Wednesday November 25 2020 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73326
10 to subscribers
Over 50 and flaunting it
Anna Murphy on ageless bodies
Billions to help jobless as historic economic rebound predicted
Francis Elliott Political Editor
Philip Aldrick Economics Editor
Steven Swinford Deputy Political Editor
Rishi Sunak is to acknowledge that the
coronavirus pandemic will lead to a
steep rise in long-term unemployment
today when he announces a £4.3 billion
package to help the jobless.
The economic devastation will be
Covid rules
relaxed for
Christmas
6Three households can meet over five days
6Scientists warn festive measures will cost lives
Chris Smyth Whitehall Editor
Graeme Paton Transport Correspondent
Becky McCall
Families will be allowed to meet two
other households in a “Christmas
bubble” under a five-day relaxation of
coronavirus restrictions.
They can travel freely around the UK
from December 23 to 27 under a
“limited and cautious” exemption
agreed between Westminster and the
devolved administrations.
The bubble means that loved ones
will be able to hug each other. However,
official advice will urge people to “think
carefully about what they do during
this period” and take precautions to
avoid infecting vulnerable relatives.
Government scientific advisers have
warned that the relaxation will cost
lives and risk a third lockdown in
January and hospital chiefs say that it is
premature. However, ministers believe
that families’ need for contact out-
weighs this.
Families will face tricky decisions
over which set of grandparents to visit
because bubbles must be fixed at the
same three households for the period.
Travel plans were further complicat-
ed when Grant Shapps, the transport
secretary, urged people to “consider
avoiding” the railways and passengers
faced delays in buying advance tickets.
He pointed to engineering work in late
December and a cut in the number of
seats to maintain social distancing.
In other developments:
6 Reported cases were down 44 per
cent in a week to 11,299 as the effects of
the lockdown were felt but deaths
reached 608, the highest since May.
made clear in a series of forecasts pub-
lished by the Office for Budget Respon-
sibility (OBR) alongside the Whitehall
spending round. The Resolution Foun-
dation, a think tank, has suggested that
the central forecast will show a per-
manent reduction in GDP of 3 per cent,
equivalent to £1,000 a head.
Government borrowing will be close
to £400 billion this year as public
6 Five former prime ministers have
now opposed Boris Johnson’s plan to
cut the foreign aid target to manage the
economic impact of the pandemic.
6 The National Audit Office said that
the government was poorly prepared to
provide PPE for healthcare staff in the
event of a pandemic and paid £10 billion
over the odds for supplies.
6 Business travellers and tour groups
will not have to self-isolate under plans
to reopen England’s borders.
6 A poll suggested resistance to vacci-
nes was growing, with almost half the
population in some European coun-
tries saying that they would refuse a jab.
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office
minister, agreed the Christmas exemp-
tion with the first ministers of Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland at a Cobra
meeting yesterday, saying that the loos-
ening “will offer hope for families and
friends who have made many sacrifices
over this difficult year”.
He conceded that “the Christmas
period this year will not be normal”.
Family meetings will be limited to
private homes and outdoor spaces, with
people still expected to be banned from
seeing others in pubs and restaurants
across most of England. People aged
over 65 in care homes will not be able to
join their families for Christmas.
Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer
& Pub Association, said that the plans
“make a mockery of the extra res-
trictions being placed on pubs and the
economic devastation they are facing”.
New Year’s Eve celebrations have also
been formally cancelled, with tough
tier restrictions returning on December
28. Chris Whitty, the chief medical
Continued on page 2, col 3
£2 £1.
spending jumps above 50 per cent of
GDP, a level not seen since the Second
World War, and the national debt
reaches a 60-year high. However, up-
dated GDP forecasts will show that the
economy is on track for a V-shaped
recovery. After a shrinkage of about
10 per cent this year, the deepest reces-
sion in three centuries, Britain will have
its fastest growth since 1941.
Smart cookie Peter Sawkins, a 20-year-old student, has become the youngest winner of The Great British Bake Off Page 13
From brat to wurst: Britain in EU sausage war
Oliver Wright Policy Editor
There have been cod wars and scallop
wars but never a sausage war — until
now. Brexit negotiators are engaged in
a stand-off over the future of the banger
as the prospect grows of a trade ban at
the end of the year.
The dispute could result in Irish
sausages being taken off British super-
market shelves and German bratwurst
being turned back at Calais.
It has also led to the delicious irony of
British trade negotiators telling
Brussels that they intend to use the
EU’s own rules to exact revenge on
European producers.
The saga has more than a touch of
the Yes Minister sketch in which Jim
2G
INSIDE
TIMES2
The OBR will also publish an esti-
mate of the consequences of a no-deal
Brexit. The timing, as Britain and the
EU seek a deal, is particularly sensitive.
Yesterday Mr Sunak, the chancellor,
said that employment was his “number
one priority” during the “acute phase of
the crisis”. He will vow to minimise the
damage, saying that no one should be
left without hope or opportunity.
Hacker fought off an attempt by
Brussels to ban the British sausage. The
real-life row developed over EU regula-
tions stating that uncooked prepared
meat products, such as sausages and
burgers, cannot be imported into the
bloc unless they are frozen to minus
18C.
This threatens tens of millions of
pounds worth of sausage meat, along
with uncooked beef burgers and other
products. The ban will also affect
Northern Ireland, disrupting supply
chains and preventing British-prepared
raw meat from crossing the Irish Sea.
Government sources said that
despite the issue being raised early in
the talks there had been little progress
in getting the EU to agree to a export
(based on 7 Day Print Pack)
How
tto dress
up for
eevery
v tier
The three-year, £2.9 billion Restart
programme of support will include
monthly face-to-face interviews and
workshops to improve skills, with train-
ing tailored to the local job market.
Mr Sunak will put another £1.4 billion
into help for those jobless for more than
three months. It follows a recent dou-
bling to 13,500 of the number of work
Continued on page 2, col 3
LOVE PRODUCTIONS
health certificate for uncooked proc-
essed meats. Britain attempted to
ratchet up pressure by warning that if
there was no agreement it would
implement its own ban.
That would be particularly damaging
to Ireland, for which Britain is a vital
market. In 2018 Ireland exported
335,000 tonnes of beef, pig, sheep and
poultry meat worth €1.3 billion to the
UK, part of which would be threatened.
y(7HB7E2*OTSLNO( |||+&!:
2 2GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

News
Today’s
highlights New pub rules will cost us
9.40am Benjamin Zephaniah, poet and writer
12.30pm Live coverage of Rishi Sunak’s
spending review
2pm Earl Spencer on his new book, The White
180m pints, say landlords
Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Andrew Ellson lockdown rules. Pubs in Tier 2 areas will decision to single out pubs for harsher
Consumer Affairs Correspondent be able to serve alcohol to customers rules. It pointed out that only one per
Henry I’s Dream only with a substantial meal, which is cent of pubs had been linked to corona-
8.30pm The singer-songwriter Katie Melua, Tough new restrictions on pubs when the equivalent of the old Tier 3 rules. virus cases by the track and trace
right lockdown ends will cause landlords to The tighter restrictions will be in system and that transmission occurred
10pm MPs’ panel with the Conservative lose 180 million pints in beer sales over place during the industry’s busiest mostly in homes.
Harriett Baldwin and Labour’s Darren Jones Christmas, the industry has said. period of the year and will result in at Mr Martin questioned the judgment
Pub bosses reacted furiously yester- least 180 million fewer pints being of ministers. He said: “No one in the
day to the tighter rules, which will come drunk in pubs in December, according government seems to have any experi-
into force from December 3, describing to the association. It added that the ence of running a business – and their
Listen for free DAB | Smart speaker | Online at times.radio | Times Radio app them as a “betrayal” of the industry. restrictions would mean that 90 per current policies seem destined to cause
Analysis suggested they will cost land- cent of venues would not be able to op- the loss of a million jobs in hospitality,
lords an average of £50,000 in lost sales. erate profitably, forcing many to shut with further ‘ripple effect’ job losses
The British Beer and Pub Association for good. throughout the economy.”
T O D AY ’ S E D I T I O N wrote to Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, In the letter to Mr Sunak, Emma The Times has learnt that last week
demanding greater financial support McClarkin, chief executive of the asso- ministers were privately telling indus-
while Tim Martin, the boss of JD Weth- ciation, wrote that present support try bosses that the post-lockdown tier
Call to rethink How Whitehall Iron condition erspoon, warned that a million hospi- grants, which range from £1,300 to system would be the same as that which
tality jobs could be lost because of the £3,000 a month, would be nowhere existed before.
foreign aid cut wasted £5bn linked to cancer government’s “flawed” approach. near enough to compensate for the pre- One senior industry figure said: “Yes-
Five former prime Some £5 billion has Men with a common On Monday, Boris Johnson an- dicted loss of revenue and ongoing terday came as a massive surprise.
ministers have called been entirely wasted genetic iron overload nounced that lockdown will end next fixed costs. Something seems to have happened in
on Boris Johnson to by the government in condition are ten times week, with restrictions easing across a She added: “I cannot overstate how the last few days to change the mind of
rethink plans to cut the past three years, more likely to develop range of areas. But while shops, gyms serious the situation facing our brewers ministers and we don’t know what.
Britain’s foreign aid analysis shows. This liver cancer, a study and places of worship will be allowed to and pubs is at this stage. It would be ut- “The whole sector would understand
target from 0.7 per includes money has found. About reopen as they were before the lock- terly heartbreaking if, having survived if there was evidence to support this
cent to 0.5 per cent of written off over 175,000 men and boys down was introduced, pubs face tough- through the last nine months, pubs now move but we have not been shown any.
gross national income. infrastructure failures, of European ancestry er restrictions. face ruin with the end of the pandemic If the government relaxes household
The chancellor will Brexit planning, health in Britain have the In Tier 3 areas pubs will only be al- in sight.” mixing over Christmas it will make a
announce the proposal and safety fines and a faulty genes that cause lowed to offer takeaway drinks, which The trade group has demanded min- mockery of the decision to impose
in his spending review payoff to an Iranian haemochromatosis, it means no change from the present isters produce evidence to support their these restrictions on pubs.”
today. Page 4 bank. Page 14 is estimated. Page 16
continued from page 1
COMMENT Restrictions outlined Guide to Christmas bubbles

Soon enough Russians will conclude officer for England, and his counter- 6 Up to three 6 Couples and 6 Social distancing
parts from the devolved governments households can meet in flatmates can choose to rules will not apply
that the Putin system has failed were consulted on the rules and said private homes, places of split up and visit within bubbles but
ROGER BOYES, PAGE 36 that transmission of the virus was likely worship or outdoors different sets of people are urged to
to increase as a result. between December 23 relatives if they prefer take precautions to
Andrew Hayward, a member of the and 27 but are advised to take avoid infecting relatives
US ‘set to lead Markets rise to Only sing when Sage advisory panel, said that the relax- extra precautions such
ation “will allow the virus to run out of 6 People can travel as thorough cleaning 6 People are urged to
world again’ record levels you’re distanced control consciously for the sake of freely throughout the reduce “unnecessary
Joe Biden said that Optimism about the Fans will be obliged to Christmas and we’ll need further lock- UK during this period, 6 Students coming contact” as much as
America was ready to coronavirus vaccines, follow a code of down measures. But those people in- and can also travel to home for the holidays possible in the two
lead the world again as Joe Biden’s transition conduct to attend fected and who die as a result — their and from Northern will count as part of weeks before and after
he announced his to the White House sports events when lives we will not get back.” Ireland on December 22 their parents’ household forming a Christmas
national security team. and a swift economic supporters are allowed Professor Hayward suggested that and 28 bubble
The president-elect’s recovery helped the to return. The code people delay seeing elderly relatives 6 Children will be free
claim came as Donald Dow Jones to break will include social until after they had been vaccinated. 6 The Christmas bubble to move between 6 Meeting indoors with
Trump desperately through the 30,000- distancing in venues Saffron Cordery, of the hospitals’ must be fixed to the divorced parents others outside your
insisted that he had point barrier for and not hugging others group NHS Providers, said that the re- same three households Christmas bubble
not conceded defeat the first time. The outside their social laxation “could lead to a damaging for the duration and 6 Care home remains banned
to his Democratic S&P 500 also rose to a bubble. Singing will be third surge in Covid cases in the depths people can only be in residents over 65 are
rival. Page 40 new record. Page 45 allowed. Page 78 of winter when the NHS is at its most one bubble advised not to form a 6 If you have been told
vulnerable”. bubble but younger to self-isolate because
Mr Gove said: “All the governments 6 Support bubbles will residents may be you have been in
COMMENT 35 WORLD 40 SPORT 67 agreed that we should balance the need count as one allowed out to visit one contact with a
LETTERS 38 BUSINESS 45 CROSSWORD 78 to protect public health with also allow- household, according other household, confirmed Covid-19 case
LEADING ARTICLES 39 REGISTER 61 TV & RADIO TIMES2 ing people to be with their loved ones.” to the rules in each subject to risk you should not form a
Police are not expected to enforce the home nation assessments Christmas bubble
FOLLOW US rules closely, with fines likely to be
thetimes timesandsundaytimes thetimes limited to egregious cases.
Mr Shapps urged people to look very to be appealing to people to look very coast mainline between London
OFFER carefully at their transport plans for carefully at the transport route they Euston and Glasgow, will not put tickets
Christmas. He told BBC Breakfast: “We take and of course even making a for Christmas week on sale until next
Save up to 40% with a subscription to have got to understand there are limita- choice about whether they travel at all.” Tuesday, three weeks before travel.
tions to the [rail] network caused by, for The problems have been compound- LNER, which operates on the east
The Times and The Sunday Times example, things like the need on some ed by the delayed sale of advance tickets coast, will sell tickets for Christmas
THETIMES.CO.UK/SUBSCRIBE trains to pre-book tickets at this time, to by some intercity train operators. week from this Friday.
prevent overcrowding. So we are going Avanti, the main operator on the west Coronavirus reports, pages 6-11

THE WEATHER © TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, 2020.

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continued from page 1
Spending review
coaches in jobcentres. He will confirm
funding for the next stage of his “plan
for jobs”, including £1.6 billion for the
Kickstart programme, which the Trea-
sury has said will create up to 250,000
state-subsidised roles for young people.
The scheme, which was launched in
August and offers employers £2,000 for
each apprentice they take on, is to be
extended to the end of March.
There will also be a £375 million skills
package, including £138 million to de-
liver Boris Johnson’s so-called lifetime
skills guarantee. At least 750,000
people have lost their job this year and
the number out of work for more than
six months has increased by 72,000.
The OBR is expected to warn that up to
a million more jobs could be lost,
though the extension of furlough until
March should prevent 1980s-style
unemployment. The Bank of England
recently lowered its estimate of peak
unemployment from 8 per cent to
7.7 per cent, up from 4.8 per cent today.
However, tax rises of about £50 bil-
lion will be needed simply to balance
day-to-day spending, according to
Oxford Economics, a forecaster.
Torsten Bell, chief executive of the
Resolution Foundation, said: “The
scarring effect of Covid on the eco-
nomy could cost every adult in Britain
£1,000 by the middle of the decade. But
the long-term effect of Brexit on the
economy will be significantly bigger,
with households having already felt
that via higher inflation in recent years
and private sector investment growth
slowing significantly.”
Matthew Fell, policy director of the
CBI, said that the chancellor was right
to focus on the “scarring effects of long-
term unemployment”.
Separately, the OBR is likely to sug-
gest that a no-deal Brexit would have a
significant impact on GDP. Andrew
Bailey, governor of the Bank of Eng-
land, said this week that the long-term
impact could be worse than the virus.
Is Sunak savvy enough to be prime
minister? Daniel Finkelstein, page 35
Chancellor faces historic challenge in
the new year, business, page 41
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 3

News

Cricket has no time for tea any more ALAMY

Cucumber sandwiches
are out as league officials
say clubs don’t need to
lay on a spread, writes
Elizabeth Ammon
As Bill Bryson once observed, cricket is
the only sport built around meal breaks.
And though the days might be long
gone when waitresses used to come on
to the pitch to serve players their after-
noon refreshment, the English cricket
tea, with its fancy sandwiches and
stodgy cakes, remains an integral part
of the game.
But not, perhaps, for much longer.
The tradition of serving egg and cress
sandwiches, sausage rolls and slices of
Victoria sponge has come under threat
after the Sussex Cricket League, the
largest recreational league in the coun-
try, voted by a margin of 114 votes to 89
to remove the requirement for clubs to
provide teas.
Home sides will no longer be expect-
ed to provide food during the innings
break although they must still lay on a
cup of tea (as well as a choice of cold
drinks) to players from both teams as
well as the umpires and scorers.
During the coronavirus-hit summer,
cricket clubs were not allowed to serve
shared food. Players were expected to
bring their own or, in some cases, to
forgo the tea break. Now, even as opti-
mism rises about the 2021 season being
as close to normal as it can be, some
clubs have decided that a return to pro-
viding teas is something they could do
without.
While the Sussex league’s resolution
does not stop clubs providing a decent
spread for the inter-innings break, they
now don’t have to. Some will continue The traditional spread of scones, tea and cake was a treat for players, umpires and scorers, but some clubs said they found it expensive and time-consuming to prepare
to do so but there are no guarantees
that the gesture will be reciprocated always called, to switch second innings were often opposite altitude, the him if it had been a cheese
when they travel to other clubs. Patrick Kidd authors, “a proper Billy literally butterfingered. annual match on Bramble and pickle roll.
While some have regarded the an- Bunter tea”. Hugh de Sélincourt, in Bank, Hampshire, features Beware, though, too
nouncement as a harbinger of the col- What a spread: mountains his 1924 novel The Cricket bacon and eggs if the low generous a host. Foul play
Match, called the tea

lapse of western civilisation, others be-
lieve it is a sensible way to adapt club
cricket for the 21st century: apparently
there are those who believe that there
are better ways to spend Saturday morn-
ing than buttering bread for sandwiches.
Forest Row Cricket Club, which plays
in the Sussex Cricket League and voted
in favour, said: “We think it will encour-
age new players. For too long cricket
has the stigma of cucumber sandwiches
and a little bit of cricket. Times have
changed and not everyone wants teas.
Lots of clubs don’t have a tea lady or
enough volunteers.”
The feeling among the clubs who
voted in favour of scrapping teas was
that it was an unnecessary hassle and
expense for volunteers already strug-
gling to get 11 players on the field. Pro-
viding all those tea and cakes, not to
mention quiches, scones and pork pies,
is often farmed out to caterers with the
cost passed on to the players through
T
he annual cricket of sandwiches, acres of tide, when the wicket was alleged in an Australian
match between the cakes, pork products galore, interval “the outstanding emerges from the Solent, league match in 2005 when
Gold Bats of the an optimistic bowl of celery. feature” of the village game. coincides with breakfast. Inverloch served Nerenna
PG Wodehouse The tea “was” the match, His players are served cake It is not just we barrel- cupcakes with suspicious
Society and the the cricket merely the on small plates, regularly bellied amateurs who enjoy green sprinkles. “Jeez,
masters of Dulwich College, excuse. That 20-minute replenished, lest the entire a good tea. Mike Gatting, these are good,” one player
the author’s alma mater, break, seldom lasting less supply be scoffed in seconds the former England captain, said as he snaffled five.
had many attractions. A than 45, was the jam in the if laid out at once. loved to strap on the After tea that hungry
pretty ground, a decent game’s Victoria sponge, the When cricketers played nosebag. When Gatting was batsman took 20 minutes to
wicket and a convivial crab paste between slices of on Everest in 2009, a tea bowled in 1993 by a put on his pads while his
spirit. But the most Hovis. Win the toss and urn and cucumber wickedly turning ball from team-mates sat in fits of
important thing, by far, was field first, of course, for who sandwiches joined the Australia’s Shane Warne, a laughter.
what Bob Miller, late wants to run after that? oxygen and ice picks as team-mate observed that it That’s one way to go out
captain of the Gold Bats, Fumbled catches in the essential items. At the would never have got past on a high.
match fees, usually between £10 and £15 team said they were very disappointed ing the demise of their afternoon tea. vote will open the door for other lea-
per match. Alternatively it is done by that teas were being dropped. “We will Many umpires and scorers, who give up gues to follow suit and that slowly but
club captains (or their wives, husbands, still be providing teas for our players at hours of their weekends, regard a calo- surely a table laden with cakes and
partners or parents). There is the added home games and are happy to also pro- rific spread as some kind of recom- buns, Battenburgs and scotch eggs will
complication of catering for different vide for any opposition who are happy pense. “What a joyless way to spend a become something that future cricket-
dietary requirements and meeting the to reciprocate. In fact, we are working Saturday,” one club scorer said. “Teas ers won’t believe ever happened.
required food-hygiene standards. on a new pavlova recipe.” were one of my delights in life.” Plate up and play the game,
The Horsted Keynes Horseman T20 It is not just players who are lament- The concern now is that the Sussex leading article, page 39

Insects on I’m a Celebrity are making Welsh skin crawl

Charlie Parker
It is bad enough that contestants have
to eat all manner of insect life in I’m a
Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!. Police
must now investigate complaints that
some of the creepy crawlies might have
escaped into the Welsh countryside.
The thousands of cockroaches, mag-
gots, spiders and worms used to terrify
celebrity contestants on the ITV show
could threaten the local ecosystem, a
naturalist has warned. The series is
usually broadcast in Australia, where
the inhabitants are quite used to deadly
spiders and vicious snakes.
The challenge this year is taking
place in a 250-acre estate surrounding
Gwrych Castle in north Wales because
of the pandemic.
Iolo Williams, the BBC Springwatch
presenter, has lodged a complaint with
rural crime officers, The Guardian
reported. He said that he was shocked
after watching the show last week and
seeing thousands of cockroaches
poured over contestants in a glass
chamber. Williams said that it was
“madness” to use non-native species for
entertainment.
“I’m not sure which species they’re
releasing,” he said. “But I can tell you
they’re not native. We don’t have those
cockroaches here in the UK and we cer-
tainly don’t have them in north Wales.”
Williams noted that despite the chal-
lenge taking place inside a contained
environment, contestants might carry
insects on their bodies while leaving the
Vernon Kay is put to the insect test on
I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!
enclosure. “There are going to be cock-
roaches in every nook and cranny
along their bodies,” he said. “You’re
going to tell me that every single one of
those is found? Of course it’s not.”
A spokesman for ITV said: “They are
only ever released in a contained area
and collected immediately after film-
ing. They are all purchased commer-
cially within the UK.”
A spokesman for North Wales police
said: “The matter is being investigated
by officers from our rural crime team.”
4 1G M
News
Five former
PMs oppose
move to cut
foreign aid
Steven Swinford Deputy Political Editor
Five former prime ministers oppose
Boris Johnson’s plans to cut Britain’s
foreign aid target to help to reduce the
economic fallout of the pandemic.
Theresa May, David Cameron,
Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Sir John
Major have called on the prime
minister to rethink the plan to cut the
target from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of
gross national income.
Sir John told The Times that the plan
was morally wrong and politically
unwise. Mrs May is understood to have
made clear to colleagues privately that
she is opposed to the measure.
Mr Cameron and Mr Blair made a
joint intervention last week, warning
that cutting the foreign aid budget
would be a strategic mistake. Mr Brown
has said that it risks destroying Britain’s
international reputation.
There is a growing revolt against the
plans among Conservative MPs. More
than 20 have already indicated that
they are prepared to rebel, although
many in “Red Wall” seats taken from
Labour last December are supportive of
plans to cut the foreign aid target.
During the spending review today
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, will
announce the plans to cut the foreign
aid budget. He is expected to say that
legislation will be introduced to imple-
ment the change, raising the prospect
of a major Tory rebellion.
The government had hoped to re-
duce aid spending using exemptions in
existing legislation, given the recession.
However, government lawyers have
advised that ministers would be subject
to judicial review if they did so, because
the existing legislation says they have a
“duty” to meet the 0.7 per cent target.
Tory MPs are concerned that new
legislation could lead to a permanent
cut in foreign aid. Government sources
have denied this and Mr Sunak is ex-
pected to make clear in the Commons
that the move will be temporary.
Reducing the target to 0.5 per cent
Chinese economic growth ‘boosted by £81m from UK’
Dominic Kennedy
China, the world’s second largest eco-
nomy, is being sent £81 million in British
aid, according to a new analysis.
The money is helping the Chinese
advance economically to overtake Brit-
ain as the world’s largest producer of
wind energy and to protect cities from
floods. The claims were made in an in-
vestigation into alleged public spend-
ing waste by the Taxpayers’ Alliance
and the Daily Mail.
Britain was also contributing
£900,000 to schemes aimed at prevent-
ing a pandemic breaking out in China.
In 2017, the British allocated £506,107
for a five-year study to investigate bird
flu and virus transmission. Another
grant of nearly £378,892 was awarded in
2018 for a three-year research project in
would have cut Britain’s aid budget by
£4 billion last year. Dominic Raab, the
foreign secretary, is resisting the move
because of concerns about the impact
on Britain’s international standing.
Yesterday Sir John became the latest
former prime minister to oppose the
plan. He said: “Cutting our overseas aid
is morally wrong and politically unwise.
It breaks our word and damages our
soft power. Above all, it will hurt many
of the poorest people in the world. I
cannot and do not support it.”
Preet Kaur Gill, the shadow Foreign
Office minister, said: “Our existing
0.7 per cent aid commitment sends a
strong signal that the UK is a reliable
partner for long-term economic, social,
environmental and educational ad-
vancement across the globe, and this is
cheaper than fighting wars — not my
words, but those of the CBI and the
former chief of defence staff [Lord
Richards of Herstmonceux].
“Does the secretary of state agree
that rowing back on our promise to the
world’s poorest people will jeopardise
our soft power status ahead of a year
where the UK
will host the G7
and Cop26 [cli-
mate change
conference],
and will he re-
commit to his
manifesto
pledge, made a
year ago today,
to spend 0.7 per
cent of gross
national income
on aid?”
Mr Raab
replied: “Our aid
budget will re-
main at the abso-
lute centre of the
work we do as a
force for good . . .
we’ll have to wait
for the spending reviewi h
to hear what
the chancellor has to say on that.”
China, a major pig producer, to “gene
edit pigs to prevent a novel virus infect-
ing humans”. China also received at
least £5.5 million over four grants, for
the years 2018-22, for research to tackle
antibiotic resistance.
Most of the £81 million relates to
2019-20. Despite its size and rapid eco-
nomic growth, China is regarded as a
middle-income country. Britain’s offi-
cial watchdog, the Independent Com-
mission for Aid Impact, has previously
expressed concerns about whether
some of the assistance given to China
can properly be defined as aid.
Much of the funding was adminis-
tered by the Newton Fund, which pro-
motes cross-country research and in-
novation on behalf of the Department
for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy. China has been by far the
Ministerial red boxes stand in for the Commons dispatch box
as Rishi Sunak practises for today’s spending review speech
Alyn Smith, the
S
SNP foreign af-
fa
fairs spokesman,
aasked James Clev-
eerly, the Foreign
O
Office minister, if
h
he was consider-
ing his position over the matter. “If I
was a minister of a government that
stood on a manifesto in December to
fund’s largest country partnership,
capped at £33 million a year.
The Chinese organisations which
collaborate with Britain are already top
research institutes by international
standards.
A memorandum of understanding
was signed in 2013 launching the UK-
China Research and Innovation Part-
nership Fund.
The Met Office and China Meteoro-
logical Administration collaborated on
research using British funding of up to
£43 million over about six years. The re-
search was reported to have generated
evidence about the contribution of cli-
mate change to extreme weather, al-
lowing for more resilient planning.
While Britain was handing aid
money to Beijing, Chinese spies were
causing economic damage to Britain
Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
SIMON WALKER/HM TREASURY
maintain 0.7 per cent, I would be con-
sidering my position were that to be
walked back upon.” Mr Cleverly
replied: “I’m very proud of the fact that
the UK is and will remain one of the
most generous aid donors in the world.”
Is Sunak savvy enough to be prime
minister?, Daniel Finkelstein, page 35
Reducing aid and Britain’s global
ambitions, letters, page 38
and its allies by using a group of cyber-
hackers called Stone Panda to steal
business secrets. The British in 2018
“called out” China for running one of
the world’s biggest malicious hacking
campaigns.
Tobias Ellwood MP, chairman of the
defence select committee, said: “Given
how Beijing leveraged its economic
might to abuse international standards
and norms, we should no longer be
funding any aid programmes in China.”
A government spokesman said:
“Funding through the Newton Fund
supports British scientists and re-
searchers working across the world to
tackle global issues such as climate
change and driving economic growth
and prosperity.”
To counter China, Britain needs a digital
currency, Thunderer, page 38
Quintagram® No 856
Solve all five clues using each
letter underneath once only
1 Finesse, poise (5)
-----
2 Nearby (5)
-----
3 Family of Austrian composers (7)
-------
4 Embargo (7)
-------
5 Arrow maker (8)
--------
A
O
E
A
E
O
B
E
O
C
F
R
C
G
R
C
H
R
C
L
S
E
L
S
S S T T T T U Y
Solutions MindGames in Times2
Cryptic clues Page 10 of Times2
Fraud police skills gap
Almost two thirds of police
officers do not understand the
fraud reporting process and a
third say they have not received
proper training in how to
investigate financial crime, a
study found. About half of
officers investigating financial
crime do not understand the role
of Action Fraud, the national call
centre that sifts crime reports, the
survey of 200 experienced
investigators by the Institute of
Criminal Justice Studies at
Portsmouth University found.
England star’s crash
The England footballer Jack
Grealish has admitted careless
driving after crashing his Range
Rover into parked cars on March
29. A security guard said that the
Aston Villa captain was slurring
his words and smelt of alcohol,
Birmingham magistrates were
told. Grealish, 25, of Barnt Green,
Worcestershire, has apologised.
Sentencing is on December 15.
Police face race inquiry
Eight Scotland Yard officers face
an investigation after a black
student, 28, was arrested. The
woman alleges she was struck
repeatedly when she was arrested
for obstruction during a drugs
search last May in Lewisham,
southeast London. The
Independent Office for Police
Conduct said investigators would
look for evidence of racial bias.
Home Office rebuked
The Home Office effectively
ignored equality law and the
harm caused to the Windrush
generation while imposing
“hostile environment” policies,
the Equality and Human Rights
Commission has found. The
watchdog said the law was
interpreted incorrectly as citizens
were wrongly detained, denied
legal rights or deported.
Weinstein abuse claims
A film-maker is expected to
allege that Harvey Weinstein
abused her, the Court of Appeal
was told. She has made claims
against the jailed producer’s staff,
saying they aided abuse. They all,
including Tim Sarnoff, based in
the US, deny this. A ruling that
Mr Sarnoff was not exempt from
answering the allegations, as he
had argued, was upheld by judges.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 2GM 5

