Friday 24 March 2023
00
World Athletics bans trans women
Sharron Davies: Sport is about safety and fairness, then inclusion – in that
Labour plots
tax raid on
savings and
investments
Large rise in capital gains levy understood to
be on table after Starmer refuses to rule it out
By Camilla Turner, Dominic Penna
and Amy Gibbons
LABOUR’S deputy leader suggested
yesterday that the party should raise tax
on savings and investments.
Angela Rayner made the comments
as she criticised Rishi Sunak for paying
a lower rate of tax than most working
people.
It is understood that a large increase
in capital gains tax is on the table if Sir
Keir Starmer wins the next election.
Sir Keir and Yvette Cooper, the
shadow home secretary, refused to rule
out a rise in the levy after being publicly
confronted about their plans yesterday.
A capital gains tax increase would
come on top of other raids on the mid-
dle classes planned by Labour, includ-
ing reversing the Government’s plan to
abolish the lifetime cap on tax-free pen-
sion savings and cancelling tax breaks
for private schools.
The latest debate on tax among sen-
ior Labour figures is likely to cause
alarm among savers and may prompt a
sell-off of assets.
The plans to reimpose the cap on tax-
free pension savings prompted warn-
ings that people would take early
retirement before the next election to
try to avoid the levy.
That capital gains  tax could rise
under a Labour government emerged
after records were published which
revealed that the Prime Minister earned
nearly £5 million in three years but
effectively paid a tax rate of 22 per cent.
Ms Rayner wrote on Twitter: “Rishi
Sunak’s much delayed return reveal a
Tory tax system where the PM pays a far
lower tax rate than working people –
who face the highest tax burden in 70
years. His latest handout to the richest
one per cent shows you exactly who he
puts first.”
Following her remarks, Sir Keir
declined to rule out a plan to bring lev-
ies on investment profits in line with
income tax if Labour wins the next gen-
eral election. Capital gains duties are
INSIDE
Johnson challenge on Rattle may boycott
Puzzles 16 partygate evidence
Obituaries 25 Boris Johnson has accused the
privileges committee of excluding
TV listings 27 name over partygate. The Daily
evidence he is relying on to clear his cuts. The conductor would ordinarily
Weather 28 Telegraph understands Mr Johnson’s
lawyers are writing to the seven-strong among a number of figures in the
ISSN-0307-1235
9 *ujöeöu#yxc by* ÊÁËÂ
*** telegraph.co.uk No 52,210 £3.
hat order Sport
BRITAIN ’S BE ST Q UALIT Y NEWSPAPER
Harry makes history Ofsted could
scrap one-word
ratings after
teacher’s death
By Louisa Clarence-Smith
eduCaTion ediTor
THE chief inspector of Ofsted has
opened the door to the scrapping of
one-word school ratings in the wake of
the suicide of a head teacher.
Amanda Spielman said that the
debate around reforming inspections to
remove grades was a “legitimate one”,
in her first public statement since the
schools watchdog was criticised by the
sister of Ruth Kelly.
The death of the primary school
leader has provoked a furious response
from head teachers, who have started to
wear black armbands during inspec-
tions and remove references to Ofsted
from their school websites.
Ms Kelly, head teacher at Caversham
Primary in Reading, Berks, took her
currently levied at 20 per cent on most own life in January after learning that
assets, so it would have to be doubled to her school would be downgraded from
align it with the 40 per cent income tax “outstanding” to “inadequate”.
rate. Head teachers have urged Ofsted to
The tax raised £15 billion last year drop its blunt ratings, which include
and the annual haul is expected to hit “outstanding”, “go o d”, “re quires
almost £18 billion by 2028.  improvement ” and “ inadequate”,
More than 300,000 individuals pay because they say the ratings can “hang
capital gains tax, according to the latest heavy on the necks of professionals for
official figures, compared with fewer years on end”.
than 200,000 in 2013.  In a statement, Ms Spielman said:
A Labour Party spokesman said the “The broader debate about reforming
party had no current plans to raise cap- inspections to remove grades is a legiti-
ital gains tax but could not rule out a mate one, but it shouldn’t lose sight of
change in future. how grades are currently used. They
ALESSANDRO GAROFALO/LAPRESSE VIA AP
Yesterday, records released by give parents a simple and accessible
Labour revealed that Sir Keir paid summary of strengths and weaknesses.
£23,930 in capital gains tax last year, “Any changes to the current system
after earning £85,466 from his share of would have to meet the needs both of
the sale of a house he had bought for his parents and of government.”
sister and her children. Labour has proposed scrapping
It comes after he was accused of Ofsted grades and replacing them with
hypocrisy after it emerged his pension a school report card showing what
from his time as director of public pros- schools do well and what they need to
ecutions is exempt from the lifetime do to improve.
savings allowance cap he plans to rein- Ms Spielman previously told digital
troduce. He has pledged to scrap the tax Harry Kane celebrates after slotting home a penalty – and becoming England’s all-time greatest goalscorer – in last night’s Euro newspaper Schools Week that Labour’s
benefits of his own pension. 2024 qualifier against Italy in Naples. Declan Rice also scored for Gareth Southgate’s side in a 2-1 victory Reports: Sport, Pages 1-5 policy could be a “logical evolution” of
The IPPR think tank has been cam- how school performance is assessed.
paigning for a rise in capital gains tax Prof Julia Waters, Ms Kelly’s sister,
and said that Labour had “expressed an
interest” in the idea.
The think tank has previously sug-
Strikes threaten to cause Easter travel chaos has claimed that her death was “a direct
result of the pressure put on her by the
process and outcome of an Ofsted
gested several policies that have later inspection at her school”.
been adopted by the party, including a By Jack Simpson warn about potential problems during More than 1,500 security workers at Paul Whiteman, general secretary of
windfall tax on the excess profits of TransporT CorrespondenT Easter, traditionally the busiest period Heathrow’s Terminal 5 are set to walk the school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
energy firms and increasing public for overseas travel after the summer out from March 31 to April 9. British Air- “School leaders want to see tangible
funding to achieve net zero. HOLIDAYMAKERS going abroad at holidays. ways passengers will be worst affected actions being taken to reduce the intol-
Labour’s “grey book”, which it pub- Easter could see their plans scuppered Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of by the action as the terminal exclusively erable pressure that the current inspec-
lished alongside its last manifesto in as strikes at home and on the Continent Advantage Travel Partnership, said serves flights from the airline. tion regime places on everyone in
2019 to explain how it would fund its cause travel chaos. strikes would affect travel and warned It is understood that a number of schools, and they want to see those
spending commitments, pledged to tax Heathrow has told airlines that they passengers to expect longer wait times. other Heathrow airlines are waiting for actions now.”
capital gains at the same level as income should stop selling tickets for the Easter Last week, research from travel asso- more information before making Geoff Barton, of the Association of
tax.  The party is yet to announce which period because of strikes by security ciation ABTA showed that demand for changes to their ticketing policies. School and College Leaders, said: “The
measures it will keep ahead of the next staff that look likely to cause major foreign holidays had recovered since The strikes could have knock-on chief inspector acknowledges that
election, but Sir Keir has already said he delays at the UK’s largest airport. the pandemic, with two-thirds of Brit- impacts on other terminals, with a large reforming inspections to remove blunt
intends to pursue Jeremy Corbyn’s pol- It comes on top of more than 1,000 ons planning a foreign holiday in the part of the workforce being removed and reductive one-word or two-word
icy of axing the financial benefits that members of the Public and Commercial next month. and Heathrow having to fill roles. judgments is a legitimate debate, but
Continued on Page 2 Services union working in passport However, those looking to book last- It is feared that this could result in a there are no plans by Ofsted or the Gov-
offices going on strike between April 3 minute trips could be thwarted after repeat of the flight cancellations seen ernment to even consider this question
Reports: Page 4 and May 5, while industrial action in Heathrow told airlines to halt ticket last summer when staff shortages saw as far as we know. There must surely be
Editorial Comment: Page 15 France and Spain has led travel firms to sales for the 10-day Easter strike period. thousands of flights called off. some reflection following this tragedy.”
NEWS NEWS WORLD BUSINESS
Ukrainian children Bank warns of further
Proms over BBC cuts beaten by Russians pain after rate increase
Sir Simon Rattle may boycott the
Proms in protest at the BBC’s choir
Russian authorities are beating
Ukrainian children in an attempt to
Andrew Bailey has signalled further
pain is on the way for households as
play a role in the summer season of
“re-educate them”, according to a
teenager freed from a Moscow-run
the Bank of England raised interest
rates by a quarter of a percentage
concerts but he is understood to be
youth facility after months of
negotiation. The parents of more than
point. Policymakers at the Bank upped
rates to 4.25pc yesterday, a near
group of MPs challenging its decision world of classical music to oppose a dozen children taken to a youth camp 15-year high and the 11th time rates
not to make the documents publicly plans to disband the BBC Singers and in Russian-occupied Crimea last year have been raised in 15 months. It
available. A 110-page evidence bundle cut orchestra funding. Sources close to brought them home on Wednesday, comes after data showed that inflation
published by the committee, which is Sir Simon said he was considering the charity that organised the grew unexpectedly last month. The
investigating whether he deliberately what action to take as the BBC braces ‘I’m drinking to forget evacuation said. Education authorities Governor said more proof of inflation
misled Parliament, did not feature for cancellations and disruption to its about inflation ... in the occupied Kherson and Kharkiv falling was needed to pause the fastest
papers he considers central to his case. programme. HOW MUCH?’ regions sent them to the camp. cycle of rate rises in three decades.
Page 2 Page 3 Page 12 Page 17
2 **
Johnson fury over ‘excluded evidence’
Former PM’s lawyers ask
that papers ‘central’ to his
partygate defence be
made publicly available
By Dominic Penna
and Christopher Hope
BORIS JOHNSON has accused the priv-
ileges committee of excluding evidence
he is relying on to clear his name over
partygate.
The Daily Telegraph understands that
Mr Johnson’s lawyers are writing a let-
ter to the seven-strong group of MPs
challenging its decision not to make the
documents publicly available.
A 110-page evidence bundle pub-
lished by the committee, which is inves-
tigating whether the former prime
minister deliberately misled Parliament
Minister ‘wasn’t
bothered’ about
menopause talk,
says Vorderman
By Lizzie Roberts
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
CAROL VORDERMAN has claimed that
a health minister “couldn’t be both-
ered” to show up to a menopause hear-
ing, as the two became embroiled in a
public row.
Maria Caulfield, the women’s health
minister, reportedly refused to attend
the Women and Equalities hearing on
Wednesday, prompting an angry reac-
tion from campaigners.
Ms Vorderman, the TV presenter and
menopause campaigner, said Ms Caul-
field “couldn’t be bothered to turn up”.
She told MPs she had seen Ms Caul-
field “having a cup of tea” in Portcullis
House that day, adding “that’s not much
of an example, is it?” Yesterday, she
called on the minister to resign after
claiming she had not shown respect to
women by refusing to attend.
Ms Caulfield tweeted that she was
“not a punch bag” and said anyone who
posted “misleading information” about
her would be blocked on the social
media platform.
The former Countdown star then
posted a screenshot on Twitter indicat-
ing she had been blocked by the gov-
ernment minister, and wrote: “Maria,
show some respect & RESIGN.”
When challenged by another Twitter
user about blocking Ms Vorderman, the
MP replied: “She hasn’t pointed out
facts. I couldn’t attend yesterday as I
was seeing women campaigners against
painful hysteroscopy which had been in
the diary for months. I have given alter-
native dates to the committee and they
are the facts.”
The committee said it had invited Ms
Caulfield to discuss the Government’s
plans for action on menopause in the
workplace “but the Minister refused the
invite”. It is understood the committee
received a response from the minister
on the dates she was available only after
the letter they wrote to her.
Junior doctors to hold four-day strike after Easter
By Laura Donnelly HEALTH EDITOR
JUNIOR doctors are to walk out for four
days after the Easter bank holiday, the
British Medical Association (BMA) has
announced.
It follows the breakdown of talks
with Steve Barclay, the Health Secre-
tary, after the doctors refused to budge
on the demand for a 35 per cent pay rise.
A Whitehall source said the union was
“intent on having a fight”, while BMA
leaders said they were “disappointed” at
having to embark on more strikes.
Healthcare leaders said the timing of
Grieving families’
four-month wait
for probate replies
By Charlotte Gifford
CIVIL servants have been accused of
refusing to speak to bereaved families
about time-crucial probate applications
for four months, as courts grapple with
a backlog of cases.
Registries are telling families “not to
call them” until 16 weeks have passed
after they apply for a grant of probate,
according to legal firms.
Alison Morison, a reader of The Daily
Telegraph from East Sussex, said that 14
months after the death of her son in Jan-
uary 2022, she was granted probate.
However, in a letter to this newspaper,
she said a spelling mistake by the regis-
try meant that the documents had to be
sent back for amendment. “Unsurpris-
ingly, these papers have still not been
returned,” she said. “But our solicitors
have been told that they are not allowed
to call the registry any more, since the
system has been centralised.”
A number of law firms have reported
being told their inquiries cannot be
dealt with until four months have
passed. A HM Courts and Tribunals Ser-
vice spokesman said: “Applications are
processed in the order they are received
and applicants can call for advice and
assistance at any point in the process.”
Letters: Page 15
News
over lockdown gatherings in Downing
Street, did not feature papers he consid-
ers central to his case.
Mr Johnson’s camp also believes the
panel of MPs misunderstood some ele-
ments of Covid restrictions and con-
fused guidance with lockdown rules
when it grilled him for three hours on
Wednesday.
However, the committee pointed to
comments made by its Labour chair-
man Harriet Harman insisting the evi-
dence Mr Johnson wanted publishing
would need to come with a fresh state-
ment of truth from the witnesses in
question.
A Commons spokesman said: “The
committee will make decisions on fur-
ther publication of evidence in due
course.”
Appearing to confirm suspicions he
may not necessarily accept the findings
of the committee, a source close to Mr
IMAGEPLOTTER/AVALON
Feeling peckish A rose-ringed parakeet snacks on cherry blossom as spring appears to arrive in St James’ Park, central
London. The birds – the UK’s most abundant naturalised parrot – are frequent visitors to the royal park.
the walkouts and duration of them
would ring “alarm bells” at every hospi-
tal, which would already have pressures
“piled up” after the four-day weekend.
They said the plans pose “a real threat
to patient safety” and could see a quar-
ter of a million operations and appoint-
ments axed. Three days of walkouts last
week resulted in the cancellation of
more than 180,000 operations and
appointments – a greater impact than all
of the other NHS strikes combined.
While other health unions have
agreed pay deals with the Government
– which will now be the subject of a bal-
JOE MAHER/GETTY IMAGES
Johnson, who strongly denies any delib-
erate wrongdoing, said: “We will study
the committee’s findings when they
bring them forward.”
It came as Conservative backbench-
ers loyal to the former prime minister
claimed the committee, which insists it
is politically unbiased and has a Tory
majority, had already decided Mr John-
son was guilty.
Nadine Dorries, his former culture
secretary, told TalkTV: “I don’t think
there was ever a world in which this
committee was going to find Boris
innocent.
“The committee have demonstrated
very clearly that they have decided
early on to find him guilty.”
Sir James Duddridge, a former parlia-
mentary private secretary to Mr John-
son, labelled proceedings a “show trial”.
“There didn’t seem to be any evi-
dence uncovered at the session but it
lot of members – the BMA’s strikes have
already gone further than those of any
other union.
The next round will see junior doc-
tors walk out of A&E, critical care, and
cancer services, as well as planned care,
at a time when the NHS is under heavy
pressure as it tries to recover from a
long weekend with limited access to
GPs. Yesterday, Mr Barclay tweeted: “I
met the BMA’s junior doctors commit-
tee yesterday in the hope of beginning
constructive talks.
“They placed a pre-condition on
these talks of a 35 per cent pay rise. That
Date night
Hugh
Grant took
his wife,
Anna
Elisabet
Eberstein,
to the UK
premiere
of his latest
movie,
Dungeons
& Dragons:
Honor
Among
Thieves,
at
Cineworld
Leicester
Square in
west
London,
yesterday.
looks as though the committee have
already made up their minds,” he told
The Telegraph. Another MP, supportive
of Mr Johnson, added: “They have made
up their minds. They’re MPs, for God’s
sake, they’re not jurists… My view is
that if he gets [a punishment], I say ‘just
accept it’.”
Any sanction recommended by the
committee will have to be confirmed by
a vote in the Commons.
Simon Clarke, a former Cabinet min-
ister and a key ally of Mr Johnson,
admitted the attitude of the committee
was “bleak”, but said that “the wider
country” would give him the benefit of
the doubt.
Mr Clarke told the Chopper’s Politics
podcast that the reality of what hap-
pened in Downing Street “has been
stripped of all context” by the investiga-
tion, adding: “I don’t believe for a
moment that Boris did anything for
is unreasonable. My door remains open
to constructive conversations, as I have
had with other health unions.”
However, Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr
Robert Laurenson, co-chairmen of the
BMA junior doctors committee, said
they announced the latest strikes with
“disappointment and great frustration”.
“The Government has dragged its
feet at every opportunity,” they said. “It
has not presented any credible offer and
is refusing to accept that there is any
case for pay restoration, describing our
central ask as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unrea-
sonable’. Even yesterday they continued
Civil Service ‘memo Any rise in capital
leak’ case may gains tax is a ‘turn
be held in secret off’ for business
By Steven Edginton
A LEGAL case against the Civil Service
may be held in a secret court as minis-
ters consider using national security
powers to block the public from pro-
ceedings.
A former official from the Depart-
ment of International Trade is suing the
Civil Service in the High Court for mis-
feasance in public office.
Ministers are considering using pow-
ers under the Justice and Security Act
2013 to limit access to evidence from the
public, press and the claimant.
The civil servant, who was arrested
in connection with leaked memos from
Lord Darroch, the former British
ambassador to the United States, is
suing the Foreign Office and the Depart-
ment for International Trade.
Although the civil servant was inves-
tigated by the Counter Terrorism Com-
mand as part of Operation Asperite, no
charges were brought and the investi-
gation was closed last year.
Paul Diamond, the civil servant’s law-
yer, said: “National security must not be
used as an excuse by the Government to
conceal information and prevent public
scrutiny. If such an application is
authorised by a minister, my client will
challenge any such move at the High
Court.”
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
pleasure.” And asked whether his polit-
ical career was “over”, Mr Clarke
replied: “It is never over for Boris.”
Mr Johnson’s evidence did little to
change the public’s view of whether he
knowingly misled Parliament through
his repeated denials over law-breaking,
a YouGov poll suggested yesterday,
with two thirds of voters (66 per cent)
believing he lied to MPs.
A spokesman for Mr Johnson said:
“Boris Johnson was pleased to give oral
evidence to the privileges committee
and will continue to help the Commit-
tee with its work.
“Mr Johnson did not knowingly or
recklessly mislead parliament.
“He continues to campaign on issues
that matter to him including Brexit, lev-
elling up and Ukraine, as well as in his
Uxbridge and South Ruislip constitu-
ency where he has announced he is
standing at the next general election.”
to add new unacceptable preconditions
to talks instead of getting on and trying
to find a resolution.”
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief execu-
tive at NHS Providers, said: “The pros-
pect of a 96-hour strike by junior
doctors will ring alarm bells for trust
leaders up and down the country.”
A Department of Health spokesman
said: “Further strikes will risk patient
safety and cause further disruption. The
BMA placed a pre-condition on these
talks of a 35 per cent pay rise. That is
unreasonable. Our door remains open
to constructive conversations.”
Continued from Page 1
private schools derive from their chari-
table status.
Several Labour backbenchers are
pushing for an increase in capital gains
tax, including Richard Burgeon MP,
who has presented a petition to Parlia-
ment on the issue.
He said: “This is a campaign that we
are pushing as backbenchers, there has
been a lot of interest and a lot of support
from labour MPs from different parts of
the country.”
Last night senior Tories warned that
a raid on capital gains tax would stifle
enterprise and be “catastrophic” for
business.
Sir John Redwood, a former Tory
Cabinet minister, said: “Britain needs
more enterprise, not less. It needs more
people prepared to take risks, create
jobs and make money and capital gains
tax is a big turn off.”
Lord Hammond, a former Conserva-
tive chancellor, said: “Any uncertainty
around capital gains tax regime, par-
ticularly for early stage businesses,
would be catastrophic.
“If Labour go into the next election
with anything like the policy they had at
the last election, which is the equalisa-
tion of rates, it would be completely cat-
astrophic for the venture capital sector
trying to innovate and grow.”
NEWS BULLETIN
Man charged over
mosque fire attacks
A Sudanese man has appeared in court
charged with attempting to murder
two elderly men who were set alight in
the street after they left mosques in
Birmingham and London.
Mohammed Abbkr, 28, appeared at
the Birmingham magistrates’ court
yesterday. He is yet to make a plea.
West Midlands police said he is
alleged to have sprayed a substance on
two men and set it alight in separate
incidents in Ealing, west London, on
Feb 27 and in Birmingham on Monday.
Mohammed Rayaz, 70, was set on
fire as he walked home from Dudley
Road Mosque in the Edgbaston area of
the city at about 7pm. He remains in
hospital with severe injuries.
D-day for court reprieve
over trees in Plymouth
The fight to give 110 stumps and 16
remaining trees in Plymouth a reprieve
from the chop is to reach its final hours
at a High Court hearing today.
Campaigners are hoping for an
extension to an injunction secured last
week after the council had felled some
of the trees in a 1am operation. The
injunction would mean a stay of
execution for the remaining 16 trees
while a judicial review takes place.
If the High Court rules in the
council’s favour, cutting of the trees
could resume within hours. “We
would hope that the stumps get left as
well because we view them as living
trees still,” said Alice Goodenough, the
campaign lawyer.
E.coli in raw meat link to
urinary tract infections
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) may be
driven by E.coli bacteria ingested after
touching raw meat and people should
take extra care handling and preparing
food, scientists have warned.
A study by George Washington
University in the US suggests around
one in 14 UTIs may be caused by
bacteria from meat, which live in the
gut before moving to the urinary tract.
Researchers collected samples of
E.coli infections from hospitals in
Arizona and found that around eight
per cent were strains found in poultry
and pork.
Some 85 per cent of UTIs are caused
by E.coli, and a significant number of
those may come from meat.
Rev Coles ‘sad’ to leave
BBC show after 12 years
The Rev Richard Coles has quit his
Radio 4 show after its production was
relocated to Cardiff.
The clergyman and former pop star
with The Communards has presented
Saturday Live for 12 years, and
expressed his “sadness” at his time on
the show coming to an end.
The Rev Coles said that he was
unable to maintain his role alongside
co-host Nikki Bedi, as the BBC planned
to relocate the programme from
London to Cardiff. He said: “I’m
leaving because they’re moving the
programme to Cardiff and I can’t make
it fit with my schedule.”
Editorial Comment: Page 15
BBC puts brakes on Top
Gear after Flintoff crash
The BBC said the filming of Top Gear’s
latest series will not resume after the
corporation’s investigation into a crash
that injured presenter Andrew
“Freddie” Flintoff.
The 45-year-old was taken to
hospital with facial injuries and broken
ribs after the accident at the Top Gear
test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in
Surrey on Dec 13.
The corporation said: “(BBC Studios)
have sincerely apologised to Freddie
and will continue to support him with
his recovery. We feel it would be
inappropriate to resume series 34 of
Top Gear at this time. We understand
this will be disappointing for fans, but
it is the right thing to do.”
Polio jab roll-out at
schools in London
Children aged one to 11 in London will
be offered polio vaccines as part of a
catch-up campaign.
Health officials warned last year that
there had been “some transmission” of
the virus in the capital after detecting
poliovirus in sewage samples.
A booster campaign was launched in
the summer to raise immunity among
children as quickly as possible.
But vaccine rates in some London
boroughs are still too low and a further
campaign will take place to boost rates.
The latest data show 377,356
children aged one to nine in London
had a polio vaccination since Aug 10,
out of 900,000 who are eligible. Polio
was eradicated in the UK in 2003.
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 The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023 ** 3

Rattled
Moments of disharmony at
the Royal Albert Hall
WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK; CHRIS CHRISTODOULOU
News
1980 
BBC proposed cutting five orchestras,
1988 
Sir Simon Rattle was interrupted by rape
2011
The Proms had never been forced off air,
2020
After a Black Lives Matter protest,
including the BBC Scottish Symphony, to alarms sounding in the Royal Albert Hall but Prom 62 was disrupted by 30 rumours abounded that the patriotic fare
save £130 million, causing a Musicians’ and a shower of leaflets thrown by pro-Palestinian protesters, left, who of the Last Night, such as Rule Britannia,
Union strike that resulted in the loss of anonymous protestors complaining about chanted during the performance of the would be dropped due to concerns about
the first 20 concerts of the Prom season. the musical establishment. Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. their imperialist overtones.

Rattle could Sir Simon Rattle is understood to 

be concerned about the state of 
music funding in the UK

iing
ng to fill. It has been susuggested
ity to function and ultimately have to be
disbanded. The planned cuts have been
met with outrage by the classical com-
munity, with figures like Sir Simon
understood to be privately concerned

boycott Proms son at the Royal Albert Ha

The potential for pro
replacement
that failure to find a repl
cancellations, and
could lead to cancellati
disrupt the summer concertcon
Hall.
sea-

protests has
about the state of music funding in the
UK, and mass action has been threat-
ened.
The Musician’s Union representing
the BBC Singers and orchestras could

over cuts to emerged following b

executives’ March 7
broadcast

announcement that they

would be sc scrapping
the 100 year old BBC
mobilise members to protest job losses
by boycotting King Charles’ Coronation
in May and refusing to play during cele-
bratory concerts, if the BBC does not
temper its plan.

BBC choir
Singers, an elite The Union has indicated that all and
choir w whose 20 any action may be considered in the dis-
professional
professi pute with the corporation.
members are
memb Naomi Pohl, the union’s general sec-
facing com-
facin retary, has said it will not rule out “some
pulsory
pulso form of collective action if the BBC
redundancy.
redu maintains its position on mass redun-
tor that Sir Simon mon may be A new dancies” and action might include hav-
Action by conductors willing to boycott ott the BBC classical
cla ing musicians pull out of ensembles set
Proms in protest att the corpora- strategy for
str to mark the Coronation.
may create a ‘poisoned tion’s cuts, and is currently
urrently con- the BBC It is unlikely that strike action will
chalice’ that others will not sidering what action ion he could also aims to
als directly affect the Proms, as many per-
want to fill, say insiders take. cut the formers are freelancers who are not in a
There are said d to be fears budgets of
bu position to break contacts or risk being
By Craig Simpson within the broadcaster
aster that sev- its Concert, excluded from future shows, it is under-
eral renowned female male conduc- Philhar-
Phil stood.
SIR SIMON RAT TLE may boycott tors may be willing g to take similar monic and
mon Insiders expect that a high-profile
Proms to protest the BBC’s choir cuts, action, and it is understood
nderstood that Symphony
Symp boycott from several prominent con-
The Daily Telegraph understands, as the British conductorr Alice Farnham Orchestras by
Orch ductors would be a more effective way
broadcaster braces for protests by clas- also strongly disapproves
approves of the 20 p per cent, to disrupt the concerts and to force the
sical music stars. planned cuts. raising inter-
raisin BBC to reconsider the cuts.
Britain’s preeminent conductor Insiders have indicated
ndicated that there is nal coconcerns A spokesman for the BBC said: “We
would ordinarily play a role in the nervousness within hin the BBC at the that these know this is a hugely tough time for
annual Proms, but he is understood to prospect of conductors
uctors pulling out of ensembles,
ensemb everyone impacted.
be among a number of high-profile fig- the Proms, particularly
ularly the Firstt already strug- “We will continue to do all we can to
ures to oppose broadcast executives’ and Last nights, and d leaving a gling post- support those affected by these changes
plans to disband the BBC Singers choir “poisoned chalice” Covid, will be and to engage with the industry, and we
and cut orchestra funding. It is under- vacancy which their ir col- weakened
weaken are in consultation with the Musicians’
stood from sources close to the conduc- leagues will be unwill-
will- beyond the abil- Union.”

BBC told to explain why it spends so much public money on US shows

By James Warrington
OFCOM has asked the BBC to explain
why it spends taxpayer money on
Hollywood blockbusters rather than “at-
risk” arts and children’s programmes.
The broadcast regulator said the BBC
must disclose how its acquisitions of US
films and TV shows support its obliga-
tions as a public service broadcaster, as
opposed to commissioning original UK
programming. It comes after ITV com-
plained that the BBC had “dramatically”
increased its spending on American
imports in recent years. It pointed to
deals for blockbusters such as Marvel’s
Avengers Assemble and Disney’s Frozen,
as well as buying “first-look” rights to
shows including The People vs OJ Simp-
son and American Crime Story.
ITV said the trend “sits uncomforta-
bly with its [the BBC’s] mission to be
distinctive and take creative risks”.
“The BBC has guaranteed public
funding and is therefore protected from
the vicissitudes of market fluctuations.
As a result, it can take more risks and
doesn’t need the cushion of mainstream-
acquired content to do that,” ITV said.
“As a result, it is somewhat jarring to
see the extent to which acquired con-
tent drives the BBC’s content strategy.”
It added that the BBC’s acquisitions
risked inflating the price of content for
other broadcasters.
While Ofcom said it did not think
acquisitions played too large a role in
the BBC’s output, it set out new require-
ments for the broadcaster to report on
acquired shows in “at-risk” genres,
including arts and music, religion, com-
edy and children’s programming. It
said: “We agree with stakeholders that
there needs to be greater transparency
from the BBC on its overall approach to
acquisitions.”
The BBC said its spend on acquisi-
tions was only a small proportion of its
budget and that it was the UK’s largest
producer of originated programming.
The crackdown forms part of a wider
overhaul of BBC regulation under a new
operating licence due to come into
effect next month. Ofcom has given the
green light for the BBC to cut back its
regional and national TV news output
as it looks to expand online.
Kevin Bakhurt of Ofcom said: “We’ve
been particularly disappointed by the
BBC’s lack of detail and clarity around
planned changes to its services, which
has led to a lot of uncertainty for audi-
ences and industry. Our strict new
reporting rules will ensure the BBC is
held to a higher level of public account-
ability, requiring it to clearly explain its
plans before going ahead, as well as
evaluating whether they work.”
A BBC spokesman said: “We welcome
these changes which reflect the need
for the BBC’s regulation to evolve for
the digital age so we can best serve all
audiences with impartial news and dis-
tinctive UK content in a fast-changing
global market. We are committed to
transparency and will set out how we
plan to deliver for audiences in the year
ahead in our upcoming Annual Plan.”

Star turn at 72 in an As You I skip dinner so I can look like

Like It with mature themes
By Craig Simpson
THE Royal Shakespeare Company has
cast its oldest ever Rosalind in a “grey”
reimagining of As You Like It, with the
majority of the cast aged over 70.
Geraldine James, 72, has been cast as
the heroine of the comedy, which is
usually presented as a tale of young
love. The Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC) said that the majority of the cast
for the production will be of a similar
age and the version will explore the
theme of “love in older age”.
The casting policy will provide an
opportunity for older actors to appear
in the play without creating jarring age
imbalances on stage.
Omar Elerian, the production’s direc-
tor, said: “In my discussions with the
RSC about directing the play I was
really keen to explore it from a fresh and
new perspective; I was also hoping to
work with actors who had a huge expe-
The Boss, says Coldplay star
Rosalind flees a scheming uncle to ulti- By Rozina Subur was usually “flank of buffalo with a ster-
mately find love with Orlando. oid sauce”.
The heroine has been played, in their CHRIS MARTIN has revealed he has Springsteen, who released his debut
youth, by stars such as Dame Maggie given up on evening meals so he can album in 1973, has shown no signs of
Smith, Dame Vanessa Redgrave, Dame look as good as Bruce Springsteen. slowing down. He released his 21st stu-
Helen Mirren and Helena Bonham The Coldplay frontman said he dio album, Only the Strong Survive last
Carter. noticed 73-year-old Springsteen was in year and will be touring Europe from
The theme of old age will play a part better shape than him when they met next month.
in the latest production, which will up for lunch after they performed
open in June, with Mr Elerian saying together in Philadelphia last year.
that it will “explore our [relationship During the meal, Springsteen’s wife,
with] love, freedom and the passing of Patti, said The Boss eats only one meal a
time”. He added: “To be able to draw on day to maintain his lean physique.
the talent, craft and experience of such Martin, 46, made the admission on
exquisite performers such as Geraldine the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend pod-
James is a true privilege.” cast. Asked what advice he had been
Other cast members have not been given by fellow musicians over dinner, Chris Martin, left, is following in the 
announced, but it is understood that the he replied: “Funnily enough, I don’t footsteps of Springsteen with his diet
eventual over-70s ensemble will actually have dinner any more. I stop
include prominent figures who have a eating at 4pm, and I learnt that from
long association with the RSC. They will having lunch with Bruce Springsteen.” Martin’s diet provoked a backlash
take to the stage on a set intended to Relating the anecdote, he said: “I was among some listeners, who called the
look like a “simple rehearsal room”. lucky enough to go over there to lunch singer’s intermittent fasting habits
Mr Elerian said that the actors would the day after we played Philadelphia last unhealthy.
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

