure British coast.
Somerset Levels where you of exotic fauna. But what And, no, sunshine is not
can observe starling many are realising now is guaranteed, but the so-called
murmurations or wading that, with events like the staycation has never looked
birds in the tens of high-tide knot clouds at so appealing.
thousands. We’ve got it all on Snettisham in Norfolk, we’ve
our doorstep, it just needs a got some of the world’s most What’s happening with our
different mindset.” dramatic wildlife spectacles summer holidays? Travel
Liam Kelly
Theatre producers will
prioritise reopening shows on
Broadway before the West
End as Joe Biden’s
government launches
generous support packages
for productions in America,
British impresarios fear.
Andrew Lloyd Webber is
among industry figures
urging ministers to learn from
America and prop up
beleaguered producers to
help restart shows across the
UK. America is poised to
launch a $15bn (£11bn) grant
scheme for venues and
producers whose
productions were forced to
close by the pandemic.
Applicants can get up to
45 per cent of their 2019
sales in cash, up to the value
of $10m.
The only bespoke support
for British theatres has come
from the government’s £1.6bn
cultural recovery fund, set up
to stop artistic institutions
collapsing. Industry sources
calculate that less than 1 per
cent of grants have gone to
commercial theatre
operators. Production
companies owned by Lloyd
Webber, Sir Cameron
Mackintosh and Colin Ingram
have had no support from the
fund, despite employing
hundreds of people.
“In these difficult times,
there could be a preference
for shows to open on
Broadway,” Lloyd Webber
said. “With the emphasis that would focus on New York. “If
America is putting on
commercial theatre, and the
support they’re giving, I can while Broadway does well,
see producers saying, ‘It’s
going to be best to put our
attentions to opening on
Broadway or on tour in
America first’.
“I don’t say that as some
kind of threat, I see it as an Saigon, said the American
observation,” he added.
“What would you do if
you’ve got that kind of
money being offered to
you?”
The creative force
behind Phantom
of the Opera
and Cats said
he would
“fight for
British
theatre” and
that he wanted
to open his
shows in the
UK first. He will
decide next
month whether
to postpone his
new London
production of
Cinderella for a Lloyd Webber: cry for help the Atlantic. “I
fourth time. It is due to open want to be there on the front
in May. line when that moment
Ingram, producer of a new comes,” she said.
West End musical, Back to the Theatres have been shut
Future, feared investors on for much of the past year.
both sides of the Atlantic Even when open, producers
complained that social
the West End loses a lot of distancing rules meant they
money and has a rough year could not make a profit.
Producers are lobbying
where are they going to put ministers for grants, for tax
their money? It’s going to be relief and to underwrite
Broadway,” he said. insurance coverage.
Mackintosh, who Even the biggest players
produced hits including are feeling the squeeze. “We
Les Misérables and Miss are at a point where if one
goes into rehearsal for a
scheme was a “strong sign production and it’s closed
that the federal down again, I think even
government has people like myself would be
recognised how vital struggling,” Lloyd Webber
it is to city centres said.
to have theatres “Come Easter, if we can’t
back up”. get back up on our feet, I
However, he did think producers are going to
not fear shows be looking very hard at
choosing whether they will come back
Broadway and whether they can risk it.”
over the West The government said it was
End. working on a “realistic return
Sonia date” for theatres and other
Friedman, the large events and would help
producer of organisers “unlock the
Harry Potter barriers to restarting
and the Cursed including any challenges
Child, said she getting insurance. We are
would open “as providing unprecedented
soon as it is safe” support to the cultural sector
on both sides of and will do all we can so it
bounces back strongly.”
4 The Sunday Times January 24, 2021

NEWS

Sex question back on census in blow to trans rights NEWS

Nicholas Hellen
and Tim Shipman
The 2021 census, to be
conducted in March, will
require everyone to declare
their sex, the national
statistician has said.
By contrast, the last
census, which took place a
decade ago in 2011, allowed
people to answer according
to what gender they felt
themselves to be.
The move is a setback for
transgender rights advocates
and follows a government
decision to scrap plans to
make it easier for people to
“self-identify” their gender.
Draft guidance for the
census allowed non-binary,
transgender and intersex
respondents to give an
answer different from that on
their birth certificate.
Sir Ian Diamond, who
heads the government
statistical service, said of the
coming census: “The
question on sex is very simply
your legal sex.”
People in England and
Wales will have to state the
sex registered on a birth
certificate or a gender
recognition certificate, for
those who have legally
changed gender.
There will be a separate,
voluntary question for those
aged over 16 about their
gender identity, which was
welcomed by Nancy Kelley,
chief executive of Stonewall,
a pressure group for LGBT
rights. She said: “It’s great
that the 2021 census will
include voluntary questions
on sexual orientation and
trans status for the first time.
Collecting accurate
population data on sexual
orientation and trans status is
vital to ensuring that
organisations can develop
services targeted to the needs
of the LGBT population.”
Sir Ian’s statement follows
intense behind-the-scenes
discussions, and protests by a
group of more than 80
academics who said: “Sex
and gender identity are
distinct and should not be
conflated.” They feared the
accuracy of studies into
issues such as the gender pay
gap could be affected. Alice
Sullivan, professor of
sociology at UCL (University
College London), who
co-ordinated the protest,
welcomed Sir Ian’s
statement, which came in an
interview on Radio 4’s Today
programme.
She said: “Sex is an
important predictor of
outcomes across all areas of
life, including education,
wages, crime, and physical
and mental health. If we do
not monitor sex differences,
we cannot tackle sex
discrimination.
“Gender identity is not the
same thing as sex.
Understanding people’s
identities is important,
especially at a time when
increasing numbers of girls
are identifying as trans or
non-binary. But we cannot
simply assume that the lives
of these girls are not also
affected by the fact that they
are female.”
The Government
Equalities Office tentatively
estimated in 2018 that there
were 200,000 to 500,000
transgender people. Only
4,910 had received a formal
gender recognition certificate
since they were introduced in
2004. Under the guidance
operating in the last census,
transgender or transsexual
individuals were advised to
select either male or female
“whichever you believe is
correct, irrespective of the
details recorded on your
birth certificate”. The census
even permitted responses on
behalf of third parties.
The ONS said: “We are
continuing to ask a binary
choice male/female sex
question. This approach is
unchanged since 1801. There
will also be a new voluntary
question on gender identity
for people aged 16 and over
later in the questionnaire.”
IN BRIEF
Welsh Tories quit
over drink row
The Welsh Tory leader Paul
Davies and chief whip
Darren Millar have resigned
after late-night drinking in
the Senedd, days after a ban
in December on pubs selling
alcohol. Cardiff council is
examining a possible breach
of Covid regulations. Davies,
51, said he was “truly sorry”.

Man held after

Shapps steers
ADAM HUGHES; DAVID DAVIES
death of boy, 11
A man in his thirties has been
arrested over the
“suspicious and
unexplained” death of an

UK towards
11-year-old boy in Lincoln on
Friday. Officers were alerted
after reports that the child
had died in Geneva Avenue,
a mile from Lincoln
Cathedral.

taking hands 11 hid in cupboard

during party raid

off the wheel

The transport secretary which matches a car’s speed to that of the
vehicle in front.
is eager for Britain to be The AA and Thatcham Research, the
motor insurance industry’s research
the first country to allow body, have highlighted alarming weak-
driverless cars, despite nesses in the technology. It cannot
change lanes to avoid trouble, but slows
insurers’ deep concerns the car to a halt. The on-board display
must instantly stop showing entertain-
Nicholas Hellen Transport Editor ment in an emergency, but a distracted
driver may still struggle to react.
Britain aims to become the first country The safety of the motorway network
to let drivers take their hands off the has already been called into question.
wheel on motorways. Grant Shapps, the Last week a coroner sought a review into
transport secretary, is pressing ahead smart motorways, which rely on technol-
with his ambition to clear the way for ogy to make up for the lack of a hard
driverless cars. shoulder, after the deaths of two drivers
Senior officials at the Department for on the M1.
Transport (DfT) told insurance industry Insurers fear Shapps will be swayed by
chiefs on Tuesday that lane-keeping tech- trying to position the UK as a world
nology could allow drivers to watch a leader. He has said he wants Britain to be
film, send texts or check emails at the “the first country to see these benefits”.
wheel from the summer. The insurers stress that they are not
However, the government is stepping objecting to drivers using the new lane-
back from a plan to permit this at 70mph keeping system, but want a human to be
and signalled that it will apply in stop-
start motorway traffic at speeds of up to
37mph.
The technology, the third of five stages
in charge at all times until the eventual
arrival of fully autonomous vehicles.
Lilian Greenwood, a Labour member
of the transport select committee, said
leading to cars that have no driver, was ALKS was not yet ready to take over: “It
approved in United Nations regulations simply isn’t safe for drivers to ignore the
that came into force in Britain on Friday. road and do other things while the tech-
It is confined to roads where traffic mov- nology is unable to respond safely to the
ing in opposite directions is physically unexpected — whether that’s debris up
separated and no pedestrians or cyclists ahead, a pedestrian getting out of their
are allowed. vehicle or a red X sign.”
It follows a “call for evidence” in which Matthew Avery, director of insurance
the government asked for responses to
the idea of drivers “watching a film,
research at Thatcham Research, said: “If
the government introduces this too
checking emails or SMS, or accessing quickly it could become the next GM
other audio, video or written content”. crops” — a reference to how a public
Shapps has the authority under the backlash against “Frankenstein food”
Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 held back genetically modified crops.
to designate which vehicles are capable He added: “Consumers might turn
“at least in some circumstances or situa- against it and say, ‘Automation is not safe,
tions, of safely driving themselves”. there was that big crash last year.’ It could
None yet exist, but new Teslas and a set automation back five or 10 years.”
Mercedes S-class due late this year are The DfT said: “We have sought views
expected to be among the first to be from industry and other stakeholders on
eligible. the use of the automated lane-keeping
They will have an automated lane- system to pave the way towards introduc-
keeping system (ALKS), which uses radar ing it safely on UK roads. No decision has
and cameras to keep a car on track. It is yet been made on whether to allow ALKS
the latest in a line of advances such as to operate up to 70mph.”
lane assist and adaptive cruise control, @NicholasHellen
Officers at the scene in Birmingham of the killing of Keon Lincoln, right. Up to six people took part in the attack
They’ve killed Keon, cried sister
as mother fought to save him
Hannah Al-Othman
and David Collins
On a quiet street of Victorian
terraces, a mother pulled off
her 15-year-old son’s clothing
as she battled to revive him
from gunshot and stab
wounds.
Keon Lincoln had been
shot and stabbed on
Thursday afternoon outside
his house in Birmingham
after being attacked by a gang
of up to six people.
Yesterday, two 14-year-old
boys were under arrest and
being questioned by West
Midlands police.
Detectives are continuing
to piece together the
movements of the group in
Handsworth.
Witnesses claim members
of the group drove towards
Keon, firing a gun from the
windows of a white Ford
people carrier at about
3.30pm.
Muhammad Iqbal, 59, who
witnessed the aftermath of
the attack, said the youths
were dressed in black.
His wife, Rukhsana Iqbal,
50, said that she had heard
two or three gunshots. “I
was on the phone and I
thought it was fireworks,”
she said.
A neighbour, Nifa Begum,
35, said: “Keon was lying in
the front yard of a house on
the street. His sister came
running out on the phone,
shouting. For this to happen
here is scary.”
After the attack, one of his
sisters was heard screaming
“they’ve killed him,” as his
mother, Charmaine, a cleaner
at the local school who
has three other children,
fought to keep him
conscious.
Keon was taken away in an
ambulance and died shortly
afterwards in Birmingham
Children’s Hospital.
The group’s getaway van
was abandoned two miles
away after the
youths crashed it into a house
where Anika Henry lives with
her parents.
“I was in my house and I
heard a loud bang, and I
came downstairs to the car,”
said Henry, 29.
By the time she reached
the front door, the offenders
had fled on foot.
Detective Chief Inspector
Alastair Orencas, from the
West Midlands police
homicide unit, said: “This is a
challenging investigation,
given the number of
offenders we believe were
involved, but I have a
dedicated team of officers
working 24/7 to identify those
involved and we are making
swift progress.
“My thoughts remain with
[Keon’s family] in their time
of grief.”
The family released a
statement paying tribute to
their “beloved” and “fun-
loving” boy who was
“senselessly taken from
us”. “He had an infectious
laugh that lit up the room
whenever he was in it,” it
said.
@DavidCollinsST
A child, killed by children.
We cannot accept this,
India Knight, page 20
Police issued 50 fines for
lockdown breaches after
raiding a student party
where they found 11 people
hiding in a cupboard at
university accommodation
in Birmingham. Revellers
had travelled from London
and Newcastle to the party
on Friday night.
Ibiza offers nurses
4-star Covid deal
Nurses are being offered a
package to work with Covid
patients for a week on the
Spanish island of Ibiza,
enraging local healthcare
workers who have worked
without a holiday or bonus.
Four-star hotel rooms, travel
expenses and €170 (£151) for
a 12-hour shift are included.
Man in court over
‘arson’ at hospital
A man appeared in court
charged with arson with
intent to endanger life at
Leeds General Infirmary.
Kriss Jackson, 43, is also
charged with possession of a
bladed article, affray and
two counts of assault.
Patients were taken out on
trolleys as fire broke out on
Thursday.
Devil’s Dyke ‘hate
speech’ apology
Facebook has apologised for
threatening to ban people
from a Brighton community
group it had accused of
“hate speech” for
mentioning the name of the
Sussex beauty spot Devil’s
Dyke. Facebook last night
promised to look into what it
said was a “clear” error.

Flat-owners pay £1,500 a month for
‘useless’ fire marshals asleep on job
Martina Lees
Senior Property Writer
“Useless” fire marshals cost
owners of flats in dangerous
buildings at least £174m a
year.
The number of blocks with
a “waking watch”, where
wardens patrol buildings with
safety defects for signs of fire,
has almost doubled in a year
to 766, according to data
released under freedom of
information (FOI) laws.
The officials whose
guidance caused the patrols
to be introduced had no
evidence they worked, the
National Fire Chiefs Council
(NFCC) admitted in FOI
responses.
Leaseholders must pay as
much as £1,500 a month each
for the patrols, without which
they would be ordered to
leave their homes. Yet guards
have been caught sleeping or
watching TV on the job.
These are the latest facts to
emerge in the building safety
scandal exposed by the
Grenfell fire, which killed 72
people in 2017. With 200,000
flats in more than 3,000
towers wrapped in flammable
materials, waking watches
were seen as a temporary
measure until faults are fixed.
Peter Mengerink, 48, who
faces bills of £350 a month for
a waking watch at his small
block of flats in east London,
asked the NFCC on what basis
it had issued the guidance. It
answered: “NFCC is unaware
of any formal research into
the effectiveness of waking
watches.”
It said there had been “no
generic impact assessment”
and no minutes were
available of meetings
formulating the guidance.
“It’s just beyond belief,”
said Mengerink, who owns
a vintage clothes shop. Three
wardens, expected to cost
£1,300 per flat at an award-
winning estate in Islington,
north London, “patrol once
per hour. They told us they’ve
run out of Netflix shows to
watch,” said Megan Lum, 33,
a resident.
The wardens do not walk
along the external walkways,
where a survey late last year
found defective fire barriers
and flammable polystyrene,
triggering the decision to
begin the watch. Lum and her
husband, Oliver Sexton, 33,
cannot move to start a family
after losing a cash buyer for
his £715,000 flat.
At a small Leeds building,
residents last year had to pay
almost £1,500 each a month
for wardens they say they saw
watching TV on duty. “One
morning the guy sat under his
duvet, asleep in his car,” said
Rachael Loftus, 43, a
leaseholder.
Responses from 39 of the
country’s 45 fire services to
FOI requests by the Labour
Party show at least 766
buildings have watches, up
from 420 last March. They
cost £331 a month per flat on
average in England, rising to
£499 in London, housing
ministry data shows. In total,
leaseholders pay £174m a
year, Labour calculated.
Last month, the
government announced
£30m to fit fire alarms so tall
buildings would no longer
need waking watches. But
campaigners said risk
assessors usually require at
least one warden to stay after
alarm upgrades.
Roy Wilsher, the NFCC’s
chairman, said it created
“non-statutory and practical
guidance”, but legal
responsibility for decisions
lay with each building’s
“responsible person”, such as
the managing agent. “That
includes the decision to
implement a waking watch.”
The NFCC is “concerned that
in places there is an over-
provision of waking watch”,
he added.
Can’t pay, won’t pay: the
true cost of the cladding
fallout, Home
MPs put gas bill on expenses
while workers cough up
Caroline Wheeler and Tom
Calver
MPs are charging the
taxpayer for heating and
electricity they used while
working from home during
lockdown. Most workers, on
the other hand, are forced to
pay out of their own pockets.
Despite working largely
remotely during the first
lockdown last year, MPs
claimed £9.1m in expenses,
11% more than during the
same period in 2019 when
they claimed £8.2m.
According to an analysis of
MPs’ expenses between the
stay-at-home order
announced on March 16 and
the reopening of pubs on July
4, the lockdown travel bill for
MPs and their staff fell by 78%
from £1.8m to £412,000
compared with the same
period in 2019.
Claims for electricty and
heating bills increased, even
though April was the sunniest
on record, according to the
Met Office. During that
month, MPs’ electricity and
heating bills came to £48,723,
about 1% higher than the
same month in 2019.
The rising cost of working
from home has raised
concerns among
campaigners, who claim it is
one rule for MPs and another
for ordinary workers. Few, if
any, FTSE 100 companies
have so far offered to
reimburse their employees
for remote working costs
during lockdown.
The claims for extra energy
bills, filed under “office
costs”, are within the rules
decided by the Independent
Parliamentary Standards
Authority (Ipsa).
MPs are allowed to charge
the taxpayer for all utility bills
for both their constituency
office and the home they
designate as their main
residence, as long as the
claims “relate to
parliamentary activity”.
Average monthly
household energy bills are
expected to rise by £18 this
winter, or 18%, as millions of
workers work from home
during the third national
lockdown. Companies can
choose to pay staff who are
working from home up to
£26 a month tax-free to cover
the cost of utilities but many
of them have chosen not to
do so.
Sir Mark Hendrick, the
Labour MP for Preston,
claimed £126 in fuel and
electricity in April and May
specifically for “home
working” because of Covid-
19. When claiming a £345
electricity bill in September,
Labour’s Toby Perkins, MP
for Chesterfield, justified the
amount by saying that it had
“increased March onwards
whilst working from home”.
John O’Connell, chief
executive of the campaign
group the Taxpayers’
Alliance, said: “While MPs
must have the resources to do
their jobs, many taxpayers
will be worried about the
growing price of politics.”
During the first lockdown,
MPs claimed £1.7m more on
“office costs”, a rise of 41%.
They were given a budget of
£10,000 each to kit out home
offices at the start of the
pandemic.
Devil’s Dyke: beauty spot fell
foul of Facebook rules
Sex attacker lured
victims with job ad
A businessman who devised
a plan to lure women with a
fake job advert for first aid
“training patients” was jailed
for 6½ years and ordered to
pay £10,000 to each victim.
Kevin McCarthy, 67, of
Northwood, northwest
London, sexually assaulted
four women.
After being sent to
Gavin, letter is hailed
More than 5,000 Twitter
users “liked” a letter from
Michael Rosen, the former
children’s laureate, asking
the education secretary,
Gavin Williamson, to explain
what a fronted adverbial is.
He said grammar was being
taught with “rigid” terms.
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 5

NEWS

Last bastion of SEVERN HELL

SWNS

boys’ boarding
eyes up girls
After 600 years, Winchester is considering a co-ed future
Sian Griffiths
Education Editor
One of England’s oldest boys’ schools,
Winchester College, is considering the
admission of girls.
The 600-year-old alma mater of six
chancellors, including Rishi Sunak, has
said any such decision would be made by
the governing body. With fees of £40,000
a year and the motto “Manners makyth
man”, it is one of only four remaining
boys’ boarding schools.
Speaking after Winchester confirmed
the discussions, Clarissa Farr, a member
of the college’s governing body, said:
“The past year has forced all schools to
examine the quality, accessibility and rel-
evance of their offer. Any school not
engaging in these challenging conver-
sations is not facing the future.”
The debate at Winchester, whose old
the last one standing . . . I think that all
four will fall.”
The debate about single-sex schools
has been one of the most divisive in edu-
cation. Boys’ schools have come under
scrutiny — critics say they turn out enti-
tled, sexist young men — and questions
have been asked about whether girls’
schools produce women uncomfortable
in workplaces often dominated by men.
Farr, a former high mistress of St Paul’s
Girls’ School, has drawn attention to
sexism and laddishness in workplaces,
including the City, which she said was
deterring high-flying girls. At St Paul’s she
worked on setting up shared lessons for
sixth-form pupils with a neighbouring
boys’ school. St Paul’s boys’ school has
appointed a female head and has
ADDING UP
announced proposals to admit girls to the
sixth form.
The first girls to join boys’ schools have
not always been made welcome, how-
ever. Cathy Newman, the Channel 4 News
presenter who was an early scholarship
girl at the previously all-boys Charter-
house, has spoken of being sexually
assaulted while eating her lunch. Girls at
other schools have described being given
marks out of 10 for their appearance.
Until the 1960s, nearly all British
children went to single-sex schools.
Today, about 9 per cent of independent
schools are girls-only, and 8 per cent
boys-only. In the state sector, non-select-
ive secondaries are largely co-
educational. Girls-only schools make up
17 per cent of grammar schools, while
10 per cent are all-boys.
Defenders say single-sex schools give
boys and girls a chance to grow up free of

boys include the 1930s England cricket
captain Douglas Jardine, the former Cor-
byn aide Seumas Milne and the late
comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor, will inten-
sify pressure on the other all-boys board-
ing schools — Eton, Harrow and Radley.
Three of the four have head teachers who
previously led co-educational schools.
Gavin Williamson, the education sec-
retary, said last year he would be “very
much in favour of Eton taking girls” —
only to be slapped down by the Old Eto-
nian MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said the
school “works very well as it is”.
A member of the Headmasters’ and
Headmistresses’ Conference, the profes-
sional association for heads of top inde-
pendent schools, said this weekend:
“After the criticism of entitled male
behaviour during the #MeToo movement
and the debates about toxic masculinity,
some of the remaining all-boys, all-
boarding schools are thinking hard about
whether they should go co-educational.
There are only four still remaining — that
is not even a rump. No one wants to be
TO NO 11
Chancellors Hugh Gaitskell, above,
Geoffrey Howe and Rishi Sunak
attended Winchester College
the distractions of the opposite sex. Girls
are more likely to do science A-levels in
girls-only schools; boys are more likely to
take English literature A-level. In the 2019
Sunday Times Parent Power school
league table, all-girl schools accounted
for half the top 30 places for combined
GCSE and A-level performance.
This weekend Winchester said admit-
ting girls had been discussed on and off
for a long time. Radley College and Eton
said they had no plans to admit girls. Har-
row declined to comment but drew atten-
tion to statements on its website extolling
the advantages of all-boys’ education.
Should all schools be co-educational?
Have your say at sundaytimes.co.uk/poll
The waters of the River Severn lapping at houses in Bewdley, Worcestershire. More rain is forecast in the next week
First, the flooding. Now prepare for snow and ice
Shingi Mararike A yellow weather warning felt, with the Environment large parts of the country this
is in place for most of today, Agency warning of week, the Met Office has
Large parts of the country leading to icy stretches of “exceptionally high river warned that the wet weather
will get a chance to frolic in road and some travel levels” after days of heavy could “compound” the
the snow today with up to disruption. The Met Office rainfall that left hundreds of impact felt in many areas
10cm expected in some areas, said this could hamper the properties across the country already.
but more wet weather will clean-up operations in parts flooded. On a visit to Cheshire last
bring misery for others. of the country recovering The River Severn breached week, the environment
The heaviest fall is due in from flooding caused by temporary flood defences in secretary, George Eustice,
Oxfordshire, Warwickshire Storm Christoph. “There’s a Bewdley, Worcestershire, called the forecast a cause for
and Gloucestershire, while lot of water on fields and leaving homes and businesses concern with more rainfall
other areas could wake up to flooded roads that could under water for the second landing on wet, soggy ground
coverings of 1cm to 3cm, freeze over and give way to time in a year after Storm posing “additional
including the outskirts of icy conditions,” it warned. Dennis hit the town last challenges”.
London and part of the Yesterday the impact of the February.
Midlands. wet weather was still being With rain set to return to Weather, page 27
6

NEWS
POLITICS

UNION 1 3 4
We have been the best of How many MPs What is the
friends and sternest of enemies, does Northern population
writes Roland White. We have Ireland currently of Wales?
argued, in a more or less serious send to A 5.2m B 4.6m
fashion, for centuries, yet Westminster? C 3.2m D 3.9m

5
somehow managed to turn The 1707 Act of Union
hostile takeovers into what Boris followed the catastrophic A 11 B 18 C 20 D 24 Who is the current
Johnson once described as “the failure of Darien, a Scottish Great Steward of Scotland?

QUIZ
most successful political and colony in which country?
economic union in history”. A Sir Alex Ferguson
Yet suddenly the future of the A Newfoundland B Prince of Wales
United Kingdom seems B Dahomey C Sir Billy Connolly

6
uncertain. If this were a marriage, C Panama D Janette Krankie
there is a distinct suggestion that D Jamaica Which is the only year in

2
we would be staying together which Scotland has beaten
only for the sake of the children. Under which A Henry VII England at its own game
But how much do you know about monarch did B Henry VIII (cricket, obviously)?
the United Kingdom, past and Wales formally C Edward III
present. Test yourself with these unite with D Edward VI
10 questions. England? A 1877 B 1924 C 1941 D 2018

‘Scots independence is possible —

we must stop it being inevitable’
With polls suggesting the UK is coming apart at the seams, ministers are racing to keep it stitched together
Tim Shipman, Jason Allardyce and with 61 per cent who think Sturgeon has ble deal for Scotch whisky in trade agree- The argument will be “now is not the

S
John Boothman
even cabinet ministers met vir-
tually last week to discuss the
biggest long-term problem they
think the government faces.
Under the chairmanship of
Michael Gove the ministers dis-
cussed how to deal with an elu-
sive enemy that has spread
quickly through the population — a prob-
lem to which Nicola Sturgeon’s response
has seemed more in tune with public
opinion than Boris Johnson’s. A crunch
moment approaches this spring.
The issue on the agenda was not the
coronavirus — or even Brexit — but the
future of the Union, and the growing
spread of nationalist sentiment, in Scot-
land and Northern Ireland in particular.
Hanging over all their heads, though,
is a bigger constitutional question? What
happens if the Scottish National Party
(SNP) wins a solid mandate at the Scottish
parliament elections, due in May, for its
demand for a second referendum.
Today’s poll shows that Sturgeon’s party
is on course for a big win, polling more
than 52 per cent in the constituency vote,
which the psephologist Sir John Curtice
says would translate into a gain for the
SNP of seven seats over the 2016 election.
The cabinet’s Union committee will
look nervously at the figures showing that
voters in all four nations of the UK think
Scotland will become independent in the
next 10 years. “We have to show people
that it is not inevitable,” said one cabinet
minister.
One of the reasons for the SNP’s
strength is identity. About 56 per cent of
Scots see themselves as fully Scottish, or
more Scottish than British, compared
with 12 per cent whose allegiance is pri-
marily to the UK. Only 27 per cent of
English voters put Englishness ahead of
Britishness, though that rises to 41 per
cent among those who voted to leave the
European Union. That helps explain why
only 15 per cent support English inde-
pendence.
Brexit and the coronavirus crisis also
appear to be driving Scottish voters away
from a union with England. Today’s poll
shows that 53 per cent would vote to
rejoin the EU, a number that corresponds
closely with the number who would back
independence. Just 31 per cent say they
would not. In England, by contrast, vot-
ers oppose rejoining by a margin of 42
per cent to 40 per cent.
On the coronavirus, 42 per cent of
Scots think their country would have
handled the crisis better if they had been
independent, nearly double the 23 per
cent who disagree. An outright majority
— 53 per cent — think the decisions should
be made in Edinburgh, with just 14 per
cent saying they should be made in
London.
The Scottish aversion to Johnson
seems responsible. Just 22 per cent of
Scottish voters think Johnson has done a
good job on the coronavirus, compared
handled the crisis well. No wonder 37 per
cent of Scots think independence is likely
if he remains at the helm, a figure that
would drop to 29 per cent if Rishi Sunak,
the chancellor, were to take over and 27
per cent if Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer
became prime minister.
All this begins to look like a perfect
storm for the nationalists. Today’s Panel-
base survey puts the independence vote
on 49 per cent, five points ahead of the
unionists, with 7 per cent of voters unde-
cided. With the “don’t knows” removed,
that is a 52 per cent to 48 per cent win for
Sturgeon’s team.
In London, the Union policy imple-
mentation committee has drawn up a
five-step programme: to fight the Scottish
elections hard rather than offer up con-
stitutional concessions in advance;
simultaneously to launch a campaign to
persuade Scots of the benefits of the
Union; to oppose a referendum and hope
that causes the SNP to fight among itself
over tactics; to consider further devolu-
tion only later and only then as part of
wider reforms for the UK; and finally, if
there is a referendum one day, to control
the timing and terms of the vote. “I don’t
think there is any member of the cabinet
who doesn’t realise how important this
is,” a minister said.
SEND FOR SONIC
Oliver Lewis, known throughout White-
hall by his nickname “Sonic”, a Vote
Leave veteran who was deputy to the
chief negotiator, Lord Frost, in the Brexit
negotiating team, will take charge of the
fight. The first step will be to properly
contest the election.
“We won’t be giving up without a
fight,” a senior No 10 official said. The
“high-end argument” advanced by minis-
ters and unionists is designed to engen-
der more warmth towards the Union by
overturning the “woke left view” that it is
somehow a residue of empire.
Expect ministers to hail the London
government — with two of the top four
jobs in the hands of non-white ministers
— as more multicultural than France or
Germany. The Union will be sold as for-
ward-thinking on green issues and tech-
nology.
More practically, the case will be made
that the roll-out of the vaccine in Scot-
land, using members of the British armed
forces, and the UK Treasury’s support for
jobs is evidence of valuable co-operation.
“The point is to say that Scottish national-
ists want you to chose between the two
countries — why wouldn’t you want to
have both?” one of those involved said.
“We have to show, not tell.”
In addition to Gove and the secretaries
of state for Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland, last week’s Union committee was
attended by Ben Wallace, Kwasi Kwar-
teng and Liz Truss, the cabinet ministers
respectively responsible for defence,
business and trade. The issues discussed
recently include how to get the best possi-
ments and how to ensure Scotland bene-
fits from the defence industrial strategy.
London has kept control of money that
used to go into EU structural funds to pay
for better roads in the Highlands, rather
than let the Scottish government get the
money and the credit.
The government’s internal polling
shows that when people are asked
detailed questions, they want a common
currency, welfare system and access to
universities throughout the UK. “When
you ask about the details, people are
instinctively unionist,” one of those
familiar with the numbers said.
Today’s poll suggests that the eco-
nomic arguments may not wash. Only 36
per cent of Scots think they would be bet-
ter off outside the UK.
With another crushing nationalist
Holyrood win in sight, SNP politicians say
Johnson can hardly stand in the way of a
referendum. Today’s poll shows 50 per
cent of voters want one in the next five
years, with 43 per cent opposed. That
means even some unionists want the
issue resolved. But the fact that more
than four in 10 voters do not want a vote
will be heartening for No 10.
Some senior nationalists are privately
less confident. So what is Sturgeon’s plan
B? And why is there so little evidence of
policy development on how independ-
ence would work, with the likelihood of
trade barriers with England, doubts over
currency and signs it could take years
before Scotland could join the EU?
Angry grassroots members recently
took back control themselves — of the
SNP’s national executive. Their influence
seems to have told. Yesterday the party
agreed to publish a bill for a referendum
and ask Johnson for approval for a
legally binding vote. If that is not forth-
coming, the policy makes clear, Sturgeon
is prepared to call a home-grown referen-
dum.
Legal action would then ensue over
whether it could be binding. Martin Keat-
ings, a 35-year-old nationalist cam-
paigner from Dunfermline, appeared in
Scotland’s court of session last week. His
crowdfunded case is that, under the 1998
Scotland Act, Holyrood has the power to
legislate for another referendum. If all
else fails, the Scottish government could
stage a non-binding referendum.
COULD THEY COPY CATALONIA?
This strategy is not without its risks since
such a vote might be boycotted by oppo-
nents of independence. The unofficial
2017 Catalan independence referendum
attracted a turnout of only 42 per cent.
In London, this new hardline position
from the SNP will raise eyebrows, since
ministers hoped Sturgeon would con-
tinue to insist that any referendum must
be legal. But Johnson’s approach is no
less hardline. “Boris knows that if he lost
a referendum and became the last prime
minister of the United Kingdom that he
would have to resign,” a senior Tory said.
time”.
Neither in advance of May, nor imme-
diately after the Holyrood elections will
the London government start offering
concessions. “The answer cannot be sim-
ply giving the Scottish government more
powers, because that creates a sense of
momentum that there can only be one
end point, which is independence,” a
cabinet minister said.
Nonetheless, officials are looking at
reforms to the way government is done in
Britain, encompassing councils, mayors
and the way the devolved administra-
tions interact, which could involve
greater devolution. Gove has also been in
talks with the former prime minister Gor-
don Brown, among others, on how to
save the Union.
IS DEVO-MAX BACK?
Brown is leading a constitutional
review for Labour expected within 18
months to recommend a federal system,
with sweeping powers for Holyrood. A
devo-max model would devolve most
functions, except defence and foreign
affairs. A blueprint was published last
week by a citizens’ assembly of 100 peo-
ple set up by the Scottish government —
seeking more powers over tax, trade and
immigration.
Others say Johnson is attracted to the
idea of a royal commission, which could
take years. But one ministerial aide said:
“Some people mistake ministers politely
listening to their plans with ministers
agreeing to those plans.”
If pressure did lead to a referendum,
London still has some cards. Alex Sal-
mond was taken aback by how accommo-
dating David Cameron proved in the
Edinburgh agreement on the 2014 refer-
endum, letting 16-year-olds vote and
agreeing to hold it around the 700th anni-
versary of Bannockburn. If there is a next The Scots have an
time, Johnson and Gove would be less so.
Ministers would explore giving the vote aversion to the PM
to Scots living elsewhere in the UK.
Another idea would be to put a third
option — perhaps devo-max — on the bal-
lot paper. The three-option referendum
STATE OF THE UNION
is not popular: 71 per cent of Scottish vot- Support for leaving the UK Support for holding a referendum
ers in today’s poll want a straight “yes” or in each country in each country in the next five years
“no” choice. However, it suggests a third
option would drain support from the Scottish independence Scotland voters
SNP. While only 18 per cent would back Yes 49% Yes 50%
devo-max, with 35 per cent backing the No 44% No 43%
status quo, that adds up to 53 per cent, Don’t know 7% Don’t know 7%
leaving 47 per cent for independence. All
of which means Scottish independence United Ireland Northern Ireland voters
looks possible, but is not yet inevitable. Yes 42% Yes 51%
No 47% No 44%
Editorial, page 20 Don’t know 11% Don’t know 5%
Welsh independence Wales voters
Yes 23% Yes 31%