News
A box of manuscripts, said that the originals
The musings one containing Charles were irreplaceable.
Criminal evolution that laid the
foundations of
Darwin’s original Tree of
Life sketch, was stolen 20
Angus O’Neill, of
the International
evolutionary League of
of lost Darwin notes biology fetch
staggering prices,
years ago, Cambridge
University has revealed Antiquarian
Booksellers, said

T
wo decades
ago two of the
most valuable
manuscripts
in the world,
one featuring Charles
Darwin’s sketch for his
Tree of Life, were
removed from
Cambridge University’s
library to be
photographed (David
Sanderson writes).
The notebooks,
dating from the late
1830s after Darwin had
returned from the
Galapagos Islands,
were taken out in
September 2000 after
a request from a media
outlet. Building work
was going on at the
library, so the books
were moved to
temporary premises.
A routine check the
following January
revealed that the box
containing the
manuscripts was not
“in its proper place”.
After years of what
was described as
a “common
understanding that
they had been
mis-shelved”, the
police were called in
yesterday and Interpol
was alerted.
Officials believe that
the notebooks were
stolen around the time
they were being
photographed. Experts
said that they would be
worth millions of
pounds but impossible
to sell on the open
market.
On one page of the
two missing notebooks
Darwin drew a spindly
sketch of a tree. More
than 20 years later it
would become a
central theory in his
ground-breaking On
the Origin of Species.
with a single leaf the Tree of Life
from his draft sketch, prefaced by
version selling for the words “I
£490,000 two years think”, was the
ago. Despite various foundation stone
thorough searches, of Darwin’s theory
the notebooks have of evolution.
not been found. “Although it has
The university been digitised, and
said it would keep every physical
searching but added detail recorded,
that this could take nothing can match the
another five years. The resonance of the
library contains about original,” he said. “Its
ten million books and loss is devastating.”
other articles.
Jessica Gardner, the
director of library
services at the
university since 2017,
said that security
procedures at the
library had been
tightened but urged
anyone with
information about the
missing items to
contact police. While
the works have been
digitised, academics

Found dead at
52, heir to the
Getty billions
Henry Zeffman Washington
John Gilbert Getty, grandson of the oil
magnate J Paul Getty and an heir to his
multibillion-dollar fortune, has died.
Mr Getty, 52, was found unrespon-
sive in a hotel room in San Antonio,
Texas, the website TMZ reported. It
said that police did not suspect foul play.
A spokesman for Gordon Getty, his
father, said: “With a heavy heart,
Gordon Getty announces the death of
his son, John Gilbert Getty. John was a
talented musician who loved rock and
roll. He will be deeply missed.”
The 86-year-old father is a classical
musician and philanthropist, the fourth
and only surviving one of J Paul Getty’s
five sons by four of his five wives.
John Gilbert’s death is one of several
John Gilbert Getty
is the latest
member of the
family to die
relatively young
recent tragedies in the family. His
mother, Ann Getty, a prominent
philanthropist, died of a heart attack,
aged 79, in September, while his older
brother Andrew died of an intestinal
ulcer in 2015 at the age of 47. He had
toxic levels of methamphetamine in his
system.
John Gilbert is survived by his broth-
ers Peter and Billy and his daughter Ivy,
as well as three half-sisters his father
had with a mistress. They came to
public attention in 1999 when their
mother, Cynthia Beck, sought the right
in court for them to use the Getty
surname.
“My father was awesome,” Ivy, 26,
wrote on Instagram. “Coolest man to
ever land on this planet and I will for-
ever be the proudest daughter. Love
you so much Dad . . . life is cruel some-
times . . . I have not one, but two guardi-
an angels watching over me now.”
John Gilbert’s grandfather, J Paul
Getty, died in 1976. He merged several
smaller oil companies to form Getty Oil
before striking deals with Saudi Arabia.
For a time he was the richest man in
the world. A passionate art collector, he
left most of his estate to the Getty
Museum, an art museum in Los Ange-
les. His large family inherited billions
through a trust with interests in Getty
Oil, which was sold to Texaco in the late
1980s.
A Forbes magazine profile in 2014,
which estimated the family’s modern-
day wealth at $5 billion, said that “the
story of the famed Getty family is one of
the most obvious examples that money,
cold hard cash, doesn’t buy happiness”.
John Paul Getty III, John Gilbert’s
cousin and another grandson of J Paul,
was kidnapped by Italian gangsters in
Rome in 1973, when he was 16. His
grandfather refused to pay the ransom
of $17 million, arguing that to do so
would make his other grandchildren
jealous. The ransom was eventually
paid when his captors cut off the boy’s
ear and posted it to a newspaper. After
his kidnapping he battled with drug
and alcohol addiction. He suffered a
stroke in 1981, which left him quadriple-
gic, partially blind and unable to speak.
He died aged 54 in 2011.
His stepmother, Talitha Pol, an ac-
tress, had died of a heroin overdose in
1971.
Timothy Getty, the oil magnate’s
youngest son, was diagnosed with a
brain tumour at the age of six and died
aged 12 in 1958.
The eldest son, George Getty, died in
mysterious circumstances aged 49 in
1973. Many believe that his death was a
suicide.
6 2GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

News
News Coronavirus

Tougher tiers trigger Tory revolt

Steven Swinford Deputy Political Editor
Chris Smyth Whitehall Editor
Tory MPs and ministers were in revolt
yesterday over a tougher tier system
amid predictions that it will be
“extremely damaging” for the economy.
Millions more people will be placed
under stricter local restrictions from
December 3 with the measures likely to
last until April.
The government will announce
tomorrow which tier will apply to each
area. Large parts of the country, mostly
in the south and previously judged to be
at the lowest risk, will be moved into
Tier 2 while the number of areas under
Tier 3 restrictions will rise significantly.
Tory MPs in London urged the gov-
ernment last night not to move the cap-
ital into Tier 3, which would force many
pubs and restaurants to close. Ministers
and whips were among those express-
ing concerns about the restrictions on
WhatsApp groups yesterday.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary,
faced lobbying from across the
Deciding factors
The five metrics that will assist in
choosing which tier will apply:
6 Case detection rates in all age
groups
6 Case detection rates in the
over-60s
6 The rate at which cases are
rising or falling
6 Positivity rate (the number of
positive cases detected as a
percentage of tests taken)
6 Pressure on the NHS, including
existing and projected occupancy
Conservative Party as MPs warned
against “arbitrary decisions”. Many of
those in the 70-strong Covid Recovery
Group, which fought against national
lockdown measures, are prepared to
vote against the regulations next week.
One senior backbencher said that
Boris Johnson would have to rely on
Labour votes to get the measures
through the Commons and the number
of Tory rebels would be significantly
higher than the 32 who voted against
the national lockdown.
Mr Johnson will address the 1922
Committee of backbench Tory MPs
tonight to try to quell the rebellion.
Steve Baker, chairman of the Covid
Recovery Group, said: “Prosperity and
freedom is founded on parliamentary
democracy and the rule of law. We
cannot have arbitrary decisions about
which tier we’re in.” Sir Graham Brady,
chairman of the 1922 Committee, told
The bigger picture BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “Huge
How many people have Covid-19? numbers of businesses, particularly but
not exclusively in the hospitality sector,
There were 11,299 new cases reported
yesterday, bringing the total to 1,538,794 have been losing money under Tier 2.
or 22.9 for every 1,000 people “There’s a tight limit to how much
Daily cases -23% from 7 days ago
longer than they can go on without
(based on 7-day moving average) seeing even bigger levels of unemploy-
National 30,000 ment, and particularly youth unem-
R number ployment.”
20,000 Mr Hancock said it would be
1 to 1.1 “unreasonable” to set fixed thresholds to
Seven-day
10,000 decide which areas fall into revamped
average tiers, saying he had to be able to use his
0 discretion. The health secretary told
Sep Oct Nov
MPs that “we can’t credibly put a set of
How many people are in hospital? statistics” on the five indicators he will
There are 16,158 patients in hospital being use to decide which set of restrictions
treated. 1,487 patients are on ventilators. will govern millions of people.
An additional 1,506 patients were admitted The government’s Covid winter plan
yesterday, down 5.5 per cent in the past
seven days suggests that Mr Hancock will look at
Hospital admissions Seven-day average cases rates, cases among the over-60s,
3,000 the speed at which infections are rising
Wave one or falling, the percentage of tests com-
2,000 ing back positive and local NHS pres-
Wave two
1,000
sures in deciding which tier will apply.
There is no formula for weighting
0 these different measures, with Mr Han-
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 days cock taking decisions after advice from
Wave one began Mar 23, wave two began Sep 23
public health officials. “We’ve set out
How many people have died?
the five indicators that we will look at,
but we can’t credibly put a set of statis-
Yesterday, there were 608 deaths
reported, bringing the rolling seven day tics on those, because when you’re
average of deaths to 442. This compares looking at five different measures, then
to 360 a fortnight ago you’ve got to take into account the
Deaths Seven-day average basket,” he told MPs.
1,000 Citing a recent outbreak in a barracks
800 that did not affect the wider population,
Wave one
600 Mr Hancock said “it would have been
Wave
two
400 unreasonable to have followed an
200 automatic process based on fixed
0 thresholds”.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 days Councils will not be able to negotiate
Wave one began Mar 23, wave two began Sep 23
and there will be no right of appeal to
The rolling seven-day average
avoid stand-offs like that which saw
The rolling 7-day average is currently at Greater Manchester resist Tier 3 meas-
47% of its peak in April. Last week, Covid ures before lockdown. Mr Hancock
accounted for 16.4% of all deaths in said areas would be consulted “but
England and Wales* what we won’t have is a two-week long
negotiation while cases can still go up.
Excess deaths That is bad for public health”.
England 20,000
It is understood that decisions will
and Wales 2020 still be made through the same local
15,000 outbreak “gold command” structure,
10,000 under which local areas discuss case
rates with officials in daily “bronze
5,000
Five-year average
Fi meetings”, with concerns escalated to
0 weekly “silver” meetings chaired by
J F M A M J J A S O N Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer
*Data published November 20 and is the most
recent available data for England, who will make recommen-
dations to be signed off by Mr Hancock
at “gold” meetings on Thursdays.
Weekly Covid-19 deaths
2,500 Although ministers are standing firm
2,000 on treating London as one entity, Mr
1,500 Hancock promised that elsewhere de-
1,000 cisions would be made more locally to
500
0
take into account regional issues rather
J J A S O N than administrative boundaries alone.
Deaths registered where Covid-19 was mentioned on
the death certificate in England and Wales
Restrictions show what we’re really
like, Joanna Williams, page 37 Elf and safety Festive facemasks keep Peter Warne and Ellie Simmerling in the

Parents reveal pain of losing son, 10 Risk of infection from cash

Katie Gibbons
The parents of a ten-year-old boy who
died of coronavirus have spoken of
their “indescribable” pain as weekly
deaths involving Covid-19 exceeded
2,000 in England and Wales for the first
time since May.
Fehzan Jamil, from Bradford, who
had several underlying health issues,
including epilepsy, was buried on
Monday after dying in hospital.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Feh-
zan’s parents, Tayyaba and Mohammed
Jamil, described their son as “really
brave” and always cheerful despite his
health problems.
Mr Jamil said: “We tried our best to
keep him safe but somehow Covid got
to him.” The boy’s mother said: “I can’t
describe our loss. Everything feels
Fehzan Jamil
was cheerful
despite many
underlying
health issues,
his distraught
parents said
empty now.” Fehzan is believed to be
one of the youngest victims of the pan-
demic. A 13-day-old baby died on June
18 and an 11-year-old boy died in April.
There were 2,466 deaths involving
Covid-19 registered in the week ending
November 13 in England and Wales, the
Office for National Statistics said.
The latest weekly Covid-19 deaths
published yesterday were 529 higher
than the week before. Coronavirus
deaths made up a fifth of overall deaths
in England and Wales in the week
ending November 13.
Sarah Scobie, deputy director of
research for the Nuffield Trust, said the
figures were a “sobering reminder of
the dreadful impact of this virus”.
“This growing number will be piling
on the pressure for NHS staff,” she said.
“This pressure on services has implica-
tions both on the wellbeing of exhaust-
ed staff and the ability to work through
the growing waiting list of patients for
routine operations and care.”
Kevin McConway, emeritus profes-
sor of applied statistics at the Open
University, said one positive was that
the week-on-week rise in deaths involv-
ing Covid-19 was becoming smaller.
is low, Bank research finds
Gurpreet Narwan
Economics Correspondent
The risk of catching coronavirus from
handling banknotes is low, researchers
at the Bank of England have said.
Researchers applied high levels of the
virus — the amount typically expelled
by a sneeze — to paper and polymer £10
notes and found that levels of the virus
were stable for one hour. After six hours
traces of the virus on banknotes fell to
less than 5 per cent of the original
amount. After 24 hours, traces fell to
less than 1 per cent.
“The survival of virus on banknotes is
no greater — indeed appears potent-
ially less — than on reference surfaces
representative of the many surfaces
that people may come into contact with
in their routine life,” the report said. “In
summary, any risk from handling cash
should be low.”
The use of cash has fallen substan-
tially since the pandemic hit in March,
accelerating the trend towards cashless
payments.
As of July, 42 per cent of people had
visited a shop that did not accept cash in
the previous six months compared with
15 per cent in January. A survey by the
bank found that 71 per cent of respon-
dents were using less cash than before
the pandemic. ATM withdrawals were
about 60 per cent lower in late March
than a year earlier.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 2GM 7

News
News

amid fears over economic impact ZACHARY CULPIN/BNPS

Stop soldiering on
at work if you’re
ill, says Hancock
Chris Smyth
People should stop “soldiering on”
when they have the sniffles and take
more sick days to protect others, the
health secretary has said.
Matt Hancock said that he wanted to
use the pandemic to change “the cul-
ture that as long as you can get out of
bed, you should still get into work” by
encouraging people to find out what
was wrong with them.
As ministers become more optimistic
about an end to social distancing from
spring, Mr Hancock said that “personal
responsibility” would take the place of
legal restrictions once vulnerable
people had been vaccinated.
Hospitalisations and deaths are like-
ly to be dramatically reduced once the
elderly and high-risk groups have re-
ceived a vaccine, reducing the pressure
on the NHS.
Mr Hancock told MPs that “it’s this
thinking that underpins our saying that
we think that we will start getting back
to normal after Easter”.
Rising cases among fitter younger
people would be “less damaging to
everybody” once there was less risk of
them passing it on to elderly relatives,
he said. “We’ll get to the point where we
are protecting the most vulnerable and
there the argument for more personal
responsibility in how we respond to
this, rather than [social distancing
rules] — I think that is where we’ll get
to.”
Speaking to MPs on the health and
science select committees, Mr Han-
cock called for “a change in the British
way of doing things” on illness. He sug-
gested that the huge testing capacity
built up to fight Covid-19 would be re-
purposed to check for flu and other dis-
eases to help people to stay well.
The average worker takes four days
off sick a year, one of the lowest rates in
the developed world, which has been
linked to the low level of statutory sick
pay at £96 a week.
“‘If in doubt, get a test’ doesn’t just re-
fer to coronavirus but refers to any ill-
government’s good books during dress rehearsals for the Christmas Spectacular at Bournemouth Pavilion, Dorset ness that you might have,” Mr Hancock
said. “Why in Britain do we think it’s
acceptable to soldier on and go into
work if you have flu symptoms or a run-
ny nose, thus making your colleagues
ill? I think that’s something that is going
to have to change.
“If you have, in future, flu-like symp-
toms, you should get a test for it and find
out what’s wrong. If you need to stay at
home to protect others, then you
should stay at home.”
Mr Hancock said that the NHS had
seen far fewer chest infections this year
because of social distancing. He said
that the country had built the largest
diagnostic capacity in Europe.
“We must hold on to it and . . . use it
not just for coronavirus but every-
thing,” he said. “I want this massive di-
agnostic capacity to be core to how we
treat people in the NHS so that we help
people to stay healthy in the first place
rather than just looking after them
when they’re ill.”
Michael Holmes, vice-chairman of
the Royal College of GPs, was sceptical,
however. “We must do everything we
can to avoid our service being swamped
by people with more minor illnesses
such as the common cold,” he said.
The health secretary said that “some
parts of social distancing” and hand-
washing would remain commonplace.
He told MPs that he was confident
the most damaging legal curbs would
be lifted after spring with the impend-
ing arrival of vaccinations.
“Those damaging social distancing
interventions that have big downsides,
whether economic downsides or social
in terms of our wellbeing, I should hope
that we can lift those after Easter, if
these two vaccines are approved by the
regulator,” he said.
Mr Hancock said, however, that the
extent and scale of this would depend
on how well the vaccines prevented
transmission of the virus as well as
illness.
“You can’t know the true impact of
that,” he said. “And you can’t calibrate it
mathematically until you’ve seen the
impact of having vaccinated a large
number of people.”

‘Wilful disregard for rules’ in towns worst hit by second wave

Arthi Nachiappan
Bob Mays is worried. At 79, he is
among those most at risk from
Covid-19. And his home town of
Sittingbourne has been hit worst in
the second wave of coronavirus.
The borough of Swale in Kent,
which includes Sittingbourne,
Sheppey and Faversham, recorded
631.7 cases per 100,000 people in the
week ending November 18, up from
425.8 per 100,000 the previous week.
The rate places the borough above
Hull, which was England’s worst-
affected area the previous week.
Mr Mays said that residents were at
least partly to blame. “It’s down to
people not doing it right,” he told The
Times. “People can’t be bothered
wearing masks. You go shopping and
people are leaning over you. It makes
me feel a bit anxious, especially at
my age.
“It comes down to people following
the rules,” he added. “They don’t.
Especially youngsters, they’re just
enjoying themselves. You see them
come out of school and they’re all
hugging.”
Local politicians seem to share the
sentiment. In an emergency council
meeting on Monday, Roger Truelove,
the council leader, said people were
showing a “wilful disregard for the
rules” and warned the borough may
have further restrictions imposed
after the end of the national
lockdown on December 2.
Other residents were also
concerned. Tara Jay Pllan, a 26-year-
old dental nurse from Sittingbourne,
said that people were “taking
liberties” with the rule that allows
those who are medically exempt not
to wear facemasks.
She said: “The people that I know
are being quite sensible with it.
But I think people are taking
liberties with it and being
idiots. When you go
shopping you don’t need to
be that close to people.”
For Rosie Barrow, 29,
there have been mixed
messages from the
government about the
rules of the second
national lockdown.
“It’s hard because we live
in quite a school-based area
with a lot of young people. I
feel there are a lot of younger
people who are not social
distancing or wearing masks but
it’s difficult, a lot of friends I
have spoken to said it doesn’t
feel the same as the first
lockdown,” she said.
“A lot of people are just
breaking the rules and
going and seeing whoever
they want because there
aren’t as many specific
rules as the first
lockdown. More shops
are open this time
round.”
Boris Johnson told
MPs on Monday that
Bob Mays, 79, said he felt
anxious over people not
following the rules in Swale
England would return to a three-tier
system of restrictions, with ministers
due to announce which areas fall into
which tier tomorrow.
Andrew Simler, 68, said the
restrictions were “difficult to follow”.
Mr Simler, a furloughed power
engineer, said: “I don’t really
understand the tiered system and I’m
worried that we’re going to be put
into Tier 3. I can’t really understand
what’s actually happening, we’ve gone
from a very low level to the highest
level in the country.”
Michael Hussey, a 35-year-old
joiner, said he was being careful to
protect his pregnant wife from
exposure to the virus: “My partner is
due to have a baby so we’ve been very
very careful in taking care of her so
I’ve limited the jobs I do as well.”
8 1G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

News
News Coronavirus

Quarantine to be
lifted for business
and tour groups
Graeme Paton Transport Correspondent
Business travellers and tour groups will
be able to avoid quarantine under plans
to reopen England’s borders.
A cross-government plan published
yesterday said that people arriving in
the country on business should be ex-
empt from the requirement to self-iso-
late for up to a fortnight.
The exemption, likely to be intro-
duced early next year, would probably
last three days, although business trav-
ellers would be banned from “socialis-
ing or any other non-business-related
activity”.
Ministers are also considering sepa-
rate measures to exempt groups of
overseas tourists from quarantine pro-
vided they form “tour bubbles” similar
to those used by cricket, rugby and foot-
ball teams in recent months. This would
require groups to stay together at all
times and only travel using private
transport. It could be accompanied by a
“flagship overseas marketing cam-
paign” intended to promote the UK as
an “attractive and safe place to visit”.
However, the report dashed any
hope of a quick return for cruise holi-
days, a trade devastated by the pan-
demic. It said that cruises could not be
resumed until the national coronavirus
alert level, which was set at four in Sep-
tember, dropped to at least three, with a
move to two “being considered by the
chief medical officer”.
This is unlikely until well into next
year, when a vaccine should become
widely available.
The measures were outlined in a
long-awaited report from the global
travel task force. The cross-govern-
ment group was established by the
prime minister to kick-start the travel
industry.
The task force, led by the transport
and health secretaries, has already rec-
Cruises are unlikely to be allowed until
the national alert level falls to three
ommended cutting the existing two-
week quarantine period to five days for
travellers who record a negative coro-
navirus test result. The change will be
introduced in England from December
15. Other parts of the UK are yet to
follow.
However, airlines have warned that
any quarantine period at all will still de-
ter the majority of people from travel-
ling to the UK, particularly those on
business trips who normally spend one
to three nights in the country. British
Airways warned last week that the UK
was being “left behind” other countries.
Yesterday’s report said that ministers
were seeking to sign bilateral agree-
ments with individual countries that
would entail passengers self-isolating
and taking coronavirus tests before de-
parture. Preliminary research shows
that the risk of being infected during
the journey — travelling by air, ferry or
train — is “acceptably low”, it said.
A trial of the bilateral agreements
could be launched on certain routes, it
said. There is already speculation that
flights between London and New York
will be first to be opened up next year.
However, in the interim period, the
government is proposing complete
quarantine exemptions for certain
groups to promote travel into the coun-
try. This includes for “short-term busi-
ness trips”, which typically account for
22 per cent of all inbound travellers to
the UK, contributing £4.5 billion annu-
ally to the economy.
The report said that it would provide
an opportunity to “start promoting
major events” due in 2022 including the
Commonwealth Games in Birming-
ham and the UK-wide Festival 2022. It
added that business conferences could
restart “in a Covid-secure manner as
early as possible in 2021”.
Separately, the Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will
analyse proposals to create “tour bub-
bles” for tourism groups seeking to visit
the country. The report said that this
could be accompanied with a wide cam-
paign to attract visitors back to the UK.
“At the appropriate time, run a flag-
ship overseas marketing campaign,
promoting the UK as an attractive and
safe place to visit,” it said.
Joss Croft, the chief executive of UK
Inbound, which represents the domes-
tic tourism industry, said that any re-
quirement to quarantine for five days
would “continue to significantly im-
pede demand and therefore risk jobs in
the UK’s valuable inbound tourism in-
dustry”.
“We need a best-in-class testing re-
gime, negating the need for a lengthy
self-isolation, otherwise competitors
who do have these systems will reap the
benefit,” he said.
“Tourism will be able to significantly
aid the UK’s economic recovery but
right now businesses are struggling to
survive and until a more rigorous
system is in place, international visitors
will not return in numbers.”

Q&A
Who will approve Covid-19 vaccines
for public use? The Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA) has to issue a licence
for every medical product in the UK,
from chemotherapy drugs to cold
remedies (Rhys Blakely writes).
Vaccines are no different. The chief
executive is June Raine, who has spent
her entire 35-year professional career
with the agency. Her staff are
assessing three jabs, from Pfizer,
Moderna and Oxford-Astrazeneca.
of immunisation at the Department of
Health, said that how much progress
has already been made during “rolling
reviews” of the three vaccines that
started about three weeks ago will be
critical. “The MHRA is under great
great pressure to do this expeditiously
but thoroughly,” he said.
Has Brexit made a difference? Yes, the
law was amended this year to allow the
MHRA to issue an emergency licence
for a vaccine without the co-operation
of the European regulator.
Who carries out the assessment? The
MHRA, which is part of the health
department but operates
independently, will assemble a team of
When to expect jabs
DECEMBER
Care home residents and
staff, healthcare workers
from beginning of December
Over-80s
from mid-December
Everyone aged 70-80
from late December
JANUARY
Everyone aged 65-70
from early January
All under-65s at high or
moderate risk
PRIORITY
limited pool of expertise and it is likely
to be useful to have people working
across different vaccines, Professor
Ashby said.
Who decides on whether to issue a
licence? Once it is satisfied, the MHRA
will go to the Commission on Human
Medicines, an independent panel of
experts. It will assess the data again
before advising the government on
safety, quality and effectiveness.
Once the commission is satisfied, a
licence is issued.
What will the licence say? It will
stipulate who the vaccine can be given
to. It could be limited to certain age
groups, though this is not expected. It
will be given to millions of perfectly
healthy people.
What happens once the licence is
issued? The decision on whether a
licensed vaccine is actually used will be
made by the Joint Committee on
Vaccination and Immunisation, an
independent panel of experts that
advises the health department.
The JCVI will decide which vaccines
the NHS uses, who gets what
inoculation and in what order.
Will the MHRA talk to regulators in
other countries? Yes. The MHRA often
shares information with its equivalents
in America and in Europe.