rience, of both Shakespeare and life.
“Much as the play is traditionally
associated with young love, I feel there’s
something really powerful in rediscov-
ering the themes of freedom and love
from the perspective of older age.
“I’m therefore looking at casting the
play almost exclusively with performers
who are past the age of 70.” In the play,
be “forgotten throughout the produc- year. I was on a really strict diet anyway. Some drew a link with his ex-wife
tion”, which will aim to provide an “eva- But I was like, ‘Bruce looks even more Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, who recently
sion from the relentlessness of our daily in shape than me’. stirred controversy over her own diet
lives” and a “communal compassion for “And Patti said ‘Oh he’s only eating regimen.
our shared humanity”. one meal a day’. So I was like, ‘Well, The actress turned wellness guru
As You Like It will be staged at the there we go. That’s my next challenge’.” later hit back, telling Instagram follow-
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The father of two, who has been dat- ers her routine was based on “medical
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwicks, from ing Dakota Johnson for six years, joked results and extensive testing” and not
June 17 to Aug 5. Geraldine James, 72, has been cast as Rosalind in Shakespeare’s As You Like It that Springsteen’s only meal of the day “meant to be advice for anyone else”.
4 ***
Starmer changes pension after hypocrisy outcry
Sir Keir pledges to remove
tax break granted to him as
DPP chief then follows PM
by releasing tax return
By Tony Diver, Amy Gibbons
and Robert Mendick
SIR KEIR STARMER has pledged to
scrap the tax benefits of his own pen-
sion after he was accused of hypocrisy
over the lifetime allowance.
The Labour leader said that if his
party were to win the next election, he
would change the law to remove a tax
Sir Keir Starmer responded yesterday to accusations from Conservative MPs that it was “one law for him and the rest for others” after revelations that he was benefiting from a tax break in a pension he received as the former Director of Public Prosecutions
Aligning taxes would stifle investment when
growth in British economy is needed most
Analysis
By Alexa Phillips
PERSONAL FINANCE REPORTER
A
ligning investment profit taxes
with income levies would make
Britain an outlier on the world
stage and take rates to their highest in
decades, experts have warned.
Front-bench Labour MPs have
suggested that the party could align
the rates of capital gains tax with
income tax if Sir Keir Starmer takes
power in the next election, and the
Labour leader refused to rule the move
out when asked.
Capital gains duties are levied at 20
per cent currently on most assets.
Aligning this with the 40 per cent
income tax rate would result in the rate
doubling for higher earners.
Such a move has been described as
“dangerous”, with experts saying it
would stifle investment and enterprise
at a time when growth in the British
economy is most needed.
Critics said it would also make
Britain an economic outlier and
penalise ordinary middle-class families
who are saving for the future and have
already been paying a growing amount
of capital gains tax.
Just a handful of major economies
tax capital gains at the same rate as
income. Out of 38 countries in the
Families face huge rise in council tax as average bills top £2,000 for the first time
By Nick Gutteridge
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
THE average council tax bill is set to hit
more than £2,000 for the first time this
year, in a cost of living blow for house-
holds.
Four in five local authorities have
opted to effectively increase their rates
by the maximum amount, adding £99
to how much a typical household will
have to pay.
Rates will rise by an average of 5.1 per
cent across England from next month,
pushing the cost for a Band D property
up to £2,065.
Councils insisted they had “no
News
break he was personally granted by the
Government when he became Director
of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in 2008.
Sir Keir has faced accusations of
hypocrisy from Conservative MPs after
The Daily Telegraph revealed his Crown
Prosecution Service pension is exempt
from the lifetime tax free savings cap
that he plans to reintroduce.
Speaking to an audience in Stoke-on-
Trent yesterday, Sir Keir said he would
change the law to remove the tax status
on his pension pot and any advantage
he received as a result.
“I am absolutely committed to chang-
ing what the Government did last week,
which was to give a tax cut to the
How CGT has changed
Number of taxpayers liable to Capital Gains Tax
400k
300k
200k
100k
0
1990-01 95-96 00-01 05-06 10-11 15-16 20-21 *if rates realigned with higher-rate income tax
SOURCE: HMRC
Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD),
only seven favour this approach:
Australia, Denmark, Estonia, the Czech
Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg and
Norway, according to
PricewaterhouseCoopers, an
accountancy firm.
In most countries, capital gains are
taxed at a lower rate than income tax
because governments want to
encourage investment. Nations such as
New Zealand and Singapore do not
even have capital gains tax.
While it is difficult to compare
Britain’s system to other countries
because of domestic complexities in
each region, it is broadly in line with
other major world economies. In the
choice” as they fight rising inflation, but
low tax campaigners said they should
“get a grip on waste” instead.
Families in Rutland face the biggest
bills in the country of £2,422 followed
by Nottingham on £2,412 and then
Lewes in East Sussex on £2,388.
Despite the rises councils warned
they will have to make at least £1 billion
in savings to balance the books.
They are set to make cuts to services
including bus routes, street lighting,
recycling centres and community
health.
Town halls are allowed to raise their
regular bills by three per cent, plus up
to an optional extra two per cent for
wealthiest one per cent,” he said. “Let
me go further than that.
“I don’t intend that to exclude me.
And therefore, I haven’t taken advan-
tage of this, there is no tax advantage,
and nor do I want one. So when I reverse
that change the Government put in law
last week, I will be included within that,
whatever change is needed within leg-
islation or anything else.
“I am very happy, want to be, and will
be in the same position as everyone else
in this country.”   books. Sir Keir authorised the release of
It comes as records released yester-
day showed that Sir Keir paid £118,580
in tax over two years on income of
almost £360,000.  The information,
How change would make UK
an outlier
Capital gains tax rates in different countries
France 19%
UK 20%
US 20%
Germany 26.4%
UK* 40%
Chile 40%
Korea 45%
under Labour
SOURCE: TAX FOUNDATION, OECD
United States, for example, investment
profits are taxed at a rate of up to 20
per cent on most assets held for longer
than a year. Germany levies a rate of
26.4 per cent, while in France the
headline rate is 19 per cent.
Tom Clougherty, head of tax at the
Centre for Policy Studies think tank,
warned against this policy change,
saying it was “seductive” but wrong.
“Britain would end up with the least
competitive personal tax system in the
OECD,” he said. “Considering we’re
already towards the bottom of the rank
for business taxes and property taxes,
it would leave us with a pretty
unappealing tax system from the
perspective of a business or an
investor. That’s bad for growth,
social care services, without holding a
local referendum.
Analysis of Government statistics
shows that 188 increased the basic rates
they are charging families by 4.9 per
cent or more.
Of the 153 major authorities just two
did not trigger the extra top up, which
adds an average of £30 to the typical
Band D bill.
Central Bedfordshire was the only
council in the country to announce that
it was completely freezing this year’s
rates for residents.
The precepts for the police and fire
services have also risen by more than
six per cent on average. Even so, analy-
made public by the Labour Party, reveal
that Sir Keir earned £85,466 last year
from his share of the sale of a house he
bought for his sister and her children to
live in. He paid £23,930 in capital gains
tax on the sale of the property.
Over two financial years, Sir Keir
earned just over £250,000 as Leader of
the Opposition and a further £22,000
for legal work undertaken before that
appointment. He also earned £453 from
royalties, having written a number of
his financial affairs a day after Rishi
Sunak, the Prime Minister, had pub-
lished details of his income and tax.
The Labour leader’s earnings are
especially given where we are in the
economic cycle at the moment.” He
added that increasing the current 20
per cent capital gains tax rate in line
with the 40 and 45 per cent tax bands
of higher earners would effectively
create a “double taxation system”.
“You’re stealing from the future,” he
said. “You’re eating the seed corn and
you’re undermining growth. Capitalist
economies depend on capital. They
depend on people deferring their
consumption, for the sake of some
greater good down the line. And taxing
capital gains as if it were ordinary
income works against that.”
In November 2020, the Office of Tax
Simplification advised the
Government to consider aligning
capital gains tax rates more closely
with income tax rates. It caused an
uptick in tax receipts that year, as
investors rushed to sell assets.
Stuart Adam, a senior economist at
the Institute for Fiscal Studies think
tank, said: “The basic risk is that you
just discourage people from saving and
investing. The Government’s been
trying to strike a balance between on
the one hand wanting to tax all sources
of income and capital gains equally,
and minimising the scope for tax
avoidance and not discouraging
savings and investment.” The change
would help rake in an extra £1.5 billion
from tax over the next five years.
Areas with the highest
council tax bill in 2023-24
Band D dwelling occupied by two adults
Council Bill
Rutland £2,422
Nottingham £2,412
Lewes £2,388
Dorset £2,388
Wealden £2,363
Newark & Sherwood £2,357
West Devon £2,347
Bristol UA £2,345
Oxford £2,332
Gateshead £2,332
SOURCE: GOV.UK
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
dwarfed by Mr Sunak’s. He earned
almost £4.8 million in three years, pay-
ing tax at an effective rate of 22 per cent.
Sir Keir’s effective tax rate was 33 per
cent. Sir Keir’s pension scheme, of
which he was the only member, had tax
benefits that were “broadly” in line with
those offered to judges, according to the
CPS’s annual reports.
Ministers passed a statutory instru-
ment in Parliament that mentioned Sir
Keir by name when he retired in 2013 to
ensure his pension increased annually
with inflation.
Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, has
abolished the allowance, which previ-
ously meant any pension savings over
Labour ‘climbdown’
over gender identity
By Dominic Penna
POLITICAL REPORTER
SIR KEIR STARMER has signalled a
climbdown on Labour’s transgender
stance, as he said lessons have to be
learned from Scotland.
Nicola Sturgeon resigned as First
Minister last month after her radical
approach to trans rights cost her the
support of her SNP colleagues.
A law drawn up by Ms Sturgeon but
blocked by Westminster would have
allowed anyone over the age of 16 to
self-identify their gender without a
medical certificate.
Sir Keir previously pledged to reform
the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) to
allow trans people to self-identify. How-
ever, he appeared to back away from the
pledge yesterday when asked if he still
planned to press ahead with the
changes during a press conference in
Stoke-on-Trent.
Sir Keir told reporters: “I think that if
we reflect on what’s happened in Scot-
land, the lesson I take from that is that if
you’re going to make reforms, you have
to carry the public with you.
“I think that’s a very important mes-
sage, and I think that’s why it’s clear
that in Scotland there should be a reset
of the situation.”
In a message to Pink News, an LGBT
website, for Pride in 2021, Sir Keir had
said his priority was “forming the next
sis by the County Councils Network
(CCN) and Society of County Treasurers
found England’s largest councils will
still be cash-strapped.
They calculated that authorities will
need to save £1 billion and spend
£350 million in reserves to meet the
legal requirement to balance their
books.
That is because inflation is set to add
£1.6 billion to their costs at a time when
the cost of living crisis means demand
for services is increasing.
Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire
council and the CCN’s finance spokes-
man, said authorities had “little option”
but to raise their rates. “We understand
£1.07 million were subject to a tax of 25
per cent when drawn as income later in
life. Labour says it would reintroduce
the cap and described Mr Hunt’s deci-
sion to scrap it as a “huge giveaway to
some of the very wealthiest”.
Sir Keir’s decision to scrap his own
tax benefits comes after he was accused
of hypocrisy by several Tory MPs.
Greg Hands, the Conservative party
chairman, said: “When it comes to pen-
sions for the better off, it’s literally one
law for Sir Keir and a different law for
everyone else.”
Anthony Browne, the MP for South
Cambridgeshire, said the arrangement
was “truly shocking”.
NATHAN STIRK/GETTY IMAGES
government so we can introduce legis-
lation and change society so that, who-
ever you are, you can live a happy and
fulfilled life”. He added: “We are com-
mitted to updating the GRA to intro-
duce self-declaration for trans people.”
Sir Keir initially remained silent on
Ms Sturgeon’s proposals, but in Janu-
ary, he revealed he thought 16-year-olds
were too young to legally change their
gender.
While vowing to remove “indigni-
ties” from the current system, he
acknowledged that for “99.9 per cent of
‘The lesson I take from the
SNP is that if you’re going
to make reforms, you need
to have the public with you’
women the issue is biological”.
Labour has previously appeared to
come unstuck on transgender issues,
with a number of its figures giving dif-
ferent answers about what a woman is.
In May 2022, Sir Keir refused to say
whether a woman could have a penis,
only to eventually go on to admit that
“biology matters”. Wes Streeting, the
shadow health secretary, said last
spring “men have penises, women have
vaginas”, only for Emily Thornberry,
the shadow attorney general, to insist
some women “will have penises”.
that residents are in the midst of a cost
of living crisis, and many of us have
reluctantly proposed maximum council
tax rises,” he said.
“While councils will do all they can
next year to deliver these savings whilst
protecting vital care services there is
already little fat to cut.”
The Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “Coun-
cils have shown that when given an
inch they’ll take a mile, hitting house-
holds with record rate rises during a
cost of living crisis.
“Local authorities now need to focus
funds on the frontline and demonstrate
to residents that their hard-earned
money won’t be wasted.”
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023
Nigerian
senator guilty
of UK plot to
harvest organ
Politician went looking for
replacement donor after
London hospital grew
suspicious and raised alarm
By Patrick Sawer and Jack Hardy
A HIGH-RANKING Nigerian politician
convicted of plotting to exploit a young
street trader for his kidney shopped
around for a replacement donor after a
British hospital raised the alarm, a court
heard yesterday.
Ike Ekweremadu promised the vic-
tim up to £7,000 and a better life if he
came to Britain to donate his organ to
the politician’s 25-year-old daughter,
Sonia, in an £80,000 private transplant
at the Royal Free Hospital, London.
However, when their plot went
wrong the family began to review other
donors for a potential transplant in Tur-
key, the court heard.
Their search was interrupted when
Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, 56, and
Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, a medical “mid-
dleman”, were charged with conspiring
to exploit the donor for his body part.
Yesterday all three were found guilty
of the organ harvesting conspiracy
under the 2015 Modern Slavery Act –
the first conviction of its type.
They were remanded into custody
and will be sentenced on May 5.
As part of the plot, “elaborate” steps
were taken to create the false impres-
sion that Sonia and the young man,
whose age was given as 21 on his pass-
port, were cousins.
Under the agreement, the man, who
at the time was making a few pounds a
day selling telephone parts from a cart,
was to be paid a fee plus the promise of
work and a trip to the UK.
But Hugh Davies KC told jurors: “Rel-
ative to the wider medical costs of the
process – measured in tens of thousands
of pounds – which would have been
done privately, his reward was to be a
small fraction of the whole. To him – a
street trader from Lagos – these sums
and rewards were significant.”
Once the man was found to be a suit-
able match, he was transported to Lon-
don in February 2022. Mr and Mrs
Just a joke? Wolf whistle may
earn admirers two years in jail
By Charles Hymas
HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR
MEN who wolf whistle or make sexual
remarks to women will face prosecu-
tion for harassment even if they believe
it is a compliment or a joke, under legal
changes announced by Suella Braver-
man, the Home Secretary.
Mrs Braverman is to toughen a pro-
posed new street harassment law so
that potential offenders cannot escape
prosecution by claiming they did not
realise their behaviour amounted to
harassment.
The new Bill, which is due for its final
report stage in the Commons today, will
make it an offence to cause “intentional
harassment, alarm or distress” to a per-
son in public based on their sex.
Offenders will face a maximum of
two years in jail.
However, campaigners said there
It’s not racist to call someone
a ‘dark horse’, tribunal rules
By Daily Telegraph Reporter
CALLING someone a “dark horse” is not
racist, a tribunal has ruled.
The ruling came after a black woman
sued the Citizens Advice Bureau for
race discrimination and race harass-
ment after she finished working for the
organisation.
Grace Mangwanya complained at
work that her manager used the phrase
“dark horse” in front of her.
However, the support assistant had
“misunderstood” what the expression
meant when she took offence to it,
the tribunal heard. Ms Mangwanya,
who was based in Leeds, west Yorks,
brought a “litany of allegations” against
Citizens Advice to the tribunal after she
lost her job.
Her claims – including the “dark
horse” allegation – were thrown out.
The origin of the saying “dark horse”
can be traced to the 19th century, with
its first known use in 1831 novel The
Young Duke, written by Benjamin Dis-
raeli, the former prime minister.
The expression comes from the nov-
el’s protagonist witnessing a horse race
which had a surprise winner, a dark
horse “which had never been thought
of ”. The Leeds Employment Tribunal
heard Ms Mangwanya was employed by
Citizens Advice in September 2019 on a
one-year fixed term contract in its
Ekweremadu paid a health tourism
company in the UK to facilitate the med-
ical arrangements.
However, during their first appoint-
ment a consultant at the Royal Free
came to suspect the man was unaware
he had agreed to donate a kidney.
The specialist refused to proceed and
raised safety concerns about the donor,
who was noted as being “visibly
relieved” on being told the transplant
would not go ahead.
The intended victim returned to the
family’s address in Cricklewood, north-
west London, where an earlier court
hearing heard that “he was treated like
a slave by the defendants”.
At one stage he managed to escape
and lived rough on the streets, before
eventually walking into Staines police
station in May last year and told officers
about his ordeal.
Mr Davies told the Old Bailey that Mr
and Mrs Ekweremadu were powerful
figures in Nigerian society, but that
their status could not guarantee the
‘Relative to the medical
costs of the process, the
victim’s reward was to be a
small fraction of the whole’
good health of their family. Ms Ekwer-
emadu, who was studying for a masters
degree at Newcastle University when
she became ill, had a “significant and
deteriorating” kidney condition which
could be managed through dialysis, but
was curable through a transplant.
She is still awaiting a transplant and
wept and hugged her father yesterday
as she was cleared of conspiracy
charges.
Mr Ekweremadu was appointed
visiting professor of corporate and
international linkages at the University
of Lincoln in June 2022, describing
the p osition as “a call to serve
humanity”.
He was one of Nigeria’s most senior
politicians and regarded as ally of for-
MET POLICE/PA
mer president Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
He is now under investigation in
Nigeria for the misappropriation of
public funds and money laundering.
was a loophole in the proposals that
would let offenders escape prosecution
by claiming they thought their behav-
iour was welcome, even if any other
reasonable person felt it was not.
Mrs Braverman has now accepted
their concerns and is backing an
amendment which will close the loop-
hole by requiring a “reasonableness
test” where it is accepted that a defend-
ant “ought to know” their behaviour
amounted to harassment.
This means anyone who catcalls, wolf
whistles, makes a pass or sexual com-
ment towards a woman which a “rea-
sonable” person felt amounted to
harassment will no longer be able claim
it was meant as a compliment or joke
and will face prosecution.
Police will be issued with guidance so
they can enforce the law.
Mrs Braverman said: “Women have
the fundamental right to walk the
scams department, helping vulnerable
people at risk of online scams.
The phrase dark horse was said by Jo
Orsler, a service support manager, in
relation to a conversation about the for-
mer Premier League footballer Didier
Drogba, the court heard.
Writing a complaint in June 2020, Ms
Mangwanya, said: “Today Sophie [her
colleague] mentioned that she knows
Didier Drogba because he is from Ivory
‘The reference refers to
someone who has kept
their talents hidden. It did
not violate her dignity’
Coast and was a friend of her last boy-
friend who was from Ivory Coast. (sic)
“Jo then said ‘Sophie I did not know
that you were a dark horse person’,
meaning she had a black boyfriend.
“Sophie avoided answering this... I
am now very sure that she is not aware
that it offends others. As a black person
some of the things she says are painful
in our culture.”
Dismissing her claims, Employment
Judge Jim Shepherd said: “Ms Man-
gwanya misunderstood the reference
which refers to someone who has kept
their talents hidden. It did not have the
purpose of violating her dignity.”
streets without fear and I’m committed
to ensuring that criminals who intimi-
date and harass them face the conse-
quences. This is why we are backing the
Protection from Sex-Based Harassment
in Public Bill, and after carefully consid-
ering a range of views, we are support-
ing an amendment that will require the
Government to produce statutory guid-
ance for the police to help them enforce
the new offence.”
The legislation has been piloted
through the commons as a private
member’s bill by former cabinet minis-
ter Greg Clark, backed by the Govern-
ment. He put forward the amendment
supported by former home secretary
Priti Patel and Caroline Nokes, chair-
man of the Commons women and
equalities committee.
Labour MP Stella Creasy, who also
played a key part in supporting the Bill,
welcomed the closure of the loophole.
MAX WILLCOCK/BNPS
Cushty Katie Darragh and Mel Keepin, staff at Longleat
House, Wilts, echo a comedy moment from Only Fools and
Horses when cleaning a 200-year-old chandelier.
Senior lawyers say they will not
prosecute climate activists
By Daily Telegraph Reporter
A GROUP of leading lawyers have
declared they will refuse to prosecute
climate activists.
Around 120 of Britain’s most eminent
lawyers are poised to sign a “Declaration
of Conscience” stating that they will not
prosecute eco-protesters brought before
the courts. Lawyers such as Joylon
Maugham KC and Sir Geoffrey Bindman
KC, and other members of the group
“Lawyers are Responsible”, are among
the potential signatories, according to
the Daily Mail.
Mr Maugham is an activist lawyer
who has challenged the Government on
issues such as Brexit and PPE contracts,
while Sir Geoffrey is a renowned human
rights lawyer and member of the Labour
Campaign for Human Rights.
It comes as groups such as Extinction
Rebellion and Just Stop Oil have caused
News
Ike Edweremadu,
his wife Beatrice,
above, and Obinna
Obeta, right, were
convicted of an
organ harvesting
plot after the
unnamed victim
walked into a police
station, left, to
report them
disruption to vital public services and
infrastructure in recent years, by block-
ing traffic and printing presses, and
chaining themselves to oil refineries.
Potential signatories include Tim
Crosland, a former barrister and direc-
tor of Plan B Earth, a group which
‘When lawyers start
picking and choosing, it
undermines independence
of the legal profession’
mounts legal challenges against govern-
ments that fall foul of climate pledges,
and Prof Leslie Thomas KC, who special-
ises in claims against the police.
Prof Thomas said that while he
intends to sign in a show of solidarity,
this does not mean he will refuse cases
he is assigned. The declaration was crit-
Chapel to fill with mourners
for war hero they never knew
By Catherine Lough
AN OV ERFLOW of mourners i s
expected at a Second World War veter-
an’s funeral after an appeal to attend led
to an overwhelming public response.
Flt Sgt Peter Brown, who died aged
96 in Maida Vale, west London, last
December, had never married and had
no children, leading to a search for
more distant relatives to attend his
funeral next Wednesday.
The appeal was so successful that
Westminster city council believes the
number of guests will exceed the capac-
ity of the crematorium hosting his
memorial service, while funeral direc-
tor W Sherry and Sons says it has also
been inundated with requests.
Born in 1926, Flt Sgt Brown, origi-
nally from Jamaica, was 17 when he
enlisted in the volunteer reserve in
1943. It is thought that he travelled
across the Atlantic to fight against
Nazism and he trained as a radio opera-
tor and air gunner before going on to fly
Lancaster bombers.
He left the Armed Forces in the 1950s.
Later, he became a member of Maryle-
bone Cricket Club.
Local residents began the search for
funeral attendees as he was popular
with his neighbours. “Fiercely inde-
pendent, stubborn as hell, but a won-
derful guy,” his neighbour Julian Futter
** 5
icised by some members of the legal
profession who say it undermines the
notion that everyone is entitled to legal
representation, no matter the crime.
Robert Buckland, a Conservative MP
and the former justice secretary, told
the Daily Mail: “There are plenty of
people lawyers represent who are
deeply unpleasant and deeply unpopu-
lar, such as rapists and paedophiles.
“But they are entitled to a fair trial.
When lawyers start picking and choos-
ing, in a way it undermines the inde-
pendence of the legal profession.”
It comes as a survey called into doubt
the efficacy of green protests in which
activists blocked roads and threw soup
over a Van Gogh artwork. The soup
stunt by Just Stop Oil activists, and
roadblocks of the M25 by Insulate Brit-
ain, had more than 50 per cent disap-
proval in a study of 3,000 people
conducted last year by Opinium.
told the BBC. “He was always smiling.”
After the hunt was taken up by The Sun,
Rishi Sunak also praised Flt Sgt Brown
as an example of the “selfless contribu-
tion of all Commonwealth personnel
who have served the RAF”.
Mr Sunak said: “We’ve arranged for
an RAF trumpeter to attend the funeral,
alongside a senior RAF officer.”
Flt Sgt Peter Brown
travelled from
Jamaica to fight
against Nazism. His
funeral will be held
on Wednesday
A joint Westminster council and
Royal Air Forces Association statement
said: “The public response has been
both heartwarming and overwhelming.
His story of valour and modesty has
touched many who rightly wish to pay
their own tribute.
“From knowing so little about him at
the start of this search, the information
gathered has led to an incredible out-
pouring of support. Many people have
asked to attend the service, which is
already well beyond the capacity of the
chapel. We are exploring ways in which
he can be honoured on a scale befitting
of his role.”
6 ***
Council fluffs its lines again with wobbly road markings
Residents complain new
instructions are worse
and make seafront look
like ‘Balamory from hell’
By Catherine Lough
RESIDENTS who criticised the painting
of confusing “wiggly lines” on a busy
road are angry that they have been
replaced with a surface that looks like “a
scene from The Wizard of Oz”.
North Somerset council provoked
BEFORE
Bemused residents have been questioning designs painted on a road that forms part of a controversial traffic scheme. They claim North Somerset Council has turned Clevedon’s historic seafront into something that resembles a scene from The Wizard of Oz
Ulez will ‘hit thousands more’ than mayor predicts The lure of a fake fly ups a daisy’s pollen count
By Jack Simpson
TransporT CorrespondenT
NEARLY 700,000 cars face daily Ulez
charges when the scheme is expanded,
RAC data show, hitting thousands more
drivers than Sadiq Khan had estimated.
Research from the RAC has found
that a total of 691,000 licensed cars in
G re a t e r L o n d o n , i n c l u d i n g th e
expanded zone, were unlikely to hit the
Ulez emissions standards.
This is far higher than the number of
non-compliant cars the mayor’s office
estimates the newly expanded Ulez
News
residents in January when it painted
curvy lines along a beachfront road in
Clevedon, Somerset, as part of a scheme
designed to slow traffic.
The one-way transformation
includes 400 yards of segregated cycle
lane along the seafront.
Some residents said the designs made
the historic Victorian area look like a
children’s TV programme, with one
describing the lines as having an
appearance like “Balamory from hell”.
The council also appeared to have
begun sketching out a roundabout that
some dubbed an “alien landing pad”.
zone will capture. According to traffic
data, the mayor expects 160,000 non-
compliant cars travelling in outer Lon-
don. As of October 2022, there were on
average more than 50,000 non-compli-
ant cars travelling in inner London
every day.
While not all of the 691,000 cars that
are registered in the zone will travel on
every given day, the figure given by the
RAC is still far higher than the 210,000
estimated by the mayor’s office.
The Ulez zone will be expanded to
cover all 32 London boroughs by the
end of August. After that date, drivers in
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
However, it appears to have removed markings were a “heart-breaking mess ness knows what the long white lines A spokesman for the local authority
the lines and replaced them with a col- made of our once magnificent Victorian are for.” said: “We expect many more visitors to
oured design that has left residents seafront by [North Somerset council] Linda Rodriguez, from Essex, who come to Clevedon after the Pier to Pier
equally aggrieved as they complained last night”. spent her childhood in Clevedon and Way opens later this year, which will
that the buff-coloured markings now Others described them as an “eye- visits every year, condemned the bring more walkers and cyclists to the
look like “something out of the The Wiz- sore” and suggested period dramas “unnecessary ridiculous graffiti on the area.
ard of Oz”, drawing comparisons to the could no longer be filmed in the area. seafront” that had “totally ruined the “The scheme has provided seven
yellow brick road. One said they had “woken up to this”, amazing gem of Somerset”. new crossing points, improved pedes-
Council workers, they said, removed adding that it had been difficult to sleep North Somerset council said the wig- trian and cycle user safety and will
the bendy lines and roundabout over- because of the noise. gly lines were intended to make the bring additional parking to the area.”
night on Wednesday, with contractors “It looks horrendous,” one resident road feel narrower and slow traffic. The buff-coloured surface had been
working noisily for eight hours before complained. Another said: “I can only The plan is to remove traffic from the chosen in consultation with conserva-
painting the new markings. assume that the white bits across the seafront – and the cycleway will form tion officers and was “frequently used”
Cathy Hawkins, founder of the cam- road are zebra crossings, waiting for the part of the Pier to Pier link between in historic towns such as Oxford, Bath
paign group Save Our Seafront, said the black lines to be painted on them. Good- Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon. and London, they added.
AF TER
TOM WREN & EUAN STRETCH/SWNS
outer London whose vehicles don’t By Sarah Knapton sCienCe ediTor The Gorteria diffusa ments, changing the colour to a more
meet European emissions standards has repurposed its fly-like blue-green. The root hair genes
will be forced to pay £12.50 for every A DAISY has repurposed its genes to genes to create a make hairs expand on the petal to give
day they use their car within the Lon- grow a “fake female fly” on its petals to pattern that tricks texture while the third set of genes
don boundary. attract males and help it to pollinate, male flies into trying make the fake flies appear in apparently
Most petrol vehicles under 16 years scientists have discovered. to mate, depositing random positions on the petals.
old and diesel vehicles under six years The Gorteria diffusa is the only daisy pollen on the flower Prof Beverley Glover, of the Univer-
old would usually comply with emis- known to make such a complex struc- sity of Cambridge, said in Current Biol-
sions standards. ture, which, with its hairy appearance ogy: “This daisy didn’t evolve a new
To get to its figure, the RAC analysed and eye-like dots, is lifelike enough to genes involved in building the fake fly. ‘make a fly’ gene. Instead, it did some-
DVLA data for all vehicles registered in trick male flies into trying to mate. Dur- One moves iron around, one makes root thing even cleverer – it brought
Greater London and then picked out ing the frantic wiggling that ensues, hairs grow, and one controls when flow- together existing genes, which already
every petrol car registered before 2006 pollen is deposited on to the flower. ers are made. do other things in different parts of the
and diesel car registered before Sep- Scientists at the University of Cam- The “iron moving” genes add iron to plant, to make a complicated spot on the
tember 2015. bridge have identified three sets of the petal’s normally reddish-purple pig- petals that deceives male flies.”
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023
Police rethink plans to withhold names of charged suspects
By Charles Hymas Home affairs eDitor
POLICE chiefs are preparing to back
down over secret justice plans that
would have allowed forces to withhold
the names of suspects charged with
serious offences.
After a backlash over the plans, the
College of Policing said it did not want
to do anything that would “undermine
RAF high flier
weeps in dock
as he is jailed
for sex attack
Victim tried to take her
own life after feeling ‘filthy
and disgusting’ in wake of
fellow officer’s assault
By Danielle Sheridan Defence eDitor
AN RAF squadron leader will serve nine
months in jail for a sex attack that drove
a fellow officer to attempt suicide.
Oliver Bayliss, 36, a recent leader of
the elite Chinook helicopter display
team, assaulted his victim at a social
occasion in January last year.
The military court at Catterick, North
Yorks, heard Bayliss, a married father,
and the woman were not known to each
other when they met at a military base
where Bayliss was celebrating his pro-
motion.
The court heard that the assault took
place as Bayliss’s victim tried to get
away from him after she noticed his
wedding ring.
It was then that Bayliss is said to have
thrust his hands up her skirt and sexu-
ally assaulted her.
She said the attack, which she
reported to the police the following day,
left her feeling “filthy and disgusting”.
Bayliss denied the assault and was
said to have told a probation worker
that he had no need to assault his victim
as he was the more attractive of the two.
The woman said the RAF had made
her feel “ostracised” after she was
ordered to work from home when she
raised concerns that their paths might
cross, while her attacker was allowed to
continue his duties as normal.
Six months after the assault, she tried
to take her own life.
Assistant Judge Advocate General
Edward Legard said the board was trou-
bled by Bayliss’s “absence of remorse or
understanding”.
“There has been an element of victim
blaming and minimisation of your
actions and you have shown an unwar-
ranted sense of entitlement,” he said.
Judge Advocate Legard added: “You
said you would be able to get more
girls than she could men, which dis-
plays a worrying attitude towards
women in general.” The court found he
Sex offences hit record 31 pc rise as fears of unreported crimes remain
By Gabriella Swerling
social affairs eDitor
SEX offences have increased by 31 per
cent – their biggest ever annual rise –
government figures show.
The Office for National Statistics
(ONS) has published data on sexual
offences in England and Wales for the
year ending March 2022 based on
Taxman’s £1m win in dogged
pursuit of paparazzi boss
By Daily Telegraph Reporter
A MILLIONAIRE former paparazzi
boss has lost an appeal against paying a
capital gains tax bill after a judge ruled
his dog showed he was living in the UK.
Darryn Lyons, who ran Big Pictures,
a photo agency, and appeared on
Celebrity Big Brother in 2011, went to
court to fight a million-pound capital
gains tax bill.
The bill related to the sale of proper-
ties he owned in the UK during the
2012-13 tax year. Mr Lyons claimed he
was not a resident in the UK during that
period and was not liable to pay the bill.
Now mayor of Geelong in Victoria,
Australia, Mr Lyons had been in the
process of moving back to the country
in November 2011. But a tax tribunal
judge found that Mr Lyons’s dog,
Amber, was still in Britain during the
tax period in question. Judge Tracey
Bowler found that the process for mov-
ing Amber to Australia, which can take
around six months, had not started until
January 2012, pushing Mr Lyons’s resi-
dency into the next tax year.
Dismissing his appeal against the
capital gains tax assessment, the judge
said: “Mr Lyons had taken a large
amount of jewellery to Australia and his
prized Ferrari was moved there in
November 2011. (But) Mr Lyons’s dog,
Amber, to whom he was extremely
open justice” or deny the public access
to information in the public interest.
It is understood the college had been
advised by the information commis-
sioner’s office that its current guidance
was potentially in breach of data protec-
tion legislation.
In a letter to media organisations, the
college said no decision would be taken
on any changes until the issues had
posed a risk of harm to women due to
the attitude shown in the wake of his
offence.
The judge advocate added: “This was
a betrayal of the values and standards of
the RAF and tarnishes the reputation of
the officer corps. You wear the insignia
on your sleeve for a reason, which is to
uphold the highest standards of integ-
rity and to lead by example.”
In a personal statement read by the
victim via video link, she said she was
diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
disorder and endured nightmares about
the attack.
She said: “I felt like a burden to my
family and friends and due to the impact
of the sexual assault I attempted suicide
in June when I felt I could no longer
cope.”
She added: “The only glimmer of a sil-
ver lining is that I hope this has taught
Oliver Bayliss that he cannot behave in
that way.”
Bayliss had his sentence reduced
from two years to 18 months, which was
‘This was a betrayal of the
values and standards of the
RAF and tarnishes the
officer corps’s reputation’
partly due to his distinguished career,
which included active service in
Afghanistan, Iraq and West Africa.
He was told he would serve half his
sentence, which will be carried out in a
civilian jail after being cleared through
the military prison at Colchester, before
he was eligible for release.
A tearful Bayliss, of Harrogate, North
Yorks, shook his head as he was
marched from the court after being dis-
missed from the RAF in disgrace.
Emma Norton, director and solicitor
with the Centre for Military Justice, said
the victim’s feeling of being ostracised
by the RAF was not unusual for service-
women who report sexual assault in the
Armed Forces.
She said: “The experiences of this
woman after she reported an extremely
serious sexual assault seem to reflect
those of all the servicewomen we are
supporting.”
research from the crime survey, police
figures, and victim services.
The research found there was an
increase from 147,835 to 193,566 police-
recorded sexual offences compared
with the previous year.
The volume of sexual offences
recorded by the police has been increas-
ing over the past decade.
However, the ONS warned that the
attached, remained in the UK until
some time after July 2012, although
work had commenced in December
2011 to identify what steps were needed
to transport Amber to Australia.
“None of the six-month process for
her shipping started until January 2012,
which was therefore consistent with Mr
Lyons moving to Australia after April 6
2012 and not before. Steps were not
taken to relocate Amber, to whom he
was devoted, until January 2012.”
The judge added that Mr Lyons’s
home in the UK remained the place to
which he returned on April 29 2012 and
where he had accumulated “so much”
of his personal possessions, as well as
much of his archive material.
“He continued as chairman of Big
Pictures Ltd and maintained invest-
ments such as the partnership interest
and bank accounts in the UK, as well as
those matters connected with day-to-
day life in a place such as doctor and
dentist registrations and registration on
the electoral role,” the judge added.
“His dog remained in the UK and his
girlfriend was living here. We conclude
DON ARNOLD/WIREIMAGE
that while it is clear that Mr Lyons had
set in motion steps to relocate to Aus-
tralia in 2012, those steps had not
reached the point of being a ‘substantial
loosening of ties to the UK’ until after
April 6 2012. As a result, Mr Lyons was a
UK tax resident during part of 2012-13.”
been hammered out in a meeting with
the media and information commis-
sioner. “We understand the depth of
feeling on these issues and the public
interest in getting any changes to the
guidance right,” it said.
The current guidance, issued to all
police chiefs, is that they “should” name
a defendant when they are charged
with an offence. But if the proposals
Oliver Bayliss, who led the elite Chinook display team, was handed an 18-month sentence for the sex attack on a fellow officer
numbers remain well below the num-
ber of victims estimated by the survey,
which equates to an estimated 1.1 mil-
lion adults.
Jamie Klingler, of Reclaim These
Streets (RTS), the social justice cam-
paign, said: “These numbers are all the
more reason that every police force in
the nation needs to prioritise sexual
violence and how we safeguard and
Darryn Lyons must pay a capital gains tax bill totalling more than a million pounds
were adopted, the language would be
watered down, with forces advised they
“can” release the information if they
wish. The draft guidance told forces
they “must consider their data protec-
tion obligations as well as the need for
open justice and transparency”.
Rape and sexual violence campaign-
ers have expressed deep unease over
the proposals with warnings it will
protect victims.” Her comments follow
release of the Casey Report which
found that although the Met Police has
said that violence against women is a
“top priority”, the review said: “Those
close to the service tell a different
story.”
The ONS said that in 2018, police
recorded 152,741 sexual offences, in
2019 there were 164,308 and in 2020
News
strike a blow to the principle of open
justice and could allow serial offenders
to get away with crimes.
Last night, a spokesman for the col-
lege said: “We’ve listened to the feed-
back on draft proposals around our
media relations guidance and we do not
want to do anything that will undermine
open justice. We’ll take a common-sense
approach, working closely with the
163,244. The ONS said that the survey
provides the best measure of victimisa-
tion and estimated that 2.3 per cent of
adults (3.3 per cent women and 1.2 per
cent men) aged 16 years and over were
victims of sexual assault (including
attempts) in the year ending March
2022 survey.
This equates to an estimated 1.1 mil-
lion adults (798,000 women and
Red Wall ‘needs government
protection from junk food’
By Laura Donnelly HealtH eDitor
RED WALL voters are crying out for
restrictions to “protect them” from junk
food, the Government’s former food
tsar has said.
Henry Dimbleby accused the Tories
of “insane” inaction on obesity, suggest-
ing ministers were wrong to assume
nanny state measures would provoke a
backlash and lose the Tories votes.
Mr Dimbleby, who recently resigned,
said polling conducted when officials
were drawing up a national food strat-
egy found strong support for restric-
tions, particularly on the promotion of
junk food. Ministers have repeatedly
delayed a proposed ban on such adverts
online, and before 9pm on television,
along with ending buy-one-get-one free
deals offered by supermarkets.
Mr Dimbleby was appointed by the
Government to carry out a review of
England’s food market and had called
for an expansion of sugar taxes to cover
foods, as well as drinks, and the intro-
duction of a salt tax. Both ideas were
dismissed in the summer and ministers
published a watered-down strategy.
Mr Dimbleby, the son of David, the
broadcaster, and co-founder of Leon, a
restaurant chain, said ministers’ views
were out of kilter with the public, par-
ticularly of people in red wall seats that
have traditionally voted Labour. He
*** 7
information commissioner’s office to try
and resolve its issues, and media organ-
isations to ensure journalists continue
to have access to the information they
need to do their important job.”
In the wake of the Leveson Inquiry in
2012, police forces stopped identifying
suspects when they were arrested. But
they were still named once they were
charged.
Only 1pc of the
billions lost to
Covid fraud has
been recovered
By Amy Gibbons
Political corresPonDent
ONLY one per cent of the estimated £1.1
billion of taxpayer cash lost to fraud and
error in Covid business handouts has
been clawed back, a report has found.
The Government has admitted a lack
of pre-payment checks at the start of the
pandemic led to higher levels of waste
as it rushed to get support to firms,
according to a new report from the
Whitehall spending watchdog.
Ninety per cent of the total losses
arose during this first wave of grants,
with the risk “greatly reduced” when
checks and data improvements were
implemented for future iterations, the
National Audit Office (NAO) said.
But the watchdog said only a fraction
of the cash has so far been recovered –
pointing out that councils tasked with
pursuing the money have had “no finan-
cial incentive” to go “beyond the mini-
mum”, as the funds would be paid back
to central government.
Attempts by the former Department
for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy (BEIS) to identify losses were
5
Percentage of the total of £22.6billion
paid to business during Covid which
was lost as a result of fraud and error
also delayed until at least a year after the
payments had been made.
The NAO said that just under five per
cent of the £22.6 billion paid to busi-
nesses through Covid grant schemes
between March 2020 and March 2022
was lost as a result of fraud and error – a
total of £1.1billion. Only £11.4 million, or
one per cent, had been clawed back by
last month, nearly three years on from
the first national lockdown.
The report said officials attributed
the greater losses in the initial iterations
to “the decision not to require pre-pay-
ment checks on grant recipients and
shortcomings in the data held by local
authorities”. Dame Meg Hillier, the
Labour chairman of the Public Accounts
Committee, said it is now up to the Gov-
ernment to “act on the lessons from this
experience it has learnt so it can be on
the front foot for the next crisis”.
A government spokesman said: “This
report confirms that our Covid-19
business grant schemes helped to
secure millions of businesses and
livelihoods through the pandemic... no
amount of error and fraud is acceptable,
and we are continuing to work hard to
recover these funds where possible.”
275,000 men). Helen Ross, from the
ONS, said there was no significant
change in the prevalence of sexual
assault compared with the period
before the pandemic.
But she added that the highest fig-
ures “could be driven, in part, by an
increased number of victims willing to
report both recent and historical inci-
dents”.
claimed parents were very keen for
action to be taken to prevent childhood
obesity. “People are actually slightly fed
up with their children being marketed
junk food,” he said.
“Advertising restrictions are very
popular. So while on Twitter, you get a
small number of quite loud, free mar-
keteers actually people in general – and
in those red wall seats in particular, like
rules – and they like rules that protect
‘Ministers are wrong to
think that imposing salt
and sugar taxes would
cost them at the ballot box’
them. They are quite happy for the Gov-
ernment to restrict the way in which
junk food is marketed at them.”
Polling was also “significantly posi-
tive”, he added, about sugar and salt
taxes, suggesting that ministers were
“wrong” to think such measures would
cost them at the ballot box.
u  NHS watchdogs have backed the
drug Wegovy, which regulates appetite,
for obese people who have other health
problems.
But health officials hope a drug com-
pany bidding war will drive down
prices so the NHS can offer it to more of
Britain’s 12 million obese adults.
8 **
I made mistakes, says
Sturgeon in her final
address as leader
First Minister on verge of
tears as she tells Scottish
Parliament she is proud of
what she has achieved
By Simon Johnson
SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR
NICOLA STURGEON has admitted she
made her “fair share of mistakes” after
her record in office was savaged at the
final First Minister’s Questions before
she steps down as leader.
In a valedictory speech at Holyrood
after more than eight years in office, Ms
Sturgeon said that there were things
that she wished she had done “better or
differently”.
But, speaking on the third anniver-
sary of imposing a lockdown in Scot-
land, she said “overall and
overwhelmingly, I am proud of what
has been achieved” and claimed her
tenure would be defined by her leader-
ship through the pandemic.
During an emotional conclusion, in
which she appeared on the verge of
tears, she addressed the Scottish peo-
ple, saying: “Words will never convey
the gratitude and awe I hold in my heart
for the opportunity I have had to serve
as your First Minister. It truly has been
the privilege of my lifetime.”
Holyrood’s opposition party leaders
paid tribute to her staying power after
35 years in politics and agreed she pro-
vided a leadership role model for
women and girls.
However, they lambasted her record
on the NHS, education and record drugs
deaths, with Douglas Ross, the Scottish
Tory leader, accusing her of breaking a
pledge she made on her first day in
Any regrets? You wouldn’t think she had any as she bows out her way
Sketch
By Madeline Grant
‘R
egrets, I’ve had a few,” crooned
Frank Sinatra in My Way. Many
people choose this as the final
music at a funeral. As MSPs gathered to
bury her political career – some SNP
representatives had even brought
tissues – there was no such self-
News
office to govern for all Scots. Referring
to her repeated calls for another inde-
pendence referendum, he told MSPs:
“For some, too often, she used her posi-
tion to further her party’s political
objectives rather than bring the country
together and govern in all of Scotland’s
interests.”
In a fractious First Minister’s Ques-
tions, he listed numerous policy areas in
which her government had fallen short
and concluded she had “failed in every
mission she set herself ”.
Rowling row He said that “shameless political
Author takes spin” had been the hallmark of her ten-
aim at Yousaf ure and that this had continued to the
very end, with her husband, Peter Mur-
rell, resigning as SNP chief executive
JK Rowling has over “lies” told to the press and public
attacked the about the party’s membership.
frontrunner to Mr Ross said the “house that Stur-
replace Nicola geon, [Alex] Salmond and Murrell built
Sturgeon, is collapsing”, with the three candidates
accusing him of to replace her lashing out at each other
backing during the SNP leadership contest and
legislation that criticising her record.
would have Speaking later to journalists, Ms Stur-
allowed rapists in geon dismissed “hyperbolic” claims the
women’s prisons. SNP was disintegrating. Anas Sarwar,
Humza Yousaf the Scottish Labour leader, said the
posted a picture Nationalists would “not find a replace-
of him holding a ment like her” and her absence would
pink heart with be “keenly” felt.
“Upholding The winner of the SNP’s leadership
Rights”, referring contest will be announced on Monday
to women. Ms afternoon, with Humza Yousaf, the
Rowling replied: Health Secretary, Kate Forbes, Finance
“What a lovely Secretary, or Ash Regan, an outsider,
JANE BARLOW/PA WIRE
pink heart. Now succeeding Ms Sturgeon.
tell us why you An Ipsos Mori poll found 38 per cent
voted down the of SNP voters have a favourable view of
amendment to Mr Yousaf compared to 37 per cent for
stop rapists being Ms Forbes. However, none of the three
housed in candidates had a positive approval rat-
women’s jails.” ing with the Scottish public.
reflection from Nicola Sturgeon. National Investment Bank” and even,
Regrets? Her? Never! Or at least, too “The NHS” – founded 22 years before
few to elaborate on. On her final day as Ms Sturgeon was born. She’d worn one
Grand Krankie, she wasn’t going to let of her trademark powersuits; the sort
a little thing like magnanimity get in that made her look like a Bond Villain
her way and so floated placidly in on a on The Apprentice.
Great Lake of her own smuggery. The opening contest between
“Let’s look at my record,” she Sturgeon and Scots’ Tory leader
boasted, with all the self-reflection of Douglas Ross was a scrappy affair. In
an arsonist brandishing matches in testament to the genuine dislike they
front of the charred shell of a building. have for one another, the pair brawled
She cited “institutions that didn’t even like two alleycats over a piece of
exist when I became First Minister: rotting pilchard. Ross accused the SNP
Revenue Scotland for example… Social of lying to the public and media over
Security Scotland… The Scottish its membership figures. This drew
Outgoing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hugs her deputy John Swinney, who is also standing down, before leaving the main chamber in Holyrood
heckling and cries of “shame”.
Sturgeon riposted in Orwellian style:
“The SNP remains the only mass
membership party in this country.”
While this didn’t quite answer Ross’s
question, the SNP MSPs clapped
anyway. In Sturgeon-land, everything
is fine – even when it isn’t.
Buoyed by the applause, she kept
going. “Tories shouldn’t be lecturing
anyone about honesty and integrity.”
Sturgeon’s MSPs loved this too, but by
that token, should the SNP be lecturing
anyone about integrity? Anas Sarwar,
the Scottish Labour leader, got mileage
Ditch death penalty for gay acts,
Welby urges Ugandan president
By Gabriella Swerling
SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR
THE Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Most Rev Justin Welby, will write to the
president of Uganda following protests
at a Bill which will make homosexual
acts punishable by death.
All but two of the 389 Ugandan MPs
voted in favour of the law which intro-
duces death or life imprisonment for
gay sex and “recruitment, promotion
and funding” of same-sex activities.
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace
confirmed that the Archbishop will
write to Yoweri Museveni, the presi-
dent, in a private capacity following
the vote.
The correspondence comes after his
counterpart, the Archbishop of Wales,
the Most Rev Andrew John, described
HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERS
Rishi Sunak and Edi Rama meet at Downing Street before agreeing a deportation deal
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
out of quoting leadership contenders
on the state of their own country after
years of SNP rule. Would the First
Minister agree that “continuity,
mediocrity and incompetence won’t
cut it?”, he asked.
The main questions over, Sturgeon
launched into a final valedictory
speech which attempted to reassert
the moral high ground. It included a
gushing section on her strong female
leadership and contribution to
women’s rights; particularly galling
given her ongoing inability to define
what a woman is. Her final thrust on
the Bill as “profoundly disturbing and
utterly UnChristlike”. He also said
he  would be writing to the head of
the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev
Stephen Kaziimba, who is in favour of
the Bill, to express his concern.
The Anglican church in Uganda has
been consistently against same-sex
marriage and is aligned to GAFCON, the
conservative Anglican group.
The Archbishop of Canterbury vis-
ited South Sudan on a historic trip along
with the Pope and the Moderator of the
Church of Scotland last month. During
the visit, the three Christian leaders
denounced the criminalisation of
homosexuality.
Speaking to reporters after visiting
South Sudan, the Pope said such laws
were a sin and “an injustice”, adding
that people with “homosexual tenden-
the value of kindness in politics and
being “opponents, not enemies”
contrasted vividly with the playground
mud-slinging of seconds ago.
Douglas Ross managed to end his
final follow-up on a magnanimous note
with a tribute to Sturgeon’s lengthy
public service, her “formidable”
campaigning abilities and with best
wishes to her family. Amid a ripple of
polite applause from some nationalist
MSPs, there was not a single clap from
the outgoing First Minister. Enemies,
not opponents, once again, it seemed.
As ever, Nicola Sturgeon did it her way.
cies” are children of God and should be
welcomed by their churches. His com-
ments were backed by the Archbishop
of Canterbury and the Moderator of the
Church of Scotland.
It came as a prominent leader of
Uganda’s LGBTQ community said yes-
terday that he was worried about
becoming “homeless”, describing
anguished calls by others like him who
are concerned for their safety after the
passing of the law.
Frank Mugisha, head of the banned
LGBTQ group Sexual Minorities
Uganda, said: “I am worried about being
evicted. I could become homeless.”
The Bill was introduced last month
by an opposition lawmaker who said his
goal was to punish the “promotion,
recruitment and funding” of LGBTQ
activities in the east African country.
Albanian prisoners
will be sent home to
finish jail sentences
By Charles Hymas HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR
ALL eligible Albanian criminals in UK
prisons are to be deported to complete
their sentences in their homeland
under a deal agreed between the coun-
tries’ two prime ministers yesterday.
In a statement after talks at Downing
Street, Rishi Sunak and Edi Rama said
the deportation of hundreds of prison-
ers would be fast-tracked after a joint
UK-Albanian team has ensured, by the
end of April, that Albania’s jails have the
capacity and appropriate conditions to
receive them.
There are more than 1,500 Albanians
convicted of offences in the UK who are
held in English and Welsh jails, making
them the largest group of foreign
nationals. Under the agreement, they
can be transferred up to 270 days before
their release date to serve the remain-
der of their sentence in Albania.
The two leaders also agreed to “take
forward” their “shared priority” to
tackle illegal migration and people
smuggling gangs after Mr Rama had
earlier criticised Britain for singling out
Albanian migrants for political pur-
poses. He said a “few rotten apples” did
not define a nation.
Speaking alongside Mr Sunak in
Downing Street before their talks, the
Albanian prime minister said he wanted
to shake off stereotypes that suggested
all Albanians were criminals.
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023
Royals plunge
into the public’s
bad books after
Harry’s memoir
By Victoria Ward Royal EditoR
THE Royal family’s approval rating has
slumped to its lowest level for 12 months
following the publication of Prince Har-
ry’s memoir, Spare.
The latest Ipsos poll suggests that all
senior royals have been affected by the
fallout. While the Prince of Wales
remains the most popular, his rating has
slipped 10 percentage points to 59 per
cent since December.
Prince Harry took particular aim at
his brother in his book, describing dec-
ades of simmering resentment and
rivalry.
He accused Prince William of push-
ing him to the floor and causing physi-
cal injuries, and of lunging at him after
the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
Prince William is closely followed in
the ratings by his aunt, the Princess
Royal, and his wife, the Princess of
Wales. But both women have witnessed
a drop in popularity since December, by
seven and 11 points respectively.
Overall, the family’s approval rating
has fallen to 47 per cent, down six points
since the start of the year, and the low-
est figure recorded by Ipsos UK over the
past 12 months.
However, the institution still has a
positive net favourability rating of +21,
with 26 per cent of adults unfavourable
and 25 per cent neither favourable or
unfavourable.
This time last year, the family’s rating
was +29.
The Sussexes were not immune from
the plunge in public opinion following
the book’s release and remain the least
popular members of the family, aside
from the Duke of York.
JONATHAN BRADY/PA
Kelly Beaver, chief executive of Ipsos
UK and Ireland, said: “Our latest polling
shows the popularity of the Royal fam-
ily and its most prominent members is
still down from the levels of sympathy
in the aftermath of the Queen’s funeral.”
Secondary schools most oversubscribed in decade
Rise in immigration and
a baby boom mean nearly
a quarter of institutions
are over capacity
By Louisa Clarence-Smith
and Ben Butcher
SECONDARY schools in England are
more oversubscribed than at any time
in the past decade, new data shows.
Almost a quarter of state secondaries
were over capacity last year, which
means they had enrolled more pupils
than their reported number of available
places, according to the Department for
Education.
Government figures showed that 755
– or 22 per cent – of secondary schools
of secondaries in England, were over
capacity in 2021-22.
Around 37,000 pupils were in places
that exceeded their school’s capacity,
up from 35,000 a year earlier. The
Sexually unsure pupils told: ‘You’re queer’
By Daniel Sanderson
ScottiSh coRRESpondEnt
CHILDREN as young as 11 are being
taught in school that they are “queer” if
they do not yet know their sexual orien-
tation, it has emerged.
Teaching materials at a state school
in Scotland claim that there are three
biological sexes and suggest controver-
sial concepts around sex and gender are
being taught as fact.
A presentation is being reviewed fol-
lowing a backlash from parents at Bor-
oughmuir high school in Edinburgh,
who fear the lessons have been taking
place without their knowledge for
years. It states that “queer” is a term
“many people use when they are not
sure what their sexual or romantic ori-
The Prince of Wales lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw
Howard Berry, a Westminster Abbey marshal, takes off his shoes to walk across the Cosmati pavement where the Coronation chair will be placed to crown the King
number of over-capacity schools has
risen from a decade low of 477 – or 14
per cent of secondary schools in 2013-
14.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the
Association of School and College Lead-
ers, said: “The number of secondary-
school-age children has increased in
recent years.
“While school places have been
added to accommodate this increase,
there is particular pressure on places at
popular schools, generally those with
‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted ratings,
which is probably why we see an
increase in the number of secondaries
at or over capacity.”
Pressure on places has been driven
by a surge in the 11-year-old population
due to a baby boom in the 2000s. A rise
in immigration has also increased
demand for places.
The secondary school population is
expected to peak next year at 3.2 mil-
lion, before gradually declining.
Schools that are over capacity may be
entation is [male, female or intersex]”.
However, one parent said: “We should
not be teaching children that ideologi-
cal statements are fact or clearly
encouraging those who don’t know
what they are yet to call themselves
queer. To say there are three biological
‘We should not teach
ideological statements as
fact. Nonsense to say there
are three biological sexes’
sexes is utter nonsense, to put it mildly.”
The school said the guidance was put
together from “a number of different
resources”.
Meanwhile, a “gender neutral lan-
YUI MOK/PA WIRE
*** 9
News
Kick off shoes
and walk like
King, abbey
visitors told
By Victoria Ward Royal EditoR
WESTMINSTER Abbey is to allow visi-
tors to walk over the exact spot on
which the King will be crowned in
stockinged feet.
The guided “barefoot tours” will
offer access to the Cosmati pavement
where every English monarch has been
crowned since the 13th century.
The pavement, commissioned by
Henry III, was hidden under a carpet
for 150 years until it was restored to its
former glory in 2010.
The guided Crown and Church visits
will begin on May 15, a week after the
Coronation.
Tourists – kept to small groups of 10 –
will be asked to remove their shoes and
walk in socks to help protect the mosaic
floor of marble, stone, glass and metal.
Rich in symbolism, the pavement is
said to depict the universe, with a
spherical globe at its centre, and fore-
tells the end of the world.
A spokesman for the abbey said: “It
will be the first time in living memory
that the abbey has invited visitors to
walk on the Cosmati pavement where
the Coronation chair will be placed for
the crowning of HM the King on Satur-
day May 6.”
Scott Craddock, the abbey’s head of
visitor experience, said: “The Corona-
tion will be a joyous and significant
moment for the nation, and for West-
minster Abbey.
“ We hope that our special pro-
gramme of events and digital resources
gives everyone an opportunity to join in
with the celebrations.”
Other elements of the programme
include an exhibition in the Chapter
House which will explain and illustrate
the key elements of the Coronation ser-
vice and its artefacts.
The Crown and Church tours will run
until July 29 and cost £15, plus an abbey
admission fee of £27 for adults.
forced to have bigger class sizes to ham. Other boroughs in the top 10 for a d d e d : “ L o c a l a u th o r i ti e s h ave four years. Demand for primary school
squeeze in excess pupils. being over capacity included Cheshire planned for the increases and provided places has started to fall in some areas.
Data released yesterday showed that East, Bath and North East Somerset and more than a million extra secondary The proportion of primary schools
the local authorities with the highest Southampton. places in the past decade, but this has that were “at or above capacity” was 17
proportion of secondary schools “at or Prof Alan Smithers, of the Centre for now slowed down because they can see per cent in 2021-22, down from 20 per
above capacity” included Kensington Education and Employment Research that the birth rate more recently has cent a decade ago.
and Chelsea, Buckinghamshire, Wal- at the University of Buckingham, said: been falling.” In 2022, there were 569,000 unfilled
sall, Bury, and Hammersmith and Ful- “Some local authorities, like Kensing- Families faced one of the most com- places in primary schools, an increase
ton and Chelsea and Buckinghamshire, petitive years on record for 11-year-olds of 2 per cent from 2021, and 24 per cent
have a high proportion of very popular seeking a place at their first-choice sec- more than in 2010.
Full Highest proportion of schools attracting many children from ondary school this year. Local authorities with the highest
schools at or above capacity beyond their boundaries. This will lead Around 640,000 pupils are estimated proportion of unfilled primary places
to these authorities topping the rank- to have applied to start Year Seven in included Wandsworth and Lambeth, at
Kensington and Chelsea 48.6%
ings for ‘at or above capacity’.” He September, up by around 40,000 in 27 per cent.
Walsall 47.4
Bury 46.2
Hammersmith and Fulham 45.5
Cheshire East 43.5
Bath and North East Somerset 42.9
Southampton 41.7
Southend-on-Sea 41.7
Newcastle upon Tyne 41.2
Bristol 40.9
SOURCE: DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
guage guide” prepared for staff at
another Scottish school tells staff not to
use terms such as mother, brother or
sister to avoid upsetting pupils who
identify as trans.
The documents relating to Wick
High in Caithness, were obtained by
The Daily Telegraph amid growing con-
cerns that disputed gender ideology
theories backed by the SNP are being
inappropriately promoted.
A spokesman for Highland Council,
which runs Wick High, said: “Highland
schools follow national guidance
regarding equality and diversity.”
Kate Forbes, one contender to
become the next First Minister, has
been inundated with complaints about
children as young as four who have
been confused about gender classes.
Russian diplomat
makes dig at Prince
during Poland trip
By India McTaggart
and Nataliya Vasilyeva
RUSSIA’S top diplomat has taken aim at
the Prince of Wales’s visit to Poland,
expressing Russia’s concerns about
Britain’s support of Ukraine in the war.
Maria Zakharova, the spokesman of
the Russian foreign ministry, used the
trip to raise concerns about Britain’s
plans to supply Ukraine with depleted
uranium shells for Challenger 2 tanks.
“I wonder if William Charles-ovich
has brought depleted uranium ammu-
nition for his troops,” she said, coining a
patronymic for the Prince of Wales by
using his father’s first name.
Vladimir Putin earlier this week said
supplies would be tantamount to using
a “dirty” nuclear bomb.
Ms Zakharova made the comments
yesterday, on the second day of Prince
William’s surprise trip to Poland to
“personally thank” British and Polish
soldiers stationed 50 miles from the
Ukrainian-Polish border for “defending
our shared freedoms”.
Ms Zakharova is known for her
remarks that are often more radical
than that of senior Kremlin officials.
10 **
King’s Versailles
banquet may be
scrapped as riots
pose safety risk
‘Highlight’ of royal tour
could be moved to avoid
disruptive rallies opposing
Macron’s pension reforms
By Victoria Ward Royal EditoR
and Vivian Song in Paris
A BANQUET planned for the King dur-
ing next week’s state visit to France may
be moved or cancelled as a result of
safety fears prompted by protests.
The event is scheduled to take place
on Monday evening at the Palace of Ver-
sailles and has been billed as a “high-
light” of the brief tour, which begins on
Sunday.
Reports suggest the event could be
relocated, with the Elysée Palace in
Paris a likely replacement.
A source close to Emmanuel Macron,
the French president, told the BFMTV
channel: “The dinner between Charles
III and Emmanuel Macron, planned for
Monday, may not be held at Versailles,
as initially planned.”
The station added: “The information
we received is that the dinner will likely
be moved to another location, possibly
to the Elysée, officially for reasons of
security.”
The King faces the prospect of being
used as a political pawn by unions cam-
paigning against Mr Macron’s plan to
raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
More than 1,500 protests have
already taken place in cities including
Marseille, Lyon, Lille and Paris, with
bins set alight, roads blockaded and
track invasions at railway stations.
Demonstrations have also been held
outside refineries which have blocked
deliveries of oil and energy workers
have cut power to some towns causing
brief blackouts.
Original plans for the Versailles ban-
quet, hosted by Mr Macron and his wife,
Brigitte, was said to involve 200 guests,
a concert by the Royal Opera and a meal
served on Sevres porcelain and Bacca-
rat crystal in the Hall of Mirrors.
The hour-long drive the King and
Queen would have to take from Paris to
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
World News
STRA SBOURG N ICE
Versailles would entail a long motor-
cade and could be at risk of disruption
b y p ro t e s t e r s wh o h a v e t a k e n
to descending on motorways to block
traffic.
The city of Paris has ordered all
employees in the public order and traf-
fic department to work during the
King’s visit.
Tram drivers have already promised
to refuse to take the Royal couple on a
short ride into the centre of Bordeaux,
planned for Tuesday.
Trade unionists warned that they
would not provide the red carpets, fur-
nishings and flags required for the visit
after staging a walkout over pay.
However, Loic Turpin, a spokesman
for the National Furniture Service, said
that only 24 members of staff out of 420
were on strike yesterday. A protester in Nice,
“The red carpet has been delivered
LYON right, wears a
mask depicting
Emmanuel Macron.
‘Mr King, listen, we Above, riot police
in Strasbourg, and
have nothing against left, protesters in
you... but you should Lyon react to tear
gas. Police say
stay away from Versailles’ about one million
people
demonstrated
and the trade unions have assured us throughout the
that they will not block the work of non- country, whereas
striking staff,” he said. unions say the
Meanwhile, Sandrine Rousseau, an figure was more
MP for the Ecologist party, called for the like 3.5 million
cancellation of the visit.
“Unbelievable,” she said. “We are
going to have Emmanuel Macron, who
is going to welcome King Charles III in
Versailles who is going to descend the
Champs-Elysées and dine at Versailles
while the people are protesting.
“Of course he should cancel this visit.
Is the priority really to welcome Charles
III in Versailles?”
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the
Left-wing France Unbowed party, said:
“Mr King, listen, we have nothing
against you here, but you’re the King of
the English – that’s your business – but
you should stay away from Versailles.”
A Buckingham Palace source said
that it was “keeping a close eye” on
developments and admitted that there
may be an impact on logistics.
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023 S *** 11