England’s great river of cash keeps nations afloat No 52%

David Smith
Economics Editor
The tide has turned politically in favour
of independence in Scotland but the
economics remains firmly against it.
As part of the UK, Scotland’s high levels
of public spending are, in effect,
subsidised and made possible by English
taxpayers, particularly those in London
and the southeast.
The picture for the UK, confirmed in
figures from the Office for National
Statistics, is that London, the southeast
and the east of England are the big
revenue generators.
In a normal year, they all run budget
surpluses, while every other region and
nation runs a deficit, in some cases a
substantial deficit.
The Scottish government’s own
figures, contained in its annual
government expenditure and revenue
Scotland exercise (Gers), tell the story. In
2019-20, the last fiscal year, public
spending per head of population in
Scotland was £14,829, 12.4 per cent
above the UK average of £13,196.
In contrast, revenue raised in
Scotland, including a so-called
geographical share of North Sea oil
(Scotland receives the oil that would fall
within its notional share of the UK North
Sea), is below the UK average. Scottish
revenue per head in 2019-20 was
£12,058, 2.5 per cent below the UK
average of £12,367.
The difference between spending and
revenues is borrowing, or the budget
deficit, and even before the great
explosion of borrowing in the current
fiscal year as a result of the coronavirus
crisis, Scotland had a budget deficit of
more than £15bn.
Expressed as a percentage of gross
domestic product, the Scottish deficit
was 8.6 per cent, compared with 2.5 per
cent for the UK as a whole; more than
three times as big.
Supporters of independence say these
figures bear no relation to what the state
of the public finances would be for an
Don’t know 11%
No 47%
Don’t know 22%
English independence
independent Scotland, but it is hard to would have an even bigger budget deficit Yes 15%
see why. To make its public finances per head than Scotland. No 60% How do you think of yourself?
manageable, Scotland would have to There is a similar picture for Northern
Don’t know 13% Northern Ireland voters
reduce public spending significantly or Ireland. It combines the highest public
raise more in taxes. The Gers figures spending per head in the UK — more Irish or more Both Irish More British
were used as the basis for the work of the than 15 per cent above the UK average — Irish than and British than Irish
Scottish Fiscal Commission, established and low levels of revenue. Its budget Holyrood seat forecast for British
by the SNP (Scottish National Party) deficit per head is the biggest of any part Scottish elections in May
administration. of the UK, according to ONS figures.
For Wales and Northern Ireland, This raises an additional issue for 45% 13% 40%
where the political picture is different in Northern Ireland. Those who favour Scottish National Party
terms of support for breaking away from breaking away from the rest of the UK 70 (+7)
the rest of the UK, the economics is also would want, not independence, but Conservative since 2016 Scotland voters
against any such move. reunification; a united Ireland. But the 25 (-6) 56% 24% 12%
Wales, the poorest part of the UK with Irish economy, less than a seventh of the Labour
the exception of northeast England, has size of the UK, could not take on the 19 (-5)
lower public expenditure per head than burden of high-spending Northern
Green England voters
Scotland, but also the lowest level of Ireland.
10 (+4) 27% 33% 26%
revenue per head in the UK. A united Ireland would require a
In 2018-19, the latest year for which very long engagement and, in all Liberal Democrat
official figures are available, Welsh likelihood, a substantial dowry for 5 (nc)
public spending per head was £13,698, Northern Ireland to take with it from
Wales voters
6.7 per cent above the UK average for the British government. There would
that year. In contrast, revenue per head have to be a big shift in the policy 36% 23% 29%
Forecast by Sir John Curtice, professor
in Wales was £9,391, just 77 per cent of position of the Westminster parties for
of politics at Strathclyde University
the UK average. An independent Wales that to be possible.
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 7

7 8
Public spending per
head in England was
£12,559 in 2018-19.
What was the
equivalent figure
10
In which sport A Crown green
Answers: million, Northern Ireland 1.9 9 1872 The first official game
do home nations bowling
1 Panama A fifth of all liquid million, Scotland 5.5 million). was a 0-0 draw in Glasgow.
compete for B Croquet
Scottish wealth was somewhat 5 Prince of Wales, who is also Scotland’s team all played for
the Lady Milne C Bridge
unwisely invested in the project, the Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Queen’s Park, the leading
Trophy? D Archery
which caused hundreds of Carrick and Baron of Renfrew Scottish club of the time. Five

9
for Northern Ireland? David Lloyd deaths from disease and 6 2018 Scotland won by six runs informal games were also played
Scotland v England George is the starvation and huge financial in a one-day international in between 1870 and 1872 (three
A £12,939 B £13,560 is the world’s oldest only Welshman losses. Saving the economy Edinburgh, helped by 140 not England wins and two draws).
C £14,497 D £14,821 international to have become meant union with England, out from Calum MacLeod. It was Two MPs, including William
football match. prime minister. which offered a rescue package revenge on the England and Gladstone, son of the prime
n what year w
In as
was Where was he of £398,000 (roughly £98m in Wales Cricket Board, whose minister, played in the first game
?
it first played? born? today’s money). lobbying for a slimmed-down for Scotland.
2 Henry VIII The government of 2019 World Cup led to Scotland’s 10 Lloyd George was once
A 1872 A Caernarfon Wales was brought into line with exclusion from the tournament. described as “the most famous
B 1868 B Monmouth England — whether Wales liked it 7 D: £14,821 In Scotland it was Welshman to have been born in
C 1881 C Liverpool or not — by acts in 1536 and 1543 £11,566 and in Wales £10,929. Manchester”. Just over a year
D 1878 D Manchester 3 11 There are 18 constituencies, 8 Bridge (and of course it’s a later his father died, and his
but the seven Sinn Fein MPs do sport — it’s recognised as such mother moved the family to live
not take their seats. by the International Olympic with her brother in
4 3.2 million (England 56.3 Committee). Llanystumdwy, northwest Wales.

Scotland The future hinges on identity — and

many young voters just don’t feel British
but the electorate that made that choice remained closed. If the result of the EU for the BBC in 2018 found that two thirds
ALEX is not the one that might be asked to referendum hinged on questions of of younger voters considered Scotland a

MASSIE make it again at some point in the future.

The United Kingdom is, in a quite literal
sense, dying. Supporters of Scottish
independence have long persuaded
themselves that the break-up of Britain
has become a matter of historical
inevitability. The question is when it will
happen.
As Angus Robertson, formerly the
deputy leader of the Scottish National
Party, recently put it: each year “roughly
55,000 predominantly yes-supporting
16-year-olds” are added to the electoral
roll while “55,000 predominantly no-
supporting older voters” shuffle off the
register.
While blunt — even crass, depending
upon your perspective — Robertson’s
analysis is broadly accurate. It is six
years since Scotland voted by 55-45 to
remain a part of the United Kingdom,
Excluding those who are undecided, our
Panelbase poll indicates that 71 per cent
of younger voters — those under 34 —
may now support Scottish
independence, up from 52 per cent in
our eve of referendum poll in 2014.
“The referendum was my first chance
to vote, at the age of 16,” said Alex Boyes,
22, from Giffnock, East Renfrewshire,
studying strategic studies and
international law at Aberdeen
University. She puts her no vote down to
youthful insouciance. “I was naive,
thinking that we would never leave the
European Union. In hindsight, I should
probably have voted to leave the UK.”
That is an increasingly typical view.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic and
Boris Johnson’s election as prime
minister have contributed to the surge in
support for independence, Brexit — and
the sense that Scotland is unable to
pursue its own destiny within the UK — is
a more fundamental driver of the change
in attitudes. It has reopened a national
question that might otherwise have
sovereignty and belonging, so might the
future of the UK. And if this is an age in
which identity trumps economics or
other concerns, the wind blows in favour
of the nationalists.
A poll published this month reported
that whereas just 23 per cent of voters
aged over 55 consider themselves
“Scottish, not British”, 40 per cent of
voters under 34 reject any British
component to their identity. Just one in
five younger voters identify as equally
Scottish and British.
Demography is not the same as
destiny and voters may change their
minds as they age. Nevertheless, the
proportion of Scots who are comfortably
British has halved in the past half
century, a period in which the SNP has
moved from the fringes of Scottish
politics to become the dominant party.
That supremacy is so complete that the
SNP can reasonably be considered
Scotland’s “natural party of
government”.
Other surveys confirm that younger
Scots are especially patriotic. A survey
better place than most other countries.
Unlike their elder compatriots, they are
also likely to think the future will be
better than the past. SNP voters, in
particular, are strikingly more optimistic
than their Conservative counterparts.
Young voters are attracted to the idea
of independence on its own merits but
also on account of all the things
independence is not: it is not
Eurosceptic, it is not Conservative and
would not feature Johnson as prime
minister. In England younger voters
overwhelmingly endorse Labour
candidates, but in Scotland they break
decisively in favour of the SNP.
That reinforces the scale of the
challenge facing those who make the
case for the Union — and for the United
Kingdom. They must persuade a
generation less inclined to identify with
Britain, or even consider Britishness
relevant to their lives, that its best
interests are still best served by the
United Kingdom.
A battle for hearts, then, as much as it
is a struggle for minds.

Northern Ireland There will be no poll on a united

island soon, but don’t take the province for granted
technician on the British side admits that will not support one during its five-year unavailable in the rest of Ireland. Even
PAUL “half a border” would be an accurate term and the British government agrees. now, decades into the Celtic Tiger

BEW
In 2016 Brexit destabilised Northern
Irish politics. All the evidence suggested
that it significantly increased Catholic
support for a united Ireland. Some
commentators insisted it had also
created a middle-class Protestant
constituency for unity, impressed by the
modernising style of Leo Varadkar, the
taoiseach.
But is Northern Ireland, as Tony Blair
recently surmised, beginning to “settle
down”? Today’s poll suggests that while
things are finely balanced, a united
Ireland is far from a done deal.
What happens next will depend, in
part, on whether economic gravity pulls
Belfast south or keeps it close to Britain.
A key breakthrough in the withdrawal
agreement talks in 2019 came when the
Irish government decided it could live
with two customs entities on the island
of Ireland. Northern Ireland remains
within the EU customs union and has
ILLUSTRATION: TONY BELL
unfettered access to the rest of the UK.
This is why ministers reject the phrase “a
border in the Irish Sea”, to the fury of
Attitudes to Scottish How likely is Scottish independence the local media, which point out the
independence within 10 years? array of checks on mainland goods going
into Northern Ireland. A senior
Scotland voters Northern Ireland voters
Pleased 48% Likely 60%
description.
UK ministers say this can mean the
best of both worlds, that Northern
Ireland will be a magnet for
manufacturing firms that want a high
degree of access to both Britain and the
EU for goods. Northern Ireland is to
become like Dubrovnik in the later
Ottoman Empire, which traded
successfully with both East and West.
The big surprise in the LucidTalk poll
is not the level of support for a united
Ireland. There has, in fact, been a slight
increase in the pro-Union vote. Rather it
is the majority support of 50.7 per cent
for a border poll within five years. It is
easy enough to explain: simply add
those unionists who say “bring it on” to
the nationalist total. Early in this century
David Trimble was in this camp and
more recently Arlene Foster, the DUP
leader, appeared to have such a
moment. For such people, the attraction
is to end, for a while at least, the border
poll debate and to concentrate on the
better governance of Northern Ireland.
But the majority for a border poll
should not allow us to miss the key point
that marks Northern Ireland out from
the debate on the referendum in
Scotland.The SNP leadership wants a
referendum as soon as possible —
certainly within the next two years.
Absolutely nobody in any political
leadership role wants one in Ireland
now. The Irish government has said it
Sinn Fein has set a target of 10 years
though in the past it has argued for five.
Perhaps this is, in part, in deference
to the critical financial role of the United
Kingdom in the Covid crisis. Today’s poll
notes that 34 per cent think that they
would be financially better off in a
united Ireland, but 54 per cent believe
they would be worse off — this includes
29 per cent of nationalist SDLP
supporters and 47 per cent of the
centrist Alliance Party.
The unionist party leaders no longer
support a border poll. The Alliance
Party, with its growing strength in the
centre ground, does not want one. This
means that any border poll will be so far
down the road that it will be held in
circumstances no one today can predict.
The centenary of Northern Ireland
creates a moment for reflection on the
futility of crystal-ball gazing. All wise
men in 1921 expected economic logic to
move Dublin closer to London and
Belfast closer to Dublin. Under the terms
of the Government of Ireland Act of
1920, Northern Ireland was expected to
pay an imperial contribution for defence
and other UK-wide purposes as well as
pay for its own services. In fact the
opposite happened and Northern
Ireland was in effect subsidised by the
centre: the Troubles merely increased
the reliance on UK support.
This delivered a level of economic and
social wellbeing to the northeast
phenomenon and the brilliant Irish
economic turnaround, the Dublin
economists John Fitzgerald and Edgar
Morgenroth estimate living standards in
Northern Ireland are higher than in the
south, in part thanks to strong financial
aid from Britain for public services.
In the 1990s the UK government
rejected a menu of proposals from the
Irish side designed to generate an
“island economy”. Both sides accepted
that there were two functioning
economies on the island of Ireland.
Neither the Good Friday agreement nor
the Irish protocol mandates a single
Ireland economy and for some time to
come the rhythm of economic and social
life between north and south will be
quite distinct.
Northern Ireland will continue to
have a large state sector while the
Republic will continue to have a unique
relationship with foreign direct
investment.
Northern Ireland will continue to face
both ways as it has done for a long time.
There is no historic train — instead, as
there has always been, a big task ahead
for those who want to make the case for
Irish unity by consent.
Lord Bew is emeritus professor of Irish
history at Queen’s University Belfast and
chairman of the government’s advisory
committee of historians on the Northern
Ireland centenary commemorations

England voters
Not bothered 6%
Upset 41%
England voters
Unlikely 28%
Wales Celebrities are fired up to unleash Welsh dragon
Likely 49%
Pleased 17% Unlikely 19%
Not bothered 28% ambitions of intellectuals. It was people have tended to assert that cent against. Tony Blair devolved power
Upset 46% Wales voters GUTO passionate, but a minority sport. Plaid independence is not viable to Wales to try to kill independence, but
Northern Ireland voters
Pleased 44%
Likely 49%
Unlikely 23% HARRI Cymru’s failure to win a Westminster
seat beyond its heartlands in Gwynedd
economically. Buttress argues the
opposite — that being governed by
the process now seems to be fuelling it.
In younger age groups, the
and Dyfed speaks volumes — or should I Westminster has held Wales back, and it momentum builds further. Nearly a third
Not bothered 12% Scotland voters say “cyfrolau”. will be forever condemned to across Wales would vote to leave, and
Upset 43% Likely 49% Plaid Cymru are still struggling, but deprivation unless it takes back control. 16-years-olds have been given the right
Wales voters Unlikely 30% the idea of independence is taking off, He grew up on a council estate near to vote in the next elections to the Welsh
Pleased 21% with new recruits from very different Newport, suspicious of the Welsh Senedd, due this May.
Not bothered 30% Long before Brexit was even a twinkle in backgrounds. No one would describe language and looking towards Bristol, It is clear some Brexiteers have
Upset 39% Boris Johnson’s eye, I escorted him to Neville Southall as an intellectual, and not Cardiff, for his perspective. His contributed more to the cause of Welsh
the Welsh capital for a display of national though arguably the greatest goalkeeper county of Gwent delivered the largest independence than my late father. The
pride at its most raw and unrestrained — of all time, he was never really into rejection of devolution 40 years ago, and prospect of being attached to a
a battle against England at the politics. But recently “Big Nev” has been has remained hostile since. leftover English rump of the UK, if
How have these leaders Millennium Stadium. speaking at independence rallies calling But today’s Sunday Times poll shows Scotland and Northern Ireland head off,
performed on the coronavirus? We passed Cardiff prison, known for the “dragon” to “stand on its own one in five voters in that southeast seems bleak to many. And
(Scotland voters) locally as Fort Knox — less for its high two feet”. His argument is ultimately corner would vote to break having argued against pooling
security than the fact it is on Knox Road. against a system that has failed to free. One in three would in sovereignty with our neighbours to
Boris Johnson “Bet a nice BBC boy like you doesn’t deliver: “I don’t think people in Cardiff and south Wales facilitate trade and maximise influence,
Good job 22% know anyone in there,” said the man Westminster care about us.” in general. Interestingly, Brexiteers should not be surprised if the
Bad job 64% who was then mayor of London. His face Charlotte Church is another. The the largest percentage same logic is applied here.
when I told him that my father had been Cardiff singer has sold more than 10 who would vote against Is it unstoppable? Clearly not. A
Nicola Sturgeon an inmate was a picture. How could million records, and even as a teenager is in north Wales. majority in every county, class and age
Good job 61% Boris have hired a spokesman whose entertained some powerful people. But The breakdown group would stick with the Union in a
Bad job 25% father was a jailbird? she kicked off this year with a soulful among Labour vote tomorrow. But there is
Dad was not a career criminal. His blast for YesCymru. Her video message voters is also dissatisfaction. The system has been
brief stint inside was orchestrated, and says 50 countries have broken free of striking: 38 per destabilised, and the case for the Union
the “screws” were astonished to find an Westminster. “None have asked to cent are in the will need to be strengthened if it is to see
Sources: Panelbase polled 1,206 adults resident in NHS psychiatrist in their cells. He was return.” independence off the prospect of Wexit.
Scotland, January 19-22,
YouGov polled 1,416 adults in England, January 19-20, there for refusing to pay his TV licence as Then there is David Buttress, who is camp and 39 per
YouGov polled 1,059 aged 16+ in Wales, January 18-21
Lucidtalk polled 2,392 aged 16+ in Northern Ireland, January 15-18
part of a campaign for a Welsh language surprising on two fronts. The former Guto Harri, a former chief political
television channel. chief executive of Just Eat built a £5bn correspondent for the BBC, was the mayor
Where figures do not add up to 100%, Then, Welsh nationalism was largely company, making him one of Britain’s Church: video of London’s communications director,
‘don’t know’ and ‘won’t vote’ have not been included
driven by the linguistic and cultural most successful entrepreneurs. Such message 2008-2012
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 9

NEWS

Prêt-à-pod: £3,000 earphones turn up the style

Luxury brands such as
Prada and Gucci are
cashing in on the Zoom
generation’s love of
listening gadgets
Louise Eccles and Tilly Edgcumbe
To spend £840 on a case for your earbuds
or £3,000 on a pair of headphones might
have seemed rather indulgent a year ago.
Since the start of the pandemic, how-
ever, these have become the accessories
you cannot do without — and Chanel,
Prada, Fendi, Miu Miu and Gucci have
spotted the opportunity.
It reflects the rise of so-called audio-
philes — fans of high-fidelity sound who
are willing to pay over the odds for equip-
ment that can recreate the quality of live
music performances — as well as our
growing reliance on personal listening
devices.
Because we use them to play music,
watch films, take part in Zoom meetings
and make phonecalls to friends and fam-
ily, increasing numbers of people are
happy to pay thousands of pounds for the
gadgets — even though they are easy to
lose, and unlikely to be insured.
At the top end of the scale, head-
phones that cost £3,000 or more offer
“three-dimensional” sound quality that
makes it seem as if the music is coming
from multiple speakers placed around
the listener, rather than from the head-
phones themselves.
Only a few years ago, headphones
were an afterthought, items that could be
bought cheaply at high street electrical
shops or came free with smartphones.
The technology has improved since
then, but it is the design quality that has
shifted most dramatically, turning these
tiny loudspeakers into expensive gadgets
— and now fashion accessories.
Louis Vuitton
makes an £810
miniature version
of its Dauphine
bag for AirPods
Harrods sells Louis Vuitton Horizon
earphones, with a distinctive bright
green flower design, for £950. It is one of
the few designers to make its own ear-
phones, rather than just cases. Louis
Vuitton also makes an £810 miniature
version of its famous brown leather Dau-
phine bag to store Apple’s AirPods Pro.
The bag, also sold at Harrods, comes with
a long chain the department store says
allows customers to “keep your technol-
ogy close at hand while enhancing your
finest street-style ensemble”.
Gucci also makes an AirPods Pro case
that costs £840, while Prada sells a £455
white leather earphone case that meas-
ures just 7cm by 5cm and has an adjusta-
ble chain you can wear like a necklace.
As interest in sound quality has grown,
64 Audio, a brand that makes
hand-crafted earphones for music pro-
fessionals, has branched out to the high
street, launching products that cost
as much as £2,999 in shops such as
Selfridges.
The popularity of over-ear head-
phones — such as Apple-owned Beats,
which come in bold primary colours
and sell for as much as £300 — had waned
in recent years with the rise of earbuds:
wireless earphones designed to fit
inside the ear. Yet headphones have
enjoyed a revival this year among home-
Earbud cases by,
clockwise from
workers and gamers, according to
Selfridges.
left, Miu Miu Jessica Newton, the department
(£225), Browns store’s technology buyer, said: “Since the
(£430), Dolce & start of lockdown, we have seen an
Gabbana (£115) increase in sales of headphones on our
and Chanel website. Demand is driven by us all
(£730) spending more time at home.
“Over-ear headphones, typically
used for listening to music and for gam-
ing and streaming, and now working
from home, are proving particularly pop-
ular, with customers either investing in a
quality set or upgrading. The technology
has improved hugely, with better sound
quality than ever before and longer bat-
tery life.”
According to the consumer organisa-
tion Which?, you can buy an “extremely
good, music-industry sound quality” pair
of headphones for about £120.
Natalie Hitchins, the company’s head
of home products and services, said: “For
a pair costing more than this, you’re usu-
ally paying for additional features, such
as wireless connectivity and noise cancel-
ling, rather than much improvement to
sound — and you should be able to get
these for less than £350.
“Beyond that, we’re talking very
minor differences that only an extremely
picky listener will notice.”
@Louise_Eccles

France’s favourite
thief steals hearts
of 70m viewers
Peter Conradi Paris
Move over, Bridgerton. A
television show inspired by
the exploits of Arsène Lupin,
France’s famous fictional
gentleman thief, has become
a surprise hit on Netflix since
its launch a fortnight ago.
The five-part series,
starring Omar Sy as Assane
Diop, the son of a Senegalese
immigrant who sets out to
avenge his father’s death by
recreating some of Lupin’s
daring heists, will be watched
by 70 million households
during its first 28 days, the
platform claims.
That is several million
more than watched the
Regency drama Bridgerton
and other recent global hits
such as The Queen’s Gambit.
As Sy, 43, tweeted to his
3.1 million followers: “70
millions, that’s insane!!”
Created by the British
writer George Kay, Lupin has
already become the most-
watched non-English-
Omar Sy stars as Assane
Diop in the Lupin series
language show in the
network’s history.
The original Lupin — a
dandyish master of disguise
with a monocle — has
fascinated generations of
French readers since he first
appeared in a short story by
Maurice Leblanc in a
magazine in 1905, spawning
films, television series,
comics, computer games and
an operetta.
Among his most avid fans
is Sy’s character: Diop’s
father, Babakar, gives him a
copy of a Lupin book when he
is a boy. Babakar is later
wrongly accused of stealing
Marie Antoinette’s necklace
from the wealthy Pellegrini
family, for whom he works as
a chauffeur. He is arrested
and later found dead in his
cell, leaving his son looking
for revenge — and making use
of the tricks he has picked up
from his hero.
Some of the show’s critics
were sniffy at first, but such
reservations appeared to
have been brushed aside this
weekend as French
newspapers delighted in the
global popularity of a
character so deeply rooted in
their country’s culture.
The series has also revived
interest in the original Lupin
books. “In two weeks we have
sold the equivalent of what
we normally sell in a year of
Maurice Leblanc books,” said
Béatrice Duval, head of the
paperback publisher Le Livre
de Poche.
@Peter_Conradi

Eczema on the
rise after year of
hand-washing
Louise Eccles
and Roisin Kelly
Frequent hand-washing and
sanitising is causing a rise in
skin conditions and even
premature ageing of the
hands, dermatologists say.
Rising numbers of patients
are presenting with
“lockdown hands” after a
year of washing and applying
alcohol gels to avoid the
spread of coronavirus.
Doctors say our washing
routine, while essential, is
stripping skin of its moisture
and protective barrier,
leading to dry, itchy hands
and, in some cases, eczema
and infections.
The problem has been
exacerbated by antibacterial
sprays and wipes, as well as
the cold weather.
Dr Justine Hextall, a
consultant dermatologist and
Fellow of the Royal College of
Physicians, said she was
seeing many people with a
new irritant hand eczema or
an exacerbation of pre-
existing dermatitis.
“The skin on our hands is
reasonably robust but
constant washing with soap
starts to remove the
protective oils from our skin,”
she said. “Once this happens,
the skin becomes more
vulnerable to irritants and
inflammation, itching and
dryness, and can split.”
Applying moisturiser does a
lot to help, she added.
Last February, the
government asked people to
wash their hands frequently
for 20 seconds. Soap breaks
down the fatty layer
surrounding the virus
particles that causes it to
break up, neutralising it.
Hand sanitiser became a
sought-after commodity,
particularly those with a 60%
minimum alcohol level.
Healthcare workers in
particular are struggling with
severe dermatitis, prompting
some dermatologists to set up
drop-in clinics to help.
Dr Sharon Wong, a
consultant dermatologist,
recommended applying
fragrance-free moisturisers
after washing and using
those with “humectants”
such as glycerin — which trap
moisture in the skin — and
anti-inflammatory
ingredients such as
niacinamide. “At night,
consider a hand mask,” she
said. “Use a much thicker
layer of the same moisturiser
you use during the day.”
How to fix lockdown
hands, Style
10

NEWS
CORONAVIRUS
Surgeons at work
at Harefield
Hospital,
including
cardiologist Rob
Smith, below

Every day they

seven days a week since the first surge.
CHRISTINA This time, she says, it is much harder jug-
gling beds — as hospitals around the capi-
LAMB tal call to send their most desperately ill
Covid patients — while keeping up as a
leading UK heart and lung transplant cen-
are damn competitive yet now suddenly
working as a team,” said Rahman Haley,
laughing.
“Emergency situations often bring out
the best in people, and that’s certainly
been the case at Harefield,” said Nick

transplant new
In her small, cluttered office in Harefield
Hospital, northwest London, the consult-
ant cardiologist Dr Shelley Rahman Haley
tre. All this with everyone exhausted,
having gone from the first wave to catch-
ing up on a backlog of heart and lung
operations, to the second wave, with all
leave cancelled.
The new variant — and more testing
Hunt, a hospital director. “Initiatives
we’d talked about for years have materi-
alised in weeks. Even with the incredible
demands on staff and capacity, we’ve
somehow introduced digital outpatient
clinics, home testing, webcam support in

life into the dying,

kicks some astonishingly high-heeled
green shoes out of the way and pulls out a
beautifully handwritten letter, all the
time talking 19 to the dozen.
It is from an 85-year-old woman and is
thanking her and her colleague, the car-
picking up asymptomatic cases — has
resulted in as many as a fifth of staff either
off with Covid or isolating. “More and
more staff are off with Covid this time,”
Russell said. “I think I have the night shift
sorted; then, within a couple of phone
ICUs [intensive care units], and new ways
of collaborating remotely with other hos-
pitals that effectively give patients access
to expert opinion from multiple sources.
The speed at which these solutions were
found was remarkable. We have literally

and they don’t

diac surgeon Mario Petrou, for “giving me
back” her son Graeme Tucker through
recent open-heart surgery to replace his
mitral valve.
Tucker, 54, jogged a mile last week for
the first time in six years — only four
calls, I have to start again.”
Though Harefield may still look like
the old TB hospital it once was, it carries
out some of the world’s most advanced
surgery, including more than 3,000
transplants since Professor Sir Magdi
transformed the clinical landscape.”
But, he admits, the challenges are
enormous. While the nation is fixated on
daily death figures, which last week were
the world’s highest per capita, the
knock-on effects of Covid include a mas-

stop for Covid

months after taking what he thought was
his final selfie with his wife and two
young children at home in Somerset.
The letter is a powerful reminder that
even in the midst of a pandemic that has
pushed the NHS to breaking point and
hospitals to the fullest they have been,
life-saving operations go on, thanks to the
Harefield Hospital, with its world-leading organ donation incredible dedication of staff.
Last week Harefield carried out three
unit, is still saving patients in the middle of this winter’s lung transplants in three days, each tak-
ing four to five hours, and it has done
coronavirus surge. Seeing first-hand the doctors and nurses more than 100 heart operations since
Christmas. It has 10 patients who have
trying to cope felt like being back in a war zone been in hospital as long as 10 months
waiting for heart transplants, most of that
time with no visitors allowed.
All the while the sickest of the sick,
many of them alarmingly young, lie
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JACK HILL comatose in a repurposed Covid-19 inten-
sive care unit, plasters over their eyes and
an array of tubes and wires pumping
blood, oxygen and fluids in and out. One
man in his forties was about to have his
end-of-life visit from his wife and young
children — the only time families enter.
“It’s trying to keep all plates spinning
in the air at once,” said Derval Russell, the
site director, who has been working
Yacoub performed the first double heart
and lung transplant in 1983.
Dealing with Covid has forced it to
innovate as never before. Spending two
humbling days there last week, I found a
sense of adrenaline and esprit de corps
more common to field hospitals in war —
only this time the enemy is a microscopic
virus with a crown of club-shaped spikes.
Medical progress has often been
driven by war. The Thomas splints rolled
out across battlefields in the First World
War reduced deaths from fractures from
80 per cent to 20 per cent. Ultrasound’s
development allowed it to check cracks
in tanks in the Second World War and it is
now a key diagnostic tool. More recently
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have
greatly improved prosthetics for ampu-
tees and survival from gunshot wounds.
When I meet Rahman Haley, 49, and
Petrou, 56, they have just finished a vir-
tual meeting with about 30 heart sur-
geons from hospitals across London, dis-
cussing cases as they now do every
morning. “Patients are not just getting a
second opinion but maybe 20-plus,
which is incredible,” said Petrou.
“And bear in mind, cardiac surgeons
sive drop in lungs available for transplant
— numbers have fallen by half, according
to Hunt — and a huge backlog in surgery.
Delays in heart patients coming to hos-
pital have caused such deterioration that
surgeons are having to relearn from med-
ical school how to deal with dangerous
conditions such as holes and ruptures
they have not seen for years.
“In 20 years as a cardiologist I’d seen a
papillary rupture once or twice,” said Dr
Robert Smith, who runs the hospital’s
heart attack centre. “In the past nine
months I’ve seen six, and mortality for
that is eight in 10.”
Unlike at other hospitals, heart sur-
gery did not stop but was very limited —
only those in imminent danger — but also
because people feared coming in, or
when they did, they may have sat at home
for days so were much more serious.
“People definitely died unnecessarily
of heart attacks, and that’s sad,” said
Smith. “Cardiovascular disease is still the
most common cause of death, but if peo-
ple come to hospital we will have them
within 25 minutes on the table with their
arteries open and putting in stents.”
Despite great efforts to catch up over