How long will it take? It would
normally take months for the MHRA to
approve a vaccine. Ministers believe
Covid-19 jabs could be approved
before the end of the year. Deborah
Ashby, director of the School of Public
Health at Imperial College, believes
that this is plausible. “My sense is that
this is what they’re aiming for — but
not at the expense of making a
decision that they would regret,” she
said. David Salisbury, a former director
several dozen scientists, clinicians and
statisticians, led by two or three lead
assessors. They will scrutinise the
results of early laboratory work as well
as clinical trials. For the Oxford vaccine,
this will include the trial data released
this week, from a pool of 24,000
volunteers in the UK and Brazil.
Will each different vaccine be
assessed by a separate team inside
the MHRA? Probably not. There is a
from early January
Everyone aged 50-65
from mid January
Everyone aged 18-50 from
late January
MARCH
Everyone aged 18-50 Bulk
of this group vaccinated
during March
will also say what dosing regimens are
allowed — there could be more than
one — and how the vaccine must be
stored and handled.
Will the licence guarantee that the
vaccine is safe? No medicine or
vaccine is ever entirely safe and the
MHRA will balance risks and benefits.
You would accept more dangerous
side effects from a drug that can treat
a fatal cancer than from a vaccine that
Is the US regulator looking at the
Oxford vaccine? Yes. Astrazeneca said
on Monday that it will submit
preliminary data from large clinical
trials in the UK and Brazil to America’s
Food and Drug Administration as part
of an application for emergency
authorisation in America.
However, the FDA will also take into
account the data from a large US trial,
involving 30,000 people, which is yet
to deliver results.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
coronavirus in brief
Plea to avoid silent night
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing will lose
some of its gusto if carollers are
limited to choirs of six and obliged to
stand two metres apart, campaigners
have said. A drive by Out to Perform,
a new pressure group, to allow carol
singers to perform has been backed by
the singers Lesley Garrett and Aled
Jones, Lord Williams of Oystermouth,
the former Archbishop of Canterbury,
Debbie Isitt, the director of Nativity!,
and the actress Imelda Staunton.
Care law hurried through
The education secretary unlawfully
rushed through changes to rules
designed to protect children in care in
a hectic response to the pandemic.
The Court of Appeal ruled that Gavin
Williamson should have consulted the
children’s commissioner for England
and children’s rights organisations
over the Adoption and Children
(Coronavirus) (Amendment)
Regulations 2020. The emergency
measures ended on September 25.
1G M
Doctors sent used gloves
GPs in the southwest who were sent
used medical gloves in error have
been told to put them in quarantine.
In a letter seen by Pulse magazine the
clinical commissioning group for
Bristol, North Somerset and South
Gloucestershire told of a “significant
hygiene and infection issue” with an
order of medium and large Sanique
gloves from the Malaysian-based
manufacturer Brightway Holdings.
An investigation is under way.
BBC host ‘in antivax group’
A BBC weather host appeared to call
her employer “the devil” in an antivax
group on WhatsApp. The apparent
account of Jemma Cooper, from
Points West, is part of the Stand Up
Bristol group that organised a protest
against lockdowns this month. The
Bristol Post quoted it as saying: “Alas I
work for the devil at the moment. I
joined the corporation in 1999 when I
was 28 and fully asleep.” The BBC
would not comment on an individual.
CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES
The virus looms
large for this
man who keeps
his face covered
as he walks past
the Regional
Science Centre
in Oldham
US expert warns of Oxford ‘dilemma’
Rhys Blakely Science Correspondent
America’s top infectious disease official
has warned that Oxford University’s
Covid-19 vaccine could pose “a dilem-
ma” if the most optimistic assessment
of its effectiveness does not stand up.
Astrazeneca and Oxford said this
week that their vaccine reduced the risk
of symptomatic Covid-19 by an average
of 70 per cent. The headline figure,
arrived at by combining results of two
separate dosing regimens, failed to
match results of more than 90 per cent,
claimed by the US companies Pfizer
and Moderna.
Anthony Fauci, the director of Amer-
ica’s National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, told the health
website Stat: “If it’s 70 per cent, then
we’ve got a dilemma.
“Because what are you going to do
with the 70 per cent when you’ve got
two [vaccines] that are 95 per cent?
Who are you going to give a vaccine like
that to? We’ve got to look at the
analyses, the real granular data. It’s
always tough when you’re looking at a
press release to figure out what’s going
Last-minute rush
for PPE cost us
£10 billion extra
Billy Kenber Investigations Reporter
The government paid £10 billion over
the odds to secure protective equip-
ment for healthcare workers after it was
caught ill-prepared for a pandemic, a
public spending watchdog has said.
A report by the National Audit Office
(NAO) has found that stockpiles held
only a fortnight’s worth of personal
protective equipment (PPE), leading to
shortages and a scramble for contracts
as prices soared around the world.
Officials spent £12.5 billion on PPE
between February and July, with inflat-
ed prices accounting for £10 billion of
that bill. The cost of gowns and cover-
alls rose by more than 1,200 per cent
compared with last year, while the cost
of body bags increased by 1,310 per cent.
Stockpiles assembled to cope with a
possible flu pandemic and a no-deal
Brexit were found to be woefully
inadequate for the coronavirus out-
break. Protective gowns, which were
not included in the flu stockpile, were in
particularly short supply.
The government quickly realised
that the normal PPE procurement pro-
cess would be overwhelmed and set up
a new supply chain to source masks,
gowns and other supplies.
A report published last week by the
NAO found that this included a “high-
priority channel” for suppliers with
links to political figures, who were ten
times more likely than others to win a
contract.
Despite handing out contracts worth
billions in a few weeks, supplies were
slow to make it through to healthcare
staff. More than 32 billion items of PPE
were ordered between February and
July but only 2.6 billion were delivered,
the NAO found. Only by the end of the
May did the supply chain have at least
a day’s worth of stock.
Surveys by professional bodies in
April and May found that 30 per cent of
doctors, nurses and care workers said
that they were left without sufficient
PPE during the first wave of the corona-
virus pandemic, while care homes were
on.” American analysts described the
70 per cent figure as “perplexing”.
The number was arrived at by com-
bining two separate results. In one arm
of the trial, in which nearly 9,000
people were given two full doses of the
vaccine a month apart, the Oxford vac-
cine was found to be 62 per cent effec-
tive. In another arm, in which 2,700
people were accidentally given a half
dose initially, followed by a full dose
booster, the effectiveness rose to
90 per cent.
Ian Jones, professor of virology at
Reading University, noted that the
infection rate among the volunteers
of the large vaccine trials carried
out so far was about 0.5 per
cent.
That would equate to
only about 15 people being
protected in the arm of the
Oxford trial that gave the
90 per cent effectiveness
figure.
“They then corrected the
‘error’ so everyone [then]
got the full dose [as a
booster] — so waiting for
9
News
News
close to running out. The report found
particular shortages in the social care
sector, which received 14 per cent of the
PPE distributed by the government.
Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the
Commons public accounts committee,
said that the government failed to pre-
pare adequately, with poor stockpiling
“a consequence of the pandemic plan’s
fixation on influenza”.
She said that the government was far
too slow to recognise how precarious
the position was and then had to pay
hugely inflated prices.
“The social care sector was largely
left to fend for itself in the early months,
while health workers couldn’t always
get the PPE they needed,” she said.
“Shortages and confusing guidance
added to the strain.”
Auditors also highlighted problems
with some of the PPE orders, with the
government saying 195 million items
were “potentially unsuitable”, although
this could not be verified.
The government spent more than
£200 million on facemasks that could
not be used for the purpose for which
they were bought. This included more
than £150 million on 50 million masks
that had been bought by a private
family office called Ayanda Capital,
which insisted that it supplied masks to
the specification agreed by officials.
Justin Madders, a shadow health
minister, said that the report “confirms
that frontline workers didn’t have
access to adequate PPE early on in the
pandemic, putting them at unneces-
sary risk”. He added: “As we head into a
second wave . . . it is vital that ministers
learn from mistakes from the first wave
and ensure that protecting those staff
who risk their lives for us is a priority.”
Jo Churchill, a health minister, said:
“As the NAO report recognises, during
this unprecedented pandemic all the
NHS providers audited ‘were always
able to get what they needed in time’
thanks to the herculean effort of
government, NHS, armed forces, civil
servants and industry.”
Whitehall bungling wastes £5bn, page 14
more data to accumulate will do no
good,” he said. “I have no doubts that
the vaccine is safe, but the data as it
stands does not support its use as the
major vaccine for the UK.”
The Oxford team have said they will
publish the full results of their trial as
soon as they can. Astrazeneca did not
respond to a request for comment.
David Salisbury, a former
director of immunisation at
the Department of Health,
said: “I want to know how
robust the 90 per cent is.” Mr
Salisbury, who was responsi-
ble for the introduction of many
vaccines, said: “If it is solid,
that’s highly encour-
aging. But there’s a
significant question
if it only came in at
60 per cent. Would
you use it if you had
alternatives avail-
able?”
Anthony Fauci said
the efficacy of the
vaccine raised issues
10
News
News Coronavirus World
Conspiracists and populists
fuel vaccine fear in the West
Foreign staff
Resistance to coronavirus vaccines is
gaining strength across much of the de-
veloped world, with surveys suggesting
that almost half of the people in some
western European countries will refuse
to be inoculated.
There is widespread concern about
possible side-effects, particularly in the
Far East, and many cite the frantic pace
at which the clinical trials have been
conducted.
The British Academy and the Royal
Society recently warned that this reluc-
tance or outright opposition could un-
dermine herd immunity.
A poll of 18,000 people across 15
countries for the World Economic Fo-
rum found the percentage who said
they would take the vaccine had fallen
by four points since the summer, from
77 to 73. However, in some states it is
substantially lower.
This can partly be attributed to the
strength of the global antivaxer move-
ment, but also reflects local factors,
2G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
Children wrap up in
Dortmund, Germany,
where schools must
open windows to
improve ventilation
such as specific worries about the safety
of some of the vaccines and populist
movements that have accused the state
of meddling with individual freedoms.
The clearest flashpoint is the US. A
sharp partisan divide has compounded
public suspicion of coronavirus vacci-
nes, which had been seeded by antivax-
ers on social media. In a Gallup survey
this month only 49 per cent of Republi-
cans said that they would be willing to
be vaccinated, compared with 69 per
cent of Democratic respondents.
France’s reputation as a bastion of
vaccination scepticism has been ce-
mented by a poll showing that only 40
per cent of the population were pre-
pared to get a Covid-19 jab. The findings
are in line with similar surveys in recent
years showing the French to be more
wary of vaccinations than almost all
other developed nations.
Vaccine hesitation is growing rapidly
in Spain, where 47 per cent of respon-
dents told a study by the Carlos III
Health Institute this month that they
were unwilling to be vaccinated, com-
pared with 30 per cent in August.
A third of Germans also have said
they are unlikely to be vaccinated. This
proportion has increased by five points
since August. The German antivaxer
movement has made common cause
with the far right and staged a series of
febrile rallies at which some speakers
likened the government’s coronavirus
strategy to a new Holocaust.
There is also evidence that more than
a third of Italians would decline a Cov-
id-19 vaccine for fear of side-effects and
suspicion that it will not work.
As in Germany, the movement ap-
pears to gain some of its strength from
a weakness for conspiracy theories.
One in four Italian sceptics believed
that the virus had been invented and
spread to change the world order.
There is also a great deal of wariness
of coronavirus jabs in Hungary, which
Sweden is
has in recent years had some of the
highest levels of vaccine confidence
and uptake in the EU. A poll by Opinio
facing up to
found that 47 per cent would not take a
Covid-19 vaccine while only 17 per cent
said they would. This may be driven by
care home
unease about the safety of the Russian-
made Sputnik V vaccine, the first batch
of which was delivered to Budapest last
death toll
week.
In southeastern Europe, too, long- sweden
standing enthusiasm for vaccination Systemic failures led to thousands
has given way to disquiet. In Romania of deaths in care homes, with
an Ipsos Mori poll found that only 57 fewer than one in ten Covid-19
per cent of people would definitely have patients examined face to face by a
a Covid-19 vaccine, the lowest level in doctor, an inquiry has found. One
any of the 28 countries surveyed.
Russia has a very vocal antivax
movement, which includes celebrities
and social media stars. In May state tel-
evision broadcast a documentary by
Nikita Mikhalkov, a Kremlin-linked
Closure over
nationalist film director, that alleged
coronavirus vaccines were a plot by Bill Tom Kington Rome
Gates to insert microchips into people.
Opinion polls have indicated wide- Ski slopes have been threatened with
spread opposition to any coronavirus continued closure over Christmas by
vaccine, including Sputnik V. Just one the prime minister of Italy as he urged
in four Russians was prepared to get the Alpine neighbours to follow suit to keep
jab, a government poll found in Octo- the coronavirus at bay.
ber. That figure rose to one in three this Allowing “indiscriminate” skiing this
month, according to the Levada Centre, winter would start a third wave of
an independent pollster. Mr Putin, who infection, Giuseppe Conte said, just as
has not had the vaccine, has said that Italy was making headway against the
one of his daughters had taken one. second wave sweeping Europe.
Reporting by Oliver Moody, Berlin; Italy registered more than 28,000
Jacqui Goddard, Miami; Adam Sage, new cases yesterday, down on recent
Paris; Tom Kington, Rome; Isambard days, although the daily death count
Wilkinson, Madrid; Hannah Lucinda reached 853, close to the record of 969
Smith, Istanbul; Marc Bennetts, in March at the height of the first wave.
Moscow Italy is on the verge of becoming the
 the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 2G M 11

News
News
INA FASSBENDER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

World update Macron’s

region prescribed end-of-life
treatment for any resident with
symptoms. Nearly half of Sweden’s
6,400 virus fatalities have been care
home residents. Some regions were
told to avoid taking nursing home
patients to hospital, and none took
sufficient responsibility for the
treatment of infected residents, the
report said.
denmark
Several dozen mink that were culled
because they were thought to be
carrying a mutant strain of the
coronavirus have risen from their
graves, their corpses apparently
buoyed to the surface by a build-up
of gas in a burial pit. The animals
were among millions destroyed
after 12 people were infected by the
strain. The bodies were found near
a military training facility in west
Jutland. The mink have been
reburied and the site is under guard
because of the low risk of virus
transmission through infected
bacteria. Scientists in Poland have
identified eight cases of the virus in
mink at a farm in the north.
australia
Airlines are discussing the
possibility of a vaccination passport
for travellers and barring
passengers from international travel
if they cannot prove they have been
inoculated. Alan Joyce, chief
executive of Qantas, said that once
a vaccine became widely available,
his carrier would probably require
passengers to have it before they
could travel. Air New Zealand and
Korean Air said they would take
guidance from their governments.
netherlands
Queen Máxima heralded the lifting
of some restrictions this week with
a visit to the refurbished national
museum of psychiatry in Haarlem,
north Holland. It was understood
that Máxima, who is 49, had
cancelled a Christmas trip to her
homeland in Argentina with King
Willem, which had become an
annual fixture, to stay in the
Netherlands. The royal family
abandoned a lockdown holiday in
Greece last month amid public
Global cases
58,712,326
Global deaths
1,388,528
sobering
Most new cases
1 US 147,098
message to
2
3
4
5
India
Italy
Russia
Brazil
37,975
28,337
25,173
18,615
the nation
6 Poland 17,856 Adam Sage Paris
7 France 17,856
8 Iran 12,460 President Macron announced an
9 UK 11,299 easing of restrictions in France last
10 Ukraine 10,945 night while preparing the nation for an
11 Germany 10,864 unfamiliar festive season of sobriety,
12 Mexico 9,187 home-cooked meals and early nights.
13 Colombia 7,924
14 Turkey 6,713
In a televised address Mr Macron,
Reported new cases
who placed France in lockdown on
Countries reporting most deaths October 29, said that he planned to lift
1 US 254,798
it on December 15 if daily new
2 Brazil 169,183
infections fell below 5,000 by that date.
3 India 134,218 The president was at pains to avoid
4 Mexico 101,676 the mistake he made in the spring,
5 UK 55,838 when his announcement that lock-
6 Italy 49,823 down was ending put the French in a
7 France 48,384 happy-go-lucky mood that led
8 Iran 48,384 infections to rise again over the
9 Spain 42,619 summer faster than in most other
10 Argentina 37,002 Source: WHO European countries.
This time tight restrictions will
criticism. From tomorrow, cinemas, remain. A nationwide curfew between
theatres, museums, swimming 9pm and 7am will come into force when
pools, zoos and theme parks, shut the lockdown ends, he said. There will
since November 4, can reopen. Up be temporary lifting of the curfew on
to 30 people will be allowed to December 24 and 31, but only so that
gather in seated indoor spaces. people can see friends and families.
Restaurants and bars remain closed. Public gatherings will remain illegal on
both days.
finland “We will be able to travel without
High schools, libraries and authorisation and spend Christmas with
swimming pools will be closed and our families,” Mr Macron said. French
public events banned in Helsinki people should, however, avoid “pointless
after a surge in cases, Jan travel”, he added.
Vapaavuori, the city’s mayor has Neither will the French be able to
said. The city is under a light-touch look forward to four or five-course
regime of controls that include meals cooked by renowned chefs on
voluntary limits on private indoor New Year’s Eve, with bars, restaurants
events and recommended use of and cafés remaining shut at least until
masks in some circumstances. January 20, as will gyms.
Sanna Marin, the prime minister, Mr Macron also cut short a nascent
said that a state of emergency debate over the reopening of French ski
similar to the March and April resorts for Christmas. They will not
lockdown may have to be declared. open until the new year, he said. In a
There have been 1,533 new cases in further sign of his tough stance, he
the capital this week, compared suggested that self-isolating would
with 992 the previous week. become mandatory for those who
tested positive for Covid-19.
turkey Nevertheless, Mr Macron said that
The mayor of Istanbul is “losing there would be some easing of restric-
sleep” over the rise in cases as the tions this Saturday, even before the
city recorded more daily deaths formal end of the lockdown. Non-
from infectious diseases than the essential retailers, which are estimated
official number of virus deaths to have lost a total of €4.4 billion this
across the rest of the country. month, would be able to open, he said.
Ekrem Imamoglu has called on the He also authorised the French to take
central government to introduce fresh air for up to three hours and 20km
tougher lockdown measures. There (12 miles) from their homes, compared
were 201 deaths from infectious with one hour and 1km over the past
diseases in Istanbul on Monday, month. Religious services will also be
while the health ministry said that allowed, with a limit of 30 people.
153 people had died from Covid-19 The president said that the lockdown
across Turkey on the same day. A had slowed the epidemic, with Public
record 6,713 people were reported Health France reporting a big fall in the
as newly symptomatic yesterday. number of new cases, which were more
than 60,000 a day at the start of the
month. The agency said the country