Anarchy in France as
call for Macron’s head
reaches fever pitch
About 3.5 million people
demonstrate as president
reminded of grisly fate
that befell Louis XVI
By Vivian Song in Paris
EMMANUEL MACRON was warned he
faced the same fate as the beheaded
king Louis XVI yesterday, as fury over
the president ’s pension reforms
brought France to a standstill.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters
took to the streets across the country,
clashing with police, disrupting travel
and blockading oil refineries, in the
most chaotic day of unrest since demon-
strations against Mr Macron’s plan to
raise the age of retirement from 62 to 64
began earlier this year.
Yesterday’s nationwide strikes were
the first since the government survived
a no-confidence motion and pushed the
deeply unpopular reform through par-
liament without a vote.
French unions claimed that 3.5 mil-
lion people had taken part in the dem-
onstrations, while police said just over a
ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERS; PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK
million people had participated.
Large crowds marched in Paris,
where protesters carried placards
depicting Mr Macron in the regalia of
France’s executed leader, with mes-
sages warning: “Louis X VI – We
beheaded him.”
Protesters stormed the city’s Charles
de Gaulle airport, blocking the motor-
way leading to it and forcing travellers
to reach it on foot. Crowds of demon-
strators blocked the tracks at the Gare
de Lyon train station, with the union
member leading them calling for the
president to be “overthrown” and for
King Charles’s visit to Paris this week-
end to be targeted. “Let’s all go to Ver-
sailles and welcome him as we should,”
Fabien Villedieu, rail union representa-
tive, told BFMTV.
Elsewhere in the capital, the Eiffel
Tower, Palace of Versailles and the Arc
de Triomphe were closed. While most
demonstrators were generally peaceful,
smaller groups of “Black Bloc” anar-
c h i s t s s m a s h e d s h o p w i n d ow s ,
destroyed street furniture and ran-
sacked a McDonald’s restaurant.
Clashes ensued as riot police moved
in and drove back the anarchists with
tear gas and stun grenades, and fire-
fighters were forced to intervene after
pallets and piles of uncollected rubbish
were set ablaze.
Nadia Belhoum, 48, a bus driver on
the Paris march, said: “The president of
the Republic ... is not a king, and he
should listen to his people.”
Mr Macron broke weeks of silence on
the new policy to say he would stand
firm and that the law would come into
force by the end of the year, at one point
comparing the protests to the 2021
storming of the US Capitol.
Critics attacked Mr Macron for the
statement, describing the president as
“self-satisfied” and “out of touch”.
Ahead of the protest in Paris, Philippe
Protests against
the pension reform
March 23
Paris
Nantes
Bourges
Biarritz
Nice
Marseille
SOURCE: LE MONDE
Martinez, CGT union head, said: “When
there is such a conflict, the role of the
president of the republic is to calm
things down. Yesterday, he threw a can
of gasoline on the fire.”
In Marseille, where unions claimed
280,000 people turned out to protest,
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, France
Unbowed’s Leftist leader, urged oppo-
nents of the reform not to be intimi-
dated. “Today, we must throw all our
forces into battle,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the town of Lorient,
demonstrators staged an elaborate
lynching in front of the police station,
hanging an effigy and setting it on fire.
Several police officers were injured as
they fought back protesters trying to
storm the station, which caught fire
after being hit with flaming projectiles.
Elisabeth Borne, the prime minister,
said the violence was “unacceptable”.
“It is a right to demonstrate and make
your disagreements known,” she said
on Twitter, but added: “The violence
and destruction that we have seen today
are unacceptable.”
More than 250 protests were organ-
ised across the country.
Near Toulouse, in south-west France,
plumes of smoke were seen rising from
burning piles of debris blocking a high-
way. Masked demonstrators dressed in
black set fire to bins and clashed with
police in Rennes, with water cannon
being used to disperse them. Video
shared on social media showed the
town hall in Bordeaux burning after
apparently being set on fire by protest-
ers. Flames can be seen climbing up the
building’s front door while a crowd
gathered to cheer.
Fabien Roussel, the leader of France’s
Communist Party, which has joined the
protests, called on police to lay down
their batons and “join the movement”.
Mr Macron, he said, had “bet on vio-
lence” at protests to turn public opinion
against the demonstrators.
Blockades at oil refineries and petrol
depots have exacerbated a fuel shortage
across the country, with pumps at about
15 per cent of service stations running
dry. Airports have also warned of a crit-
ical fuel shortage. Flight services will
continue to be reduced at the weekend,
France’s civil aviation authority said.
Protests against the new law – which
also accelerates a planned increase in
the number of years one must work to
draw a full pension – have drawn huge
crowds in rallies organised by unions
since January.
A survey on Sunday showed that Mr
Macron’s personal approval rating had
slumped to just 28 per cent, its lowest
since the anti-government “Yellow
Vest” protest movement in 2018.
The French president on Wednesday
said the pensions changes needed to
“come into force by the end of the year”.
Backtracking on earlier comments
that the crowds demonstrating had “no
legitimacy”, he said organised protests
were “legitimate”, but violence should
be condemned and blockages should
not impede normal activity.
Trade unions have called for more
nationwide protests on Tuesday to coin-
cide with the visit of King Charles.

Netanyahu forced to delay UK

visit after pilots refuse to fly him
By Gabriella Swerling
and James Rothwell in Jerusalem
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU was forced to
delay his visit to Britain last night after
a number of Israeli pilots refused to fly
him here amid mass protests over his
plans for legal reform.
It is understood the Israeli govern-
ment was unable to find a pilot willing
to take him to London, forcing the
prime minister to delay his trip.
A similar incident occurred during
the Israeli prime minister’s visit to
Rome earlier this month.
Critics of the reforms claim they will
turn Israel into a “dictatorship” as they
will weaken the supreme court and
increase the government’s influence
over the appointment of judges.
Mr Netanyahu, who is standing trial
on fraud and corruption charges that he
strongly denies, maintains that the
reforms will strip the courts of a Left-
wing bias.
It came amid reports that Yoav Gal-
lant, Mr Netanyahu’s defence minister,
was considering openly challenging the
prime minister to abandon the reforms.
Mr Gallant is said to have warned Mr
Netanyahu in a private meeting that the
risk of a mass walkout by Israeli military
reservists over the proposed legal
reforms could severely undermine
national security.
But late last night, Mr Netanyahu
refused to back down on the reforms
and said parts of the programme would
be put before the Israeli parliament for
a vote next week.
In a televised address, he said he was
Benjamin
Netanyahu, Israel’s
prime minister,
is due to meet
Rishi Sunak in
London today
determined to proceed with “responsi-
ble judicial reforms”.
“We cannot allow any dispute to
endanger our collective future,” he
added. “I will do everything to calm the
situation and bring cohesion.”
His insistence on pushing the
reforms through increases the likeli-
hood of intensified protests across
Israel, where tens of thousands of peo-
ple have already taken to the streets.
The internal crisis could lead to Mr
Netanyahu further delaying his UK
visit, should he feel the need to remain
in the country and hold his coalition
together.
However, Israeli media reported he
would be leaving for London at 4am
local time today in order to keep his
meeting with the prime minister.
Israeli officials said the regional
threat posed by Iran is due to be at the
top of the agenda with Rishi Sunak.
Mr Netanyahu is also to hold a meet-
ing with Suella Braverman, the Home
Secretary, for a discussion on tackling
“global terrorism”.
“Their meeting will focus on the
Iranian issue and the need to formulate
a united international front against
Iran in order to stop its nuclear pro-
gramme,” a spokesman for the Israeli
government said.
Yesterday it was reported Ronen Bar,
the director of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal
security services, had warned Mr Net-
anyahu that the row over reforms was
taking the nation to a “dangerous place”.
Mr Bar is also said to have presented
Mr Netanyahu with a “very dark pic-
ture” of the consequences of the contro-
versial reforms.