That Ancelotti’s Zooming you again, love: Everton stars talk away the blues with isolated fans
EVERTON FOOTBALL CLUB

David Collins
Northern Editor
Lying on his bed wearing a
ventilator mask to help him
breathe, Mark Cruise answers
the Zoom call on his tablet.
The kindly face of Carlo
Ancelotti, the manager of
Cruise’s beloved football club
Everton, pops up.
Cruise, 53, who has motor
neurone disease, has become
“lockdown buddies” with
Ancelotti, part of the Premier
League club’s “Blue Family”
campaign. Launched in
March, it pairs footballers and
staff for regular chats with
isolated or vulnerable people.
Inevitably they talk about
Everton’s chances of winning
the league. Ancelotti says he
is missing restaurants and
seeing his friends. His wife,
the Canadian businesswoman
Mariann Barrena, has not left
the house since March. They
talk about the rubbish
weather in Merseyside.
“I have a house in Crosby
with my wife and my dogs,”
says Ancelotti, who has
managed Real Madrid, AC
Milan and Paris Saint-
Germain. “There is a
beautiful beach and when the
weather is good you can
spend a nice time there.”
“So once a month, then?”
Cruise quips.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin,
the Everton striker and
England player, is paired up
for chats with Billy Culshaw,
80, who lives near Goodison
Park in Liverpool. His wife of
57 years, Brenda, died from
bowel cancer in September
and he now lives alone. Last
week, Calvert-Lewin, 23,
contacted Culshaw on Zoom
and discussed their love of
the ITV quiz show Lingo.
Calvert-Lewin said: “The
lads [Everton footballers]
enjoy doing them. It’s good
for our welfare too. I speak to
the same people every day at
the moment, just like
everyone else. Chatting to
people like Billy gives me a
big lift.”
What started as a way for
Everton to keep in touch with
its fanbase has become a
lifeline for many on
Merseyside. The club has
supported more than 27,000
families and made 25,000
check and welfare calls,
hundreds of them by players.
They have provided more
than 14,000 emergency food
parcels to families and more
than 250,000 meals for
schoolchildren, the elderly
and others in Liverpool.
Everton also offers online
bingo and quiz nights, fitness
and coaching sessions, and
mental health support. It
provides mobile phone credit
The lads for people living alone and
even gas and electricity
enjoy vouchers for those struggling
to pay their energy bills.
doing Richard Kenyon, the chief
executive of Everton in the
the chats Community, the club’s
charitable arm, said: “Our
club has never lost sight of its
place in our community and
of the role Everton can play in
providing a light in the
darkness of this situation we
are all faced with.”
The pandemic has hit the
region particularly hard. The
number of daily coronavirus
cases in Liverpool peaked on
January 4 at 929. That
number had declined to 338
by Wednesday, according to
the government website.
However, hospitals in
Liverpool are reporting more
Covid-19 patients than at any
time during the pandemic.
Cruise, who lives in
Blackburn with his wife Laura
and their four children, was
diagnosed two years ago with
motor neurone disease, a
progressive condition that
affects his brain and nerves,
causing muscle weakness. He
was recently forced to give up
his job as a detective sergeant
with Lancashire police.
Dominic Calvert-
Lewin, left, and
Carlo Ancelotti
have been
keeping in touch
with their club’s
supporters
For the past year he has
been in regular contact with
Ancelotti through the welfare
calls. Ancelotti gave Cruise
his private mobile number,
and they text each other
every couple of weeks. “I
send him texts,” Cruise said.
“Just simple things like ‘hope
your family are OK. The team
are doing well.’ He always
replies really quickly.
“He texted me out the blue
on New Year’s Eve at 9.30pm.
He was in a hotel preparing
for a match. He had all his
family in Italy to worry about,
and he’s there texting me.
That means everything to me.
It’s given me a massive uplift
during quite a tough time.”
“It’s a pleasure to do this,”
Ancelotti said. “This club is
strong in the community.
Some of the people are
struggling in these moments
of difficulties. But we are
trying to stay close to them.
“It’s a different life [during
Covid]. Everyone of us is tired
of this situation. Our freedom
is not like before. We are not
able to go to the restaurant. I
think the thing I miss most for
me is not being able to meet
friends. I go home, I watch
football on TV. If I have time I
prepare a plate of pasta.”
Cruise knows he will die
from his disease, but his
outlook is optimistic. “It will
stop me running the London
marathon or winning a darts
championship. But it can’t
stop me being a husband. It
can’t stop me being a father.
A son. A brother. A friend,” he
said. “My advice to anyone
around Everton who is having
a hard time during the
pandemic is ring them up.
Ring the club up.”
@DavidCollinsST
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 11

WHY ARE DOCTORS ALARMED ABOUT

THE 12-WEEK GAP BETWEEN JABS?
Britain’s mass vaccination programme
has roared into action with dramatic
results. More than five million jabs
have been administered, and the
outlook for February and March is
much brighter than seemed likely at
the start of winter.
Yet for all the undoubted early
success of a crucial national
campaign, concern is growing that
the government’s two-dose strategy
has a fatal flaw. What happens if the
effects of the first jab wear off before
the second jab is administered?
All three vaccines approved for use
in Britain require two doses for
maximum protection. The safety and
efficacy trials of the Pfizer, Moderna
and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines
were conducted with the assumption
of a month-long gap between doses.
The first jab alerts the immune system
to the presence of a hostile invader;
the second boosts long-term
protection.
The basis of the government’s
decision to scrap the manufacturers’
recommended three to four-week
dosage intervals in favour of a 12-week
gap was mathematical, moral and at
least partly political. The calculation
was that it is better to use the limited
early supplies of the vaccine to
provide a measure of protection to as
broad a section of the population as
possible. Otherwise 50 per cent of
supplies would have to be reserved
for second jabs and by now only
2½ million people would have been
vaccinated. “The more people that are
protected against this virus, the less
opportunity it has to get the upper
hand,” Dr Yvonne Doyle, the medical
director of Public Health England, told
the BBC.
Some scientists doubted that
decision from the start, partly on the
grounds that no data was available on
longer-term immunity. Two weeks ago
a group of leading UK and American
doctors and scientists claimed that
delaying the second dose could have a
“catastrophic” impact on efforts to end
the pandemic.
Yesterday Dr Chaand Nagpaul,
chairman of the British Medical
Association, which represents more
than 150,000 doctors, warned that the
decision was “difficult to justify”.
He has written to the chief medical
officer for England, Professor Chris
Whitty, calling for the gap between
vaccine doses to be cut to six weeks.
“The absence of any international
support for the UK’s approach is a
cause of deep concern and risks
undermining public and the
profession’s trust in the vaccination
programme,” the letter stated.
Nagpaul told the BBC’s Breakfast:
“Obviously the protection will not
vanish after six weeks, but what we do
not know is what level of protection
will be offered . . . We should not be
extrapolating data where we don’t
have it.”

SHOULD I BE 30% MORE WORRIED ABOUT

the summer, more and more are having
life-saving surgery delayed. “What we
have now is more serious cases and more
limited resources,” said Rahman Haley.
“It has gone from a cloud to a storm.”
The Harefield and its sister hospital,
the Royal Brompton, now have 450
patients on their waiting list with pro-
gressive cardiac disease. “Many were put
on a year ago and their condition has
deteriorated, and are now at risk of sud-
den death,” said Petrou. “At the same
time we have to manage Covid patients so
have to adopt a ‘utilitarian approach’.”
“These are really difficult decisions,”
said Rahman Haley. “If you have two
patients of similar age both in their forties
with similar symptoms, how on earth do
you choose?”
In the transplant centre, Dr Anna Reed
is relieved to have got three lung trans-
plants out of the way, with all three doing
well. “That feels a huge achievement in
the current climate,” said Reed.
“It can be very rewarding as you take a
person who can’t even brush their teeth
who then ends up climbing Sydney Har-
bour Bridge. It’s amazing what we can do,
but the downside is it’s for a finite num-
ber of people for a finite number of
years.”
The hospital’s longest-surviving
transplant patient lasted 32 years
— and died of something unre-
lated — but lungs are particularly
susceptible to rejection and only
half of the patients will still be
alive after five years.
Normally, the hospital per-
forms 40 or 50 lung trans-
plants a year, and between
25 and 30 heart trans-
plants, but this, she
says, was significantly
down over the past year —
just 24 lung transplants and
23 hearts.
Covid does not just take up
bed space, but also organs —
they cannot use those from
anyone who was infected.
“This means we are only
transplanting people who are
Graeme Tucker and family
before his operation. Below,
Dr Shelley Rahman Haley
and Mario Petrou
ST DIGITAL
The transplant pioneers
turning unusable hearts,
kidneys and livers
into working organs again
Go to sundaytimes.co.uk
actively deteriorating,” said Reed. “If
someone needs a heart or lung but is sta-
ble, we’ve had to make the really difficult
decision to keep them off the list.”
As for the 10 patients still waiting for
hearts who cannot go home because they
need intravenous infusions, she said:
“It’s not easy. I’ve had families standing
outside the windows waving.”
But Reed fears for the future. “Covid
will have an immensely long tail,” she
warned. “At the moment we’re just focus-
ing on mortality from the disease, but we
are seeing numbers of people with post-
Covid fibrosis so will eventually need
lung transplants.”
So with fewer lungs available for trans-
plant, more will need them. As with
everything about this virus, she said, it is
hard to predict who: “I saw one CT scan
from the first wave where the lungs were
almost solid and I thought this person
will not survive. Six months later they
were clear. Others that had the disease
mildly have since deteriorated.”
She added: “It’s not just a lung prob-
lem. This is a multisystem disease, so
people leaving ICU have problems with
kidneys, pancreas, heart and confusion.”
That becomes clear when I put on the
personal protective equipment (PPE) to
enter the red zone of Covid intensive
care. I feel like a blue Teletubby with my
scrubs, gown, white Crocs, hairnet, and
hood with visor and pipe attached to a
machine strapped on to my back, and the
only way to communicate is to shout.
Nurses do 12½-hour shifts like this.
Some people are on three life-sup-
port machines. All are on ventilators,
but many are on ECMO — extracorpo-
real membrane oxygenation —
machines that oxygenate the blood
and take over the work of heart and
lungs. Others have green-coloured
kidney machines.
It is calm but very, very scary and,
disturbingly, patients look neither
old nor obese. The 25 patients are
aged from 35 to 76, and four are
female. The youngest the unit has lost
was just 22.
“This time patients are younger and
fitter and take longer to get better — or not
to,” said Dr Ian McGovern, 51, the critical
care consultant showing me round. “This
time most of the ECMO patients are in
their thirties and forties, even twenties
and not particularly overweight,” said his
colleague Dr Alex Rosenberg. “They are
not diabetic, not high blood pressure.
They could be us.”
The new variant is also clearly more
infectious. This time round, far more
staff are catching it even though they
have better PPE. Alarmingly, almost
everyone I interview seems to have had it
in the past few weeks.
It feels like being in some awful dysto-
pian world, and I know that having seen it
I will never forget it. The stress on staff
dealing with this every day, combined
with the relentless pressure of 11 months,
is a recipe for many tears, and the hospi-
tal now has an in-house psychologist for
its staff.
“As ITU nurses we’re used to dealing
with the sad part, but never on this
scale,” said Mima Churchill, 34, who had
the disease herself this month.
While I am on the unit, she is prepar-
ing for an end-of-life visit for one of her
patients, the man in his forties who had
been on the machines for a month but
was not improving.
“It was awful,” she told me the next
day. “His kids came, they were saying
goodbye and were young — he was young
and fit, and it seemed so unfair. I have two
young kids and seeing his kids telling him
what they had been doing that day and
saying, ‘Daddy, please be OK,’ breaks my
heart.
“It seems so unfair you can’t even hug
them or give them tea and the PPE makes
you feel heartless — like they are being
comforted by a Dalek.”
That is not all. “You have a rubbish day
like that then go to the shop and see peo-
ple not wearing masks or distancing and
think, ‘They just don’t get it,’” she said.
“It’s so selfish. You might be safe, but you
wouldn’t knowingly walk up to someone
and give them a deadly disease — yet
that’s what you’re doing.”
@ChristinaLamb
CATCHING THE MUTANT STRAIN?
Friday was not a good day to be a man
in your sixties. At a time when many
Britons of that gender and vintage
might have been looking forward to
early vaccination and a relief from
pandemic perils, the government’s
chief scientific adviser singled them
out for a chilling warning: the mutant
strain of the virus makes their chances
of surviving Covid-19 measurably
worse.
Sir Patrick Vallance told a Downing
Street briefing that if you looked at a
group of 1,000 men in their sixties who
had all been infected with the new
variant, “roughly 13 or 14 might be
expected to die”, compared with only
10 with the original virus — an
increased death rate of at least 30%.
However, the small print of the
government’s data suggested that
significantly less alarming conclusions
might be equally valid about the
severity of the Covid variant first
identified in southeast England last
year.
The studies presented to the
government’s Nervtag advisory group
were based only on deaths where an
individual Covid strain was identified
— a mere 8% of the total. The reference
IS FROZEN FOOD A POSSIBLE SOURCE
OF INFECTION ACROSS BORDERS?
A new cold war has broken out
between China and much of the
western world. At stake are
international exports of frozen food
and the extent to which the
coronavirus is capable of spreading in
icy conditions.
Chinese officials and government
media have responded to a surge of
cases in recent weeks by claiming to
have found live viruses on frozen
seafood and in locally produced ice
cream made with imported milk
powder. The government has
introduced testing and disinfection
measures for imported foods,
including beef from Australia and New
Zealand and American pork.
to men in their sixties as an example
also concealed “huge differences
depending on how old you are”,
Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter of
Cambridge University told the BBC.
The new variant might spell trouble
for 80 and 90-year-olds but less so for
40-year-olds, and the increase in
mortality was “completely trivial” for
those in their twenties.
Nor did Vallance’s warnings rate
highly on the government’s own
“probability yardstick”, which
attempts to standardise the language
used to describe future threats.
The prospect of a 30 per cent
jump in mortality from the B.1.1.7
variant was judged a “realistic
possibility” with a 40-50 per cent
likelihood — not enough to be “likely or
probable”.
“We are still likely to see deaths start
to decline in the coming weeks given
the rapid decline in new cases,”
concluded Professor Paul Hunter of
the University of East Anglia.
“But whether the fatality rate is 1 per
cent or 1.3 per cent doesn’t really
change the fact that for a minority of
people this is a very dangerous virus
that is best avoided.”
Scientists have long doubted that
the virus can survive long in frozen
conditions.
The World Health Organisation had
previously found no evidence of
infection via food or food packaging,
but draft WHO advice seen by The Wall
Street Journal last week suggested
that “transmission of the virus could
occur from an external frozen package
to an individual”.
The draft advice was said to have
been issued “in error”. The WHO
has asked a team from Oxford
University to assess studies of the virus
on surfaces.
TONY ALLEN MILLS

IT’S NOT JUST GRAN FOUR UNDER-55s WHO HAVE HAD THE JAB
Laura de Savary, 42,
Grimsby
Watching Laura and other
residents at The Old
Vicarage, a Grimsby care
home for people with
special needs, receive the
vaccine was a moving
experience for staff. In
October a resident died of
Covid and more than 20
staff were infected.
Laura’s father, Paul, 68,
who owns the home, called
the jabs a “get-out-of-jail
card”. “Because I see the
homes I own as a family, I
don’t just have a daughter
there who I’m concerned
about; I have 82 people that
I’m responsible for too, so
this is very reassuring.”
Ritu Mehra, 40,
Kettering
Ritu was so thrilled about the
imminent arrival of the
Covid-19 jab at Wicksteed
Court, the care home she
manages in Kettering, that
she made a poster to put
on the door of their
makeshift vaccination
centre. “I was there bang on
8am,“ she said.
For her 11 residents,
many of whom have
dementia, she is longing for
the time when they can see
their family.
“Some of them are 98 or
99 years old and they’ve
not been able to see their
great-grandchildren,” she
said.
Darren Hilliker, 54,
Cheshire
Receiving the vaccination
last week was yet another
example of how the NHS has
saved Darren’s life.
The first time was 22 years
ago when he was involved in
a car accident. He had his
spleen removed after the
crash, meaning he is
clinically vulnerable.
“It is guaranteed with
absolute certainty — I owe
my life to the NHS,” said
Darren, from Poynton in
Cheshire.
He has been shielding
for nearly a year at home
with his wife, Nicola, 47, and
their twins, James and
Freddie, 9.
Aiysha Saleemi, 35,
Lewisham
A pharmacist at a hospital in
Lewisham, southeast
London, Aiysha wanted to
have a vaccination to protect
her parents, Asif, 68, and
Nadia, 63, both of whom
have found Covid-19 nerve-
racking. For the first three
months of the pandemic,
they did not leave the house.
“Unfortunately, my mum
had a breast cancer
diagnosis a few months ago,”
said Aiysha. “So now we’ve
got the added pressure of
her immune system already
being low.”
She is planning a trip in
August to Fez, Morocco, to
study Arabic.
Hospitals send Covid patients home
to ‘virtual wards’ under care of Dr App
Andrew Gregory
Thousands of people infected
with the coronavirus are
being discharged early to
“virtual wards” in their own
homes to relieve pressure on
hospitals.
Last week the NHS became
so overwhelmed that even
children with complex
medical needs had to be
moved out of hospital so
their beds could be used for
Covid-19 patients.
More than 38,000 infected
patients remained in wards
this weekend; only those able
to handle patient-monitoring
technology are being moved
under the new scheme.
NHSX, the NHS’s “digital
transformation” unit, is
collaborating with two digital
health companies, Huma and
Luscii. Coronavirus patients
are provided with an app,
into which they enter their
symptoms, temperature,
heart rate, respiratory rate
and oxygen level. They check
their oxygen levels with a
pulse oximeter three times a
day. Nurses and doctors are
in regular phone contact, and
patients can be brought back
to hospital for checks or
treatment if any concerns
arise.
The NHS has ordered
hundreds of thousands of
pulse oximeters for the
virtual ward scheme. The
devices, which clip onto a
finger, use beams of light to
measure how much oxygen is
absorbed in the blood
vessels.
During the pandemic’s first
wave, some patients suffered
silent hypoxia — also known
as happy hypoxia — in which
there is a dangerous lack of
oxygen but no awareness of
being seriously ill.
Tara Donnelly, chief digital
officer at NHSX, said the
virtual wards made possible
the “remote monitoring of
patients’ symptoms and
physiological parameters
such as heart rate, level of
oxygen saturation and
temperature”.
Clinicians see all the data
in real time and any
significant changes are
flagged up. Patients see a
double tick when their data
has been viewed, similar to
what is shown on your phone
screen when a WhatsApp
message has been read. If
there are any problems,
clinicians can start a video
call with the patient.
A trial of virtual wards at
Watford General Hospital
found that clinicians were
able to identify any
deterioration in patients with
minimal delay and bring
them back in for face-to-face
review. They were also able
to manage more patients than
usual.
Natasha Patel, 31, who
works in finance in London
and lives in St Albans,
Hertfordshire, was recently
discharged to a virtual Covid
ward from Watford hospital.
“After going to A&E with what
felt like an asthma attack, I
was tested and subsequently
told I had Covid-19. I became
very unwell within days,” she
said. “However, after a few
stays in hospital, I was
discharged into the virtual
hospital and once I was back
home I could use technology
to update the hospital.”
Patel added: “It’s been
great to have the freedom to
be at home and try to get back
to normal after being in
hospital.”
Dr Matthew Knight, a
respiratory medicine
consultant at West
Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS
Trust, said: “Feedback from
patients has been
overwhelmingly positive.
We know that hospitals are
busy places and this can
make it hard to rest well
if you are an inpatient. Our
patients know we can keep
them safe and bring them in
at a moment’s notice if
needed.”
A second trial by South
Tyneside and Sunderland
NHS Foundation Trust has
found that the use of virtual
wards not only reduces the
number of unnecessary
coronavirus admissions but
also improves patient
satisfaction.
Dr Tracey Lucas, a GP in
Sunderland, said patients in
virtual wards were less
anxious. “They can be in
their houses and a lot of them
will be called three times a
day and do a video
consultation,” she said.
“Some are very worried to
have tested positive, so this
gives them reassurance.”
@AndrewGregory
12 The Sunday Times January 24, 2021

NEWS

Sorry, minister — only Tory men can do the talking

Just one of the women in Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and appeared on the programmes 65 times

cabinet has been allowed

on a Sunday politics show
since March, while their
male peers can’t keep away
Caroline Wheeler
Deputy Political Editor
When it comes to the flagship political TV
programmes on Sunday mornings, it
appears that the government is applying
its “stay at home” message to the female
ranks of the cabinet.
Downing Street has put up only one
female cabinet minister to answer ques-
tions on either The Andrew Marr Show on
BBC One or Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday
since the start of the first lockdown on
March 23. Priti Patel, the home secretary,
appeared on both programmes on June
Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, who
have each made 14 appearances on both.
Michael Gove, chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster, has made 10 appearances.
Critics accuse Johnson of paying lip
service to equality but when he
addressed a group of female MPs late last
year, he described himself as a feminist.
It is understood that Allegra Stratton,
the prime minister’s spokeswoman, has
been tasked with implementing a new
strategy to redress the gender imbalance
within the party, parliament and policy.
Details of the latest snub to Johnson’s
female cabinet ministers have provoked a
backlash among senior women in the
party. Caroline Nokes, the former minis-
ter who chairs the Commons women and
equalities committee, said: “By not put-
ting up female ministers to speak on the
main political Sunday morning pro-
grammes, the party is failing to engage
with half of the electorate. It also smacks
WHO’S ALLOWED ON TV? since the start of the first lockdown, while
Patel — the only female cabinet minister
to be put forward — has appeared just
0
Total number of appearances by cabinet ministers
BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show or Sky’s Sophy Ridge
ers on the
ge on 0 twice during the same time period. Thé-
rèse Coffey, who runs the Department for
Sunday since the beginning of the first lockdown:
n: Work and Pensions and has overseen the
expansion of universal credit, has not
Matt Hancock, health secretary appeared once, and nor has Liz Truss,
14
Dominic Raab, foreign secretary
10 the international trade secretary.
By contrast, Labour has put forward
Michael Gove, minister for the Cabinet Office
ffice and
binet Of 17 male and 17 female shadow cabinet
10 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
ter members on The Andrew Marr Show. On
Sophy Ridge on Sunday, 18 male shadow
Grant Shapps, transport secretary
y cabinet ministers and 17 female shadow
4
Robert Jenrick, housing secretary
Rishi Sunak, chancellor 14 cabinet ministers have made an appear-
ance since the first lockdown.
George Eustice, environment minister
ister Johnson has previously been accused
of not valuing the women in his top team
3 Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland after it emerged in December that Down-
secretary 2 ing Street had not used a female minister
to lead its coronavirus press conference
Boris Johnson, prime minister for more than six months. Patel has since
2 + Oliver Dowden, Robert Buckland
nd led two press conferences.

28 last year.
Of the 21 cabinet ministers under John-
son, 16 are male, which critics say can
affect perspectives on policy decisions.
of a government led by men for men.”
Baroness Jenkin of Kennington, who
co-founded Women2Win to promote
women in politics, said: “Women make
65
and Alok Sharma A spokesman for the BBC said: “We
request female ministers and representa-
2 Priti Patel, home secretary tives from all of the political parties, but
we can’t control which political guests
w

An examination of the guest lists for
both Sunday morning programmes
reveals that 12 male cabinet ministers
have appeared on both shows during that
time, some repeatedly. These include
2
up 51 per cent of the population, and it is Liz Truss, international trade Clockwise from agree to appear.”
unhelpful when they don’t see anyone
0 secretary above: Patel, A spokeswoman for Sky said: “Sky
who looks like them and sounds like + Thérèse Coffey, Baroness Evans
s Hancock, Milling, News believes in parity of opinions and
them on the main political programmes.” and Amanda Milling Truss and Gove voices and is an advocate of diversity on
v
In total, male cabinet ministers have screen and off screen.”

Climate tsar
seethes at Jenrick
over coalmine
Gabriel Pogrund
Whitehall Correspondent
Boris Johnson’s climate
change tsar is “apopletic”
with a cabinet minister for
approving Britain’s first new
deep coalmine in decades.
Alok Sharma, who quit as
business secretary this month
to devote himself full-time to
the presidency of the COP26
summit, is said to be furious
with Robert Jenrick, the
communities secretary, for
not stopping the mine in
Cumbria.
On January 6, Jenrick
formally refused to intervene
in the £165m Whitehaven
project to remove coking coal
from beneath the Irish Sea for
steel-making. Jenrick, 39,
decided not to use his powers
to call in the scheme, which
would have given him the
right to block it, instead
telling councillors he was
“content” for the decision to
be made locally. A
government source said
Jenrick did not consult
Sharma or other ministers on
the plan, in line with planning
guidance
Work is likely to begin on
the first deep coalmine for 30
years as the government tells
other nations to slash carbon
emissions. The Swedish
climate activist Greta
Thunberg, 18, said the
approval of the mine showed
that Britain’s commitment to
go carbon neutral by 2050
“basically means nothing”.
The decision could
complicate efforts to forge an
alliance with Joe Biden’s
White House, which has
described international
action on climate change as a
key foreign policy goal.
Sharma, 53, who was
appointed to the COP26 role
two days after Jenrick’s
decision, was, according to
two sources, upset about not
being consulted and with the
verdict itself.
The Department of
Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy is the
parent body of the Coal
Authority and has ultimate
responsibility for the sector.
A civil servant said: “Alok
was apoplectic. So were civil
servants. There was just
disbelief that a decision like
this could have been made.”
One Whitehall source said:
“It f***s us at the very
moment the world is
watching us and expecting us
to step up on the issue.”
On January 11, less than a
week after the decision,
Sharma:
angry that
he was not
consulted
by Robert
Jenrick
Sharma made one of his first
speeches in his new role, and
spoke of “accelerating the
move from coal to clean
power”. He praised countries
for “phasing out coal”.
The rescheduled COP26
summit takes place in
Glasgow in November.
Last week Sharma offered
a glimpse of his anger at a
business select committee.
Asked whether it was an
“embarrassment” for Britain,
he said: “I completely
understand the point you are
making.”
Steve Reed, the shadow
communities secretary, said
the decision was “another
staggering example of Robert
Jenrick’s complete lack of
judgment”.
West Cumbria Mining
majority-owned by an
Australian private equity
fund, has said Whitehaven
will create 500 jobs.