Christmas will cost millions, warn ski resort bosses
sixth nation in the world to surpass
50,000 deaths, and the second in
Europe after Britain.
Italians believed they had overcome
the pandemic during the summer as
intensive care wards emptied, only for
the virus to resurface at discos in
holiday destinations such as Sardinia.
Government experts believe that
packed ski lifts could have the same
effect, and Mr Conte said that holidays
on the slopes this Christmas were out of
the question. “We cannot afford it,” he
declared.
Other countries with downhill
slopes, he said, must also ban skiing. “If
we close the mountains and our
neighbours don’t, Italian tourists will go
to Austria and France and bring the
virus back home,” he said. He added
that he was working with Angela
Merkel, the German chancellor, and
President Macron on “a common
European protocol”.
While France and Germany have yet
to reopen their slopes, Switzerland has
and skiers and snowboarders filled
resorts like Zermatt at the weekend.
Resorts in Austria are hoping to
reopen when the country’s lockdown
ends on December 6, despite infections
soaring last February at the Austrian
resort of Ischgl. Skiers spread the virus
across Europe as they returned home.
Gernot Blümel, the Austrian finance
minister, told EU officials to think twice
before issuing edicts about winter
holidays.“If the EU does in fact force
skiing areas to stay closed, that will
mean costs of up to €2 billion. If that is
what the EU really wants, it will also
have to pay for it,” he said.
Italy allowed slopes to reopen in
October but quickly shut them down
after visitors were photographed pack-
ing into ski lifts.
The government has since ordered
them to stay shut while it manages its
three-tier system of regional restric-
tions to beat the virus.
Politicians in northern Italy reacted
angrily to Mr Conte’s threat of a ski-free
Christmas. Giovanni Toti, the president
of Liguria, claimed that a ban would
cause “irreversible damage” to the
economy. Valeria Ghezzi, head of Anef,
Italy’s association of ski resorts, said
that the government was making a
mistake by comparing ski slopes to
dance floors.
“The safety of ski slopes is being
ignored here,” she said. “People wear
masks in ski lifts, the journeys are short
and the windows are open.”
Ms Ghezzi said that 15,000 jobs were
at risk in the industry, while resorts
would lose up to €400 million in
revenue over the Christmas period if
slopes stayed shut. “How can the
government plan to reopen shopping
centres before Christmas but not ski
slopes?” she asked.
had registered 50,237 deaths since the
start of the epidemic, making France
one of three European countries, along
with the UK and Italy, to pass 50,000.
The World Health Organisation,
which uses a different methodology to
collect data, estimates French deaths
related to Covid-19 at just under 50,000.
Mr Macron said: “It is true we have
put a brake on the epidemic but it
remains very present in France as in the
whole of Europe. If the situation is
globally improving, in certain regions,
it remains very worrying.”
His message represents a severe blow
to a hospitality sector that is already
reeling. The Union of Hotel Trades and
Industries predicts that tens of
thousands of France’s 200,000 or so
restaurants, bars and cafés are likely to
go out of business. The sector employs
one million people and accounts for
7 per cent of national wealth.
12
News
Starmer aides
grab key roles
in new defeat
for Labour left
Eleni Courea Political Reporter
Sir Keir Starmer won another victory
over the left yesterday after his allies
were installed in key posts on Labour’s
ruling body.
Dame Margaret Beckett, the former
foreign secretary, was unanimously
elected chairwoman of the national
executive committee (NEC) after 13
allies of Jeremy Corbyn staged a walk-
out from the meeting. The leftwingers,
led by Howard Beckett, an assistant
general secretary of the Unite union,
quit the video meeting yesterday and
accused Sir Keir of factionalism.
In a letter to David Evans, the party’s
general secretary, they wrote: “We have
decided not to remain in the NEC meet-
ing today in order to show very clearly
how factional the decisions of the cur-
rent Labour leader have become. We
will be returning to future NEC meet-
ings to be the legitimate voice of the
membership and to continue to demand
that the party unite and reject the cur-
rent factional approach of the leader.”
Sir Keir, who took over in April, has
an overall majority on the NEC after
elections this month. Mr Corbyn’s allies
had been complaining about the pro-
posal to install Dame Margaret as chair-
woman, claiming that protocol required
that one of their number, Ian Murray of
the Fire Brigades Union, take the post.
Laura Pidcock, the former MP for
Durham North West who is now on the
NEC, said: “The disrespect for the left is
something we will not put up with.”
Mish Rahman, another left-wing
committee member, said: “Starmer is
trying to play games with democracy
and undermine the role of trade unions
within our party. This latest action fits a
worrying pattern of control-freakery.”
The walkout exposed splits on the left
of the party. Jon Lansman, the founder
of the pro-Corbyn campaign group
2GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
APEX
Momentum, said that Dame Margaret
had won the election fairly and
declared: “Get over it!”
Dame Margaret, 77, held ministerial
posts in the Wilson and Callaghan
governments and was deputy leader
when John Smith died in 1994. She took
over as acting leader and stood for the
top job but lost to Tony Blair.
She began her career on the left of the
party, supporting Tony Benn in his
failed deputy leadership bid in 1981 and
famously branding Neil Kinnock a
“Judas” for not supporting him.
Her views mellowed over time and
she served in Mr Blair’s cabinet for ten
years, including as foreign secretary. In
2015 she declared herself a moron for
lending her vote to Mr Corbyn so he
could stand for Labour leader, despite
having no intention of supporting him.
Alice Perry, an Islington councillor
who stood for the NEC on a moderate Claw blimey A giant crab gets friendly with Chloe-Louise Chesswas, a rare female fishing worker, off Salcombe in Devon
platform, was elected its vice-chair-
woman, succeeding Mr Murray.
The results have installed allies of Sir
Keir in key posts and will make it easier
for him to implement desired reforms.
Freedom of Information Act undermined
Mr Corbyn’s allies on the NEC wrote
to Mr Evans last week opposing Sir George Greenwood Requests handled in this way include This clearing house is certainly against
Keir’s decision to block the former those made by The Times, the BBC, The the spirit of that act — and probably the
leader from sitting as a Labour MP. Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, as letter, too.”
Mr Corbyn was suspended from La- The architect of a law aimed at ensur- well as campaigning organisations such Michelle Stanistreet, general secre-
bour last month for saying antisemi- ing government transparency has as Privacy International and Big tary of the National Union of Journal-
tism had been “dramatically overstated called for an investigation into an Brother Watch. ists, said that the existence of the clear-
for political reasons” after a report by “Orwellian” Cabinet Office system that Lord Clark of Windermere, the ing house was “positively Orwellian”.
the Equality and Human Rights Com- is screening information requests former Labour minister and a central A Cabinet Office spokesman said:
mission found the party had unlawfully across Whitehall. figure behind the passing of the act in “The Cabinet Office plays an important
discriminated against Jewish members. Disclosures to the website Open 2000, said: “I’m shocked by this revela- role through the FOI clearing house of
His suspension was lifted by an NEC Democracy show that a central “clear- tion and there needs to be full transpar- ensuring there is a standard approach
panel but Sir Keir has refused to read- ing house” is routinely sent details of ency about what is happening.” across government in the way we
mit him to the parliamentary party, say- requests made to government depart- The former Brexit secretary and consider and respond to requests.
ing there was a pending investigation ments under the Freedom of Informa- Conservative MP David Davis said that “We must balance the public need to
into his conduct. Mr Corbyn has in- tion Act, so that it can provide advice on whole purpose of the act “was to in- make information available with our
structed solicitors to take legal action. how to respond. The details include the crease transparency and accountability duty to protect sensitive information
Nick Brown, Labour’s chief whip, identities of those making the requests, of government. To that explicit end, all and ensure national security.”
wrote to Mr Corbyn on Monday asking undermining one of the act’s key princi- requests are legally required to be treat- Johnson should commit himself to more
him to apologise for his comments. ples of neutrality. ed independent of who the applicant is. transparency, leading article, page 39
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Baby-faced assassin
rises to the occasion
Television James Jackson
The Great British Bake Off
Channel 4
HHHHI
If there’s one thing to come out of
The Great British Bake Off final,
beyond a sense of benign wellbeing, it
might just be a surge in sales of
walnut whirls. Forget Proust and his
madeleines, the mental image of
small domed chocolate casings with
their mallow interiors, evoked during
last night’s technical challenge, was a
journey back to childhood treats after
school. Online grocery lists will surely
have been tweaked up and down the
country.
As it happened, only Dave actually
managed a decent whirl (“neat as a
pin” noted the newly benevolent Paul
Hollywood), while fellow bakers
Laura and Peter’s small brown piles
suffered in yet another pastry-melting
summer heatwave. The show is fast
becoming Great British evidence of
global warming.
Not even Dave’s whirls, however,
were enough to scotch the fairytale of
Peter who, at 20, became the
youngest winner in Bake Off’’s ten-
year history. If you want to feel old,
consider that the smiley Scottish
student took up baking as a young
boy because he enjoyed watching
Bake Off. The series’ most consistent
baker, Peter’s victory was written in
the Edinburgh stars, or was it the
Speyside whisky in his custard that
influenced the judges?
This was nonetheless one of the
tensest denouements yet. “As close to
a draw that I’ve ever seen,” said
Library sorry for linking Hunters ‘discuss how to hide
illegal chases’ in leaked calls
Hughes to the slave trade
Jack Malvern, Lianne Kolirin
The British Library has apologised to
the widow of Ted Hughes after
suggesting that he may have benefited
from the slave trade because of a distant
relation.
The former poet laureate, who died
in 1998, was named in a dossier of more
than 300 people and institutions that
may have benefited from slavery or
colonialism.
His name was included because of a
family connection to Nicholas Ferrar, a
merchant born in 1592 who was instru-
mental in the Virginia Company. The
company was responsible for running
Jamestown, where slaves were import-
ed to work on tobacco plantations.
Ferrar is better known for establishing
a religious community at Little Gidding
in Cambridgeshire.
However, Hughes was not descend-
ed from Ferrar, who died childless.
Carol Hughes, who married the poet
in 1970, issued a statement welcoming
the “full apology” for “highly mislead-
ing comments . . . attempting to link the
poet somehow with tenuous allega-
tions of involvement in slavery by
someone alleged to be a very distant
ancestor who was born in the time of
Shakespeare”.
She added that she welcomed the
2GM
Hollywood. Dave — capable,
controlled — could fairly feel a bit
robbed at being pipped by the tent’s
“baby-faced assassin”. Laura was
never really in it, and her early
wobble with unset custard slices felt
particularly hapless after a week in
which she was trolled by fans of the
evicted Hermine. Social media
remains a blessing and a curse even
for this agreeable reality show.
To her credit, Laura not only kept
smiling as her challenge collapsed
but, when a summer storm arrived
like a pathetic fallacy, offered the
most inspired response of the night.
As thunder rumbled, her showstopper
tower cake would be based on a
favourite quote: “Without the rain,
there’d be no rainbow.”
Overall, this was also a finale as
inoffensive as its bakers, certainly
compared to the bleak toughness of
last year, when one contestant looked
close to nervous collapse. The
tumbleweed reaction to Noel
Fielding’s Battle of Cream Horn joke
and the sight of Peter’s entropic
“horror-film” honeycomb offered
amusing moments, and Peter’s nervy
moment lifting a tottering cake
between workbenches didn’t end in
disaster.
With respect to Peter, though, it
has never felt less important who
actually won. It was enough simply to
have Bake Off, a series that soothed
the brow of a stressed nation. When
Peter mentioned that more than 100
had been locked in a bubble behind
the scenes, it hinted at how much
work goes into making this top-class
production feel so sprightly, a friend
in the schedules to millions. The only
downside is that it won’t have done
their waistlines much good. Relax, the
post-lockdown diet is a while off yet.
“acknowledgement of the distress
caused by comments on the library’s
website that should not have been
made, and its assurance that these com-
ments will not be repeated”.
The library said that curators in its
printed heritage collections team had
taken it upon themselves to conduct
the research and that the reference to
Hughes had arisen from someone
working on the Hughes-Baskin collec-
Ted Hughes was
distantly related to
Nicholas Ferrar
tion of books about the poet. The col-
lection, which includes works by and
about Hughes and his first wife Sylvia
Plath, was acquired from Hughes’s
friend Leonard Baskin.
The library said: “We wish to apolo-
gise to Mrs Carol Hughes, widow of the
late poet laureate, Ted Hughes, and to
other family members and friends, ow-
ing to a reference included in the
spreadsheet to a distant ancestor which
should not have been made, and which
we withdraw unreservedly. While the
document involved has been removed
Peter Sawkins, a student from Edinburgh, is the programme’s youngest winner
pending review, this reference will not
be made again.”
Jonathan Bate, Hughes’s biographer,
was critical of the idea of guilt by
association between the poet and a dis-
tant relative on his paternal grand-
mother’s side. He tweeted: “Black Lives
Matter, but this is going too far. Also,
Nicholas Ferrar had no children: are we
sure that the connection wasn’t family
myth-making? Has anyone actually
done a family tree?”
The library said it stood by its plan to
“identify collections associated with
wealth obtained from enslaved people
or through colonial violence”.
It declined to say who had ordered
the dossier to be compiled, but said that
it was curators rather than a decision by
Roly Keating, its chief executive.
A spokeswoman said: “The aim is to
share knowledge with researchers, so
that they can judge whether these as-
pects are important to their under-
standing of the circumstances behind
the creation of individual collections.”
She added that it had been a mistake
to present its preliminary findings in
the form of a spreadsheet, which had
“caused confusion and concern, which
was absolutely not our intention”.
The document has been removed
with the intention of republishing when
the review is complete.
CHANNEL 4
Will Humphries
Private Zoom seminars held by the
national fox hunting organisation were
infiltrated by saboteurs who published
them online and claimed that they dis-
cussed how to create a “smokescreen”
for illegal hunting.
The Hunting Office, the executive
body for more than 170 hunting packs in
England, Scotland and Wales, is trying
to take the videos down and has dis-
missed the claims of covering up illegal
hunting as “totally incorrect” and
“taking a few individual short com-
ments completely out of context”.
ITV News said that the webinars,
which were held in August, are being
examined by police and the Crown
Prosecution Service to see if any crimi-
nal offences have taken place.
The webinars were supposed to be
securely broadcast online to a pre-
selected audience of more than 100
hunt masters. However, the Hunt Sabo-
teurs Association managed to gain re-
cordings of two webinars which run for
more than two and a half hours.
When hunting mammals using dogs
was made illegal in the UK in 2005,
packs invented trail hunting, which is
supposed to mimic traditional hunting
by following a fox-based scent trail laid
by runners or horse riders ahead of the
pack. When a fox is killed during a trail
hunt, it is often argued that the hounds
accidentally came across the animal
while following a prepared scent trail.
13
News
Bubbly win
for Bake Off
student, 20
Matthew Moore Media Correspondent
A 20-year-old accounting student has
been crowned the youngest Great Brit-
ish Bake Off champion after delighting
judges with his “bonkers bubble cake”.
Peter Sawkins, dubbed the “baby-
faced assassin” by the show’s co-pre-
senter Noel Fielding, triumphed over
the more experienced bakers Dave, 30,
and Laura, 31, in last night’s final.
The University of Edinburgh under-
graduate said that he had dreamt about
lifting the trophy since falling in love
with the show aged 12. “I am a Bake Off
nerd, and I think 12-year-old Peter
would be in awe, and just the most
excited giddy kid,” he said. “I am that
excited giddy kid right now.”
This year’s series was filmed in a
Covid-secure “bubble” with the bakers
spending weeks cloistered together in
an Essex country hotel.
The finalists had to prepare a perfect
custard slice, followed by a walnut whirl
technical challenge. For the last show-
stopper they were challenged to con-
struct a magnificent dessert tower.
Mr Sawkins’s creation — a “Bonkers
Bake Off Bubble Cake” composed of a
Victoria sandwich sponge, blackberry
and lemon choux buns and mini Bat-
tenburg biscuits — sealed his triumph
The judges, Prue Leith and Paul Hol-
lywood, described it as the show’s
closest final. Leith, 80, added: “I feel as
if he is my grandson. He is such a nice
guy and he is so eager to learn, you can’t
not like him.”
The Channel 4 show was filmed over
the summer, meaning Mr Sawkins had
to keep his victory secret. “After win-
ning the trophy I had to smuggle it on
the plane back to Edinburgh. I was a bit
stressed when we went through the
scanners,” he said.
The webinars, which The Times has
viewed, address how to remain within
the law, how to provide evidence of
legal trail hunting to the police and
courts if anti-hunt activists are present
and accuse them of illegal hunting, and
dealing with animal rights activism.
However, the Hunt Saboteurs Asso-
ciation claims that during certain sec-
tions of the webinars comments made
by participants suggest that they were
trying to use legal trail hunting to carry
out illegal fox hunting with hounds.
In one section, one allegedly said:
“It’s a lot easier to create a smokescreen
if you’ve got more than one trail layer
operating and that is what it’s all about,
trying to portray to the people watching
that you’re going about your legitimate
business.”
Hunt supporters claimed that the
comments could be suggesting several
trail layers be used to divert the atten-
tion of saboteurs to prevent them dis-
turbing a legal trail hunt.
A Hunting Office spokesman said:
“The purpose of the webinars held in
August was very clearly to facilitate
legal hunting and any allegation that
they were organised for any other pur-
pose is completely incorrect. Such
claims can only be made by taking a few
individual, short comments completely
out of context.
“The webinars clearly dealt with the
operation and promotion of legal trail
hunting and managing animal rights
activism.”
14
News
GUY BELL/REX
Whitehall bungling wastes
£5bn of taxpayers’ money
George Greenwood, Dominic Kennedy
A £5 billion hole in Whitehall spending
is exposed today in an analysis of
wasted public money.
The bill for government losses has
been increasing as transport projects,
IT improvements and preparations for
Brexit are bungled.
Money has been written off for legal
blunders including a payoff to an Iran-
ian bank, fines for health and safety
breaches at a nuclear power plant and
payments to public servants for alleged
mistreatment.
The figure in the accounts of public
organisations covers the past three
years. The rising trend, from £1.4 billion
to £1.7 billion between the 2018 and
2019 financial years, suggests that offi-
cials may be failing to learn from errors.
Central government departments have
recorded at least £5 billion in account-
ing “losses” since April 2017. These
include payments for which the public
receives no benefit and write-offs when
the government decides against
pursuing debts, fraud, error and thefts.
Mistakes over IT at the Department
for Work and Pensions proved particu-
larly costly. It spent £7.2 million devel-
oping an app to complete personal in-
dependence payment disability assess-
ments, which was cancelled, and
£2.8 million on antivirus software that
Gently does it A conservator carefully cleans an eight-metre tower of radios was not compatible with its computers.
called Babel, created by Cildo Meireles in 2001, at the Tate Modern in London The Home Office lost £2.2 million in
1G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
repatriation flights cancelled because
of appeals. The Department for Busi-
ness Energy and Industrial Strategy
wrote off £12 million buying environ-
mental credits before British Steel went
into administration.
The Department for Transport (DfT)
was a serial offender. It had to pay a rail
company £140 million after it failed to
electrify lines in time. It also lost
£80 million on ferry contracts, no-deal
Brexit contingencies and £33 million to
settle a legal claim by Eurotunnel about
how contracts were signed. The DfT
said that “lessons were learnt”.
The Department of Health wrote off
£9 million ensuring a “dedicated direct
channel for high-priority medical sup-
plies” and £1 million for freight services
in case of no-deal. The Department for
International Trade wasted £760,000
trying to secure a London site for its
negotiation team.
The Ministry of Justice wrote off
£14 million as part of a renegotiation of
privatised probation service contracts.
A spokesman said that its deal involved
getting a higher standard of service in
return for writing off the debts.
The Ministry of Defence wrote off
£450 million including withdrawals of
blast-proof vehicles, a minesweeper
and the Sentry aircraft fleet.
The Ministry of Housing, Communi-
ties and Local Government wrote off
£53 million in loans made by Homes
England, a quango that increases the
housing stock. The Department for
Education wrote off £100 million in
loans to further education colleges. It
also spent £12 million closing and
changing the management of schools.
Public bodies spent more than
£700 million in “special payments” in-
cluding compensation, settlements and
extra-contractual agreements with
suppliers. The Treasury paid £80.6 mil-
lion to Bank Mellat, partly owned by
the Iranian regime, to settle a dispute
after Britain imposed illegal sanctions.
A health and safety breach at Sella-
field, the government-owned nuclear
facility, cost £500,000 after a person
had a dangerous intake of plutonium.
A government spokesman said: “We
are committed to delivering the best
value for money, cutting waste and inef-
ficiency and ensuring every pound of
taxpayers’ money is spent in the best
possible way. We routinely publish our
expenditure to maintain transparency.”
Whitehall sources said the govern-
ment was sometimes required to termi-
nate contracts early or write off assets
after circumstances changed. Value for
money was always considered.
Homes England said that it “has al-
ways exceeded its loan recovery tar-
gets”, adding: “When deciding whether
a loan programme offers good value to
the taxpayer, [we estimate] likely losses,
as well as the economic benefits of mak-
ing loans on housing developments
that would not otherwise happen.”
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 2GM 15

News
competitive due to a
lack of properties.”
Ms Bow Du Toit said:
“We charged off a
communal plug and
that’s why the Queen is
evicting us. We’ve
needed the car for
emergencies, grocery
shopping and to enable
me to find work after
losing my job as a carer.
“There was no
warning, no questions,
just an eviction letter.
“This is the first home
we’ve moved in together.
We’ve taken such good

Couple face royal care of it. We’ve raised

two adorable and well-
behaved cats. I know

eviction over £32 that it’s going to be hard

to find another suitable
home that accepts the
cats, and right before

A
couple have
made a public
appeal to the
Queen after
being served
with an eviction notice
from their Crown
property home for using
a communal plug socket
to charge their electric
car (Valentine Low
writes).
Christopher Brown,
33, and Daisy Bow Du
Toit, 31, say that they
were served with a
notice in September to
leave their flat in Royal
Mews, Hampton Court.
Mr Brown said that he
would “gladly” pay the
estimated £32 electricity
bill as well as any fine.
Although the Queen has
nothing to do with the
management of the
properties, the flat is one
of several privately
rented homes on the
Occupied Royal Palaces
Estate, part of the Royal
Household. The couple
have been told to leave
by December 29.
Ms Bow Du Toit, a
PhD student, posted a
video on Twitter saying:
“Can Twitter help us get
a message to our
landlady, the Queen,
who has evicted us for
charging our electric car
at home on site during
lockdown. Please can
Christopher Brown and Daisy Bow Du Toit charged their Volkswagen e-Golf at a communal socket at Hampton Court
she not evict us . . .
during a pandemic and
please give us six months
or a second chance.”
Mr Brown, a
mechanical design
engineer, said that he
was charging his
Volkswagen e-Golf,
bought last year, at his
workplace because the
Royal Household had
refused to install a
charge point at the
property. He said that he
tried to appeal against
the refusal but was told
the decision was final.
When the first
lockdown forced him to
spend more time at
home, he said that he
resorted to using a plug
socket in a communal
boiler room. He used it
about eight times when
he was unable to use a
fast-charging point at a
service station. Each
charge cost about £4, he
said. “It was only when it
was an absolute
necessity,” he added.
“With hindsight I should
have phoned and asked.
After the eviction letter I
sent an immediate letter
of apology. I offered to
pay the cost of the
electricity and
suggested that they levy
a fine against me for
improper use.
“I feel that they are
stubborn and cold in
that they want to evict
us over £32 of electricity
and are unwilling to
change their mind
despite all our pleading.
The rental market is
unprecedentedly
Christmas.”
The couple were
originally told to leave
by November 29. After
the second lockdown
was imposed they were
given a one-month
extension.
A spokesman for
Buckingham Palace
said: “The Royal
Household engages an
external agency to lease
a small number of
residential properties at
Hampton Court Mews,
on the Occupied Royal
Palaces Estate. Tenancy
agreements are
terminated very rarely,
and only in exceptional
circumstances.”

Begum ‘risks a beating’ for talking Apache crew

to lawyers about citizenship appeal
Fiona Hamilton Crime & Security Editor
Shamima Begum, the Bethnal Green
schoolgirl who travelled to Syria to join
Islamic State, will be put “in isolation
and beaten” if she speaks to lawyers by
phone, the Supreme Court was told
yesterday.
Ms Begum, 21, will be prevented from
properly participating in her appeal
against the stripping of her British citi-
zenship if she is forced to stay in a de-
tention camp in Syria, her lawyers say.
The government wants to stop her
returning to Britain, claiming she
would expose the public to an unman-
ageable “increased risk of terrorism”.
Home Office officials considered the
“potential impact on community rela-
tions” when deciding whether she
should lose her citizenship. Documents
revealed at the hearing showed that the
Office for Security and Counter-Terror-
ism concluded that “public sentiment is
overwhelmingly negative towards
Begum and the general feeling being
that she made her decision in travelling
to Syria and now must live with it”.
Her legal team said that it was impos-
sible for her to communicate with them
properly from the al-Roj camp, con-
trolled by Kurdish forces. Lord Pannick,
QC, said detainees were not permitted
visits from lawyers, nor to speak to
them by phone. Those who were caught
were “placed in isolation and beaten”.
Ms Begum, whose three children
have died, was 15 when she left east
London to join Isis. The Times found
her in a refugee camp last year after she
had spent four years with the group.
She was unrepentant, saying she was
unfazed when she saw a severed head in
a bin, but has since asked for forgive-
ness and said she was indoctrinated.
Sajid Javid, as home secretary, re-
voked her citizenship on national
security grounds. He said she would not
be stateless because she qualified for
Bangladeshi citizenship.
The government is seeking to over-
turn a Court of Appeal ruling in July
that she could only have a “fair and ef-
fective” appeal if allowed to return.
On Monday James Eadie, QC, for the
Home Office, said that she represented
a serious threat. He cited an assessment
by MI5 that people who travelled to Isis,
even non-combatants, were trained to
plan terrorist attacks and use firearms.
Yesterday Lord Pannick said that Mr
Eadie was asking the court to “assume
the worst” of Ms Begum when the pur-
pose of her appeal would be to deter-
mine her national security risk. He cit-
ed a Home Office document, dated
April last year, which said that 400 Brit-
ons who travelled to Syria had returned
home and the majority had been
assessed as posing no, or a low, security
risk. It could not be assumed that she
was a continuing threat. He said that
the case against her was “no more than”
that she travelled to Syria and “aligned”
with Isis, and she was not accused of
fighting or active terrorism.
Lord Pannick also cited a security as-
sessment on Ms Begum that was given
to Mr Javid before he made his decision.
It was “striking” that officials did not
advise that any threat posed by Ms
Begum was unmanageable, and instead
told Mr Javid it would be “incorrect” to
allow her to return to the UK.
“If it were the position that the return
would pose an unmanageable risk to
national security . . . one would have
expected the advice to the home secre-
tary to have said so,” Lord Pannick said.
The five justices hearing the case
have reserved their judgment. A deci-
sion is expected in the new year.
spot drone
at Stansted
Graeme Paton Transport Correspondent
An Apache attack helicopter helped to
track a drone after it was spotted being
flown close to one of the country’s
busiest airports.
The gunship was one of a pair of army
helicopters flying through the con-
trolled traffic zone around Stansted
when both crews noticed the drone.
Air traffic controllers gave permission
for one of the £35 million helicopters to
turn back and monitor the drone while
police looked for the person flying it.
A report published yesterday by the
UK Airprox Board, which investigates
near misses, said that the army pilots
were able to see the drone again and re-
ported its exact position. They con-
tinued to follow the drone for up to 30
minutes until it left the airport area on
September 15.
A 41-year-old man has since been ar-
rested by Essex police on suspicion of
causing a public nuisance and reckless-

Detective flicked female colleague’s bottom with ruler
John Simpson Crime Correspondent
A police detective has escaped dismiss-
al after flicking a female colleague’s
bottom with a ruler and telling her she
was sexy.
Detective Sergeant Paul Elrick, 48,
was found to have committed gross mis-
conduct for calling the junior officer
“sexy” and saying she looked and smelt
“gorgeous”.
The woman, who had offered him a
cup of tea before he flicked her across
the buttocks with a ruler as she walked
past his desk, gave evidence in his
favour. He had approached the officer,
identified only as PC X, squeezed her
shoulders and then tickled her sides,
causing her to jump.
Mr Elrick, who joined Sussex police
24 years ago and was based in Hastings,
appeared before a police disciplinary
panel via videolink. He claimed that he
knew the junior officer very well and
was only trying to be humorous. The
hearing was told that Mr Elrick had
known the female officer for 18 years
and the pair shared an office.
In March this year Mr Elrick sent a
series of Facebook messages to the offi-
cer. After she had an operation, he sent
her a message using crude slang to refer
to her genitals. He said: “I knew she was
having an operation as we had spoken
about it and I knew she was concerned
about it. We have a similar personality.
We have always got on very well. We
easily spoke to each other.
“The comments are crass. They are
immature and school-ground wording
which I am not proud of whatsoever. I
certainly do not treat women with such
crass discourtesy.”
The hearing was told that PC X had
not wanted to make a complaint but the
matter had been reported by a third
party. PC X said: “It was a small
malfunction within our friendship. It
was dealt with at the time. It was a one-
off. I’d work with him again tomorrow.”
Mr Elrick was issued with a final
written warning.
ly endangering an aircraft. If found
guilty he could face five years in jail.
The incident happened when the two
Apaches were on a routine flight from
their base at Wattisham, Suffolk. The
report said that the drone was first seen
1,200ft above the runway at Stansted,
which is the fourth-busiest airport in
the UK. The drone was said to have
been the same height and only 150ft
horizontally from the closest Apache
when it was first seen.
Drones are banned from flying with-
out permission within a 1.5-mile radius
of airports and a three-mile area from
either end of any runway. Drones must
also not usually fly higher than 400ft.
16
News
Men with iron disorder at high risk of liver cancer
Katie Gibbons
Men with one of the most common
genetic disorders are ten times more
likely to develop liver cancer, a study
has found.
The research by Exeter University is
likely to lead to renewed calls for
routine early testing for the iron over-
load condition haemochromatosis.
More than 7 per cent of men with two
copies of the faulty genes will develop
liver cancer by age 75 compared with
0.6 per cent in the general population,
according to the study.
It is estimated that about 175,000
men and boys of European ancestry in
Britain have these faulty genes. It is
more common in Celtic bloodlines,
meaning that the UK and parts of
North America have some of the high-
est rates. If the condition is spotted
early it is unlikely to cause serious prob-
lems but if untreated it can cause diabe-
tes, arthritis and heart failure.
Symptoms tend to begin between the
ages of 30 and 60 and include fatigue,
muscle weakness and joint pain. Some
men develop erectile dysfunction. De-
spite the availability of blood tests to
detect who is most at risk, a lack of
screening means that the symptoms are
often misdiagnosed as signs of ageing.
Haemochromatosis is treated
through regular blood letting, similar to
giving blood, to reduce iron levels. This
can help to relieve some symptoms and
protect organs such as the heart, liver
and pancreas. Most liver cancer
patients develop liver damage first.
The Exeter team analysed data from
2,890 men and women with two copies
of the faulty gene from the UK Biobank.
They were aged 40 to 70 at the outset
and were tracked for nine years.
Twenty-one of the 1,294 men with
the faulty genes developed liver cancer
and 14 of those died of the disease. Ten
of the 21 men had not had haemo-
chromatosis diagnosed by the time
liver cancer was confirmed, the study
Rubbernecking A curious pair of Rothschild’s giraffes, which can grow to almost
six metres, look on as their keepers prepare a meal at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire
1G M
Case study
W
hen the high sheriff of
Cheshire told a GP of
his shoulder pain he did
not expect it would lead to the
removal of half his liver to save
his life from cancer (Katie
Gibbons writes).
“I only raised it because I was
waiting for my brother and I had
a bit of time to kill,” Nick
Hopkinson, 60, said. A blood test
led to haemochromatosis being
diagnosed and soon he was on an
18-month programme of blood
letting. Mr Hopkinson, an MBE,
gave up drinking and red meat
but a 5cm tumour was spotted in
2018. “It felt to me like the end of
my life had started,” he said. He
had half of his liver cut out at
Manchester Royal Infirmary.
After the all-clear Mr Hopkinson
decided to raise awareness,
saying: “I feel I’ve been given a
second chance.”
Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
said. The UK National Screening
Committee is considering the case for
wider screening.
The condition is more serious in men,
with women partially protected
because they lose iron through
menstruation and childbirth. The study,
published in the journal Jama, found no
increase in liver cancer risk in women
with faulty haemochromatosis genes.
David Melzer, who led the research,
said that his team were shocked by the
findings. “Tragically, men with the
haemochromatosis faulty genes have
been dying of liver cancer for many
years, but this was thought to be rare,”
he said. “Fortunately most of these can-
cers could be prevented with early
treatment. Blood donations made
during routine treatment of haemo-
chromatosis can be used for other
patients, so early diagnosis would
actually be a win-win for the NHS.”
The NHS advises people of north
European background to see a GP if
they have persistent symptoms asso-
ciated with haemochromatosis. Having
a parent or sibling with the condition
increases the risk.
ANDREW MATTHEWS/PA
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 17

News

Spotify doesn’t pay the bills, say singers

David Sanderson Arts Correspondent
One of the country’s most acclaimed
singers has said she struggles to pay her
rent and attacked the “dark powers” of
the music streaming business.
Nadine Shah, a Mercury prize-nomi-
nated musician, told MPs that she did
not make enough money from stream-
ing platforms to “keep the wolf from the
door”. She was joined by Guy Garvey,
the singer with the band Elbow, and Ed
O’Brien, who plays guitar for Radio-
head, in calling for an overhaul of how
musicians are paid by streaming
platforms such as Spotify.
The musicians were giving evidence
to the Commons digital, culture, media
and sport committee, which is
investigating the economic impact that
music streaming is having on artists.
Streaming now accounts for more than
half of the music industry’s revenue.
According to the Broken Record
OLLIE MILLINGTON/REDFERNS; DIDIER MESSENS/GETTY IMAGES
in a recording studio with
Quentin an electric guitar behind
him — disclosed that for
Letts the first three years after
Elbow signed to a record
label in the late 1990s, he
All power was paid just £300 a month.
“We couldn’t believe it, and
it’s got harder since then.”
to your Very few stars liked to talk
about this because
“however leaky the boat
Elbows has got, musicians still don’t
want to rock it. In genres
where how much money
you’ve got is part of your
lyrics, no one wants to
Political admit they haven’t got any”.
Sketch Some of their lines could
have been lyrics. “Let’s not
let it get as far as lawyers,”
said Garvey. Someone said
“Spotify gets a bad rap”. I