Dutch warned farm buyouts Green activists tear

essential to hit climate goal
By James Crisp EUROPE EDITOR
BRUSSELS has warned furious Dutch
farmers that compulsory farm buyouts
are the only way for the Netherlands to
meet its EU climate targets.
Frans Timmermans, the EU’s climate
chief, said the European Commission
would explain the green laws to Caro-
line van der Plas, the leader of Farmers
Citizen Movement (BBB).
The BBB triumphed in regional elec-
tions last week. It came from nowhere
to become the largest party in all 12
provinces after months of tractor pro-
tests that drew global attention and the
support of Donald Trump, the former
US president.
Farmers oppose plans championed
by Mark Rutte, the Netherlands prime
minister, to reduce livestock numbers
and buy up farms in order to cut nitro-
gen emissions, which are caused by
manure and fertiliser.
Mr Timmermans, the former Dutch
foreign minister, said: “The Nether-
lands can only achieve the targets by
buying out farmers and greening agri-
culture.”
The Commission vice-president told
the NOS broadcaster: “Let’s invest a lot
in that. Above all, we have to give young
farmers a perspective for the future.”
The Dutch government says it must
reduce nitrogen emissions by 50 per
cent by 2030 to meet EU targets.
The BBB’s opposition to the climate
commitment and the compulsory pur-
chase of farms put it on a collision
course with the ruling four-party coali-
tion and the EU.
Mr Timmermans said that Ms van der
Plas was “very welcome” to visit Brus-
‘The Netherlands can only
achieve the targets by
buying out farmers and
greening agriculture’
sels after her landslide victory. He said:
“We will then do the same thing we
have done before with officials, which is
to explain what the European rules are.”
Mr Timmerman’s comments are
likely to contribute to online conspiracy
theories that the nitrogen row is a glo-
balist pretext to steal farmers’ land.
The BBB can use its 17 seats in the
Dutch senate to try to block farm expro-
priations, which Mr Rutte says are
needed to lift a court-ordered stop on
nitrogen-emitting construction.
down autobahns’
no-limit speed signs
By Jorg Luyken
SIGNS indicating “No Speed Limit”
have been stripped from Germany’s
autobahns by Extinction Rebellion pro-
testers.
The climate activists claim to have
taken down 250 of the black and white
signs that inform motorists they can
clock up high speeds with impunity.
Without them, they tend to assume they
will be prosecuted for speeding.
“We are in the process of introducing
speed limits across Germany in order to
create more safety on our streets and as
an immediate action against the climate
crisis,” one activist said.
Florian Zander, of Extinction Rebel-
lion, said: “In times of climate and envi-
ronmental crises, there are no excuses
for limit-free motorways.”
The transport ministry is controlled
by the liberal Free Democrats, which
insist speed limits are not an important
factor for cutting carbon emissions
because cars will soon be primarily bat-
tery powered.
Germany’s environmental agency
has calculated that a maximum auto-
bahn speed limit of 120 kilometres per
hour (74 mph) would achieve a sixth of
its emissions reductions target.
12 ***
Russians tried to
beat the Ukrainian
out of us, say
rescued children
Dispatch
h kissing as they arrived in Kyiv. Some of
By Nataliya Vasilyeva in Istanbul
and Roland Oliphant
R
ussian authorities are beating
Ukrainian children as they
attempt to “re-educate them”,
according to one of more than a dozen
teenagers freed from Moscow-run
youth facilities after months of
negotiation.
The parents of more than a dozen
children transported to a youth camp
on the Black Sea peninsula last year
brought them back to Ukraine on
Wednesday, the charity that organised
the evacuation confirmed.
The children, mostly teenagers,
were living in Russia-occupied area of
the Kherson and Kharkiv regions
when local education authorities
suggested sending them to a summer
camp in Crimea, which has been
controlled by Russia since 2014.
But those operating the camp
refused to send them back to their
parents when their hometowns were
liberated by Ukraine.
Save Ukraine, the charity that
organised the evacuation, said it
helped some parents to travel to
Crimea, via Poland, Belarus and Russia
to retrieve their children. Parents and
Stymied Wagner Group set to shift focus from Ukraine to Africa
By Joe Barnes
THE Wagner Group is preparing to
refocus its efforts in Africa and away
from Ukraine amid a long-running dis-
pute with Moscow, it has been reported.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mer-
cenary group, has repeatedly accused
Russia’s defence ministry of stymying
his supply of ammunition and person-
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
World News
Ukraine, that the head teacher of
their school in Kherson had assured
him that his children would be safe
when he sent the pair off to a youth
camp in Crimea. “We waited for
six-and-a-half months – and now
they’re here,” he said.
Russia has defended what it calls
evacuating children to safety. But
those who returned to Ukraine have
spoken about the attempts to re-
educate them. At some camps, they
were forced to learn by heart and sing
the Russian national anthem and
taught that Ukraine was part of Russia.
Some parents who willingly sent
their children to youth camps in
Crimea or Russia were hesitant to
admit their plight, fearing that they
would be perceived as having pro-
Russia sympathies. One family from
children were seen hugging and the Kharkiv region said they had
agreed to send their daughter to a
the children were seeing their families summer camp in Krasnodar, in
for the first time in months.
One boy spoke of his mistreatment
during a television interview. He said he saw a bruise on
The teenager, who was not the back of a girl that had
identified, said children from Kherson
were punished for expressing pro- been caused by a stick used
Ukrainian views. by an officer to beat them
“We will take you to an orphanage,
you will sit there and understand
everything,” the boy said a security southern Russia, to keep her safe after
officer had told him and other a shell hit a nearby house.
SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
teenagers. To make matters worse, the
He also said he saw a bruise on the collaborating official who organised
back of a teenage girl that had been the trip fled with the documentation
caused by a stick used by the officer to and contact details of the camp in
beat them. question, making it difficult to track
The boy added that the camp’s her down. But in other cases, Russian
director had told him his parents had authorities had no such excuse.
given him up for adoption. Distraught, “All the mothers at the school signed
he called his mother, who called camp up. Probably, I could have said no, but
officials to tell them she had done no the teachers kept saying that all kids
such thing. However, administrators are going, it is for free, and she will
allegedly told her: “You’re not going to Denys Zaporozhchenko hugs his children, Nikita, Yana and Dayana after a charity brought them and others back to Ukraine come back in two weeks,” Tetiana
take them anyway. They will be Vlaiko, 36-year-old from Kherson
children of Russia.” allegations. Ms Lvova-Belova earlier children, aged four months to 17 repatriated on Wednesday, were told region told WhoWhatWhy, a not-for-
The repatriation was carried out less this week defended the “evacuation” of years. Some of their number have been they were going to summer camps in profit newsite, last month.
than a week after the International Ukrainian children and claiming that sent to orphanages, put into foster Russia and Crimea for a few weeks but Her daughter, Lilia, should have
Criminal Court issued an arrest no parents had demanded the return of care, or offered for adoption, became trapped when the battle lines returned on October 21 – when
warrant for Vladimir Putin and Maria their children. ostensibly after losing or becoming moved and their homes were liberated Kherson remained under Russian
Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children’s rights The Ukrainian government says separated from their parents during by Ukraine. control – but never arrived.
ombudsman, over the country’s more than 16,000 children have been the invasion. Denis, the father of a teenage girl Eventually, when the head teacher
suspected involvement in the unlawful deported to Russia from the occupied Ms Lvova-Belova last month said she and a young boy, told Ukraine’s Kanal 5 said that the children were not coming
deportation of children from Ukraine’s territories, while a study by Yale herself had adopted a 15-year-old boy television station, which was formerly back, she “was full of guilt”, she told
occupied territories. University in the US has identified 43 from Mariupol. owned by businessman Petro the site, and “should never have told
Putin has not commented on the facilities that are holding some 6,000 Others, including most of those Poroshenko, the fifth president of her she could go”.
nel. Western analysts believe Sergei prisons, during the assault. After failing taking Bakhmut at all costs, despite the Western officials have corroborated ing to serve in Africa, where Wagner
Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, is to capture Bakhmut, Mr Prigozhin is losses of men and equipment. Very reports that the group has been forced has contracts to protect mines and offer
trying to stifle Mr Prigozhin’s growing planning to shift focus back to Africa, soon we will take advantage of this to slow down after deliveries of artillery governments security services, were
political influence. Bloomberg news agency reported. opportunity, as we did near Kyiv, by Russia’s defence ministry were told they would be placed on reserve.
Wagner mercenaries have spear- The suggestion will likely prompt Kharkiv, Balakliya and Kupiansk,” Olek- halted and future prison recruitment In response to the press reports, Mr
headed Moscow’s eight-month attempt concerns in Moscow after a top Ukrain- sandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s drives blocked. Prigozhin denied Wagner was prepar-
to capture Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. ian general said Kyiv’s armed forces ground forces, said. A recruitment notice earlier this ing a withdrawal from Ukraine.
Mr Prigozhin’s private military has were ready to launch a counter-offen- Mr Prigozhin admitted earlier this week invited applicants to come for- “It seems that Bloomberg knows bet-
lost tens of thousands of men, mostly sive on Bakhmut. month that his Wagner forces would ward for a six-month stint in Ukraine or ter than we do what we are going to do,”
former convicts recruited from Russian “The attacker has not lost hope of have to “reset and cut down its size”. up to 14 months in Africa. Those want- he wrote on Telegram.
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023
Trudeau MP ‘delayed release of Canadians in China’
Politician resigns after
claims he told Beijing that
freeing two men earlier
would benefit opposition
By Josie Ensor US CorreSpondent
A MEMBER of Justin Trudeau’s ruling
Liberal Party party has resigned amid
allegations he urged Chinese officials to
delay the release of two imprisoned
Canadians for political reasons. Han
Skier ‘has no
proof’ crash
with Paltrow
caused injury
By Josie Ensor US CorreSpondent
THE skier suing Gwyneth Paltrow has
no medical proof his decline resulted
from a crash with the Hollywood
actress, a US court heard yesterday, as a
doctor testifying on his behalf con-
ceded she only examined him after the
accident.
Terry Sanderson, a retired optome-
trist, is suing the Oscar-winning actress
for $300,000 (£250,000) over the inci-
dent at the Deer Valley ski resort in
Utah in 2016, alleging she crashed into
him and caused severe and long-lasting
brain injuries.
Day three of the civil case began with
a video deposition from Dr Alina Fong,
a neuropsychologist, who said Mr
Sanderson, 76, had presented “a myr-
iad” of symptoms indicative of having
suffered a concussion nearly a year after
the accident. However, during cross-
examination, Paltrow’s attorney Ste-
phen Owens pointed out that Dr Fong
never actually examined Mr Sander-
son’s prior medical records.
Dr Fong said that she diagnosed Mr
Sanderson with “post-concussive symp-
toms” rather than other brain issues.
She said she relied on his self-reporting
that he was not acting the same follow-
ing the crash.
During his opening statement on
Tuesday, Mr Owens called Mr Sander-
son’s claims “utter BS” and alleged that
he suffered from brain issues before the
collision with Paltrow, 50. Her legal
team have said that Mr Sanderson’s
decline followed a normal course of
ageing. They have also accused him of
suing to exploit their client’s wealth.
Dong, who represents a district in
Toronto, allegedly told Beijing’s general
consul in early 2021 that their release of
the men should be delayed because
freeing them earlier would benefit the
opposition Conservative Party before
an election.
His resignation is the latest chapter in
a growing scandal for Mr Trudeau, the
prime minister, over allegations of Chi-
nese meddling in Canada’s elections.
China detained Michael Kovrig, a for-
mer diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a
businessman, in 2018 on espionage
There’s a zebra crossing Motorists in South Korea’s capital Seoul were bemused to see a zebra wandering through the city
yesterday. It had escaped its zoo enclosure and was seen on an actual zebra crossing before being recaptured by authorities.
charges – a move widely seen as retalia-
tion for the earlier arrest of Meng Wan-
zhou, a Huawei executive, in Vancouver
on an extradition request from the US.
Mr Meng, Mr Kovrig and Mr Spavor
were released and allowed to return to
their countries in September 2021.
Mr Dong admitted that he had met
the diplomat but disputed the way in
which of the conversation about the
men known as the “two Michaels” was
depicted .
Canada’s The Globe and Mail newspa-
per has claimed Chinese diplomats and
their proxies worked to defeat Conserv-
ative politicians considered more hos-
tile to Beijing during the 2021 election.
Shanghai-born Mr Dong, who moved
to Toronto aged 13, was named last
month as one of the MPs helped by an
election interference network that
intelligence agencies claim was run
from the Chinese Consulate in Toronto.
The case has heaped pressure on Mr
Trudeau, threatening to bring down his
fragile government as lawmakers say
that he is either not taking the allega-
tions seriously or is hiding something.
World news
Mr Trudeau’s Office said on Wednesday
it became aware of the controversy only
when questioned by the newspaper and
suggested Mr Dong was not acting on
behalf of the government and that he
was never used as a “back channel”.
Mr Trudeau has dismissed the claims
as racist and defended his caucus mem-
ber, saying that Canadians of Chinese
origin should be encouraged to get
involved in politics.
The prime minister has repeatedly
resisted calls for a public inquiry and
announced he would appoint an “emi-
*** 13
nent” Canadian as a special rapporteur
on the issue of election interference.
Mr Trudeau has said Beijing has
attempted to meddle in Canada’s elec-
tions, but he insists that two reports by
an intelligence task force set up to study
such foreign influence has concluded
the outcome of the 2019 and 2021 elec-
tions were not altered.
In a tearful address to the House of
Commons that received a standing ova-
tion on Wednesday, Mr Dong said he
was stepping down from the Liberal
Party and will sit as an independent.
Gandhi scion
jailed for claim
that ‘all thieves
are called Modi’
By Joe Wallen
SoUth ASiA CorreSpondent
RAHUL GANDHI, one of India’s leading
opposition politicians, has been sen-
tenced to two years in jail for defaming
the prime minister.
The sentence was handed down to
Gandhi, 52, by a court in Gujarat, the
home state of Narendra Modi, the coun-
try’s increasingly authoritarian leader,
and relates to a speech Gandhi made in
2019 when he alleged that all thieves
have the surname Modi.
Gandhi – son of the former prime
minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassi-
nated in 1991 – has been granted bail for
one month until the sentence starts.
The Congress Party, which he led from
2017 to 2019, has said it will challenge
the verdict.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the party presi-
dent, said: “The Modi government is a
victim of political bankruptcy. We will
appeal in the higher court.”
The party added that the case
brought against Gandhi came from
India’s “cowardly and dictatorial” ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) because he
was “exposing their dark deeds”.
The Congress Party is expected to
provide the biggest challenge to Mr
Modi’s BJP in next year’s Indian general
election, having surprisingly defeated
the BJP in November’s state election in
Himachal Pradesh.
Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gan-
dhi political dynasty, completed a 2,485-
mile “unity march” in January. The
five-month march is thought to have
galvanised public support for the Con-
gress Party across India.
14 ***
Sunak can still
bring the DUP
round to his
Protocol plans
arlene foster
M
uch of the analysis
around the
Democratic Unionist
Party’s (DUP) views on the
Windsor Framework is
misleading at best. While
the party did not vote for
Rishi Sunak’s motion on
Wednesday, it is simply
not true that it opposed his
plans outright. The debate
was after all on one element
of the Framework: the
Stormont brake.
In truth, the DUP has been
open to Mr Sunak’s
proposals. As Sir Jeffrey
Donaldson indicated when
the deal was first announced,
significant progress has been
made in certain areas. It was
therefore worthwhile for Mr
Sunak to seek to renegotiate
the Northern Ireland
Protocol and alleviate some
of the serious challenges
faced under its
implementation.
The DUP’s outstanding
complaints need not torpedo
the Framework. They are
about the need for
clarification in some key
areas. If these clarifications
are made, either in UK law or
through some other
domestic mechanism, then
there is still a pathway for
restoring Stormont.
One example of the need
for clarification is how the
Framework relates to the Act
of Union. The first of seven
DUP tests for Mr Sunak’s
deal is that it should fulfil
Article 6 of the Act, which
states that all parts of the
United Kingdom shall have
the same allowances,
encouragements and
draw-backs, and be under
the same prohibitions,
restrictions and regulations
of trade, and liable to the
same customs, duties,
imports and exports.
It is not yet clear to me
that No 10 is guaranteeing
these obligations. The
Framework’s legal position
claims to “respect” the Act
of Union by protecting the
economic rights of people
in Northern Ireland. Mr
Sunak’s view seems to be
that, by dealing with
practical issues, he is
working towards a de facto
harmonisation of trade
Comment
between GB and NI, and
therefore fulfilling Article 6
in a roundabout way. If this
is indeed his intention, it
might help if he sets it out
clearly and outlines
safeguards in law.
Mr Sunak would also have
to find a way to diminish the
practical issues caused by
the bearing of EU
regulations on Northern
Ireland’s manufacturers.
While it is good progress
that people in Northern
Ireland will, under the
Framework, be unimpeded
in buying sausages from
other parts of the UK, it
remains the case that
sausages made in Northern
Ireland, which is part of the
UK, have to be made to EU
standards because EU law
applies to all of our
manufactured goods. This
applies even if our sausages
are sold into the UK market,
as most of our products are.
Then there are the
concerns over the Stormont
brake. Analysis published
this week by the European
Research Group showed just
how convoluted the process
is, and how difficult it will be
to use in practice. Since the
EU has already conceded
that the brake must be built
on the principle of consent,
this is an issue that London
can address directly.
As a member of the DUP’s
panel of eight consulting on
the Windsor Framework, I
do not doubt that important
practical steps have been
taken, and that trade will be
easier with the Framework
than before. But now, to
restore devolution in
Northern Ireland, the Prime
Minister should know that it
is eminently possible to meet
the DUP’s remaining
concerns. This is not a
zero-sum game – we all care
about the Union.
Arlene Foster is a former first
minister of Northern Ireland
and a non-affiliated peer
follow Arlene Foster on
Twitter @ArleneFosterUK
read more at
telegraph.co.uk/opinion
To order prints or signed copies of any Telegraph cartoon, go to telegraph.co.uk/prints-cartoons or call 0191 603 0178  readerprints@telegraph.co.uk
I’m beginning to see how the Tories
might win the next general election
It’s a long shot, but Sunak’s
plan to stop the small boats
may be more successful
than anyone now thinks
fraser nelson
lson
E
di Rama, the prime minister of
Albania, is an unusually
important ally for Rishi Sunak.
Not so long ago, about 1 per cent of
Albanian men were in Britain
applying for asylum, accounting for
almost half of all small-boat arrivals.
Just before Christmas, a deal was
struck to have them flown back to
Tirana to be assessed there. Once the
planes started to take off, Albania’s
small-boat arrivals collapsed – almost
overnight. To Sunak, this was a
breakthrough moment: a sign of how
quickly things can change.
Rama was in London yesterday to
strengthen the alliance – the first,
Sunak hopes, of many. Boris Johnson
struck a deal with Paul Kagame of
Rwanda to deport asylum seekers, but
his failure to make legal preparations
meant his plan was halted by the
European Court of Human Rights.
The ECHR tends to pick its battles
and not contradict specific laws made
by member states, so Sunak is
changing the law. The hope in No 10
is that the first flight for Rwanda
takes off in summer – and that it will
change everything.
It’s a gamble, but the whole Sunak
premiership is a massive gamble. He
recognises that he has an eight-to-one
Putin’s shattered army will never recover
Russia’s absurd decision
to send ancient tanks to
the front line reeks of
desperation and delusion
hamish de
bretton-gordon
don
I
t was the 19th-century military
theorist Carl von Clausewitz who
described war as “the realm of
uncertainty”. In Ukraine, the fog of
war is thick, and growing ever thicker.
It’s impossible to gauge the true state
of the battles raging in the east of the
country. For some, Ukraine’s heroic
defence against the renewed Russian
offensive marks a victory of sorts. For
others, the high losses they are
sustaining are indicative of Russia’s
ability to remobilise and regroup.
But if the latest information coming
out of Russia is to be believed, Putin
and his generals are in a worse state
than many realise. In a bizarre twist,
the Russian army appears to be
morphing into the Red Army of
chance of winning next year’s
election, so needs to pull off the
seemingly impossible.
His pledge to “stop the small boats”
certainly fits that description. More
than 40,000 people arrived on them
last year and the rate shows no sign of
slowing. “He won’t just fail, he’ll be
humiliated,” says one former
leadership contender. “We’ll end up
with even more arriving.” But if he
succeeds, it could be a sword-from-
the-stone moment. It would underline
his main election claim: to be the man
who gets things done.
It’s hard to overstate public concern
over small boats. It has been a visible
sign of Britain losing control of the
borders, being outwitted by people-
smugglers and overwhelmed by sheer
numbers. Some 166,000 are being
(slowly) processed, of whom a third
are staying in 400 hotels at a cost of
£6 million per day. “My constituents
are open-minded,” says one Cabinet
member. “But when two local hotels
are booked up for a year by the Home
Office for asylum seekers, most of
them Albanian men, people start to
ask what’s going on.”
The Home Office has recently been
making decent progress in its
Rwandan deportation case, having
won in the High Court, and is now
delayed only by appeals. The plan is
to start the Rwanda deportations not
with new arrivals but the easiest
cases: rejected applicants whose
case failed at every stage. And the
ECHR? It is, at heart, a political court.
And one unlikely to resist once it
becomes clear that there is a
European consensus emerging on
mass deportation.
Norway has been doing this for a
while. Denmark reached its own deal
with Rwanda shortly after Britain did,
and even Germany has now started a
yesteryear, with trains spotted
carrying 1950s T-55 tanks to the front
line, hurriedly lifted out of storage.
It is the latest sign of a serious,
perhaps fatal, armour shortage among
Putin’s forces. As a former tank
commander, I cannot overstate the
insanity of sending such outdated
heavy weaponry to the front – the
Russians must be truly desperate.
Either that or they have lost the plot.
In the 21st century, these old tanks
are little more than steel coffins. A
modern rifle could pierce their
armour; a drone or modern Western
tank could do far worse. To a “tankie”
like me, it’s the equivalent of a First
World War biplane taking on a new
stealth fighter. If I was a Russian tank
commander – God forbid – and my
commanding officer told me to fight in
one of these museum pieces, I would
stand to attention, turn to the right,
salute, and march home.
The problem is that the Russian
generals still believe their own
propaganda. They believe in the myth
of the indestructible Soviet tank rolling
across Europe. Before the invasion,
Russia’s minister of defence, Sergei
Shoigu, invested heavily in a fleet of
modern tanks when he reformed the
armed forces. Their effectiveness was
impeded by corruption, however, and
“repatriation offensive” with a
minister assigned to overseeing it.
The whole legal architecture of
asylum law, governed by the 1951
Refugee Convention, is creaking. It
was, once, feasible for countries to
accommodate anyone who arrived
with a “well-founded fear of
persecution”. Harder when
120 million are on the move and
far more can now afford the £5,000
to £15,000 typically charged by
people-smugglers.
And this – the sheer amount of
money – is the real game-changer.
The United Nations reckons the
human-trafficking industry is worth
$7 billion, all scraped together by
those fleeing either persecution or
poverty. All desperate enough to risk
death by going to criminal gangs if
there are no legal routes – as is, all too
often, the case with Britain.
So Sunak’s opponent is not really
refugees: Britain helps thousands at
home and far more abroad. The
opponent is a well-resourced criminal
network exploiting every weakness in
the UK system.
And this is what makes Sunak
confident: if they’re a business, he
says, then he’ll break the business
model – as he did with Albanian
arrivals. As things stand, non-
Albanians arriving illegally in Britain
face no realistic risk of deportation.
But if that changes – and the world
can see planes taking off for Rwanda
– it’s no longer worth the huge cost
of transit.
The demand dries up, as it did for
the old lorry-stowaway-passage
model after the introduction of proper
scanners. The hope in No 10 is that
this would happen quickly: perhaps
even by the end of this year.
But there’s one major missing
element to the Sunak strategy. If he’s
then they were largely destroyed in the
initial invasion last year. Once they
were gone, they were gone for good
and impossible to replace. I said at the
time it was hard to see how the
Russians could ever truly recover; so it
has proved. And far from giving the
Russians any chance of victory, these
relics will only hasten their defeat.
Critics of my view will argue that
it’s quantity not quality that matters;
that even these relics in large numbers
are a daunting prospect on the
battlefield. Nonsense. One need only
study the Battle of Kursk in 1943 – the
largest tank battle in history – to see
the folly of sending large numbers of
old tanks against superior models and
advanced anti-tank weaponry. The
Russians lost many hundreds of T-34s
in that hideous battle, yet 80 years
later they want to use outdated tanks
against even more modern technology.
It’s lunacy.
When Britain’s Challenger 2s arrive
in Ukraine, they will pick off T-55s as
though in a fairground shooting
gallery. And even if these Soviet tanks
managed to hit a Challenger 2, it’s
likely the crew wouldn’t even notice. A
British tank round would probably go
through two or three of them before it
ran out of energy. It now makes
complete sense why the Russians are
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
going to close off illegal routes then
he needs to improve the legal ones. He
follow Fraser could pledge to settle one, even two,
Nelson on Twitter genuine asylum seekers in the UK for
@FraserNelson every Rwandan deportation.
read more at The parents of Nadhim Zahawi
telegraph.co.uk/ and Priti Patel both fled persecution,
opinion arriving here from Iraq and Uganda
respectively. How would they have
done so if they had to leave now?
This needs to be about how, not
whether, Britain discharges its
duty to the world’s persecuted and
displaced.
So Sunak ought to frame the
debate in those terms: that he’s not
just dealing with small boats but
creating a new asylum framework.
He ought not to be afraid to boast
about how many refugees are already
helped abroad by UK foreign aid –
and how the cost of helping one
person at home can help 30 overseas.
This is about stamping out
criminality, not asylum.
When Sunak took over, some
polls put the Tories 30 percentage
points behind Labour. Now it’s closer
to 15 points. The Northern Ireland
agreement, the San Diego deal with
Joe Biden over Aukus, the unexpected
SNP implosion – all have given the
Prime Minister a decent run of luck. If
The hope in it keeps going, it’s not impossible to
envisage Labour’s lead narrowing to
No 10 is that single digits. After which, a fifth Tory
the first term starts to look feasible.
Earlier this month, Sunak spoke
flight for from a podium in No 10 with “stop
Rwanda the boats” written on top. The day
before, some 197 asylum seekers had
takes off in disembarked from such boats. It’s
summer not too much of an exaggeration to
say that his entire re-election hopes
– and that it now hang on this very long shot.
Will he pull it off? It’s still unlikely.
will change But for the first time, I can see how
everything it’s possible.
trying to frame the rounds we are
donating as biohazards (made as they
follow Hamish are with harmless depleted uranium).
de Bretton-Gordon They know they will decimate their
on Twitter “new” tank battalions, which will not
@HamishDBG be able to land a punch back.
read more at At this vital moment, as certain
telegraph.co.uk/ Western countries equivocate about
opinion their continued support of Ukraine, it
is important we don’t buy into Putin’s
propaganda that Russia is remobilising
so many men, munitions and materiel
that it will be ultimately unstoppable.
It is simply not true. The core of the
Russian army is broken and
unrecoverable. Its advanced tanks are
wrecks and its men exhausted, unable
to advance more than a few miles a
week in this new push.
In short: it will take years for Russia
to rebuild – time it does not have as the
new wave of Western weapons begins
to arrive. If tanks designed many many
decades ago are what Russia is
resorting to, we should station guards
at the Tank Museum in Dorset in case
the Russians try to steal them. They
would be better use than the ones
Putin is now bringing out of storage
to relieve his beleaguered forces.
Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a
former commander of the 1st Royal
Tank Regiment
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023
ESTABLISHED 1855
Brexit now needs a
new cheerleader
T
he narrative is by now tediously familiar.
Remainers unreconciled to leaving the EU
increasingly think that the public has turned
against Brexit. Any piece of bad news is
immediately blamed on a decision they still believe
was driven by ignorance and lies. Many are biding
their time, hoping that a Labour government will
present an opportunity to return to the EU’s orbit.
By targeting Boris Johnson, they intend that – as
his political star fades – Brexit will also look to be,
to all intents and purposes, over.
Clearly, much of the heat has now come out of
the debate, with this week’s rebellion on the
Windsor Framework smaller than many had
expected. But the forces that drove the
extraordinary referendum vote back in 2016 have
not been quelled. Millions still live in frustration
at an establishment incapable of reflecting their
values. Despite the lassitude of ministers and
regulators, the British economy is gradually
beginning to diverge from the EU. Anger at out-of-
control immigration reflects a basic consensus that
the UK should have control of its own borders.
The problem is that Brexit no longer has a
standard bearer, a politician able to champion the
opportunities of life outside the EU and take on
the miserablism of Rejoiners who still think Britain
is incapable of governing itself.
Mr Johnson once held that role, but even when
he was prime minister his government did little
to fully embrace Brexit, preferring instead to
transform Britain into a European-style social
democracy. Perhaps he will again return to the
fight – inside Parliament, or out. But this week he
was not able to marshal more than a small number
of MPs in opposition to Rishi Sunak’s deal.
Could, then, Mr Sunak be that cheerleader? Only
a year after he entered Parliament, he took a big
risk to come out in favour of Brexit, but has since
made little of that advantage. In part, this reflects
his general struggle to elucidate a clear political
vision. But the Prime Minister has also developed
a tendency towards caution, perhaps ill-suited to
championing a project that by necessity is to some
degree a leap of faith.
But if Mr Sunak is unwilling to take on that role,
someone else certainly will be. Brexit was never
just a problem to solve, or a process to follow. It is
a generational project to remake Britain, bring
government closer to the people, and end a
debilitating culture of national decline. Let us
hope the revolution is only just getting started.
Labour wealth taxes
S
ir Keir Starmer has performed the wrong
U-turn. The Labour leader vowed to change
the law if necessary, after The Daily Telegraph
revealed he is the beneficiary of a unique deal from
his time as Director of Public Prosecutions that
may allow him to enjoy a pension that breaches the
lifetime allowance without incurring a tax charge.
But the problem is not Sir Keir’s arrangements. It is
him enjoying them while opposing the scrapping
of the lifetime allowance for the rest of us, a move
that has thrown thousands of people’s retirement
planning into chaos.
It may be only the beginning of Labour’s war
on wealth. Yesterday, Sir Keir refused to answer
questions on whether the party would tax wealth
at the same rate as income. The issue arose after
the Prime Minister released details of his tax
affairs. Capital gains are typically taxed at a lower
rate than income, and that is reflected in how
much tax Rishi Sunak pays. But this is perfectly
rational: capital gains tax is peculiarly destructive.
Raising the rate could slash revenues, as people
stop buying or selling assets altogether.
What else could be in Labour’s firing line? It has
made no secret of its desire to increase public
spending, but the state may be approaching the
upper bound of what it can bring in through
existing taxation. The temptation will be to go after
assets – property, investments, even Isas – and this
will inevitably be justified on the basis that it will
target the rich. But there is a limit to how far the
very wealthy can be squeezed before they flee for
less capricious jurisdictions. If the Labour Party
does indeed go down the dangerous route of
wealth taxes, the middle classes are vanishingly
unlikely to escape.
Missing voices
W
e’ll miss the Rev Richard Coles on Radio
4’s Saturday Live. He is an engaging,
intelligent and slightly unpredictable
broadcaster, who has made the role his own for
12 years. He lives in Sussex, but the BBC has moved
the studio to Cardiff to meet box-ticking regional
production quotas. This won’t help the Welsh, who
will hear it no louder. The programme’s quality
will, however, be compromised; fewer guests with
tales to tell happen to live in Cardiff. It seems like
another case of the BBC sacrificing its core task –
good broadcasting – for unreal bolt-on targets. The
shedding of Richard Coles thus resembles the
slaughter of the BBC Singers, who reliably excel at
what they do. High-quality stability is ditched in
favour of unstable agility: pop-up street food, as it
were, in place of the fine old village hostelry.
Boris Johnson still lives in a world where rules are for other people
sir – At Wednesday’s privileges
committee hearing (report, March 23),
Boris Johnson was asked about the
concerns raised by his former director
of communications over the infamous
Downing Street garden party.
He admitted it might be thought that
“we were doing something other
people weren’t allowed to do … I can
see why people might have felt that
way.” It is hard to imagine why anyone
wouldn’t – though it appears our
former prime minister managed it.
Tom Stubbs
Surbiton, Surrey
sir – Everyone seems to have missed
the most interesting thing that
emerged from the privileges
committee hearing, and it came right
at the beginning.
In a comment about lockdowns, Mr
Johnson stated that “whatever people
may say about them now, [they] were
essential for public health”.
This was the policy that arguably
caused more damage to public health
– not to mention our economy – than
We accept letters
by post, fax and Dumbed-down NHS
email only. Please
include name, sir – It is staggering that Richard
address, work and Meddings, chairman of NHS England,
home telephone thinks that one of the reasons we don’t
numbers. have enough doctors is that they are
overskilled, and we can afford to cut
111 Buckingham back their training and use more
Palace Road, “assistants” (report, March 22).
London Some years ago I examined a young
SW1W 0DT child with a mild respiratory infection.
I was able to pick up an interesting
fax heart murmur. The child had a
020 7931 2878 previously undiagnosed congenital
heart defect and needed surgery. I
email don’t believe anyone except a properly
dtletters@ trained and fairly experienced doctor
telegraph.co.uk would have made that discovery.
I would like to ask Mr Meddings
follow whether, if this child had been his,
Telegraph Letters he would have preferred they were
on Twitter seen by an “overskilled” doctor or
@LettersDesk someone barely trained to know
what it was all about.
Where is the great overseas model
that shows that this dumbing down
works? Surely, when we go to the
doctor, we want the best possible
advice. The fact is that, certainly in
general practice, the profession has
allowed itself to be badly damaged,
but that is no reason to adopt a
second-class system with second-
class practitioners.
Simon Harper
Truro, Cornwall
Unrecognisable rugby
sir – From the age of 13 until I retired,
sane and in one piece, at 30, rugby was
my life. I would go anywhere at any
time for a game: Saturday for my club,
which still plays in the Premiership;
Sunday for the Commercial Casuals,
a pub team in Brixton. Tuesdays and
Thursdays were for club training, and
on Wednesdays I’d turn out for either
the Public School Wanderers or the
Firkins. There were Easter and
summer tours. There was also rugby
netball on Clapham Common.
None of my playing friends from
that time suffered head injuries
(Letters, March 22). This is a scourge
of modern rugby, and was unknown
until the professional game began.
Players are now too big and fast.
What did centres like Jeremy Guscott
weigh? Between 12 and 14 stone. Today
centres weigh 17 or 18 stone. The whole
team’s weight has gone up by four to
five stone per man.
I can’t watch modern rugby. To me,
it’s not rugby – it’s a mixture of sumo
wrestling, the storming of the Bastille,
and kick tennis. Only the women’s
teams play real rugby.
Unless the powers-that-be address
this issue, rugby will fade away
John Armstrong
Peacehaven, East Sussex
Long Lockdown has left Britain infantilised
The UK cannot recover if
millions continue to feel
they have no agency over
the course of their lives
david frost
st
I
t’s three years since Boris Johnson
told us “you must stay at home”. The
two years that followed saw the
most draconian constraints ever
imposed on human behaviour in a free
society. Their consequences are still
with us.
I find this a hard column to write. I
resigned from the Cabinet because I
could not support a prospective fourth
lockdown, so even now I am often
asked what I think. Yet when I start a
discussion, I find that the points I want
to make somehow jar, land badly, are
not engaged with. It’s not that people
disagree. It’s that they don’t want to
have to think about it.
I think there is a reason for that. It
seemed to me that the lockdowns
released something malign into our
societies, some malfunction in the
normal way we do things, which even
now we instinctively shy away from.
Of course Brexit had been hugely
divisive, but it was still normal politics.
Lockdown was different. The
any other in history. Yet despite all the
evidence, Mr Johnson arrogantly
maintains that lockdowns were
necessary. That, more than anything,
makes him unfit for any future office.
Tim Coles
Carlton, Bedfordshire
sir – The “trial” of Boris Johnson is
absurd and should be terminated.
No 10 had to work through a crisis
and we should be grateful that it did so.
It was inevitable that there would be
achievements to recognise, as well as
retirements and other circumstances
that would warrant gatherings.
By working together at that time,
these people were taking risks and
they deserve credit. A far greater
offence, in my view, was committed
by the civil servants who disappeared
when the chance arose and are yet to
return to their desks.
Mick Ferrie
Mawnan Smith, Cornwall
sir – Alcohol should not be consumed
in the workplace. End of story. It
Aphids? A Corner of the Rose Garden at Bagatelle (1912) by Henri Adolphe Laissement
Gardens should grow in harmony with nature
SIR – Like Mandy Gaved (Letters,
March 23), I was disappointed by
Bunny Guinness’s article on “garden
pests” (Weekend, March 18).
Why do we feel entitled to kill
anything that is slightly annoying,
such as the grey squirrel, which we
introduced to this country in the
first place?
As for putting bait down, where
do the mice and rats go after eating
poison? Often somewhere another
creature – such as a cat, fox or owl
– can find and consume them, causing
more suffering. No wonder we have
lost so much of our natural world.
Nikki Willey
Chorleywood, Hertfordshire
Is there anyone in charge at the probate office?
sir – Nearly 14 months after the death
of my disabled adult son in January
2022, and following the diligent efforts
of the solicitors appointed to deal with
his uncomplicated estate (including
issuing a formal complaint regarding
the interminable delays at the probate
registry), probate was finally granted
on February 3 this year.
However, a spelling mistake
by the registry meant that the
documents have had to be sent back
determination to forbid most forms of
normal human contact, the detailed
provisions regulating every aspect of
human existence – they were all totally
unprecedented. We had no experience
in dealing with them. Individuals and
families were thrown back on their
own resources and each of us had to
find a way to manage the situation.
Some – and these are the saddest
stories we are now hearing – simply
cracked under the strain. Others, for
whatever reason, perhaps fuelled by
the authorities’ deliberate promotion
of fear, became cheerleaders for
lockdown, fanatical mask-wearers,
Warden Hodges-style guardians of
the regulations.
Others went in the opposite
direction, seething in frustration at the
rules, critical of those who went along
with them, mistrustful of everything
that was said by the authorities. The
lack of normal interaction between
people deprived us all of corrective
mechanisms: there was no one to say
“are you sure about that?” or just
“don’t be so silly”. We probably all
noticed minor disagreements getting
out of hand in public – and, if we are
honest, we probably all remember
difficulty at times in managing our
own emotions.
I spell this out because it seems to
me that society is trying to forget.
Those years of the rule of six, tiers 1-4,
mask-wearing, shuffling into shops,
abandoning the office, the BLM riots,
the statue-toppling, the irrational
policing, all have taken on a curiously
unreal quality. We hardly talk about it
Letters to the Editor
beggars belief that anyone in
Downing Street thought this to be
appropriate. Indeed, in most
workplaces it results in disciplinary
action or even instant dismissal.
Gail Young
Dundee
sir – The rapid decline of Mr Johnson’s
political career is unprecedented. The
tragedy is that he generated so much
support among the electorate, then
squandered it very quickly.
It is now obvious that the big
problems were handled badly. Brexit
continues to cause divisions, and
Covid policy was shambolic. Future
politicians will find it difficult to regain
public confidence.
John Catchpole
Beverley, East Yorkshire
sir – I note that Boris Johnson had a
haircut before facing the privileges
committee.
So appearance matters now?
Dr Jeff Slater
Kelso, Roxburghshire
BRIDGEMAN IMAGES
SIR – When squashing a garden pest
under foot, a dear late friend and
animal lover would utter the words:
“They are all God’s creatures, but
some are nicer than others.”
Barbara Smith
Stafford
SIR – Louise Meadows (Letters,
March 21) says we ought to be
sanguine and accept that some of
our favourite plants will be eaten by
pests. But how would she react if
they were all regularly eaten (as in
our case) by local free-roaming deer?
Would she simply give up?
Frank Rooney
Stocksfield, Northumberland
for amendment. Unsurprisingly,
these papers have still not been
returned, but our solicitors have
been told that they are not allowed
to call the registry anymore, since
the system has been centralised.
To whom, exactly, is this
labyrinthine, closed, secretive,
opaque and unhelpful registry
answerable?
Alison Morison
Stonegate, East Sussex
with each other. The whole
insubstantial pageant has faded. It is
almost as if, collectively, we can’t bear
it, so we have agreed to pretend it
never happened and to move on,
leaving the grief, the trauma, the
disruption to life plans to be dealt with
privately.
But it left its scars all the same.
Political Long Covid is real. One of its
symptoms is infantilisation. It began
during the pandemic, when the
pro-lockdowners argued that the
Government knew best and we should
just accept that. Now it’s over, I see
rather too many lockdown critics
claiming in a different way that we
can’t cope: that children are
irreversibly damaged, that the
educational, social and psychological
effects will inevitably go on for
decades, and that we will never be able
to manage the economic costs.
I’m doubtful. Of course the costs
exist and probably outweigh any
benefits of lockdown. But our societies
have suffered many other traumas in
the past – when they were poorer, too.
People do recover from trauma and
rebuild – on one condition. It’s that
they believe they have agency, a
project to which they are committed,
the power to control their own lives.
That’s why it is so worrying that we
have become such a collectivist
society, one where people are almost
taught that they can’t solve their
problems without outside help.
Self-evidently the pandemic has
reinforced this. If every aspect of our
lives is regulated by government then
*** 15
Brexit and sovereignty
sir – Wednesday’s vote in Parliament
on the Windsor Framework was not
about rebellion or the European
Research Group, but the principles of
sovereignty and democracy (“Big
beasts do not strike fear into the back
benches as they once did”, Analysis,
March 23).
Disraeli wrote in his novel
Coningsby: “There was indeed a
considerable shouting about what they
called Conservative principles; but the
awkward question naturally arose,
what will you conserve?”
Brexit answered this question, and
the answer was endorsed by the
massive Conservative majority in the
2019 general election. The Northern
Ireland question remains unfinished
business, and the Protocol Bill, passed
unamended by 74 votes in the
Commons, solved the problems, within
the guaranteed sovereignty of Section
38 of the European Union (Withdrawal
Agreement) Act 2020.
Northern Ireland remains
subjugated to the EU. Since Brexit,
more than 650 EU laws have been
passed for Northern Ireland by the
European Council of Ministers behind
closed doors by majority vote without
even a transcript.
This deal does not reflect a real
Union. There is no such thing as
Northern Ireland sovereignty, only
constitutional Westminster
sovereignty – so why should two
million Northern Ireland citizens
be treated differently from the rest
of the United Kingdom?
The abstentions demonstrate a
wider concern in the Conservative
parliamentary party, which goes
to the heart of our sovereignty and
democracy.
Sir Bill Cash MP (Con)
London SW1
Bank errors
sir – Philip Pilkington (“Threadneedle
Street’s mad gamble on taming
inflation has not paid off ”, Comment,
March 23) omits a critical component
in the Bank of England’s failure.
Pension funds were allowed to use
their gilt holdings as collateral for
leveraged strategies aimed at creating
some kind of return that was
unavailable on the gilts themselves.
Many built up their gearing to between
three and eight times net asset value
– insanely high levels. And yet their
regulators at the Prudential Regulation
Authority and the Bank not only failed
to detect this risk, but – at least in the
case of the Bank’s own pension fund –
actually joined the party.
Add to the mix that sterling and
gilts were already sagging at Governor
Andrew Bailey’s announcement in July
2022 that the Bank would be selling
£80 billion of gilts over a year, and
what would normally have been a
weakening in government bond prices
at Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget
turned into a rout and the near collapse
of the UK financial system. Other
central bankers have learnt the lesson
and, unlike Andrew Bailey, are not
leaping recklessly over the
quantitative-tightening cliff.
The risk in pension funds not
having been identified, Liz Truss could
not be warned about it. The rest is
history – and doubtless a large slice of
our future.
Giles Rowe
London SW12
Talking shop
sir – I would much rather have
products that tell me they were made
with “excitement” or “love” (Letters,
March 23) than those with
anthropomorphic messages saying
“Keep me in the fridge”, “Careful, I’m
hot!” or “Don’t turn me upside down”.
Stephen Knight
Barnet, Hertfordshire
it inevitably leaves a mark. If we are
being honest with ourselves, I think
we all have moments where a voice at
the back of our mind asks “is that
really allowed?” or “why does the
Government let people take that risk?”
We need to remind ourselves
that, historically, this is extremely
unusual. For most of history, people
have had to get on with their own
lives without help. Even in the early
years of the welfare state, government
assistance was supposed to be a safety
net. The active state wasn’t meant to
be there to watch over you through
the normal vicissitudes of existence,
help you formulate your own life
goals, or shield you from the
consequences of every failure and
every poor judgment.
That’s why the most counter-
cultural political idea around
nowadays is that politics should get
out of large parts of our lives, and why
the biggest political task we now face
is to make that happen. Unless we can
do this, I fear that the malign forces of
lockdown will remain with us and
continue to poison our society.
The first step in facing this is to look
back on the lockdown era as we should
– as a moment of governmental
overreach and collective hysteria, a
monumental public policy error, and
one that should never happen again.
follow David Frost on Twitter
@DavidGHFrost; read more
at telegraph.co.uk/opinion
16 *** Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph

Puzzles, Mind Games & Telegraph Toughie

 Business
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023 ** 17

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‡ Arnault accused
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Bank warns
of further
pain after
rate increase
Bailey insists policymakers
require more proof of
inflation falling to pause
current cycle of increases
By Eir Nolsøe
ANDREW BAILEY has signalled further
pain is on the way for households as the
Bank of England raised interest rates by
a quarter of a percentage point.
Policymakers at the Bank of England
increased rates to 4.25pc yesterday, a
near 15-year high and the eleventh time
rates have been raised in 15 months.
It comes after official data showed that
inflation grew unexpectedly last month.
The Governor said policymakers need
to see more proof of inflation falling to
pause the fastest cycle of rate rises in
three decades. He added: “There are
signs of calming down and of course
that’s encouraging … but we need to see
this translated now into the big fall in
inflation we expect.”
In a later interview with broadcasters,
Mr Bailey said that interest rates may not
yet have peaked.
The decision by the Bank’s Monetary
Policy Committee (MPC) follows a sur-
prise increase in the Consumer Price
prompt rate-setters to hold back on fur-
ther increases, the Bank said it was con-
fident lenders could handle rising
borrowing costs. “The UK banking sys-
tem maintains robust capital and strong
liquidity positions, and is well placed to
continue supporting the economy in a
wide range of economic scenarios,
including in a period of higher interest
rates,” the Bank said.
It comes after the Federal Reserve in
the US lifted its target range by 0.25
points to 4.75 to 5pc on Wednesday. The
European Central Bank opted for another
outsized hike of 0.5 basis points last week
and vowed to keep up its fight against
inflation despite the recent turmoil.
The Bank said it was monitoring signs
of lenders tightening the purse strings in
response to fears over global banking.
Among the nine members of the MPC,
two strayed from the consensus. Doves
Swati Dhingra and Silvana Tenreyro
voted for rates to remain at 4pc, saying
the full impact of previous rate rises was
still filtering through and warned that
over-tightening would speed up so recent
increases would need to be reversed.
The Bank of England has raised rates
by 4.15 percentage points since Decem-
ber 2021 in its fastest rate-hiking cycle in
three decades. It judged that measures
announced by the Treasury in Jeremy
MANUEL BALCE CENETA/AP

Index 10.4pc in February from 10.1pc the
previous month. It defied predictions of
a fall to 9.9pc. The Retail Prices Index, of
which a quarter of the Government’s
debt is linked to, rose by 13.8pc, an
increase from 13.4pc in January.
Traders are now pricing in a two-in-
three chance of another 0.25-point rate
rise at the MPC’s next meeting in May.
Even analysts who believe the Bank’s
job is done acknowledged there is
greater uncertainty after the 0.25-point
rise. Sanjay Raja of Deutsche Bank, said:
“The bar for another hike is lower than
we previously thought.”
Mr Bailey said he still expected price
rises to slow down “sharply” in early
summer, but “we haven’t seen that yet”.
The extension of the Government’s
energy price guarantee and falling gas
prices would help to bring inflation
down, the MPC said. Threadneedle
Street also acknowledged there had
been “large and volatile moves in the
global financial markets” after the col-
lapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and
the rescue of Credit Suisse in Europe.
While many commentators had ques-
tioned whether the turmoil would
Hunt’s recent Budget would add 0.3pc to
GDP in the coming years. It expects eco-
nomic growth to stagnate at the turn of
the year but believes it will increase
slightly in the coming three months.
The rate increase means more than
1.4m homeowners face yet another
increase in their mortgage bills. The platform’s Shou Zi Chew speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington before a heated hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday
February’s inflation figure was driven
by food prices rising at the fastest pace in
more than 45 years. New figures from
the Office for National Statistics suggest
they have further to go, with 46pc of
TikTok data accessed in China, chief admits
food and accommodation businesses
expecting to raise prices in April. This far By James Titcomb confrontational session, the TikTok Mr Chew, who is based in Singapore, move data to IT giant Oracle. The com-
outstripped any other sector. chief failed to win over members of told members of Congress that he had pany has not made equivalent promises
It comes amid warnings from the Fed- TIKTOK’S chief executive has admitted Congress, who are considering whether not spoken to a Chinese government about UK and European users’ data.
eration of Small Businesses that 370,000 that users’ data can be accessed by its to give Joe Biden powers to ban the app. official since taking charge two years Washington has told TikTok that it
small firms are at risk when the Govern- Chinese parent company as it battles a Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Repub- ago, and that he had “no evidence” that will ban it in the US if it is not spun off
ment scales down energy support for potential ban in the United States. lican chairman, said: “Your platform TikTok users’ data had been accessed from its Chinese shareholders.
firms next week. Meanwhile, even as the In a bruising US Congress hearing, should be banned. TikTok is a weapon by the Chinese government. China threatened to block a forced
economic outlook has brightened con- Shou Zi Chew told the House Energy by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] When asked if ByteDance, TikTok’s sale of the app, saying it would “firmly
sumer confidence remains firmly in the and Commerce Committee that staff in to spy on you, manipulate what you see parent company, has been able to spy oppose” the Biden administration’s plan
doldrums. It only edged up slightly by 2 China currently have the ability to see and exploit future generations.” on staff, he said: “I don’t think that spy- to take the viral video app out of Chi-
points in March to -36, still far below the TikTok users’ information. Neal Dunn said: “We don’t find ing is the right way to describe it.” nese hands. The commerce ministry
pre-war level of -19. He said: “We rely on global interoper- you credible on these things,” prompt- Mr Chew said ByteDance employees said such a move would hit interna-
ability, and we have employe es ing Mr Chew to complain: “You have in China will not have access to US tional investors’ confidence in the US.
Analysis: Page 18 in China, so yes, the Chinese engineers given me no time to answer these ques- users’ data by the end of the year, when “If the news is true, China will firmly
Ben Marlow: Page 21 do have access to global data.” In a tions; I reject these characterisations.” it will complete a $1.5bn (£1.2bn) plan to oppose it,” a spokesman said.

Fortnum & Mason no longer for super-rich as it tries to woo young

By Daniel Woolfson
FORTNUM & Mason is attempting to
shed its image as a grocer to the super-
rich and attract a wider audience with a
revamp of its flagship store.
T h e 3 16 -ye a r- ol d re t a i l e r h a s
reopened the third floor of its shop on
Piccadilly in London’s West End as a
“creative hub” focused on food and
drink. The floor previously housed a
menswear department which was closed
during the pandemic.
Tom Athron, chief executive at Fort-
num & Mason, said: “The whole strategy
around Fortnum has been, for a while
now, to become more relevant to more
people more often. It’s less about a sort of
gross exclusivity or the mystique of for-
midableness … but much more about
being warm and welcoming and inclu-
sive and all of those things.”
Despite Fortnum & Mason’s reputation
as a destination for rich tourists, he said
the revamp was aimed more at domestic
shoppers. He said: “I love our overseas
customers. They are an incredibly impor-
tant part of what we do. But if I was to
design propositions that would just
appeal to tourists, I think that it would be
less attractive to our domestic customer
base. Whereas if I focus on becoming
more relevant to our domestic custom-
ers, the tourists will come anyway.”
In what Fortnum & Mason claimed
was its biggest investment in the
store in a decade, the renovated
third floor will host cooking demonstra-
tions by international and in-house
chefs as well as a gin distillery, which
will offer a low-alcohol version as well as
full-strength.
The revamp will also include a hamper
personalisation service and a “Cook
Shop” which will sell kitchenware, cook
‘Younger customers
wanted to know where the
carrots were grown and
their impact on the soil’
books and ingredients such as oils, spices
and seasonings.
Mr Athron added: “Not only did Covid
give us the sort of time and space to really
think about what we might want to do
with the space, but it’s allowed us to
think about what direction we want to
take Fortnums in more broadly.” He said
inspiration for the refurbishment came
after the retailer began hosting supper
clubs for customers. Mr Athron
explained: “I just noticed that there was a
different bunch of people coming to the
supper clubs.
“They were younger, they were much
more interested in food … provenance,
and sourcing, they wanted to understand
where the carrots were grown, whether
or not a fish was line caught, and the
impact that vegetable growing was
having on the soil.
“Those supper clubs then made
us think, well maybe we could take
the ethos that that’s given us and
make it real.”
Fortnum & Mason was founded in 1707
by Hugh Mason and William Fortnum, a
footman to Queen Anne, to sell discarded
candles from St James Palace. Over the
centuries it has maintained a long-run-
ning relationship with the Royal family,
and holds two royal warrants, for the late
Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles.
It is owned by the billionaire Weston
family through its holding company Wit-
tington Investments, which also owns a
majority stake in Primark’s parent com-
pany, Associated British Foods.

Ford to lose $3bn in electric gear shift

FORD expects its electric car
business to lose $3bn
(£2.4bn) this year as it raises
spending on new models and
factories to build them.
Its electric vehicle (EV)
business, known as Model e,
reported a $900m loss in
2021 which rose to $2.1bn in
2022 as it accelerated pro-
duction of models such as the
Mustang Mach-E.
The unit has posted a
cumulative three-year loss
of $6bn from 2021 to 2023.
Carmakers are under grow-
ing pressure to produce elec-
tric models of their vehicles
as part of a global push
towards net zero emissions.
Market leader Tesla has
driven prices down to corner
the market, particularly in
China where it hopes to see
off the likes of domestic pro-
ducer Geely.
Other carmakers are try-
ing to bring down prices as
demand for the raw materials
to make them drives up costs.
Carlos Tavares, chief execu-
tive of Vauxhall-owner Stel-
lanti s, warne d that the
middle classes cannot afford
electric cars. Motorists are
losing interest as the cost of
power surges and petrol and
diesel prices continue to fall,
the AA has suggested.
Ford said that plans to
build four new EV battery
factories and a new vehicle
assembly plant, as well as
spending heavily on raw
materials, will cost it billions.
18 *** Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph

Business

How the Bank

caused more
mortgage
market chaos
wholesale funding than deposits,
Cumulative effect of 11 rate which means they are a little more
exposed to interest rate rises than
rises is only just starting, mainstream lenders, says Andrew
report Melissa Lawford Wishart, senior economist at Capital
and Rachel Mortimer Economics. But there is little sign of
weakness here yet.

J
ust hours after the Bank of England
announced a 0.25 percentage point
increase in the base rate,
Nationwide Building Society said it
will cut some of its fixed-rate deals by
up to 0.45 percentage points.
As of today, the lender will offer a
five-year fixed rate at 3.94pc – the
lowest on the market – for borrowers
remortgaging with a 40pc deposit.
This is because lenders price
fixed-rate deals based on expectations
of future borrowing costs: it is now
feasible that yesterday’s interest rate
rise may have been the Bank’s last. The
UK is certainly close to a peak in rates.
Recent turmoil in financial markets
has also triggered a drop in swap rates,
another gauge for future borrowing
costs. On the surface, this looks like
good news for the housing market. But
its woes are only just beginning.
“A lot of people will be thinking, ‘Oh,
that’s it, the risks are kind of gone.’ But
actually this is almost the most
dangerous part of the process,” says
Neal Hudson, of BuiltPlace analysts.
“Housing downturns start slowly,
and then speed up. The difficulty now
is that we are kind of moving into the
second stage of all of this, beyond the
point where it’s just about interest
rates. Now we are in the difficult bit,
where things start to go wrong.”
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank
was the first signal of the slow, heavy
toll of central bank rate rises. The
cumulative effect of the Bank of
England’s 11 consecutive rate rises are
only just working their way through.
“We’re starting to find out where the
fragility is in the domestic and global
economy, but knowing exactly where
these things are can be tricky. The
danger is on the fringes of the financial
system relating to the housing market.
There are loads and loads of pockets of
risk,” adds Hudson.
The UK’s buy-to-let sector is number
one. Buy-to-let lenders use more
“They are passing through rate
increases on loans secured against
assets that have only dropped in price
by 3pc or 4pc following an increase of
about 20pc over the past two years.”
Instead, it is landlords themselves
who pose a threat to their lenders. “If
there is going to be an issue with
mortgage lenders it will stem from
credit risk – mortgages going into
arrears – and solvency rather than
liquidity,” says Wishart.
The risk for the buy-to-let sector is
that landlords will see their profits
eroded by rate rises when they
refinance, pushing them into mortgage
arrears or forcing them to sell up.
There are just over two million
outstanding buy-to-let mortgages,
according to UK Finance, a lender
body. The vast majority of these are
interest-only, meaning borrowers have
not been making capital repayments.
Since February 2022, the average
rate on a two-year, fixed-rate buy-to-let
has jumped from 2.9pc to 5.81pc, says
Moneyfacts, a data company.
For a landlord remortgaging with a
£150,000 loan, this difference in rates ‘Now we are danger there is, we know this from the The jump in mortgage costs struck 1pc. For a borrower with a £200,000 ‘There are
will cost them an extra £4,365 a year. financial crisis, if one loan in an an immediate hammer blow to buyer loan, the difference between paying
Changes to tax relief on buy-to-let in the investor’s portfolio goes bad it can demand, which is now filtering into 1pc and 4pc is £6,000 a year. always
mortgages, which mean that landlords difficult bit, spread across their entire portfolio, house price falls. Yesterday’s rate High mortgage rates mean that a people
who own properties in their own and to their primary residence. There increase will also immediately hit the buyer purchasing an average property
names can no longer offset all of their where is a risk of snowballing.” 1.4m homeowners on variable or with a two-year fix and a 25pc deposit who fall
interest costs against their tax bills, are These landlords could then be tracker rate mortgages, which move in will need to use 28pc of their
magnifying the blow of higher rates.
things start pushed to sell, bringing a rush of line with the Bank Rate. household disposable income to cover
through the
Landlords still have to pay the same to go wrong’ supply in concentrated areas which are But the biggest strain will be for the their mortgage costs. From 2010 to cracks’
amount of tax even if their properties dominated by buy-to-let properties, millions of homeowners who have so 2019, the average was 20pc, according
make a loss. Capital Economics namely city centre flat markets. far felt no effect whatsoever. to Pantheon Macroeconomics.
estimates that 365,000 landlords will In these zones, there is a risk of Across 2023 and 2024, around 3.4m The Financial Conduct Authority,
be in this boat by the end of 2023 as much bigger house price falls. “If we homeowners will come to the end of the City regulator, has issued guidance
their fixed-rate deals expire. see average price falls of 10pc, you can fixed-rate deals, according to UK that lenders should allow struggling
Partly in response to these tax easily see a scenario where in some Finance. The numbers are particularly homeowners to extend their mortgage
changes, the buy-to-let sector has been places prices could barely move high because the stamp duty holiday terms or make temporary switches to
becoming more corporate: smaller downwards and in others they will fall helped to drive a huge jump in interest-only payment structures
landlords are selling up, and their double that,” adds Hudson. transactions during the pandemic. without the usual affordability checks.
properties have been bought by larger Even without the headache from the In 2023 alone, half a million of these “The worry is that whatever lenders’
ones and held in company structures. buy-to-let sector, the toll of high rates are coming to the end of two-year fixes, best intentions are, there are always
“The sector has become more will continue throughout the housing meaning they took out loans when it people who fall through the cracks,”
concentrated,” says Hudson. “The market for years. was possible to get deals at less than says Hudson.

Private pensions schemes’ value plummets as borrowing costs soar

By Melissa Lawford
A RISE in borrowing costs wiped £545bn
from the value of defined benefit private
sector pensions in nine months.
The market value of private sector
defined benefit and hybrid pensions
plunged from £1.8 trillion in December
2021 to just under £1.3 trillion at the end
of September 2022, a drop of 30pc,
according to the Office for National Statis-
tics (ONS). The figure was exacerbated by
the fallout of the mini-Budget in Septem-
ber, but the ONS’s figures showed losses
were rising before this.
The losses pose a risk to hundreds of
thousands of people with pensions in
defined benefit schemes that are in
deficit and are backed by financially vul-
nerable employers.
Sir Steve Webb, former pensions min-
ister and partner at consultancy LCP, said:
“Rising interest rates have cut the cost of
funding pensions, which means that most
schemes are in a much better position
that the fall in assets would seem to sug-
gest. The schemes of most concern would
be those where the sponsoring employer
is weak or where assets had to be sold
off quickly during the market turmoil of
last autumn.”
The drop in asset values has been
driven primarily by the falling value of
government bonds. In December 2021,
the Bank of England started raising
interest rates and began a large sale of
government bonds – quantitative tight- value of UK government bonds. This
ening – to tackle soaring inflation. period of market panic is now over, but
The 10-year gilt yield, which rises gilt yields still stood at 3.73pc at the end
when the value of bonds fall, jumped of December.
from 1.63pc at the end of March 2022 to Sir Steve said: “As long as the employer
2.29pc at the end of June. is still trading, none of these numbers
The fallout from Liz Truss’s mini- affect your pension. If your scheme had a
Budget in September sent gilt yields soar- particularly bad time, your employer
ing to 4.1pc as investors lost faith in the might just not be able to fill the gap.”