Pensioner robbed by
bogus delivery men
Dipesh Gadher
Home Affairs Correspondent
A gang of violent robbers
posing as food delivery men
gagged an 84-year-old woman
and pinned her to the ground
before ransacking her home.
The five suspects sat on the
pensioner’s chest and stuffed
a sock into her mouth after
forcing their way through the
front door. They cut bangles
from her wrist and stole
about £200 in cash, as well as
her bank cards and mobile
phone.
The incident in Plaistow,
east London, on Thursday
evening is the latest in a string
of crimes where thieves have
pretended to be delivery men
to exploit the circumstances
of the pandemic. A Scotland
Yard source said: “They know
that people are far more
likely to be at home now, so
they are adapting their tactics
accordingly.”
Many elderly people or
those who are shielding are
reliant on home delivery for
groceries, and people have
got used to receiving packages
almost daily. The woman has
told detectives that she was
not expecting a delivery that
evening. However, she
opened the door when the
men insisted they had
brought her food.
The suspects — described
as white, in their twenties and
wearing masks or balaclavas
— pushed their way into her
home just after 6.30pm and
searched it for valuables for
20-30 minutes.
Paramedics who arrived
afterwards said the woman
was “in shock” but did not
require hospital treatment.
Police are appealing for
witnesses. The suspects were
dressed in dark clothing and
one was wearing a pair of
black Nike tracksuit trousers
with red piping. Anyone with
information can call
Crimestoppers anonymously
on 0800 555 111.
@DipeshGadher
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021
NEWS
Look after your
heart to keep
dementia at bay
Staying fit in middle age
stops arteries stiffening
and may keep your brain
healthier for longer,
research shows
Andrew Gregory Health Editor
A healthy heart in middle age lowers the
risk of developing dementia later in life,
according to a landmark study.
People who regularly exercise, eat and
drink healthily, quit smoking and
cut their salt intake in their forties and
fifties boost their chances of avoiding
or delaying the onset of the condition
decades later.
The findings, published in the journal
PLOS Medicine, emerged from a 36-year
study which has tracked the health of
more than 10,000 Britons since 1985.
Researchers at Oxford University and
University College London (UCL) said the
results highlighted the importance of
making lifestyle changes in middle age.
Most people know they can reduce
their risk of dementia by stimulating their
brain — learning a new language, study-
ing for new qualifications, completing
crosswords or puzzles such as Sudoku,
and reading challenging books. But few
realise how significantly they can reduce
their risk by looking after the rest of their
body, particularly their heart.
Dr Scott Chiesa, research associate at
the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Sci-
ence, said: “It’s very much a case of early
prevention for maximum gain ... when
you’re young, you’ve got to start thinking
about the long-term consequences,
rather than wait until you get old and
hope someone cures you.”
The body’s largest artery, the aorta,
can grow stiffer with age. For the first
time, the research found that faster aortic
stiffening in mid-life to older age is linked
to markers of poorer brain health.
13
DARK HORSE
CHRIS GORMAN
Road race
snitches
caught
speeding
Tony Allen-Mills
From the “be careful what
you wish for” department of
Greater Manchester police
(GMP) came a salutary
message last week.
Urged to take action by
Prestwich residents angered
by drivers speeding down
In a subset of the study, researchers
measured the aortic stiffness of 542
quiet suburban streets, the
GMP sent neighbourhood
adults when they were 64 and 68 years. officers from its special
Subsequent cognitive tests and brain constabulary to crack down
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on the miscreants.
assessed the size, connections and blood
supply of different brain regions at the
Some residents were
doubtless thrilled to see their
age of 69. local bobbies backed up by
Researchers said the tests suggested expert drivers from the
that targeting arterial health much earlier GMP’s tactical vehicle
in a person’s lifespan could provide cog- interception unit.
nitive benefits in older age and may help There have long been
to delay the onset of dementia, or avoid it complaints about night-time
altogether. “racing” down streets around
Arteries stiffen faster if someone has Heaton Park, a 600-acre
pre-existing heart diseases, high blood estate formerly owned by the
pressure, diabetes and other vascular Earl of Wilton on the leafy
diseases. Stiffening also happens faster northern margins of
with long-term exposure to poor health Manchester.
behaviours and lifestyle risk factors, such A police operation last
as smoking or poor diet. Sunday soon managed to
“With arterial stiffness, it’s very impor- catch offenders in its net.
tant to get in early to try and prevent it,” However, at the same time it
said Chiesa. “With the aorta, once it has was discovered that some of
changed from being elastic, which is the residents who had
what you want, to being a stiffer artery, complained in the first
it’s very difficult to go back and make it place were among those
less stiff. At the moment, there’s very few, doing the speeding
if any, drugs at all which have been found themselves.
that can actually reverse the process that “It’s notable that a number
well. So it’s very much a case of trying to of the drivers stopped were
stop it happening.” actually the original
The researchers stressed that changes complainants,” the GMP’s
of lifestyle made earlier in life could help Bury South station
to slow down arterial stiffening. tweeted.
Dr Richard Oakley, head of research at This is not the first time
the Alzheimer’s Society, which funded speeding Mancunians have
the study, said the findings “shed impor- made headlines.
tant light on a connection between the In 2019 the city led the
health of our blood vessels and changes country in the number of
Don’t in the brain”.
He added: “Dementia devastates lives,
speeding tickets issued, with
more than 124,000 handed
wait and with the number of people with
dementia set to rise to one million by
out. The Metropolitan Police
in London issued 121,000 the
until 2025, reducing our risk has never been
more important. We know what’s good
same year.
It may have been the first
you get for your heart is good for your head.” time, however, that any
speeders have called the
old For top tips on looking after your Horses and their riders exercising in a brief outbreak of sun on the beach at West Wittering, West Sussex police to complain about
heart, go to sundaytimes.co.uk themselves.
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021
COMMENT
Rod Liddle
My party has definitely caught the public
mood. Now all we need is some votes
I
wonder if you can think back to a
time when the Labour Party,
captured by extremists, was led by a
doddering, staggeringly inept leftie?
Estranged from its voter base, it was
heading blithely towards a landslide
electoral defeat and the defection of
moderate MPs to a new party they
set up, which seemed indistinguishable
from the Liberals.
No, not 2019 and Magic Grandpa.
There have been previous Magic
Grandpas — even if the one I’m talking
about was on a different intellectual
plane from Jeremy Corbyn. The only
thing they shared was dressing like the
man who used to sell peanuts at Millwall
matches. History repeats itself, not as
farce, but as a noisome belch occasioned
by acid reflux.
Anyway, tomorrow is the 40th
anniversary of the Limehouse
Declaration, when David Owen, Roy
Jenkins, Shirley Williams and the other
one* got the hell out of Michael Foot’s
rabble of a Labour Party and set up the
SDP (Social Democratic Party). I trust
you will be doing something fitting to
mark the occasion, such as repeatedly
banging your head against a wall.
The SDP is still going. I am proud to be
a member of what is possibly the fastest-
growing party in the history of politics,
given that we had about eight members
two years ago and now have 2,000.
That’s a 25,000 per cent increase, mate.
More than 100 join every month,
according to our excellent leader,
William Clouston.
I speak to Will most days — that’s one
of the pleasures of being in such a small
cabal. Another is that we can hold our
annual meeting without flouting Covid
restrictions. We have lots of academics
and writers, but what we need is a big
name to help us secure our political
breakthrough and hence prepare for
government. Occasionally Will rings me
with the exciting news that we have got
the chap who played bass on an early
Uriah Heep album, and we mull over
whether this will give us the momentum
we deserve. We stick at it, though,
because the polls suggest we are right.
There is an enormous constituency of
voters for a social market party that is
left-leaning economically but patriotic,
communitarian, traditionalist and pro-
family and has no time whatsoever for
divisive identitarian politics.
We recognise a need to invest in
industry and education, but at the same
time cleave strongly to the notion that a
person with a todger is a man. On that,
as on so many issues, we have the public
entirely on our side. It’s just that the
public don’t know that yet.
The Limehouse Declaration, seen
from afar, is scarcely impressive,
concerning itself with Labour’s myriad
We cleave
strongly to
the notion
that a person
with a todger
is a man
defects and failing to recognise the
attraction Margaret Thatcher held for so
many working-class voters.
The real problem, though, was that of
the “Gang of Four” who made that
declaration — Owen, Williams, Jenkins
and that other one — only Owen, a
brilliant politician, was actually a social
democrat. The rest were basically
Liberals, both lower and upper case.
Hence a merger, against Owen’s wishes,
with David Steel’s Liberal Party and the
SDP’s effective extinction.
The “Democrat” bit of Ed Davey’s
hilarious coven is the vestigial tail of our
own party and we may sue him to get it
back. The Liberals would be the last
party with which a true social democrat
would align themself.
Owen, by contrast, was patriotic,
strong on defence and a Eurosceptic, all
policies the SDP continues to this day. I
spoke to Lord Owen on Friday. He was,
as ever, charming, loquacious, haughty
and astute, perhaps the finest prime
minister we never had, if Ernest Bevin
will forgive me. The Liberals had been a
grave problem right from the beginning,
he said — and Jenkins had been a liberal
for a very long time.
Owen sits as an Independent Social
Democrat in the Lords, the man who
came closer than anybody, including
Nigel Farage, to overturning our rancid
two-party system. The SDP-Liberal
Alliance came just two percentage points
behind Labour in 1983.
You may see us out campaigning from
time to time. We have a car, you see. On
the roof is a big SDP placard thing. Will
drives the car and shouts out stuff like
“Vote SDP!” every now and then,
through a loudspeaker. People see us
and sometimes respond by forming their
hand into a fist and waving it up and
down at us, which gives us
encouragement. The dawn will surely
not be long in coming.
*The other one was, of course, Bill
Rodgers. I knew it would come back to
me eventually.
Prime minister challenged
PHOTOBUBBLE: NICK NEWMAN
l The health secretary, Matt
Hancock, says one of the conditions
for lifting Covid restrictions will be
“no new variants”.
Isn’t that a bit like saying “when all
geese learn to speak fluent English”
or “when hell freezes over”? There are
Where do
you stand on
being woke?
new variants of the coronavirus
emerging every day — an estimated
1,000 since the original outbreak. Like
all other viruses, it will continue to
mutate.
Is he trying to tell us something? Or
did he just, as they say, misspeak?
15
Obsessives seeing
evil everywhere
Further dispatches from the front line of
the deranged obsessives’ war against
everything. Two of the world’s top chess
players, Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri,
have played a game in which — contrary
to 100 or so years of tradition — black
moved first. This was, they explained, a
“symbolic gesture” against racism. It
raises the question as to whether white,
with his inherent privilege, should be
allowed to move at all during a game.
Meanwhile, Leicester University has
dumped boring old Geoffrey Chaucer
from its syllabus so as to concentrate on
literature with race, ethnic and gender
themes. Perhaps the Wife of Bath’s
naked buttocks hanging out of a
window doesn’t do it for them any more.
Better still, York University has
removed an image of the three wise
monkeys — see no evil, hear no evil,
speak no evil — from its website as they
perpetuate racial stereotypes. It never
occurred to me that the monkeys — of
Japanese origin — were anything other
than monkeys. If it occurred to the idiots
at York, they must be racist themselves.
Maybe we should ban monkeys entirely
and have done with it.
Breathe in and be
quids in with Covid
I must say I rather liked the Department
of Health’s proposal to pay people
£500 to self-isolate with the
coronavirus. It was exciting — a kind of
“Catch Covid and win a Metro”.
You can imagine the conversations at
home, too. “We’re a bit skint this month,
love. Go and stand outside that care
home and breathe in a lot.”
The government now seems to have
gone cool on the idea.
WORLD NEWS
16

WORLD NEWS

Kremlin rattled as thousands

In the biggest Marc Bennetts Moscow
Matthew Campbell
making arrests, pulling people from the
crowd at random and lashing out with
truncheons.
wall and hit them with truncheons. In
nearby Vladivostok, on the Pacific coast,
at least one protester was reported to
sition media showed officers assaulting
detainees in police vans. One group of
protesters began marching towards the

nationwide protests Russian police detained more than 2,000

people in Moscow and cities across the
country yesterday as tens of thousands of
“The police attacked me as I was trying
to pull an elderly woman from the crush,”
said Maria Isayeva, a 25-year-old activist,
Just in
have been beaten unconscious. A hand-
ful of people also briefly demonstrated in
Yakutsk, in northeastern Siberia, where
prison where Navalny is held. They were
met by a phalanx of riot police who had
cordoned off the area. Scores of people

since Vladimir Putin protesters braved freezing temperatures

and threats of prosecution to demand the
release of Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned
as her friends adjusted a blood-soaked
bandage wrapped around her head.
A crowd of protesters fought running
case — I
don’t plan
the temperature was minus 50C.
There was also unrest in St Petersburg,
Putin’s home town, where protesters
were arrested with some being thrown to
the ground and beaten by officers.
Navalny’s anti-corruption organisation

came to power, opposition leader.

As many as 50,000 people gathered in
a Moscow square a short walk from the
battles with police next to the Rossiya
theatre, which was advertising a per-
formance of It’s A Wonderful Life.
to hang
myself
surged through police lines before
marching down the main street.
Navalny, 44, had called for the protests
has called for another protest on Satur-
day.
Yesterday’s disturbances are expected

angry Russians have Kremlin to chant “freedom for Navalny”

and “Putin is a thief ” in what was
believed to be the biggest unsanctioned
Cheering crowds pelted officers with
snowballs. But as the mood darkened,
protesters attacked an apparent secret
in what is widely seen as a make-or-break
moment for the opposition as it tries to
tap into public frustration with economic
to provoke deep unease in the Kremlin,
haunted by histories of great upheavals
rooted in mass protests, from the Bolshe-

called for his jailed protest in the city since President Putin
came to power 21 years ago.
Among the hundreds detained in
police vehicle. The driver was taken to
hospital with a serious eye injury, state
media said.
woes and corruption. “Putin has been in
power for too long,” said Denis, 38, a
Moscow protester.
vik revolution to the death throes of
communism. Putin cannot afford to look
weak in the eyes of his security services

opponent to be freed Moscow was Navalny’s wife, Yulia, who

announced her arrest on Instagram from
a police van. She was later released.
Clashes broke out as riot police began
Similar scenes played out in dozens of
cities across the country’s 11 time zones.
In Khabarovsk, in Russia’s far east, police
reportedly lined detainees up against a
As evening fell, chaotic scenes contin-
ued across the capital as police pursued
demonstrators through Moscow’s alleys
but at the same time does not want to
turn Navalny into a martyr in the mould
of Nelson Mandela by locking him up and
and side-streets. Footage posted by oppo- throwing away the key.

France’s ‘teenage Rushdie’ earns 50,000 death threats with one jibe at Islam
KIRAN RIDLEY

than the 2018 World Cup, and “It has been a year since on social media but when it her own safety and that of her
ER
PETER Mila has received more than my life ceased. I have the moved to a new level, Mila 750 fellow students at risk.

CONRADI
RADI
Paris
It started like many spats on
social media during a session
on Instagram Live. A 16-year-
old French schoolgirl got into
a discussion about how a
lesbian friend of hers was not
attracted to north Africans.
A young man responded
by calling them “racists” and
“dirty lesbians” and as the
exchange became more
heated, the girl, named only
as Mila, seized on his Muslim
background. “Your religion is
shit,” she said.
Their encounter was
intended to be private, but it
swiftly went viral in a way
neither of them could have
imagined, provoking strong
reactions from supporters
and critics alike.
A year later, the video has
been viewed 35 million times,
generating more comments
50,000 death threats.
Forced to leave her school
in Villefontaine, near Lyons —
and the boarding school she
had been sent to instead —
she is under police protection
at her parents’ home.
The teenager has found
herself on the front line of a
very French battle. President
Emmanuel Macron’s drive to
assert “republican values” of
free speech and an often
aggressive secularism is
facing resistance within the
country’s substantial Muslim
community. At the same
time, Macron is trying to
foster openness about
France’s brutal war against
the independence of Algeria,
ancestral homeland of many
French Muslim families,
although he refused last week
to make an official apology.
Mila’s plight has been
likened by her lawyer to that
of Salman Rushdie, the writer
forced into hiding in 1989
after a fatwa was issued by
Ayatollah Khomeini, the
Iranian leader.
feeling of being dead while
still remaining in the world,”
she said in an interview
published by Le Point
magazine last week. “It is
extremely hard to see other
people continuing their lives
— to see them leave home or
step out of a car. I can only
step out of bed. The lack of
freedom . . . hurts me a lot. I
cry a lot, almost every day,
thinking of that.”
Although her behaviour
has been defended by
Macron, she said he had
never got in touch with her. If
he ever did, she would urge
him to “place certain limits to
the practice of Islam in
France. To have stronger
punishment for insults made
in the name of religion. To
tolerate the simple veil but
not the full veil”.
The president’s efforts to
rein in radical Islam have
intensified since Samuel Paty,
a teacher, was beheaded by
an 18-year-old Chechen in
October. Paty had been the
victim of a hate campaign on
Mila lives under police protection. Right, a protest after the murder of teacher Samuel Paty
social media after he showed
pupils cartoons of the
prophet Muhammad in a
lesson on free speech. He was
killed during the trial of 14
The lack of people linked to the 2015
murders at Charlie Hebdo,
freedom the magazine that published
the cartoons.
hurts me. Macron has been pushing
Muslim leaders to sign up to a
I cry a lot controversial law to fight
“Islamist separatism” that
began its passage through
parliament last week.
Into this maelstrom
stepped Mila, a lippy but
highly articulate pansexual
with a funky haircut. By her
own account, the aspiring
writer and singer was always
argumentative and
uncompromising. Teachers
told her off for being scantily
dressed; class bullies said she
“looked like a prostitute”.
She had long been
accustomed to harassment
went on French television to
assert her right to criticise
religion — a stance backed
publicly by Macron.
She has continued to be
bombarded with threats to
bury her alive, disfigure her
with acid or make her eat her
own organs. Police have
identified at least 50 people
responsible and detected
attempts to find her address.
On holiday in Malta in
August, she was recognised
by a young man of Algerian
origin who lives in France. To
her face, he threatened to
rape and kill her. He was
arrested. Two months later a
23-year-old, named only as
Kevin B, was jailed for three
years for posting videos
online on which he, too,
threatened to kill her — in
one, miming the action of
slitting her throat. Last month
during a conversation with
friends on social media, Mila
blurted out the location of
her boarding school, run by
the military. The army sent
her home, saying she had put
In an angry open letter, her
father accused those who run
the school of “using the first
pretext” they could find to
“get rid” of his daughter.
Mila’s latest comments
have reignited the row but
Richard Malka, one of
France’s most high-profile
lawyers, lauded her courage.
“It is not a matter of her
trying to keep her anonymity.
She will never have a normal
life,” he said. “There is always
a reason to defend liberty.”
The 52-year-old, who is of
Moroccan Jewish origin, has
lived under police protection
for the past six years h since
his work for Charlie Hebdo.
“At least I’m older and had a
life before,” he said.
Malka is astonished by the
threats against Mila — which
he attributes to the
“amplifying effect” of social
media. “Twenty years ago
this would have all happened
in a playground and no one
would have heard anything
about it,” he said.
@Peter_Conradi
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 17

ANTON VAGANOV; KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV; ANTON BASANAYEV

Anti-Putin protesters
confronting police in St
Petersburg, main picture,
Moscow, above, and a
bitterly cold Yekaterinburg,
left. Below, police in the
capital being pelted with
snowballs

demand Navalny’s release

The Kremlin has dismissed pleas from
the West to let Navalny go, instead
launching a crackdown on his allies,
arresting or fining several of them in the
run-up to yesterday’s demonstrations.
Navalny was arrested on his return to
Russia last weekend from Germany,
where he spent five months recovering
from an attempt on his life with a sus-
pected Soviet-era nerve agent, which he
blamed on Putin.
Long considered the Russian leader’s
most dangerous opponent, he could now
face more than 13 years in prison for
parole violations and what are widely
regarded as trumped up charges of
embezzlement. He will be tried early next
month. In a message passed on by his
lawyer, he told his supporters yesterday
not to believe prison officials if they sud-
denly announced that he had committed
suicide in custody.
“Just in case, I am announcing I don’t
plan to either hang myself on a window
grill or cut my veins or throat open with a
sharpened spoon,” he said from Mos-
cow’s Matrosskaya Tishina prison. It is
notorious as the jail in which Sergei Mag-
nitsky, a lawyer who had irritated the
regime by exposing theft by state offi-
cials, was allegedly beaten to death.
“I know that outside my prison there
are many good people, and help is on the
way,” Navalny added.
Famous for slick videos exposing cor-
ruption among the ruling elite, Navalny
has continued to embarrass authorities
Yulia, wife of from behind bars, stirring public indigna-
Alexei Navalny, at tion with a new video last week about a
the Moscow vast, luxury palace complex on the Black
protest Sea that he said had been built for Putin.
The two-hour video has notched up
66m views on YouTube in just four days,
making it Navalny’s most popular exposé
yet of Kremlin corruption. It claimed that
the palace, complete with “aqua gym”,
various bars and a theatre, was built for
him by tycoons and officials who act as
his “wallets”.
Under construction for more than a
decade, the complex includes an under-
ground ice hockey rink — Putin is a keen
player — as well as a storage area for
“therapeutic mud”. It is estimated to be
worth £990m and is set in grounds larger
than Monaco, including hundreds of
acres of vineyards, as well as a large
“buffer zone” owned by the Federal
Security Service (FSB), which Putin, a
former KGB officer in Germany, once
headed.
“Everybody already knows Putin is
corrupt, that the whole system he built is
corrupt, but it is one thing to know it and
another to see it,” said Vladimir Kara-
Murza, an opposition activist and survi-
vor of two poisonings with a suspected
nerve agent. “Now tens of millions of Rus-
sians have seen it.”
He believes indignation over the “pre-
posterous” palace in a country where an
Putin is estimated quarter of the population lives
in poverty has galvanised the opposition.
terrified. “There are lots of young people, stu-
dents, coming out against Putin,” he said.
He is “Putin is terrified. He is yesterday’s man.”
yesterday’s Once he had recovered, Navalny had
no choice but to return to the country he
man accuses of ordering his assassination,
Kara-Murza added. “A Russian politician
cannot be outside Russia,” he said.
“When an opponent is outside the coun-
try, he loses moral authority.”
Navalny was flown to Germany for
treatment on August 22 last year after fall-
ing ill on a return flight to Moscow from
Siberia. The Bellingcat investigative news
website identified several FSB agents
who were suspected of involvement in
the plot to poison him and Navalny man-
aged to trick one of them into revealing,
in a recorded phone conversation, how a
nerve agent had been smeared on his
underpants.
Various European laboratories identi-
fied the poison as a variety of novichok,
the poison used against defector Sergei
Skripal in Salisbury in 2018.
Kara-Murza, who was targeted in 2015
and 2017 with a similar substance, said:
“You never fully recover from it. I spent
weeks speaking gibberish after it hap-
pened. I had to learn how to walk again.”
Navalny, who spent 18 days in a coma,
said he had suffered early problems with
co-ordination. Now he appears to have
sprung back to vigorous health to present
the Kremlin with its worst nightmare.
Editorial, page 20

NEW ZEALAND, PLEASE WELCOME . . . NORMALITY! From radio station cleaner to America’s
KERRY MARSHALL

inquisitor — Larry King dies at 87

Nigel Farndale
Larry King, the American talk
show host, has died at the age
of 87 in Los Angeles. Earlier
this month it was reported
that he had Covid-19.
Hunched forward over his
microphone, hair swept back,
wearing colourful braces and
outsized glasses, King was the
global face of CNN for 25
years, a chat show host for
more than six decades, and
America’s pre-eminent cable
television interviewer in the
late 20th century.
He spent his career asking
other people about their
lives, but his own was
scarcely less colourful. He
married seven women, one of
them twice, and survived a
remarkable string of
afflictions — a heart attack,
prostate cancer, lung cancer,
type two diabetes, and a
stroke — but not Covid-19.
The New Zealand band Shapeshifters playing at a stadium in Hawke’s Bay yesterday. Thousands of fans turned up to “I fear death, but there is
watch what was the first in a series of concerts that are the largest outdoor events to be held since Covid began nothing I can do about it,” he
once told The Times in an
interview. “I think it’s the
scariest thing there is. It’s the
total unknown. I’m amazed at
people who think they know
where they’re going.”
He had been considering
leaving instructions that his
corpse be cryogenically
frozen in case he could be
resurrected in the future, but
was unsure: “I thought of
being frozen. That’s a pretty
good bet. At least it’s a
percentage bet, right? If
you’re frozen and they
discover a cure. But your
Larry King said he had considered having his body frozen
[cryonics] company might
not be around, and it costs a
lot of money. I don’t want to
take that away from my wife
or my kids to use.”
He rose from the humblest
of backgrounds as the son of
east European migrants in
New York, working as a
cleaner in a tiny radio station
in Miami until a disc jockey
left and the manager
promoted him. He rose to
television commentator and
newspaper columnist.
King was an inveterate
better on horses. After a
former friend and financier
accused him of stealing
$5,000 to pay gambling debts
— charges that were
eventually dropped — he
spent several years scraping a
living as a freelance writer
and doing public relations
work for a race track.
In 1972, nearly destitute, he
put his last dollars on a horse
at 70-1 and won $11,000.
Despite that, he declared
himself bankrupt in 1978 with
debts of roughly $350,000.
That same year marked the
start of his comeback when
he was given a nationally-
syndicated all-night show by
the Mutual Broadcasting
System, a commercial radio
network. On the back of that
he secured a column with
USA Today and other
broadcasting work.
In 1985 Ted Turner invited
him to join his fledgling CNN
with his own show, and King
became as big a celebrity as
many of his guests.
18 The Sunday Times January 24, 2021

WORLD NEWS

American Diary Sarah Baxter

The nation I remember
has gone — in its place are
two parallel universes

R
eturning to Washington after
an absence of more than a dec-
ade was a surreal, out-of-body
experience. The empty streets,
boarded-up shops, riot fencing
and the presence of 20,000
troops made Joe Biden’s inau-
guration as America’s 46th
president unlike any other, but that is not
what floored me. It was the sight of our
old home, where our children were
young, with a for-sale sign.
The yearning was almost unbearable.
My husband said as we peered through
the windows: “It’s as if we could buy it
back and start our old lives again.” The
owners had already removed their furni-
ture and it did not look as though much
had changed since our days.
The terraced house near Dupont Cir-
cle had a posh front and a grotty rear,
backing on to an alley, which in Washing-
ton inevitably meant rats. We remem-
bered the poem our son wrote, aged six,
for a class project on home wildlife:
“There are black rats, white rats, grey
rats, flat rats” — so many were splattered
by cars. We do not miss everything.
In any case, there is no turning back.
Not for me, not for Biden and not for
Donald Trump, now in exile in his Mar-a-
Lago resort. Our lives have shaped us, but
we cannot wade through nostalgia.
Coming to power after the storming of
the Capitol, facing the triple shocks of a
political, economic and health crisis,
Biden will not find it possible to return to
the business as usual of the eight years he
served with Barack Obama. Many of his
personnel are retreads from that time —
Jen Psaki, his new press secretary, gave
the game away when she nearly said
“President O” at her first White House
briefing — and Biden is going to have to
put his own stamp on this era to escape
the jibe that he heads a “Joebama”
administration.
His inauguration address harked back
to Abraham Lincoln, with its call to “end
this uncivil war”, while his blitz of execu-
tive orders — and the target of 100 million
coronavirus vaccinations in 100 days —
was designed to evoke Franklin Roosev-
elt’s first 100 days in office, when the New
Deal to drag America out of the Great
Depression was introduced at a clip.
In a country still reeling from the divi-
sions of the Trump era, however, Biden’s
problems are all his own. Nearly
900,000 people filed new unemploy-
ment claims last week, while more than
400,000 applied for pandemic unem-
ployment assistance. The boggling
$1.9 trillion (£1.36 trillion) stimulus pack-
age is only a sticking plaster.
Nobody predicted when Biden won
the Democratic nomination that the cor-
onavirus would result in more than
400,000 deaths. He was merely
regarded as the best available candidate
They say to beat the left-wing Bernie Sanders (now
relegated to an internet joke for the Mich-
Kamala ael Foot-style coat and mittens he wore to
the inauguration). At best, the former
Harris vice-president was meant to usher in a
period of calm, not be transformational.
did not The foreign policy challenges are dif-
ferent too, with a resurgent China having
put her spread and survived Covid-19 in far better
shape than the West. It was the only
hand on major world economy to record a rise in
GDP last year, even though the figure of
the Bible 2.3 per cent represented the weakest
growth since the Mao era.
because In notes to Congress supporting her
appointment as the Treasury secretary,
she is a Janet Yellen, the former governor of the
Federal Reserve, said America must com-
‘Satanist’ pete with China’s “economic statecraft”,
advanced by President Xi Jinping through
his belt and road initiative. The country
has years of lost time to make up.
Yet sending Trump packing, particu-
larly after the riot at the Capitol, has
endowed Biden with almost godlike sta-
tus among swooning Democrats. The
new president is not just regarded as the
“clean-up” guy but is receiving the kind of
reverential treatment I thought had gone
out of fashion during Obama’s second
term — when the swagger of “Yes we can”
gave way to more modest achievements.
The left of the party is urging Biden’s
team to be ambitious. Obama watered
down measures to boost the economy
and reform the banks after the 2008
crash, as well as plans for affordable
healthcare, in a spirit of co-operation the
Republicans did not reciprocate. By
nature Biden is even more risk-averse
than his former boss. He thinks the spirit
of the times calls for bold measures but is
afraid of further dividing the country.
The push and pull of these two impulses
will define his presidency.
When Obama was
elected in 2008, you
did not have to be a Dem-
ocrat to feel that America
had started a new chapter. I
was the Sunday Times Washington
correspondent and attended his inau-
guration. For me it was an astonishing
ANDREW HARNIK
moment, having spent part of my child-
hood in Montgomery, Alabama, in the
days of the civil rights movement.
The press were not treated as the
enemy and I was seated near the foot of
the podium, ahead of celebrity guests
such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The great
Aretha Franklin sang My Country ’Tis of
Thee to the tune of God Save the Queen.
I could barely have imagined conspir-
acy theories would become so embedded
in the fabric of the nation. Or that Trump,
with his malign genius for voicing sup-
pressed resentments, would make his
political bones by espousing the false
“birther” narrative that Obama was born
in Kenya and had no right to be president.
Humiliatingly, the first black president
had to dredge up his birth certificate — to
show his papers, as though he were an
interloper in his own country.
New conspiracies have begun to swirl
around Kamala Harris, the first woman,
the first black person and the first person
of south Asian descent to serve as vice-
president. She is said to have placed her
purse on the Bible so her hand did not
touch it as she took the oath of office,
because — imagine this — she is a “Satan-
ist”. In fact, Harris had her hand on two
Bibles, one belonging to a family friend
and the other to Thurgood Marshall, the
first black Supreme Court justice.
I did not learn this from the internet
(although it has been circulating on Face-
book) but from Lauren Ganser, whom I
Joe Biden being spoke to on my return to Pennsylvania
sworn in last this weekend. I first met Ganser, 61, a
Wednesday Republican election monitor, during the
alongside his campaign and wanted to know whether
wife, Jill. Below, she was going to give Biden a chance. She
the ‘Trump baby’
blimp
seems a kind woman, a
practising Catholic who
works as a behavioural
therapist and substi-
tute teacher. Did the
new president’s call for
unity strike a chord?
The short answer
is no. In fact, Ganser
had travelled to the Capitol on January 6
with a gun rights group, although she was
afraid to enter the building when she saw
the pushing and shoving. She thinks
activists on both sides — QAnon, the pro-
Trump conspiracy mongers, and the
anarchists of Antifa, the anti-fascist
movement — stirred up the trouble.
She did not watch Biden’s inaugural
speech, viewing him as the corrupt head
of a crime family, borderline senile and in
need of a “food taster” to protect him
from Harris. She believes Trump’s fare-
well message — “We will be back in some
form” — before jetting off to Florida on Air
Force One, contained a “hidden mean-
ing” about his return.
Like many Republicans, Ganser was
affronted by Biden’s message about con-
fronting white supremacists, racists and
domestic terrorists, regarding it as aimed
at all Trump voters, the opposite of his
intention. She thinks Biden’s executive
orders — such as overturning the travel
ban on people from mainly Muslim coun-
tries, rejoining the World Health Organi-
sation and signing the Paris accords on
climate change, as well as his pathway to
citizenship for illegal immigrants and
inclusive policies on gender identity —
will destroy America.
Ganser’s remarks are commonplace.
They can be heard non-stop on conserva-
tive cable news stations. In a warning to
Republicans, some of whom are leaning
towards impeachment, she would like
the Grand Old Party to be subsumed into
the Patriot Party, if it is ever formed by
Trump — a move he is contemplating,
according to The Wall Street Journal.
“I don’t know if the Republican Party
represents the people any more. It’s just
for Rinos [Republicans in name only],”
Ganser said. She added that the former
vice-president Mike Pence was “a perfect
example — he abandoned Trump”.
If these views persist, there is no going
back to the America I lived in before.
Each half of the nation inhabits an alter-
native universe. After the storming of the
Capitol, I doubt that Trump can return to
the White House in 2024. But I do know
that Biden faces the task of his life to bring
the country together.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, the biographer
of Lincoln and Roosevelt, said at the
conclusion of the Trump years: “It is
almost as if people have been in a war too
long and they don’t remember what
peace is.”
I remember. I just wish I was sure
this truce will last.
Kamala’s non-nuclear family,
News Review, page 23

For the media outrage

liberals have is that the crucial first 100 days of
continued coverage the Biden administration.
of Trump will keep Snyder acknowledges the
him in the public eye, risk, but believes holding
giving him the Trump to account for

machine, Trump will can’t turn off the set; you live
in a state of rage and
agitation. It’s terrible to have
this model where people are
attention he needs
to remain a powerful force in
national politics.
“That’s how he gets back
January 6 is more important.
“There has to be some kind of
accountability for what
happened,” he said. “There

be a hard habit to kick

JOSH
GLANCYY
Washington ccccccccccccc
In November 2016, three
weeks after the election of
Donald Trump as America’s
president, Mark Thompson,
the chief executive of The
New York Times, joined
friends for dinner at a French
bistro in midtown Manhattan.
He was in a surprisingly
buoyant mood.
Trump may be bad news
for America, the former BBC
chief told the table, but he is
going to be good for business.
He pointed out The New York
Times had sold hundreds of
thousands of subscriptions in
a matter of weeks.
Thompson was right:
Trump was a ratings godsend.
Four years of his presidential
opera provided a much-
needed boost to struggling
newspapers and flailing cable
news networks. Reliably
outrageous, insidious, comic
and terrifying all at once:
Trump became the media’s
patron saint — in business
terms, at least.
Digital subscriptions to
The New York Times nearly
doubled in the first year of
Trump’s presidency. The
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow,
one of Trump’s most vocal
critics, smashed her ratings
records, pulling in as many as
five million viewers for
primetime interviews with
the president’s niece, Mary
Trump, and his former
lawyer Michael Cohen.
Meanwhile conservative
outlets such as Fox News and
Newsmax, which tended to
defend the president and
heap scorn on his critics, also
feasted on the carnival of
outrage and culture war. Love
him or loathe him, America
became addicted to Trump.
Yet now, as the former
president mulls his future on
the Mar-a-Lago golf course,
the dominant question is:
how will the media — and the
country at large — move on?
Can they kick the Trump
habit? Will objectivity and
sobriety return to American
media, or are they relics of a
bygone era?
There was a cost to the
making money and also in,” said Tim Snyder, a needs to be a process.”
reaping vast rewards — career professor of history at Yale Others hope that having
success, validation — from and trenchant Trump critic. the more anodyne figure of
stimulating this politics of “He’ll try to turn himself into Biden in the White House will
contempt.” a martyr and create a turn the temperature down
Moving on from the grievance narrative about and speed up America’s
ratings windfall. Much of politics of contempt will be how he is the victim in all of Trump detox.
America’s liberal-dominated
media cast aside even the
easier said than done. With
Trump having been kicked off
this. The media need to be
very careful about how they
For while conservative
media are already revving up
pretence of objectivity during Twitter, there is a growing cover him.” to savage the new
the Trump era, openly clamour among some liberals In a matter of weeks, administration, getting
viewing the president as an to expel him from the public Trump’s second viewers frothing mad about
existential threat to America square entirely. Yet for impeachment trial in the the generally avuncular Biden
and the world. They certainly ratings-hungry news Senate will begin, is a tricky task.
held him to account, but also possibility of a channels, it will be difficult to guaranteeing several more “Biden doesn’t fit that
went overboard at times, vast Trump- achieve. rounds of headlines. Will contempt industry very well
issuing such a relentless shaped hole in “It’s a symbiotic Republicans risk an internal — he just isn’t catnip for that
drumbeat of negative their schedules. relationship between them schism and vote to convict crowd,” Harris said. “He
coverage, they were at times “There’s and Trump,” said Ariana him? How will he fight back? naturally doesn’t excite
accused of having “Trump obviou sly going to be a crash Pekary, a politics producer at The Trump impeachment the kind of cultural battles
derangement syndrome”. in interest in national MSNBC for seven years before trial threatens to overshadow that the Obamas did, the
This is one reason a recent politics,” said Ben Smith, a she resigned last year, calling Clintons did and certainly
Edelman poll found media columnist at The New cable news a “cancer” on Trump did.”
fewer than half of York Times. “Trump was America. For all that media ratings
Americans trust incredibly good at keeping She believes the liberal and readership might drop
traditional media, an all- our attention.” media, which have often without the Trump effect,
time low. John Harris, the founding viewed themselves as a there may be some benefits
There was a backlash editor of Politico, believes solution to Trump, are in fact too. Many journalists are
too: many blamed America desperately needs to part of America’s broader looking forward to turning
Trump’s political rise on move on not only from its problem, amplifying the their attention to a plethora
CNN’s obsessive coverage Trump obsession but also the country’s divisions through of other American issues.
and the hours of free broader “contempt industry” hyperbole and melodrama. “The national story
airtime they gave him when that has developed over the “Whether they realise it or remains incredibly toxic and
he ran for the White House past four decades and helped not, they often make the not the place that you’re
five years ago. create the division that led to problem worse,” she said. going to find common ground
Watching the liberal media events such as the Capitol Hill “There is of course genuine and heal the country,” said
engage in mortal combat with riot on January 6. fascination with Trump, like Smith, who believes that
Trump further alienated his “Trump gave voice to watching a car crash, but I focusing more on local issues
millions of supporters. And contempt, then stimulated think as journalists we should is one way to calm the
once the hosannas of joy that yet more contempt in rise above that. In a for-profit national mood. “I’d certainly
greeted last week’s Biden return,” Harris said. “That news model, though, they like to write about Trump as
inauguration have abated, contempt does become kind have no incentive to do that.” Maddow: critic of Trump little as I can,” he said.
networks are facing the of addictive after a while: you Another fear that many smashed ratings records @JoshGlancy
COMMENT
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 19