T
campaign, artists receive about 16 per hree pop stars told
cent of the income from streams, while MPs how badly
record companies take about 41 per they (the pop stars,
cent and streaming services 29 per cent. certainly not the
The committee was told that while MPs) were paid.
musicians were struggling the biggest Can’t say I’d heard of any of
record labels — Universal, Sony and them but that is more a sign
Warner — were making record profits. of my fogeyishness than any
Many musicians are lobbying for lack of eminence on their
streaming platforms to employ an part. The witnesses were
equitable remuneration system, which Nadine Shah, Guy Garvey
is used to cover royalties due from radio and Ed O’Brien. O’Brien
and gives a roughly 50-50 split between plays guitar with
artists and labels. Radiohead, which
The committee was told that deals ell.
rang a vague bell.
between the record labels and stream- Garvey was
ing platforms were “shrouded” in non- introduced as
disclosure agreements. “frontman
Garvey, 46, said that the system of with elbow”.
payment was “threatening the future of Useful sort
music”. O’Brien, 52, said that while it to have
had “always been tough for artists . . . it around. But
is even more murky now with the lack it turned out
of transparency, with the opaqueness in Elbow was a
the system”. band.
Shah, 34, said: “I’m an artist with a ect
So many select
substantial profile, a substantial fan- sions
committee sessions
base and who is critically acclaimed but sed by the
are anaesthetised
I don’t make enough money from political class’s managerial
streaming. I’m in a position now where cliches. Not this one. The
I’m struggling to pay my rent. Money to trio did that rare thing of
an extent is an indication of success but speaking persuasively in
here that is not the case because I am a normal English. We didn’t
successful musician but I’m not being hear “best practice” or
paid fairly for the work I make . . . I think “robust procedures” or
there are darker powers at play.” “community engagement”
The committee said that the inquiry once. They just explained,
was “seeking the perspectives” of clearly and sadly, that
record labels and streaming platforms.
Nadine Shah and Guy Garvey told MPs that musicians were struggling financially
N out his autograph book if it
m
music today
is appallingly
pa because
paid
so much is
liste
listened to via
online streaming
services ssuch as
Spotify, which papays beans to
creatives. My wife the
country church organist is
at least palmed fifteen quid
or so for doing Sunday
morning gigs.
Julian Knight (C,
Solihull), chairman of the
culture committee, opened
by reading a letter from a
musician who had to wait
seven years for her first
royalty cheque. Even when
it arrived, most of it was
pinched by her record label.
The stereotype of rockers
in stretch limos needed
rethinking. Shah, a solo
singer, said quietly that she
struggled to pay her rent.
Depends on the size of the
rent, cynics might say; but
she was now saying, with a
tremor in her voice, that
from streaming payments
she had difficulty “keeping
the wolf from the door”. It
was awkward discussing her
financial disarray and
bet it plays a few bad raps,
anyway. Shah was asked
what she thought when
Spotify asked customers to
throw a few extra bob to
musicians under an
initiative called “the Tip
Jar”. “I thought it was
insanely condescending,”
she said. You never heard
third-sector bores and civil
service jobsworths speak
that pithily.
A couple of the MPs
became a bit moony-eyed in
front of these stars. Kevin
Brennan (Lab, Cardiff
West) would have whipped
hadn’t been a virtual
“trying not to become too meeting. John Nicolson
emotional”. Later I visited (SNP, Ochil & South
her website for a listen. Perthshire) droned away,
She’s terrific. Something telling them how brave they
rum is up if someone that had been. Shah replied —
talented is on her uppers. dark chords, Luigi — that
O’Brien had hoped to go she might well suffer
touring with a band last repercussions.
summer but Covid-19 killed Knight, 48, disclosed that
that idea. His bass player he bought his first record in
had now given up for a year 1981. It was Baggy Trousers.
to do postgraduate studies. Damian Green’s (C,
The other crew members Ashford) had been a Roxy
were working as Amazon Music LP. Mine? Benny
delivery drivers. Hill’s 1971 masterpiece
Not that things were Ernie (The Fastest Milkman
always golden before in the West). Stick that up
streaming. Garvey — sitting your elbow and smoke it.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
TV director insults actor after mute-button mishap
Matthew Moore Media Correspondent
It is a cautionary tale for the Zoom era.
If you’re going to besmirch someone
else’s domestic backdrop, make sure
your microphone is switched off.
A British television director has apol-
ogised after a video of him commenting
on a “poor” young actor’s small apart-
ment during a Zoom audition was wide-
ly shared online. Tristram Shapeero
said he was “mortified” by the incident
and accepted responsibility for his “un-
acceptable and insensitive remarks”.
Shapeero, 54, directed episodes of
comedies including French and
Saunders, Absolutely Fabulous and Peep
Show in the 1990s and 2000s before
moving to the US, where he has worked
on successful shows including Netflix’s
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Last week the American actor Lukas
Gage, 25, posted a clip of a Zoom
audition during which a director with
an English accent, who thought he was
on mute, remarked on his modest living
arrangements.
“These poor people live in these tiny
apartments. I’m looking at his back-
TMS
diary@thetimes.co.uk | @timesdiary
Press baron
loses title fight
Evgeny Lebedev, owner of the
Evening Standard, has taken the
title of “Baron Lebedev, of
Hampton in the London borough
of Richmond-upon-Thames and
Siberia in the Russian Federation”
after receiving a peerage for
championing Boris Johnson while
he was mayor. He will be sworn in
on December 17. Lebedev’s first
choice is said to have been “of
Moscow”, where he was born, but
permission had to be sought from
the Kremlin and he was sent to
Siberia instead, if not in the
traditional way. I’m told there is no
truth in gossip going round the
Lords that Lebedev hit the wall of
the College of Arms with his car
when he went to discuss it, though
Ken Clarke gave their steps a tickle,
but the college did have a recent
visit from an armour-plated beast
with a number that includes 008.
Someone who thinks they’re one
better than James Bond?
Rosena Allin-Khan, the Labour MP
for Tooting (her own trumpet), was
thrilled to see her seat mentioned in
the John Lewis Christmas advert. “It
features Tooting!” she tweeted. And
indeed when a red bus pulls up on a
snowy street that is the destination
on the front. But the bus number says
222, a route that goes to Uxbridge,
represented by the prime minister.
stage fright
In his memoir, Walking with
Ghosts, the actor Gabriel
Byrne, right, recalls inviting
his father to his first play.
“How much?” said his dad,
a cooper at Guinness.
Told it was £5, his father
said: “But I can see you
at home for nothing.”
He went anyway and
got more than expected.
“You were bollock
naked,” his father said. “I
nearly had to cart your
2GM 19
News
ground and he’s got his TV, and y’know to cast. Lukas deserved better. This back in the tube, I move forward from
. . .” said the man, who was not named by Zoom audition took place in August, this incident a more empathetic man; a
Gage. after four months of lockdown. It was more focused director and I promise, an
The actor quickly responded: “I emotional to see actors work so hard to even better partner to actors from the
know it’s a shitty apartment, just give win the few parts available and we were audition process to the final cut.”
me this job so I can get a better one.” deeply moved by the passion of these Many producers have moved
Speculation about the identity of the young people. to conduct auditions over tele-
director swirled after the clip gained “I was using the word ‘poor’ in the conferencing software during the
millions of views on social media. sense of deserving sympathy, as op- pandemic. Gage, who has
Hollywood figures including the posed to any economic judgment. My appeared in the TV shows Amer-
directors Judd Apatow condemned his words were being spoken from a genu- Lukas Gage, above, on a Zoom ican Vandal and Euphoria,
condescending tone and praised Gage’s ine place of appreciation for what the call with Tristram Shapeero posted the clip on Friday
nimble response. actors were having to endure, stuck in with the caption: “If
Shapeero, who grew up in Bath and confined spaces, finding it within video, I’m mortified you’re a shit-talking
departed for California in 2009, has themselves to give a role-winning about what happened. director make sure to
now come forward, writing a mea culpa performance under these conditions.” While I can’t put the mute ur shit on zoom
for Deadline, an entertainment website. Shapeero added: “As I say on the proverbial toothpaste mtgings.”
He expressed regret over his com-
ments but insisted that they came from
a “place of appreciation”, having been
moved by the plight of actors looking
for work during lockdown. “First and
foremost I offer Mr Gage a sincere and
unvarnished apology for my offensive
words, my unprofessional behaviour
during the audition and for not giving
him the focus and attention he de-
served,” he wrote. “My job is to evaluate
performers against the part I am trying
mother off to intensive care. I
thought you would have stuck at
the old plumbing game.”
Lord Lisvane draws my attention to a
line in the government’s Covid winter
plan, explaining why pubs will be
able to open till 11pm, an hour after
last orders: “This allows customers to
leave in a staggered way.” Hic!
call it quits
The old days are back in the
Labour Party. Margaret Beckett
was elected as chairwoman of its
national executive committee after
a digital walkout by 13 members
on the left, who logged off in a
huff. It reminded some of an NEC
meeting in the 1980s when Eric
Heffer stormed out in protest and
walked into a broom cupboard.
The MP gave it three minutes
before quietly re-entering and
leaving by the correct door.
Bernard Weatherill, the former Mr
Speaker, was born 100 years ago
today. Though he came to be much
respected, he felt looked down upon
at first by some MPs because of the
family business on Savile Row.
Before his maiden speech, he hid in
the toilets. “My confidence was not
increased,” he later said, “when I
heard a voice say to a friend: ‘I don’t
know what this place is coming to,
they’ve got my tailor in here now’.”
a suit for the big occasion
On that subject, I wrote yesterday
about the death of the journalist
Paul Callan, who once told me
that before going on a royal tour
of the tropics he visited Airey &
Wheeler on Piccadilly to buy a
new lightweight suit. While
there he saw a rich African
being fitted and asked if it was
someone important. “He’s a
politician, sir,” the assistant
replied, then added in a
whisper but with evident
pride: “Many an African
politician has faced a
firing squad wearing an
Airey & Wheeler suit.”
patrick kidd
20 2GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

News

Drug firm in price Islandmagee

Fossils found
Man to scale tibia, or lower
leg bone, of a
two-legged
meat-eater,

dispute backs down NORTHERN

IRELAND Belfast
20 miles
Sarcosaurus
202-195m years ago
Length: 3 metres
similar to a
species known
as Sarcosaurus.
Each is 200
price for Priadel which the watchdog IRELAND million years old,
Billy Kenber Investigations Reporter
said was “still lower than alternative dating to the
A drug company accused by the head of bipolar drugs”. Jurassic period.
the NHS in England of trying to “price- Under the proposed deal announced Scelidosaurus Mike Simms, a
gouge” taxpayers has agreed to keep yesterday, the price of Priadel 250mg 208-194m years ago curator and
selling a bipolar drug under a deal to tablets will rise from £2.76 to £7.50 a Length: 4 metres palaeontologist at
increase its price. packet and from £4.02 to £8.50 for National Museums
Essential Pharma had planned to 400mg tablets. The 400mg version of published in the NI, said: “This is a
withdraw Priadel from the market in a
move that would have cost the NHS as
Camcolit costs the NHS £48.18 a pack-
et. Essential Pharma will be required to
Stones are Ireland’s Proceedings of the
Geologists’
hugely significant
discovery. The great
much as £15 million a year.
The Times revealed this year that the
keep supplying Priadel for five years.
Sandra Gidley, president of the Royal
first dinosaur bones Association, has
shown that the first
rarity of such fossils
here is because most
withdrawal of Priadel would have push- Pharmaceutical Society, said that “in fossil was part of a of Ireland’s rocks are

ed 50,000 patients who rely on it to the
alternative brand Camcolit, which
How The Times reported a price rise
of 2,600 per cent by Essential Pharma
Essential Pharma also owns, and which
the company has previously increased
in price by up to 2,600 per cent.
After an outcry from doctors and
medical bodies, who warned that
forcing bipolar patients to switch their
medication to a different brand risked
serious health concerns, the Competi-
tion and Markets Authority (CMA)
investigated.
Essential Pharma re-entered talks
with the Department of Health and
Social Care and has agreed a revised
T
the future companies must be prevent- hirty years pocket (Rhys Blakely femur, or upper leg the wrong age for
ed from exploiting the system to better ago a school writes). bone, of a four-legged, dinosaurs, either too
support patient care and the NHS”. teacher The man, Roger plant-eater called old or too young,
The deal will be subject to a consulta- picked up Byrne, an amateur Scelidosaurus, which making it nearly
tion before the CMA makes a final deci- what looked fossil hunter who died was half the height of
sion next month. If accepted, the CMA like a black stone from in 2007, clearly had an a man. The second
will end its inquiry into the business. a beach strewn with extraordinary eye: fossil is part of the
Essential Pharma, which is owned by dark basalt pebbles on these specimens have
a Swiss private equity firm, said that it the east coast of Co now been confirmed
had been “supplying Priadel at a loss to Antrim. A year later as the only two
the UK for a number of years” and the another shape in the dinosaur bones ever
new price was sustainable. shingle caught his found on the island of
In September Sir Simon Stevens, the attention. Again, he Ireland.
head of NHS England, said the com- slipped it into his An analysis,
pany was “using the cover of corona-
virus to try to price-gouge taxpayers”.
A Department of Health and Social
Care spokeswoman said: “Following
this rapid intervention by the depart-
ment and the CMA Essential Pharma
has now agreed to continue supplying Scelidosaurus lived in the Jurassic period.
Priadel to the NHS and we have agreed A piece of one’s femur was found by
revised prices with the company. This Roger Byrne in Co Antrim, where he also
means patients can continue to access discovered a lump of Sarcosaurus tibia, top
this important treatment as normal.”
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 21

News
impossible to confirm
dinosaurs existed on
these shores.
“The two dinosaur
represent. Robert
Smyth, a researcher at
the University of
Portsmouth and a co-
in dinosaur evolution.
It’s at this time that
dinosaurs really start
to dominate the
Director crashed BMW after
fossils that Roger
Byrne found were
perhaps swept out to
sea, alive or dead,
author of the paper,
said: “Analysing the
shape and internal
structure of the bones,
world’s terrestrial
ecosystems.”
Professor David
Martill, a colleague of
being ‘distracted by Frazzles’
sinking to the we realised that they Mr Smyth, said:
Jurassic seabed belonged to two very “Scelidosaurus keeps Emma Yeomans side before the crash. Charles Gabb, for floor.” Mr Gabb told the court that he
where they different animals. One on turning up in the prosecution, explained that Mrs believed Walford must have been
were buried is very dense and marine strata, and I An award-winning film director who Cousins initially feared her husband distracted by eating the Frazzles, saying
and robust, typical of an am beginning to think left a couple with serious injuries after was dead. He said: “She started scream- that this “explains what is otherwise
fossilised.” armoured plant-eater. that it may have been his BMW ploughed headlong into their ing at him and hitting him. Fortunately, utterly inexplicable”.
Byrne had The other is slender, a coastal animal, car may have been distracted by a bag of he responded so she knew he wasn’t Walford, from Upham, Hampshire,
suspected with thin bone walls perhaps even eating Frazzles crisps. dead.” pleaded guilty during an earlier hearing
that the and characteristics seaweed like marine Lawrence Walford, 48, veered on to Mr Cousins was airlifted to a nearby to two counts of causing injury by
specimens found only in fast- iguanas do today.” the wrong side of the road shortly hospital by Thames Valley Air Ambu- dangerous driving. The court was told
came from moving two-legged Ulster Museum before his car smashed into the couple’s lance. The impact of the crash was so that he had no memory of the crash. He
dinosaurs but this predatory dinosaurs plans to put the fossils Toyota driving round a blind bend. great that his seatbelt had ripped was given a 12-month sentence
had not been called theropods. on display when Walford has directed numerous films through his trousers. Mrs Cousins suspended for two years. He was also
confirmed and it “Despite being Covid-19 curbs end. for television including Catching the disqualified from driving for two years
was unknown what fragmentary, these The study is part of a Tax Dodgers, which premiered on Lawrence Walford and told he must pay £500 in court
species they might fossils provide project to document Ch
Channel 4 in 2017, and owns the film had bought crisps costs.
valuable insight on a the Jurassic rocks of pro
production company Od Films. He has before the crash Assistant Judge Advocate Robert
very important period Northern Ireland. also produced Ross Kemp’s Britain.
als Hill said that the defendant ought to
H had visited a service station
He feel indebted to Mr and Mrs Cousins,
mi
minutes before the crash and bought a who had expressed a wish for him not to
pa
packet of the bacon flavour crisps, be given a custodial sentence.
w
which was found open in the passen- Walford’s film and TV credits include
g footwell after the incident near
ger suffered a broken back and ribs. the reality TV show The Restoration
W Meon, Hampshire.
West Mr Gabb said that the main clue as to Man and several documentaries
R
Richard and Joanne Cousins were what had caused the accident was the including Catching The Tax Dodgers,
left with broken bones and severe open bag of Frazzles found lying on the which took viewers behind the scenes
inju
injuries; Mrs Cousins, 52, said that she floor in the front of Walford’s car by of HM Revenue & Customs.
tho
thought her 61-year-old husband was police crash investigators. The Guardian described Catching the
dea
dead immediately after the crash. He suggested that after visiting the Tax Dodgers as “a nuanced piece of
W
Walford, a father of three, had service station Walford had immedi- storytelling, peppered with fascinating
sto
stopped at Meon Valley Service Station ately started eating the crisps behind human anthropology, a surprising,
on the evening of May 14 last year and the wheel. fascinating piece of television, full of
bou
bought petrol, sweets and the Frazzles, Mr Gabb told the court: “There in the unexpected wonder”.
Wi
Winchester crown court was told. front passenger footwell [of Walford’s His biography on the film website
A witness then saw his grey BMW car] was an open bag of Frazzles. IMDB says: “Lawrence is a former
tra
travelling on the wrong side of the A32, “The defendant, having got back into editor turned producer director, with a
bef
before it disappeared from view. It is not his car, wanted the crisps there and particular flair for the visual narrative
kn
known if he was driving on the correct then. They were found to be on the and storytelling.”
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Harry Dunn family lose fight
against Foreign Office ruling
Neil Johnston Midlands Correspondent
Jonathan Ames Legal Editor
The parents of a teenage motorcyclist
killed by the wife of an American
diplomat have lost a legal challenge to
the Foreign Office decision that she
had diplomatic immunity.
Harry Dunn, 19, died when his bike
was hit by a car being driven on the
wrong side of the road by Anne Sacoo-
las after she left a dinner at RAF
Croughton in Northamptonshire on
August 27 last year.
Mrs Sacoolas, 43, whose husband,
Jonathan, worked at the base, admitted
that she was at fault and initially co-op-
erated but later fled the country and
claimed diplomatic immunity.
She was charged with causing death
by dangerous driving last December
but the US State Department rejected
an extradition request and said its deci-
sion was “final”.
Mr Dunn’s parents, Charlotte
Charles and Tim Dunn, claim that the
Foreign Office wrongly decided Mrs
Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity and
“stopped the police in their tracks” by
obstructing the investigation with un-
lawful advice and keeping officers “in
the dark”. However, in a High Court
judgment delivered yesterday, Lord
Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini said
that Mrs Sacoolas had diplomatic im-
munity “on arrival in the UK” under the
Vienna Convention, which had not
been “expressly waived”, meaning she
1G M
Tim Dunn said he would continue the
battle to secure justice for his son
“had immunity at the time of Harry’s
death”.
“Our conclusion is that Mrs Sacoolas
enjoyed immunity from UK criminal
jurisdiction at the time of Harry’s
death,” they said. “We do not come to
this conclusion with any enthusiasm
for the result, but it is compelled by the
operation of the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations.”
The judges also rejected Mrs Charles
and Mr Dunn’s claim that the Foreign
Office “usurped” the police investi-
gation into their son’s death, finding
that officials “sought to assist rather
than obstruct Northamptonshire
Police in their investigation”.
Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn’s case
centred on a 1995 agreement between
Britain and the US, granting immunity
to administrative and technical staff at
RAF Croughton, which the US waived
in relation to “acts performed outside
23
News
CHARLOTTE GRAHAM
the course of their duties”. The Foreign
Office argued an anomaly meant that
the waiver only applied to staff at RAF
Croughton and not their families.
At a hearing earlier this month, law-
yers acting for the family said the For-
eign Office “took upon itself the author-
ity to resolve the question of immunity
and ultimately and unlawfully decided
to accept the US embassy’s decision that
Anne Sacoolas had immunity”.
The judgment found “that it was not
immediately clear” to Foreign Office
officials that Mrs Sacoolas “enjoyed im-
munity” and that the department had
conceded “that the effect of granting
immunity to Mrs Sacoolas is ‘anoma-
lous’ when there was a waiver of her
husband’s immunity”. However, the
judges found that this did not affect Mrs
Sacoolas’s claim to immunity. “Whe-
ther or not it was ‘anomalous’ this does
not mean that Mrs Sacoolas’ immunity
was not an immunity recognised in
international law”, the judgment said.
Mr Dunn’s parents said they would
keep fighting to bring Mrs Sacoolas
back to the UK and fulfil the promise
they made to their son to get justice.
They plan to appeal.
Mrs Sacoolas’s lawyers said: “We
have been and remain willing to discuss
a resolution with the UK authorities.”
Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary,
said: “We’re clear that Anne Sacoolas
needs to face justice in the UK, and we
will support the family with their legal Over the moon An F-15 jet from the US air force’s 48th Fighter Wing on exercises
claim in the US.” near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, before the unit takes a break for Thanksgiving
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 25

News

Hillwalker fell for his date . . . off a 60m ledge

Emma Yeomans
An experienced hillwalker has said that
she is grateful to be alive after watching
her date slip 60 metres on one of
Britain’s most dangerous ridge walks on
their second outing together.
Emma Hunt, 39, took Alec Maguire,
41, a builder, up Sharp Edge on
Blencathra on Saturday. While on the
fell, which in places is a challenging
scramble, Mr Maguire lost his footing
and plunged, fracturing his spine and
prompting a five-hour rescue. A third
date is on the cards.
Ms Hunt and Mr Maguire had
checked and rechecked the conditions,
and planned alternatives for bad
weather, but saw a clear blue sky and
decided to tackle the climb.
“The walk up was so lovely, we were
chatting away and we could see the
top,” she said yesterday. “But I overesti-
mated his ability and his experience
really. The conditions were great — a
tiny bit of cloud but nothing threaten-
ing — but the morning rain had left it a
bit slippy. I felt safe but it was Alec’s first
time and he was a bit nervous.”
They approached a section known as
the Slab, where the slippery conditions
were too much. They decided to
descend but Mr Maguire slipped down
the steep slope. He slid down the rocks,
KESWICK MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM/UNPIXS
injuring his lower back, ribs and leg and
fracturing a vertebra.
From her four-inch foothold Ms
Hunt contacted Mountain Rescue, who
called an air ambulance and the
coastguard helicopter but could not
safely reach Mr Maguire.
“I don’t know how I managed to
remain so calm,” she said. “Alec was
amazing. I shouted down that I was so
cold and didn’t know if I could hang on
to the rocks and Alec reminded me I
had handwarmers in my bag.”
After being told it could be an hour
before rescuers got to them she started
playing word games and getting her
date to sing songs to make sure he was
Alec Maguire, 41, is still planning a
third date with Emma Hunt, 39
awake. “I knew he hadn’t banged his
head but didn’t know what was wrong
with him, how much damage there
might be, whether he had internal
bleeding,” she said. “So I just wanted to
keep him talking.” Another walker
found Mr Maguire and put warm
clothes on him while Keswick Moun-
tain Rescue sent 25 members on the
five-hour mission.
They abseiled down with Ms Hunt,
who said: “I gave him a kiss and told
him, ‘You might not remember this
because you’re high on morphine’.”
Mr Maguire is being discharged from
hospital today and Ms Hunt, a mother
of two, plans to nurse him for a few
weeks.
She is considering volunteering with
Mountain Rescue and the couple are
planning a sponsored skinny dip for the
crew next summer. “It’s made me more
grateful to be alive,” she said.

Emma Hunt had a 4in foothold on a ridge, circled, as Alec Maguire fractured
his spine. He was stretchered to safety from Blencathra in the Lake District

Videolink ambulances allow

treatment on way to hospital
Tom Knowles
Technology Correspondent
Patients could be treated in ambulan-
ces before they reach the hospital
through video conferencing screens
under a health initiative.
A British start-up has received gov-
ernment funding to explore a nation-
wide expansion of its equipment after a
successful trial with six ambulances in
the east of England.
Visionable, a company based in
London, provides ambulances with an
encrypted and high-quality video
stream that connects paramedics with
medical specialists around the country.
The consultants can talk to the
patients and paramedics to give an on-
the-spot diagnosis. Visionable can pro-
vide as many cameras as the ambulance
needs, giving a 360-degree view of the
patient. The equipment also sends
medical data over the live video stream.
Alan Lowe, chief executive of Vision-
able and a former manager of St Mary’s
Hospital in central London, said: “Once
the ambulance is connected, whatever
expertise the paramedic needs they can
bring into the ambulance. Then that
specialist can make a decision. It could
be a life-saving decision but it could also
be a mission avoidance where a doctor
says, ‘This patient doesn’t need to go to
hospital’, freeing up beds.”
In its trial run, the videolink connect-
ed paramedics with stroke specialists,
who could ask the patient to do a series
of tests, while watching them from
various angles.
This helped the specialists to deter-
mine whether the patient was suffering
from a stroke or a “stroke mimic”, in
which the symptoms look similar but
are less dangerous.
A CT scanner for the head was
installed in one ambulance, allowing
specialists to determine what type of
stroke the patient had suffered, en-
abling paramedics to give the right help.
“This is the future,” Mr Lowe, 41, said.
“Once these head scanners and CT
scans become widespread, the ambu-
lance will become a mini hospital
where you can start to treat.”
Visionable has received a £500,000
grant from Innovate UK, the govern-
ment agency that supports British
start-ups. The funds will allow it to
begin working with the 11 NHS
ambulance trusts in England and open
talks with NHS Wales.
26
News
Co-op sending out hundreds
of robots to deliver groceries
Tom Ball
Co-op is to roll out an army of 300
robots to deliver groceries to people’s
doorsteps in response to booming
demand for online shopping.
After a successful pilot of the autono-
mous delivery service in Milton
Keynes, the company said that it would
expand to serve about 5,000 homes in
Northampton.
Produced by Starship Technologies,
an autonomous delivery start-up
created in 2014 by two co-founders of
Skype, the small, six-wheeled carriers
roll along pavements for up to four
miles a day at roughly walking speed to
reach customers’ homes with no
human pilot.
Co-op, which is the first store to use
same-day robot deliveries in the UK,
said its aim was to have up to 300 deliv-
ery robots on the streets by the end of
next year. It is searching for more towns
and cities where it can operate autono-
mous deliveries.
Supermarkets are increasingly look-
ing to move towards online shopping
after in-store sales plummeted during
the pandemic.
Online grocery shopping doubled its
market share, with the “Big Four” of
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons
growing faster than rival companies
that did not have well-established
online offerings.
Aldi, the UK’s fifth-largest grocer,
has since introduced a click and collect
The robots are locked while travelling
for the customer to open using an app
service, and partnered with Deliveroo
to offer home delivery.
Co-op said that sales in Milton
Keynes had tripled in recent months
with many old and vulnerable custom-
ers opting for the contactless service.
Chris Conway, head of ecommerce at
Co-op, said: “We have seen big changes
in ecommerce this year with new cus-
tomers using the channel that have
never used it before, and seeing the
benefits.
“We continue to look for new ways to
innovate and expand access to our
products and services to deliver a truly
1G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
compelling offer for consumers. Our
partnership with Starship enables
Co-op to offer further availability, flexi-
bility and choice to meet community
shopping needs for on-demand conve-
nience.”
The battery-powered robots use a
combination of sensors, artificial intel-
ligence and machine learning to travel
on pavements and navigate around any
obstacles. Computer vision-based navi-
gation helps the robots to map their en-
vironment to the nearest inch.
The cargo bay can hold about 9kg of
shopping and is mechanically locked
throughout the journey and can be
opened only by the recipient using a
smartphone app.
Robot delivery cost ranges from £1.49
to £2.49 depending on distance trav-
elled. Starship, which also operates in
the United States, said that it expected
to make its millionth autonomous
delivery early next year.
The Co-op is one of the world’s larg-
est co-operative businesses and em- spirit were among
ploys more than 60,000 people across
its retail and funeral business. It has
St Ives is happiest the reasons for it
claiming the top spot
2,600 food stores in the UK but has fo-
cused on the convenience market after
closing several larger stores that it in-
place in Britain in the Rightmove
Happy at Home Index.
Residents rated
T
herited from its takeover of Somerfield he Cornish (Louisa Clarence- their neighbours as
in 2008. coastal town Smith writes). the friendliest in
In September the group announced of St Ives has The freedom to go Britain and gave the
that it would be opening 65 new stores been named for a swim or surf in town a high score for
by the end of this year, creating 1,000 the happiest the sea and a strong access to nature and
jobs, as part of a £130 million invest- place to live in Britain sense of community green spaces. Skipton
ment plan.
 the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 27