Lloyd’s of London’s bill for Ukraine war reaches £1.4bn

By Simon Foy
LLOYD’S of London’s bill for the war in
Ukraine has ballooned to £1.4bn as the
world’s largest insurance market
slumped to a loss last year.
The London market has set aside a
further £300m to cover Ukraine-
related claims on top of the £1.1bn hit it
estimated last year.
The claims are expected to relate to
seized aircraft stolen by Vladimir Putin;
supply chain issues as a result of the
conflict; and credit defaults.
It came as the insurance market
swung to a £769m pre-tax loss last year
after rising interest rates hammered its
John Neal, Lloyd’s of London
chief, received a 30pc pay rise
bond investments. Lloyd’s reported a in Ukraine and political uncertainty”.
net investment loss of £3.1bn after Last year, major claims included
market turbulence eroded values across losses arising from US hurricanes and
its £86bn portfolio. It added that its Australian floods; as well as those
bond losses would “reverse out over the incurred from the conflict in Ukraine.
next two to three years as the assets Lloyd’s is facing a “mega trial” from
reach maturity”. several claimants, including AerCap,
These losses dampened a positive the world’s biggest aircraft leasing firm,
underwriting performance, with those over aircraft stuck in Russia following
profits jumping to £2.64bn in 2022 Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
compared to £1.74bn a year earlier. More than 400 aircraft, worth almost
Lloyd’s said 2022 was “an exception- $10bn (£8bn), have been stranded in the
ally turbulent year for risk assets, country after the West imposed a series
driven by rising interest rates, as central of sanctions against Russia.
banks have taken action to contain John Neal, chief executive of Lloyd’s,
the increasing levels of inflation caused received a 30pc pay jump to nearly
by supply chain disruption, the war £2.1m last year.

Sanctions stoke costs at

Russian metals giant EN+
By Matt Oliver
WESTERN sanctions imposed in the
wake of the Ukraine war have sent
production costs at Russian metals giant
EN+ soaring, halving its profits.
The Moscow-based company, which is
part-owned by oligarch Oleg Deripaska
and controls aluminium producer Rusal,
said net profits had fallen from $3.5bn
(£2.8bn) to $1.8bn in 2022.
It came after a 31pc rise in costs, with
EN+ saying it had been forced to overhaul
supply chains due to the Ukraine war.
putting further pressure on profits. Ris-
ing interest rates have also forced the
company to divert more cash towards
managing its debts, said Vladimir Kiri-
ukhin, EN+’s chief executive. He added:
“We are making every effort to maintain
stable operational performance and effi-
cient operations of our facilities.”
Trading of the company’s shares on
the London Stock Exchange has been
suspended since March 2022, after the
UK and other governments hit key Rus-
sian firms with sanctions following the
invasion of Ukraine.
JED CULLEN/DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES

The company was forced to suspend
production at its Nikolaev refinery near
the port of Mykolaiv, inside Ukraine,
after the conflict erupted, while western
sanctions stopped it from receiving ship-
ments from its Australian joint venture.
EN+ also said it had met its “social obli-
gations” and raised wages for workers in
the inflation-struck economy following
edicts from President Vladimir Putin.
The company reported sales of alu-
minium remained almost flat at 3,896 kil-
otons, as it redirected supplies towards
Asian markets. EN+ also warned alumin-
ium prices had started to fall in 2023 due
to global economic turmoil, however,
The official UK sanctions list claims
EN+ Group carries out business “in
sectors of strategic significance to the
government of Russia”.
EN+ is chaired by Christopher Burn-
ham, an American businessman and
Republican politician who served on
Donald Trump’s presidential transition
team in 2016.
He has held the role since March 2022,
when former Conservative minister
Lord Barker resigned after colleagues,
including Defence Secretary Ben Wal-
Watch it Zhou Dongyu, Eddie Redmayne and
lace, criticised his apparent willingness Zoe Kravitz at the Omega Aqua Terra Shades
to work with Russian oligarchs such launch at London’s Somerset House.
as Deripaska.
 The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023 *** 19

Business

Journalists accuse Arnault of ousting editor

World’s richest man faces
strike threat at French
business newspaper over
editorial independence
By James Warrington
JOURNALISTS at a French newspaper
have accused its billionaire owner of
ousting the editor and threatening its
independence.
Staff at Les Echos, which is owned by
Bernard Arnault, the world’s richest
man, have mounted a revolt over the
departure of Nicolas Barré, who is leav-
ing his role at the helm of the business
daily after 10 years.
The Society of Journalists (SDJ)
described Mr Barré’s departure as a
“brutal eviction by the shareholder that
is inconsistent with independence
guarantees”.
“It is impossible not to wonder about
the link between this departure and the
publication in recent weeks of several
GRAEME CRITCHLEY FOR THE TELEGRAPH
articles that the shareholder might have
disliked,” the SDJ added.
Insiders are pointing to two recent
articles published in Les Echos.
One was about LVMH, Mr Arnault’s
luxury goods empire, being raided by
French tax authorities in 2019.
A source said the story had “not gone
down very well”. While the report
appeared online, it did not feature in the
newspaper. The other was a positive
review of a book that criticises Vincent
Bolloré, the billionaire owner of media
group Vivendi.
The Story of an Ogre by Erik Orsenna,
the pen name of Érik Arnoult, a French
politician and novelist, depicts an insa-
tiable businessman devouring busi-
nesses. While Mr Bolloré is not named,
the fable has been linked to him.
Vivendi is in talks with rival media
group Lagadère, in which Mr Arnault is
a shareholder, about a takeover. The
two have reportedly signed a “non-
Bernard Arnault owns French luxury
goods group LVMH and Les Echos
aggression pact” agreeing not to pub- but now we have reached the climax.” great journalist to France’s number one
lish negative stories about each Journalists have launched a “byline business newspaper.”
other. Sources pointed to other strike” under which reporters’ names But the SDJ has argued that Mr Barré
examples of intervention in sto- are removed from stories online for 24 was forced out without the approval of
ries sensitive to Mr Arnault, hours and in today’s paper. the oversight board, meaning the inde-
whose luxury empire owns Insiders said the SDJ was not ruling pendence guarantees had been broken.
brands including Louis Vuit- out a walkout. LVMH bought Les Echos It said that “no precise and solid reason”
ton, Dior, Tiffany and Moët from British publisher Pearson in 2007, had been given for the decision.
Hennessy. prompting a backlash from the SDJ, Insiders added that the fact Mr
References to Mr Arnault which was set up to protect editorial Arnault had announced the departure
were sometimes removed independence at the newspaper. himself – the second such intervention
f ro m c ove r a ge , wh i l e Under independence guarantees by the billionaire – was in itself a breach
reporters writing about drawn up at the time of the takeover, of editorial independence.
market capitalisation were any move to fire the editor must be Leïla de Comarmond, president of
told to emphasise LVMH’s approved by an oversight board, while the SDJ, said: “Our battle is clearly
dominance and downplay the editorial board also has a veto over important in relation to the freedom of
the size of energy giant the choice of successor. The adminis- the press and its independence, so there
Total, they claimed. trators of the oversight board are jointly is a democratic issue at stake.
Staff also reported difficul- chosen by Mr Arnault and the SDJ. “But it is also important because Les
ties when writing about strikes Mr Arnault said Mr Barré had chosen Echos is the only French business daily
at Europe 1, a radio station to step down as editor and would take and its independence is an essential
controlled by Lagadère. up a new role within the group. concern for the economic world.”
One insider said: “We He said: “Nicolas Barré has done a Mr Arnault’s control of media assets
regularly have prob- remarkable job over the years and the has sparked accusations he is trying to
lems that LVMH Groupe Les Echos-Le Parisien is happy buy political influence. LVMH also
is our that he will continue to bring his tal- owns daily Le Parisien, while Lagadère
owner, ent as an editorial writer and controls gossip magazine Paris Match.

Dorsey’s company financial technology company previ-

ously known as Square, plunged by
20pc in early trading in New York, wip-
ing $8bn from its value, as investors
Nathan Anderson, claimed Block’s Cash
App had artificially inflated the number
of users it reported using the payments
service and accused it of being popular
It also cited hip-hop songs that associ-
ated the app with paying for illicit activ-
ities. 22Gz, a rapper behind a track
titled Cash App, was last year arrested
investors” and that it was “confident in
our products, reporting, compliance
programs and controls”.
Block, which was founded by Mr

‘misled investors’ were rocked by the allegations from

By Matthew Field
THE payments company launched by
Twitter’s billionaire founder Jack
Dorsey has been accused of
misleading investors and failing to stop
fraudulent accounts by a short seller.
Shares in Block, the $44bn (£35.7bn)
Hindenburg Research.
The attack comes weeks after the
short-selling company stripped $100bn
from the value of Gautam Adani’s busi-
ness empire after it accused India’s rich-
est man of stock manipulation and fraud.
Hindenburg, founded by investor
with criminals. The research house said
it had taken a short position against
Block, effectively betting that its share
price will fall.
Hindenburg’s research referred to
multiple court filings where Cash App
had been used to exchange the pro-
ceeds of drug deals or contract killings.
and charged with murder.
A Block spokesman said it intended
to “work with the SEC and explore legal
action against Hindenburg Research
for this factually inaccurate and mis-
leading report”.
The spokesman said the report was
“designed to deceive and confuse
Dorsey in 2009 to disrupt the credit
card market. It previously said that Cash
App has more than 80m active users –
prompting investors to buy up shares in
the belief that the platform was growing
rapidly – but Hindenburg claimed the
metrics were misleading due to the
number of fake and duplicate accounts.

Building cartels fined for rigging bids

By Matt Oliver
THE UK competition watchdog has
fined 10 construction cartels £60m
after they colluded to rig bids for con-
tracts and misled clients.
Selfridges and Oxford University
were among those affected.
The companies have been punished
for cartel-style agreements that related
to more than 19 public and private sec-
tor contracts worth more than £150m.
T h e C o m p e t i t i o n a n d M a rk e t s
Authority (CMA) said the rigged bids
were made on contracts which also
included Bow Street magistrates’ court
and police station, which is being
converted into a luxury hotel, between
2013 and 2018. Directors at the firms
involved have also been disqualified,
the CMA said.
The 10 companies illegally colluded
to fix bids for demolition and asbestos
removal contracts, the regulator’s
investigation found. This involved one
or more of the firms deliberately
submitting bids that were priced to lose,
creating an illusion that the process had
been competitive. The practice, known
as cover bidding, can result in custom-
ers paying over the odds or receiving
lower quality services, the CMA said.
The companies fined are: Brown and
Mason (£2.4m), Cantillon (£1.92m), Clif-
‘The CMA ford Devlin (£423,615), DSM (£1.4m),
Erith (£17.5m), JF Hunt (£5.6m),
will not Keltbray (£16m), McGee (£3.77m),
tolerate Scudder (£8.25m) and Squibb (£2m).
Brown and Mason, Cantillon, Clifford
unlawful Devlin, DSM, John F Hunt, Keltbray,
McGee and Scudder were given
conduct reduced fines after admitting to their
which involvement in the cartel activity.
The CMA’s Michael Grenfell said:
weakens “Today’s significant fines show that the
competition CMA continues to crack down on illegal
cartel behaviour. It should serve as a
and keeps clear warning: the CMA will not tolerate
prices up’ unlawful conduct which weakens com-
petition and keeps prices up at the
expense of businesses and taxpayers.”

Hot potter Portmeirion, the Stoke-on-Trent-based china

maker known for its Botanic Garden range, has posted a
5pc rise in sales for 2022 to a record £111m.
20 *** Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023
Ben
Marlow
Bank made a
historic error
that must not
be forgotten
Bailey may avert further turmoil
and curb inflation – yet he bears
responsibility for allowing prices
to spiral out of control
I
t’s probably no exaggeration to say that
Andrew Bailey has arrived at the most pivotal
moment in his chequered reign as central
Bank Governor. Yesterday’s interest rate decision
was about as finely balanced as it gets for the
UK economy.
There are no two ways about it: a quarter
percentage point rise in interest rates to 4.25pc
– the 11th straight rise since monetary tightening
began in December 2021 – may have been what
the majority of economists were expecting, but it
is still a huge gamble and could easily backfire.
True, Bailey and his central bank counterparts
are now walking a tightrope after the banking
disarray of the last week. Pause rate rises too soon
and inflation could run away and become more
embedded; on the other hand, going too quickly
could pour further petrol on the bonfire and tip
more banks over the edge while triggering a
credit crunch that could completely destroy the
seeds of economic recovery.
Legal and General’s investment chief thinks
further bank failures are inevitable. “Over 70
years and every hiking cycle we have seen in that
period, we have never seen a hiking cycle that has
not led either to a recession – which is 80pc of the
cases – or a financial crisis, or both,” Sonja Laud
told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
The Bank of England’s job has been made
doubly tough after inflation unexpectedly
increased to 10.4pc last month, driven by food
prices rising at their highest rate in nearly half a
century.
If Bailey missteps, there can be no coming back
for a Governor that has repeatedly got the big calls
wrong. But if he somehow pulls off this delicate
balancing act – by avoiding further turmoil and
taming the worst inflationary era for a generation
– the Bank cannot expect us all to suddenly forget
how culpable it is for this crisis in the first place.
Put simply, Bailey and his colleagues have
spectacularly dropped the ball on inflation and
have been desperately trying to find it ever since.
It was a grave, historic mistake that all of us are
now paying for dearly in multiple ways.
Household bills have gone through the roof,
mortgages are brutally expensive, banks are
going bust, the housing
‘It is the market has come to a
standstill, corporate credit
collective is tightening and national
debt is ballooning.
failure of a All of this is a direct result
complacent, of spiking borrowing costs,
which have been necessary
arrogant to fight inflation after central
Bank of banks misunderstood and
underestimated the severity
England’ of it, before they completely
lost control of the situation.
It is the collective failure of a complacent, and
at times arrogant, Bank of England that thought –
and should have known – better, but didn’t. And
while the Monetary Policy Committee might like
it if everyone moved on and focused on the future,
that simply isn’t possible given the myriad
struggles that everyone is grappling with now as a
result of such incompetence.
Nor would it be fair. In the same way that Boris
Johnson has been forced to answer for his many
mistakes, and the Federal Reserve will come
under serious scrutiny for falling short in its role
as a supervisor and regulator of the US banking
system, the people tasked with safeguarding our
economy must face their own reckoning.
The comedy double act of Liz Truss and Kwasi
Kwarteng (remember them?) can’t escape fault for
torching bond prices with their mini-Budget
fiasco, which then caused some serious ripples in
the mortgage market.
But Bailey himself has said that the event’s
biggest implications for monetary policy have
come and gone.
The majority of the blame must rest with a
central bank that repeatedly insisted that the
initial inflationary pressures on the British
economy were transitory, despite a plethora of
signs warning the contrary.
Bailey said it time and time again, but if he and
colleagues had acted earlier, and been less
complacent, there is every chance that we might
not be fretting about a second banking meltdown.
It’s easy to forget just how long it took the Bank
to respond to spiralling prices. The writing was on
the wall as far back as April 2021, when inflation
more than doubled to 1.5pc.
Yet it wasn’t until a full eight months later with
the headline rate at 5.1pc – its highest for more
than a decade and two and a half times above the
2pc target – that the Bank finally relented, lifting
rates to just 0.25pc. It has been playing catch-up
ever since, to the great detriment of all our living
standards.
Truss’s disastrous tenure shut down talk of
reforming the Bank of England but that debate
still must happen. There are justifiable concerns
about how the MPC operates, including whether
it is blighted by groupthink and distracted by
woke issues, whether its data and surveys are still
up to scratch or if it is out of touch with the real
world. A review of its mandate may also be
necessary.
In the meantime, like a gang of regretful
arsonists, the world’s inept central bankers are
scurrying around trying to put out fires that they
themselves started.
Business Briefing
Sign up for our free daily
business round-up
telegraph.co.uk/business-briefing
The era of Swiss exceptionalism is
dead following Credit Suisse crisis
AMBROSE
TCHARD
EVANS-PRITCHARD
Finance and neutrality,
linchpins of Switzerland
for so many years, have left
it exposed like never before
A
century of Swiss exceptionalism
is ending with shocking speed.
Everything is going wrong
at once.
The war in Ukraine is testing
Switzerland’s armed neutrality to the
point of destruction. They are
surrounded on all sides by EU states
yet their relationship with the EU has
broken down and seems stuck in
permanent crisis. This has led to the
punitive expulsion of Swiss scientists
from the Horizon Europe programme.
And now Credit Suisse no longer
exists. Switzerland’s business model as
banker for the global elites crashed
and burnt over four stormy days from
Thursday to Sunday night.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung reports
that the finance minister did not even
have an adviser to help as the Swiss
financial world crumbled around her.
This is astounding given that she used
to be a translator, with no experience
in finance before her appointment in
January.
“It is as amateurish as it gets,” said a
veteran European regulator with
intimate knowledge of the events.
“How can this happen in a civilised
economy?”
He said the country’s banking
industry – 9pc of GDP – was close to a
systemic meltdown over the weekend.
The debacle nearly escalated into a
bank run on Switzerland itself.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar were
enraged by moves to wipe out Credit
Suisse stockholders without a vote by
the board, in violation of shareholder
rights, and at the outer boundaries of
RELATIVITY SPACE VIA AP
Nobody wants to accept that the state pension is bust
KATE
ANDREWS
The UK must implement
real reform without delay
before our financial
problems get even worse
W
hen your party has been in
power for over a decade and
the tent is caving in, there is
one rule that applies before all else: don’t
upset your voter base. So it’s not
surprising that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt
is expected to kick the decision to raise
the pension age into the long grass.
The pension age is set to rise to 68
after 2044 but Hunt reportedly wanted
to want to move faster, bringing forward
the rise into the late 2030s – following
on from advice given to the government
through an independent report back in
2017. But such a move risks ruffling the
feathers of voters in their 50s, 49pc of
whom voted Tory in the 2019 general
election (compared to the 28pc that
voted Labour). No such move is
expected now until after an election.
To get hawkish on the state pension is
unpopular at the best of times. It’s the
kind of thing Conservatives like to talk
about when they’re under zero pressure
to implement change.
legality. “They told the Swiss that all
their other investments in Switzerland
would be called into question if it
happened,” said the regulator.
It was an implicit threat to set off a
second and fatal round of deposit flight
by the petropowers and Middle
Eastern wealth funds. “It would have
been the end of Switzerland’s banking
industry,” he said. “The best you can
say now is that it is still standing. But
can the model survive?”
The Swiss backed down. They
expropriated $17bn (£13.8bn) from
holders of Credit Suisse convertible
AT1 bonds instead, risking contagion
through Europe’s $270bn market for
junior bank debt at a perilous moment.
This is just as bad for Switzerland’s
credibility.
“Switzerland will never be the same
again. The reputation of Swiss banking
has been damaged forever. Bankers in
Singapore are going to be popping
corks,” said Prof Arturo Bris from IMD,
the Swiss business school.
The legal theft of $17bn required
invoking emergency powers from the
Second World War and was executed
without an accounting justification. It
inverts the market hierarchy for loss
absorption. Bondholders would
normally hope to recoup half or more
from a bank resolution. Aggrieved
funds are already preparing for years
of litigation. Swiss authorities will rue
the day they picked this fight.
Britain’s pensions fiasco last
September was scarcely better. The
difference is that the Bank of England
managed the affair with supreme skill,
winning plaudits from across the
world. The British political leaders
responsible were decapitated instantly.
No relevant actor in Switzerland has
been removed from harm’s way.
Mark Dowding from BlueBay Asset
Management said investors must now
contend with the novel concept of
Swiss political risk. “They used to be
the safest of safe havens, but we may
now start seeing a [risk] premium
attached to Swiss assets. Trust is
everything in banking,” he said.
The UBS takeover of the Credit
Unfortunately we don’t have the
luxury of waiting for the political
weather to change to get serious about
pension reform. No one, especially the
Government, wants to admit that the
state pension is on a pathway to going
bust. But the longer we hold out
discussing how fragile the system is, the
worse the problem, and our finances, are
likely to become.
Perhaps the crux of the issue is that
the state pension is built on a dangerous
lie: that today’s pension payments are
paid for out of contributions over many
decades of work. Workers pay into the
system and it’s wholly reasonable that
they expect to see something for those
contributions once they reach
retirement age. But these contributions
have not been hypothecated, despite the
claims behind National Insurance. NI is
nothing more than a second income tax.
Those contributions are spent.
The state pension is instead a “pay as
you go” scheme, funded by general tax.
As demographics swing towards more
retirees and fewer workers to contribute
to the income tax base, the system
becomes increasingly fragile. According
to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s
latest calculations produced for the
Budget last week, pension spending will
come to £125.2bn for this fiscal year – a
total that starts to rival what we spend
on the National Health Service. By
2027-28, this jumps to £160.4bn.
This is where the “triple lock” on the
state pension takes us (which sees the
state pension go up by inflation, average
Business comment
Suisse corpse leaves Switzerland with
a monopolistic monster: too big to fail,
carrying $1.7 trillion of liabilities that
stretch the firefighting capabilities of
the Swiss state itself. “It really worries
me: such a super-sized bank can get an
entire country into trouble,” Marcel
Fratzscher, head of the German
Institute for Economic Research.
The enlarged UBS becomes the
West’s fourth biggest bank after JP
Morgan, HSBC, and Citigroup, wildly
out of proportion to the state and
economy that underpins it in a crisis. Its
liabilities are near 200pc of Swiss GDP.
Switzerland is not Iceland. A
buccaneering trio of Icelandic banks,
acting like hedge funds, took on so
much leverage that they would have
bankrupted the Icelandic state in 2007
had Reykjavik not repudiated the
losses, leaving London, Amsterdam,
and New York to clean up the mess.
However, the Swiss central bank has
limits and has already exhausted the
political patience of the irascible
cantons. It recently disclosed that it
lost a quarter of Swiss GDP last year on
its QE portfolio, using up all of its loss
provisioning set aside. A few more bad
months and it will have to go cap in
hand to Swiss taxpayers for a bailout.
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) is not
alone in suffering a hangover from the
great QE experiment. The Dutch
central bank says it may need
recapitalisation, and so does the
mighty Bundesbank. What is unique is
the scale. The SNB’s balance sheet has
reached 144pc of GDP.
The fast-shrinking capital base of
the SNB did not stop it extending a
$100bn liquidity line to UBS to enable
the shotgun marriage. Yet it is
legitimate to ask how Swiss leaders
might react if the elephantine mega-
bank comes to grief. There may not be
technical constraints on the SNB’s
ability to stem a major crisis, but after
the antics of last weekend there are
most-assuredly political constraints.
Simon Brady, of risk specialists
1LoD, says Credit Suisse went into
terminal decline because it clung too
long to the old Swiss recipe of “bank
wage growth or 2.5pc, whichever is
higher). Even if we were to factor in a
decent level of economic growth over
this time frame (and that’s a big if), the
cost of pensions is only going up.
One of the most frustrating aspects of
this debate is that, behind closed doors,
there is widespread acknowledgement
in the Tory party that the triple lock is
not just unsustainable, but unfair. And
there was a time not too long ago when
there was serious talk of abandoning it.
In autumn 2020, then-chancellor
Rishi Sunak tried to muster up some
political will within the Cabinet to tackle
the triple lock. The argument made was
lockdown intensified intergenerational
unfairness in the UK: younger workers
had been cooped up in small, rented
flats and shared accommodation, were
placed on furlough, and lost out on job
opportunities. If there were ever a time
to address the financial unfairness of the
triple lock, this was it.
Unfortunately then-prime minister
Boris Johnson squashed the plans, along
similar lines being used now: it wouldn’t
be popular with the Tory-voting base.
But it also won’t be popular when the
system starts falling apart, and change is
required in a much shorter time frame.
If the triple lock remains untouchable,
the point will come when we have to
radically reduce who is eligible to
receive it. This could mean an age hike
higher than 68, with far less time to
prepare. Already we are putting in more
and getting out less. A report from the
Resolution Foundation found that a
*** 21
‘Switzerland
will never
secrecy, wealth concealment,
anonymity and tax avoidance”.
One could extend the criticism to
be the same
again.
the larger nexus of Swiss banking. The
German car industry made a parallel
strategic error by clinging too long to
fossil combustion, letting the
Bankers in Americans and the Chinese run away
Singapore with the electric future.
are going to Switzerland remains a AAA
economy (for now), with a broad base
be popping of life sciences, hi-tech and machine
corks’ engineering. But it is not a AAA
member of the Western democratic
alliance. It has manoeuvred itself into a
diplomatic quagmire, and for the same
reason as its banking travails: out of
hubris and addiction to the old recipe.
The war in Ukraine has rehabilitated
the British in the eyes of Europe – at
least among those in defence and
foreign policy circles – because the UK
has been a rock solid at a time of great
peril for European civilisation. Rishi
Sunak and the Windsor Framework
have iced the cake.
The war has had the opposite effect
for the Swiss, exposing the threadbare
moral claims of their armed neutrality.
The country has a substantial weapons
industry. It sells arms to the Middle
East. SIG Sauer assault rifles sold to the
Saudis have been used against Houthi
rebels in Yemen.
Yet it stands on piety as Vladimir
Putin tries to expunge a democratic
European state. It refuses to let Berlin
transfer Swiss-made shells for German
Gepard tanks to Ukrainian forces on
the grounds that they will be used in
conflict. There comes a point when
this crosses into complicity.
“I have to say clearly: I cannot
understand why Switzerland does not
provide Gepard ammunition,” said
Robert Habeck, Germany’s vice-
chancellor. Polls show that at least half
the Swiss population agrees with him.
The Swiss are formidably well-
educated and a resourceful people.
They will overcome this enveloping
national crisis just as we in Britain will
overcome ours. But first they will have
to shed a lot of 20th century Swiss
shibboleths.
Watch this space
Relativity Space has
launched what it
described as
“world’s first
3D-printed rocket”
towards space. The
110ft tall Terran 1
launch vehicle is
designed to haul
lightweight
satellites into orbit.
Powered by super-
chilled methane
and oxygen, it lifted
off from Cape
Canaveral in
Florida, but failed
to reach orbit after
a malfunction on
the test flight’s
second stage. It was
not carrying a
client’s satellite.
taxpayer born in 1996 will get, on
average, less than half the net welfare
that someone born in 1956 will receive
(of which the state pension is the biggest
cost, expected to make up more than
40pc of welfare spending this fiscal
year). One argument for stalling on the
pensions age change this time around is
Economic that the pandemic saw life expectancy
Intelligence fall by one year for women, and just over
one year for men.
For unique insight
This sad fact has little to do with the
into the world’s pension age and is being used as an
economic issues, excuse not to address the problem.
sign up to our Evidence continues to mount, showing
Economic that people are better able to work into
Intelligence their 60s and 70s, and also that doing so
newsletter, has health benefits. Perhaps most
importantly, life expectancy remains far
by Ambrose above the retirement age.
Evans-Pritchard We are in a vicious circle where an
and Jeremy ever-growing number of retirees
Warner receiving pension pay-outs will lead to
telegraph.co.uk/ an ever-rising proportion of public
ei-newsletter spending going on pensioner costs. It’s
generous so long as it lasts, but its price
tag risks making less available in the
future, especially for the pensioners
who really need the support.
Refusing to tackle the retirement age
risks a de facto deprioritising of other
things, not to mention preventing
serious personal or business tax cuts.
Continue on this path and you get a
single-purpose economy: current
workers propping up pensions and the
NHS, hoping the next generation will be
willing to do the same when their turn
comes around.
22 ** Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph

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104.69 101.36 Treas 5% 25 102.73 +0.38 4.87 3.54 2598 1855¼ Halma 2111 +12 0.9 32.7 2606 1473½ Burberry 2361 -9 2.2 24.0 351 258½ Fidelity Euro Tst ● 336 +½ 2.3 360 196¼ 64⅜ Reach 77 +1 9.5 4.6 832¼ 472¼ Howden Joinery ● 687¾ -7⅜ 3.0 10.5 2536 1014½ TUI AG ● 1413½ +3½ — -9.4 316 213⅜ Microsoft $ 279½ +7¼ 1.0 3.3
115.19 109.23 Treas 6% 28 114.14 +0.97 5.26 3.26 4482¾ 3238 Renishaw ● 4056* +16 1.8 24.5 45⅛ 15¼ McBride 26½ +¼ — -1.9 189½ 143 Fidelity Japan Tst 172 +1½ — 194 2619 2064 RELX 2583 -22 2.1 30.3 213⅛ 88⅜ JD Sports Fash 171 -1⅛ 0.3 23.9 833 388⅜ Wetherspoon ● 581 -11 — 38.2 56⅜ 39¼ Pfizer $ 40⅜ +⅜ 4.1 3.4
125.32 97.02 Treas 4¼% 32 108.11 +1.00 3.93 3.22 3845 1402 XP Power 2090 +35 4.5 -20.5 223 163⅜ PZ Cussons ● 179⅝* +1¼ 3.6 15.5 298 232 Fidelity Sp V ● 272 +2 2.8 291 669 437¾ Rightmove 564 +5¾ 1.5 26.5 294¾ 198⅝ Kingfisher 263¾ -7½ 4.7 11.1 3651⅞ 2245½ Whitbread 2889 -41 2.0 — 164⅞ 122⅛ Procter & Gamble $ 144½ +½ 2.5 1.6
131.83 124.42 Treas 4¼% 36 107.72 +1.16 3.95 3.50 6824 5400 Reckitt Benck 5984 -38 3.1 36.0 900 731¾ Finsbury Gwth ● 878 -1 2.1 927 1095½ 713 WPP 945¾ -7¾ 4.2 15.2 101⅝ 59¾ Lookers 81⅝ -⅜ 4.3 5.2 108⅞ 80¼ Raytheon Tech $ 96½ -¼ 2.3 1.6
Electricity +0.62% AIM +0.87%
144.69 96.52 Treas 4¾% 38 113.01 +1.28 4.20 3.65 163 122 Glbl Small Co Trust ● 142 -¼ 1.3 162 168¾ 91½ Marks & Spen ● 156¾ +2⅛ — 10.0 309⅜ 190⅛ Rockwell $ 280⅞ +3¼ 1.7 2.0
Information technology +0.55% Mining -0.22%
Index Linked Securities 845⅞ 467¼ Drax Group ● 593½ -8½ 3.5 27.9 78¾ 56¼ Hend Div Inc Tst 67⅞* +¼ 6.5 71 13 6 Mothercare 8½ — — 5.3 34 20 Afentra 20¾ -¼ — -11.1 196¼ 120⅝ Trane Tech $ 183⅝ +2 1.6 2.5
390.60 357.55 Treas 2½% IL 24 374.82 +2.14 0.67 0.86 1271½ 844¼ Nat Grid 1056 +9 4.9 16.1 431⅛ 289⅜ Aptitude Sftwre 371 +8 1.5 82.4 181 137¼ Hend High Inc 169½ -1 6.0 169 4292½ 2437½ Anglo Amer 2586½* -17½ 6.2 8.6 7082 4306 Next 6804 -16 2.8 30.5 1050 625 Arbuthnot 917½ — 4.3 20.3 160¾ 117¼ Wal Mart Strs $ 140¾ +1¼ 1.6 1.9
387.96 299.91 Treas 4⅛% IL 30 346.38 +2.25 1.19 0.00 1935½ 1405 SSE 1737 +6½ 5.1 6.0 823 587¼ Sage Gp 749 +5⅜ 2.5 29.4 185 153 Hend Intl Inc 173¼ -2¾ 4.3 183 1837½ 971¼ Antofagasta 1557 +20½ 3.1 12.3 1249½ 380¼ Ocado 447⅜ +12¼ — -7.6 2660 1665 BrooksMacdonald 1780* +20 4.1 11.9 144½ 84⅛ Walt Disney $ 96⅜ +1½ — —
304.96 205.34 Treas 2% IL 35 251.01 +2.22 0.80 0.15 294 160¼ Spirent ● 174¾* -1¾ 3.6 13.1 1020 674⅜ Hend Smaller Co ● 822 +8 2.9 904 3040 1998⅝ BHP Group 2361½* -10 9.1 4.8 29 16¼ Pendragon 16½ +¼ — 5.0 ½ ¼ Cambria Africa # ¼ — — 11.3 21 11¾ Xerox Hldgs $ 14¾ -⅛ 6.8 2.1
Engineering / Industrial +0.23%
10-year Government Bonds 1290 942½ Hend Opp 1015 -27½ 3.4 1192 127⅝ 74⅛ Centamin ● 104 +4⅛ 3.9 20.4 268¼ 71⅛ Saga 130 -⅝ — -1.9 299 204 Central Asia Met 255 +1 8.6 6.6
Insurance -0.96% Europeans -0.27%
380 270 Castings 330 -15 5.0 16.8 1966 1540 Herald Inv ● 1780 +20 — 2074 81 81 Evraz # 81 +⅛ — 0.5 272¼ 168¾ Sainsbury J 262⅝ -1⅝ 5.3 8.8 843¼ 296 Ceres Power 354 -1 — -30.7
Spread vs Spread vs
Yield% Bunds T-Bonds 82⅜ 50¼ Coats Group ● 75¾ -⅜ 2.6 -95.2 237 131 abrdn 208⅝ -⅜ 7.0 7.8 457½ 310 HgCapital ● 337 -6 2.1 454 996¾ 637¼ Fresnillo 735 +8 1.8 24.5 1728⅞ 1110 Smith WH ● 1444 -26½ 0.6 -23.1 1600 1020 Churchill China 1255 -10 2.2 33.2 85⅛ 55 AkzoNobel € 67¾ -1 2.9 2.3
France 2.71 +0.56 -0.76 1300 575 Cropper J 615 -20 1.5 43.3 2646⅝ 1691½ Admiral 2010 +15 7.8 6.0 185 138⅞ HICL Infrastructure ●153⅜* -⅜ 5.4 166 584½ 395⅜ Glencore 451⅝ +1½ 7.9 4.2 307¼ 194⅜ Tesco 253¾ -5¼ 4.6 13.1 596 332¼ CML Micro 540 — 1.9 72.5 103¾ 68½ BMW € 98⅞ +⅝ 5.9 3.2
Germany 2.15 - -1.32 3980 2350 Goodwin 3630 -110 3.0 21.5 606⅝ 341⅞ Aviva 416 -4¾ 7.5 6.3 298 216 Highbridge Tactical 282 +1 — 264 148½ 50⅜ Hochschild Mng 77 +3⅞ 4.6 6.8 574⅝ 384 Cohort 467 +2½ 2.7 20.7 21⅜ 13⅞ Carrefour € 17¾ -¼ 2.9 2.4
Support services -0.89%
Japan 0.30 -1.85 -3.17 1641 1069 IMI ● 1495 -3 1.7 20.3 735⅞ 385⅜ Beazley 557* +7½ 2.4 26.4 1223¾ 928 ICG Enterprise Tst ● 1016 — 3.0 1855 533 367⅛ Kenmare Res 462 +1½ 9.5 4.8 1⅜ ¾ Deltex Medical 1⅛ — — -6.8 79¼ 44¼ Continental AG € 66⅜ -½ 2.3 0.2
Great Britain 3.22 +1.07 -0.25 169¼ 94⅞ Melrose Ind 159⅞* +5¾ 1.5 -21.9 282⅝ 143 DirectLineIns ● 144 -3½ 5.3 -33.5 376 279 Invesco Asia Trust 340 — 4.4 379 409¾ 122 Polymetal 215 -7½ 17.0 -4.3 6012 3269 Ashtead Gp 5000 -104 1.4 32.1 105 62 Eleco 76 — 0.8 23.0 75⅞ 50¼ Daimler € 70¾ -½ 7.4 4.1
United States 3.47 +1.32 - 1719 1244½ Mondi 1301 -7 4.8 6.0 1152½ 789¼ Hiscox 1066½ -3 2.7 — 546 373½ InvesPerpUK Sm Co 435 -5 5.2 487 6406 4424½ Rio Tinto 5288* -31 7.7 8.5 3249 2542 Bunzl 3047 -7 2.1 21.5 107 65 Finsbury Food 94 — 2.7 11.2 58⅛ 46¾ Danone € 56⅛ -⅛ 3.6 0.7
The share prices, price-earnings ratios and dividend yields 75½ 46⅝ Severfield 61 -¾ 5.2 12.0 670 360⅜ Lancashire Hldg ● 539 -9 2.3 -664.1 738 624 JPM Claverh’se 668 -2 4.9 697 44⅞ 20 Capita 37⅝ -¾ — 8.4 58 24⅛ Futura Medical 42¾ … — -23.4 46½ 29⅝ Deutsche Post € 42⅝ +½ 4.3 2.4
below are supplied by Interactive Data (Europe) Ltd. The Oil & Gas -1.69%
yields are calculated using historic dividend payments 1807 1352½ Smiths Gp 1715½ +2½ 2.3 6.4 311⅛ 201⅜ Legal & General 228⅞ -6⅝ 8.5 6.0 97¾ 73⅜ JPM Eur G&I 92¼* -⅝ 4.3 103 20¾ 12½ Carillion # 14¼ — — 0.5 37 23 Hornby 24½ — — 27.5 22⅛ 16½ Deutsche Tele € 21⅞ … 3.2 1.2
divided by the closing share price multiplied by 100.
369⅛ 238⅛ Smith (DS) 310⅞ +1 5.2 15.2 690⅜ 501 Phoenix 557⅝ -11 9.1 -3.0 528⅞ 408½ JPM Japanese ● 463½ +1½ 1.3 504 570⅝ 359¼ BP 498¾* -5¾ 3.9 16.4 6508 3986 DCC 4358 -6 4.1 13.8 256¾ 165½ James Halstead 187 +6¾ 4.1 19.3 99⅜ 78¼ Heineken € 97⅝ -¼ 1.8 2.7
3798⅝ 2415 Smurfit Kappa 2920 -35 4.2 9.0 1381½ 782⅜ Prudential 1066 -8 1.4 -16.9 384 301 JPM Jpn SmCp G&I 324 +11 4.5 356 263¼ 191⅜ Capricorn Ener ● 233¼ -2¾ — 1.6 118¾ 50⅝ De La Rue 53¾ +¼ — 4.9 1394½ 637⅜ Jet2 1278½ +9½ 0.2 -8.7 830¾ 535 LVMH € 820¾ +5⅞ 1.5 2.3
Aerospace & defence +0.64%
52 week 13140 9008 Spirax 11325 +65 1.3 37.1 1520 904⅝ St. James’s Place 1191 — 4.4 16.0 1130 735 JPM Mid Cap 873* -7 3.4 1016 37⅜ 16⅛ EnQuest 18⅛ +¼ — -0.6 336 165 Essentra ● 179⅜* +1⅝ 3.5 20.2 103¼ 62¼ LifeScienceREIT 62¼ -⅜ 6.4 104 59½ 39¼ LafargeHolcim SFr 57⅝ -1⅛ 4.3 2.2
High Low (p) Stock Price (p) +/- Yld P/E 1556 800 Videndum ● 840 +7 4.8 11.8 812¾ 459¼ Land Secs 583¾* -6⅝ 6.8 — 356½ 185⅜ Hunting ● 238 +4 3.1 -2.0 3160 2242 Experian 2638 -21 1.7 25.5 534 210 Mpac Group 255 — — -115.9 11⅛ 5¼ Lufthansa € 9⅞ … — —
Investment trusts +0.20%
371⅜ 262¼ Babcock Intl ● 307 -6¾ — 9.4 2072 1312 Weir 1800 -12 1.8 18.1 52 week 136½ 99 Lowland Inv 122½ -2 5.0 133 161¼ 54 Petrofac 54 -3⅞ — -1.3 12460 8602 Ferguson 10690* -105 3.5 19.5 746⅝ 255 MS Intl 515 — 1.8 16.7 5¼ 4⅛ Nokia OYJ € 4⅜ … 1.8 9.4
High Low (p) Stock Price (p) +/- Yld NAV
978⅜ 698¼ BAE Systems 975 +17 2.8 19.1 220¼ 156¾ Majedie 212 +2 4.1 245 2613½ 1908⅝ Shell 2272* -45½ 3.7 10.8 5368 3485 Intertek Group 4002 -37 2.6 22.3 298¼ 170 Numis 216½ +1½ 6.2 17.5 30⅝ 22 Michelin € 27⅝ -⅛ 4.5 2.2
Food producers -0.70%
396¼ 292 QinetiQ ● 328⅜ -4⅜ 2.3 20.9 1685 1042 3i 1583½ +14½ 3.2 1626 358 272⅛ Mtn Currie Port 332 -2 1.3 334 255 102 Wood Grp (John) ● 206¾ +2¼ — -12.4 283⅝ 111¼ IWG ● 150¾ -8½ — -13.5 156 84¾ Premier Miton 100½ -1 10.0 15.4 206½ 166⅝ Pernod Ricard € 206⅜ -⅛ 2.0 1.5
160 64½ Rolls–Royce 147⅜ -1⅞ — -9.7 2076 1223 Ass Brit Fds 1955 -10 2.2 22.1 368½ 281½ 3i Infrastructure ● 311½ — 3.5 320 226 158⅜ Mercantile InvTr ● 192¾ — 3.6 229 126¼ 69 Johnson Serv 121 +¾ 2.0 18.6 55 23⅝ SRT Marine Sys 43¾ +5¾ — -12.4 29 12⅛ Philips (Kon) € 15¼ -⅛ — —
Pharmaceuticals +0.13%
178 111 Senior ● 150⅝ -⅝ 0.9 31.0 2201 1496 Coca–Cola HBC 2171 -23 2.9 21.7 103 81 Aberdeen Diversified 83⅛* -½ 6.8 115 606 480 Merchants Tst ● 557 -5 4.9 554 87¾ 49⅛ MITIE Gp ● 81¼ -1¼ 2.6 22.6 96 36¼ Tribal Gp 37⅝ +¾ 3.5 11.1 152¼ 93⅝ Siemens € 145⅛ +¼ 2.9 1.1
3768 2548 Cranswick ● 2970 +20 2.6 16.8 614 497 Aberdeen New India 506 -2 0.2 632 183 145 MomentumM-A V 156* — 4.6 156 11886 9399 AstraZeneca 10998* +22 2.2 63.9 565⅜ 441¼ Rentokil 564 +3¾ 1.3 48.7 53¾ 20⅜ Union Jack Oil 24¾ +¼ — -29.8 28⅜ 19 Societe Gen € 21¼ -½ 8.0 1.0
Banks -2.46%
1257 495⅜ Hilton Food ● 697 +5 4.1 15.5 1054 876 Alliance Trust ● 965* -6 2.5 1017 1138 875 Monks ● 946½ -5½ 0.2 1065 4310 2473⅜ Dechra Pharma ● 2578* +16 1.8 48.0 596 325 Ricardo Gp 546* -8 2.0 39.6 7 1¼ Xtract Resources 1⅜ … — -3.4 17¾ 11⅛ Stellantis € 16¼ … — —
198⅞ 128⅛ Barclays 139¾* -2⅞ 5.2 4.5 208 95¼ REA Hldgs 99¾ — — -36.1 287 199⅜ Allianz Tech Trust ● 223 +½ — 254 903½ 715 Murray Income ● 840 -5 4.3 900 3364 2186 Genus ● 2942* +30 1.1 47.1 750 418⅛ Robt Walters 481 -19 4.9 8.6 1490 863 Young & Co – A 1066 +26 1.9 18.1 135⅝ 108⅛ Thales € 136⅜ +1⅛ 2.2 2.2
1259 843 Close Bros ● 893 -30 7.4 8.1 4868⅝ 3351⅝ Unilever 4172½ -30 3.5 15.7 461 345 Asia Dragon Trust 399 +1 1.6 460 1376 1128 Murray Intl ● 1318 +4 4.2 1311 3408⅛ 1280⅞ GSK 1437¾* -⅜ 3.9 3.9 44⅞ 27 SIG 41⅝ +⅛ — 32.0 830 535 Young & Co – N/V 702 -27 2.9 17.8 60⅞ 44 Total € 53⅜ -1 5.3 2.8
653¾ 434¾ HSBC 548¼* -16⅜ 4.7 9.0 348 204½ Baillie Giff China 265 +6 2.7 289 63 52 Northern 2 VCT 54½ — 6.6 59 2137 1174½ Hikma ● 1673 -32½ 2.7 24.6 199 136½ Serco Group ● 153¾ -1⅛ 1.9 11.8 The Alternative Investment Market is for young and growing 20⅞ 13⅞ UBS AG SFr 17⅞ -¾ 2.8 3.6
Gas & Water +1.20% companies. Shares may carry higher risks than those with a
54⅜ 38½ Lloyds Bk Gp 46⅞ -⅞ 5.1 6.4 111¼ 73½ Baillie Giff Euro Gwth 93⅝ +⅜ 0.7 108 95¼ 82 Northern 3 VCT 84½ — 5.9 92 2020 1320⅜ Indivior ● 1414 +8 — -45.8 1357½ 707¾ Travis P ● 950 -7 4.1 10.5 full quotation, and may be difficult to sell. 29⅞ 18⅞ Veolia Environ € 26⅞ -¼ 4.2 0.6
313⅛ 210⅞ NatWest Group 268⅛* -1⅛ 5.0 7.9 108⅛ 65¾ Centrica 104¾ +1½ 2.9 -7.9 124¼ 68½ Balanced Comm Prp ●81½* +¼ 5.9 118 66½ 55 Nthn Venture 57½ — 7.0 62 240 144⅜ Volkswagen € 154¾ -2 4.8 3.9
Property +0.16% Telecommunications -0.78%
343½ 193⅜ Santander 294 -8⅛ 2.9 16.6 1124 735 Pennon Gp ● 861* +4 4.6 — 110¼ 90⅞ Bankers Invstmt Tst ● 99¼ -¾ 2.4 109 384 303 Pacific Assets 356 — 0.5 379
Americans +0.92% Recent issues
799⅜ 478⅝ Standard Ch 632⅜* -19⅝ 2.3 9.1 3228 2167⅜ Severn Trent 2833 +37 3.7 -80.5 1048 722⅜ Biotech Growth 784 -11 — 852 325 229¼ Pantheon ● 236½ -2½ — 460 20⅛ 12 Alina Hldgs 12¾ — — 26 196⅝ 110½ BT Group 139⅝ -1⅜ 5.5 10.8 52 week 52 week
High Low Stock Price +/- GrsYd Cvr High Low (p) Stock Price (p) +/- Yld P/E
1186⅞ 813¼ Utd Utilities 1052½ +11½ 4.2 -126.8 151 95 BlackRockEnrgy&Res 124 -1 3.5 127 202 132½ PremierMitonGlb 137½* — 5.1 166 72⅜ 46⅞ Assura ● 49½* +⅜ 6.3 — 2530 1470 Telecom Plus ● 1898 -22 3.4 42.1
Beverages -1.14%
144½ 116½ BlckRock FroInv 131 -¾ 4.3 139 2610 1792 RIT Cap Ptnrs ● 1888 -4 2.0 2432 1572 938½ Big Yellow Gp ● 1138 +12 3.8 — 132¼ 83¼ Vodafone 90¾ -⅝ 8.5 14.3 98⅛ 33½ Alcoa $ 40⅝ +⅝ 1.0 1.7 1¼ ¾ Celsius Resc ⅞ — — -4.5
General financial +0.15%
4067 3363 Diageo 3563* -41 2.2 25.4 568 396 BlckRck Grt Euro 520 +10 1.3 550 329 283 Ruffer Inv Pref ● 304 +½ 0.9 298 546¾ 317¾ Brit Land 367¾ -7¼ 6.3 — 194 130⅝ Amer Express $ 163⅝ +⅞ 1.5 4.1 329½ 275 Dar Global 300¼ -2¼ — —
Tobaccos -4.86%
286⅜ 177¾ Ashmore ● 240⅜* -3⅜ 7.0 17.9 206 164 BlckRck Inc&Grth 185 -2½ 3.9 204 470 366½ Schroder Asian TR 426 +1½ 2.6 447 231 127¾ CLS Hldgs ● 130¼ -3 6.1 -6.4 44⅜ 27⅝ BankAmerica $ 27¼ -⅜ 3.2 3.6 19 17 Fulcrum Metals 17¾ — — —
Chemicals +0.60%
378¾ 166¼ Bridgepoint Grp ● 205¼ -1 3.9 13.7 457 330 BlackRock Latin 339 -8 6.3 381 536⅝ 434 Scot American ● 496* -1 2.8 510 67 42¾ Cap&Regional 57⅞ — 9.1 — 3645 2823½ Brit Am Tob 2823½ -165½ 8.2 9.6 221⅜ 113 Boeing $ 196⅞ +¾ — —
8082 5862 Croda Intl 6464 +62 1.7 13.9 1065 735⅝ Hargreaves L 805¼* +5⅜ 5.0 12.9 215 183 BlckRckSustAmInc 183½ -¾ 4.4 193 1081⅞ 643¼ Scot Mortgage 670 +14¼ 0.5 817 3325 1783 Derwent Ldn ● 2262 -42 3.5 — 2185 1579½ Imp Brands 1875½* -44 7.5 11.3 266 160⅝ Caterpillar $ 220¾ +⅞ 2.2 2.6
2536 1755 Johnson Mat 1955 +4½ 3.9 18.4 851 646¾ IG Group ● 712 +5½ 6.2 6.0 1694¾ 1162 BlackRock Small ● 1298 +12 2.8 1497 242 205 Sec Tst of Scot 213 -1 2.9 213 739 388⅛ Gt Portland Est ● 489⅜ -7⅝ 2.6 — 189⅝ 132½ Chevron $ 155⅛ -⅞ 3.9 3.0
Transport -0.53%
1953⅛ 1522 Victrex ● 1667 -12 3.6 19.0 1867 937 IntermediateCp ● 1215½ -12½ 6.8 6.5 767 478 BlkRk Throg Tst ● 570* -2 1.9 604 178¼ 92⅞ Shaftesbury Capital ● 113 -⅝ 3.1 33.2 315 202¾ Grainger ● 228⅜ +1¾ 2.6 7.4 57⅝ 41¾ Coca–Cola Euro $ 57 +¼ 3.0 1.1
556¼ 336¼ Investec ● 447¼ -3½ 6.1 8.6 805 524 BlackRock Wld M ● 650* +5 6.2 634 1666 1120 Smithson Inv Tst ● 1354 +20 — 1466 35 17 Hammerson ● 22⅝ -⅜ 1.8 — 374¾ 173⅝ Int’l Dist Service ● 229⅜ -¾ 8.7 3.7 83¾ 67⅞ Colgate Palm $ 72¼ +⅛ 2.7 1.1
Construction -1.10%
97⅛ 51¾ IP Group ● 57 -⅜ 2.2 -1.7 1115 888 Brunner 1055* -10 2.0 1166 487½ 263 TR Property ● 282 -1½ 5.3 313 454¾ 292¼ Helical 297½ -13 3.8 4.1 442½ 276½ Redde Northgate ● 348 -6 6.5 8.4 79 49½ DuPontDeNemrs $ 68½ +⅜ 2.1 1.4
377⅜ 232⅝ Balfour Beatty ● 372⅜ +7⅝ 2.8 17.5 1348 692 Liontrust ● 1062 +8 6.8 10.9 4065 3015 Caledonia ● 3440 +10 1.9 4993 166 128⅝ Tmpletn Em Mt ● 149¾ +1⅝ 3.2 171 1423 744½ Safestore ● 923½* +6½ 3.2 — 426½ 187 Wincanton 205½ +2½ 6.0 5.3 126½ 79¼ Exxon Mobil $ 104 -⅝ 3.5 3.6
564¼ 313 Barratt Dev 444¾ +4¾ 8.1 8.8 39⅝ 32¼ Lon. Fin. & Inv. 37 — 3.1 -26.4 432 366½ City of Lon ● 406½ -3½ 4.9 399 78 64⅜ Troy Inc & Gr 70½ +⅞ 2.8 72 1204 750 Savills ● 947½ +8 3.8 10.9 47¼ 23⅞ Foot Locker $ 38½ -½ 4.2 2.8
Travel & Leisure -0.45%
2865 1572 Bellway ● 2035 -14 6.9 10.3 8612 6710 Lon Stock Ex 7780 +98 1.4 33.3 232⅛ 147½ CQS Nat Res G & I 170½ -1 3.3 204 126¼ 115 UIL Fin ZDP 2024 123½ — — 128 1408 669¼ Segro 737¾* +11¾ 3.6 — 95⅛ 59⅞ Gen Electric $ 91⅝ +2 0.3 1.7
4505 3120 Berkeley Grp 4034* -26 2.2 9.7 229⅞ 159¼ M&G 182* -4¼ 10.8 -2.8 270 214 CT Glbl Mgd G 226 -1 — 227 117⅝ 104 UIL Fin ZDP 2026 114 — — 127 182⅜ 123½ Town Centre 139 -5 3.6 — 1460½ 482⅞ Carnival ● 669⅝ +1¾ — -1.6 347¼ 264½ Home Depot $ 283 +⅜ 3.0 2.0 Bold FTSE100 Stocks ● FTSE250 Stocks
* Ex-dividend † Ex-scrip ‡ Ex-all
349 215 Boot H 225 +3 3.0 10.6 293¾ 202⅞ Man Group ● 242 +1⅝ 5.3 6.3 140 112 CT Glbl Mgd I 118* -½ 5.7 117 227½ 197½ Utilico Emerg 206* -2 4.0 238 251⅜ 120⅛ Tritax Big Box ● 135½* +¾ 5.2 190 604¼ 276⅞ easyJet ● 477 -7⅞ — -21.3 221 166⅝ Honeywell $ 187¾ +⅝ 2.2 1.8 § Ex-rights # Suspended
56⅞ 32⅛ Costain 55⅜ -⅛ — 5.9 177⅝ 79 Quilter ● 85⅞ +1 5.2 7.0 506 375½ CT Priv Eq Ord 440 -9 5.6 710 237½ 199¾ Witan ● 221 -1 2.6 243 178 94½ Warehouse REIT ● 95⅜* +⅜ 6.9 152 1702½ 994⅝ Entain 1204* -11 1.4 — 41½ 24⅛ HP $ 28 +⅛ 3.8 2.5 Cover relates to the previous year’s dividend.
Yields are net of basic rate tax.
4412 2736½ CRH 4048* -81 2.5 9.8 2245 1553¼ Rathbones Grp ● 1882 -2 4.5 14.1 101 60¾ CT Property Trust 62* +¼ 6.5 95 3500 2820 Worldw HealthTr ● 3050 -15 0.9 3346 735⅝ 335¼ Workspace Gp ● 453⅝ +1¼ 5.0 — 145⅝ 89½ FirstGroup ● 102¼ -2 2.6 1.7 153¼ 115½ IBM $ 124 … 5.3 0.3
Data is provided for information purposes only and is not
1054 621⅞ Grafton Gp ● 859 -6½ 3.8 9.6 2520 1900 S & U 2360 +85 5.5 7.5 326 256 CT UK Cap & Inc 288* -2 4.1 300 Net Asset Values © 2023 Morningstar Estimated at previous 14370 7340 Flutter Entrtmt 14205 +85 — -83.2 52½ 24⅝ Intel $ 28¾ +⅝ 1.7 3.9 intended for trading purposes. Speak with a financial
advisor before using any data to make transactions.
day’s close see www.Morningstar.co.uk.