NEWS

Camilla Long
From Russia with self-love — behold the
madness of King Vlad’s pleasure palace

Y
ou’ve probably seen the
footage: the funeral attire, the
bitter Birkin, the flats. In the
end, Donald and Melania went
quietly, slinking off to the thin
applause of their families. The
arrival of Joe Biden and the
disappearance of the former
president does, however, raise a
question. Who will play the role of the
world’s worst despot now? Who is going
to fly the flag for seriously bad sofas and
gala dinners for 100 ashen “business
associates”, now the Trumps have
kaftan-ed off to Mar-a-Lago in a whirl of
bad juju?
On Tuesday the answer arrived in the
form of a sensational video. To say the
details of Vladimir Putin’s secret palace
were gobstopping is to totally understate
the sheer I’m-bored insanity of the
lacquered bunker this electrifying little
Gollum is said to have built on a
peninsula near a resort on the Black Sea.
I like to think I have some level of
tolerance for this sort of super-rich
foreign madness, having spent years at
Tatler interviewing women who
decorate their yachts to match their
bikinis. But, my God, just look at the
drone footage of the estate — it’s 39 times
the size of Monaco — and the palace’s
extraordinary interiors, recreated from
pictures and floorplans by Alexei
Navalny, the Russian opposition leader.
Navalny nearly died last year after
Russian agents smeared novichok on his
underpants, but this hasn’t stopped him
putting together the video while he was
recovering in a Berlin hospital. Watching
his two-hour expectoration, in which,
cushion by cushion, he reveals the
satanic depths of Putin’s obsession with
“couches in the Louis XIV style”, you
just think: anyone capable of delivering
such a sustained rant about soft
furnishings after a nerve agent has been
applied to their bare knackers deserves
undying awe and respect.
The vast palace, says Navalny, is
evidence that the president is mentally
unwell. Putin has been lost “to sofas”
and high-end lavatory brushes and
dressing rooms for waiters for some
time. There are “dozens” of bog brushes
and bog paper holders costing nearly
£1,500 a set: Putin has spent the “annual
pension of the average Russian
pensioner” on latrines he “may never
enter”. It is true that the palace looks
like somewhere Elvis might have been
hiding: every nook, every cranny, every
one of his echoing restrooms shrieks
Real Housewives of the Black Sea.
What began life as a modest $10m villa
— a “small house” — has been allowed to
billow to a $1bn “pleasure palace” filled
with eye-melting furniture and rancid
carpets. You look at the sprawling
compound — 3½ times the size of the
local town — and you just think: no
matter how much this man now buys,
collects or builds, it will never be
enough. This isn’t a house but a “whole
city”, complete with petrol station,
pipelines, three-lane motorway, border
control and no-fly zone. It is more than
anything anyone could ever want, but
when you’ve already done everything,
what are you going to do but build a
tunnel through the side of a mountain
just so you can get a perfect view of the
sea while you sip your grim wine?
There is a 260ft bridge simply “to get
to the tea house” as well as a
subterranean ice rink, a port, a casino, a
strip club, and a “long-suffering
amphitheatre” that has been constantly
rebuilt. This isn’t even the first palace
that’s been made here: the original one
had to be stripped and redone because
of “mould”. If you want to know what
lunacy looks like, it is a 68-year-old man
completely demolishing a room only to
rebuild it and fill it with fruit machines
and old-man armchairs, like a Margate
pub. What kind of person needs an
“aquadiscotheque”? You can just
imagine Putin reclining next to its lonely
fountains in his silky sports-style
swimming tanga while he bores his
guests to death by telling them how at
his vineyards “classical music is played
for the maturing wine”.
How would you like a night out in his
dead Daddy Warbucks theatre with its
stalls and circle and empty theatre bar,
as he lectures you on the exact
provenance and quality of the sofa
cushions and, I don’t know, how many
lemurs were killed to make the fringe? I
bet even the performers don’t want to be
there, and they’re paid in “diamonds”.
Having everything in life tucked away
from other people is rather solemn and
sad, isn’t it? Why build a theatre when
you can attend one with other people?
Why have a church “imported from
Greece” when the whole point of
worship is human contact?
Mind you: can you imagine if it had
been chic and tasteful? What a
disappointment that would have been.
@CamillaLong
And Japan wins gold in
the tin-ear Olympics
The video Why on earth is Japan still
insisting the Olympics will
reveals the happen? As of Friday officials
said they were hopeful that
satanic depths thousands of athletes would
flock to Tokyo in August. It
of Putin’s would be a “challenge”, said
athletics chief Sebastian
obsession Coe, but they’d be happy to
take whatever measures
with ‘couches necessary, including events
“behind closed doors”.
in the style of How greedy do you have
to be to want to do this? It
Louis XIV’ would be the worst Olympics
AP
Putin’s estate on
the Black Sea is
said to be 39
times the size
of Monaco
in living memory. Normally
people go mad if there’s so
much as a slight drop in
audience numbers for niche
events at the far-flung edges
of the village: can you
imagine how sterile it would
look to see people wrestling,
cycling and diving in empty
stadiums? Who wants to
watch Russians doing
gymnastics in hazmats? And
that’s before we get to the
dramas over who’s failed this
test or that.
A little voyeur
spirit means
safe sex for
Bridgerton’s
bedposts
There is a breed of British
middle-aged woman, square
of boob and firm of thigh,
who will quail at literally
nothing, not even a roomful
of hissing American film
people who are demanding
they get out, right now.
You can just imagine, for
example, the stony stand-off
when the director of the
Regency romp Bridgerton
asked if the “room monitors”
at Castle Howard in North
Yorkshire might leave during
the show’s many lurid sex
scenes.
“The idea of a closed set is
sacrosanct,” she recently
whinnied, but they wouldn’t
go and wouldn’t leave the
priceless cabinetry to the
mercy of Duke Simon’s
heaving buttocks, and they
didn’t mind bellowing
instructions across the
naked, rutting actors, either.
“We would be shooting a
sex scene and they would
say, ‘Can you go easy on the
bed? Can you go easy on the
bedpost?’” said the director.
Obviously it is refreshing
to hear that someone
believes doing their job
correctly is more important
than bending to an actor’s
wetty emotions. And,
anyway, the bedposts were
the stars of the show: the
least wooden things in it.

ATTICUS
GABRIEL POGRUND
No expense spared by Trotskyist’s heir
They don’t make socialists
like they used to in
Coventry. Once upon a time,
Dave Nellist, 68, the
Trotskyist later expelled
from Labour, took just
40 per cent of his MP’s
salary — equivalent to the
wage of a skilled factory
worker.
Now his latter day
successor in Coventry
South, the young Corbynista
Zarah Sultana, is extracting
maximum value from the
taxpayer. According to her
latest expenses return,
Sultana, 27, charged
constituents £1,193.80 for a
new iPhone last year
because, she claimed, her
“old phone stopped
working”.
But the spending did not
stop there. Sultana, who
famously said she would
celebrate Tony Blair’s death,
charged £50,000 in non-
staff expenses, the 39th-
highest of all MPs, and was
even forced to repay £2,800
after claiming for unspecific
“consultancy” — later found
to be outside the rules.
The revolution may be
imminent, but there’s
nothing wrong making the
most of the taxpayers’
money in the meantime.
Heseltine is
ALAMY
the Brexiteers’
curious hero
Michael Heseltine is in
vogue around the cabinet
table despite his anti-Brexit
activism. Sources tell Atticus
that Kwasi Kwarteng, 45, the
business secretary, has been
devouring Heseltine’s No
Stone Unturned, a 2011
report on regionalism.
That represents quite the
journey for Kwarteng, once
a radical free-marketeer,
and will please the PM, who
told colleagues he is
“basically a Brexity Hezza”.
Whether Heseltine, 87, is
flattered is another thing: he
Lee Anderson wants the national anthem sung in assembly has said Boris has been
captured by a “right-wing,
MP flies flag for patriotic lessons foreigner-bashing, inward-
looking view of the world”,
and his economic strategy
Boris Johnson squirmed last week when asked if Joe Biden for Covid recovery is
was “woke”. Lee Anderson, 54, the Tory MP for Ashfield, is “deeply disappointing”.
less equivocal. Speaking on a Zoom call last week, the red At least the only way is up.
wall MP declared: “What I would like to see is for us to be
more patriotic in this country.”
His first goal: “Fly the Union flag at every single school l Britain has spent more on
and every single public building in this country.” Covid than its all-time
His second: “Make sure that our children at school sing contribution to the EU. Lord
the national anthem every day in assembly. Once we start Agnew of Oulton, the
to do that, we can bring that little bit of pride, we can be Cabinet Office minister,
more patriotic, and not ashamed of who we are right now.” acknowledged last week
There’s certainly no shame in Whitehall. Ministers are that Britain had contributed
forever appearing on TV with a flag in the background. £226bn to the EU budget
and European Economic
Community since 1973.

Jenrick’s best-laid plans Mere pennies, then, relative

to £300bn Rishi Sunak has
spent on Covid.
Since Robert Jenrick became housing secretary, the
planning system, once notoriously dull, has become the l One assumes that Tom
subject of political intrigue. Take his decisions to award Tugendhat, 47, the Tory MP
Richard Desmond the £1bn Westferry development, and not who chairs the Beijing-
to block a new coalmine in Cumbria criticised by the sceptic China Research
climate activist Greta Thunberg. Group, opposes glorifying
With Holocaust Memorial Day falling this Wednesday, communism. But like
there is yet another controversy: his decision to “call in” for Michael Gove, who used to
judicial review a memorial in SW1 to the genocide, made hang a picture of Lenin in
shortly after meeting the former Tory minister Eric Pickles his office, he is capable of a
and Gerald Ronson of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation. surprise. Last week he was
That is despite growing local opposition to the plan and spotted on television
fears that it has been ill thought-through. slurping tea from that staple
On paper, Jenrick is supposed to be a “neutral arbiter”. of every middle-class leftie:
Surely that has to be reviewed too? a Che Guevara mug.
20
COMMENT
ESTABLISHED 1822
Johnson’s next test will be to
take back control of the Union
S T
omething is stirring in the king-
dom. Our comprehensive “state
of the union” survey today
shows rising support for a
break-up of the UK. Half of
Scottish voters want and expect
another referendum on inde-
pendence, while a similar num-
ber in Northern Ireland want a poll on
reunifying the island of Ireland. This is not
something that can be swept under the
carpet by the government. Indeed, along
with rebuilding the economy, it is the big
post-pandemic political challenge.
The impetus is strongest in Scotland,
and supporters of the Union are having to
look for solace in curious places. Could it
be that, because Brexit is submerging
some exporters and importers in a sea of
red tape and causing problems in trade
between Great Britain and the EU, there is
a living example of the folly of separation?
In truth such arguments should not be
needed. The Union has worked for Scot-
land in this crisis. Scotland went into it
with a notional budget deficit more than
three times that of the whole of the UK
proportionally, a reflection of the tax-
payer subsidy it enjoys, and that deficit
will have ballooned as a result of the coro-
navirus crisis. The Westminster govern-
ment’s ability to borrow and the Bank of
England’s expansion of quantitative eas-
ing have enabled Scotland to receive its
full share of Covid-19 support, including
the furlough scheme and other measures.
There is a powerful echo here of the
global financial crisis, just over a decade
ago, when Scottish banks almost brought
down the entire UK banking system but
were rescued by the government in a way
that would not have been possible for an
independent Scotland.
Scotland has also had the best of both
worlds during the pandemic, as far as that
is possible in a serious health emergency.
Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, has
been able to take lockdown and other
decisions independent of the UK govern-
ment, and this has enabled her to look
decisive and coherent. At the same time,
Scotland is benefiting, and will continue
to do so, from Westminster’s far-sighted
approach in funding vaccine research and
ensuring adequate supplies.
Other parts of the UK could have the
best of both worlds too. Arlene Foster,
the first minister of Northern Ireland,
could never admit it as a Brexiteer, but,
assuming the current difficulties can be
Navalny’s brave battle
should be ours too
In Russia yesterday, we saw what auto-
cratic regimes do when faced with legiti-
mate challenges. Supporters of Alexei
Navalny, the opposition politician impris-
oned in a tough Moscow jail, came out to
demonstrate. Hundreds of them were
arrested during the nationwide protests.
So nervous were the authorities that some
close aides were imprisoned in the
run-up. Mr Navalny is popular and he and
his supporters are asking the right ques-
tions of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
It is hard to overstate the bravery of Mr
Navalny. Most people, on surviving a
novichok nerve agent poisoning by opera-
tives of the Russian state, as he did last
year, would have thought long and hard
before returning to Russia. He went back
when he recovered, a few days ago, know-
ing that he would be arrested immedi-
ately. Though the opposition leader came
Art transplant
The art world has suffered hugely in the
pandemic. Museums closed. Exhibitions
cancelled. Jobs lost. The joy of looking at
art has been snatched away from us.
But perhaps there is a silver lining. Two
things have become clearer. The first is
that expressing ourselves creatively
brings healing and pleasure. From
Grayson Perry’s Art Club on the television
to the artistic tribute sites on Instagram
that feed us with a daily dose of the old
masters, the pandemic has revealed how
resolved for Irish Sea trade, the province’s
unique position, in both the UK market
and the EU single market, could work to
its long-term advantage. There is, it
should be said, no prospect of Irish reuni-
fication in the foreseeable future.
Nor, despite some rumblings, is Wales
going to break free. Support for independ-
ence is low, though the government could
be doing more. Only the northeast of
England is poorer, and the recent history
of Wales is one of cancelled infrastructure
schemes. Levelling-up should not stop at
the Prince of Wales Bridge.
Scotland is different. Ms Sturgeon,
despite her battles with Alex Salmond, the
former Scottish National Party (SNP)
leader, is on a roll. The pandemic has
been good for her, overshadowing Scot-
tish government failures in other areas.
She has seen off another set of Tory and
Labour Scottish leaders, and the SNP is on
course to win in May’s Scottish parliament
elections.
The Scottish leader is lucky to have
Boris Johnson as prime minister. Scots
struggle to fathom the popularity of Mr
Johnson south of the border. A clear
majority of Scottish voters opposed Brexit
and he is the embodiment of it. Scots also
see a prime minister who described devo-
lution as a “disaster”. Words matter, and
so does character. Mr Johnson’s bumbling
Englishness does not work for them.
A battle looms. Michael Gove, the Cabi-
net Office minister, is on the case but,
despite being born and raised in Scotland,
is unlikely to fare better than his boss.
Young Scots, in particular, think an oppor-
tunity was stolen from them in the 2014
referendum by older voters, and, with the
passage of time, fewer of these older vot-
ers remain. Our poll shows that 71 per cent
of those aged under 34 favour independ-
ence, although No 10 will take comfort
from the fact that 43 per cent of Scots do
not want another referendum at all.
Nevertheless, the fight to preserve the
Union is the coming battle, and it will be a
tough one to win for those who, like us,
believe separation would be bad both for
Scotland and for the rest of the UK. Should
it come to another referendum, there will
be a close parallel with the 2016 EU vote. It
is easier to argue for change than to cam-
paign for the status quo.
The risk for Mr Johnson is that he could
yet be the prime minister who delivered
Brexit and, partly as a result, presided
over the break-up of the UK.
to prominence as an anti-corruption blog-
ger, he is no keyboard warrior.
Things are not going Mr Putin’s way. He
will have regretted the passing of Donald
Trump from the White House. For one
reason or another, the former American
president chose not to attack or criticise
the Russian leader. In contrast, Joe Biden,
after meeting Mr Putin in 2011, famously
recalled that he looked into his eyes and
“saw no soul”. It took six weeks after
November’s election before Russia con-
gratulated Mr Biden on his victory.
If this presages a tougher stance from
Washington towards Moscow, that is a
good thing. Russia has never been ade-
quately punished for the outrage of the
Salisbury novichok poisonings and for its
support for repressive regimes across the
globe. All power to Mr Navalny’s elbow,
and his courageous followers.
deeply the need to make art sits within us.
The second is the empty extravagance of
the international art world.
As our art critic writes in Culture today,
“Nothing of true cultural value ever hap-
pens at a biennale.” The lack of activity
this year has highlighted the gulf between
everyday human creativity and the aes-
thetic acrobatics of the official art world.
The two are chalk and cheese. If the gap
between them can be narrowed, some-
thing valuable has come of the pandemic.
Dominic Lawson
Germany, not Brexity
Britain, will vex Biden
Berlin’s desire to appease Russia and China won’t endear it to the president
he appointment of Antony Blinken as
President Joe Biden’s secretary of
state is bad news for Boris Johnson
and Britain outside the EU; or so it is
said (with ill-concealed relish) by
those who deplore both the prime
minister and Brexit. It is true that in
March 2019 Blinken described Brexit,
and by extension Johnson, as “not just the dog
that caught the car; this is the dog that caught
the car and the car goes into reverse and runs
over the dog”. He added, with a possibly
exaggerated sense of Washington’s role in our
democratic discourse, that any administration
he worked in would seek to “keep Britain in”
the EU.
That ship sailed a while ago. And now,
according to a senior fellow at Washington’s
Brookings Institution, state department
officials are talking of a “three-legged stool” —
the USA, the EU and the UK — which is actually
flattering to Britain as a concept.
Then the question arises: what are the
foreign policy priorities of the new
administration, and which of the two other legs
of the stool will be the sturdier in supporting its
objectives? If Blinken’s performance during his
confirmation hearing by the Senate foreign
relations committee last week is any guide, it is
with Berlin, not London, that Washington is
going to have a fractious relationship.
Blinken told the senators that “President
Trump was right in taking a tougher approach
to China”, and concurred with the outgoing
secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, that
Beijing’s treatment of its Muslim citizens in
Xinjiang amounted to “genocide”. He praised
Vladimir Putin’s most implacable internal
enemy, Alexei Navalny, as “a voice for
millions of Russians” and told Senator Mitt
Romney (who serves on the committee) he
had been “prescient” when in the 2012
presidential election debates he had identified
Moscow as America’s “No 1 geopolitical foe”
— especially telling, as Barack Obama (for
whom Blinken worked) had mocked Romney
for this.
This is all a bit tricky for Berlin — as Angela
Merkel, the outgoing German chancellor, well
understands. Seeking to disabuse those who
nostalgically recalled the excellent
relationship she had with Obama and thought
Germany and the EU as a whole could restore
the status quo ante Donald Trump, Merkel told
reporters a day after Biden’s inauguration:
“Don’t think that from tomorrow there will
only be harmony between us” — and went on to
recall how she had clashed with Biden when, as
vice-president, he had advocated the sale of
India Knight
A child, killed by children
— we cannot accept this
How do you feel — honestly — about the brutal death of Keon Lincoln, 15?
T
here’s been a news story flickering at
the edges of my consciousness for the
past three days. Every time I heard
about it I was horrified, and every
time I quickly pushed it away and
tried to think of something else. The
story concerns a 15-year-old boy killed
by a mob close to his home in
Birmingham last Thursday. He was reportedly
shot and stabbed. It was half past three in the
afternoon. Two 14-year-olds are in custody.
The boy’s name was Keon Lincoln. He had
four siblings. His mother works as a cleaner at a
school and is “inconsolable”.
The story, and many others like it involving
communities where violence seems quotidian
and almost ordinary, causes my brain to make
a tiny, self-comforting adjustment and file the
horrible story into a specific folder.
I think it’s terrifying and tragic, and I feel
more sorry than I can say that such a thing
should happen to anyone, let alone to a child,
let alone at the hands of other children. But
there is a part of me that is immediately
desperate to establish distance — a part that
kicks in and quietly starts listing, almost on
autopilot, all the ways in which my family is
different from Keon Lincoln’s, reciting them
like a mantra or a protective charm.
I don’t live in an area where such things
might happen. I am middle class. My children
never had to contend with gangs. I don’t know
anyone who carries a weapon. I am not black,
and the 50% of me that isn’t white is as
fortunate as the half that is.
I can add to this self-reassuring list,
depending on the news story: I don’t know
anyone involved in “county lines” drug gangs,
even though in the part of rural Suffolk in
which I live it’s a deepening problem; my
family situation is not chaotic; I don’t abuse
drugs or alcohol; and so on and so forth, until I
have convinced myself that nothing as
horrendous as the violent loss of a child could
weaponry to Ukraine as a defence against
Russian revanchism.
Biden will continue with Trump’s policy of
sanctioning companies involved in the Nord
Stream 2 project — a pipeline intended to take
Russian gas direct to Germany, cutting Poland
and Ukraine out of the (highly profitable) loop,
of which the former German chancellor
Gerhard Schröder is a director. (Schröder is
also chairman of the Russian state-controlled
oil giant Rosneft, and describes Putin as “a
crystal-clear democrat”.)
Though Merkel shares none of Schröder’s
Putin-worship (far from it), her possible
successor as chancellor is going to be a much
less congenial interlocutor, from Washington’s
point of view. Armin Laschet, who last
weekend won the ballot for the leadership of
Merkel’s CDU party, is firmly on its Russophile
wing. When the British government called for
sanctions against Moscow over the poisoning
of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury by two
of Putin’s hitmen, Laschet tweeted: “If you
force almost all Nato countries to show
solidarity, shouldn’t you have reliable
evidence?” Fortunately, Trump and indeed
Merkel did not share Laschet’s view that
Moscow rather than London should be given
the benefit of any doubt.
We should understand why politicians in
Berlin have an instinctive desire to appease
Russia — especially this year, the 80th
anniversary of Germany’s invasion of the
Soviet Union. It is insufficiently known, not
least in this country, that the civilian toll in the
parts of the USSR occupied by German troops
was almost 14 million, of which more than two
million were the deaths of forced labourers,
and more than four million more were starved
to extinction as a matter of Reich policy. It is
quite natural if a sense of guilt requiring
expiation still pervades Berlin’s dealings with
Moscow.
But as Berlin’s relationship with Beijing
Germany’s big
manufacturers see
profits from China as
vital to their prospects
ever happen to families like mine or those of
my friends.
But the distance this presumptuous little list
— and I don’t think I’m the only person who
makes such lists — seeks to establish is
ultimately as catastrophic as it is callous,
because it is in effect an attempt at exempting
myself. It seeks to establish that this sort of
crime belongs in its own little pigeonhole and
has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of
society — that it is, put crudely, someone else’s
problem, for someone else to solve, like some
remote and terrible war going on elsewhere.
That thinking ends up with the assumption
that the killing of a child such as Keon Lincoln
happens only in a world so far removed that
being temporarily appalled is enough, that
people like me don’t need to lift a finger or
think too hard about why these things happen
and what we might collectively try to do about
them. It’s too complicated, too embedded, too
far away.
But being appalled isn’t enough: being
appalled solves nothing. And the story sticks,
going round in my head even as it starts to fall
off the news bulletins. A 15-year-old, in broad
daylight, set upon by a mob, and dying of his
injuries, in the middle of a January afternoon,
in Birmingham. It can’t be forgotten and it can’t
Where are all the
people who say black
lives matter? Have
they nothing to say?
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021
shows, the principal force behind this
“business first” policy is ... the interests of
German business. It was Merkel who drove the
EU, in the dying days of the Trump
administration, to sign up to an “investment
agreement” with China — despite calls from
Biden’s people to hold off (not just because of
what was happening in Xinjiang but also in
Hong Kong). Germany’s big manufacturing
companies see profits from China as vital to
their prospects. As the former chief
correspondent of Der Tagesspiegel, Harald
Maass, wrote in The Spectator last week:
“Closing [its Xinjiang] factory would risk
Volkswagen’s entire China business, which
brings in billions in profits. Every second VW
worldwide is sold in the People’s Republic.”
You might think, given its not so ancient
history, that VW would be concerned about the
images of what appear to be a form of
concentration camp for Uighurs and
clear evidence of forced labour. But as the
former UK ambassador to Germany Sir Paul
Lever put it to me last week: “Germany’s
attitude is that trade is the key to harmonious
relations and should not be threatened, no
matter how vilely China behaves towards its
own people. It is a genuine principle, but of
course it is also self-serving.”
To be fair to Germany, America had under
Trump (and without consulting the EU) signed
a similar investment deal with Beijing — albeit
before President Xi Jinping trashed the “one
country, two systems” commitment to Hong
Kong’s citizens. I was struck by the comment of
Bruno Maçães, Portugal’s former Europe
minister (who is far from anti-American, as I
know from my conversations with him). He
wrote, in response to US complaints that it
should have been consulted over the China-EU
deal: “Our ability to chart our own economic
policy and choices does not have a ceiling.
There are no issues too important to be left to
Europeans, no issues where an American
power of suzerainty should be activated.”
These words reminded me that one of the
ideas behind the creation of the euro, right
from its inception, was to challenge and ideally
supplant the dollar as the world’s reserve
currency. If the EU succeeded in that, it would
be a more devastating blow to Washington’s
power than anything dreamt up in Moscow or
Beijing. No, Boris Johnson’s Brexity
government in London is not going to be
Biden’s bête noire in the western alliance. It is
Berlin and Brussels whose decisions are likely
to infuriate Joe B. And he does have one thing
in common with Donald Trump: a short fuse.
dominic.lawson@sunday-times.co.uk
be dismissed. What can you usefully do?
You can mind, really mind, and force
yourself to look, and you can become angry.
You can listen to the pain of people who live in
communities where children get killed, and
not express surprise — or, worse, distaste —
when that pain turns to rage. You can try to
understand and make an effort not to blank
these stories out. And you can have
uncomfortable discussions about children
and violence, which is real and which exists
and which is transparently clearly linked to
social need.
While I’m at it: I’m so tired of naysayers
saying that Black Lives Matter is an American
import and wholly unrepresentative of British
society, and therefore neither here nor there,
silly, dismissible, for show. The only reason it’s
an American import is that there is no
homegrown equivalent. You take what you
can. If you finally, finally glimpse the cavalry
coming over the hill, you don’t stop to ask
yourself if it speaks in your accent.
By the way, where are all the people who
claim black lives matter? The people who
changed their Instagram posts to a black
square for one day last June to show their
support for the movement in the aftermath of
the murder of George Floyd in America, or
deprived their followers of their entire social
media presence for one whole day — do they
have anything to say? Is the killing of Keon
Lincoln, a child, less horrific than the killing of
George Floyd? Is there a hierarchy when it
comes to black people being killed? Or are we
so used to it happening that we make a noise
only when other people pipe up first?
Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas,
who is leading the inquiry into Keon’s death,
said the boy had died “in the most violent of
circumstances”.
Keon’s family said he was “full of life and
love”. He was 15. We should all be angrier.
@IndiaKnight
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021
COMMENT
Matthew Syed
Piers Morgan’s idiotic rants reduce
subtle arguments to soundbites
The row over a retired judge calling some lives ‘less valuable’ shows how debate is being demeaned
D
eborah James is a fabulous
person. Diagnosed with
stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016,
she has become an
inspirational campaigner,
writing a bestselling book and
columns. We have become
close friends (our daughters
used to attend the same school), have a
mutual interest in psychology and share
a podcast producer.
Deborah was thrust into the spotlight
last week after a BBC debate with the
retired judge Lord Sumption. Sumption
set out his now familiar disagreements
with government policy over lockdown.
He also made the point that in a world of
scarce resources, it is sometimes
necessary to ascribe relative value to
human life. In essence, he argued that if
you face the awful decision of saving the
life of a 90-year-old or that of a nine-
year-old, you should save the latter.
A few minutes later, Sumption made
an intervention while Deborah was
making an eloquent contribution of her
own, and stated that her life was “less
valuable” than others. It was a clumsy,
indeed crass, contribution from the
former judge, but it would have taken an
inattentive viewer to have failed to
understand what he meant. For those
two words made sense only in the light
of the broader discussion and his
fundamental point that, while all human
life is precious, we nevertheless
sometimes face dilemmas in which not
all lives can be saved.
But I do not wish to get into a
discussion of Sumption’s views here (as
it happens, I largely agree that it is
sometimes necessary to weigh human
life, but I disagree that it is in the public
interest to lift restrictions on social
distancing). Instead, I want to focus on
NEWMAN’S
WEEK
“I fear Trump will come back
what happened next. An hour or so
later, a clip of his intervention, stripped
of all context, was posted on Twitter.
Instant headlines followed. As the
“scandal” went viral, the story
metastasised from one about how to
make complex moral judgments to one
about an evil judge seeking to euthanise
people. About 99% of the coverage, in
other words, focused on about 1% of
what he actually said.
Then it got worse. The following
morning, Sumption was invited onto
Good Morning Britain to discuss a poll on
the pandemic. In the event, he was
hijacked by Piers Morgan, who
constantly pressed him about his
appearance on the BBC. ITV even played
the clip of his intervention, again
stripped of context. Four times,
Sumption attempted to explain that the
intervention was, indeed, clumsy, but
should be seen as part of a broader
contribution in which he acknowledged
that all life has intrinsic value. Four
times, he was interrupted by Morgan,
the exchange ending when Sumption
threatened to curtail the interview.
Why did Morgan act this way?
Because he also had an eye on how a clip
from his own show might play on
Twitter. Sure enough, a little later, a
segment of their exchange was pumped
onto the internet. By this stage, we were
left not with a parody of Sumption’s
position, but a parody of a parody. It was
as if a two-word intervention had come
to stand for the world-view of a human
being. In years to come, I suspect that
few will remember anything of the
incident beyond a vague sense that
Sumption is sinister, perhaps wicked.
I have gone into this episode in detail
not because I hold any brief for
Sumption, but because of how it
“It comes in mud brown,
in a second wave”
symbolises a wider catastrophe
unfolding in our public life. In a wise
essay in 1953, the philosopher Isaiah
Berlin contrasted two types of thinker:
the hedgehog and the fox. The hedgehog
has one big idea. It reduces everything to
this one idea. Everything else is filtered
out. The fox, conversely, has lots of
ideas. It likes to see the broader context,
how concepts fit together, and is anxious
to bring more information to light.
Berlin’s point — although he made it
subtly — is that it is psychologically
easier to be a hedgehog, but to
understand a complex world, it pays to
be a fox. Neither meaning nor truth is
contained in bare facts, assertions, data
points, viral clips and simplistic
headlines: rather, truth is contained
within a context — how one thing relates
to many other things, and how parts fits
into more complex wholes.
The tragedy is that the world is being
dragged — almost without our noticing —
towards ever more extreme
hedgehoggery. Twitter users argue on
the basis of 280-character caricatures of
one another’s positions. Television
interviewers seek not to elicit
information, but to provoke viral
controversies. Readers respond to the
headlines of articles rather than the
words beneath them. Empathy has been
sacrificed in the rush to misconstrue and
Nuance misrepresent. Nuance has been
destroyed in a bonfire of contrived
has been outrage.
Morgan is, perhaps, the archetype of
destroyed in the world into which we have arrived, a
parasite on the contours of democracy.
a bonfire of He is a cunning operator who spotted
the opportunities of Twitter early,
contrived learning to surf the waves that to
outsiders seem arbitrary, but to him
outrage have become like second nature. He
sludge grey and rust” “I’ve a new strain. I blame Joe Wicks”
takes artificially emphatic stances,
conveys false certainty, caricatures
positions, strips away ambiguity, seeks
scapegoats for complex problems and
cajoles guests into simplistic answers
that mislead the public — and then seeks
to humiliate them when they think
better of returning to the studio.
He becomes a temporary hero to the
deluded souls for whom he becomes a
cheerleader — at present, it is those who
support restrictions over Covid — but
they don’t see how he is systematically
demeaning public debate upon which
we all ultimately rely, or how he will
soon be off to adopt another position,
riding soap boxes like waves. He doesn’t
seem to care about what soap box he is
on, provided it is topical and divisive.
But let’s not reduce this to Morgan,
for platoons of people have been sucked
into the vortex of this cesspool —
individuals whose rationality has been
corrupted by the deep infrastructure of
this perilous age. It perhaps goes
without saying that Twitter is a huge
culprit, a digital cancer whose
catastrophic influence on our
consciousness has yet to be fully
grasped. Its algorithms are like acid,
silently eating away at the fabric of how
we converse, engage and grow in
collective wisdom. Its influence has
seeped into every medium; by proxy,
into every life.
Yet I refuse to lose my optimism, the
belief that with courage we can
transcend this malaise. Two and a half
millennia ago, Socrates argued that
rationality and shared understanding
would ultimately defeat their opposites.
It may take a sea change in attitudes to
ensure that his words remain prophetic.
But we can do it. In fact, we must.
@MatthewSyed
“You’re making a horrible mess —
I think you need a nap”
21
Jamie
Bartlett
Australia v
Google —
believe me,
this battle
affects us all
T
ry to imagine even a single day
without Google. You would be
lost, metaphorically and
literally. Bouncing from
irrelevant website to website.
Hopelessly wandering the
streets without a little blue dot
to guide you. No Google-owned
YouTube to distract the children. The
company is so important to us, it has
become a verb. When Google servers
briefly went down in December, millions
flapped around like lost ducklings.
This desperate fate could soon
descend on 25 million Australians. In
response to the dwindling revenues of
traditional media, the government there
plans to force Google, Facebook and co
to pay news companies if their content is
shared on their platforms. These tech
giants bank digital ad revenue each time
a user clicks a story, and the government
wants a small percentage to go to
whoever wrote it. If the two sides can’t
agree how much, an independent
arbitrator will decide for them.
“This is a huge reform, and the world
is watching what happens,” said
Australia’s treasurer, Josh Frydenberg,
recently. Google is watching too. Last
week it said the idea was “unworkable”
and would change the way the internet
operated. The company has threatened
to cut services in the country.
On the face of it, the dispute is about
how we protect diverse media in the era
of free content. But ultimately it’s about
who really runs the joint: governments
or tech firms. Just as an earthquake is
caused by shifts in the tectonic plates
deep below, this row is the latest flare-up
of a long-running subterranean war
between digital tech firms and analogue
democracies. The Cambridge Analytica
fiasco was a failure of outdated election
law to keep up with novel forms of
targeting voters. Even modern rage
culture is, to some extent, the
consequence of a social media revenue
model that rewards emotional clicks
over considered discussion.
So far it’s been a rout, mainly because
the tech giants offer something so
convenient and beneficial. Unlike the
products of their monopolistic
predecessors, theirs are often free to
use; and the bigger they are, the better
Ultimately it’s
about who
really runs
the joint:
governments
or tech firms?
the hit for us addicts. The more users
Google has, the more data it collects, the
better the search results, which means
the more users it attracts, which means
... Every now and again I make a
quixotic effort to ditch Google for
another search engine — DuckDuckGo,
for example, which doesn’t scoop up
your every thought. One failed search
later, I’m back on the good stuff.
As a result, 85 to 95 per cent of online
searches in most developed countries
are on Google. In other words, the
process of finding and accessing
information — the building block of any
civilisation — is controlled by one private
company in another country, using
techniques few understand.
Our dependency on a handful of
Silicon Valley firms to handle our
information is troubling. Sometimes
their power is obvious, as when Twitter
deleted Donald Trump’s account. But
there are subtler, more insidious risks
too. According to a research paper based
on the win margins in national elections
around the world, Google could
determine the outcome of “upwards of
25 per cent” of them based on how it
displayed search results. There is no
evidence it has done such a thing. But
what if it did so accidentally — a mutant
algorithm, say? How would we know?
We should hope the Australian
government wins this round. Our tech
reliance has been exacerbated by Covid-
19. In the near future, our clothes,
homes, cars and fridges will be “smart
devices” collecting ever more data,
which will be crunched by computers
thousands of times more powerful than
today’s. On the current trajectory, a
small number of companies, doubtless
including Google, will control it all, at
which point governments won’t have the
means or stomach to stop them. Every
government will eventually face
Australia’s fight: convenience versus a
functioning democracy. Unfortunately,
recent history suggests that whenever
the two meet, convenience usually wins.
Jamie Bartlett is the author of The People
vs Tech: How the Internet Is Killing
Democracy
22 The Sunday Times January 24, 2021