News
GETTY IMAGES

one another this year

. . . we’ve always been a
very welcoming
Charities join call for
community and
tourists have
certainly flocked to St
Ives over the summer.
ban on peat compost
We’ve worked really
hard to keep everyone Ben Webster Environment Editor Republic of Ireland, 220,000m3 from
safe and to make sure other EU countries and 800,000m3 dug
local businesses The Gardeners’ World host Monty Don from domestic peatlands.
survive.” has won support from conservation The letter to George Eustice, the
Five of the top 20 charities in his campaign for a ban on environment secretary, said: “Allowing
happiest locations this the use of peat in compost by 2025. peat use to continue rewards failure
year were on the Last month Don accused garden and undermines the prime minister’s
coast, with Falmouth, centres of “actively choosing to do commitment . . . to lead the way on
Weymouth, Plymouth harm” by selling peat-based compost. climate change and to tackle the loss of
and Poole in the Now he and the National Trust, the biodiversity.”
southwest of England RSPB, the Wildlife Trust and the Royal Don said that retailers and the horti-
making the list. Horticultural Society, among others, cultural trade had “fallen grievously
The survey found have written a letter to the government short” of the voluntary targets and it
that 56 per cent of saying that failing to implement a ban was time for a total ban on peat sales.
respondents who would undermine its climate and “The extraction of peat for horticul-
planned to buy or rent nature targets. tural use is an act of environmental
in the next 12 months Don has issued a statement calling vandalism,” he said. “It causes irrepara-
placed greater the use of peat “an act of environmental ble environmental damage. The fact
importance on access vandalism” and claiming that no that it also significantly contributes to
to nature and green garden is beautiful enough to justify it. the release of carbon dioxide and
spaces. The trend was Peatlands store carbon, helping miti- aggravates the effects of climate change
most notable among gate the impacts of climate change. adds salt to a grievous wound.”
home-movers in the They also help to control flooding and The letter said wood fibre could be
18-34 age group. support plants that benefit wildlife. used as an alternative to peat but sug-
The experience of The coalition government set a gested that government subsidies for
Residents of in North Yorkshire average asking price assess how happy they spending more time at voluntary target in 2011 for the use of burning wood in power stations instead
St Ives, and Leamington Spa of a home in the town were with their area. home had a positive peat by amateur gardeners to be phased of coal had made it more expensive.
Cornwall, in Warwickshire came is £413,414, up 5 per The factors include impact on thousands out by the end of this year. It also called The government is developing a
where the second and third. cent on a year earlier the sense of belonging of people surveyed. for commercial growers to stop using it “peat strategy” for England, which was
average Demand for and 19 per cent higher and the quality of Rightmove found that by 2030. Sales of peat have fallen promised almost three years ago.
house price property in St Ives has than five years ago. local services and 36 per cent of people slightly but last year still accounted for The Horticultural Trades Associa-
is £413,414, more than doubled in The property green spaces. liked their area more, 44.6 per cent of growing material sold. tion said: “The industry supports
valued its the past year as website created the Jessie Whiteley- 46 per cent said there In the professional sector peat use is alternatives to peat. We are committed
easy access lockdowns have led to index after asking Wright, of Bradleys had been no change to down from 63.9 per cent in 2015 to 62.9 to working with government, NGOs,
to nature home-movers about 21,000 people to estate agents in St how they felt and 18 per cent last year. and the supply chain to unlock the
and friendly prioritising access to rank ten factors about Ives, said: “Everyone per cent said they now More than two million cubic metres policy barriers which hinder the ability
neighbours outdoor spaces. The their home life to has been looking after liked their area less. of peat was used in the UK last year, to deliver viable, responsibly sourced
with about half imported from the alternative materials.”
28 1G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

News
That bunch of bankers are
Jonathan Ames Legal Editor
In the aftermath of the worldwide
financial crisis, efforts were made to get
international bankers to swear an oath
to behave themselves. The problem, it
seems, is most bankers stopped reading
after the word swear.
Bankers, alongside accountants and
lawyers, have been exposed as the most
foul-mouthed during internal meetings
across British workplaces.
Researchers have found that what
were assumed to be mild-mannered
bean counters are some of the worst
offenders, with accountants and
bankers leading the league table of
shame in a survey of 14 business sectors.
Lawyers were in second position, fol-
lowed by workers in travel and hospit-
ality and sales.
Newsrooms are by comparison rela-
tively genteel environments, with those
in media and internet businesses com-
ing a mere fifth in the pantheon of foul-
mouthed work behaviour.
The three-month survey of 1,400
employees at 100 UK companies com-
missioned by Savoy Stewart, a London
commercial property agent, also un-
covered the favoured swearwords of
professions. The preferred expletive for
bankers and accountants was the old
Anglo-Saxon stalwart of f***. Lawyers,

World’s
top fizz is
officially
English

A
n English
producer
has beaten
the French
at their
own game by being
crowned international
sparkling winemaker
of the year (Will
Humphries writes).
Langham Wine in
Dorset saw off
competition from
the top champagne
houses to take the
award in the
International
Wine and Spirit
Competition. It is
one of the most
distinguished
honours a
winemaker can
win, with last
year’s prize
going to Veuve
Clicquot. high quality second highest
This year across their individual score in the
there were entire range. competition, while the
more than 700 Langham’s estate’s four other
entries for the blanc de sparkling wines won
award, which blancs 2015 silver medals.
is given to the was given a The judges said that
producer who gold medal, the blanc de blancs
demonstrates as well as the had a “charming

Package holidays
Ben Clatworthy Assistant Travel Editor
Holidays are likely to work out
considerably cheaper when bought as a
package rather than when each
element is booked independently,
according to Which?
Holidaymakers who book flights and
accommodation separately could pay
hundreds of pounds more than those
who book the same holiday as a
package.
Which? Travel magazine compared
the prices of package holidays offered
by the country’s two biggest tour opera-
tors from five UK airports with the cost
of identical DIY holidays.
It found that the package holidays
were cheaper in eight out of ten cases.
The biggest saving was more than £400
on a holiday for two to Greece. The
average saving was £157.
Package holidays come with the best
financial protection in the event of
disruption or supplier failure. A book-
ing becomes a package when at least
two travel-related services are booked
at the same time, most commonly
flights and accommodation. Such
bookings are protected under the
Package Travel Regulations and
Linked Travel Arrangements 2018.
Researchers looked at the cost of
holidays with Tui and Jet2, which
between them can carry more than
seven million passengers a year, and
compared these with independent
bookings using the cheapest fares from
the same airport on the same dates as
the package, including one checked-in
bag per passenger. The cost of return
airport transfers was also included in
the independent bookings if these were
included in the corresponding package
booking, to create identical holidays.
The biggest saving was £442 for a
two-week holiday for a couple flying to
Rhodes from Bristol, booked through
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 29

the most sweary profession
Potty mouths
Swearing incidents per week
Accountancy, banking, finance 963
Law 722
Travel and hospitality 706
Sales 552
Media 497
IT 458
Creative arts and design 423
Consulting and management 419
Marketing, advertising and PR 414
Customer service 240
Medical and health 235
Education and training 114
News
on the other hand, were more partial to
bullshit, presumably in reference to
their opponents’ legal arguments.
The research found that media pro-
fessionals were mostly fond of bollocks.
Workers in accountancy, banking
and finance were found to swear on
average more than 960 times a week
during team video calls or meetings.
Accountants and bankers swore 17
times more on average than workers in
the polite world of charities. Lawyers
were “caught turning the air blue 722
times” in meetings during a week.
Those working for charities and vol-
unteering were found to be the least
likely to swear during meetings.

ZACHARY CULPIN/BNPS

The chalk soil is said to

give wines from the
Langham estate, such as
the blanc de blancs 2015,
an “interesting flavour”

vineyard in 2009 on 12
hectares outside
Dorchester, said the
award showed you
“don’t have to be the
biggest to be the best”.
“To even be
shortlisted, we were
over the moon,” he
said. “There were 700
entries, about 240 of
those came from the
Champagne region,
and then others from
all over the world.”
The vineyard was
originally established
on a very small scale
before being expanded
into a commercial
venture. The estate
now comprises more
than 1,000 hectares.
With its south-
facing aspect and
chalk soils, it is perfect
for growing the classic
champagne varieties:
chardonnay, pinot noir
and pinot meunier.
Mr Langham said:
palate of apricots and for sparkling producer “We produce very
citrus notes”. It sells of the year were good fruit with
for £31 a bottle — Maison Mumm in interesting flavours
compared with £130 France, Le Bertole in and we make our wine
for Veuve Clicquot’s la Italy and another with low intervention
grande dame 2008, English company, techniques — we don’t
which also won gold. Gusbourne of Kent. add anything. It’s great
The other three Justin Langham, to feel like we’re doing
shortlisted companies who founded the something right.”

offer best value

Flight paths
Ibiza, flying from Belfast
£154 saving with Tui package
Rhodes, flying from Stansted
£158 saving with Tui package
Gran Canaria, flying from Glasgow
£234 saving with Jet2 package
Menorca, flying from Stansted
£53 saving with Jet2 package
Source: Which?, based on holidays for
May 2021 based on two people sharing
Tui. The same holiday with travel and
accommodation booked separately
would have cost £1,025, 76 per cent
more than the £583 package holiday.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel,
said: “Many people are put off booking
a package because they worry they’ll
have to pay more than booking their
flight and accommodation separately,
but as our research shows a package
could save holidaymakers hundreds on
the cost of their holiday.
“Not all holiday providers are equal,
though. Anyone planning on booking a
holiday for 2021 should strongly
consider booking a package with a
reputable provider that has treated
customers fairly in recent months, to
ensure their cash is protected if some-
thing goes wrong.”
Two of the ten package holidays
worked out more expensive than DIY
counterparts: one Jet2 trip to Salou in
northeast Spain and one Tui holiday to
Majorca. Even when it was cheaper to
book flights and hotels independently
the maximum saving was £31 per
person, and the holidays came without
financial protection.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 2GM 31

News

Tough import rules planned to foil puppy smugglers

Ben Webster Environment Editor
The minimum age at which dogs can be
brought into Britain could rise to six
months under a plan to deter puppy
smuggling.
Ministers are also considering
reducing the number of dogs that one
person can bring into the country from
the existing maximum of five.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park,
the environment minister, signalled the
changes to the law when giving
evidence to a parliamentary inquiry
into puppy smuggling.
Rising demand for pets as people are
forced to spend more time at home is
leading to a “perfect storm” for puppy
smuggling, the Dogs Trust said.
Between the start of the first lock-
down in March and the end of Septem-
ber, the trust rescued 140 puppies ille-
gally imported from Europe. Fourteen
heavily pregnant bitches were also
rescued and they went on to give birth
to 56 puppies, which the trust estimated
were worth £115,000 to smugglers.
The committee was told that bitches
were taken back out of the country
soon after giving birth to be bred again,
with puppies delivered by caesarean
section when stitches were still in place
from the previous delivery.
Paula Boyden, the trust’s veterinary
SHAUN FELLOWS
director, said: “The pandemic has
created the perfect storm — an enor-
mous and arguably never-before-seen
demand for dogs, resulting in prices of
puppies being driven up and criminals
from across Europe looking to cash in.”
The trust has been calling for the
legal minimum age for puppies to be
imported to the UK to be raised from 15
weeks to six months to make them less
desirable to buy and sell.
Lord Goldsmith told the Commons
environment, food and rural affairs
committee that the arguments for rais-
ing the minimum age to six months
were “very compelling”.
“In moving to the six-month limit
there’s no doubt that there would be
problems that would be solved,” he said.
He suggested that the rule allowing a
person to bring in five dogs “created an
opportunity for criminality” and said
that the government was looking at
reducing the number.
The trust said less than 4 per cent of
dog-owning households had more than
three dogs so the vast majority would be
unaffected by a reduction in the limit.
Ms Boyden told the committee about
an incident reported to the trust in
which five Polish people arrived at a
port this month in three vehicles with
25 puppies of highly desirable breeds
that fetch high prices in the UK. “They
were all going in to declare that they
owned five puppies each,” she said.
A record number of health certifi-
cates for commercial animal imports
have been issued in recent months and
the Dogs Trust said this appeared to be
a result of restrictions on non-essential
travel, which affected the ability of
puppy smugglers to bring in animals
under the Pet Travel Scheme.
The trust said that the Animal and
Plant Health Agency confirmed that it
carried out post-import checks on less
than 10 per cent of consignments.
“During the first coronavirus lock-
down, in person post-import checks
were stopped entirely,” the trust added.

Kuno, a four-year-old
Belgian Malinois, was
shot in the hind legs
while taking on an
al-Qaeda gunman

he required several
Dog injured fighting operations before he
was stable enough to
al-Qaeda has his day fly back to the UK.”
Ben Wallace, the
defence secretary, said

A
special formally presented that Kuno’s medal was
forces dog with the medal “testament to his
that was yesterday. He has been training, tireless
shot in his retired and rehomed at bravery and devotion
hind legs a location that cannot to duty which
tackling an al-Qaeda be disclosed for undoubtedly saved
gunman has received security reasons. lives that day”.
the animal equivalent The PDSA said: Jan McLoughlin,
of the Victoria Cross “Pinned down by PDSA director general,
(Ben Webster writes). grenade and said: “Kuno is a true
Kuno, a four-year- machinegun fire from hero. His actions that
old Belgian Malinois, an insurgent, the day saved multiple lives
had a paw amputated assault force was . . . and despite serious,
after helping the unable to move. life-changing injuries,
Special Boat Service in Without hesitation, he performed his duty
Afghanistan last year. Kuno charged through without faltering.”
The People’s a hail of gunfire to Kuno is the 72nd
Dispensary for Sick tackle the gunman, recipient of the medal,
Animals (PDSA) said breaking the deadlock which was instituted in
in August that Kuno and allowing the 1943 by Maria Dickin,
would receive the mission to be the founder of the
Dickin medal for his completed successfully. PDSA, to honour the
bravery. “Kuno was wounded work of animals in the
Kuno, who has had a and given life-saving Second World War. It
prosthesis fitted to treatment by his has been awarded to 35
replace his paw and an handler and medics in dogs, 32 messenger
orthotic brace on the a helicopter. His pigeons, four horses
other hind leg, was injuries were so severe and a cat.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 33

News
JAMES LINSELL-CLARK/SWNS

Go
Gordon wasn’t even to one side,
Pillar protester gives C
Chesterman
ccustomised
it was slap bang in the
middle. There are other
council the bird feeder th council’s
the
st
street
posts like it along the
street, but they are all
fu
furniture placed in between
any protests trip to the garden houses, not right in front

M start small,
be it Martin
Luther
nailing
parchment to a church
door or Rosa Parks
refusing to give up her
seat on a bus (Jack
Malvern writes).
Gordon Chesterman,
62, a tutor at Cambridge
University, began his
act of defiance with a
centre. He had decided
that something must be
done after noticing that
workmen contracted by
Cambridge city council
had erected a pole in the
boug a
bought
decora
decorative
mountt and
an
brackets from which
brackets
he suspended ttwo
bird feeders and a
of them.”
His act of rebellion
appears to have worked
on the council. “They
have been coming along
and putting these tiny,
centre of his view as he clock-barometer. postcard-sized signs on
looked out of his home. “My wife and I were the poles about new
The pole was designed to shocked to see the post residents’ parking
hold a small parking being put up right in permits down our road,
sign but Mr Chesterman front of our house about but the one outside our
intervened to make it a month ago,” Mr house is still bare,” he
seem more homely. He Chesterman said. “It said.

ITV chairman wants

review of licence fee
Matthew Moore Media Correspondent
The chairman of ITV has backed a
review of the BBC’s licence fee funding
model, saying no institution can be
“immune from reform” at a time of
rapid technological change.
Sir Peter Bazalgette said that it was
“quite right” to question how the BBC
was funded but said that he personally
supported some system of guaranteed
public subsidy.
The TV licence is guaranteed until
2027, when the corporation’s charter
expires. The government that it could
then be scrapped or greatly reformed,
and is reviewing whether the country
still needs public-sector broadcasters.
Conservative MPs are pushing for
non-core services to be paid for via an
optional subscription, as with Netflix.
BBC executives argue that universal
funding must continue to ensure that
the broadcaster caters to everybody.
Sir Peter said that alternatives to the
TV licence, which costs £157.50 a year,
deserved scrutiny. “The BBC is an asset
of extraordinarily value to this country,
both domestically and internationally,
but we are living through an industrial
revolution — the digital revolution, the
internet age. It’s more disruptive than
any industrial revolution we’ve ever
known before,” he told the Voice of the
Listener and Viewer conference.
“Every institution has to respond to
this, no institution is immune from re-
form. So it’s quite right for everybody to
question the funding mechanism of the
BBC. We have seven years to sort it out.”
He would prefer a continuation of
ringfenced public funding, rather than
voluntary contributions. Sir Peter said:
“I have a completely open mind about
whether it comes straight out of the
taxation pot — there are dangers there
as that gives the Treasury quite a lot of
control over upping and downing how
much money the BBC gets — or whe-
ther it’s some sort of household tax,
household media tax . . . or whether
you continue with the licence fee de-
spite some of its contradictions.”
This month Oliver Dowden, the
culture secretary, opened negotiations
with the BBC over the cost of the
licence fee from 2022 to 2027. At
present it is pegged to rise with infla-
tion. Ministers have also appointed an
expert panel to shape the future of
public-service broadcasting in the UK.
The government has retreated from
plans to decriminalise non-payment of
the licence fee after the BBC said that a
civil enforcement regime would involve
bailiffs being sent into people’s homes.