Winners and losers (pc) Major price changes FTSE 100 World market indices Exchange rates £ > € Rate 1.1315 Change -0.19¢ £ > $ Rate 1.2322 Change +0.91¢
Ç Gas & Water 1.20 Risers 36 Volume Close Change Fallers 63 Volume Close Change Index Change
Ç Melrose Ind 15.83m 159⅞ 3.70pc È Brit Amer Tob 7.53m 2823½ -5.54pc È Australia All Ordinaries 7148.60 -52.10 -0.72pc Tourist £1 = Sterling £1 = 1 Euro = 1 Dollar =
Ç AIM 0.87 Ç Endeavour Mg 0.32m 1843 2.90pc È Schroders 1.34m 445⅜ -3.88pc È Brazil Bovespa 97926.34 -2294.29 -2.29pc Australia Aus $ 1.7331 1.8338 1.6207 1.4883
Ç Ocado Group 4.05m 447⅜ 2.83pc È Standard Chart 9.09m 632⅜ -3.01pc Ç China Shanghai Composite 3286.65 +20.90 +0.64pc Canada Can $ 1.6040 1.6830 1.4874 1.3659
Ç Aerospace & defence 0.64
Ç Scot Mort Inv Tst 6.15m 670 2.17pc È HSBC 116.15m 548¼ -2.90pc Ç France CAC General 7139.25 +8.13 +0.11pc Denmark Krone 8.0038 8.4291 7.4498 6.8410
Ç BAE Systems 17.09m 975 1.77pc È Legal&Gen 21.90m 228⅞ -2.80pc È Germany DAX 15210.39 -5.80 -0.04pc Euro € 1.0779 1.1315 … 0.9183
Ç Electricity 0.62
Ç Segro 5.22m 737¾ 1.63pc È Kingfisher 7.74m 263¾ -2.77pc Ç Hong Kong Hang Seng 20049.64 +458.21 +2.34pc Hong Kong HK $ 9.1744 9.6720 8.5483 7.8497
Ç Chemicals 0.60 Ç Centrica 21.97m 104¾ 1.50pc È Informa 6.51m 674 -2.71pc È India BSE S&P SENSEX 57925.28 -289.31 -0.50pc India Rupee 89.2400 101.3628 89.5866 82.2650
Ç Beazley 3.87m 557 1.36pc È Imp Brands 1.90m 1875½ -2.29pc È Japan Nikkei 27419.61 -47.00 -0.17pc Israel Shekels 4.0107 4.3692 3.8616 3.5460
Ç Electricals 0.55 Ç Unite Group 0.67m 898 1.35pc È M&G 7.64m 182 -2.28pc È Singapore Straits Times 3219.00 -1.98 -0.06pc Japan Yen 153.5000 161.4055 142.6535 130.9950
Ç Antofagasta 1.89m 1557 1.33pc È Smith&Neph 4.78m 1152 -2.17pc È Spain Madrid SE 892.11 -4.23 -0.47pc Kuwait Dinar … 0.3770 0.3332 0.3059
Ç Information technology 0.55 Ç Auto Trader Grp 2.82m 607⅝ 1.33pc È Convatec 3.80m 219 -2.06pc È Switzerland SMI Index 10718.54 -63.74 -0.59pc New Zealand NZ $ 1.8243 1.9612 1.7333 1.5917
Ç Severn Trent 1.44m 2833 1.32pc È Ashtead Group 0.71m 5000 -2.04pc Ç USA Dow Jones 32105.25 +75.14 +0.23pc Norway Krone 12.2100 12.6779 11.2050 10.2892
Ç Engineering / Industrial 0.23
Ç Lon Stock Ex 0.82m 7780 1.28pc È Barclays 75.88m 139¾ -2.02pc Ç USA Nasdaq 11787.40 +117.44 +1.01pc Pakistan Rupee 327.9500 348.5445 308.0509 282.8750
Ç Fresnillo 0.54m 735 1.10pc È Tesco 16.65m 253¾ -2.01pc Saudi Arabia Riyal 4.3245 4.6287 4.0909 3.7566
Ç Investment trusts 0.20
Ç Utd. Utilities 1.55m 1052½ 1.10pc È CRH 0.99m 4048 -1.96pc Singapore $ 1.5234 1.6320 1.4424 1.3245
È Support services -0.89 Ç Barratt Dev 10.37m 444¾ 1.09pc È Shell 11.39m 2272 -1.96pc Commodities summary South Africa Rand 21.0100 22.2326 19.6497 18.0437
Ç Haleon 39.65m 332½ 1.06pc È Phoenix 3.88m 557⅝ -1.93pc Sweden Krona 12.0400 12.6434 11.1745 10.2613
È Retailers -0.92 Ç Rightmove 2.29m 564 1.04pc È British Land 6.59m 367¾ -1.92pc Price Change Switzerland Franc 1.0755 1.1269 0.9960 0.9146
Ç Croda Intl 0.65m 6464 0.97pc È Lloyds Bk Gp 235.48m 46⅞ -1.92pc Ç Gold per troy oz $1992.60 +23.20 +1.18pc Thailand Baht 37.5700 41.9793 37.1022 34.0700
Ç 3i 3.54m 1583½ 0.92pc È B&MEurValRtl 2.35m 474¾ -1.43pc È Silver per troy oz £18.75 -0.03 -0.18pc UAE Dirham 4.2436 4.5252 3.9994 3.6726
È Insurance -0.96
Ç Natl Grid 6.33m 1056 0.86pc È Whitbread 0.71m 2889 -1.40pc Ç Krugerrand £1636.58 +15.29 +0.94pc UK £ … … 0.8839 0.8116
Ç Admiral 1.56m 2010 0.75pc È Rolls Royce 37.70m 147⅜ -1.26pc Ç New Sovereign £372.50 +2.13 +0.58pc USA $ 1.1760 1.2322 1.0890 …
È Construction -1.10
Ç Maples £1633.28 +16.80 +1.04pc Tourist rates for indication use only. www.travelex.co.uk
È Beverages -1.14
Results Roundup È Platinum per oz £801.78 -0.28 -0.04pc
Company Turnover(£) Pre - tax(£) EPS(p) DIV(p) Pay Day XD È Palladium per oz £1157.69 -25.78 -2.18pc Money & Rates
Audioboom Group $ Fin 74.9m (60.3m) -429k (1.7m) -4.700 (45.000) 8.000 (0.000) tba tba È Copper† grade A £7295.08 -4.81 -0.07pc
È Healthcare -1.51
Carr’s Group Fin 124.2m (120.3m) 7.6m (7.5m) 6.400 (6.200) 2.850 (2.650) May 12 Apr 13 Ç Tin† high grade £19720.82 +425.59 +2.21pc RPI (1987=100) Feb 364.50 +1.2pc +13.8pc
Energean $ Fin 737.1m (497.0m) 107.0m (-90.7m) 10.000 (-52.000) 0.000 (0.000) - - È Lead† £1720.09 -12.39 -0.72pc RPIX (Target 2.5pc) Feb 363.60 +3.8 +12.9pc
È Oil & Gas -1.69
Gulf Keystone Petroleum $ Fin 460.1m (301.4m) 265.8m (163.7m) 123.520 (77.140) tba (11.561) Jul 21 Jul 06 È Zinc† special high grade £2349.86 -2.36 -0.10pc CPI (2015=100 target 2pc) Feb 127.90 +1.1pc +10.4pc

È Banks -2.46 Inchcape Fin 8.1bn (6.9bn) 333.1m (148.8m) -3.000 (30.000) 21.300 (16.100) June 2023 tba Ç Aluminium† high grade £1887.68 +19.48 +1.04pc Halifax house price index Feb 492.30 +1.10pc +2.1pc
JPMorgan UK Smaller IT Int – (–) 2.2m (2.9m) 2.800 (3.650) 0.000 (0.000) - - È Nickel† £18288.43 -324.11 -1.74pc

È Tobaccos -4.86 Playtech € Fin 1.6bn (1.2bn) 95.6m (605.0m) 29.200 (226.300) n/a (n/a) - - Ç Baltic Dry Index* 1484.00 +28.00 +1.92pc Bank Rate 4.25pc Nationwide Base Mortgage Rate 6.00pc
Pollen Street Fin – (–) 26.9m (31.8m) 62.400 (90.200) 16.000 (20.000) Mar 31 Mar 02 Æ Wheat per tonne £191.00 unch unch 1 month 4.18pc US Fed Funds 4.75-5.00pc
Symphony International $ Fin 14.7m (182.2m) 7.6m (122.5m) 1.480 (23.860) 0.000 (0.000) - - È Brent Crude May settlement $75.91 -0.78 -1.02pc 3 months 4.37pc US Long Bonds Yld 3.72pc
Wickes Group Fin 1.6bn (1.5bn) 40.3m (65.4m) 12.600 (23.300) 7.300 (8.800) Jun 07 Apr 20 6 months 4.66pc European base rate 3.50pc
*Copyright Baltic Exchange Information Services Ltd. †Data provided by the London Metal Exchange.

Mid Change Mid Change Mid Change Mid Change Mid Change Mid Change Mid Change Mid Change

Name Init chge Sell Buy on day
Name Init chge Sell Buy on day Name Init chge Sell Buy on day Name Init chge Sell Buy on day
Name Init chge Sell Buy on day Name Init chge Sell Buy on day
Name Init chge Sell Buy on day Name Init chge Sell Buy on day

Inflation-Linked Corp Bd 0% 108.57 +0.23 Inst UK IDX Opp Tr – 113.1001 … Jupiter Multi Asst Inc L Acc – *98.24 +0.2743 Eqty Inv Chrties GBP Inc – 1452.94 …
Long-Term Global Equity 0% 302.8 -3.56 Multi-Mgr Abs Ret A Acc 5.00 161.6 … Jupiter Multi Asst Inc L Inc – *50.1 +0.1399 Eqty Inv Chrties GBP Acc – 28864.66 …
Asian Income 0% 127.45 +0.56 Fundsmith LLP Multi-Mgr Active A Acc† 5.00 252.5 -0.6 Jupiter Multi Asst I & G L Inc – 96.14 -0.0833 †CAR - Net Income reinvested.
PO Box 10846, Chelmsford, Essex, CM99 2BW.
AXA Investment Managers UK Continental European 0% 218.92 +0.27 0330 123 1815 Multi-Mgr Distbn A Inc 5.25 124.4 … Jupiter Responsible Inc L Acc – 125.4 -0.4155
Limited Natwest Investment Funds
www.fundsmith.co.uk enquiries@fundsmith.co.uk
7 Newgate Street, London, EC1A 7NX
BNY Mellon Fund Managers Global Dynamic Bd 0% 84.67 +0.22 Multi-Mgr Divrsfd A Acc – 87.02 … Jupiter Unit Trust Managers Ltd Jupiter Responsible Inc L Inc – 67.23 -0.2228 (RBS Collective Investment Funds Ltd)
www.axaframlington.com Cust Svs: 0845 777 5511 Investors: 0800 614330 Brokers: 08085 660000 Global High Yield Bd 0% 73.61 +0.23 Fundsmith Equity T Acc – 602.53 -3.14 Multi-Mgr Inc&Gwth A Acc 5.00 186.6 … The Zig Zag Building, 70 Victoria Street, London, Jupiter Strategic Bond L Acc – *96.25 +0.5171 PO Box 249, York YO90 1ZY
www.bnymellonim.co.uk, SW1E 6SQ 0117 940 3848
Amer Gwth Acc – 1119 -22.00 clientservices@bnymellon.com Global Opportunities 0% 267.96 -2.15 Fundsmith Equity T Inc – 549.13 -2.86 Multi-Mgr Inc&Gwth A Inc 5.25 145.2 … 020 3817 1000 Jupiter Strategic Bond L Inc – *54.66 +0.2936
BNY Mellon Investment Funds (ICVC)
Biotech Acc – 237.8 -4.70 International Bd 0% 103.94 +0.64 Multi-Mgr Mangd A Acc† 5.00 310.7 -0.4 Jupiter Abslt Rtn L Acc – 32.02 +0.1530 Jupiter UK Growth L Inc – 251.39 -0.1561 Global Bond Fund Inc – 84.04 …
Sterling Income Shares
Clean Economy R Acc – 1032 -10.00 Multi-Asset Bal 0% 158.9 -0.46 Multi-Mgr Mangd A Inc† 5.00 300 -0.3 Jupiter Asian Inc L Acc – 186.14 +0.3928 Jupiter UK Smaller Cos Eq L Acc– *332.71 +0.8033 Mangd Eqty Grwth Fnd Acc – 120.80 …
Emerg Mkts Acc – 262.3 +2.80 Global Income 0% 250.42 -2.25 Mult-Asset Div Return 0% 134.31 -0.10 Sterling Bond Acc† 4.25 205.9 … Jupiter Asian Inc L Inc – 142.38 +0.3006 Jupiter UK Special Sits L Inc – 207.35 -2.2386 Mangd Grwth Fund Inc – 110.94 …
FinTech R Acc – 745.4 -14.40 Corporate Bond 0% 81.06 +0.44 Mult-Asset Growth 0% 233.19 -0.83 Sterling Bond Inc† 4.25 56.24 … Jupiter China L Acc – *101.33 +1.8121 Jupiter US Sm&Md Inst I Acc – 80.99 … Mangd Grwth Fund Acc – 115.90 …
Global Tech – 202.0 -3.50 Equity Inc 0% 149.45 -0.90 Oriental 0% 186.59 +2.12
Guinness Global Investors Strategic Bond A Inc 4.00 105.2 … Jupiter China L Inc – *94.31 +1.6867 Jupiter US Sm&Md Cap Ret Acc – 74.46 … UK Eqty Fund Acc – 117.62 …
18 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ
Global Thematics R GBP Acc – 2019 -27.00 Equity Inc Booster 0% 94.04 -0.56 Real Return A 0% 103.33 … www.guinnessgi.com UK Absolute Return A Acc 5.00 167.7 … Jupiter Corp Bond L Inc – *51.02 +0.3065 UK Eqty Fund Inc – 103.02 …
+44(0)20 7222 5703 Marks & Spencer Unit Trust
Health Acc – 2865 -35.00 Glob Abs Ret 0% 108.02 -0.03 UK Equity Fund 0% 141.77 -0.41 UK Alpha A Acc† 5.25 135.5 … Jupiter Eco L Inc – 540.87 -4.5433
Management Ltd Yealand Fund Services Limited
Japan R GBP Acc – 578.9 +5.10 Glob Multi-Strat 0% 113.95 -0.15 UK Income 0% 140.04 -0.85 Sustainable Energy Acc† – 24.1005 … UK Smaller Cos A ACC 5.00 791.3 … Jupiter European L Inc – 2904.73 -1.8433 Kings Meadow, Chester, CH99 9UT Admin: Stuart House, St John's St,
0870 333 1835
Managed Balanced Acc – 459.9 -1.40 Inflation-Linked Corp Bd 0% 108.43 +0.22 UK Opportunities 0% 156.24 -0.21 Global Innovators Acc† – 26.4626 … UK Equity Income A Inc 5.00 508.2 … Jupiter Euro Inc L Acc – 85.016292 … Peterborough PE1 5DD
Dealing & Enquiries: 0345 850 0255
Managed Income Acc – 178.4 +0.20 Long-Term Global Equity 0% 399.76 -4.72 US Opportunities 0% 290.74 -5.31 Global Equity Inc† – 18.4477 … UK Index Opps Tst A Acc – 112.4201 … Jupiter Euro Inc L Inc – 49.786986 … High Income Inc – *86.16 86.16 …
Managed Income Incf – 92.34 +0.09 Asian Income 0% 207.29 … Emerging Income 0% 97.69 … †Available as an ISA US Growth A Acc 5.00 1680 … Jupiter Euro Special Sits L Acc – *458 +1.1590 High Income Acc – *241 241 … Generation Fd 5.00 865.9 …
Monthly Inc Inc – 220.3 -0.50 European Opps 0% 330.72 +0.41 Global Dynamic Bd Inc 0% 0.8795 … †Available as an ISA Jupiter Fin Opp L Inc – 676.96 -16.0755 UK Select Port Inc – 336.1 336.1 … FENIX Balanced Inc 5.00 *171.6 …
Monthly Inc Acc – 676.5 -1.80 Global Dynamic Bd 0% 87.8 +0.23 Global Emerging Mkts 0% 200.4 +1.87 Jupiter Fund Of Inv Tsts L Inc – 282.86 -0.1896 UK Selection Port – 695.5 695.5 …
UK Growth Acc – 321.0 -0.40 Global High Yield Bd 0% 46.36 +0.15 Global Equity Fund 0% 262.34 -2.11 Jupiter Global Emg Mkts L Acc – 61.87 +0.2191 UK 100 Co's Fund Inc – *222.4 222.4 …
UK Select Opps R Inc – 1852 … Global Opportunities 0% 407.5 -3.28 Multi Asset Inc 0% 120.14 -0.35 Janus Henderson Investors Jupiter Global Finl Innov L Acc – 91.3 -2.3935 UK 100 Co's Fund Acc – *452.7 452.7 …
UK Select Opps R Acc – 3558 +1.00 International Bd 0% 226.5 +1.39 PO Box 9023 Chelmsford, CM99 2WB Jupiter Growth & Inc L Inc – 92.67 -0.1518 W'wide Man Inc – 541.9 …
Consistent Unit Trust Enquiries: 0800 832 832
UK Smllr Cos Acc – 266.5 +0.60 Multi-Asset Bal 0% 240.88 -0.69
Management Co Ltd Website: www.janushenderson.com J.P. Morgan Asset Management Jupiter Income Trust L Inc – 503.43 -5.5808 W'wide Man Acc – 926.4 …
AXA IM Funds www.axa-im.co.uk 60 Victoria Embankment, London, EC4Y 0JP *138.21
Mult-Asset Div Return 0% 173.38 … Admin: Stuart House, St John's St, Jupiter India L Acc – -0.5623
Peterborough PE1 5DD Clients:0800 204020.Brokerline 0800 727770
Mult-Asset Growth 0% 1163.53 -4.17 Asia Pac Cap Gwth A Acc 5.00 1136 … Jupiter Japan Inc L Acc – *141.21 +1.4331
Dealing & Client Services 0345 850 8818
Oriental 0% 916.33 +10.43 Asian Dividend Income Inc 5.00 78.64 … JPM Ems C Net Dis – *160.8000 +0.8000 Jupiter Japan Inc L Inc – *98.34 +0.9979
Real Return A 0% 116.1 +0.39 Opportunities Unit Tst Inc 0% 59.78 … Cautious Managed A Acc 5.00 285.2 … JPM Japan C Net Acc – *298.1000 +1.9000 Jupiter Merlin Bal Prtfo L Acc – 229.12 -1.2797
UK Equity Fund 0% 838.05 -2.46 Opportunities Unit Tst Acc 0% 162.4 … Cautious Managed A Inc 5.00 140.7 … JPM Natural Res C Net ACC – *986.5000 -11.2000 Jupiter Merlin Bal Prtfo L Inc – 144.07 -0.8046
M&G Securities Ltd
Blue Whale Capital UK Income 0% 70.29 -0.43 Practical Invest Inc 5.00 233.6 233.6 -0.6 China Opps A Acc 5.00 1192 … JPM UK Equity Core E Acc – *432.8000 -1.7000 Jupiter Merlin Con Port L Acc – *61.89 +0.1932 PO Box 9039, Chelmsford, CM99 2XG
0345 307 3439 *62.5800 *47.21 Enq: 0800 390 390. UT Deal: 0800 328 3196
UK Opportunities 0% 312.63 -0.42 Practical Invest Acc 5.00 1488 1488 -3 Emerg Mkts Opps A Acc 5.00 192.5 … JPM UK Equity Core E Inc – -0.2500 Jupiter Merlin Con Port L Inc – +0.1474
www.bluewhale.co.uk
US Opportunities 0% 317.49 -5.81 European Growth A Acc† 5.25 296.8 … JPM US Eq Inc C Net – *392.1000 -8.6000 Jupiter Merlin Grth Prtfo L Acc – *527.68 -5.2911 Charibond Chrties Fxd Int Acc – 3953.1 …
B Shares Discretionary Unit Fund *414.3000 *512.83
Blue Whale Growth R Acc – 164.92 -1.63 No 1, Poultry, London EC2R 8JR. 020 7415 4130 European Sel Opps A Acc 5.00 2241 … JPM US Eq Inc C Net Dis – -9.1000 Jupiter Merlin Grth Prtfo L Inc – -5.1423 Charibond Chrties Fxd Int Dis – 110.04 …
Global Income 0% 203.51 … Fixed Int Mthly Inc A Inc 4.25 17.61 … JPM US Select C Net Acc – *752.6000 -14.5000 Jupiter Merlin Inc Prtfo L Acc – 339.79 -0.0790 Charity Multi Asset Acc – 10622.78 …
Corporate Bond 0% 98.21 +0.53 Maitland Discretionary Inc 3.00 1602 +0.06 Global Care Growth A Inc 4.50 466.1 … JPM US Sm Cos Gwth C Net Ac – 865.8000 -27.4000 Jupiter Merlin Inc Prtfo L Inc – 135.68 -0.0316 Charity Multi Asset Dis – 88.13 …
Equity Inc 0% 111.77 -0.67 Global Equity Inc A Inc† 5.25 64.72 … Jupiter Merlin WW Prtfo L Inc – 371.73 -4.1639
Equity Inc Booster 0% 73.94 -0.44 Global Growth Acc 4.25 4161 … Jupiter Merlin WW Prtfo L Acc – 371.72 -4.1637 Initial charge:

Global Strategic Cap Acc† *122.98 This charge in percentage terms is included in the purchase
Glob Abs Ret 0% 108.56 -0.03 5.00 304.1 … Jupiter Monthly Alt Inc L Acc – -0.5351 price of the units. It is levied by the unit trust manager to cover
administrative costs and commissions.
Glob Multi-Strat 0% 114.63 -0.15 Global Technology A Acc 5.00 2919 … Jupiter Monthly Alt Inc L Inc – *25.91 -0.1127
* Denotes Ex-dividend ‡ Denotes Suspended
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023
Taking a longer-term view,
these two venture capital trusts
remain worthwhile holdings
ROBERT STEPHENS
PHENS
QUESTOR
TFOL
TFOLIO
IO
INCOME PORTFOLIO
While they may
not provide a stable
income on which
you could rely,
VCTs can generate
a high, if fluctuating,
tax-free dividend
Read Questor’s rules of investment before
you follow our tips: telegraph.co.uk/go/
questorrules; telegraph.co.uk/questor
Glencore boss gets Sales heat up for Brokers FinnCap
$4.2m bonuses Wickes as public and Cenkos form
fuelled by sales targets energy bills investment bank
Glencore’s boss has collected $4.2m
(£3.4m) in bonuses after the mining
giant reported record annual profits.
Gary Nagle, who succeeded Ivan
Glasenberg in July 2021, received
$6.1m in total last year, according to a
newly published annual report.
It also included a $1.8m salary,
$42,000 in pension contributions and
$18,000 worth of benefits such as a
lunch card for his company’s staff
canteen in Baar, Switzerland.
The award comes after Glencore
posted a record-breaking $34bn profit,
partly thanks to sales of coal rocketing
during the energy crisis.
Mr Nagle’s pay package is the
biggest handed to a Glencore chief
executive since the £57bn miner listed
on the London Stock Exchange in 2013.
R
apidly rising living costs could
prompt some income investors to
seek ever-higher dividend yields.
While their investment portfolio may
have provided a satisfactory income
over previous years, rampant inflation
and a challenging economic outlook
may mean there is now a disparity
between their income and outgoings.
However, in Questor’s view, high-
yielding investments should come with
a health warning. In the vast majority of
cases, they have significant risks to be
carefully considered before purchase.
For example, a high-yielding stock
may be struggling in today’s low-growth
economic environment and could cut its
dividend to a level that makes it far less
attractive from an income perspective.
Or, as in the case of our income
portfolio’s two venture capital trusts
(VCTs), it may be exposed to smaller
companies that are less likely to survive
an economic slowdown.
Indeed, Baronsmead Venture Trust
and Northern Venture Trust currently
have historical dividend yields of 10pc
and 7pc, respectively. Both figures are
far greater than the FTSE 100’s 3.7pc
dividend yield, and therefore extremely
attractive to income investors in the
current climate, but come with
significantly higher risks than an
investment in the large-cap index.
As well as their focus on investing in
unquoted and Aim-listed smaller
companies that do not have the
Sales rose to a record high at
Wickes as customers stocked up on
fuel-efficient products and insulation
amid surging energy prices.
David Wood, chief executive, said:
“We’ve seen dramatic increases in the
sales of loft insulation, loft boards,
draught excluders, heating controls,
thermostats and so forth.”
Revenues rose 1.8pc to £1.5bn in
2022. However, the company’s
statutory operating profits fell by
30pc to £67.1m.
Wickes is planning to open 20
new stores over the next five years,
largely in retail parks near big towns,
Mr Wood said.
“There are around probably 30 to 40
areas of white space that I think really
deserve a Wickes in the UK,” he added.
*** 23
Business
Baronsmead Venture Trust
90
p
Close: 56.5p Key
numbers
 Market value:
85
80
£198m
 Year of listing:
1998
 Discount: 5pc
 Ave discount
75
over past year:
5pc
 Yield (Sept
2022): 10.2pc
 Most recent
70 year’s dividend:
5.75p
Baronsmead geographical diversification or balance  Gearing: nil
Venture Trust sheet strength of larger businesses,  Annual charge
VCTs can be relatively illiquid.
65
(Sept 2022):
HOLD
They also tend to pay “lumpy” 2.06pc
While they can be dividends due to their payouts being at
a little erratic as 60
least partly dependent on company
regards payouts, this realisations that can be somewhat
fund and Northern
erratic. As a result, they may not provide
Venture Trust are
worth holding onto a stable income on which to rely. 55
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Of course, in some cases the rewards
offered by high-yielding investments are
worth the risks. Having held both VCTs equate to 57pc of the original purchase ‘Ultimately valuations and investor sentiment are
in our income portfolio since October price. And since this column takes a
the raison
extremely likely to dramatically improve
2016, this column feels they are an long-term view and has a diverse in the coming years.
appropriate means of generating a high,
yet fluctuating, dividend that is not
portfolio of investments, the non-
uniform payment of dividends is not a
d’etre of Separately, the two trusts provide
welcome diversification benefits in an
currently subject to tax.
Clearly, their share price performance
major concern.
Neither is a tough economic outlook
VCTs is era where some mainstream
investments, notably bonds, have
to buy
has been highly disappointing over
recent years. Since our notional
that has prompted a “flight to safety”
among investors and caused particularly companies
become relatively unappealing. And
with Baronsmead and Northern having
purchase in October 2016, for instance,
Baronsmead’s shares are down 30pc and
weak sentiment towards listed small-cap
stocks and unquoted companies. While
at low strong track records of realising a variety
of holdings at sizeable multiples to their
the capital loss on Northern stands at they could remain unpopular in the prices and original outlay, they continue to offer
20pc. In their latest results to September short run, and may suffer considerably long-term investment appeal.
2022, the former reported a 19pc annual as rising interest rates put pressure on a sell them Indeed, their generous dividend
decline in net asset value (NAV) while wide range of sectors, low company at a much payments over recent years highlights
the latter’s NAV fell by 14pc as the valuations present Baronsmead and their capacity to generate an attractive
valuations of growth-focused holdings Northern with relatively attractive higher income stream over the long run. They
came under severe pressure in an era of long-term buying opportunities. price’ undoubtedly carry greater risk than
rapidly rising interest rates. Ultimately, the raison d’etre of VCTs is many other investments, which could
It is worth remembering, though, that to buy companies at low prices and deter some income seekers from buying
Baronsmead has paid dividends of subsequently sell them at much higher them. But since this column takes a
39.25p per share since our notional prices. Although the next period of long-term view and has other sources of
purchase. This amounts to around 47pc sustained economic growth may feel income in its portfolio, they remain
of the original purchase price. Northern, extremely distant at the moment, the worthwhile holdings that have the
meanwhile, has paid dividends per share track record of the UK economy potential to deliver improving total
of 40p since our notional purchase that suggests company performance, market returns as the economy recovers.
Offices less than Inchcape shares Accenture to cut
30pc full because tumble despite 19,000 jobs in drive
of transport strikes profit growth to reduce costs
City stockbrokers FinnCap and Train and Tube strikes have pushed Shares in car dealer Inchcape sank by Accenture plans to cut 19,000 jobs
Cenkos have agreed to a £43m merger, office occupancy levels to below 30pc more than a tenth after its broker over the next 18 months, becoming the
after the former’s takeover talks with for the first time this year. issued a warning over the company’s latest consultancy giant to drastically
Panmure Gordon broke down late Last week the number dropped to earnings for the year. cut costs amid economic headwinds.
last year. 29.9pc and to 26.5pc in London, the JP Morgan cut their expectations of The New York-listed company faces
The all-share deal will create an lowest in the capital this year since the company’s profits for 2023 by 4pc $1.2bn (£980m) in staff severance and
investment bank with 230 employees the first week of January, according to £468m, in a note to clients. personnel costs, and will spend $300m
and combined revenues of more than to Remit Consulting. Pre-pandemic Inchcape distributes cars around the consolidating office space.
£50m. The merger will be followed by properties were closer to 60pc full. world as well as selling them to drivers Accenture also lowered its annual
cost reductions in “areas of duplicative Lorna Landells of Remit through its dealership network. forecasts, reducing maximum revenue
or inefficient spending”, the London- Consulting said: “Since the end of Slimmer margins from North and growth from 11pc to 10pc.
listed firms said in a joint statement. lockdown in May 2021 ... for much of South America could be on the “We are also taking steps to lower
“The FinnCap board and the Cenkos that time, the West End has horizon, JP Morgan said, adding: our costs in fiscal year 2024 and
board are mindful of the market outperformed all other areas of the “Inchcape did not provide a detailed beyond, while continuing to invest in
challenges faced by the broking sector capital but since the end of last year [2023] outlook, which might be seen our business and people to capture the
in recent years and that as this highly the Docklands market has been negatively at this point in the year.” growth opportunities ahead,” said
fragmented market is becoming consistently stronger, possibly due to Profit before tax last year rose by chief executive Julie Sweet.
increasingly competitive, scale is ... banks and other financial 50pc to £373m. The shares fell 13pc to Last month McKinsey announced
becoming increasingly important,” the institutions encouraging staff back to end at 758p yesterday, valuing the plans to axe 2,000 jobs and KPMG has
companies said. their desks.” company at £3.1bn. cut 700 roles from its US operations.
24 ***
Court & Social
Court
Circular
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
March 22nd
President Hamid Karzai (former
President of the Islamic Republic
of Afghanistan) visited The King
this morning.
March 23rd
His Excellency Mr Yannis
Tsaousis was received in audience
by The King today and presented
the Letters of Recall of his
predecessor and his own Letters
of Credence as Ambassador from
the Hellenic Republic to the Court
of St James’s.
His Excellency Mr Koray Ertas
was received in audience by The
King and presented the Letters of
Recall of his predecessor and his
own Letters of Credence as
Ambassador from the Republic of
Turkey to the Court of St James’s.
Mrs Ertas was also received by
His Majesty.
Sir Philip Barton (Permanent
Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Affairs) was present.
The King this afternoon
officially opened the new London
Headquarters of the European
Bank for Reconstruction and
Development at Five Bank Street,
London E14, and was received by
Colonel Jane Davis (Vice
Lord-Lieutenant of Greater
London), the President of the Bank
(Mrs Odile Renaud-Basso) and Mr
Peter Curwen (the Board Director
representing the United Kingdom).
His Majesty toured the Bank,
escorted by the President, and met
Ukrainian and Turkish staff before
Forthcoming
marriage
Mr T.C.D. Onslow and
Miss E.C.L. Marshall
The engagement is announced
between Thomas, son of the
Hon Richard Onslow and the late
Mrs Onslow, of Tarrant Gunville,
Dorset, and Emma, daughter of
Mr and Mrs Richard Marshall,
of Richmond, Surrey.
Online ref: 619284
Dinner
Royal London Yacht Club
The Commodore of the Royal
London Yacht Club, Mrs Shelagh
Jones, welcomed members and
guests to the Club's annual
Arundel Dinner held last night at
the Army and Navy Club. The
event celebrates the formation of
the Club on the River Thames in
1838, known then as the Arundel
Yacht Club.
Service dinner
RAF College Cranwell
Members of 1Ω1 Entry (the �nal
flight cadet entry at RAF College
Cranwell) held their quinquennial
dinner last night at The Petwood
Hotel, Woodhall Spa,
to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of their graduation.
Sqn Ldr Richard Cullingworth
presided.
Bridge news
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Contract Bridge Association held
one day Swiss Pairs and Swiss
Teams events, writes Julian
Pottage, Bridge Correspondent.
The former took place at
Otterbourne Village Hall, near
Winchester, and the latter online
on RealBridge.
Winners are as follows:
Pairs: 1st Stephen Lee and John
England, 92 VPs; 2nd Stuart
Strachan and Eleanor Rice, 77 VPs;
and 3rd= Ian Swanson and David
Norman and Clare and Ian Fearon,
75 VPs.
Teams: 1st Gilda Pender and
Rebecca Brown, Kathleen
Vaughan and Noreen Pender, 82
VPs; 2nd Lilias Lamont and
Andrew Doye, James Clark and
Stephen Lee, 81 VPs; and 3rd Aida
Aris and Mark Roderick, Peter
Kaufmann and Paddy Murphy, 77
VPs.
A one day Swiss Pairs also took
place at The Cotils in Saint Peter
Port, Guernsey. Winners are as
follows:
1st Daniel McIntosh and Tim
Gauld, 100 VPs; 2nd Margaret
Allen and Jill Morgan, 80 VPs; and
3rd Chris Hill and Jane Knight, 79
VPs.
viewing an art exhibition of
paintings from Ukraine and joining
a Meeting with the Board of
Directors on green transition.
Mrs Derek Cross was later
received by The King upon
relinquishing her appointment
as The late Queen’s Diary
Secretary.
The King was represented by
The Duke of Kent at the Service of
Thanksgiving for Field Marshal the
Lord Inge, KG (formerly Chief of
the Defence Staff), which was held
at St Margaret’s Church,
Westminster Abbey, today. The
Queen Consort was represented by
Gen Sir Patrick Sanders.
KENSINGTON PALACE
March 22nd
The Prince of Wales this morning
departed from Royal Air Force
Northolt for Poland and was
received this afternoon upon
arrival at Rzeszow-Jasionka
International Airport by His
Majesty’s Ambassador to the
Republic of Poland (Her
Excellency Ms Anna Clunes).
His Royal Highness then met
British troops at the Airport.
The Prince of Wales later
visited a Polish Military Base in
Rzeszow.
His Royal Highness afterwards
visited British troops providing
support to Poland and Ukraine.
The Prince of Wales this
evening met Ukrainian refugees
living in temporary
accommodation in Warsaw.
Mr Jean-Christophe Gray, Mr
Lee Thompson and Commander
Robert Dixon, RN, are in
attendance.
March 23rd
The Prince of Wales today
undertook the following
engagements in Poland.
His Royal Highness this morning
laid a wreath at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier at Plac
Marszalka Józefa Pilsudskiego,
THRILLING
“NATIONAL.”
What occurred yesterday before the eyes of the
Prince of Wales and the thousands in the neigh-
bourhood was of almost bewildering rapidity,
movements being reeled off before the eye and
mind could fairly take them in. We could just
make out the third fence in front of Becher’s.
Beyond that was lost in complete obscurity. Bech-
er’s was easily distinguishable across our front,
the Canal turn was less than fifty yards on our left,
and Valentine’s under our eyes. As they went away
from us there was first a plain fence and then an
open ditch with a formidable drop. In the mists
beyond Becher’s we could faintly make out the
colours of the fast-moving horses as they emerged
like ghosts out of the grey background. Duettiste
and Taffytus were missing. They must have come
to grief soon after getting over the first fence or
In memoriam
Field Marshal Lord Inge
The King was represented by the
Duke of Kent at a service of
thanksgiving for the life of Field
Marshal Lord Inge held yesterday
at St Margaret’s Church,
Westminster Abbey.
The Queen Consort was
represented by Gen Sir Patrick
Sanders, Chief of the General Staff.
The Princess Royal was
represented by Marshal of the RAF
Lord Stirrup.
The Duke and Duchess of
Gloucester were represented by
Viscount Brookeborough and
Princess Alexandra by the Duke of
Abercorn.
The Rt Rev Anthony Ball, Canon
in Residence, officiated.During the
Procession of Achievements,
former aides-de-camp carried the
Crest and Banner, Field Marshal’s
Baton and medals, the Insignia of
the Order of the Bath and the Order
of the Garter the Altar.
Mr Toby Barnes Yallowley and
Mr Charlie Barnes Yallowley
(grandsons) read If by Rudyard
Kipling. Gen Lord Houghton of
Richmond and Mr Max Barnes
Yallowley (grandson), read the
lessons.
Gen Lord Dannatt paid tribute to
Lord Inge and the Bishop of
Worcester and Lord High Almoner
gave an address.
The Rev Ralph Godsall, Priest
Vicar, led the prayers, assisted by
Brig David Colthup and the Rev
Tom Ringland, Vicar of the Penhill
churches.
The Band of The Yorkshire
Warsaw. The Prince of Wales
afterwards called upon The
President of the Republic of
Poland at the President’s
Chancellery, Warsaw.
His Royal Highness this
afternoon met Ukrainian refugees
who are settled in the Polish
community at Hala Koszyki,
Koszykowa 63, Warsaw.
The Prince of Wales
subsequently met Ukrainian staff
at Hala Koszyki who have been
displaced from the British
Embassy in Kyiv.
His Royal Highness later
arrived at Royal Air Force Northolt
from Poland.
Mr Jean-Christophe Gray, Mr
Lee Thompson and Commander
Robert Dixon, RN, were in
attendance.
ST JAMES’S PALACE
March 23rd
The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron,
The Duke of Edinburgh’s
International Award Foundation,
this morning chaired a Trustees’
Meeting at 7 More London
Riverside, London SE1.
ST JAMES’S PALACE
March 23rd
The Princess Royal this morning
visited Viridor Waste
Management’s Dunbar Energy
Recovery Facility in Oxwellmains,
Dunbar, and was received by His
Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of East
Lothian (Mr Roderick Urquhart).
Her Royal Highness, President,
Scotch Chef ’s Club, today visited
the Monitor Farm Scotland
Programme at J.R.B. Wilson and
Sons, Cowbog Farm, Morebattle,
Kelso, Roxburghshire, and was
received by Mr John Jeffery
(Deputy Lieutenant of Roxburgh,
Ettrick and Lauderdale).
KENSINGTON PALACE
March 23rd
The Duchess of Gloucester, Royal
Colonel, 7th Battalion The Rifles,
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
LONDON, SATURDAY MARCH 24, 1923
two. Gallant Sergeant Murphy was in the lead and
showing the others how simple the fences were to
a veteran with rich experience behind him.
At the Canal turn, with its acute bend towards
home. Sergeant Murphy landed clear of
Drifter, followed by Pencoed, going very well
indeed, and practically all the rest. It was
wonderful to see them from an elevated posi-
tion almost overhanging the fence race at
Valentine’s, with its deep, narrow ditch on the
landing side. Sergeant Murphy was still going
magnificently, and was easily first over in
front of Drifter and Max, with Forewarned
not travelling too well. When we picked them
up again as they made for Becher’s Sergeant
Murphy had regained the lead, and Pencoed,
Conjuror II., Punt Gun, Shaun Spadah, and
Drifter were among the survivors. The
favourite, Forewarned, we saw disappear at
the fence just in front of Becher’s.
Thus did the honours go at last to a right gallant
and courageous old horse, Sergeant Murphy.
Regiment, led by Colour Sergeant
Keith Marsden, played during the
service and Musician Adam Finch
played Last Post and Reveille.
Adml Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of
the Defence Staff was present.
The Lady Usher of the Black Rod
attended.
The Lord Mayor of Westminster,
Councillor Hamza Taouzzale, was
also present.
Sir John Major also attended.
The Ambassadors of Norway and
Jordan were also present and the
Ambassador of Bahrain was
represented by Brig-Gen Ahmed
Hamad S. Alrowiaie, Defence
Attaché. Among others in the large
congregation were:
Mr and Mrs Jonnie Barnes Yallowley
(son-in-law and daughter), Miss Verity
Inge (daughter) and other members of the
family.
The Earl and Countess of Airlie, Earl
Attlee, the Lord Chamberlain and
Countess Peel, Viscountess
Brookeborough, Field Marshal Lord
Guthrie of Craigiebank, Field Marshal
Lord and Lady Walker of Aldringham,
Marshal of the RAF Lord Craig of Radley,
Gen Lord and Lady Richards of
Herstmonceux, Lord and Lady Astor of
Hever, Lady Brittan of Spennithorne,
Lord Butler of Brockwell, Lord
Crathorne, representing the Lord-
Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, Lady
Dannatt, Baroness Eccles of Moulton,
Baroness Garden of Frognal, Lord
Glenarthur, Lady Houghton of
Richmond, Lord Morris of Aberavon, KC,
Lord Soames of Fletching, Lady Stirrup,
Vice-Adml the Hon Sir Nicholas
Hill-Norton.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Benjamin
this evening attended the
Rededication Service of Queen
Victoria’s Rifles’ Book of
Remembrance at the Parish
Church of St George, Hanover
Square, London W1.
www.royal.uk
Today’s birthdays
Dame Mary Berry, food writer
and television presenter, is 88;
Earl Cadogan 86; Mr Benjamin
Luxon, baritone, 86; Air Chief
Marshal Sir John Allison,
AOC-in-C RAF Strike Command,
1997-99, 80; Sir David Eady, a
former High Court Judge, 80;
Lord Ouseley, Chairman,
Commission for Racial Equality,
1993-2000, 78; Lord Sugar,
Executive Chairman, Amstrad,
1997-2008, 76; Prof Sir Eric
Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Bristol, 2001-15, 70;
Ms Jo Shapcott, poet, 70; Dr
Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, The
Southbank Centre, 2005-18, 69;
Sir Grayson Perry, artist in
ceramics, print and textiles, 63;
Mr Michael McLintock,
Chairman, Associated British
Foods, 62; Mr Neil Smith, former
World Rackets Champion, 60; the
Hon Victoria Prentis, KC, MP,
Attorney General, 52; Mr Graeme
Swann, former England cricketer,
now broadcaster, 44; Mr Dylan
Hartley, former England rugby
union captain and player, 37; Ms
Libby Clegg, sprinter; two time
Paralympic gold medallist, Rio
2016; Paralympic silver medallist,
London 2012, 33; and Ms Zoe
Newson, powerlifter; Paralympic
bronze medallist, women’s -40kg,
London 2012, 31.
Today is the anniversary of the
union of the English and Scottish
Crowns in 1603. It is also the
anniversary of the death of E.H.
Shepard in 1976.
Bathurst, Adml Sir Jock and Lady Slater,
Adml Sir Mark Stanhope, Gen Sir Adrian
Bradshaw, Governor, Royal Hospital
Chelsea, and Lady Bradshaw, Gen Sir
Timothy Granville-Chapman, Gen Sir
Mike and Lady Jackson, Gen Sir John and
Lady Waters, Air Chief Marshal Sir
Michael and Lady Graydon, Lt Gen Sir
Ben Bathurst, UK Military Representative
to Nato and EU, Lt Gen Sir Roderick and
Lady Cordy-Simpson, Lt Gen Sir Peter
and Lady Duffell, Lt Gen Sir Hew and
Lady Pike, Lt Gen Sir William Rollo, Lt
Gen Sir Barney and Lady White-Spunner,
Lt Gen Sir Michael Willcocks, Maj Gen Sir
Evelyn and the Hon Lady Webb-Carter,
Lady Bagnall, Dame Glynne Evans, Sir
Claude Hankes, Lady Kenny,
Lt Gen Andrew Figgures, Maj Gen
David Burden, Maj Gen Michael
Charlton-Weedy, Maj Gen Andrew
Cumming, Maj Gen Arthur Denaro,
Maj Gen and Mrs Andrew Farquhar, Maj
Gen David Jenkins, Maj Gen and Mrs
Lamont Kirkland, Maj Gen Zac Stenning,
Maj Gen and Mrs Tim Sulivan, Brig
Andrew Jackson, Governor, HM Tower of
London, Brig James Ellery, Brig Allan
Mallinson, Brig and Mrs John Powell, Lt
Col David O’Kelly, Regimental Secretary,
The Yorkshire Regiment, and Mrs
O’Kelly, Lt Col Stephen Segrave, Ms Alixe
Buckerfield de la Roche, Mrs David
Colthup, Mr Patric Dickinson, Secretary,
Order of the Garter, Mr Denis Doble, Ms
Diana Eccles; Dr Charles Goodson-
Wickes, Mr James Gray, MP, Mr
Christopher Marchant Smith, Ms Eve
Milne and other representatives from The
Yorkshire Regiment, together with
Yeoman Warders and members of the
Royal Military Police and Royal Army
Physical Training Corps, many other
former colleagues and friends.
Announcements
Telephone: 0800 072 32 32 or +44 1634 88 7587 Fax: 020 7931 3370
Email: announcements.ads@telegraph.co.uk Book online: announcements.telegraph.co.uk
Births
ARCHIBALD.—On 27th February 2023,
at QMC Nottingham, to Sophie
(née Wallace) and Alexander, a son,
Ruairidh Alexander Scott, a brother
for Iona.
Online ref: 619154
AREVALO.—On 17th March 2023,
to Rebecca (née Kent) and José,
a daughter, Rosanna Violet.
Online ref: 619186
Deaths
BIRCH.—Christine Margaret (née Cole).
Wife of the late Michael Edwin Birch
died peacefully on Friday 24th February
2023, aged 92. Adored mother to
Elizabeth, Henry and Charles and
beloved grandmother to Fiona,
Amanda, Anya and Olivia. The Funeral
Service will be held at St Nicholas’s
Church, Codsall, Staffordshire on Friday
31st March 2023, at 2.30 p.m. Donations
to: The Royal Wolverhampton School
Foundation. Enquiries to Jennings.
Tel: 01902 845770.  Retired RAF WW2. Son of Richard
Online ref: 619290
BURROWS.—Robert William Reginald
(Bob). We are sad to announce that Bob
died peacefully on 1st March 2023,  and Thomas (RIP), grandfather and
aged 83. Beloved husband of Leigh,
devoted father of Charlotte and
Elizabeth, wonderful stepfather and
proud grandfather. Bob was a sports
journalist for the Daily Telegraph and
latterly Head of Sport and Outside
Broadcasts at BBC Radio and ITV.  Co-op Funeralcare Keynsham, Bristol.
Funeral Service on Monday 3rd April at
Taibach Wesley Methodist Church,
Port Talbot at 1 p.m. All enquiries to
Mr Craig Perfect, Baglan Funeral Home.
Tel: 01639 790333.
Online ref: 619225
CORTIS.—Harry John (Haj) of Twywell
near Kettering, died peacefully after
a short illness on 14th March at
Northampton General Hospital,
aged 94 years. Treasured husband of the
late Moon, loving father of Kate and
Mark, dear father-in-law of Martin and
Anna. Beloved grandfather of Sam,
James, Emma and her husband Luke and
great grandfather to Lottie and Oscar.
Funeral Service to be held at St Nicholas
Church, Twywell on Wednesday
29th March at 11.30 a.m. Family flowers
only please but donations for The Royal
Naval Benevolent Trust may be made via
the Jack Warwick Funeral Service
website. Jack Warwick Family Funeral
Service, 2a Wallis Road, Kettering,
Northants NN15 6NX. Tel: 01536 485635.
www.warwick-funerals.co.uk
Online ref: 619228
CROME.—Geoff. Beloved husband
of Janet and father of Sue and Tim,
late of York and Cambridge, died on
11th March at St Leonard's Hospice, York,
at the age of 93. For funeral details
please contact J G Fielder & Son.
Tel: 01904 654460. No flowers or
mourning attire.
Online ref: 619219
ELDERS.—Dorothy died peacefully on
11th March 2023, aged 95. Dear wife of
the late Frank Elders, loving mother of
Susan, Christopher, Judith, Peter and
Padraig, and devoted grandmother of
Rachel and Rebecca. Dorothy will be
sadly missed by all her family and
friends. A Service of Thanksgiving will
be held at St Nicholas' Church, Thames
Ditton on 13th April 2023 at 2 p.m.
Family flowers only, but donations,
if desired, to www.britishlegion.org.uk
Enquiries to Lodge Brothers, 37 High
Street, Thames Ditton KT7 0SD.
Online ref: 619307
GRIFFITHS.—Geoffrey Reis died
peacefully at home on 5th March 2023.
Beloved husband of Margaret, father of
Tracey, Stewart and Debbie, grandfather
of Jamie, Freya, Angus and Nicole.
A Funeral Service will be held at St Giles
Church, Codicote, Hertfordshire on
28th March 2023 at 10 a.m. and a Burial
at Binham Priory, Binham, Norfolk at
1.15 p.m. on 29th March 2023. Donations
to either Cancer Research UK or
Blood Cancer UK. Enquiries to
J.J. Burgess & Son, Funeral Directors.
Tel: 01438 815656.
Online ref: 619224
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
HAZELL.—Mary Christine
(née Shwalbe), at Meresworth Care
REDMAN.—Jeremy David of
Lulworth Cove, writer and poet.
WOOD.—Martin John of Starbotton,
died on 12th March 2023, at Airedale
Home, Rickmansworth on
27th February. Widow of Frank (Richard)
Hazell, citizen and haberdasher.
Died on 7th March 2023. Son of the late
Lt Gen Sir Harold and Lady Redman
(née Wharton), brother of Felicity
Hospital, aged 72 years. Funeral Service
will be held at St Michael and All Angels
Church, Hubberholme, Skipton on
Service of Remembrance at St Mary the  and Sally, uncle and great-uncle. Friday 31st March 2023 at 11.30 a.m.
Virgin, Rickmansworth on 27th April Enquiries: tapperfuneralservice.co.uk Family flowers only, donations to
at 11.30 a.m. No flowers but donations to Tel: 01202 630111. Blood Cancer UK, either at the service,
The Peace Hospice, Watford would be or c/o Howcrofts Funeral Services,
Online ref: 619300
appreciated and may be sent to Duckett St, Skipton BD23 2EJ.
Peace Hospice Care, Peace Drive,
Online ref: 619288
Watford, WD17 3PH. Tel: 01923 335363.
Online ref: 619252
ROBERTSON.—Jane Carolyn
(née Aucott) died peacefully at home
HOLDSWORTH.—Juliet. With great on Sunday 19th March 2023, aged 73. 
sadness, we announce the death of Beloved wife of Nicolas, much loved and Memorial services
Juliet Holdsworth, previously
Sutton-Scott-Tucker, on 18th March.
devoted mother of Harriet and Charlie,
mother-in-law of Giles and Laura, and
Juliet was our dearly loved wife, mother, grandmother of Katinka, Luella, Eliza
grandmother and matriarch. She will be and Freddie. A Service of Thanksgiving DE LA MORINIERE.—Hervé.
will be held at 12.30 p.m. on Monday A Memorial Service will be held on
greatly missed by all her family and
Monday 19th June 2023 at 11 a.m. at
many friends. Private family funeral, 3rd April at St Osmund's Church, Barnes,
with a memorial service to be arranged. SW13 9RT. No flowers please, but St Paul's Knightsbridge, London
SW1X 8SH. To give us an idea of
Enquiries to Hallett & Perring. donations, if desired, to Pancreatic
Tel: 01803 862417. Cancer UK. Enquiries to T.H. Sanders. numbers please e-mail
Tel: 020 8876 5255. hervememorial@gmail.com if you
Online ref: 619313 would like to attend.
Online ref: 619280
Online ref: 619202
HONEYWELL.—Richard John. Died
peacefully in Spring�eld Nursing Home,
Emsworth on February 26th aged 99.
ROYLE.—Capt Peter died peacefully on
Honeywell and Mabel (née Husband). 13th March 2023, aged 103. Beloved
Brother of Brenda Norell. Husband of husband of the late Jo, dear brother of Thanksgiving services
Antonia (née Henle). Father of Jane, the late Vernon, Godfrey and Adrian,
Christopher, Josephine, Martin, Susan and adored uncle. He will be greatly
missed by those who knew him. 
BLAIR.—John Woodman (Johnnie).
Private family cremation followed by a A Service of Thanksgiving will be held
great-grandfather. Funeral on April 17th
at 1 p.m. at St Mary's Church, Bitton, Service of Thanksgiving at Town Thorns on Friday 21st April at 12 noon at
Bristol BS30 6LJ. Followed by committal Care Home, Easenhall at 12.30 p.m. on Stenton Parish Church, EH42 1TE.
at Haycombe Crematorium. Family 13th April. Family flowers only.
Donations, if desired, to ABF The Online ref: 619132
flowers only. Donations if desired to
RAF Benevolent Fund. Arrangements by Soldiers' Charity. 
Online ref: 619296
Online ref: 619206
In memoriam their
MACKENZIE.—Ian Douglas. Died name liveth for evermore
THOMPSON.—Penelope Margaret Jane,
peacefully at home on 20th March 2023.
died peacefully on 10th March. Much
Beloved husband of Anne, married for
63 years. Much loved father and loved wife of the late Peter, mother to CARTWRIGHT.—In memory of Peter
Michael and Tim, grandmother to Kate, B S Cartwright, RSF attached to 22 SAS,
grandpa. Funeral to take place at 3 p.m.
on Tuesday 4th April 2023 at Mortonhall Sophie, Guy, Matthew and Olivia, died in Malaysia 1953. Greater love hath
no man than this.
Crematorium, Edinburgh.  great-grandmother to Harley and Laila.
Online ref: 619311 Online ref: 619204 Online ref: 619301
MALCOLMSON.—Colin died peacefully
Personal
at home on 13th March 2023. A loving
husband to Judy, father to James, Louise
and Angus and grandfather, he will be Text for the day
greatly missed by all. A Thanksgiving Messages
Service will be held at St Bartholomew’s
Church, Nettlebed on Friday 21st April NOW AFTER that John was put in
at 11.30 a.m. Family flowers only. prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
Donations, if desired, will be given to preaching the gospel of the kingdom of
Sue Ryder sent c/o Tomalin & Son, God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, GRATEFUL THANKS  to St Jude for
38 Reading Road, Henley on Thames
RG9 1AG. 
and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel.
prayers answered. CH. 
Online ref: 619322
Online ref: 619167 Mark 1.14-15
MILLMAN.—Glenda (née Chambers), General personal
formerly of East Cowton, passed
away peacefully at Middleton Hall on
12th March aged 94 years. Beloved wife
of the late Harold, and a much loved
mother, mother-in-law, grandmother
and great-grandmother. All enquiries
please to John Blenkiron & Sons.
Tel: 01748 850033.
Online ref: 619197
NEMETH.—Lucille (née Foux) died
aged 90 on 21st March 2023. Loving
wife of the late Dr Cyril and mother
of Richard and the late Gillian.
An indefatigable charitable fundraiser,
a former Deputy Lieutenant of the City
of Westminster and a formidable and
fun-loving lady who will be mourned
and missed by all who knew her.
Online ref: 619298
PATTINSON.—Robert John,
Farmer and Countryman of
Bedfordshire and Bishops Castle,
Shropshire, died suddenly but
peacefully on Friday 10th March 2023
aged 74 years. Dearly loved and devoted
husband of Christine (Tina) and much
loved father of Alistair and daughter in
law Hannah. Just the best Gaa ever to
granddaughter Charlotte. Kind and
caring friend to so many. Service of
Thanksgiving on Monday 3rd April,
2.30 p.m. at St Peter’s Church, More,
Bishops Castle. Family flowers only.
Donations, if desired, to St Peter’s
Church, More or Shropshire Rural
Support. All enquiries to Linda Dawson
Funeral Director. Tel: 01588 673250.
Online ref: 619142
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023 *** 25

Obituaries

Alexander Cameron Seymour Fortescue

Head of Barclaycard who also
Outstanding Silk at the criminal Bar who was David Cameron’s older brother and role model raised standards in banking

A S
LEXANDER CAMERON, who has died
from cancer aged 59, was one of the
finest advocates at the criminal Bar
and the elder brother of the former prime
minister David Cameron.
A popular and fun-loving figure –
“everyone loved him, almost instantly,” a
friend said – he was described in legal
reference books as “a commanding
advocate”, “completely unflappable” and “a
strong, strategic thinker”.
He appeared in the first televised case
from the Court of Appeal since cameras
were banned in 1925; in October 2013
viewers saw him applying for leave to
appeal on behalf of Kevin Fisher, who was
serving seven years for his role in a plot to
produce £1.5 million of counterfeit £1 coins.
David Cameron, who watched
proceedings on an iPhone while on a train
to Wolverhampton, reflected on how
different the quiet, deliberative atmosphere
of the Court of Appeal was to the fast-talking
point-scoring of Prime Minister’s Questions:
“I said to my brother, perhaps he would like
to do a job swap for a day.”
Alex Cameron’s cases ranged from insider
dealing to fraud, robbery and murder. As a
junior he played a pivotal role in the Blue
Arrow corporate bank fraud case and as a
young barrister he fought the extradition of
General Pinochet. He defended Jonathan
Aitken and Jeffrey Archer, both of whom
were convicted of perjury and perverting the
course of justice in their respective trials.
In 2011 he defended the Pakistani
cricketer Mohammad Asif against allegations
of match fixing; a year later he represented
Hans Kristian Rausing, the Tetra Pak
billionaire who hid the body of his wife Eva
after her death, when he pleaded guilty to
charges of delaying burial of her body.
Away from court Alex Cameron was a
tower of strength to his brother during
David’s time at No 10 from 2010 to 2016. Alex
had encouraged his sibling to stand for the
Conservative Party leadership in 2005 and
as David Cameron noted in his memoir, For
the Record (2019): “This meant a lot.”
In 2014, however, Alex Cameron, who
took on a significant amount of pro bono
work, acted on a pro bono basis in a
successful application on behalf of five
defendants to have a complex multi-million
pound fraud case against them halted on the
grounds that cuts to legal aid imposed by his
brother’s government meant that they could
not find barristers of “sufficient
competence” to defend them.
The case brought headlines such as “PM
Cameron’s brother in victory against
government”. There was a vigorous
brotherly disagreement on the matter, but
no ill feelings, as all the Cameron siblings
had been brought up to argue and debate
round the kitchen table.
Alex showed characteristic loyalty,
moreover, in 2016 when leaked documents
from the Panamanian law firm Mossack
Fonseca appeared to implicate the Cameron
family in tax avoidance, persuading his
brother that every accusation needed to be
rebutted, and gathering expert advice. “For
once I saw my brother the QC close-up,
using his forensic skills and getting the job
done. It was impressive,” David wrote.
Allan Alexander Cameron was born on
August 27 1963, the eldest of four children of
Ian Cameron, a stockbroker with Panmure
Gordon, and his wife Mary (née Mount), a
magistrate; his siblings were Tania, David
and Clare. He was six when the family
moved to the Old Rectory at Peasemore in
Berkshire, which in 2006 became his family
home when their parents moved into an
adjacent house.
He played cricket for the First XI at
Heatherdown prep school, where he was a
friend of Prince Edward (now the Duke of
Edinburgh). They appeared in a school
production of Toad of Toad Hall, with
Cameron as Ratty and Edward as Mole; the
audience of parents included the Queen and
the Duke of Edinburgh. He was also invited
to sleepovers at Windsor Castle, where he
once had breakfast on the Queen’s bed.
In Cameron on Cameron: Conversations
with Dylan Jones (2008), David discussed
living in the shadow of an older brother.
“They go to a school, you start going to
school, they start playing football, you start
playing football, they kiss girls, you start
EYMOUR FORTESCUE,
who has died aged 80,
was chief executive of
Barclaycard before
becoming a regulator in the
financial sector and the
drinks industry.
A high-flyer in Barclays
Bank in his early career,
Fortescue was a natural
enthusiast and
communicator, well-liked
by colleagues, who led the
bank’s marketing
department before taking
charge of its fast-growing
Barclaycard operations.
His tenure in that role,
1980-85, coincided with the
dawn of a new era of
consumerism and travel; the
merits of a credit card
acceptable in more than
three million outlets were
glossily promoted in ads
featuring, among others, the
broadcaster Alan Whicker
surrounded by poolside
beauties.
Fortescue went on to be
Barclays’ director for the UK
Cameron: ‘such fun to do a case with’, he was personal sector until 1991,
prodigiously talented. Above, at school he when he moved into the
excelled at games as well as acting, pursuits he charity sector to work for the
continued into adult life Imperial Cancer Research
Fund, and from there to be
chief executive of the Health
in 1986, took Silk in 2003 and in 2010 was Education Authority, a
elected head of chambers at Three promotional agency of the
Raymond Buildings. He retired through ill Department of Health.
health in November 2020. Next, in 1999, he took on
Alex Cameron, whose own political the task of establishing the
ambitions were confined to chairing the Banking Code Standards
local parish council, stood tall and imposing Board, a self-regulatory body
at 6ft 3in, but as an advocate he had a light that set new codes of practice
touch. His gift, a colleague recalled, was that for personal and business
“he was incredibly grounded and incredibly banking. From 2006-09 he
empathetic – coupled with a real intellect.” chaired the UK Remittances
He had an unnerving insight into Taskforce, addressing issues
unexpected questions that might bother a related to access for migrants
jury and, faced with a hostile judge, he stood to banking and payments
his ground – with impeccable courtesy but services.
kissing girls,” he said, adding that he not giving an inch. He got on easily with Fortescue’s varied career
sometimes worried “that I was never going people from all walks of life, minded deeply path endowed him with an
to break out of my brother’s shadow”. Even about doing the best he could for his client, unusual range of contacts in
after his brother had become prime and retained his commitment to the case to the City, Whitehall, the
minister, Alex Cameron never stopped the very end – he was not like those media and the regulatory
being a role model for him. barristers whose interest wanes once they arena. In 2009 he became
In July 1981 Alexander, David and Tania have given their final speech. the first person from outside
slept on ground opposite Buckingham “Al was my star pupil,” his pupil master the drinks industry to chair
Palace to have a prime spot to see the royal Sir John Nutting KC recalled. “He had a the Portman Group, the
carriages heading to St Paul’s Cathedral for royal straight flush in talent: he had body funded by drinks
the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady judgment, industry, determination, brains, manufacturers which
Diana Spencer. Four years later the looks and talent.” And there was always a regulates alcohol labelling
Cameron brothers held a joint 21st/18th lighter side: “He was such fun to do a case and promotion in the UK –
birthday party on the day of Bob Geldof ’s with – endless jokes.” declaring his belief that
Live Aid concert at Wembley. Cameron continued playing football and “self-regulation based on a
At Eton, Alex Cameron was a member of cricket in adult life, was a member of MCC, tough code of practice” was
Pop. He then read Law at Bristol and studied and travelled widely, with a liking for the best way of addressing
acting and mime at the Jacques Lecoq school unusual corners of inland Spain. “the adverse aspects of our
in Paris, acquiring skills that would serve He married, in 1990, Sarah Fearnley- drinking culture”.
him well both in the courtroom and on visits Whittingstall, a lawyer and cousin of the Seymour Henry Fortescue
to the Edinburgh Fringe. One memorable television chef Hugh. She survives him with was born on May 28 1942, the
performance was with a school their daughter, Imogen, and son, Angus. third son of the 6th Earl
contemporary, Jay Jopling (future founder of Fortescue, a decorated
the White Cube gallery), in Waiting for Godot. Alexander Cameron KC, born August 27 soldier who fought in both
He was called to the Bar by Inner Temple 1963, died March 21 2023 world wars. Seymour was the
only child of the earl’s second
Fast-tracked for promotion
Hill in Devon, the
Fortescues were 18th-
century courtiers and MPs
whose earldom was created
for Hugh, 3rd Baron
Fortescue, son-in-law of the
Whig prime minister
George Grenville.
Seymour was educated at
Eton, and Trinity College,
Cambridge, and was one of
the first intake of the
London Graduate School of
Business Studies, later
London Business School. He
joined Barclays in 1964 on a
“special list” of well-
connected young men
fast-tracked for promotion:
having served as an assistant
to the bank’s chairman,
Fortescue bypassed branch
management to become a
local director in
Birmingham and Luton
before finding his niche on
the marketing side.
His last jobs were as
chairman of the Short-term
Lending Compliance Board,
set up to raise standards in
the mushrooming “payday
lending” sector, and as a
consultant to the World
Bank – for which he
travelled extensively, again
addressing issues relating to
migrant remittances.
He was a governor of
Oundle School, a member of
the council of London
University, chairman of
BookPower (a charity
providing textbooks for
tertiary students in poorer
countries), treasurer of the
leprosy charity Lepra, and a
past master of the Grocers’
Company.
Seymour Fortescue loved
tennis, adventurous
long-distance walks, and
gardening at his homes in
Herefordshire and Provence.
He married first, in 1966,
Julia, daughter of Sir John
Pilcher, who was British
ambassador to Austria and
Japan. The marriage was
dissolved in 1990 and that
year he married Jennifer
Simon, who survives him

Robert Hébras
marriage to Sybil, daughter
of the 3rd Viscount Hardinge
of Lahore, who counted two
governor-generals of India
among her antecedents.
Seated at Ebrington in
Last survivor of a notorious massacre by the SS of civilians in the French village of Oradour Gloucestershire and Castle
with their daughter, and his
son and daughter from his
first marriage.
Seymour Fortescue, born
May 28 1942, died March 14
2023