COMMENT

Robert Colvile
While the left plays a smart game to widen the
welfare state, the Tories keep leaving the field

A
s Sir Patrick Vallance reminded
us last week, when talking
about the dangers of leaving
lockdown too early, a good
definition of insanity is “doing
the same thing over and over
again and expecting a different
outcome”. But on welfare
policy, the government doesn’t seem to
have got the message.
Last summer the footballer Marcus
Rashford led a campaign to get ministers
to provide free school meals over the
holidays. The government huffed and
puffed — and eventually gave in.
Smarting at having to stump up
£120m, No 10 insisted it would resist any
future demands. But in November
Rashford came back for more. Again, the
government huffed and puffed — but
ended up forking out £400m.
Now Rashford is going for his hat-
trick. At the start of the crisis, the
chancellor announced a one-year
increase in universal credit of £20 a
week. As I — and many, many others —
predicted, Rashford has lent his voice,
and his social media following, to the
campaign to make the increase
permanent.
Again, those in government briefed
that they would resist such demands,
pointing repeatedly to the extraordinary
cost of the measure — £6.6 billion a year,
the equivalent of a penny on the basic
rate of income tax and 5p on fuel duty.
And again that resistance has been
crumbling. The main question at this
point is whether the inevitable extension
will be temporary or permanent.
The government states, rightly, that
the one-year limit was introduced on the
assumption that the pandemic would be
over by now. Even free-market MPs
accept that the Tories cannot
simultaneously push an economic
message of “get back on your own two
feet” and a public health command to
stay home and keep premises closed: it
seems logical that as long as the
lockdowns last, support for the poorest
should stay. Polls show that only 21 per
cent of Tory voters believe the increase
should end in April as planned, although
they prefer any extension to be
temporary.
The delay in making a decision,
therefore, is partly because the Treasury
wants to wait for the budget, and partly
because of the vast uncertainties
surrounding the country’s trajectory.
Yet the prime minister’s critics see a
familiar pattern. Backbenchers are
summoned to defend the colours, only
for their commander to sound the
retreat. To use another historical
analogy, the prime minister is the Anglo-
Saxon chieftain, promising his weary
warriors that this will be the year they
turn back the Vikings. But every time the
longboats land, the Danegeld is paid.
And MPs (and cabinet members)
become ever less willing to stick their
necks out, because they will look like
fools after the inevitable U-turn.
The result is bad presentation, bad
politics and bad policy. The government
insists it has been careful never to rule
out an extension of the £20 rise. But the
impression of reluctance has certainly
been created, so that any shift looks like
a climbdown. There have also been clear
divisions between No 10, the Treasury
and the Department for Work and
Pensions.
In policy terms, it was obvious from
day one that the left would push to make
the extension permanent. Yet the only
counter-argument the government made
was that it was expensive. There was no
debate (at least in public) about whether
this was an effective way to spend
£6 billion, and what the alternatives
might be.
As my colleagues at the Centre for
Policy Studies (CPS) think tank show in a
briefing note today, the flat £20 increase
has plenty of flaws. For example, it did
more proportionately for those
The £20 increase
in universal credit
will cost £6bn a
year — that would
go a long way to
fixing social care
claimants who needed it least — rather
than providing more help for those with
children or those most affected by the
pandemic. The same amount would go a
long way towards fixing social care, the
most obviously broken part of the
welfare system.
Privately, ministers argue that we
should focus resources as the economy
recovers on incentives to get people
back into work, upgrade their skills and
create new jobs, rather than raising the
level of benefits. But beyond a glancing
reference from Johnson in a recent
appearance before MPs, when he said he
would “rather see a focus on jobs and a
growth in wages than focusing on
welfare”, there has been no public
attempt to argue for this basic Tory
principle. Ministers say they are waiting
for the coronavirus clouds to clear
before talking about recovery — but the
result is that they have abandoned the
rhetorical field.
Politically, this has allowed the left to
pretend there is a simple choice between
keeping the £20 uplift and condemning
millions to misery. Letting a time-limited
benefit expire is presented as “slashing
help for the poorest in the teeth of the
pandemic” (usually accompanied by a
countervailing “while handing billions to
their mates in coronavirus contracts”).
Tory MPs are particularly infuriated
by Labour’s use of opposition day
debates to hound them. Last Monday the
House debated the motion that “the
government should stop the planned cut
in universal credit and working tax
credit in April and give certainty today to
the six million families for whom it is
worth an extra £1,000 a year”. The
Tories were whipped to abstain. But
their MPs will still be confronted, for
years, with accusations that they
scorned the poorest at their time of
greatest need. They can try to explain
that a U-turn was coming, or that it was
not technically a cut. But the social
media pile-on will already have started.
The government will doubtless come
up with a compromise solution by
budget day — our CPS briefing note
offers some useful suggestions. But this
row is important for what it says about
the future as well as the present.
The left is skilfully using the pandemic
to campaign for a permanent reshaping
of the state, and has become expert at
assembling coalitions of the outraged to
that end. The government either seems
not to see these problems coming, or
cannot decide between fight and flight —
and so tries the first before falling back
on the second. In the process, it cedes
not just the argument but the moral high
ground. And it contributes to the ratchet
effect by which it is always easier to say
yes than no to extra spending. The
constituency for fiscal discipline on the
Tory benches is already at its smallest for
decades.
With every jab, the end of the
pandemic’s acute phase comes closer.
The key thing, at that point, will be to
ensure a rapid and robust economic
recovery. The more the state swells, and
the more the debt grows, the harder that
will be to sustain.
@RColvile

LETTERS BIRTHDAYS POINTS

The Sunday Times,
1 London Bridge Street,
London SE1 9GF

TO THE EDITOR
Email: letters@ Mischa Barton, actress, 35
sunday-times.co.uk Neil Diamond, singer, 80
Ade Edmondson, actor, 64
Bamber Gascoigne,
Rich pickings offshore wind farms
Writing of the rich taking five- commissioned in 2019 was
star vaccination breaks in £152 per megawatt hour —
India, Camilla Long asks: three to four times the

U-turn ahead on
“What’s not to like?” current wholesale price.
Not sold on idea presenter, 86
Jools Holland, pianist, 63 (Comment, last week). The Professor Gordon Hughes
of a property tax Nastassja Kinski, actress, 60 same as what is wrong with School of Economics

vaccine passports
There is absolutely no doubt
the government will have to
introduce vaccine passports,
as Tony Allen-Mills suggests
(News, last week). Those
countries that have regulated
entry effectively will, as the
situation improves, insist on
vaccine certification for
visitors.
The questions are: when
will our government
recognise the necessity for a
certificate? How will it
explain yet another sudden
change of mind? And how
will it manage the extra
workload of issuing these
certificates to those who have
already been vaccinated?
My guess on the third of
these is: it will be contracted
out at enormous cost to the
public and to the huge profit
of private firms.
Alistair Nicoll, Sheffield
Well documented
I had my first vaccination last
weekend. Afterwards I was
handed a card showing my
name, the date of vaccination
and details of the vaccine,
with a blank area to be
completed after I have had
the second jab. Surely this
would work perfectly well as
a coronavirus passport.
Gill Maden, Bexhill-on-Sea
Credit check
I agree with your editorial
(Comment, last week) that
the government deserves
credit for the success of the
vaccination programme to
date. Specifically, it deserves
credit for allowing the NHS to
Sceptical about
Lawson lockdown
I was disappointed with
Dominic Lawson’s column
attacking lockdown sceptics
(Comment, last week). I
wrote him a polite note
asking him to engage with the
central plank of the sceptics’
case — that lockdowns will
cause more harm than they
prevent over the long term.
This is not the view of a few
conspiracy theorists, but of
serious economists and public
health scientists. A recent
working paper from the US
manage the programme —
and for keeping Baroness
Harding and other members
of the Conservative
chumocracy away from it.
Andrew Setters, Carlisle
Combination therapy
Those turning down the offer
of a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
to “wait for the English one”
(News, last week) may be
standing by for quite some
time. The Oxford-AstraZeneca
vaccine was developed by an
international team of
scientists and manufactured
by a British-Swedish
multinational. Much of the
UK supply is manufactured
in Holland and is dispensed
into vials in Germany and
Wales.
The idea of an English
vaccine is another example of
the grand delusion peddled
by Boris Johnson and some
members of his cabinet.
Gordon Lethbridge
Sherborne, Dorset
Show of hands
While applauding the work of
our wonderful doctors and
nurses, we should not forget
the NHS administrative staff.
My wife and I benefited from
the exemplary organisation of
the York vaccination centre.
There is high-quality work
behind such successes.
Ashley Burgess, former
chairman, Scarborough and
North East Yorkshire
Healthcare NHS Trust
Vaccine passport race,
Business & Money
National Bureau of Economic
Research estimated that
unemployment likely to be
caused by the shutdowns in
America will result in almost
a million additional deaths
over the next 15 years.
He dismissed this by
claiming that “adopting a . . .
herd immunity strategy” and
“letting the virus rip” would
have even more dire
economic consequences than
the present approach.
But that is a caricature of
the sceptics’ position. Far
from letting the virus rip, we
favour a policy of “focused
protection”, as set out in the
The smiles of these Syrian children brought joy to readers
Smiling refugees
a picture of hope
Muhammed Abdullah’s
picture of Syrian refugees was
the most amazingly positive
photograph I have seen in
years (World News, last
Liberal elites are
as bad as Trump
Christopher Caldwell’s fine
article “Trump was inept —
but his instincts weren’t
wrong” (World News, last
week) stepped outside the
tendentious, follow-my-
leader reporting that has so
often characterised Donald
Trump’s tenure.
Obviously, he is a hard man
to like, but how many times
do we need reassuring that
Trump is a clown and a
monster, his supporters
racists and fascists?
He is a symptom, not a
cause. The problem may lie
less with the “deplorables”
and more with the elites that
loathe him most.
Unfortunately, the signs are
Great Barrington declaration,
whereby we cocoon those
most at risk of dying from
Covid-19 and allow those not
at risk to get on with their
lives. It is worth recalling that
only 388 under-60s with no
underlying health conditions
died in English hospitals last
year, according to the NHS.
Toby Young
lockdownsceptics.org
Alternative remedy
Lawson dismisses the leading
lockdown sceptics. Well, I am
not an Oxford professor, a
journalist or a former
Supreme Court judge. I am
week). There they were, in a
sodden landscape, with few
possessions, but were still
able to smile. It was a
welcome reminder that
humans overcome far worse
situations than we face here.
Shirley Millar
Downpatrick, Co Down
that they have learnt nothing
and forgotten nothing.
Cal Finnigan, Lamarsh, Essex
Truth commission
Caldwell’s piece missed the
point. The main lesson to be
drawn from Trump’s
presidency is that the truth
matters. Do not vote for a
habitual liar — even if you
share his or her political
instincts.
Pete Wilkins, Aberystwyth
Perfectly Frank
How appropriate that My Way
by Frank Sinatra was played
as Trump left Washington for
the last time on Air Force
One. It was recently voted
the No 1 song choice for
funerals.
John Cutland
Wilton, Wiltshire
just someone who used to
have a happy, busy life. I also
used to have a job. All that
stopped in March.
My mother used to have a
social life. That has gone too,
and because of the lack of
aftercare for her hip
replacement last January, she
is now barely able to walk.
“Save lives” is the slogan. She
says hers is not worth saving.
This is the reality of
lockdown. I have been against
it from the off, and it does not
even seem to be effective. We
have to find another solution.
Suzanne Pattinson
Cambridge
You report that the chancellor
is considering scrapping
council tax and stamp duty
and replacing them with a
property tax based on the
current value of people’s
homes (News, last week).
Many pensioners, me
included, bought their
properties long ago. We have
no control over local prices,
and in fact many of us would
be quite happy for our
properties to be worth less
than they now are, so that
younger people could get a
foot on the ladder.
I cannot afford to pay a lot
more tax, I do not see why I
should have to move to a
different area and I certainly
cannot downsize. Why
should we be punished
for something that is not in
our control?
Marcia MacLeod
London NW6
Free speech vital
in gender debate
We are dismayed by recent
attacks on free speech within
universities. Earlier this
month hundreds of academics
signed an open letter against a
professor being appointed an
OBE for her services to
academia.
The letter falsely intimated
that Professor Kathleen Stock,
of Sussex University, is
transphobic. It ignored both
the service she has given and
the achievement of any
woman in reaching such
seniority in a male-dominated
sector.
We are concerned that
anyone who questions
whether sex can be equated
with gender identity will be
vilified in this way. The
closing-down of speech about
the fact that sex is immutable
A little business
advice for the PM
How many of the 30 top
business leaders recruited by
Boris Johnson for his “council
of war” (Business, last week)
come from small and
medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs)? It appears the
answer is: none.
SMEs account for half of
Desmond Morris, author, 93
Vic Reeves (Jim Moir),
comedian, 62
Ade Edmondson is 64 today
ANNIVERSARIES
1848 Discovery of a nugget
in California sparks the
Gold Rush
1972 Japanese soldier
Shoichi Yokoi is found on
Guam, unaware the Second
World War has ended
1984 Apple Macintosh goes
on sale for $2,500
has become a weapon by
which women are silenced,
harassed and attacked.
It is even more concerning
that some parts of the media
have taken up the cause of
vilifying any woman who
speaks out about the attempts
to erode women’s hard-won
rights.
A free press is essential for
democracy, yet much of our
media seems to have been
captured by a lobby group
determined to erase the
protected characteristic of sex
under the Equality Act 2010
and punish those who dare to
challenge the gender identity
orthodoxy.
Julie Bindel, author; Professor
Rosa Freedman, Reading
University; Michael Biggs and
Professor Selina Todd, Oxford
University; Richard Collins,
University College Dublin; and
30 others. Full list at
sundaytimes.co.uk/letters
UK GDP; they employ 60% of
the private-sector workforce;
and they led the jobs boom
after the financial crisis of
2008-9. Why does the
government never listen to
those who will ultimately
drive growth and create
employment?
It drives us little people in
the SME sector nuts.
Peter Higgins, co-founder
Charles Tyrwhitt menswear
plastic surgery: consumers
of these procedures are
creating a demand in
poorer countries for doctors
whose skills could be better
used in helping their own
people. It is called “thinking
globally”.
Ruth Grimsley, Sheffield
Three times a lady
Rod Liddle asks: “How many
female cardiac surgeons are
there?” (Comment, last
week). I am very happy to
report that my triple bypass
and valve replacement was
carried out at St George’s
Hospital in Tooting, south
London, by a team led by
Professor Marjan Jahangiri. I
am sure many others have
reason to be grateful to
women wielding the scalpel.
Frank Hixson, Canterbury
Cut a long story short
I was surprised to read John
Carey’s claim that the
biographer Richard Bradford
“has heroically slogged
through the 8,000 pages of
[Patricia Highsmith’s] diaries
and notebooks” (Books, last
week). Every single quote
from Highsmith’s diaries and
journals in Bradford’s book
appears either in my own
biography of Highsmith,
Beautiful Shadow, or Joan
Schenkar’s later work.
Andrew Wilson
Kingsbridge, Devon
Blue remembered chills
The winter of 1962-3 was
indeed harsh (Magazine, last
week). My vivid memories are
of the milk, delivered daily by
the milkman, which froze in
the bottle, causing a solid
white column to grow from its
neck, complete with foil lid on
top; and the large snowman,
built from December’s snow,
which we danced around on
my birthday — in April.
Marcia Yeates
Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex
Gone with the wind
Robert Sansom, of the
Institute of Engineering and
Technology, claims that the
cost of wind power has fallen
below that of fossil fuels
(Letters, last week). This
confuses the reality of today
with extremely optimistic
promises about the situation
in a decade’s time. My
research shows that the
actual break-even cost for
Edinburgh University
Anthemic pandemic
A woman’s request for I Was
Glad by Sir Hubert Parry to
be played as she was
vaccinated in Salisbury
Cathedral was, as you say,
highly appropriate (News,
last week). Parry died in an
earlier British pandemic —
the Spanish flu, in 1918.
Philip Matthews, Salisbury
Pay of the dragon
Philip Sherwell’s confidence
that post-virus China may
behave better because it
“needs new friends” is,
sadly, wishful thinking
(Comment, last week). The
EU’s amoral indifference over
its recent trade deal, and the
bribery of the Belt and Road
initiative, shows that Xi
Jinping knows he does not
have to win friends: he can
simply buy them.
Robert Frazer, Stockport
Priti accurate
Priti Patel is ultimately in
charge, but it was her civil
servants who lost all this
police data (News, last week).
So maybe, if she did in fact
shout at some of them for
incompetence, she was right.
Dennis Marsh, Camberley
Letters should arrive by noon
on Thursday and include the
full address and a phone
number. We may edit letters,
which must be exclusive to
The Sunday Times
CORRECTIONS &
CLARIFICATIONS
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE Your comments from

This is a poor excuse for a
winter. But 1962-3 — now that
was the real thing, and our
feature on the big freeze set
off a flurry of memories from
readers who lived through it.
“Water pipes were frozen,
so we melted snow on the
cooker,” said Peter Wright.
“My ink — yes, in those days
we had fountain pens and
bottles of ink — froze solid on
my desk,” said D Stuart M.
“We feared a new ice age and
the gulf stream reversing,”
said Priscilla Cullen.
They kept on coming, thick
and fast. “My mother insisted
the skylight be open for fresh
air. I woke to find an inch of
snow at the foot of the bed,”
said Roger Callan. “We wore
our duffle coats and scarves
in class for weeks,” said
Philip Smith, before noting,
“This is sounding like the
Four Yorkshiremen sketch
. . .” Well, maybe a little. But
we enjoyed that too.
From winter to summer: in
June the G7 will meet at tiny
Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Lovely
place, bad idea, thought
George Rowell, a local: “The
hotel is small and the village
has very narrow streets. The
US president’s motorcade
alone would scarcely fit. I’m
not sure this has been
thought through.” Penelope
Spencer was dismayed:
“We’re booked into a house in
St Ives that week. God help
us.” “Best of luck on the
A303, world leaders,” said
128 people, adding, “I’m just
heading down in my caravan
then.” If the hotel can’t cope,
perhaps he can put some of
them up.
Everyone loved the story of
vaccinations in Salisbury
Cathedral, with a free organ
recital. “Uplifting and
joyous,” said Carole Anne
Rice; “Unimprovably right,”
said Grub Street Geezer.
Brian Burnell was perhaps a
touch too keen: “I’ve already
had two jabs. Can I go again?”
thesundaytimes.co.uk
Finally, Froosch was
worried by the army of food
delivery robots trundling
around Milton Keynes: “We’ve
all seen The Terminator. We
know how this ends.” Yes,
said Seagoon: “With Arnie
delivering your spuds and
saying, ‘I’ll be back . . . with
the milk.’” You just can’t help
doing the voice, can you?
Stephen Bleach
READERS’ POLL
Last week we asked: Would you inform the police of a
neighbour breaking lockdown rules?
YES NO
26% 74%
From a poll of 2,381 Times and Sunday Times readers
This week’s question:
Should all schools be co-educational?
Have your say at sundaytimes.co.uk/poll
NEWS REVIEW
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021
NEWS REVIEW
IT WOULD BE FEAST, NOT FAMINE, IF WE
ONLY LEARNT TO LOVE OUR OWN FOOD
We needn’t rely on big chains selling produce from half a world away. This land is a larder of local and seasonal fare, says Joanna Blythman
H
ow do you fancy Sunday
lunch? We’ll start with
dressed crab, spread on
toast, with curls of water-
cress on the side. Next up, a
shoulder of lamb, slowly
roasted so the meat falls
from the bone. We won’t
waste the fondant carrots,
onions, celeriac and herbs
the joint sat on: we’ll eat them with the
gravy made from a glass of wine and the
sticky, meaty sediment. Perhaps we’ll
have kale or sprout tops, salted and
crisped, with some January king cab-
bage, its purple-green leaves blanched
and tossed in butter. Everyone will want
roast potatoes; floury varieties are best
for this purpose — King Edwards or Roost-
ers come to mind. Then a crowd-pleasing
traditional trifle: alcohol and raspberry-
soaked sponge topped with thick layers
of eggy custard and whipped cream.
Such a meal is easily made from
100 per cent UK-produced ingredients,
even entirely local ones, depending on
where you live. If you like to flavour your
custard with a little vanilla extract or toss
a few toasted almonds over the cream,
let’s reduce that figure to 99 per cent.
Seen through an international lens,
Britain is one of the luckier countries.
Our fertile, well-tended land is capable of
producing all manner of wonderful edi-
ble things. And yet we suffer from a deep-
seated lack of confidence in our ability to
feed ourselves well. The notion that, if we
were left to our own agricultural and gas-
tronomic devices, our meals would be
monotonous and meagre was embedded
in the public psyche long before Brexit
and Covid-19 entered the lexicon.
Despite all the “back British farming”
rhetoric, many believe the UK’s food is
fated to be the poor relation of richer
European nations. Market stalls on the
Continent groan under the weight of sun-
soaked produce, while what we farm in
Blighty is an enigma to many.
This lack of knowledge about the food
we can produce has escalated, so fretting
about the weekly shop is understanda-
ble. Last year was topped and tailed by
food anxieties. The first lockdown saw
supermarket shelves emptied of basics
such as flour. For the first time since the
Second World War, we found ourselves
worrying about finding enough to eat.
An unnerving litany of doom now tells
us Brexit is making our food insecurity
even worse. Next thing you know, there
won’t be any clementines, eggs or rice,
and those oh-so-essential avocados will
become unaffordable. Yet now Brexit has
happened, might it also be an opportu-
nity to rethink that downbeat script?
What would it take to shift our food econ-
omy away from one that covets the food
of faraway places to one that relishes
what can be farmed on our doorstep?
There are signs this important discus-
sion is beginning. In an effort to increase
the proportion of British food on shelves,
David Potts, the chief executive of the
Morrisons supermarket chain, made an
appeal to food entrepreneurs this month.
“If there is a British entrepreneur trying
to set up a business in recessionary times,
they should call me. If it’s legal, decent,
honest and there’s consumer demand,
the answer will be yes,” he said.
Britain’s food self-sufficiency — the
percentage supplied by domestic pro-
duction — has varied wildly. It was as
much as 100 per cent pre-1750, down to
30-40 per cent in the 1930s, then 60-70
per cent in the 1980s. Based on the farm-
gate value of unprocessed foods, in 2019
we produced 55 per cent of what we ate.
Kamala’s
non-nuclear
family is the
modern blend
The new US vice-president’s
home set-up has barely raised an
eyebrow. Politicians used to
embrace conformity; now they
reflect reality, says Rachel Edwards
Why have we not been eating more markets to task for turning their backs on
UK-produced food in recent years? The UK-produced food. Lamb is a particular
answer is intimately connected to the sore point. While UK sheep farmers have
ascendancy of the supermarkets. TS Eliot more mature and so more flavourful ani-
remarked in Notes Towards the Definition mals to sell, the big chains prefer, for
of Culture in 1948: “One symptom of the logistical and margin reasons, to buy
decline in culture in Britain is indiffer- “spring” lamb from New Zealand.
ence to the art of preparing food.” Fair Shelves are heaped year-round with
comment, perhaps, in that postwar
period when availability trumped gas-
tronomy. Supermarkets have taken full
advantage of this indifference ever since.
The first self-service shop — a Co-op in
east London — opened in 1948 and
seemed to mark a new era of food choice.
Rationing had condemned us to a dull
diet of labour-intensive raw ingredients;
nobody had heard of kiwi fruit.
N
owadays, the typical large super-
market stocks 45,000 products,
many of them imported. At Christ-
mas it was like stepping into global
summertime: shelves packed with
shiny plastic packs of southern hemi-
sphere berries, Peruvian asparagus and
Brazilian figs. The selection is huge — yet
more and more people find it lacking.
This is partly because it fails to reflect
the ebb and flow of our seasons, but also
because we would like to show more loy-
alty to our farmers and growers, espe-
cially those who are local to us. Must we
really have crunchy, hard, vapid Moroc-
can strawberries in January? Can’t we
wait until we harvest riper, more fragrant
ones here, from April to October?
British farmers regularly take super-
Nowadays
the average
supermarket
stocks
45,000
products
W
hen I watched the
inauguration of
President Joe Biden
and Vice-President
Kamala Harris, my
interest was piqued before
they walked to the fore to
swear their oaths. I was
watching not just two victors
take their place in history, but
those who came beside and
behind them: the families. it
was a moment of personal joy
to see the Harris-Emhoff
family in all their blended
glory walking smartly in the
wake of the vice-president.
We know that Harris is the
first female vice-president,
and the first of black and
south Asian descent. She also
happens to be the most
powerful stepmother in the
world. She was accompanied
by her husband, Doug, and
the children from his first
marriage, Ella, 21, and Cole,
26. On that day of moving and
important firsts, this too
marked a seismic shift. It was
the moment the world finally
stepped away from the
ARGYLL
nuclear option with regard to
its most important collective
unit: the family.
Harris married Doug
Emhoff in her forties. She has
not given birth, but says her
role of “Momala”, as her
stepchildren call her, means
the most to her. If I were not
an author and were in the
slightest way suited to
helping to run the world’s
primary superpower, that
could easily be me. I am a
black full-time stepmother,
married to an Englishman,
with two white stepchildren —
WIN MCNAMEE
the inauguration felt to me
like a moment of celebration
and validation.
It wasn’t long ago that
political families came in only
one form: the nuclear one. It
was the structure typified by
Margaret Thatcher standing
on the steps of No 10 with
husband Denis and children
Mark and Carol. Any
deviation from this model
was as good as begging for
a beating at the ballot box.
This had started to crumble
before last year’s American
election. In France,
Kamala Harris
at the
inauguration,
left, with
husband Doug
Emhoff, far left,
and her
stepchildren
Cole and Ella.
Right, the
Thatcher
family in 1976
23
apples from far-flung places that have could be more localised and self-reliant.
been stored for months and shipped Why export the good wild stuff and
here, yet shoppers will struggle to find import the inferior farmed equivalent
many varieties from British orchards dur- from the other side of the world? “Loca-
ing the autumn apple season. vorism”, the practice of eating locally
Independent food shops better reflect produced food, is too readily dismissed
the potential of British food because they as a niche activity. Successive govern-
are more likely to obtain what they sell ments have fixated on exports and dele-
locally, or at least from a shorter food gated responsibility for feeding the popu-
chain. In 2003, Sir Terry Leahy, then the lation to supermarkets, whose opaque,
chief executive of Tesco, reflected confi- strung-out, globalised food-procurement
dently on the appeal of supermarkets. methods now look precarious, liable to
“Queuing at one store then trudging disruption and bad for the environment.
O
down Watford High Street in the rain to
another shop . . . is this what people actu- f course, if we decided to follow this
ally want to go back to?” Yet after a year of path, we would hit limits. Citrus
lockdown queues, small, independent fruit, coffee, chocolate, bananas,
food businesses are trading briskly: sales rice, olive oil — the list of what can’t
leapt by 63 per cent in the three months be grown in the UK is substantial;
to last May, and have stayed strong since. we will always have to import those
More of us are prepared to spread our items. Yet some surprising things —
food spending among small traders grapes, melons, apricots and nuts —
locally and online. “I think the future of might be coaxed into commercial pro-
supermarkets is in the balance,” says duction here, albeit in quantities insuffi-
Morgaine Gaye, a food-trend forecaster. cient to meet demand. Happily, the list of
She predicts more of us will soon be buy- foods that we can grow or farm in some
ing directly from producers. quantity is much, much longer.
The unusual circumstances of the past An audit of Britain’s agricultural sec-
year have provided opportunities as well. tors would show we are well off in terms
Although small fishing fleets off Devon of meat, dairy, eggs and fish, reasonably
and Cornwall feed local residents, on the strong in grains and weaker on fruits and
Scottish west coast refrigerated trucks vegetables. But this reality has more to do
have long collected the haul from small with supermarkets’ promiscuous global
fishing boats — fabulous lobster, crabs, buying habits than any insurmountable
prawns, langoustines and scallops — and inability to grow our own. Those lucky
whisked them south to the tapas bars of enough to have an allotment are redis-
Spain. In the first lockdown, a commu- covering the slumbering potential of UK
nity minded enterprise sprang up beside horticulture. Beetroots of several hues,
the pier, selling shellfish caught by fisher- purple-fleshed carrots, quinces, black-
men at Kyle of Lochalsh, Kyleakin, Plock- skinned potatoes, white currants, red
ton, Broadford, Elgol and Dunvegan. gooseberries, rainbow chard, ridged
Across these isles, our food supply courgettes as slim as your pinky, plump
cherries, opulent plums, mulberries — all
this action on allotments, and among
small-scale growers who supply vegeta-
ble boxes to consumers, is reintroducing
genetic biodiversity to our fruit and vege-
table repertoire, just as surely as super-
markets have stripped it out.
Plant food is fashionably to the fore of
our minds; we are urged to eat fewer ani-
mal products. Yet while any sane person
would applaud an ecologically sensitive
expansion of our fruit and vegetable and
arable sectors, an increased reliance on
solely plant food would make us more
dependent on imports. Tell people to cut
back on meat, fish, dairy and eggs, and
you are counselling them to turn their
backs on the UK’s strongest agricultural
categories. This seems perverse.
To improve Britain’s food security and
make our food system less vulnerable to
global stresses — extreme weather, pan-
demics, wars — we need to increase home
production, reducing our reliance on
faceless suppliers in faraway places who
feel no particular loyalty to us. Rewilding
and the sweeping reforestation of pro-
ductive agricultural land could also be at
odds with developing a more self-reliant
food economy. A constructive compro-
mise would be the widespread adoption
of agroforestry systems, which integrate
animal and crop production in an ecolog-
ically beneficial way.
This is the month of “Veganuary”, the
annual drive to encourage more to try
veganism, but a less extreme, perhaps
more palatable option for many is
“Regenuary”: eating foods — animal or
plant — for one month that are not
imported and are farmed using regenera-
tive methods. Expect heated debate, but
view it as healthy. As the French chef Mar-
cel Boulestin advises in his book Simple
French Cooking for English Homes: “Don’t
be afraid to talk about food. Food which is
worth eating is worth discussing.”
Emmanuel Macron, whose Clinton, who came a cropper mother is largely absent from
unconventional marriage to despite his wedding vows. our lives, so it looks almost
his former teacher, Brigitte, What further sets the exotically civilised — ex-
had been pored over in the Harris-Emhoff family apart is marital harmony is not how
press, was elected president the manner in which they most of us roll. Yet our
in 2017. But to see this shift seem to manage their politicians do not live in a
happening in more socially arrangement in harmony vacuum, and as the electorate
conservative America feels and with acceptance. While has grown up, putting real
more significant still. Doug Emhoff becomes the love first whatever the old
Perhaps we have finally first male White House social norms, it is gratifying to
learnt that a conventional spouse, Kamala’s relationship see that reflected back by
family structure is no with his ex-wife, Kerstin those we vote into power.
guarantee of good behaviour. Emhoff, shows a maturity More than 1,000 new
There has been no shortage and an approach to life that is stepfamilies are formed every
of evidence, from France’s hard not to admire. They are day in America, and less than
François Mitterrand, who said to be friends and are half of those under 18 live
had a 32-year affair, to Bill tangibly supportive: there with two heterosexual
can’t be many exes who parents in a first marriage. In
would show up for the the UK about 9 per cent of
finest hour of their former children live in a stepfamily.
partner’s wife, but Kerstin Moreover, our globalised
was there at the inauguration, society has shifted away from
tweeting “Wow” and later
sharing on Instagram: “This
the racially homogenous
marriage; now about one in
is real. So excited behind the six American couples are in
mask!” an interracial marriage.
Such a show of unity Living in the relationships we
would be remarkable in truly want, rather than those
any blended family. As a not- that are socio-politically
the-first wife and stepmother, expedient, is part of the way
I applaud this level of co- we live now and most of us
operation. My stepchildren’s are happier for it.
24 The Sunday Times January 24, 2021