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The Labour left is making a
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PULLOUT
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Day the Iron Lady shed
tears in front of me
Matthew Parris
Page 36
Is Sunak savvy enough to be prime minister?
If he wants to be PM, the chancellor must show today that he can balance short-term boosterism with long-term rectitude
Daniel
Finkelstein
@dannythefink
N
ot long after the first
lockdown began, a friend
offered me his
congratulations. “What
for?” I asked. “In 2015 I
asked you which new Conservative
MPs were going places,” he said,
“and you replied ‘Rishi Sunak’.”
I told him that much as I’d love to
accept his praise for my political
acuity, I really couldn’t. The only
difference between us in 2015 was
that I had met Rishi Sunak and he
hadn’t. Any idiot with this advantage
would have made the same
prediction. A knack for talent
spotting was not required.
This is how the Conservative
businessman Michael Ashcroft
describes Sunak in Going for Broke,
his new biography of the chancellor:
“Clever and talented, immensely
hard-working, ambitious, eager to
learn, disciplined, always well
prepared.” He then adds the words
used about him by the people
interviewed for the book: “authentic,
humble, approachable, gentle, modest,
friendly, empathetic, thoughtful,
respectful, sensitive, a listener.”
At least one of these words was
probably mine. But does all this ability
and the goodwill he has attracted
mean that Mr Sunak is bound to make
a success of the job he holds and
then smoothly succeed Mr Johnson
as prime minister? Of course not.
And this is not just because of the
usual political reasons — timing,
1G M
luck, events, a politician’s fluctuating
reputation, the strengths of different
factions within their party. It is more
because the verdict on Mr Sunak
and his next big move lie on the
other side of the challenge he now
faces. A challenge in which the
political pressure is all in one
direction, while his duty and his
instincts push him the other way.
When he addresses the House of
Commons today the chancellor will
have to tell his fellow MPs some
pretty grim news. We have
experienced a downturn worse than
any since we waged war with France
in 1706, worse even than the economic
calamity caused by the Great Frost of
1709. Bad, in other words.
The obvious implication of this —
that we will no longer be able to
afford things we had previously
hoped to buy and that either
spending cuts or tax rises and
probably both will be necessary — is
an implication he is going to find few
The school meals
affair shows how hard
it is to resists demands
parliamentary colleagues willing to
accept.
Naturally the opposition will press
for more spending, however much
Mr Sunak announces. That is only to
be expected. It will be supported in
that position by the public feeling
during the Covid lockdowns that the
NHS was due some sort of dividend,
as were key workers and the least
well-off. In addition, studies suggest
that recessions produce greater
support for redistribution and social
spending.
The school meals controversy
shows how hard demands can be to
resist. A policy of providing free
meals only during term time, which
had been generally accepted for
years, suddenly became during the
pandemic a policy of “starving
children” and politically untenable.
The call for more spending will not
just come from the benches and
laptops opposite. The Conservative
Party’s new voter base means that
many of its MPs are serving
constituencies which demand more
spending. These are among the more
politically vulnerable seats and Keir
Starmer appears to be aiming his
political strategy at them.
By itself, none of this would be
much of a problem. Mr Sunak can
just raise spending. He would be
supported by the consensus in the
country and in the party. And he
sees the case for it himself, accepting
that you cannot continue the
spending restraint of the past decade
for ever.
Yet if he is to do this, he will have
to raise taxes. And it isn’t at all clear
that his party will let him do that, at
least not to the extent necessary.
There is a tenacious view among
Conservatives that the best way of
raising tax revenue is to cut taxes.
And while that may be true of some
tax rates at some time, it isn’t true of
most tax rates most of the time.
One of the firmest believers in this
cut-taxes-to-raise-revenue idea is
Boris Johnson. It will prove very
hard to get the prime minister to
agree to tax rises and, if he does
agree, to hold firm when they prove
controversial.
Taking all this together, by far the
easiest policy for Mr Sunak, the
policy with the broadest support and
the least resistance, will be to borrow.
Not just borrowing to pay for
infrastructure but borrowing to pay
for current spending.
And, just to add another twist,
given the recession this policy will
Comment
Rishi Sunak faces a test of his acumen
in the worst downturn since 1706
also be the right and responsible one.
But only in the short term. The
problem is that it will become
irresponsible quite quickly and
require action in the form of cuts or
tax rises or both just as an election in
2024 starts to loom.
So this is the political pressure —
to borrow now, to borrow tomorrow
and to keep borrowing. If only such a
policy were consistent with Mr
Sunak’s duties and his beliefs.
One of the few ways in which
Britain was prepared for the
pandemic was that it had its public
finances in order. It had the space and
credibility to borrow money to meet
the immediate costs of the crisis. It is
the responsibility of any chancellor to
plot a way back to this sort of order.
And even if some other chancellors
might not agree with that, Mr Sunak
35
certainly does. He is a fiscal
conservative above almost everything
else. Not only that, he believes that
being associated with sound
government finances is the
Conservative Party’s most important
political asset. In a competition with
Labour for more borrowing, the
Tories would lose.
It will also be necessary to put
money aside to ensure that the things
that we didn’t have enough of in this
emergency — the right sort of
equipment for those on the front line
and the right kind of facilities — we
do have next time. And this will cost
He is going to have to
raise taxes and say no
to a lot of spending
money, even though it is money that
will then not be available for more
immediate needs and political
demands.
So Mr Sunak is going to have to
raise taxes, even though many in his
party won’t approve, and say no to a
lot of spending demands that will
exceed even rising budgets. And
this will be the biggest test of his
political skills he has faced.
You can’t dismiss political pressure,
since it remains even if you ignore it.
And yet you quickly lose people’s
respect if all you do is succumb to
that pressure. The big test for Mr
Sunak is whether he can frame the
arguments and make the
compromises and deft judgments
that allow him to do his duty while
navigating the politics at the same
time. That’s the mountain ahead
of him.
So will he be prime minister? Let’s
talk again on the other side.
daniel.finkelstein@thetimes.co.uk
36
Comment
Putin’s mobster regime is running out of time
The Russian president’s power to influence events at home and abroad looks increasingly weak
Roger
Boyes
@rogerboyes
T
he difference between
Americans and Russians is
that Americans are unable
to imagine the worst ever
happening while Russians
know for certain that it will. That
kopeck’s worth of wisdom was
delivered to fictional mobster Tony
Soprano by an East European
immigrant hoodlum in the late
lamented television series. It’s worth
bearing in mind as Vladimir Putin,
who has survived 20 years in the
Kremlin with Tony Soprano-like
guile and brawn, gets ready to
outstay and out-manoeuvre yet
another US president.
When Moscow analysts told him
that Joe Biden will essentially be
Barack Obama Mk 2, Putin’s heart
surely sank. At 68, living alone and
germ-free in a villa outside Moscow
defended from Covid-19 by a thick
plastic tunnel that sprays visitors
with disinfectant, he doesn’t seem to
be up for another great power tussle.
There was no love lost between the
Russian leader and Obama; he could
be running out of the fight needed to
contest another iteration of the
US-Russia stand-off.
Three months before Obama won
his first term, Putin marched into
ex-Soviet Georgia. By 2011 Putin was
accusing the Obama administration
Matthew Parris My Week
The day the
Iron Lady
shed tears in
front of me
B
inge-watching The Crown
on Sunday, we reached the
point where Mrs Thatcher
breaks down in tears while
telling the Queen how her
son Mark has become lost in the
Sahara during the Paris-Dakar rally.
We may never know if she really did
cry in front of the Queen but she
certainly cried in front of me. I was a
junior backbench MP in 1982, having
previously worked for Mrs T, so I
knew her a bit. I knew she’d be
beside herself with worry: Mark used
to hang around when I was his
mother’s correspondence clerk (a
stunningly beautiful secretary
worked for me) and in the
Opposition leader’s office we knew
how much she indulged her son.
I also knew the region where he
had got lost along with his co-driver
and mechanic. I’ve crossed that part
of the Sahara by Land-Rover four
times. I knew the way, the terrain
and the conditions, and could
of fomenting street unrest in
Moscow. Then came his land-grab of
Crimea, a sponsored war in eastern
Ukraine, followed by Obama’s
expulsion of Russia from the G8. The
latest volume of Obama’s memoirs
compares Putin to a small-town
crook, paints him as “unremarkable,
short and compact, a wrestler’s
build”, mocks his bare-chested torso
as the exhibitionism of an
Instagraming teenager. If a Biden
presidency is going to be a replay of
the Obama years, Putin may just
retreat into his shell. Only if Biden
adopts some of the transactional
approaches used by Donald Trump
might there still be deals to be struck.
The question nags after two
decades. Should Putin go or should
he stay? And if he is going to bow
out, when and on what terms? A
rigged constitutional referendum has
opened the way for him to contest
It boils down in the
end to whether he still
has the will to rule
another two terms in 2024 and 2030.
If he did that, and won, he could rule
until 2036. That would be his 84th
year. Most politicians, and indeed
Putin himself, would probably agree
that is a crazy proposition. “My
presidency must end one day, I am
perfectly aware of that,” he conceded
publicly last month without giving
further clues.
And yet he has no eye for picking
young talent that could be groomed
for succession. There is the question,
too, of legal immunity after he leaves
reassure Mrs T. So I asked to see her,
was shown straight in to her office,
and explained that, short of
wandering away from his car and
striking off into the vast stone desert
alone and without water, Mark
would be absolutely fine. He and his
car would be easy to spot from the
air and until then they could sit in
the vehicle’s shade, and wait.
Mrs Thatcher looked at me
intently in her disconcerting way,
and in silence. Then her eyes welled
up, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she said — and I was
ushered out. I hate to imagine her
husband Denis’s response, which
will have been strikingly
different.
My piny family
G W
ood news! Fully nine weeks
ago on this page I
confessed my
shameful abstraction of a
Pinus bungeana pine cone
from the grounds at Kew
Gardens, where it had
fallen from the strangely
beautiful white-barked
tree from the Far East
under whose shade I’d
been dozing.
This notebook reported
my folding the 18 seeds
I’d extracted from the
cone into an old flannel,
and keeping it damp on a
office. When power was handed to
him by the ailing Boris Yeltsin it was
on the understanding that he would
shield the Yeltsin family from court
action or revenge. He honoured the
pledge.
Putin wants more solid guarantees.
What if an anti-establishment, anti-
corruption tribune like Alexei
Navalny found a way of beating him
at the ballot box? There would be no
cosy deals. So last week the Russian
parliament approved a law granting
immunity from investigation or
prosecution to former presidents and
their families.
Putin is a belt-and-braces man. On
the one hand he has sorted things so
he can carry on ruling for the rest of
his life. But he has also encouraged
laws allowing him to step down
without having to fear a knock on
the door of his retirement palace.
That gives him if not peace of mind
— he is as unlikely as Tony Soprano
to find that — then at least some
wiggle room if challengers emerge.
It boils down to the issue of
whether Putin still has the will to
rule. In the past there were always
big-top projects like the Sochi
Winter Olympics, or existential
threats (the danger that Ukraine
could shift westwards, out of
Moscow’s orbit) to fire him up.
Now, though, he becomes briefly
excited by the chase for a “world-
beating” Covid-19 vaccine, gets one
of his daughters to have the jab,
persuades some oligarchs to do the
same, nudges Hungary to try it out
and then his attention wanders. He
hasn’t had the injection himself.
His domain is shrinking. A recent
short war between Russia’s ally
mild radiator in the kitchen. Three
have just sprouted!
They’re now in little pots on our
bathroom window sill, thrusting
roots down and lifting fragile green
stalks skyward. Tiny tendrils spread
from their crowns, like miniature
trees a couple of inches high. I visit
them every few hours, standing in
the empty bathtub to check
developments. Amazing how
absorbed one can become in a
personal arboricultural project. I
don’t have children or a dog: they
mean the world to me now, my little
Bunge’s pines.
Spike it
A
n update, too, for this
notebook’s rolling
programme identifying
fake-professional vocabulary
used by commentators
and politicians anxious
to impress the world
with their with-it
technical language.
We’ve already fingered
the collar of the new
buzz-phrase “inflection
point” being used
(including by Joe Biden)
i place of “turning point”
in
or “crossroads”, which sound
boring. Mathematicians have
been in touch with me (and
a reader has written to The
Times) explaining that the
1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
Armenia and Turkey-backed
Azerbaijan ended in a Moscow-
brokered peace. Putin drew only one
brooding conclusion from that
conflict: countries on Russia’s border
which give in to people power and
democratise their governments make
themselves vulnerable to attack from
neighbours. The Armenian prime
minister, Nikol Pashinyan, came to
power in that way in 2018, much to
Putin’s displeasure. His days may be
numbered.
In Moldova meanwhile, also once
part of the Soviet empire, a pro-
European leader has been elected,
trouncing the candidate favoured by
the Kremlin. In Belarus the brutal
Kremlin-backed crackdown is
turning people against any kind of
alliance with Russia.
Everywhere Russia seems to be on
the retreat. The privatisation of outer
space means that western companies
are ferrying astronauts to their
destination rather than using
Russian tech. The economy is
tanking not just because of the
pandemic but also the slump in oil
prices.
A still-energetic leader would
summon the effort to reinvent
himself — to draw up plans, say, to
reform the school system to narrow
the yawning social gap in
performance that has been exposed
by Covid-19; to find a way back to
the people. Instead, Putin, glued to
television, lives out a sub-Trumpian
existence, waiting for an opportunity
to shine again. Soon enough
Russians will conclude that the Putin
system has failed, that the man and
his mask have become
indistinguishable.
term does have a useful but
specialised meaning: basically, the
point on a line when it stops bending
one way and starts bending the
other. Fair enough. But it follows that
another favourite modern cliché,
“U-turn”, has no inflection point.
And while we’re with our
dictionaries, I draw your intention to
a new epidemic: of “spikes”. The
reference is usually to a graph. A
so-called spike may occur in, say,
Covid cases or new bankruptcies. But
an actual spike, be it on a graph or a
Prussian’s helmet, goes up steeply
then steeply back down.
Commentators, however, are using it
to mean “increase”. Why don’t they
just say “increase”?
Thumbs down
oe is me. For years I’ve been
using the “thumb-up” emoji
as a polite way of ending an
email or text exchange: meaning
“understood: over and out.” But I’ve
just been informed by my young
assistant that cool people now use
the emoji to mean “f*** off”. Have I
inadvertently been telling friends
and colleagues to get lost, or worse,
when all I meant was to end a
conversation in agreement? Would
anyone who has ever had a thumb-
up emoji from me and taken it as an
insult, please get in touch? I’d like to
apologise personally. With a “red-
face” emoji.
To counter China,
Britain needs a
digital currency
Mark Lyall Grant
C
ombating the China threat
will be high on the new US
administration’s agenda.
President Biden will
challenge China’s regional
assertiveness and its efforts to boost
economic performance through
cyberattacks and theft of intellectual
property. But there is also a Chinese
financial threat.
Since the Second World War, the
US dollar has been the world’s leading
reserve currency. Global commodities
and most international investment
contracts are priced in dollars. This
has given America and its western
allies huge economic and political
benefits, through lower trading and
borrowing costs and control of the
international banking sector.
But this may be about to change.
Even before Covid-19, all leading
governments recognised that future
growth would be driven largely by
greater digitisation of their
economies. The full benefits of
digitisation are best harnessed
through distributed ledger
technology — better known as
blockchain.
President Xi is well aware of the
strategic benefits for China in being
at the forefront of digitisation. The
introduction of a “digital yuan”,
financing the infrastructure and
trade opened up by the One Belt,
One Road initiative, would give
China the ability to bypass the
world’s traditional banking system
and then challenge the dollar’s pre-
eminent position.
He realises that success depends
on moving fast. So China has taken
out 120 patents on blockchain
innovation and launched a digital
currency pilot project in four
provinces. These developments
present a threat to an open,
democratic country like Britain
which, particularly after Brexit,
depends for its prosperity on being
able to trade in a rules-based
international order.
There is a broader security reason
for Britain to introduce its own
digital currency. Unregulated crypto-
currencies like bitcoin, which are
deliberately designed to escape
governmental control, risk
undermining the state’s traditional
monopoly of currency.
The Bank of England, like the US
Federal Reserve, has been looking at
the potential benefits of a central
bank digital currency and
understands the advantage of being
in the vanguard of wider digitisation
of the economy. But we cannot be
complacent.
The risk of Chinese-dominated
international finance markets may
not be as immediately pressing as
defeating Covid-19 or combating
Russian use of hard power but the
longer-term security implications
could be just as great.
Sir Mark Lyall Grant was national
security adviser, 2015-17
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
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Covid restrictions show what we’re really like
Our pride in being a freedom-loving people is belied by a desire for exclusion and willingness to kowtow to authority
Joanna
Williams
@jowilliams293
F
inally, we have good news.
The development of three
coronavirus vaccines in
under a year is a remarkable
scientific achievement and a
triumph of human endeavour. Covid
curbs should be over by Easter, we
are told. What’s more, we are to be
allowed to celebrate Christmas with
our families, so long as we are all
jolly careful.
But still the gloom persists, or at
least it does in my house. It was the
prime minister’s casual use of the
word “allow” that did it. A year ago,
the prospect of government
ministers and unelected medical
officers dictating whom we can meet,
under what circumstances and on
which days was unimaginable. Now
we are grateful for it. Truly, we have
come a long way.
This year, despite all the bluster
about Covidiots, people have
generally complied with each new
restriction imposed. Whether
through fear, coercion or a genuine
2G M
desire to do the right thing, what’s
notable is how little challenge there
has been to lockdown.
Labour and the SNP, the leaders of
the teaching unions, as well as many
in the media and at our leading
universities, have repeatedly urged
the government to impose more
restrictions on liberty, not fewer.
Their demands tap into something
that we may not recognise in
ourselves but which is a key — and
burgeoning — element of the British
character. For every one who
believes that “an Englishman’s home
is his castle” or that, in Boris
There are plenty who
seem happy to snitch
on their neighbours
Johnson’s characteristically florid
expression, we enjoy the “ancient,
inalienable right of free-born people
to go to the pub”, there are plenty
more of us who seem only too happy
to do exactly what the state tells us
to do — and to snitch on any
neighbour who dares to step out of
line. For anyone who cherishes
personal liberty and self-reliance,
this willingness to kowtow to
authority, even when those in power
appear to have our best interests at
heart, is a disturbing sign.
One of the striking ironies of the
pandemic is that those who took to
the streets last year to protest that
Mr Johnson was mounting a coup
against democracy because of his
decision to suspend parliament have
spent this year urging him to impose
ever stricter rules.
In fact, they, like most
metropolitan liberals, have had a
good lockdown. It’s not just that they
get to work from home, bake, garden
and have poor people deliver their
Amazon goods to the door (while, of
course, denying to their friends
they’d ever boost the profits of a
capitalist exploiter like Jeff Bezos).
Lockdown, in common with all the
other restrictions that have been
enforced this year, fits in with a
political and social climate they have
happily championed.
Since March, the aim of every new
rule has been to limit the number of
people we meet. From household
bubbles to the rule of six, from social
distancing to self-isolation, the virus
has taught us to regard other people
as a potential threat. To stay safe, we
must avoid close contact with others.
But sections of the left have long
advocated, and indeed practised, a
form of social distancing. In 2014, the
Labour frontbencher Emily
Thornberry infamously tweeted a
photo of a house in Kent bedecked in
England flags in what was widely
seen as a snobbish, condescending
comment on patriotic working-class
people. Thornberry, who lives in a
Georgian town house in Islington,
personifies the north London liberals
who rarely if ever encounter anyone
outside their ideological bubble.
At universities, radical students
petition for safe spaces. They, too,
effectively want to self-isolate
from people who do not share
their views. Once they have left,
the gulf between graduates and
non-graduates widens even further.
David Goodhart, author of The Road
to Somewhere, describes a society
In the spring, there
was a sense we really
were all in it together
increasingly divided between
wealthy cosmopolitan liberal
“anywheres” and less well-off, less
educated “somewheres” who are
rooted in a sense of nationhood and
local pride. These mutually exclusive
bubbles are only reinforced by social
media, which encourages us to
connect with the like-minded and
those who affirm our prejudices.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Back
in the spring, ahead of the first
national lockdown, there was a sense
that we really were all in this
37
Comment
together. Community Facebook
groups sprang up, neighbours
collected prescriptions and delivered
shopping to the housebound.
Occasionally, people caught a
glimpse of inequalities in their own
communities that they’d never seen
before.
But looking out for friends and
family rapidly morphed into an
insistence on following the rules. It
was no longer individual initiative
that was praised, but obedience.
Suddenly, being a good citizen was
not about helping your neighbour
but about dobbing them in if you
spied them exercising twice a day.
Already, the lockdown
misanthropes are working up a
lather about the relaxation of
restrictions for five days over
Christmas. Not everyone wants a
“normal” Christmas, they moan.
Don’t take away our pretext to
isolate! When the last social
distancing rules are lifted next year,
don’t expect universal rejoicing or a
renewed empathy with our fellow
citizens. Too many Britons have
grown fond of cutting themselves off
from others — and of doing as
they’re told by the state.
Joanna Williams is founder of the
think tank Cieo
Alice Thomson is away
38
Letters to the Editor
Hong Kong judges
Sir, Among punitive measures to mark
breaches of the Sino-British joint
declaration, the Foreign Office
questions whether British judges
should sit in the Hong Kong Court of
Final Appeal (“Britain considers
pulling judges out of Hong Kong”, Nov
24). Given that China is the offender,
there can be no logic in penalising
Hong Kong. Pro-Chinese media snipe
at a local judiciary striving to maintain
the common law jurisdiction that
anchors the international financial
community and overseas business to
Hong Kong. Both the joint declaration
and the basic law confer upon Hong
Kong the right to invite overseas
common law judges to sit in its highest
court. To compel any British judge on
the list, all but two now retired, to
withhold their services in adjudicating
upon complex cases would be to score
a spectacular own goal.
Michael Thomas, QC
Attorney-general of Hong Kong
1983-88; London SW10
First tree of life
Sir, The loss of some of Charles
Darwin’s notebooks is distressing but
his work needs to be put into
perspective (“Cambridge University
says misshelved Charles Darwin
notebooks now thought stolen”, Nov
24). Lamarck published an
evolutionary tree of life in 1809, nearly
30 years before it appeared in Darwin’s
stolen notebook. Versions of the
theory of natural selection were also
published before him, respectively by
Charles Wells and Patrick Matthew.
Darwin admitted Matthew’s priority
yet historians continue to publish the
same old Darwin hagiographies.
Professor Milton Wainwright
Caernarfon
On the surface
Sir, The surface of the Royal
Tournament arena is described as
being sand in Paul Callan’s story
about the insensitive colonel (TMS,
Nov 24). It was tan, a mixture of bark
and old horse droppings. In between
events it was shipped to Feltham,
where it formed a small hill, the
highest point in Hounslow. It was
given away as garden mulch when the
Royal Tournament ceased.
Paul Lynch
London W4
Corrections and
clarifications
6 We have been asked to make clear
that the owners of Picasso’s The Rescue
deny that the work was purchased for
$3.5 million as alleged by the claimant
in legal proceedings concerning the
picture (“Strange case of the art dealer,
the tech billionaire, his email and
Picasso’s lover”, News, Nov 24).
We are
committed to
abiding by the
Independent
Press Standards Organisation rules and
regulations and the Editors’ Code of
Practice that IPSO enforces. Requests
for corrections or clarifications should
be sent to feedback@thetimes.co.uk
Reducing aid and Britain’s global ambitions
Sir, Ruth Davidson (“Britain’s global
ambitions can’t be sacrificed”, Nov 24)
is right to highlight the political
consequences for the prime minister
of reneging on his promise to
maintain UK aid at 0.7 per cent of
GDP. As he prepares to take up the
presidency of the G7 and greet
President Biden when he arrives here
for the UK-hosted summit next year,
Boris Johnson should reflect on how
breaking such a promise would be
received by our international allies.
Reaching international agreement
next year on vaccines, economic
recovery and climate change will
require nations to work together and
make ambitious pledges for progress.
Failing to honour such an important
promise, however, will undermine
confidence in us and will send the
wrong message to nations with which
we need to forge new, post-Brexit
partnerships.
Britain has the finest diplomatic
service and armed forces in the world.
We have been an international
development superpower within the
G7 and the PM should not allow his
chancellor to undermine that.
Andrew Mitchell, MP
International development secretary
2010-12
Defending carriers
Sir, Edward Lucas (Comment, Nov 23,
and letters, Nov 24) repeats the mantra
that “aircraft carriers are conspicuous
and vulnerable”. Yet in the same article
he quotes General Sir Richard Barrons
as saying: “We’ve invested in superb
capability to defend a carrier but
completely dismantled our ability to
protect the UK homeland.”
Those not versed in maritime
warfare overlook the immensity of
the oceans and the techniques
available to hide ships from detection
and attack. The general is correct
about the vulnerability of fixed
targets such as airfields, army bases
and cities to missile attack, and there
is no doubt that our force of Typhoon
aircraft is incapable of defending
those fixed targets from such attacks.
Our aircraft carriers have fought in
numerous conflicts since the Second
World War: none has been lost or had
aircraft damaged by enemy action on
their decks. Nothing is ever
invulnerable but I know where I would
rather be if an enemy were trying to
launch a hypersonic missile attack.
Admiral Lord West of Spithead
House of Lords
GARAGES -THE
MODERN
HIGHWAYMEN
from the times november 25, 1920
There is urgent need for radical
reform in the conduct of motor
garages in town and country. The
standard of repair work has fallen to
the level of the earliest and worst
days of the automobile movement.
Charges for bad work are far higher
than they were for the best work
before the war. That is bad enough;
but what is rousing the just
resentment of everyone who has the
interest of the industry at heart is
the appalling apathy of the great
majority of repairers.
There is something very wrong
with the atmosphere of most
Sir, Your excellent leading article
(“Great British Breakthrough”, Nov
24) highlights, inter alia, the way in
which the Oxford vaccine will be
distributed to lower-income
developing countries. This is the
correct way to project the UK’s soft
power, rather than headline “overseas
aid” numbers — a significant portion
of which almost certainly ends up in
the wrong pockets.
Nick Headly
Cheddon Fitzpaine, Somerset
Sir, I find it hard to challenge General
Lord Dannatt (letter, Nov 24), who
was my (extremely popular)
instructor when I first went to
Sandhurst. But his argument that the
integration of defence capabilities
with the international development
budget provides maximum influence
works only if spending the latter is
aligned with British influence aims.
The unpublished integrated defence
review may propose that but it will
require an enormous change in the
mindset of the aid community, which
believes that aid should be spent
where the need is greatest, not where
the UK’s interests are best served.
Peregrine J Lewis
Ashkirk, Scottish Borders
NHS reserve army
Sir, In response to your report “NHS
volunteers could be kept on as
military-style reservists” (Nov 23), the
NHS has had a reservists’
organisation before: the National
Hospital Service Reserve. This was
constituted under the Civil Defence
Act 1948 to provide, in the case of
war, an army of volunteers trained to
carry out basic first aid and nursing. I
became a member of the NHSR and
was given a very good training. A
further requirement was to carry out
one half day a week working in a
hospital. Although, fortunately, there
was never a war, I have found what I
learnt extremely useful.
Pat Scott
Kenilworth, Warks
Sir, Your leading article “NHS
Reservists” (Nov 23) omits to mention
that there is already an army of NHS
reservists: St John Ambulance, the
British Red Cross Society and St
Andrew’s Ambulance Association,
which have been providing voluntary
service to the British population since
the end of the 19th century. St John
Ambulance alone has provided
garages. We had the same sort of
thing years ago when the
bewildered, helpless owner of a car
had perforce to trust himself to the
mercies of ignorant and even
unscrupulous garage owners.
Nobody cared in the garage how the
work was done, so long as it was paid
for and garages were forthcoming on
Saturday. By many of those modern
highwaymen the ownership of a
motor-repairing shop was regarded
as a gold mine, where the wandering
motorist could be fleeced to one’s
heart’s content. Conditions today are
very nearly reverting to that evil
period. Today’s average owner
knows what ought to be done to his
car and to a certain extent how it
should be done. But, like his
forerunner of 15 years ago, he must
stand hopeless while the ill-trained,
casual garage hand, who has a bare
nodding acquaintance with the
operation of the machine he is
handling, makes ill worse.
1G M
Sir, Cutting our aid commitment
would be shortsighted at a time when
we are seeking to strengthen our
influence on the world stage; Ruth
Davidson is the latest political leader
to make this argument.
As head of the British Red Cross I
have seen first-hand the extent to
which the UK is recognised as a
world leader in humanitarian
response, in supporting the economic
and social development of some of
the globe’s most vulnerable
communities. Maintaining our
commitment to 0.7 per cent of gross
national income underpins the
aspiration for a country that is open,
outward-looking and confident on the
world stage.
Mike Adamson
CEO, British Red Cross
Sir, The aid budget should not be cut
now. Instead it probably ought to be
increased, with the increase spent on
coronavirus vaccines. There is no
point in vaccinating the whole of the
UK if the virus is not stamped out
rapidly overseas, as it could come
back. Plus, aid will be needed to help
with the post-coronavirus recovery.
Andrew P Jones
Didcot, Oxon
almost 250,000 hours of patient-
facing care and support to the NHS
since the start of the pandemic.
Andrew Latham
Crawley, W Sussex
Travel hopefully
Sir, The transport secretary has urged
us to book tickets now for Christmas
travel (“Avoid train travel at Christmas,
Grant Shapps urges”, thetimes.co.uk,
Nov 24). LNER, which is owned by the
Department for Transport, has not yet
published a timetable for Christmas or
the New Year (at present it is running
“temporary coronavirus timetables”
subject to change at short notice) and
is not yet taking bookings beyond
December 18.
Mr Shapps urges passengers to
“look very carefully at the transport
route they take” when planning
Christmas trips. We would like to plan
as he suggests — but cannot.
David Staples
London N10
Letters to The Times must be exclusive
and may be edited. Please include a full
address and daytime telephone number.
We believe that the dearth of
decent workmen in motor garages is
due rather to the general
atmosphere of slackness, of want of
supervision by some recognized
authority, of absence of standard.
There is no better motor mechanic
in the world than the British. His
heart is in his job. What he
apparently feels is that it is his job
which is lacking. It rests with our
motor organizations to imbue
themselves with a new spirit. It can
be done, and if the whole future of
private and commercial motoring in
this country is to progress it must be
done. The modern garage is an
anachronism. It and its methods
belong to a bygone age. It is essential
that the whole business of motor
repairing be regarded from the 1920
point of view and put upon a new
and properly businesslike basis.
thetimes.co.uk/archive
Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
Letters to the Editor should be sent to
letters@thetimes.co.uk or by post to
1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
Poet’s fiery history
Sir, Although Ted Hughes can be
linked on his mother’s side with
Nicholas Ferrar, the High Anglican
divine involved in the selling of slaves
(“Library links Ted Hughes to 17th-
century colonialist”, Nov 23 and letter
Nov 24), the Hughes/Ferrar line also
goes back to the Robert Ferrar, the
Bishop of St David’s, who in 1555
testified to his Christian faith in
prayer as he was suffering the agony
of death by burning at the hands of
Bloody Mary’s Welshmen. “The fire
that struck . . . / Kindled little heavens
in his words”, as Hughes says in his
poem The Martyrdom of Bishop
Ferrar. Ted’s family have good reason
to continue to be proud.
David Day
Member of the Ted Hughes Society,
Ackworth, W Yorks
Machine living
Sir, Anyone who disagrees with Libby
Purves (“Virtual world is no match for
the real thing”, Nov 23, and letter, Nov
24) should read EM Forster’s The
Machine Stops. Published in 1928, it
foretold a world in which, owing to a
global catastrophe, we were confined
to our “cells”, where we sat in front of
a “milky white screen” linked to “the
Machine”, through which we
communicated the rest of the world.
This led to our becoming obese and
almost losing the use of our limbs until
the Machine stopped working. I have
remembered it vividly since reading it
at O-level. It should be compulsory
reading for every young person.
Grahame Solway
Fareham, Hants
Christmas excess
Sir, As a grandmother and great-
grandmother I am delighted that for
once I have the perfect excuse for
avoiding the excesses of the
saturnalia that replaced Christmas
long ago for the majority of the
population (letters, Nov 23 & 24).
Seeing the family in small doses
without having to be jolly is fine but
we “grannies” are often much more
capable than younger people of
coping with adversity and are getting
a bit fed up with being patronised.
Angela Patey
Bristol
Language, Timothy
Sir, Further to Ruth Snary’s letter
(Nov 24), my father, the son of a strict
Victorian clergyman, used to
substitute well-known obscenities
with an expressively emphasised “By
carbonate of soda!”. It scared the
stuffing out of us.
Katie Kitchen
Potterspury, Northants
Our finest hour
Sir, It seems my eight-week-old son
enthusiastically subscribes to Adrienne
Herbert’s philosophy of rising early
(“Wakey, wakey! The rise of the ‘power
hour’ trend”, Times2, Nov 24). I am
still awaiting the promised
improvement in productivity.
Michael May
London SW18
Sir, Your editorial (“Finest Hour”, Nov
24) is apposite. As a head teacher of a
grammar school I endeavoured to be
at my desk at 5.30am to prepare for
the day. Plus it was the only time I felt
truly in charge.
Enda Cullen
Armagh
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Daily Universal Register
UK: Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers
one-year spending review, setting resource
and capital budgets for 2021-22; Howard
League for Penal Reform’s annual meeting.
Nature notes
Otters are a success
story. Since the
banning of the
agricultural
insecticide dieldrin,
which nearly
poisoned these
mammals into oblivion, the species has been
slowly reclaiming Britain’s waterways.
Perfectly adapted to swimming in a range of
aquatic environments, they can hunt
successfully even where sediment restricts
visibility. The whiskers bristling around their
snouts and on their elbows detect vibrations
and movements in the murk. Otters are
repossessing urban environments too —
Sheffield and Essex are hotspots. As they
spread, they restore balance to riverbank
ecology by driving out mink and wolfing
down the invasive signal crayfish. Despite
adult otters being such consummate
swimmers, cubs are initially frightened of
water. jonathan tulloch
Birthdays today
Squadron Leader
George “Johnny”
Johnson, DFM, pictured,
the last surviving British
Dambuster, 99; Stuart
Andrew, Conservative
MP for Pudsey, deputy
chief whip, 49; Harriet
Crabtree, director, Inter Faith Network for
the UK, 62; Dominic Cummings, political
strategist, former adviser to Boris Johnson,
49; Blythe Duff, actress, Taggart (1990-
2010), 58; Michael Feast, actor, Velvet
Goldmine (1998), 74; Rt Rev Clive Gregory,
area bishop of Wolverhampton, 59; Brent
Hoberman, entrepreneur, co-founder of
Lastminute.com (1998), 52; Yvonne Kenny,
opera singer, 70; Mark Lanegan, musician,
Screaming Trees, 56; Alessandro Michele,
fashion designer, creative director at Gucci,
48; Steve Morgan, founder (1974) and
chairman (2009-19), Redrow, and chairman,
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (2007-15),
68; Lord (Paul) Murphy of Torfaen, Labour
MP (1987-2015), secretary of state for
Northern Ireland (2002-05) and Wales
(1999-2002, 2008-09), 72; Lord Naseby
(Michael Morris), Conservative MP (1974-
97), chairman of ways and means and
deputy speaker (1992-97), 84; Alan Parker,
chairman, Mothercare (2011-18), chief
executive, Whitbread (2004-10), 74;
Margaret Purves, received the George Cross
for an act of bravery when she was 14, 86;
Dougray Scott, actor, Mission: Impossible II
(2000), 55; Gerald Seymour, thriller writer,
Harry’s Game (1975), 79; Ben Stein,
economist, actor and speechwriter for
President Nixon and President Ford, 76;
John Taylor, inventor who developed
thermostats for use in electric kettles, 84;
Bruno Tonioli, choreographer, judge, Strictly
Come Dancing (since 2004), 65; Anton
Weinberg, clarinettist, 76; Sir Peter Wright,
director laureate, Birmingham Royal Ballet,
94; Rev Prof Frances Young, theologian,
The Myth of God Incarnate (1977), 81.
On this day
In 1969 John Lennon returned his MBE “in
protest against Britain’s involvement in the
Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of
America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey
slipping down the charts”.
The last word
“I spent a lot of money on booze, birds
and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”
George Best, Northern Irish footballer
1GM
The start of a formal transition and the president-elect’s early appointments
signal an important moment in re-establishing American leadership
It may not have been the gracious concession that
has traditionally marked the transfer of American
power, but it was enough. President Trump’s
announcement via Twitter (how else?) that he was
finally prepared to authorise the start of a formal
transition process to Joe Biden draws a line under
what has been one of the ugliest episodes in recent
American history. Mr Trump has failed to produce
any evidence to support his legal efforts to
overturn the election result via the courts while
his proxies, led by Rudy Giuliani, his personal
lawyer, spread ludicrous conspiracy theories,
alleging electoral interference by everyone from
Cuba to Venezuela to George Soros. If the aim
was to undermine America’s faith in its own demo-
cratic system, the effect has been to undermine
the world’s faith in America itself.
Fortunately Mr Biden’s conduct since the elect-
ion inspires confidence that the new administra-
tion will swiftly undo the damage. His choices of
Antony Blinken as secretary of state and Jake
Sullivan as national security adviser send a
reassuring signal to the rest of the world that the
president-elect intends to deliver on his promise
to restore America’s alliances and re-establish its
leadership in the world. Mr Blinken is a long-
standing adviser to Mr Biden who served as
The government is cynically frustrating freedom of information requests
Transparency is not a privilege or a gift
bequeathed to a grateful citizenry by a benign gov-
ernment. It is a fundamental right of a free people
to be able to see and scrutinise the decisions made
on their behalf. That message has failed to get
through to the government of Boris Johnson,
which seems hellbent on making it harder. This is
not only a disgrace, but a mistake.
We report today on a unit within the Cabinet
Office. Known as the freedom of information
“clearing house”, it is believed to run a watchlist, or
perhaps a blacklist, of journalists from
publications, including this one, to identify free-
dom of information requests which may be
deemed sensitive and then advise departments as
to how best frustrate them. The same unit is
believed to vet the responses from those depart-
ments. This from a government that has fought on
many fronts to frustrate the workings of the press
and media.
There has already been a pattern of conducting
unofficial boycotts of broadcast programmes con-
sidered unduly hostile, with the BBC’s Newsnight,
Channel 4 News and ITV’s Good Morning Britain
Plate Up And Play The Game
The Sussex Cricket League’s ban on tea is a grave mistake
When club cricket resumed in July, its most sacred
rite remained forbidden. Tea now exists only in
name: the urns empty, the sandwiches unmade,
trestle tables spared the weight of sponge and
sausage rolls. Normality will return to English life
only when village teams pile into pavilions
together for tea once more, at risk of nothing more
than heartburn. The cricketers of Sussex, how-
ever, may never know such pleasures again.
Next summer the 335 teams of the county’s
cricket league, the biggest in the country, will be
obliged only to provide hot and cold drinks to
players. No more platefuls of beige and brown
Biden Time
deputy secretary of state in the Obama adminis-
tration. Mr Sullivan played a leading role in
negotiating the Iran nuclear deal. Both enjoy
broad bipartisan support at home as well as being
respected by America’s allies. And both are
committed to working through multilateral
institutions as a way to constrain adversaries and
advance the strategic interests of America and
the West.
This is certainly a welcome change that is in
Britain’s interests too. Mr Trump’s mistake had
been to believe that America had no need to
accept the restraints of multilateralism because its
allies had no option but to accede to US demands.
Yet the reality is that other countries do have
options, ranging from compromise with aggres-
sors to creating networks that exclude the US,
leading to greater global fragmentation. America’s
retreat from global leadership has created vacu-
ums that other countries have tried to fill. Jim
Mattis, the former US defence secretary, in an
article for Foreign Affairs, likens Mr Trump’s
neglect of America’s allies to “allowing a long-
tended garden to become choked with weeds . . . In
practice, America first has meant America alone.”
Of course Mr Biden’s efforts to revive alliances
will not be straightforward. His biggest challenge
Official Secrecy
all having faced long periods in the doghouse. In
press and broadcast reporting alike it has become
commonplace for departments flatly to refuse to
comment on unflattering stories.
Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s
former chief adviser, was notorious for having
warned other special advisers that their jobs
would be forfeit if they spoke to journalists at all.
At the time of his departure he was working on a
plan to combine all communications teams from
disparate Whitehall departments into a single,
centralised force controlled from Downing Street.
One can reasonably assume that the intent was
not to ensure that the press and the public would
end up being better informed.
The Freedom of Information Act was brought
in by Tony Blair, who later regarded it as one of his
greatest mistakes. “I quake at the imbecility of it,”
he wrote in his memoirs. His complaint was that a
law designed to promote transparency for the
public was instead being exploited by journalists.
The distinction is a false one. Freedom of informa-
tion requests have become a vital journalistic tool
for shedding light on the actions and behaviour of
delights, or even desultory bowls of crisps. Their
absence has done more to make cricket in the
Covid age a sterile thing than the requirement to
sanitise the ball every six overs. In voting to make
it permanent, the Sussex clubs have wounded the
soul of the very thing they exist to preserve.
The case for the defence is coldly functional.
Local councils impose food hygiene standards
that look unkindly upon homemade fare in poky
pavilions. Clubs increasingly struggle to meet the
costs or find willing volunteers. Privately, captains
across the country may be praying for their
leagues to wield the axe too. Drawing up the
39
Leading articles
is to forge a united approach among western
democracies towards China, which he has identi-
fied as America’s greatest strategic competitor. Mr
Trump rightly brought this up the agenda but it
will take patient statesmanship to forge an alliance
of nations that can make China realise the folly of
any aggressive actions. The scale of that task is
highlighted by a poll showing that 82 per cent of
Germans want to remain neutral in any new cold
war between America and China. But other coun-
tries in Europe and the Pacific region appear more
willing to take a stand. What he will have greater
difficulty doing is slowing China’s relentless
economic growth and advances in 21st century
technologies such as artificial intelligence.
There is another area of action in which Mr
Biden’s prospects look promising. His appoint-
ment of John Kerry, the former secretary of state,
as his climate envoy underscores the seriousness
of his commitment to securing a global climate
accord at the COP26 summit in Glasgow next
year. That should be particularly welcome to Boris
Johnson, who will host the summit and is pushing
a Conservative green agenda of his own. The
prime minister needs to appoint his own climate
envoy of similar stature to help him to secure what
should be his own moment of global leadership.
powerful organisations. They are also used by
campaigners. Any institution that frustrates them
is an institution that has something to hide.
Allegations of cronyism within Covid-era
procurement offer a fine example of the dangers
when scrutiny breaks down. It is hard to escape
the suspicion that this government’s default
inclination of doing business with its friends and
supporters emerges from the same mindset as its
reluctance to be held openly to account. Without
transparency, claustrophobic backscratching and
pork-barrel politics thrive.
In April of this year the United Kingdom
dropped two places on the World Press Freedom
Index, as ranked by the organisation Reporters
Without Borders. It now sits at 35th place, behind
most European nations and numerous others,
including South Africa, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
As a former journalist himself, Mr Johnson should
consider this internationally shaming. If the prime
minister’s promised reset is to mean anything, it
should start with a commitment to far greater
transparency, not least as to what the FOI clearing
house is up to.
batting order is one thing. Inducing teammates to
play caterer is quite another.
Yet these counsels of despair should be ignored.
Cricket, more than any other sport, is not just a
game. What better testament to its spirit of
brotherhood and decency than tea? In an age of
individualism, extending hospitality to one’s
opponents is not a concession to a lost Britain but
the enduring promise of a better one. Without it,
the sport would be as harsh and quick a thing as
the week that precedes it. Sussex should resist. For
once, cricketers should ignore the rules. Plate up,
plate up, and play the game.
40 2GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