R
OBERT HEBRAS, who has died aged “national reconciliation”. By 1958 all those
97, was the last of only six survivors of convicted had been amnestied.
the worst Nazi massacre of civilians The news was greeted as “a second
carried out on French soil – at Oradour-sur- martyrdom” for Oradour, and survivors
Glane, a small village in the Limousin region gave back decorations bestowed after the
of south-west-central France, then under war. Years of protest followed in which they
the control of the Vichy regime. refused to place the ashes of their dead in a
Born in the village on June 29 1925, government-built crypt and displayed
Hébras could recall the sights and sounds of contemptuous posters with the names of
pre-war Oradour: ox-drawn carts; church politicians who had approved the amnesty.
bells; the clanging of the blacksmith’s anvil. Later, in 1983, Heinz Barth, a senior
Normally he worked at a garage in member of the SS Das Reich, was put on trial
Limoges, but on June 10 1944, a few days in East Germany and given a life sentence
after the D-Day landings, he was in Oradour. (though he was released in 1997). Other
At 2pm that day trucks containing between suspects living in East Germany were never
120 and 200 soldiers of the 2nd Waffen SS pursued, however, allegedly because officials
Panzer Division – known as “Das Reich” – working for the communist secret police, the
rolled into the village and began rounding Stasi, used such information to blackmail
people up in what appeared to be a routine war criminals into serving their interests.
search-and-identification operation. In 2010, a historian working in East
Though few had met a German before, German archives discovered evidence that
most were unconcerned. There had been no there were six men still at large, all in their
Resistance activity in Oradour, so no reason
GAMMA-KEYSTONE VIA GETTY IMAGES

late 80s, who had been involved in the

to suppose that anything more sinister was
afoot. The villagers were made to gather on
the central green. “It was all done in a very
calm and orderly fashion. I wasn’t at all
scared,” Hébras recalled. “Why should I
have been? I hadn’t done anything wrong.”
The men of the village were then split
into groups and herded into barns, stables
and garages, where they found machine
guns in position. Even then, most believed
they would soon be released. “I was talking
with my friends about our football team’s
upcoming game,” Hébras recalled.
As the killings started the SS soldiers fired
low, and within minutes almost the entire
adult male population of Oradour lay dead,
dying or wounded. The soldiers piled them
with kindling, straw and logs, then, after a
break to drink champagne, sprayed them
with flammable powder and set them alight.
The SS Das Reich then turned their
attention to the church, into which they had
crammed around 450 women and children,
some of them mothers with babies in prams.
They filled the church with a suffocating
black smoke. As some, in panic, tried to
escape through doors and windows or fled to
the sacristy, the soldiers shot at the survivors
and threw incendiary grenades, which
created a furnace beneath the sacristy. As the
floorboards gave way, those inside fell into
the fire below. Only one woman survived.
By the end of the day 643 inhabitants of
Oradour-sur-Glane, were dead, 260 of them
minors and 68 under the age of six. The
village lay in ruins.
The 19-year-old Hébras had been standing
Hébras, centre, returns to Oradour in 1952: ‘It’s important to keep telling the story,’ he once said
at the back of his barn when the shooting
began and, though wounded in the leg and
burnt in the flames, he was protected by the
bodies of others. He and four other men
managed to escape and hide in another barn,
which the Das Reich soldiers also set alight:
“We were able to crawl out of the back of the
barn as it was engulfed by fire. I hid in the
woods with burnt hair and a burnt left arm
until I thought it was safe.”
Hébras eventually took shelter with a
relative who lived six miles away. There he
was reunited with his father, an electrician,
who had been away from the village on the
fateful day. “My father and I returned to
Oradour a few days later,” he recalled.
“There were still piles of bodies in the
church. They had not managed to burn the
evidence properly.”
Hébras lost his mother Marie and two
sisters, aged nine and 22, in the carnage.
The charred remains of Oradour-sur-
Glane were left untouched and still standing
after President de Gaulle ordered that they
should forever bear witness; a new village of
Oradour was subsequently built nearby.
massacre. An investigation was re-opened
by German prosecutors and in 2013 an
88-year-old from Cologne was charged with
the murder of 25 people committed by a
group, and other offences at Oradour. But
the following year the case was thrown out
on the grounds that there was not enough
corroborative evidence to bring him to trial.
“I heard the news without surprise,”
Hébras said. “... it was obvious that it was
impossible, even for us survivors, to identify
Settled in neighbouring Saint-Junien, formally this gentleman as having been
Hébras established his own garage business present.” But, he went on, “What was he
and devoted the rest of his life to preserving doing there? That’s what I would have liked
the memory of the massacre and to know.”
campaigning for justice for those who died. In September 2013, after almost six
But it was a frustrating business, as decades, President Joachim Gauck became
Oradour came to represent not just the the first German leader to visit Oradour,
atrocities committed by the Nazis but also a touring the ruins with his French
post-war failure to punish the perpetrators, counterpart François Hollande and two of
by Germany but also by France. only three living survivors of the massacre,
The highest-ranking German soldier at including Hébras, in a gesture of
Oradour, SS-Sturmbannführer Adolf reconciliation. When Hébras asked Gauck, a
Diekmann, was killed in Normandy weeks former pastor and anti-Communist activist
after the massacre. Then, when 21 of the in East Germany, to tell him why he thought
perpetrators finally went on trial in France Oradour had been singled out the German
in 1953, it turned out that 14 of them had leader, like everybody else, had no answer.
been from the French province of Alsace, “They just did,” he replied.
which had been annexed by Germany in “It’s always difficult for me to come here,”
1940. Alsatians were deemed to have been Hébras said. “But it’s important to preserve
forced to join the German army, even these ruins and keep telling the story so it
though some clearly enlisted voluntarily. can continue to be passed down when we’re
From Oradour survivors came calls for no longer here.”
the death penalty, from Alsace, pleas for Hébras was married with one son.
clemency. France’s government, fearing a
separatist backlash, immediately granted Robert Hébras, born June 29 1925, died
the Alsatians amnesty in the name of February 11 2023
26 ***
Last night on television Anita Singh
Lord Sugar’s Apprentice
U-turn is one big swindle
Marnie Swindells and Rochelle Raye Anthony made the final two in The Apprentice
A
nd so to the most boring episode
of The Apprentice (BBC One) –
the final. It’s always dull as
ditchwater because the things that
make this show entertaining –
hissy fits, dunderheaded decisions,
gibbering in the boardroom – are
absent. We’re supposed to wipe our
memories of the series in general, and
last week’s episode in particular (when
the business plans of finalists Marnie
Swindells and Rochelle Raye Anthony
were torn apart by Claude Littner and
co), and pretend that these are two of
Britain’s finest business brains, aided
by some very efficient colleagues. It’s
so divorced from previous episodes
that even Lord Sugar and Karren Brady
come across as perfectly nice.
We started, for no reason at all,
in Freemasons’ Hall in London. “For
centuries, freemasons have been
proud to practise their shared values of
integrity, friendship and respect, and
at the end of this process I would like
a business partner that shares those
same values,” said Lord Sugar. And
who can begrudge them this positive
PR, when sightings of Freemasons on
television are usually restricted to
weird handshakes and dodgy coppers
(The Gold being a recent example).
Former contestants were then
welcomed back to help out Team
Marnie (launching a boxing gym that is
Television & Radio
“based on a feeling, not fitness”)
and Team Rochelle (a chain of hair
salons, although her previous plan
to open one in Mayfair had quietly
disappeared). Marnie already had
a vision for her branding, her ad
campaign and the layout of her gyms.
When you think about it, all of the
contestants should have this stuff in
their heads if they’re serious about
their big business idea rather than
using the show as a route to fame.
Rochelle’s ideas were more vague
– pink for the colour scheme, but not
bright pink, but also brown, and the
palest nude, and maybe some more
pink? She put Avi and Joe in charge
of bringing her “classy” salon to life in
the metaverse (The Apprentice’s one
concession to modernity), which was
not her best decision. “What is a very
feminine object? A flamingo or
something?” mused Avi. “That
definitely ticks off ‘class’,” agreed Joe.
Avi’s “outside-the-box idea” was to
have a blimp hovering above the salon.
It was obvious who was going to
win, long before we got to the pitches.
It’s been obvious for weeks, hasn’t it?
Marnie has brains, a strong backstory,
and a sound business idea. Rochelle
wanted to open a hairdressing salon
that sounded exactly like every other
hairdressing salon. Apart from the
blimp. And maybe the flamingo.
C
annibalism soundtracked by
Tori Amos: it’s the return of
Yellowjackets (Paramount+),
a US show that became a cult hit when
the first series launched in 2021. It’s
about a bunch of teenage girls fighting
for survival after their plane crashes in
the snowy wilderness. We know that
some of them survive because we flit
between their ordeal in the 1990s and
now, where they are attempting to live
normal lives but failing spectacularly.
This is not one of those shows that
you can pick up at series two if you’ve
never seen it before. There is too much
going on, all of which will seem fairly
insane. In 1996, teenage Shauna is
conversing with the corpse of her
former friend before deciding to eat
her ear (to be fair, it had fallen off). In
the present, Shauna (Melanie Lynskey)
is trying to cover up the fact that she
murdered a man with whom she was
having an affair, believing he was
blackmailing her, only to find out that
the blackmailer was her own husband.
Across town, the state senator has
a secret shrine in her basement
featuring a decapitated dog’s head.
The show can be very dark –
figuratively and literally – but it’s
lightened by performances from 1990s
screen queens Christina Ricci and
Juliette Lewis. As Natalie, the most
anarchic member of the crew, Lewis
brings the energy that drives the show.
In the first two episodes of this series,
she rescues herself from kidnappers
with judicious use of a fork and then
reunites with fellow survivor Lottie,
who received psychiatric treatment
after their rescue and now presides
over a creepy wellness retreat. “Last
I heard, you were finger-painting in
the loony bin and now you’re running
a cult,” Natalie tells her. “It’s not a cult,”
says Lottie, straight-faced. “It’s an
intentional community.”
The novelty of Yellowjackets has
worn off for me – the parallel timelines
have become annoying, as has Ricci’s
sociopathic busybody of a character.
In that American more-is-more way,
the writers are planning three further
series. But the show has an army of
devoted fans who gather online to
share theories. If you’re one of them,
I’m sure this series won’t disappoint.
The Apprentice ★★
Yellowjackets ★★★
What to watch
THE CLEANER
BBC One, 9.30pm
Greg Davies returns for another series of the delightfully dark comedy, with guest Harriet Walter
he second series of Greg
T Davies’s The Cleaner is
just as delightfully dark
and playful as the first.
Based on German comedy
Der Tatortreiniger, it stars
Davies as Paul “Wicky”
Wickstead, a droll crime-
scene cleaner who
specialises in getting blood
out of carpets. In this
hilarious opening episode,
he is called to the aftermath
of a grisly pub brawl, where
one man stabbed another,
leaving behind a right ol’
DOCUMENTARY
Locked Away: Our Autism
Scandal – Dispatches
Channel 4, 7.30pm
Richard Butchins explores
what life is like for autistic
people within the UK’s
healthcare system. Secretly
recorded videos from
inpatients reveal mental-
health units that are unfit for
purpose, while Butchins
himself describes how he
avoided medical help for
fear of being locked up.
DRAMA
Beyond Paradise
BBC One, 8pm
Finally, a murder down in
Cornwall! A man has been
Radio choice Charlotte Runcie
Breaking Mississippi
Radio 4, 9.45am
Across 10 episodes, the
American public radio
journalist Jenn White has
led this series focusing on
the writer and civil rights
activist James Meredith,
and how he came to be at the
centre of one of the most
shocking moments in US
civil rights history in the
RADIO 1
FM 97.6-99.8MHZ
6.33am Radio 1’s Best New Pop 6.57
Newsbeat 7.00 Radio 1 Breakfast with
Greg James 10.00 Radio 1 Anthems
10.30 Newsbeat 10.32 Radio 1 Anthems
11.02 Katie Thistleton 12.45pm
Newsbeat 1.00 Matt and Mollie 3.00
Radio 1’s Party Anthems 4.00 The
Official Chart on Radio 1 with Jack
Saunders 5.45 Newsbeat 6.00 Radio 1’s
Dance Party with Danny Howard 8.00
Radio 1’s Future Dance with Sarah Story
10.00 Pete Tong 12.00 Radio 1’s
Essential Mix 2.00am Radio 1 Dance
Presents 3.00 Danny Howard 4.00
Radio 1’s Wind Down Presents 5.00 -
6.00am Radio 1 Relax
RADIO 2
FM 88-90.2MHZ
6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show
9.30 Gary Davies 12.00 Jeremy Vine
2.00pm Scott Mills 3.30 Scott Mills’
Wonder Years 4.00 Sara Cox 7.00
Michelle Visage 8.30 Michelle Visage’s
Handbag Hits 9.00 The Good Groove
with DJ Spoony 11.00 The Rock Show
with Johnnie Walker 12.00 Romesh
Ranganathan: For the Love of Hip-Hop
1.00am Zoe Ball Meets Pedro Pascal
1.30 Zoe Ball Meets Idris Elba 2.00 U2’s
Bono and The Edge – A Radio 2 Piano
Room Special 3.00 C2C Live – Jordan
Davis 3.15 C2C Live – Lainey Wilson
3.45 C2C Live – Matt Stell 4.00 Sophie
Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco 5.00 -
6.00am Radio 2 in Concert: James Blunt
RADIO 3
FM 90.2-92.4MHZ
6.30am Breakfast 9.00 Essential
Classics 12.00 Composer of the Week:
gory mess. If it wasn’t for
his promise to his new
girlfriend to lay off the
booze, it would be his ideal
office. Still, there’s a
jukebox, and a severed ear
to use as a microphone.
For a man so physically
imposing (weaponised to
great effect in shows such
as Taskmaster and The
Inbetweeners), there is
a gentleness to the 6ft 8in
Davies that makes him
a perpetually endearing
performer. His scenes here
Drift: Partners in Crime – an
action-packed German treat
discovered dead in a
mysterious crop circle on a
local farm, with reports of
strange lights in the sky the
night before. Kris Marshall’s
detective can barely contain
his excitement. Was the
1960s. Meredith became
the first African-American
student to be admitted to
the racially segregated
University of Mississippi,
sparking an angry backlash.
But now, in the final
episode, White turns the
spotlight to today, 60 years
on, and discovers that the
university is engaged in
a new struggle over its
problematic history.
Bizet 1.00pm Radio 3 Lunchtime
Concert 2.00 Afternoon Concert 4.30
The Listening Service 5.00 In Tune
7.00 Classical Mixtape 7.30 Radio 3 in
Concert 10.00 The Verb 10.45 The
Essay: Thinking Black 11.00 Late
Junction 1.00am Composed with
Devonté Hynes 2.00 Piano Flow with
Tokio Myers 3.00 - 7.00am Through
the Night
RADIO 4
FM 92.4-94.6MHZ; LW 198KHZ
6.00am Today 8.31 LW: Yesterday in
Parliament 9.00 Desert Island Discs
9.45 Breaking Mississippi See Radio
choice 9.45 LW: Daily Service 10.00
Woman’s Hour 11.00 The Battle for
Liberal Democracy See Radio choice
11.30 Lemn Sissay Is the One and Only
12.00 News 12.01pm LW: Shipping
Forecast 12.04 AntiSocial 12.57
Weather 1.00 The World at One 1.45
Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On 2.00
The Archers 2.15 Drama: Who Killed
Aldrich Kemp? 2.45 Understand: The
Economy 3.00 Gardeners’ Question
Time 3.45 Sunil Patel: An Idiot’s Guide
to Cryptocurrency 4.00 Last Word
4.30 Feedback 5.00 PM 5.54 LW:
Shipping Forecast 5.57 Weather 6.00
Six O’Clock News 6.30 The Now Show
7.00 The Archers 7.15 Add to Playlist. A
musical journey of discovery 8.00 Any
Questions? 8.50 A Point of View 9.00
National Health Stories – Omnibus
9.59 Weather 10.00 The World Tonight
10.45 Book at Bedtime: Old God’s Time
11.00 Americast 11.30 Today in
Parliament 12.00 News and Weather
12.30am Breaking Mississippi 12.48
Shipping Forecast 1.00 As World
Service 5.20 Shipping Forecast 5.30
News Briefing 5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 - 6.00am Lent Talks
Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph
with landlady Lisa (Harriet
Walter), a cynic who has lost
her young lover in the fight,
are as softly touching as they
are hilarious – a highlight
being Wicky’s tongue tying
itself in knots while he
tries to guess Lisa’s age.
There is also the comically
terrifying Cuddles (Charlie
Rawes), a brawny barman
who talks with the deep,
menacing voice of a
Rottweiler. The whole series
is available as a boxset on
iPlayer. Stephen Kelly
murderer extraterrestrial?
And why the Dickens does
the victim have a page of
Great Expectations in his
sock? The truth is out
there… somewhere.
Redemption
ITV1, 9pm
The latest in ITV1’s long line
of crime dramas continues
to burn slow, but Paula
Malcomson’s steely
performance as detective
Colette keeps it ticking
along. Tonight she heads to
the hospital where her late
daughter Stacey worked to
find out more about why she
was suspended. Meanwhile,
she must also solve the grim
case of a teenage boy who
has been stabbed.
The Battle for Liberal
Democracy
Radio 4, 11am
The second episode of a
three-part series from Tom
Fletcher, a former diplomat,
exploring the future of
democracy and some of the
biggest questions facing
governments across the
world, including the
successes and failures of
RADIO 5 LIVE
MW 693 & 909KHZ
6.00am 5 Live Breakfast 9.00 Nicky
Campbell 11.00 Chiles on Friday
1.00pm The Footballers’ Football
Podcast 1.30 Kammy & Ben’s Proper
Football Podcast 2.00 Elis James and
John Robins 4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 5
Live Sport: The Friday Football Social
9.00 Rugby Union 10.00 Stephen
Nolan 1.00am Laura McGhie 5.00 -
6.00am 5 Live Boxing
CLASSIC FM
FM 99.9-101.9MHZ
6.00am More Music Breakfast 9.00
Alexander Armstrong 12.00 Anne-Marie
Minhall 4.00pm John Brunning 7.00
Smooth Classics at Seven 10.00
Smooth Classics 1.00am Katie
Breathwick 4.00 - 7.00am Sam Pittis
WORLD SERVICE
DIGITAL ONLY
8.00am News 8.06 HARDtalk 8.30
Business Daily 8.50 Witness History
9.00 The Newsroom 9.30 Tech Tent
10.00 News 10.06 The Real Story
11.00 The Newsroom 11.30 World
Football 12.00 News 12.06pm The
Fifth Floor 12.50 Witness History 1.00
The Newsroom 1.30 Science in Action
2.00 Newshour 3.00 News 3.06
HARDtalk 3.30 World Business Report
4.00 BBC OS 6.00 News 6.06 The
Fifth Floor 6.50 Witness History 7.00
The Newsroom 7.30 Sport Today 8.00
News 8.06 Tech Tent 8.30
CrowdScience 9.00 Newshour 10.00
The Newsroom 10.20 Sports News
10.30 World Business Report 11.00
News 11.06 HARDtalk 11.30 World
Football 12.00 News 12.06am The
Drift: Partners in Crime
Sky Atlantic, 9pm & 10pm
This slick German thriller
is an action-packed treat.
It follows ballsy detective
Ali (Ken Duken), whose
reputation is ruined when
a prisoner transport goes
wrong. To clear his name,
he teams up with his
estranged brother, Leo
(Fabian Busch), a fellow cop.
It premieres tonight with
two episodes of cinematic
shoot-outs and car chases
that are sure to lure you in
and keep you gripped.
FACTUAL
Gardeners’ World
BBC Two, 8pm
The clocks spring forward
this weekend, so it’s time to
make the most of brighter,
sunnier evenings. In this
The hellebore has its time in
the sun on Gardeners’ World
second episode of the new
series, Monty Don has tips
for sowing vegetables, Nick
Bailey creates a container
garden – ideal for those who
may be moving house and
reluctant to invest in
perennial planting – and
Rachel de Thame champions
the hardy, low maintenance
yet majestic hellebore.
Amazing Railway
Adventures with
Nick Knowles
Channel 5, 9pm
This week Nick Knowles’s
thoroughly entertaining
railway journey across the
world takes him to Vietnam.
He starts in the striking
misty mountains of Sapa,
before heading south by
train to the colourful,
bustling capital of Hanoi.
Expect some light, cheesy
puns: when Knowles tries to
cross a street buzzing with
speeding scooters, he
deplores: “It is slightly
Han-noying.” SK
liberal democracies and
autocracies over the last
century. This morning
the focus is on opportunity,
and Fletcher specifically
considers the contest
between liberal
democracies and their
enemies to ask which
system offers the best
opportunities – economic
and otherwise – for the
people living under it.
Real Story 1.00 News 1.06 Business
Matters 2.00 The Newsroom 2.30
Digital Planet 3.00 News 3.06 The
Fifth Floor 3.50 Witness History 4.00
News 4.06 The Real Story 5.00 The
Newsroom 5.30 Dear Daughter 5.50 -
6.00am More or Less
RADIO 4 EXTRA
DIGITAL ONLY
6.00am Paul Temple and the Geneva
Mystery 6.30 Lord of Misrule 7.00
Sweet Sorrow 7.15 A Woman on the
Edge of Time 7.30 The Wilsons Save the
World 8.00 Steptoe and Son 8.30
Babblewick Hall 9.00 Act Your Age
9.30 Trevor’s World of Sport 10.00 All
Things Betray Thee 11.00 Paul Temple
and the Geneva Mystery 11.30 Lord of
Misrule 12.00 Sweet Sorrow 12.15pm
A Woman on the Edge of Time 12.30
The Wilsons Save the World 1.00
Steptoe and Son 1.30 Babblewick Hall
2.00 Act Your Age 2.30 Trevor’s World
of Sport 3.00 All Things Betray Thee
4.00 Paul Temple and the Geneva
Mystery 4.30 Lord of Misrule 5.00
Sweet Sorrow 5.15 A Woman on the
Edge of Time 5.30 The Wilsons Save the
World 6.00 Steptoe and Son 6.30
Babblewick Hall 7.00 Act Your Age 7.30
Trevor’s World of Sport 8.00 The School
Is Full of Noises 8.30 That Reminds Me
9.00 The Curious Cases of Rutherford
& Fry 9.30 Lennox 10.00 Comedy Club
12.00 Doctor Who: The War Doctor
12.35am The New Accelerator 1.00 All
Things Betray Thee 2.00 Paul Temple
and the Geneva Mystery 2.30 Lord of
Misrule 3.00 Sweet Sorrow 3.15 A
Woman on the Edge of Time 3.30 The
Wilsons Save the World 4.00 Steptoe
and Son 4.30 Babblewick Hall 5.00 Act
Your Age 5.30 - 6.00am Trevor’s World
of Sport
The Daily Telegraph Friday 24 March 2023 *** 27

Today’s television

Main channels
BBC One
6.00 am Breakfast (S) 9.15 Morning Live
(S) 10.00 Crimewatch Live (S) 10.45
Critical Incident (S) 11.15 Homes
Under the Hammer (AD) (R) (S)
12.15 pm Bargain Hunt (AD) (R) (S)
1.00 BBC News at One; Weather (S)
1.30 Regional News; Weather (S)
1.45 Hope Street (AD) (R) (S)
2.30 The Repair Shop (AD) (S)
3.00 Escape to the Country (AD) (R) (S)
3.45 Antiques Road Trip (R) (S)
4.30 Bridge of Lies (R) (S)
5.15 Pointless (R) (S)
6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather (S)
6.30 Regional News; Weather (S)
FV Freeview FS Freesat (AD) Audio description (R) Repeat (S) Subtitles (SL) In-vision signing
Film choice
BBC Two ITV1 Channel 4 Channel 5
6.30 am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites (R) 6.00 am Good Morning Britain (S) 9.00 6.10 am Countdown (R) (S) 6.50 3rd 6.00 am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine (S)
(S) 8.00 Sign Zone: Gardeners’ Lorraine (S) 10.00 This Morning (S) Rock from the Sun (AD) (R) (S) 7.15 1.45 pm Home and Away (AD) (R) (S)
World (R) (S) (SL) 9.00 News (S) 12.30 pm Loose Women (S) 3rd Rock from the Sun (AD) (R) (S) 2.15 FILM: Tracking a Killer (2021, TVM)
10.00 News (S) 1.30 News; Weather (S) 7.40 The King of Queens (AD) (R) (S) Drama starring Laurie Fortier (S)
12.15 pm Politics UK (S) 1.55 Regional News; Weather (S) 8.05 The King of Queens (AD) (R) (S) 4.00 Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun (R)
1.00 Impossible (R) (S) 2.00 Dickinson’s Real Deal (AD) (R) (S) 8.30 The King of Queens (AD) (R) (S) (S)
1.45 Eggheads (R) (S) 3.00 Lingo (R) (S) 9.00 Frasier (AD) (R) (S) 9.30 Frasier 5.00 5 News at 5 (S)
2.15 Eggheads (R) (S) 4.00 Tipping Point (R) (S) (AD) (R) (S) 10.00 Frasier (AD) (R) 6.00 Cash in the Attic (S) Shakespeare in Love (1998)
2.45 Hairy Bikers’ Best of British (R) (S) 5.00 The Chase (R) (S) (S) 10.30 Celebrity Undercover Boss 6.30 Eggheads (R) (S) BBC One, 10.40pm; Wales, 11.10pm;
3.15 Eat Well for Less? (AD) (R) (S) 6.00 Regional News; Weather (S) USA (R) (S) 11.25 Channel 4 News 6.55 5 News Update (S) not NI ★★★★★
4.15 The World’s Most Extraordinary 6.30 News; Weather (S) (S) 11.30 Emergency Helicopter
Homes (AD) (R) (S) Medics (AD) (S) Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow
5.15 Flog It! (R) (S) 12.30 pm Steph’s Packed Lunch (S) make a handsome couple in this John
6.00 Richard Osman’s House of Games 2.10 Countdown (S) Madden-directed, Oscar-snaffling
(R) (S) 3.00 Tool Club (S) reimagining of the Bard’s life when
6.30 Coast to Coast Food Festival (S) 4.00 A New Life in the Sun (R) (S) he was writing Romeo and Juliet.
5.00 Four in a Bed (S) Packed with amusing theories about
5.30 Come Dine with Me (R) (S) Shakespeare’s personal life, along with
6.00 Hollyoaks (AD) (R) (S) much of the Nineties’s British acting
6.30 Hollyoaks (AD) (R) (S) scene, this is a merry yarn. Judi Dench,
Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth co-star.

Identity Thief (2013)

ITV1, 10.45pm ★★

Beyond Paradise
7.00 The One Show Live magazine show,
hosted by Alex Jones (S)
7.30 Question of Sport Steve Harmison,
Stephen Warnock, Aimee Fuller and
Maggie Alphonsi (S)
8.00 Beyond Paradise A man is found
dead in the middle of a crop circle
See What to watch (AD) (S)
Cunk on Britain
7.00 Your Home Made Perfect Laura
Jane Clark and Will Foster compete to
remodel a home in Belfast (R) (S)
8.00 Gardeners’ World How to make
the most of herbaceous perennials
See What to watch (S)
Redemption
7.30 Emmerdale Dawn is aghast that
Naomi has fallen for Alex (AD) (S)
8.00 Coronation Street Paul makes a
worrying discovery about his injury
(AD) (S)
Highclere: Behind the Scenes
7.00 Channel 4 News (S)
7.30 Locked Away: Our Autism Scandal –
Dispatches Autistic patients, housed
within mental health units, tell their
stories See What to watch (S)
8.00 Highclere: Behind the Scenes The
ITV show Lorraine broadcasts live
from the castle’s grand saloon (AD)
(R) (S)
Amazing Railway Adventures
7.00 Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s
Speeders A van wheel spins off and
strikes an oncoming car (R) (S)
7.55 5 News Update (S)
8.00 Motorway: Hell on the Highway A
van takes to the air when it misjudges
a roundabout near Great Yarmouth
(S)
Melissa McCarthy started out in TV’s
Gilmore Girls, but hit the bigtime in
Bridesmaids. She’s now a comedy
mainstay, and beneath her self-
deprecating shtick, she’s a shrewd
actor. But this isn’t the right showcase.
McCarthy is deployed as Diana,
a conniving nutcase up to her neck in
credit-card fraud; Jason Bateman is
her latest victim, who must chase her
across the US to rectify the crime.

9.00 Would I Lie to You? With Stephen
Bailey, Asim Chaudhry, Gemma
Collins and Sally Lindsay (S)
9.30 The Cleaner See What to watch
(AD) (S)
10.00 BBC News at Ten (S)
10.30 Regional News; Weather (S)
10.40 FILM: Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Period romantic comedy starring
Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow
See Film choice (AD) (S)
12.35 am Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel
1.35 - 6.00am News
9.00 Becoming Frida Kahlo Dangerous
politics and turbulent love shock
the painter’s world. Last in the series
(AD) (S)
10.00 Cunk on Britain Philomena Cunk
investigates the origins of the universe
(AD) (R) (S)
10.30 Newsnight (S)
11.05 MOTDx 11.35 FILM: Eaten by Lions
(2018) Comedy See Film choice
1.05am Dave 1.40 Sign Zone:
Panorama: Surviving the Pay Squeeze
2.10 Sign Zone: Parole 3.10 Sign
Zone: Our Flag Means Death 3.45 -
6.35am This Is BBC Two
9.00 Redemption Colette visits the
hospital where Stacey worked
See What to watch (AD) (S)
10.00 News; Weather (S)
10.30 Regional News; Weather (S)
10.45 FILM: Identity Thief (2013) Comedy
with Jason Bateman and Melissa
McCarthy See Film choice (AD) (S)
12.35 am Shop: Ideal World 3.00 The
Jonathan Ross Show 3.55 Unwind
with ITV 5.05 - 6.00am Ainsley’s
Fantastic Flavours
9.00 Gogglebox The armchair critics
appraise the latest shows (S)
10.00 Rise and Fall One of the Grafters has
the chance to rise to the Penthouse
and become a Ruler (S)
11.05 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
12.05am Father Ted 12.35 Father
Ted 1.05 Father Ted 1.30 Father Ted
2.00 Father Ted 2.25 Father Ted
2.55 Father Ted 3.20 Father Ted
3.50 Couples Come Dine with Me
4.40 Location, Location, Location
5.30 - 6.20am Best of Britain by the
Sea
9.00 Amazing Railway Adventures
with Nick Knowles The
presenter explores Vietnam
See What to watch (S)
10.00 Live: World Championship Boxing:
Arthur v Suarez Lyndon Arthur v
Braian Nahuel Suarez (S)
12.05 am FILM: Creed (2015) Boxing drama
starring Michael B Jordan 2.20
Entertainment News on 5 2.30 The
LeoVegas Live Casino Show 4.30
Parking Hell 4.55 Parking Hell 5.15
Friends 5.45 - 6.00am
Entertainment News on 5
Eaten by Lions (2013)
BBC Two, 11.35pm ★★★★
Jason Wingard’s sprightly comedy
drama stars Antonio Aakeel (Three
Girls) as a teenage boy on a mission
to find his biological father,
accompanied by his half-brother,
played by Jack Carroll. Their exotic
destination? Blackpool – a deliciously
seedy vision of seaside decline
inhabited by tarot readers, mouthy
cabbies and Johnny Vegas in a wig.
It’s a likeable, multicultural delight.

Freeview, satellite and cable
BBC Four
FV 9 FS 173 SKY 116 VIRGIN 107
7.00 pm Top of the Pops
7.30 Top of the Pops
8.00 Top of the Pops
8.30 Top of the Pops
9.00 Dolly Parton at the BBC
10.00 Dolly Parton: Here I Am
11.30 Dolly Parton at Glastonbury
2014
12.40 am Country Queens at the
BBC
1.40 Top of the Pops
2.10 Top of the Pops
2.40 - 3.10am Top of the Pops
ITV2
Noon Love Bites 1.00pm Dress to
Impress 2.00 Supermarket Sweep
3.05 Chuck 4.00 One Tree Hill 5.00
The O.C 6.00 Celebrity Catchphrase
7.00 The Masked Singer US 8.00
Superstore 9.00 Loaded in Paradise
10.00 Family Guy 11.30 American
Dad! 12.30am Superstore 1.30
CelebAbility 2.15 Totally Bonkers
Guinness World Records 2.45 Unwind
with ITV 3.00-6.00am Teleshopping
E4
Noon Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1.00pm The
Big Bang Theory 3.00 Modern Family
4.00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine 5.00 The Big
Bang Theory 7.00 Hollyoaks 7.30 The
Farmer Wants a Wife: Australia 9.00
FILM: John Wick: Chapter 3 –
Parabellum (2019) Action thriller
starring Keanu Reeves 11.35 Naked
Attraction 1.45am Gogglebox 2.45-
4.00am The Farmer Wants a Wife:
Australia
More4
11.05am Find It, Fix It, Flog It 1.10pm
Heir Hunters 2.10 Four in a Bed 4.50
Location, Location, Location 5.55
Kirstie and Phil’s Love It or List It 6.55
Escape to the Chateau: DIY 7.55
Grand Designs 9.00 The Wall: Cover
Your Tracks 10.00 24 Hours in A&E
FV Freeview FS Freesat (AD) Audio description (R) Repeat (S) Subtitles (SL) In-vision signing
Variations
ITV3 ITV4 Sky Max Sky Atlantic Film4 Drama Northern Ireland
FV 10 FS 115 SKY 119 VIRGIN 117 FV 26 FS 117 SKY 120 VIRGIN 118 SKY 113 VIRGIN 122 SKY 108 FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428 FV 20 FS 158 SKY 143 VIRGIN 130 BBC One: 6.55 - 7.00pm Party Political
Broadcast 7.30 - 8.00 Farm to Feast:
11.15 am Agatha Christie’s Poirot 11.25 am Dempsey and Makepeace Noon NCIS: Los Angeles 11.10 am Gomorrah 11.00 am The Holly and the Ivy 11.40 am The Bill Best Menu Wins 10.40 Keepin’ ’Er
12.25 pm Heartbeat 12.30 pm Robin of Sherwood 1.00 pm Hawaii Five-0 12.15 pm Game of Thrones (1952, b/w) Drama starring 12.40 pm Classic EastEnders Country: On the Road Again 11.10
1.25 Classic Emmerdale 1.40 Extreme Salvage Squad 2.00 S.W.A.T. 1.20 Fortitude Ralph Richardson 1.20 Classic EastEnders Question of Sport 11.40 Jerk 12.05am
2.00 Classic Emmerdale 2.40 Magnum, PI 3.00 Quantum Leap 2.25 Fortitude 12.40 pm Detective Story (1951, 2.00 Howards’ Way Jerk 12.30 - 12.35am Barra on the Foyle
2.35 Classic Coronation Street 3.40 The Sweeney 4.00 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow 3.25 Gomorrah b/w) Police drama starring 3.10 Lovejoy BBC Two: No variations
3.10 Classic Coronation Street 4.50 Minder 5.00 Supergirl 4.25 Succession Kirk Douglas 4.10 Peak Practice UTV: 6.20 - 6.30pm Party Political
3.40 Midsomer Murders 5.50 Made in Britain 6.00 Stargate SG-1 5.35 Succession 2.45 Pimpernel Smith (1941, b/w) 5.20 The Brittas Empire Broadcast 7.00 - 7.30pm UTV Life
5.55 Downton Abbey 6.55 Made in Britain 7.00 Stargate SG-1 6.50 Yellowjackets Second World War adventure 6.00 Keeping Up Appearances
7.00 Heartbeat 7.55 The Chase Celebrity Special 8.00 Strike Back: Shadow Warfare 7.55 Game of Thrones starring Leslie Howard 6.40 Last of the Summer Wine Scotland
8.00 Doc Martin 9.00 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite 9.00 A League of Their Own Road 9.00 Drift – Partners in Crime 5.15 Hangman’s Knot (1952) 7.20 Last of the Summer Wine BBC One: 12.35am A View from the
9.00 Doc Martin 11.05 pm FILM: Speed 2: Cruise Trip: Southeast Asia See What to Watch Western starring Randolph 8.00 Father Brown Terrace 1.35 Michael McIntyre’s The
10.00 Blue Murder Control (1997) Action thriller 10.00 Peacemaker 10.00 Drift – Partners in Crime Scott 9.00 Father Brown Wheel 2.35 - 6.00am BBC News
11.30 Wycliffe sequel starring Sandra 11.00 Banshee See What to Watch 6.50 I, Robot (2004) Sci-fi thriller 10.00 New Tricks BBC Scotland: 7.30pm Sportscene:
12.40 am Where the Heart Is Bullock 12.10 am SEAL Team 11.00 Billions starring Will Smith 11.20 Cutting It Championship Live 10.00 Still Game
1.45 Man About the House 1.30 am Auto Mundial 1.05 Road Wars 12.10 am Christian 9.00 A Vigilante (2019) Drama 12.35 am Bad Girls 10.30 A View from the Terrace 11.30
2.20 Unwind with ITV 2.00 Motorsport Mundial 2.00 The Force: North-East 1.20 The Plot Against America starring Olivia Wilde 2.20 Classic Holby City Growing Up Scottish midnight Close
STV: 7.00 - 7.30pm What’s on Scotland
2.30 - 6.00am Teleshopping 2.30 The Protectors 3.00 - 4.00am Hawaii Five-0 2.30 Game of Thrones 10.50 The Hunt (2019) Premiere. 3.15 - 4.00am Birds of a Feather
3.55 - 5.05am Night Vision
3.00 - 6.00am Teleshopping 3.40 - 4.10am In Treatment 12.35 am Free Fire (2016)
2.20 - 4.00am In Fear (2013)
Wales
BBC One: 7.30 - 8.00pm Truckers: Life
12.10am 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Highlanders v Fijian Drua (kick-off ahead to Marlon Vera v Cory Sky Cinema Premiere Talking Pictures TV Up Appearances 6.00 Hi-de-Hi! on the Road 9.00 - 9.30 Legends of
Countdown 2.10 24 Hours in A&E 3.35am) Sandhagen 11.30 Ariel Helwani Meets 6.40 Dad’s Army 8.00 The Vicar of Welsh Sport: Gareth Bale 10.40 Would I
24 hours, including at: 24 hours, including at:
3.15-3.45am Food Unwrapped 12.00 Live: WWE Friday Night Dibley 9.20 The Young Ones Lie to You? 11.10 FILM: Shakespeare in
10.00am Where the Crawdads Sing 10.55am FILM: The Lost Moment
Sky Sports Premier SmackDown. Wrestling coverage
(2022) Drama starring Daisy Edgar- (1947, b/w) Romantic drama starring
10.55 Murder, They Hope 11.55 The Love (1998) 1.05 - 6.00am BBC News
Dave League 2.00-4.00am AFL
Jones 12.10pm The Black Phone Susan Hayward and Robert Cummings
Vicar of Dibley 1.10am The Young BBC Two: 7.00pm Scrum V Live 9.05
Ones 2.40-4.00am Billy Connolly Becoming Frida Kahlo 10.05 - 10.30pm
Noon Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico Noon Gary Neville’s Soccerbox (2021) Premiere. Horror starring 12.40pm FILM: Bedelia (1946, b/w) Coast
1.00pm Cops on the Rock 2.00 Top 1.00pm Premier League Years 3.00 Sky History Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke 2.00 Drama starring Margaret Lockwood
Does..
ITV1 Wales: 7.00 - 7.30pm Coast &
Gear 4.00 Australian Ninja Warrior PL Greatest Games 4.00 Best PL Noon Swamp People: Serpent Invasion Tad the Lost Explorer and the Curse of 2.30 Crown Court 3.00 FILM: The Country
5.30 Travel Man: 48 Hours in Goals 2018/19 5.00 Premier League 1.00pm Craig Charles: UFO the Mummy (2022) Animated Perfect Woman (1949, b/w) Comedy
Yesterday
Amsterdam 6.00 Taskmaster 7.00 100 Club 6.00 Premier League Conspiracies 2.00 Curse of Skinwalker adventure, featuring the voice of starring Stanley Holloway 4.40 FILM: Noon Great British Railway Journeys ITV1 Regions
Richard Osman’s House of Games Legends 7.00 Premier League – The Ranch 3.00 Medieval Dead 4.00 Trevor White 3.40 Call Jane (2022) Train of Events (1949, b/w) Comedy Goes to Ireland 1.00pm Great British
No variations
8.20 Would I Lie to You? 9.00 Mel Big Interview 7.30 Premier League Strangest Things 5.00 Pawn Stars Drama starring Elizabeth Banks 5.50 drama anthology starring Jack Warner Railway Journeys 2.00 Bangers and
Giedroyc: Unforgivable 10.00 QI XL Stories 8.00 Gary Neville’s Soccerbox 6.00 American Pickers 7.00 Forged in Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) 6.25 FILM: Sewers of Gold (1979) Cash 4.00 War Factories 5.00 The
11.00 Taskmaster 12.05am Would I 9.00 Premier League – The Big Fire 8.00 Salvage Kings 9.00 World at War 6.00 Great British
S4C
Drama starring Daisy Edgar-Jones Crime thriller starring Ian McShane
Lie to You? 12.45 QI 1.25 Interview 9.30 Premier League History’s Greatest Mysteries 11.00 8.00 The Black Phone (2021) 8.30 Dial 999 9.00 Cellar Club with Railway Journeys 7.00 Joanna 6.00am Cyw 12.00 Newyddion S4C a’r
Hypothetical 2.30 Comedians Giving Stories 10.00 Premier League Icons The Proof Is Out There 12.00 The Premiere. Horror starring Mason Caroline Munro 9.05 FILM: The Devil Lumley’s Japan 8.00 Train Truckers Tywydd 12.05pm Caru Siopa 12.30
Lectures 3.00-4.00am Mel Giedroyc: 10.30 PL Retro 12.30am Premier Witches of Salem 1.00am Salvage Thames and Ethan Hawke 9.50 Rides Out (1968) Hammer horror 10.00 Bangers and Cash 11.00 Heno 1.00 Richard Holt: Yr Academi
Unforgivable League Icons 1.00 Premier League Kings 2.00 Storage Wars 3.00- Marlowe (2023) Crime thriller starring starring Christopher Lee 11.00 Cellar Abandoned Engineering 12.00 Great Felys 1.30 Pobl a’u Gerddi 2.00
Years 3.00-4.00am PL Greatest 4.00am Strangest Things British Railway Journeys Goes to Newyddion S4C a’r Tywydd 2.05
Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger 11.45 Club with Caroline Munro 11.05 FILM:
Prynhawn Da 3.00 Newyddion S4C a’r
Sky Sports Main Event Games To Leslie (2022) Drama starring He Walked By Night (1948, b/w) Ireland 1.00am Forbidden History Tywydd 3.05 Gareth Jones: Nofio Adre
Sky Arts Andrea Riseborough 1.50-4.00am Thriller starring Richard Basehart 3.00-6.00am Teleshopping
Noon Sky Sports News 1.00pm Sky 4.00 Awr Fawr: Shwshaswyn 4.10 Awr
BT Sport 1 Call Jane (2022) Drama starring 12.45am Cellar Club with Caroline Fawr: Caru Canu a Stori 4.20 Awr Fawr:
Sports News 2.00 Live WPL. Mumbai Noon National Treasures: The Art of
Indians v UP Warriorz 6.00 Live World 11.30am The Rugby’s On 12.30pm Collecting 1.00pm Tales of the
Elizabeth Banks Munro 12.50 FILM: Knock on Any Discovery Nico Nôg 4.30 Awr Fawr: Pablo 4.45
Door (1949, b/w) Drama starring Awr Fawr: Ahoi! 5.00 Stwnsh 6.00
Golf Championships. The WGC-Dell Premier League Stories 1.00 Premier Unexpected 2.00 My Greatest Shot: Noon Plane Reclaimers 1.00pm Gold Nyrsys 6.30 Adre 6.57 Newyddion S4C
Technologies Match Play 7.00 Live League Reload 1.15 Serie A – Full Travel 2.30 My Greatest Shot: Food
PBS America Humphrey Bogart 2.55-4.30am
Rush 3.00 Building Off the Grid 4.00
FILM: Gaslight Follies (1945, b/w) 7.00 Heno 7.30 Newyddion S4C a’r
WSL. Everton v Liverpool (kick-off Impact 1.45 Badminton Unlimited 3.00 Landscape Artist of the Year 11.05am Stalin: Inside the Homestead Rescue: Raney Ranch 5.00 Tywydd 8.00 Chris a’r Afal Mawr 8.55
Documentary, featuring clips from
7.30pm). Live coverage of the 2.00 WWE NXT 3.45 International 4.00 Discovering: Hugh Grant 5.00 Terror 1.00pm Burning Sky 2.05 Wheeler Dealers 6.00 Plane Newyddion S4C a’r Tywydd 9.00 Sgwrs
cinema’s golden age Dan y Lloer 10.00 Sgorio Rhyngwladol:
Merseyside derby in the women’s top Football 4.45 Premier League Reload Tales of the Unexpected 6.00 Alfred Hemingway 3.15 The History of the Reclaimers 7.00 Kindig Customs
flight, held at Goodison Park 10.00 5.00 ESPN FC 5.30 Rugby Stories Hitchcock Presents 7.00 Johnny Cash: Red Army 4.30 Stalin: Inside the 8.00 Gold Rush 9.00 Mystery at Blind Uefa Euro 2024 10.30 Y Stiwdio
Live World Golf Championships. The 6.00 The Rugby’s On 7.00 Live A Legend in Concert 7.50 Fleetwood Terror 6.25 Hemingway 7.35 The
GOLD Frog Ranch 10.00 Aircrash Grefftau 11.30 - 12.05am Gwely a
Brecwast Maggi Noggi
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Gallagher Premiership Rugby Union. Mac: Live in Boston 9.00 Daryl Hall History of the Red Army 8.50 Noon Keeping Up Appearances Confidential 11.00 Naked and Afraid
Further live coverage of the third day’s Newcastle Falcons v Gloucester (kick- and John Oates: Live in Dublin 2014 Stalin: Inside the Terror 10.50 The 12.40pm Outnumbered 1.20 Dad’s 12.00 Expedition Bigfoot 1.00am
play at Austin Country Club in Texas off 7.45pm) 10.00 Uefa Champions 11.10 Toto: 40 Tours Around the Sun History of the Red Army 12.00 Stalin: Army 2.00 Only Fools and Horses 2.40 Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch 2.00
12.00 Sky Sports News 3.30- League Magazine 10.30 UFC Fight 2.10-4.30am The Moody Blues: Days Inside the Terror 2.00-6.00am Hi-de-Hi! 3.20 Last of the Summer Aircrash Confidential 3.00-4.00am
5.30am Live Super Rugby. Camp 11.00 Live: UFC Live. A look of Future Passed Teleshopping Wine 4.40 Dad’s Army 5.20 Keeping Gold Rush
28 *** Friday 24 March 2023 The Daily Telegraph

Weather & Crosswords

Nature notes

Whiff of intrigue
in hedgehog den
A skunk has been filmed sniffing
about inside a hedgehog house in
Berkshire.
Skunks are not native to the UK,
so it is believed the raider may have
escaped from a private collection
and was foraging for food.
Clive Wraight said he was amazed
to see it running across his lawn in
Earley, near Reading.
His motion-activated nature
cameras showed that the skunk –
which emits a foul smell when it feels
threatened – spent more than six hours
in one of his empty hedgehog houses.
Inquiries on social media suggested
it had been spotted previously but the
owner could not be traced.
Marwell Zoo in Hampshire said the
footage appeared to show a striped
skunk, a species which is native to
North America. A spokesman said:
“There has been talk of skunks living
in the wild and it is thought they may
originate from accidental escapes.”*