NEWS REVIEW

T
GETTY IMAGES
he view from the terrace of migrant workers whose poor treatment
Roka restaurant in downtown has been well documented, he created
Dubai is as optimistic as you’ll the Burj Khalifa; the world’s biggest shop-
find anywhere these dark ping arcade; an island in the shape of a
days. It’s not just that you look palm tree; and the region’s answer to
out over the Burj Khalifa, the Canary Wharf, the Dubai International
world’s tallest skyscraper. It’s Financial Centre (DIFC). He plumbed the
the people, mostly Britons, state with superfast communications
among them the former stars infrastructure and added seven-star
of reality TV shows, on hotels, beach resorts and a snow park so
extended holidays. They look happy, people could ski despite the 50C heat.
flexing tanned muscles, sipping dirty Westerners and rival local leaders
Martinis and posting pictures of them- sniggered, dismissing him as too big for
selves on social media. his dishdasha. But he dug in. To lure the
Yet when they get back to their beach- skilled expatriate workers he needed to
side villas and hotel suites, the mood of make his economic experiment work, he
many diners changes. Hostile messages offered a tax-free lifestyle, officially
ping in from Instagram and Twitter relaxed laws on alcohol consumption
followers locked down at home in Brit- and unofficially turned a blind eye to
ain, accusing them of failing to observe other social issues that rival emirates
government warnings on non-essential clamp down on. Unmarried couples, and
travel. The 260,000 Britons, including gay couples, live together in Dubai. Radhika Bose teaching stress-busting yoga from Delhi
leading influencers and footballers, who His liberal attitude does not seem to

While we baked
have flown to the desert city state since extend to his own family, however. In an
travel restrictions were lifted last year, interview with The Sunday Times in
have recklessly spread the virus to Dubai 2019, the sheikh’s first wife revealed how

banana bread,
and brought it back to Britain, critics say. he kicked her out of Dubai in the 1970s

How Dubai
Social media accounts have been set and has not allowed her to see her daugh-
up to name and shame the worst offend- ter since. The sheikh is also alleged to

the Australians
ers; the suspicion that some went on have kidnapped and imprisoned two of
sponsored freebies only adds to the rage. his other daughters.
Earlier this month the United Arab Emir- These scandals do not appear to have

turned to babkas
ates (UAE), of which Dubai is a part, was dented his business plan. Indeed, his

became the
removed from the UK’s list of travel corri- contrarian strategy reached new heights
dors. Returning travellers must now self- last year when, to gee up economic
isolate for 10 days when they get home. growth after a lockdown-induced eco-
Critics of “Covid Casablanca” question nomic contraction, he established diplo- From making fizzing kimchi to pineapple
why the city state is encouraging tourism matic and economic relations with Israel,
beer, every country has coped with lockdown

Covid haven
while the rest of the world shuts up shop. something unthinkable even as recently
But the most shocking thing about the as April. in its own eccentric way, writes Jenny Coad
outrage over Dubai’s business-as-usual “Dubai’s competitive advantage is

O
approach is that anyone is shocked at all. being a place where ‘the normal rules’ of
Dubai has spent years going against the the Middle East do not apply,” says Matt- ne of the strangely achieved feats worthy of Bake
grain in its breakneck promotion of the hew Page, who studies Gulf economies comforting features of Off. “We moved on to babkas

trade, transport, tourism, property and
retail sectors that make up its economy.
They are the reason for its success — and
it is not going to stop now.
It might look like any other sun-kissed
coastal business and leisure hub but
Dubai is also something simpler: a giant
family business, headed by Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He is the kind of
chief executive ruler Donald Trump
could only dream of being, presiding
over a land of liberal financial laws and
limited democracy, and his business plan
is straightforward: when others zig, zag.
Thirty years ago Gulf leaders were
socially and economically conservative.
Most emirates had tiny populations and
no significant businesses outside oil and
gas. Strict laws on everything from
alcohol to homosexuality discouraged
westerners from investing or settling.
“Our cities were inward-looking, one-
camel towns,” jokes one Emirati.
British-educated Sheikh Mohammed
wanted none of that. He invited the world
to come and invest to make up for dwin-
dling oil revenues. To get things going, he
started an airline — Emirates — with two
jets leased from Pakistan International
Airlines and built a new airport terminal
with a snazzy duty free. Using an army of
He is the
kind of chief
executive
ruler Trump
could only
dream
of being
for hedonists
for the Carnegie Endowment for Interna- the pandemic has been and Basque cheesecakes,”
tional Peace. “It’s a pirate entrepôt — its universality. Just as says Cara Waters, a
where all are welcome as long as they the crisis has gone newspaper editor.
help to create wealth.” global, so has enduring the The only problem was a
And it’s working. Emirates is the tedium of its associated shortage of wooden spoons;
world’s largest international airline by lockdowns. Asking friends they’d been requisitioned for
miles flown. Dubai’s airport has long from Singapore to Los “Spoonvilles” — villages of
Social media stars have been shamed for overtaken Heathrow to become the Angeles and Spain how they decorated spoons stuck in the
world’s busiest international hub, with survived the enforced time at ground all over the city to
living it up in the Gulf state, but that’s just the almost 90 million passengers in 2019. The home, the answer came back keep children entertained.
DIFC has become the financial centre of the same: sourdough. Even in South Africans, prohibited
coverage its ruler wants, says John Arlidge the Middle East and Dubai Mall is the France, where boulangeries from buying alcohol, have
most visited place on earth. are as common as betting taken to home-brewing, with
The sheikh now spies another oppor- shops, sales of flour and pineapple beer a national
tunity to prosper by going against the breadmakers are on the rise. favourite. At one point
grain: he wants to create the world’s “safe In other respects, however, pineapple sales increased 10-
space”. Thanks to the UAE’s young popu- we are deviating in intriguing fold and prices more than
lation, outdoor lifestyle and strict rules ways. A journey down doubled. It’s a bit like cider,
on social distancing and mask-wearing, Google’s most searched-for I’m told.
Covid infection rates have been low. The terms reveals that the French A new “mobile dipping
country has recorded fewer than 800 spent last year seeking zone” in Copenhagen
deaths among its population of nearly 10 recipes for cheese naans, harbour — it looks like a
million. A fast vaccine roll-out — its rate is brioche and croque floating sauna with a hole in
second only to Israel — means almost all monsieurs. Not just any old the middle — is doing brisk
inhabitants, including migrant workers, croque, but the sort made by business even with
will be inoculated by the end of this year, the television chef Cyril temperatures a frigid 4C.
ministers say. That has helped Dubai to Lignac, whose marble cake The Spanish had their own
reopen its economy to leisure and busi- has a cult following. A friend Joe Wicks, in the form of
ness travellers. Ministers have negotiated in Burgundy tells me yoghurt Patry Jordan, who offered live
travel corridors wherever they can. With and kimchi experiments are classes every day in her
nowhere else to fly to, every Tom, Dick fizzing away in dark online Gym Virtual. Delhi-
and Muhammad has come. cupboards across the based Radhika Bose got
New infections have surged since country. families together for yoga
Christmas, rising from about 1,000 cases In Italy, searches for with “immunity boosting
a day to 3,500 a day. But business Nutella cookies and plum asanas” and stress-busting
remains good. Emirates’ aircraft are two- cake recipes peaked last routines on Instagram.
thirds full on average, says Sir Tim Clark, March. Churros and bizcocho With borders closed, Hong
the airline’s British president. Hotel occu-
pancy rates increased to 71 per cent last
esponjoso — sponge cakes —
were rustled up in Spanish
Kong residents hit the trails.
One hiker, Andrew Daniels,
month, according to the hospitality ana-
lyst STR. The influx has helped to drive
kitchens. Americans made
dalgona coffee, which
completed all 160 — almost
800 miles. “Cheers to
business confidence to the highest level
since March. Economic growth this year
involves furiously beating
sugar, instant coffee and
optimism and making the
most of situations we’re
is forecast to rise by 4 per cent, after a 6
per cent fall last year.
boiling water and then
pouring it over iced milk — it
given,” he wrote.
The notion of being a
Will the outcry over Dubai’s Covidiots
damage its long-term appeal and
took TikTok by storm.
Finns made use of their
global citizen has been much
derided, but our lockdown
Dubai, with its palm tree island, has
attracted reality TV and social media
prospects? Quite the reverse. The sheikh
is probably enjoying the publicity. The
discarded Christmas trees by
knocking up spruce syrup,
inclinations rather prove the
point. Yes our tastes might
stars including, clockwise from top
left, Anton Danyluk, James Lock and
more people who know his Singapore in
the sand is open for business, the more
less sweet than maple and
used for gin cocktails or to
differ (and our Captain Tom is
a one-off ) but more unites
Yazmin Oukhellou, Georgia Harrison dirhams will flow into the economy, and dress salty cheese. than divides us — and we all
and Laura Anderson the more his family business will grow. In foodie Melbourne, they love sourdough.

All rise! This trial won’t be starting until 2023

In 2019 the Ministry of
Backlogs in the justice system Justice (MoJ) took the
are punishing the victims “political decision” that the
backlog need not be reduced
and allowing the guilty to walk further and cut sitting days by
free, writes the Secret Barrister 15 per cent. This proved a
catastrophic misjudgment,
of cases that have foundered
because of a complainant or
key witness losing faith at
their trial being adjourned for
a second, third or fourth
time.
The risk is not merely that
“Mo”, a public sector
worker, was 18 when he was
accused of serious offences.
He was arrested immediately,
and then “released under
investigation” for two years.
In that time, he lost his place
get the case to court, in what
the judge described as
“outrageous negligence”.
Meanwhile, the pretrial
delays leave the public
exposed to risk as criminals
remain at liberty to reoffend.
time limit and, importantly,
no conditions attached to it.
In its desperation to tackle
the backlog, the government
is now insisting on a business-
as-usual approach in the
courts, notwithstanding the
court venues were required —
a remark met with raised
eyebrows by those who had
watched the government sell
off 297 court buildings since
2010. “Nightingale courts” —
repurposed civic venues,

A
report last week by Her
Majesty’s justice chief
inspectors described
“unprecedented and
very serious court
backlogs”. In crown courts,
where the most serious
criminal allegations are tried,
this backlog now stands at
more than 53,000 cases,
contributing, the report said,
to “lengthy waits” at all stages
of the criminal justice process
that “benefit no one and risk
damage to many”.
It would, however, be
wrong to assume, as the
government insists, that these
delays are solely the product
of an unprecedented
pandemic. The criminal
justice system was already in
a uniquely vulnerable
position, with backlogs and
delay a government-designed
feature, not a bug.
While it is true that Covid
has presented unique
challenges for jury trials —
including a recent report that
69 judges have been struck
down by the virus — delay was
embedded throughout the
mobile phones or computers,
now often take years. Files
submitted to the understaffed
Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) are frequently
incomplete and missing key
evidence, leading to a
revolving door of cases being
bounced between the CPS
and the police.
Once a decision to charge a
suspect has been taken, it can
then be a further six months
before the overburdened
court administration sends
out the postal requisition
summoning the defendant to
attend the magistrates’ court
for his first hearing.
Serious offences will be
sent to the crown court for
trial. Even pre-Covid, it was
common for trial dates in bail
cases to be nine months to a
year away. This is because
artificial restrictions are
imposed by the government
on “court sitting days” — the
number of days a year that
courtrooms are allowed to
open. This measure is
designed to save on the cost
of court staff, but results in
and the backlog started to
grow, climbing from 33,000
to more than 37,000 by the
start of last year. It will shortly
surpass the present record of
55,000. This all means that in
many cases it can take three
or four years for a criminal
allegation to be tried.
The impact upon victims of
crime is inestimable. “Annie”
— not her real name — went to
the police in June 2017 to
report allegations of historic
rape and sexual abuse. Her
trial was first listed in
September 2019, but pulled
from the court list at short
notice because of “lack of
court time” — the official
jargon for lack of capacity.
It was relisted for last April,
but fell victim to the
pandemic. It was listed for a
third time in the autumn,
only for the court, once
again, to take it out of the list
at the 11th hour, and adjourn
it to later this year. The
frustrated judge was moved
to suggest that Annie contact
her MP to draw attention to
this state of affairs.
Home Office figures
disillusioned witnesses will
withdraw, but that the quality
of evidence is damaged by the
passage of time. The currency
of criminal trials is live oral
testimony. The slightest slip
or inconsistency can be fatal
to the credibility of a witness
in the eyes of a jury.
Many accused — including
a number who will be wholly
innocent — are spending
longer in custody awaiting
trial. If they are acquitted,
there is no apology, let alone
compensation, for the
months or years of their lives
lost.
To have to
wait almost
four years for
a resolution is
outrageous
at university and a job
promotion, and it was more
than three years before his
trial finally went ahead and
he was acquitted. “It’s scary,”
he says. “Both as a defendant,
but I also feel for genuine
victims. To have to wait
almost four years for a
resolution is outrageous.”
For guilty defendants,
however, the delays are a
boon. They can wait years for
their trial, knowing that
there’s a reasonable chance
that the key witnesses will
lose heart and the
prosecution will disappear.
Defendants who are subject
to an electronically
monitored curfew while on
bail can find themselves in a
particularly fortuitous
position, as the law provides
that every two days spent on
curfew count as one day of
custody, should they receive a
custodial sentence. Even
those who plead guilty early
on are victims — and
beneficiaries — of the delays.
This month a judge at
Canterbury crown court
refused to pass a custodial
A judge last week declared
that the police’s use of
“release under investigation”
(RUI) is bringing the justice
system into “disrepute”.
RUI was introduced in 2017
after government restrictions
on the use of police bail,
which was the ministerial
response to embarrassing
headlines about accused
celebrities having to endure
police bail for months on end.
Inevitably, the overstretched
police stopped bailing
people, and instead invented
the new concept of RUI,
which, unlike bail, has no
JULIA QUENZLER
recent national lockdown,
and for court staff and legal
professionals, there are
serious concerns that the
courts are not safe. The real
solution to the justice backlog
has to be urgent investment
across the criminal justice
spectrum. The MoJ’s
response to the pandemic has
been glacial. It was obvious
last March that extra court
capacity would be needed.
Last June, the then head of
Her Majesty’s Courts and
Tribunals Service (HMCTS)
told the justice committee
that an additional 200-plus
theatres, halls and so forth —
have been identified as a key
part of the answer. Only 19
have so far opened.
While the Treasury’s
spending review in November
promised long-overdue
support for the criminal
justice system, the figures
quoted are not adequate.
Long-term HMCTS plans to
reduce the number of staff by
one-third remain official
policy, and there has been no
commitment to abandon
permanently the absurd
restrictions on sitting days.
Joined-up thinking remains
elusive in justice policy.
Unless we provide the proper
resources to our criminal
justice system to investigate
criminal offences, convict the
guilty and acquit the
innocent, we are taking risks
with the lives of our citizens.
We need to start seeing
criminal justice as
fundamental to civil
democracy, rather than
something that affects only
criminals. The government
should be taking the lead.

criminal justice system long
before the virus left Wuhan.
Huge cuts to police budgets
mean that investigations,
particularly those involving
digital evidence such as
perfectly serviceable
courtrooms lying locked and
empty and paid judges sitting
at home while serious
criminal trials join an ever-
growing queue.
published last year show that sentence on a man who had The Secret Barrister is a
a quarter of complainants pleaded guilty to practising criminal barrister
withdrew their support for downloading “unspeakable” and author of the Sunday
the police or the prosecution. images of children because of Times bestsellers Stories of the
As a prosecuting barrister, I the five-year delay it had Law and How It’s Broken and
have lost count of the number taken for the prosecution to Some courts have reopened with anti-Covid measures Fake Law
The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 25

NEWS REVIEW
BEN STEVENS

The
Explainer
Stig Abell
Coffee
The ‘jitter in a cup’ has kept us full of
beans for centuries. Even a global
virus hasn’t put the lid on our craving

M
y children do not
believe me when I
tell them that,
when I grew up in
Loughborough in the
1980s, there were no coffee
shops. You didn’t go out for
coffee; you drank it at home
before you went out. It was
functional, even slightly
unpleasant.
Now the daily cappuccino
or latte has been elevated to
something like a human right:
whatever global virus is
raging, we demand the
opportunity to venture out
for something overpriced and
overstimulating. We embrace
its essential fraud: a beverage
fattened and sweetened to be
By the 18th century,
London had more coffee
shops than anywhere else in
Europe apart from
Constantinople. In Oxford
they were seen as places to sit
and think and talk and write;
as “penny universities”.
Indeed, literature owes
much to coffee. Voltaire and
Balzac were both apparently
50-cups-a-day men. Margaret
Atwood, who once wrote of
the pleasure of the “jitter in a
cup”, has a blend named after
her. Bach wrote a cantata
about coffee, with a libretto
warning that “if I wasn’t
allowed, three times a day, to
drink my little cup of coffee,
in my anguish I will turn into

‘M
Lizzie Catt with husband Will Dron and their children Alex and Eva. She says many working parents are struggling to cope with childcare and long periods of homeschooling essentially unrecognisable, in a shrivelled little goat”.
a cup we cannot recycle. Coffee is often used as an

Gavin’s tough
y baked beans!” and tear-jerking assembly videos, but the Yet coffee has held an excuse for something else,
wailed my six-year- pressure to educate during this more attraction for centuries. The whether to take a break from
old daughter. “If frightening, freezing lockdown is far story goes it was discovered work or to invite someone
you don’t like them, greater than during its sunny predeces- in the first millennium AD by home after a date. The gang
don’t eat them,” I sor. We’re going up against children an Ethiopian goatherd who in Friends use it to cling to
muttered, reading who’ve sensed blood in the water and noticed his charges were one another (Phoebe’s

week wasn’t a
an urgent work deployed all the weapons in their sprightlier after munching on exasperated psychoanalyst
email for the ump- armoury: feigned gormlessness; some berries. The drink boyfriend berates them for
teenth time as my repeated requests for water; mysterious made from the berries spread “sitting in your stupid coffee
five-year-old son, tummy aches; and a frankly masterful into Yemen, and coffee house with your stupid big
meant to be drawing and labelling a glacial pace. became part of Arab life. For cups, which, I’m sorry, might
picture of a dinosaur, pushed a flashing As soon as we’ve finished, we crack on centuries the raw beans were as well have nipples on

rubber duck into my eye. “I do like them,”
she said. “But look.” I looked. The bowl
was upturned in her lap. Week two of
homeschooling (part two), and things
were not going according to plan.
There was little sympathy from par-
ents watching the education secretary,
Gavin Williamson, floundering in an
interview last week, batting off calls for
his resignation while admitting he
couldn’t be sure whether schools would
return before Easter. The Department for
Education’s backtracking over exams
and decision to shut schools after one day
of the spring term have ensured parents
and teachers are beyond exasperated
with Williamson.
This time three weeks ago, it all looked
a lot rosier, and Boris Johnson was busy
assuring the nation that schools were
safe. The next morning I, along with mil-
lions of other primary school parents,
patch on ours
with our own work until late in the even- boiled, until someone them”).
ing, breaking off to lob sandwiches, stumbled on the idea of And we, the locked-down
breadsticks and fish fingers into young roasting them. The first coffee masses, see it as a sign of
mouths. We’ve barely left the house, shop was opened in 1475 in freedom and a link to a world
occasionally shoving grumbling children Constantinople, and the in which sitting close to
into the muddy garden to jump on the concept travelled sleeplessly someone clutching four
trampoline. Thank goodness we have west into Europe. quid’s worth of sugary froth
that — many parents don’t. Pope Clement VIII was was unexceptional. You
Google Meet’s backgrounds are a god- converted at the end of the might stop our children going
send: the scenes of galloping horses and 16th century, apparently to school, but you cannot
Families are having to dered, should be supervised and which
plonked in front of the telly? Would it be
outer space mask domestic chaos to rival
the lavatory scene from Trainspotting, all
announcing, “This Satan’s
drink is so delicious that it
stop us going to Starbucks.
Our lives are measured not,
do the impossible, possible to take part in a work Zoom
while teaching column addition and find-
chores abandoned except for the paint-
ing-the-Forth-Bridge-level endeavour of
would be a pity to let the
infidels have exclusive use of
as TS Eliot had it, with coffee
spoons, but with
but the education ing Lego Ironman’s flippy helmet?
Williamson’s decree that all schools
catering. In the evening, wired children
are wrestled into baths (maybe) and beds
it.” Francis Bacon noted that
it “comforteth the brain and
environmentally unfriendly
coffee cups — and you will
secretary says must provide three to five hours of daily
“high-quality remote learning” and his
from which they repeatedly emerge to
declare that they are not, unsurprisingly,
heart, and helpeth
digestion”, and thus became
have to prise those from our
cold, oversanitised hands.
homeschooling may suggestion that parents report schools to
Ofsted if they were unsatisfied, prompted
tired after another day of inertia.
This lockdown has been brutal on
one of the first intellectuals to
embrace coffee as part of the Stig Abell is a presenter on
continue until Easter, some schools (not ours) to issue warnings
that the work was mandatory.
children, with friends reporting that
their usually buoyant five, six and seven-
creative life. Times Radio

handed my children back to their teach-

ers with a sigh of relief and went home for
a strong coffee in a quiet house thinking it
would be back to work for me and my
husband.
But that evening, with children in bed
and uniforms laid out for the morning,
Johnson was back on TV announcing that
school was out till February half-term at
the earliest. My phone buzzed as a collec-
tive howl went up in group chats. With no
notice to book time off or find extra
devices, parents scrambled to charge old
phones, rearrange commitments and
chuck down large G&Ts.
By the next morning, teachers at our
school had managed a superhuman
pivot, a full day of schoolwork landing on
Google Classroom by 10am. Parents were
not feeling so ready. Many, according to
my WhatsApp at least, were also hung-
over. Each child was issued with a list of
assignments, videos from teachers read-
ing stories and explaining concepts, and
tasks to complete.
The supposedly simple task of access-
ing Google Classroom defeated many of
us — passwords were, we finally remem-
bered, Pritt-Sticked into reading records,
not buried in the emails we were swearily
trawling through — or were they on the
ClassDojo app or Tapestry? What about
Purple Mash? Which child, we won-
writes Lizzie Catt With my husband on jury duty, moun-
tains of work to do and still in a daze, I
hadn’t even noticed the assignments, or,
to be honest, figured out exactly what
Google Classroom was. After navigating
the twists and turns of 2020 then virtu-
ally joining the hopeful toasts of New
Year’s Eve, the stress of another lock-
down and a more terrifying Covid-19
strain finally clobbered me.
For the first time in my freelance
career, I cancelled a meeting. “I’m really
sorry, but I . . . I feel like I’ve been hit
around the head with a plank,” I told my
colleague. I decided to deal with the
stress, not by teaching my five-year-old
son and six-year-old daughter, but by
Williamson: launching a panic-fuelled campaign to
fending off calls suspend the academic year, firing off
for resignation emails to MPs and setting up a Facebook
group. It made sense at the time.
Three weeks in, the shock has worn off
but the situation hasn’t changed, and my
revolution isn’t going well. Talk from
friends and family about reprising Joe
Wicks’s PE sessions or embracing sea-
shanty TikToks are met with a grimace.
The basic obligations of work, being a
parent and educating in lockdown do not
fit into 24 hours: what parents are being
asked to do is close to impossible.
Our children’s school has been bril-
liant, offering support, music projects
year-olds are suffering night terrors,
insomnia and meltdowns or are too What would life be
scared to sleep alone. We want to play
with them, cuddle them, go for long
walks and make everything OK but days
without coffee? But,
are instead spent arguing over work-
sheets while battling to do our jobs.
then, what is life even
Women with children are falling out of
the labour market to prop up the educa-
with coffee?
tion system. Freelancers like me can’t ask
for furlough, and brush off questions
Attributed to Louis XV
about how homeschool’s going. And we ALAMY
have it relatively easy: many single par-
ents and those with children who have
special educational needs are facing
intolerable pressures.
Working parents are up in arms: cam-
paigner Anna Whitehouse, aka Mother-
Pukka, was able to get 55,000 anguished
followers to fill out a TUC survey in a
matter of days, discovering that seven out
of 10 of eligible mothers who’d asked for
furlough in this lockdown had been
turned down. She is asking for 100,000 to
comment on one post with their experi-
ences and tag the prime minister.
Anyone who thinks parents need to
stop moaning should take a scroll
through the thousands of desperate sto-
ries. There is no perfect solution but if
schools are going to be shut until Easter
and beyond, a serious rethink is in order.
Parents need help. Kaffeetafel, painted by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in 1907

A
ALAMY

Heard the
s a producer of sperm endometriosis, a condition men themselves. Gilbert the campaign, but Gilbert and
puns and synonyms, that can cause infertility. “My considers himself typical: Harries’s IVF treatment,
Rhod Gilbert is truly memories of the first few happy to sit in the which is only now resuming.
fecund. It’s his actual years are of Sian sitting background, assuming he is Worse still, the coronavirus

one about
sperm that has been the
problem, which is why the
Welsh comedian is the
slightly awkward — and
closest to the person we were not to blame. A blokey contributed to the death in
talking to, whether it was a expectation that “my boys November of Gilbert’s father.
nurse or a gynaecologist or can swim”, to quote Seinfeld, For weeks, when restrictions
GP,” says Gilbert, a stalwart of feeds into traditional male allowed, the comedian would

the joker who

slightly smutty — host of a standup and television reticence. The poet Benjamin visit his father’s care home in
new BBC documentary about comedy for more than 15 Zephaniah, who is outspoken west Wales. Malcolm Gilbert,
male fertility. years. “I was always just about his own infertility, tells a retired teacher, was blind
In the programme, behind, in a support position, Gilbert: “This culture of men and struggled to move after a

tackled male
inspired by his own decade-
long struggle to have a child,
Gilbert’s gametes themselves
are “senile swimmers in need
and very happy not to be in not talking to each other is heart attack. Father and son
the spotlight.” killing us.” As Zephaniah had to greet each other
Yet Gilbert was shocked by writes in Naked, part of his through a Perspex sheet.
two statistics he discovered anthology Too Black, Too “I set him up with a smart

infertility?
of Zimmers”. Humour, he
explains, is all he has in his
mission to tackle stigma,
prudishness and urological
neglect in academic research.
After 10 years off If meaningful conversation
and breaking down barriers
me a
trying to become between men are Gilbert’s
goals, jokes are his wrecking
edian
father, the comedian balls. “I do worry that I’m
Rhod Gilbert is perpetuating the problem,
but we need to start talking
aign
leading a campaign about this and I’m prepared
ng
to get men talking to use humour to try to move
things an inch,” he says from
about their bits,, he his home in north London.
Gilbert, 52, and his wife
orne
tells Simon Usborne Sian Harries, 39, a comedy
writer, are among the one in
seven British couples who
struggle to conceive. When
they sought help, about seven
years ago, their only problem
was assumed to be Harries’s
when he began to doubt his
own fertility. The male
reproductive system is at
least a contributing factor in
half of problem cases.
Moreover, sperm counts in
the developed world have
halved in the past 40 years.
The reason is not fully
understood. One theory
holds that oestrogen in the
water supply might be partly
to blame (the hormone has
been shown to affect sperm in
mice). But lifestyle choices
and men having children
later in life are thought to be
the bigger cause. The average
age of a first-time father has
gone from about 25 to almost
35 in Gilbert’s lifetime.
When he eventually got
tested, he was told he had
enough sperm but that they
were in bad shape — literally.
The majority were “wonky”,
to use his terminology, and
had also suffered due to a
bacterial infection. Specialists
advised Gilbert to live more
cleanly. He had already quit
smoking — a death sentence
for sperm — and eased up on
booze and bad food. His
swimmers quickly perked up.
His experience led him to
launch an awareness
campaign, Him Fertility. Its
logo features a sperm in place
of the “i” in “Him” and the
website has the tagline:
“Time to talk tackle.” At one
point in the documentary, an
ad agency politely suggests to
Gilbert that dubbing an
awareness month
“Cocktober” might break
advertising rules.
For decades, research has
focused on gynaecology.
Andrology, its male
counterpart, is a neglected
field. Gilbert and Harries had
undergone years of treatment
yet had never seen a male
fertility specialist until Gilbert
met one for the documentary.
The rest of the problem is
Strong: “My life is full of
lonely childless
eternities / where only poetry
gives me life.”
Gilbert is saddened, but
not surprised, that he cannot
find a support group for men
with fertility problems. He
launches one on Facebook
and invites men to a Cardiff
pub. Of the seven that show
up, none has talked openly
about his problems before.
Gilbert hopes to remain
the face of the campaign,
working with charities to
organise support groups and
get the medical profession
involved. For the time being,
however, the pandemic has
thrown everything off course
in more ways than one. The
first lockdown delayed not
only the documentary and
speaker and he was going
through audiobooks at a rate
of knots; his mind was very
active,” Gilbert says. “But in
the end I think the repeated
lockdowns meant depression
set in and he had a heart
attack. I think the lack of
human contact got to him.”
Malcolm’s death has
heightened Gilbert’s sense of
mortality. “I’m starting to feel
the grim reaper’s hand on my
shoulder,” he says. Aware
now that the “tick-tock” of
fertility affects men as well as
women, he adds: “I wish I’d
started sooner and talked
about it sooner.”
Rhod Gilbert: Stand Up to
Infertility is on BBC1 Wales
tomorrow at 9pm and on
BBC iPlayer
26 The Sunday Times January 24, 2021

PUZZLES FEEDBACK Comments about our puzzles can be sent to

puzzle.feedback@sunday-times.co.uk or Puzzles
Editor, The Sunday Times, 1 London Bridge Street,
London SE1 9GF

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE JUMBO CROSSWORD 250 Across Down NEWS QUIZ

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 Personal magnetism or a divinely bestowed talent (8) 2 Substance produced by an endocrine gland, carried in 1 Who said ’ello, ’ello, ’ello
6 In Joseph Heller’s novel, ____-22 is a no-win situation (5) blood to other organs and modifying their function (7) to sisters Vanessa, Lara
9 ____ tree is another name for false acacia (6) 3 Introduced laws once again, after a lapse (9) and Samira Boess?
12 Conor ____ O’Brien won seats as a member of the (Irish) 4 Southernmost peninsula of Skye, home of a branch of Clan 2 What percentage of UK
12 13 14
Labour party and the United Kingdom Unionist Party (6) MacDonald (5) shoppers have been
13 Boris Godunov was the best-known role sung by bass opera 5 The foremost Anglican _____ is that of 30A (13) barred from paying in
singer Feodor ____ (pictured) (9) 6 Karma ____, Culture Club’s No 1 single from their 1983 album cash since the first
15 16 14 Whatever ____ Wants is the best-known song from the 1955 Colour by Numbers (9) lockdown?
musical Damn Yankees (4) 7 Principal seaport of Sri Lanka, which Nelson described as 3 What links Whitney
15 ____ components can be used together without alteration (10) one of the world’s best natural harbours (11) Houston, Frank Capra,
16 Take the easiest way at the expense of high standards (3,7) 8 Relating to the liver (7) Ulysses S Grant and the
17 18 19 20
17 Releases pent-up energy — like the 26A in the past (4,3,5) 9 Capital and second largest city of Nebraska (7) pioneer aviators the
19 Have a discussion — or the opposite! (8) 10 ____’s first published mystery was Last Bus to Woodstock (5,6) Wright brothers?
21 London tube station with four Northern line platforms (6,4) 11 An upper chamber in a large medieval house (5) 4 How much is a 7kg lump
21 22 23 24 25 23 Something good may fall into one’s ____ (3) 18 In card play, an attempt to take a trick with a possible of excrement expected to
25 Villein who occupied a house and land in return for labour (6) rather than definite winner, hoping to gain an extra trick (7) net for a 20-year-old Thai
26 Titled passenger train from Paddington to Penzance (7,7,7) 20 His first major poetic work was The Shepheardes Calender (7) fisherman?
29 Feel strong hatred (6) 22 A sweetened form of oloroso sherry (7) 5 Who waved goodbye to
26 27 28
30 To whom Bob Mortimer’s Train Guy talks in YouTube skits (3) 24 Starter very commonly served in Britain in the 1970s (5,8) Hastings after three
31 Location of the St Lawrence Ground, formerly Britain’s only 25 British rowers won the men’s ____ four at every Olympic months on shore?
major cricket venue with a tree inside the boundary (10) games from 2000 to 2016 (7)
6 Iran has blamed what
29 30 31 32 33 Small parrot of Australia which feeds on nectar and pollen (8) 27 Show absolutely no concern about something (3,4,1,3)
group for power cuts
36 London terminus built by the South Eastern Railway (6,6) 28 Scottish crime-writer whose characters include the
blighting the country?
38 Jenny Eclair, Linda Smith or Miranda Hart (10) detective Karen Pirie and the psychologist Tony Hill (3,8)
40 1980 Winter Olympics venue in the Adirondacks (4,6) 31 The Falkirk Wheel lifts ____s by 24 metres (5,4) 7 What first has ONA, a
33 34 35 36 37
42 The golden ____ was an idol made by Aaron in Exodus (4) 32 Predatory fish with slender body and large jaws and teeth (9) restaurant in southwest
43 The star fruit (9) (pictured) France, achieved?
44 Roof turret allowing smoke to escape from a medieval 34 Clearly showed something, such as an emotion (7) 8 Why did the cupcakes for
building; a famous museum (6) 35 The film ____ Tourists is a 2009 a Cairo birthday party
38 39 40 41
45 Obtained money by scrounging (6) documentary about Americans land the baker in trouble
46 A family’s ____ branch is that of a seeking enlightenment in India (7) with the authorities?
younger son (5) 37 Pithy saying such as Oscar 9 What prestigious art
42 43 44
47 Women’s ____, Second World Wilde’s “I can resist everything award has been given to a
War civilian organisation created except temptation” (7) pink seesaw?
to strengthen the agricultural 39 Surname of the 44th US 10 Who were fined £200
45 46 47 workforce (4,4) president (5) each for breaching Covid
41 Michael ____’s televised travel rules by eating breakfast
included a circumnavigation (5) in a London café?
Note: The answers to the nine successive trios of Across clues share a feature which is appropriate for this puzzle

SUDOKU WARM-UP VERY HARD — PRIZE 1415 KILLER SUDOKU EASY POLYGON
Each row, column and 3x3 box Each row, column
must contain the digits 1 to 9. and 3x3 box must
Winners will receive a Collins contain the digits
English Dictionary & Thesaurus. 1 to 9. The digits
within each group
To enter, complete the Very Hard puzzle and call 0901 292 of cells joined by
5275 (UK only) (ROI 1516 303 500), leaving your answer
(the numbers in the three shaded squares) and contact dotted lines must
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CONCISE CROSSWORD 1714 MEPHISTO 3152 Tim Moorey Across Down

CROSSWORD 4939 David McLean

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Long for British car that’s 1 Enter vehicle to get home, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

small (6) a rudimentary one (8, two
8 7 Lacking respect, words) 8
10
Independent MP sacked 2 New ideas leader put out 9 10
9 leaving obligations (4) for forensic test (4)
11 12 13
10 Religious mystery 3 Romeo and a smitten
10 11
14 15 showing in state capital, former lover (9)
11 12
12
nothing less (9) 4 Nearly all having gone
16 17 18 19 11 Rather engaging term north lied about
13 14 15 used in Queensland (4) Murrayfield beating (6)
13 Face model after work (6) 5 Justification for absorbing 13 14 15 16
20
14 Tinder provided by one mature port charges (10)
21 22 23 crazy man in Durban (6) 6 Coarse snuff apparently in
16 16 Bridge system in place not traditional Angus 17 18 19

24 25 entirely backed (4) enclosure (6)

17 18 Cattle pens time after time 7 Armed warriors clear,
26 27 28 29 overturned? Almost (6, marches banned (4) 20 21 22 23
18 19 20
two words) 8 Upset one on bench (8)
30 31 20 Jag seals about right for 9 Troublesome situation in
21
saloon worker? (9) fish pond (4) 24 25
22 32 21 Marshal reloading number 12 Sellers perhaps fastest
of linked mines (9) to make a public
23 33 34 24 No Scottish banks make a statement (10, three words)
26
loud noise for lady (6) 15 Raising a tax shelter
25 Insect up sticks caught (4) externally (9)
NAME ................................................................................... 28 Free men close ranks 17 Rake over very small area NAME ...................................................................................
Across Down originally to be different (6) below Italian mansion,
ADDRESS ................................................................................... 30 Narrow-minded on large bottom of garden (8) ADDRESS ...................................................................................
1 Greater number (8) 2 Scholarly world (8) island (6) 19 Play at once excited? I’m
................................................................................... ...................................................................................
8 Maximum (6) 3 Hospital visitor (10) 31 Opening item in not sure (8)
9 Soft colour (6) 4 Inactive (4) EMAIL ................................................................................... programme not started (4) 22 Witness leaving with Across Down
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12 Greek cheese (4) 6 Hindu ascetic (4) Post your solution to The Sunday Times Mephisto 3152, public, then shower (9) corner (6) 1 One in gorgeous hat 2 Men on horse held up
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17 Monster (4) 14 Hero worship (8) The first correct solution picked at random after next 34 Prearranged call top agent Congress (6) jumper? (6,4) cut it? (4,7)
18 Major sign of adulthood (8) 15 Freshwater turtle (8) Saturday wins Collins World Atlas: Complete Edition, put out for spy (6) 26 Greek money as before left 10 Talk about a lengthy series 4 Mongrel dog ran around
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Open to 18+ UK & ROI residents only.
22 Pound, in slang (6) 19 Boulder (4) 27 What’s turned up in 11 Medals hung around one 5 Not even funny (3)
23 Flexible (8) 20 Advantage (4) The Chambers Dictionary 13th edition is the primary morning-after pill box? (4) lad for actions (6-2) 6 Pat dogs or different
reference. Readers are invited to visit Tim Moorey’s 29 Judge accommodates 12 Exclude pilot one’s creature (9)
website at timmoorey.com
number previously cut (4) regularly seen in pub (6) 7 Decoration-wise, one has
13 Large as well as light (4) tree up inside at Xmas! (5)
15 Foreign article about one 8 Car half-made by mostly

TETONOR MODERATE apt to shoot swimmer (3,7)

17 Toy bible a lord
rubbish robots (8)
12 National labs heading into
manufactured (6,4) distribution (11)
19 Slightly contrary 14 Barperson caught in act is
150 25 114 41 CODEWORD KENKEN information (4)
20 Give out a wave, perhaps,
questioned (9)
16 Head of school entertained
using radio (6) by schoolboy language (8)
In the grid, each 22 Former royal a 18 Old people procuring line
number represents cold-hearted bandit shot (8) for high priests? (7)
25 126 34 65 a letter of the
alphabet — all 26
24 Attractive and tan Polish
expert (4)
21 Completely pack up
belongings (5)
letters are used. 25 Cook a lamb with ease, 23 Try fun class A drug hit:
Use the initial clues adding new salt (4,6) lose it, gag and snap (5)
in the code table to 26 Cobblers found in Bow 25 Unopened post creates

66 31 210 27 work out the rest of

the code.
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and Sweden (12) trouble (3)

four random extra

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35 64 12 288 (ROI 1514 415128) or
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The Sunday Times January 24, 2021 27

NEWS REVIEW

Jeremy Clarkson
Going, going, gone — my opening bid for online
auction glory ended with a fat lot of nothing

F
or the past year or so, I’ve been
living in the world’s smallest
cottage while a team of men in
hard hats and visible clothing
build me a house. The first
lockdown meant nothing
happened for five weeks, but
despite this, it’s now house-
shaped. It even has windows, and soon
it’ll have a roof.
By the summer, it will be finished and
then I’ll have a problem, because all the
furniture I currently own would fit in the
downstairs lavatory.
That’s why my eyebrows shot up by
6ft when I was told about a local chap
who was selling virtually all the contents
of his large country house in
Oxfordshire. It’s called Aynhoe Park and
apparently it’s been used as a party
venue in recent times for celebrities such
as Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. So
everything in there was pretty groovy.
Especially the stuffed giraffes and the
picture of a naked young lady being
pleasured by a swan.
I went to a viewing, which, in
lockdown, was quite tricky, as it’s
difficult to juggle a pen, a notebook, the
390-page-plus auction catalogue, a
mask, a cup of coffee and a phone. And it
was even harder to hear what the guide
was saying when he was talking through
three layers of germ-absorbent material
and I was 9ft away. Or see what he was
talking about, because the mask meant
my glasses kept steaming up.
But after just three hours, I had
decided that I would be bidding for 30 of
the 605 lots.
I have it in my mind that auctions turn
retail therapy into a sport, because,
using quick wits and a numbered table
tennis bat, you’re competing for glory
against a room full of opponents. There’s
even an audience to whoop and cheer
and applaud when you win.
That’s why charity auctions always do
so well. No one actually wants a rugby
ball signed by Lawrence Dallaglio, but
sitting at a table full of attractive women
competing for it is like a mating ritual.
And going home with it means you are
the king zebra, the walrus with the
biggest tusks, the alpha lion.
There’s something else too. Auctions
are impossibly glamorous. We see this all
the time in films — elegant rooms full of
people in black tie and ball gowns,
discreetly bidding for a watercolour
because they know something the rest of
the contestants don’t. An auction then is
where the wise and the well read go to
find a bargain.
Of course, in these Coviddy times, the
Aynhoe Park event was all being done
online, so the day before the sale I went
to the auctioneer’s website and inputted
my credit card number, its expiry date,
that little number on the back that’s
pretty much rubbed off, and all my
contact details, which means I’ll now get
junk mail to the end of time.
And, the next morning, I was told that
I’d done something wrong and that I
wouldn’t be able to log on. This happens
every single time I try to use the internet
because all websites are designed by
foetuses.
Happily, the auctioneer agreed to call
me on an old-fashioned phone when my
lots were about to come up, so I made
myself a cup of coffee and some snacks
and sat back, rather looking forward to
the day ahead.
I knew I’d be up against some stiff
competition because the sale had been
written about in every newspaper —
apart perhaps from the Daily Mirror and
the Morning Star — and every house
round here had a catalogue on the
ottoman.
It was a big deal. I had a friend in
faraway Tooting in south London, who
was after a 6ft floor lamp in the shape of
a palm tree, and another who called
from the Turks and Caicos to say he
wanted a wooden head.
I knew when my
friends heard
about my haul of
30 pieces, I’d be
cock of the walk
It was sad that we wouldn’t be in the
same room, but after the sale was over,
both, I knew, would be staggered and
impressed when they heard about the
haul I’d amassed. Thirty pieces. I’d be
the cock of the walk.
The first lot in which I’d expressed an
interest was No 3, a pair of large
mustard-coloured “castle chairs” that
had a guide price in the catalogue of
between £1,500 and £2,500. That was
steep, especially when you factor in the
25% “buyer’s premium”. And the VAT on
top of that. But these things were as
luxuriant as Laurence Llewellyn-
Bowen’s hair, so I liked them. I wanted
them. And soon they would be mine.
Bidding opened at £3,000, and before
I’d had a chance to fall out of my chair, it
had reached £4,000. The man on the
other end of the line asked if I’d like to go
higher, and after I stuttered “no”, I heard
the gavel fall.
I figured, though, that this was
nothing more than early-doors
enthusiasm and that as the day wore on,
and people settled down, the prices
would fall. But no. Every few minutes,
the phone would ring, the bidding
would start way above the guide price
and end up moments later in the
stratosphere. One rather pretty
dragonfly wall light that had an
estimated value starting from £1,000
went for 12 times that.
I guess the problem was simple.
People knew the recent history of
Aynhoe Park. They knew that Kate
Moss had read by the light from that
dragonfly and that Colin Firth had sat in
those armchairs and that Cara
Delevingne had slept in that bed. And
they were paying big money for this
celebrity connection.
But whatever the reason, when the
gigantic two-day sale ended, I had
bought the square root of absolutely
nothing at all. Which means that when
the lockdown ends, I shall have to visit
my local and rather excellent antique
shop where I can buy all the things I
need for about 50 quid.
Already, I have my eye on a mirror
that’s currently being displayed in the
window.
It’s only £25, possibly because no one
from Love Island has ever used it as a
chopping board.

TEASER 3044 triangular peaks — one block

on the top row, two on the
next row, and so on.
This kept them quiet until I
heard, “I bet Dad could buy
some yellow blocks to build a
How many red, blue
and yellow blocks would
there be?
WEATHER
Colin Vout “My red one’s nicer!” “My
blue one’s taller!”
triangle bigger than either of
ours was, or a red and yellow
AROUND THE WORLD THE UK
Send your solution to: The Sunday
Building Blocks “Why don’t you both work triangle, or a yellow and blue Times Teaser 3044, PO Box 29,
Colchester, Essex CO2 8GZ or email Amsterdam 6C sl London 1C sl
together to make one bigger triangle, with no blocks ever
puzzle.entries@sunday-times.co.uk. Athens 16 f Los Angeles 15 sh
The kids had used all the still?” I said. I could see they left over.” The first two correct solutions opened Auckland 24 sh Madrid 8 f
blocks each of them owned could use all these blocks to This kept me quiet, until I after next Saturday win £20. Open to
18+ UK & ROI residents only. Bangkok 34 s Mexico City 23 s
(fewer than 100 each) to build make another triangle. worked out that I could.
Barcelona 14 f Miami 25 s
Beijing 3 s Moscow 1 fg 15
0
CHESS BRIDGE
Belgrade 13 f Nairobi 25 sh
rough
David Howell Berlin 3 r New Delhi 22 s
Sally Brock
Bogota 18 th New Orleans 24 f
Boston -1 s New York 1 f
The first week of the Wijk aan Ke1 Bxh3 45 Bd1+ Kb5 46 Be2+ is Everyone likes a good freak makes all thirteen tricks
Brussels 5 f Oslo 1 f
Zee supertournament featured an instructive variation. Black’s deal. It can be so random as West gets squeezed 2
Budapest 8 f Panama 31 th 12
a refreshing number of high- king cannot approach the c3- that poor players can score between his spades and the
Buenos Aires 38 s Paris 4 sl
quality endgames. The seven- pawn, while if 46…Kc5 47 Kf2 heavily against the experts. ace of diamonds. moderate
Cairo 21 s Prague 3 sl
hour classical time control has the h3-bishop is imprisoned. This deal cropped in the I feel sorry for West at our
Calgary -12 f Rio de Janeiro 29 s
given the players licence to 44 Bd1+ Kb2 45 Bc2! White Tollemache Cup (inter-county final table. He heard his
Cape Town 26 s Rome 12 sh 4
delve deep into the mysteries of sets a cunning trap. 45…Ka3 teams of eight contest). partner open six clubs! South
Caracas 26 th San Francisco 10 s
each position. Back-pedalling. The natural overcalled six hearts, our
Casablanca 19 f Santiago 32 sh
White: Alexander Donchenko 45…Bf1 is Black’s only winning Both vulnerable, Dealer West friend found a raise to seven
Chicago -0 sl Seoul 8 s
Black: Radoslaw Wojtaszek attempt, but it backfires: 46 clubs and North bid seven
♠ K 10 8 7 2 Dubai 21 s Seychelles 28 th
Tata Steel Masters, Wijk aan Bd3 Bxh3 47 c4 Bxg4 48 Be2! ♥ 10 9 4 hearts. East doubled, hoping
Dublin 4 sl Singapore 29 th 2
Zee 2021
W________W Bh3 (48…Bxe2 49 Kxe2 and the ♦ K 10 8 4 3 for a spade lead. No doubt
♣– Geneva 6 f Stockholm 2 r 4
áWDWDWDWD] c-pawn decides) 49 c5 Bg2 50 West was struggling to decide
Gibraltar 15 r Sydney 32 s
àDWDWDWDW] Bd3! h3 51 c6 h2 52 c7 h1Q 53 ♠ J9653 N ♠– between a spade and the ace
♥ 875 ♥3 Guatemala 26 f Tel Aviv 17 s
ßWhWDW0WD] c8Q and Black has no checks, W E of diamonds, either of which
♦ AQJ9 ♦ 72 Helsinki 2 r Tenerife 19 f
so White will deliver mate. 46 ♣J ♣ A K Q 10 9 would have been fine.
ÞDWiW0P0W] Bd3 Ba2 47 Bb5 Bb1 48 Bd3
S
However, he eventually Hong Kong 19 sh Tokyo 7 r 23 3
86532
ÝWDWDPDP0] Ba2 49 Bb5 Bb1 50 Bd3 ♠ AQ4 came up with a trump lead Istanbul 12 sh Toronto -3 f
ÜDK)bHWDP] ♥ AKQJ62 Jersey 8 sl Trinidad 28 sh
rough
5
Draw agreed Neither side can ♦ 65 which didn’t trouble declarer
ÛWDWDWDBD] make progress. ♣ 74 in the slightest! Johannesburg 30 sh Tunis 18 s
ÚDWDWDWDW] La Paz 13 th Venice 10 f 5 moderate

ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ Lagos 28 f Vienna 6 f

Spot the Move 1255: The best score East-West Last week’s problem
White is a pawn up.
Nevertheless, when assessing
White to play.
W________W
áWDWDriWD]
went to those who were
allowed to play in five clubs, ♠ A K J 10 8 6 3
Lima
Lisbon
25 sh
17 sh
Warsaw
Washington DC
5 sl
3 sl TODAY’S WEATHER
endgames, surveying any sometimes doubled but ♥ A3 Key c=cloud, dr=drizzle, ds=dust storm, f=fair, fg=fog, g=gales, h=hail, UK forecast
à0WDbDW0W] ♦6 m=mist, r=rain, sh=showers, sl=sleet, sn=snow, s=sun, th=thunder, w=windy Much of England and Wales will have a cloudy and cold day,
imbalances is essential. Black’s ßWDWDpDPD] sometimes not. I find it ♣ A Q 10
king and bishop are currently hard to believe that any with outbreaks of rain, sleet or snow moving across the area
ÞDWDpDWDQ] ♠– N ♠ 95 from the west. Scotland and Ireland should be drier and
more active than their South would sell out to five ♥ J 10 9 ♥ Q8764
counterparts. Therefore
Wojtaszek offered a trade of
ÝWDWDWDWD]
ÜDWDWDWHW]
clubs undoubled, but these
things happen.
♦ 10 7 5 4 3 2
♣ J853
W
S
E ♦ AJ8
♣ K76
EUROPE brighter but with a few wintry showers. Winds will mostly be
light and rather variable in direction
knights. 39…Nc4 40 Nxc4 40 ÛP1PDWDP)] Now look at the deal from ♠ Q742
Nd5 is flawed: 40…Nd2+ 41 Kb2
Bxe4 and Black gains the upper
ÚDWDW$WDK]
ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ
North-South’s point of view.
Some defended club
♥ K52
♦ KQ9 3
REGIONAL FORECASTS
♣ 942 London, SE England
hand. 40…Bxc4+ 41 Kc2 Kb5 Kavalek-Ree, Wijk aan Zee 1982. contracts that went down:
West North East South Sleet or snow will move in from the west. Light to moderate
A stand-off has arisen. White’s Czech-American grandmaster six clubs one down, or seven 2♣ 2♠ *
Pass Pass cyclonic winds. Max 5C. Tonight, clear and cold. Min -3C
bishop appears stuck on g2, Lubomir Kavalek passed away clubs doubled down two, for Pass 3♠ Pass 4♦ 1 7 Midlands, E England
blocked by its own pawns and last week, aged 77. A former example. The lucky ones Pass 4NT Pass 5 ♣ **
6♠
Cloudy with sleet or snow in places. Light and variable winds.
preventing an invasion by the elite player, Kavalek was also a were allowed to play in Pass All Pass
* balanced positive 4 Max 4C. Tonight, widespread frost. Min -5C
enemy bishop. Meanwhile the successful writer and coached hearts. Two played in five
** 0 key cards 9 Channel Is, SW and Cent S England, S Wales
black king will outflank the both Bobby Fischer and Nigel hearts doubled plus one, both 10 Showers in the south, snow in the north. Variable winds,
opposing monarch. 42 Kd2 Short during world on the jack of clubs lead. Note 9
110 15 strongest in the Channel. Max 8C. Tonight, frosty. Min -5C
Ka4 43 Bf3! Refuting any championship matches. Can you that this was misplayed at Can you make your 6 5
N Wales, NW England, Isle of Man
notion White may end up in see how Kavalek ensured the both tables. On a club lead, opponents pay for making the 15
A few wintry showers. Light and variable winds. Max 3C.
zugzwang. 43…Kb3 43…Bf1 44 black king will be checkmated? declarer should ruff, play a weaker hand declarer? 13
14 Tonight, frost and fog. Min -4C
trump to hand, ruff another Presumably South has two
Send your solution (first move only), to Sunday Times Spot the Move 1255, Cent N and NE England
club and now play a spade to kings for his positive, and
The Sunday Times, PO Box 29, Colchester, Essex CO2 8GZ, or email to Mainly dry with sunny spells. Light and variable winds. Max
puzzle.entries@sunday-times.co.uk. The first correct answer drawn after next hand. When East shows out they must be in the red suits.
¬ A few showers are possible of rain will move into the 3C. Tonight, widespread frost. Min -4C
Saturday wins £20. Open to 18+ UK & ROI residents only. (but cannot ruff ) declarer Lead a club.
over Spain and Portugal but Low Countries and France Scotland
much of the day will be dry through the day Wintry showers but also some sunshine. Light southwesterly

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS GENERAL KNOWLEDGE JUMBO CROSSWORD 249

Across: 1 Tort, 3 Carmarthen, 9 Hilum, 12 Encomia, 14 Dig for Victory, 15 Ignis fatuus, 16 Carrageen,
17 Weltschmerz, 18 Thalamus, 21 Marco Pierre White, 23 Ossa, 25 East Anglia, 27 Edna O’Brien,
with some sunshine
¬ Italy and the Adriatic will
¬ Central Europe will be
cloudy and cool with some
winds. Max 5C. Tonight, isolated showers. Min -10C
N Ireland, Republic of Ireland
be cloudier as an area of rain, showery outbreaks of snow Sunny spells and wintry showers. Light and variable winds.
29 Knur, 30 Michael van Gerwen, 33 Twin-tubs, 34 Scandinavia, 38 Moratoria, 39 Limbering up,
SUDOKU WARM-UP CODEWORD 40 Robert Menzies, 41 Ian Holm, 42 Eland, 43 Nina Simone, 44 Stan sleet or snow moves in from at times, especially over Max 5C. Tonight, a few showers. Min -2C
Down: 1 Thetis, 2 Raconteur, 4 Aramaic, 5 Midsummer Night, 6 Registries, 7 Hootch, the west Germany and Poland
8 Never the Twain, 9 Hackable, 10 Lionel Messi, 11 Mayan, 13 Mesothorax, 19 Shannon,
20 The Divine Miss M, 21 Meerkat, 22 Ingrid Bergman, 24 Abnegation, 26 Saudi Arabia,
28 Ben Collins, 31 Wrings out, 32 Statured, 35 Iberian, 36 Tannin, 37 Apeman, 38 Morse
¬ Greece and Turkey will
have a mixture of sunshine
¬ Much of Scandinavia will
be dry but there will be some THE WEEK AHEAD
and isolated showers snow flurries over Finland
MEPHISTO 3151 ¬ Cloud and outbreaks and northern Norway
Across: 1 Ippon, 5 Grisled, 10 Laired, 11 Kore, 12 Luau, 13 Tanaiste, 14 Incarvillea, 16 Alibi, 16 11 19
18 Datagram, 22 Cerberus, 25 Pents, 28 Scowthering, 29 Amounted, 30 Flog, 31 Nurr, 32 Blague,
33 Glassen, 34 Ydred Down: 1 Illiad, 2 Poundage, 3 Placet, 4 Nitre, 5 Gravure, 6 Renig, 7 Skill set, 2 2 3

SUN, STREET LIGHTS & MOON

8 Lose it, 9 Deepie, 15 Santours, 17 Bluenose, 19 Archean, 20 Sprang, 21 Ancora, 23 Railer,
24 Sogged, 26 Ettle, 27 Wedgy
2 3 7 4 10 8

SUDOKU 1414 KENKEN CROSSWORD 4938 Sun Sun sets/ Lights Moon Moon
Across: 1 Give up the ghost, 10 Occlude, 11 Chapati, 12 Nostalgia, 13 Toile, 14 Turgid, 15 Clarinet, 4 5 10
rises lights on off rises sets
18 Pedigree, 20 Angina, 23 Irony, 25 Euclidean, 26 Timpani, 27 Retrain, 28 Ring the changes
Down: 2 Incisor, 3 Emulating, 4 Pledge, 5 Hackable, 6 Graft, 7 Oration, 8 Toilet training, Aberdeen 08:22 16:18 08:20 12:10 06:10(Mon) 18 17 22
9 Point-to-pointer, 16 Rin Tin Tin, 17 Televise, 19 Doorman, 21 Iterate, 22 Scorch, 24 Yeast
Belfast 08:25 16:46 08:23 12:42 06:07(Mon)
Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Birmingham 08:00 16:39 07:59 12:37 05:37(Mon)
SPOT THE MOVE 1254 CONCISE CROSSWORD 1713 Bristol 07:59 16:45 07:57 12:45 05:34(Mon)
Mainly dry with Rain, sleet or snow Another spell of
1 Rh2! traps the black queen. 1…Ra1+ 2 Kc2 Across: 1 Pith, 3 Escapade, 9 Nomadic, 10 Quota, sunny spells. A few will move in from rain will arrive
11 Radio galaxy, 13 Martyr, 15 Unreal, 17 Uncertainty, Cardiff 08:01 16:48 08:00 12:48 05:36(Mon)
Rxd1 3 Rxg2 and Black is doomed wintry showers. the Atlantic. from the west.
20 Opera, 21 Piccolo, 22 Pussycat, 23 Keen Cork 08:24 17:07 08:23 13:07 06:00(Mon)
Down: 1 Panorama, 2 Tumid, 4 Social, 5 Acquaintance, Max 6C Max 10C Max 12C
Dublin 08:21 16:52 08:19 12:51 06:00(Mon)
TEASER 3043 6 Acolyte, 7 Exam, 8 Idiosyncrasy, 12 Play down,
14 Reuters, 16 Grappa, 18 Noose, 19 Coup Glasgow 08:24 16:33 08:23 12:27 06:09(Mon)
5159 and 5951
London 07:49 16:35 07:48 12:35 05:24(Mon)
KILLER SUDOKU TETONOR 4 3 23
TODAY’S SOLUTIONS Manchester 08:05 16:36 08:04 12:33 05:44(Mon)
6 2 0
Newcastle 08:09 16:27 08:08 12:22 05:51(Mon)
23 180 49 60 NEWS QUIZ POLYGON Norwich 07:48 16:25 07:46 12:23 05:24(Mon)
3 + 20 4 x 45 4 + 45 20 x 3
1 Baden-Württemberg police, where the triplets are aioli, alba, alcid, aldol, alibi, bail, bald, Plymouth 08:01 16:55 08:00 12:57 05:34(Mon) 10 10 5 7 6 7
100 26 156 43 officers 2 34%, says Which? 3 Proposed statues for ball, ballad, bill, biocidal, bloc, boil,
Donald Trump’s Garden of American Heroes 4 More bold, boll, cabal, cabildo, call, calla, cill,
NIGHT SKY Mercury
25 x 4 6 + 20 4 x 39 39 + 4 12 11 13
than £200,000. Ambergris, made by whales, is clad, clod, coal, coil, cola, cold, lies low in the WSW evening twilight.
29 154 25 120 used in perfume 5 Dolly the seal, after treatment by diabolic, diabolical, dial, dill, diol, doll, At 7pm, Mars is high and bright in the S, shining 43 23 33
25 + 4 14 x 11 11 + 14 6 x 20 the RSPCA 6 Bitcoin miners 7 First vegan restaurant idli, idol, iliac, labial, laic, laical, libido,
to win a Michelin star 8 Icing was penis-shaped lido, lilac, lilo, load, local reddish below and left of the star Hamal in Aries.
84 31 168 20 9 Design of the Year, to Teeter-Totter Wall on the The Moon lies between the horns of Taurus and Thursday Friday Saturday
14 x 6 24 + 7 24 x 7 14 + 6 US-Mexico border 10 Nine Met police officers above Orion in the SE. Above and right of Orion Early rain clearing Wet at first in the Rain will affect
is Gemini, with the star Pollux below Castor. to leave some south. Becoming many places.
Winners Crossword 4936 M Pawson, Stanway, Essex, R Grodynski, Hertford, I McGregor, Brentwood, Essex, R Warren, Coventry Mephisto 3149 R Price, Tamerton Foliot, Snow in the north.
Devon, P O’Shea, St Albans, Hertfordshire, P Pugh, Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, HAJ Staples, London SW19, C Tulloch, Glasgow Teaser 3041 JD Parker, Sutton Coldfield, The Moon lies below Pollux on Wednesday and sunny spells. brighter later.
West Midlands, S Shaw, Goosnargh, Lancashire Chess 1252 P Rawcliffe, Harrogate, North Yorkshire Sudoku 1412 S Pendray, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire is full in Cancer on Thursday. Alan Pickup Max 13C Max 12C Max 13C