World
America is back and
ready to lead world
again, says Biden
United States
Henry Zeffman Washington
Joe Biden declared that “America is
back” and “ready to lead the world” after
announcing his top national security
team, while President Trump desper-
ately insisted that he had not conceded
defeat.
Mr Biden appeared with six prospec-
tive members of his cabinet arrayed
behind him wearing masks in Wilming-
ton, Delaware, as Mr Trump tried to
undermine the transition of power he
set in motion the night before.
“The team meets this moment,” Mr
Biden said. “They embody my core
belief that America is strongest when it
works with its allies. Collectively, this
team has secured some of the most
defining national security and diplo-
matic achievements in recent memory,
made possible through decades of
experience working with our partners.
That’s how we truly keep America safe.”
The president-elect said that “no one
is better prepared” to be secretary of
state than Antony Blinken, 58, deputy
secretary of state under President
Obama. “He starts off with the kinds of
relationships around the world that
many of his predecessors have had to
build over the years.”
Mr Blinken spoke emotionally about
his grandfather, a refugee, and step-
father, a Holocaust survivor, before
arguing that America must show
“humility” because “we cannot solve
the world’s problems alone”.
Later John Kerry, who was
Mr Obama’s secretary of
state and has been given a
new position as climate
change envoy, spoke of
the importance of the
Paris climate accord
and the Cop26 summit
being chaired by the
UK next year. “No
country alone can solve
this challenge,” Mr Kerry, 76, said. Mr
Kerry’s role will not require confirma-
tion by the Senate, but most of Mr Bid-
en’s cabinet will.
On Monday night Emily Murphy, a
Trump-appointed bureaucrat who
oversees the general services adminis-
tration (GSA), formally designated Mr
Biden as the president-elect, releasing
millions of dollars to fund his transition
team. Afterwards Mr Trump endorsed
the move and said that he had “told my
team” to help with the handover. This
includes allowing Mr Biden to receive
the president’s daily classified intelli-
gence briefing. By yesterday morning,
though, Mr Trump appeared angered
by the consequences of Ms Murphy’s —
and his own — actions. “We are fighting
hard,” he wrote on Twitter. “Our big
lawsuit, which spells out in great detail
all of the ballot fraud and more, will
soon be filled. RIGGED ELECTION!”
After sharing several messages from
the actor Randy Quaid claiming that
the election was rigged and attacking
Fox News, Mr Trump added: “Remem-
ber, the GSA has been terrific, and Emi-
ly Murphy has done a great job, but the
GSA does not determine who the next
President of the United States will be.”
Yesterday afternoon Mr Trump
called a press conference and appeared
for less than a minute, joined by Mike
Pence, the vice-president, to tout
the performance of the stock
market, before leaving without
taking questions. Staunch allies re-
cognise that his remaining avenues
to challenge the election are
extremely narrow. Yesterday
the swing states of Nevada
and Pennsylvania certified
Mr Biden’s victories.
After the transition
Joe Biden said that
his team brought
decades of contacts
and experience
began on Monday night Laura Ingra-
ham, a Trump supporter, told viewers of
her Fox News show: “As unpleasant and
disappointing as these past three weeks
have been to so many of us . . . unless the
legal situation changes in a dramatic
and frankly unlikely manner, Joe Biden
will be inaugurated on January 20. If I
offered you a false reality, if I told you
that there was an excellent, phenome-
nal chance that the Supreme Court was
going to step in and deliver victory to
President Trump, I’d be lying to you.”
Even Rush Limbaugh, the ultra-
conservative talk radio host, lambasted
Mr Trump’s lawyers. Referring to the
chaotic briefing last week by Rudy
Giuliani, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer,
and Sidney Powell, since dropped from
the president’s legal team, Limbaugh
said: “You call a gigantic press confer-
ence like that — one that lasts an hour
— and you announce massive bomb-
shells, then you better have some
bombshells.”
Some Republican senators who have
not yet acknowledged Mr Biden’s
victory did so implicitly by attacking his
cabinet choices. Marco Rubio of
Florida, who ran against Mr Trump in
2016 but has since become a loyal sup-
porter in public, said: “Biden’s cabinet
picks went to Ivy League schools, have
strong résumés, attend all the right
conferences and will be polite and or-
derly caretakers of America’s decline.”
Josh Hawley of Missouri, a rising star,
said that Mr Biden’s selections were “a
group of corporatists and war enthusi-
asts — and Big Tech sellouts”. Of Mr
Blinken he said: “He’s backed every
endless war since the Iraq invasion.”
Tom Cotton of Arkansas, said to have
his eye on the 2024 presidential
nomination, said that Mr Biden was
“surrounding himself with panda-
huggers who will only reinforce his
instincts to go soft on China”.
Biden can start to re-establish America,
leading article, page 39 President Trump and his wife at the annual White House pardoning of one of two

Analysis
I
n the days before the
election most shops,
restaurants, offices and
hotels in downtown
Washington boarded
up their windows (Henry
Zeffman writes). They were
preparing for the possibility
of widespread unrest.
Little wonder: for months
think tankers and pundits
had warned of chaos. When
one group of greybeards got
together to “wargame”
different eventualities their
exercise ended with the
House of Representatives
declaring Joe Biden the
president, the Senate
asserting it was Donald
Trump, and three states on
the west coast threatening
to secede from the union.
So far, though, America’s
institutions have been
robust enough to thwart Mr
Trump’s assault on the
result. Does that mean the
warnings were overdone?
Not necessarily. Just as the
millennium bug did not
become a problem only
because so much work went
into preparing for it, it may
well be the case that Mr
Trump’s attempt to subvert
the result failed because his
opponents were ready for it.
Networks primed their
viewers to wait several days
for a true picture of the
results. Democrats had
lawyers ready in every key
state to respond to Mr
Trump’s challenges.
Election officials, after
months of attacks from the
president on the legitimacy
of postal voting, honed their
procedures, and they knew
the rights of pollwatchers
sent by Republicans. Many
people cast their votes in
person knowing that Mr
Trump might try to throw
out their postal votes.
Early discussion of the
issue meant Republican
state legislators in swing
states were forced to
grapple with whether they
would be willing to try to
overturn the popular vote
and send their own electors
to the electoral college.
Seen this way, the formal
transition process is not so
much a triumph of the
system but a vindication of
the prominence given to
alarming predictions.
There is probably
another, bigger, factor that
has secured Mr Biden’s
victory: the election was not
that close. Overturning the
results in a single swing
state would not be enough.
Mr Biden won the popular
vote by a larger margin
than Barack Obama did
over Mitt Romney in 2012.
What if it had been
closer, though? It could
have been quite dicey. Even
fewer Republican senators
would have called on Mr
Trump to concede. An
appeal in one critical state
could have found its way to
the conservative-dominated
Supreme Court. The half-
hearted pro-Trump rally in
Washington, which led to
clashes with his opponents,
might have been larger.
Pro-Trump state legislators
would have come under
greater pressure to back his
schemes. The president
might never have agreed to
a formal transition. Perhaps
America’s institutions did
not pass a test — perhaps
they dodged it instead.
‘President
Germany
Oliver Moody Berlin
President Trump’s intense pressure on
Germany to spend more on defence
was a “wake-up call”, its defence
minister has said.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer also
insisted that an alliance with America
was indispensable for Europe’s security.
Her comments cemented her position
in a row with President Macron, who
argues that the EU should become a
power on the world stage.
The imminent Biden administration
has prompted much debate about
Europe’s broader place in the world.
Shaken by the upheaval of the Trump
years, Mr Macron said that the EU
should build up independent military
capabilities and a coherent foreign
 the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
North Korean ‘ex-gymnast
Thanksgiving turkeys. Corn was spared over a second bird, Cob, after a public poll that was not subject to calls for a recount
was right to deliver Nato wake-up call’ vaulted fence’ to freedom
policy “so we can have our say and not
become the vassal of this or that power”.
Atlanticists such as Mrs Kramp-Kar-
renbauer say that Mr Macron’s vision is
illusory and the EU must align itself
closely with America under Mr Biden.
The dispute has been personal as well
as political, with Mr Macron singling
out Mrs Kramp-Karrenbauer’s views as
a “historical misinterpretation”. He
suggests that they were privately dis-
owned by Angela Merkel, the German
chancellor.
Yesterday Mrs Kramp-Karrenbauer
said that Mr Trump’s presidency had
driven home the need for Europe to
take on a bigger role in Nato. Before the
pandemic Germany’s defence spending
was projected to rise from 1.19 per cent
of GDP in 2016 to 1.42 per cent this year.
The German military budget recovered
2GM
last year to a level last recorded in 1988,
although it remains far short of the
2 per cent of GDP that is expected of
Nato members.
“[Mr Trump] was disruptive,” Mrs
Kramp-Karrenbauer told the Berlin
Foreign Policy Forum. “I’m sure that
will change now with Biden but I would
be the last person to say, ‘Now every-
thing will be fine again — we can just
lean back and things will stay the same.’
“America will change its strategic
perspective. It will concentrate more
strongly on the Indo-Pacific region.
That means we Europeans need to be
more capable of acting . . . the more we
can meet them on a level footing, the
stronger a reason the American side
will have for maintaining its interest [in
Europe], for maintaining this bridge.”
The damage German relations with
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
America suffered under Mr Trump was
exposed yesterday in a survey by the
Körber foundation, the foreign policy
group that organised the conference.
The poll, carried out before the US
presidential election, found that 12 per
cent of Germans believed that their
country should take the American side
in a “new US-Chinese Cold War”, while
82 per cent favoured neutrality.
A narrow majority preferred Mr
Macron’s approach of seeking greater
independence from the US over Mrs
Kramp-Karrenbauer’s policy of
“continuing to rely” on the Americans.
There were signs that America’s
image in Germany could improve. A
supplementary survey held after the
election found that 78 per cent of
Germans said the partnership would
“normalise again” under Mr Biden.
The World at Five
Kurdish camps breed new
generation of jihadists
In depth and online today at 5pm
thetimes.co.uk
Trump sends B-52s
to Gulf in final show
of strength with Iran
Mike Evans
Richard Spencer
Middle East Correspondent
The US sent a long-range bomber force
to the Middle East at short notice over
the weekend as leading American,
Israeli and Saudi officials held an
unprecedented diplomatic meeting on
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.
The show of American air power was
headed by B-52H strategic bombers
which flew 7,000 miles to the Middle
East from their Minot air force base in
North Dakota on Saturday.
B-52Hs, the largest of the US Air
Force’s bombers, and the longest in ser-
vice, appear to have been deployed both
to deter Iran — the arch regional rival
of both the Saudis and Israel — and to
provide a show of force in the region as
the leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia
and Mike Pompeo, America’s secretary
of state, gathered for the unprece-
dented diplomatic exchanges at Neom.
US officials would not confirm how
many of the bombers were deployed
but a statement from US Central Com-
mand said B-52H Stratofortress “air-
crews” assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing
at Minot air force base had “conducted
a short-notice, long-range mission into
the Middle East on November 21”, the
day before the arrival of Mr Pompeo
and, reportedly, Binyamin Netanyahu,
Israel’s prime minister, in Saudi Arabia.
Central Command said the B-52Hs
had been sent “to deter aggression and
reassure US partners and allies”.
The long-range bombers, which can
carry nuclear as well as conventional
bombs and missiles, were joined in the
show of force by F-15E Strike Eagles
and F-16 Fighting Falcons.
“The ability to quickly move forces
into, out of and around the theatre to
seize, retain and exploit the initiative is
key to deterring potential aggression,”
Lieutenant-General Greg Guillot,
commander of US 9th Air Force, said.
According to Israeli sources the
meeting in Neom also involved Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman of
North Korea
Gavin Blair Tokyo
A North Korean defector who snuck
across the border claims to be a former
gymnast who used his acrobatic skills to
vault a three-metre fence and escape
into South Korea.
The man, who is yet to be named, is
said to be short and in his late twenties.
He evaded military patrols and sensors
around the fence despite earlier being
detected by surveillance equipment at
the demilitarised zone (DMZ).
The defector was picked up on
thermal cameras on the North Korean
side on the morning of November 2,
then by surveillance cameras the
following evening as he climbed a
barbed-wire fence.
The South Korean military deployed
41
Saudi Arabia and Yossi Cohen, the head
of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.
It is the first time the Israeli leader has
officially met the crown prince.
Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, the Saudi
foreign minister, denied that the Israeli
leader had taken part, dismissing con-
firmation of Mr Netanyahu’s presence
by Israel’s education minister.
The Saudis meanwhile have been
targeted by the Houthis, the Iran-
backed rebel movement in Yemen,
which has given a striking indication of
its advances in missile technology with
a precision attack on an oil distribution
plant in Jeddah. The missile, fired from
a distance of more than 400 miles, was
accurate enough to knock a hole in a
storage tank at a site run by Aramco,
the Saudi oil and gas company.
The rebels have fired a series of mis-
siles at Saudi Arabia, which is backing
the recognised government in Yemen’s
civil war, but none is known to have
been so accurate over a distance before.
They released a claim of responsibility
saying that the ground-launched mis-
sile was a new type, called the Quds-2.
The Quds-1 is known to be a variant
of an Iranian cruise missile, itself
developed from an old Soviet model.
“Unfortunately the facility was hit
yesterday by a projectile, by a hostile
attack,” said Abdullah al-Ghamdi,
manager of the Jeddah facility, on a tour
for journalists to show the damage. He
said that production had been restored
within three hours. He added: “As you
know Aramco has been a target of such
hostile attacks. It was a big fire, it was a
big explosion but it was controlled.”
UN mediators have been frustrated
in their attempts to engineer a sus-
tained ceasefire to the war in Yemen.
Hopes for a resolution in the conflict
now depend in part on the attitude of
the incoming Biden administration.
The president-elect, during his cam-
paign, promised to rejoin the Iran
nuclear accord abandoned by President
Trump, seek negotiations with Tehran,
and put more pressure on Saudi Arabia
to come to a resolution in Yemen.
additional troops to search for the man
but were unable to find him. He was
eventually caught by an army patrol the
next morning more than a mile inside
the border.
South Korea’s joint chiefs of staffs are
examining the route he took across the
DMZ, which is 2.5 miles wide and
mined along its 160-mile length. They
are investigating why sensors on the
fence did not sound and how troops lost
track of him.
South Korean interrogators are said
to have made the defector perform acro-
batic jumps to verify his claims and are
satisfied that he has gymnastic skills.
Since 1948 about 32,000 people have
made the journey from the North. Most
travel by land through China and south-
east Asia, often assisted by smugglers.
Few take the risky path across the DMZ.
42
World
Africa becomes
new focus for
Isis terrorism
Catherine Philp
Diplomatic Correspondent
Islamic State terrorism is surging in
Africa while in the western world the
threat from far-right extremists has
overtaken that from jihadists.
The 2020 Global Terrorism Index
found that despite a fall in the global
terrorism death toll for the fifth year
running, Africa was suffering a drama-
tic increase in jihadist violence linked to
Islamic State.
“The centre of gravity for Isis has now
shifted to sub-Saharan Africa,” said
Steve Killelea, founder of the Institute
of Economic and Peace which produces
the annual index. “Seven of the ten
countries with the largest increases in
terrorism all reside in sub-Saharan
Africa.”
Anders Breivik has
inspired many of
the recent far-right
terrorist attacks
Isis violence has surged in Mozam-
bique, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Congo
and Burkina Faso, the last of which
registered an almost sixfold increase in
deaths from terrorism. All are experi-
encing civil conflicts that Isis-linked
groups have exploited.
The Middle East and north Africa,
where Isis originated, recorded the
largest regional improvement for a
second consecutive year with the lowest
number of terrorist deaths since 2003.
Overall, Isis murdered fewer than 1,000
people last year, the first time since its
inception that its death toll has fallen
below that number. Deaths from terror-
ism fell 15 per cent from 2018-19 and
59 per cent between 2014 and last year.
In the West far-right terrorist attacks
Top brass must share blame Apple executive ‘tried to
for SAS war crimes, urges MP bribe sheriff with iPads’
Australia
Bernard Lagan Sydney
Military leaders “sanitised” and “stage-
managed” information from the battle-
field in Afghanistan, a senior Australian
MP who served there has said amid a
scandal over alleged war crimes.
Andrew Hastie, the chairman of par-
liament’s intelligence and security
committee who spent five years in the
SAS, including fighting in Afghanistan,
said he believed that “the very top” of
the military should be accountable for
any potential war crimes committed by
Australian special forces soldiers.
Both the chief of the Australian de-
fence force and the chief of the army
have said that they were unaware that
rogue platoon leaders and soldiers had
carried out dozens of alleged unlawful
killings in Afghanistan including
“blooding” junior SAS members by or-
dering them to shoot detained Afghans.
The report of an official inquiry into
atrocities published last week identified
39 suspected unlawful killings by Aus-
tralian special forces in Afghanistan.
The report, by Justice Paul Brereton,
increased 250 per cent between 2014
and last year, a trend that analysts warn
is likely to continue amid the economic
fallout from the pandemic.
Far-right attacks were still rare as
recently as 2010, when only one was
recorded in the whole of Europe, North
America and Australasia. Then came
the 2011 massacre at a Norwegian
summer camp by Anders Breivik. “It
was after that we started to see a big
increase in far-right attacks,” Mr
Killelea said. “A lot of them would see
him as a figure who inspired them.”
In the past four years there have been
about 50 far-right attacks a year. Last
year 89 of the 108 deaths from terrorism
in the West were caused by far-right
extremists, including the mosque
shootings in Christchurch, New Zea-
land, and the massacre at a Walmart
store in El Paso, Texas.
“When you’re looking at terrorism in
advanced economies, it’s driven by
disenfranchisement from society and
alienation from the system,” Mr
Killelea said. “Individuals doing it
would see deep flaws within society and
trying to right what they see as wrong
trends.”
Far-right terrorism is hard to prevent
as it often involves “lone wolf” actors
self-radicalised on the internet.
“We went back to 2002; 10 per cent
would see themselves as allied with a
group, the rest were self-radicalised
and self-motivated,” Mr Killelea said.
“That makes it very hard for a security
operation to get out in advance. If it’s an
organised group you can always have
someone penetrate the group.”
There is likely to be a steep fall in
attacks this year as a result of the
pandemic. That may not last, Mr Kille-
lea warned. “What we can see is that the
economic effects of lockdown are still to
be fully felt. Most of the western coun-
tries have protected their economies
and at some point that will stop.”
is expected to result in a number of
criminal prosecutions.
Mr Hastie, 38, who was deployed to
Afghanistan in 2013, after many of the
alleged unlawful killings occurred, said
that he had been aware of rumours of
wrongdoing before his deployment.
Yet senior military commanders had
been “very effective” at sanitising infor-
mation about the country’s troops in
Afghanistan through the use of “le-
gions” of public affairs officers, Mr Has-
tie wrote in The Australian newspaper.
“We stage-managed Australia’s con-
tribution to the Afghanistan war
through a carefully crafted information
operation. This approach stifled public-
interest reporting. Perhaps with greater
access for the Australian media, some
of the events alleged by the Brereton
report might never have happened,” he
wrote, adding that the UK and the US
took “a liberal approach, allowing re-
porters to see their soldiers at war”.
He said that he had witnessed a troub-
ling ethos come to dominate the special
forces: “The warrior ethos I sometimes
saw was about power, ego and self-adu-
lation. It worshipped war itself.”
High horse Michael Duffy and his 11-year-old gelding Jeff Ten Halven clearing a
jump with ease while practising for the Champions Tour in Vilamoura, Portugal
United States
James Dean US Business Editor
Apple’s security chief has been accused
of attempting to bribe a local police
department with free iPads to secure
gun licences for employees.
Thomas Moyer faces charges for
allegedly promising to supply 200 iPads
to the Santa Clara county sheriff’s
office in exchange for four concealed-
carry firearms permits.
Mr Moyer, 50, is head of global secur-
ity at Apple. The $1.9 trillion business
has its headquarters in Santa Clara.
Carrying a concealed gun is illegal
without a permit in California. Permits
are issued by county sheriffs’ offices,
which have a large say in whether or
not to award them.
The iPads that Mr Moyer allegedly
agreed to supply to the sheriff’s office
were worth $70,000, Jeff Rosen, the dis-
trict attorney, said. The donation “was
pulled back at the 11th hour when our
search warrants into this probe began”,
Mr Rosen said.
Ed Swanson, a lawyer for Mr Moyer,
said that his client was innocent and
2GM
JESSICA RODRIGUES/SWNS
that the charges were baseless. He said
that the iPad donation was “uncon-
nected to the permits” and that there
“was no bribe, no quid pro quo”.
Mr Swanson said: “This case is about
a long, bitter, and very public dispute
between the Santa Clara county sheriff
and the district attorney, and Tom is
collateral damage to that dispute.”
Mr Moyer has been with Apple since
January 2006, according to his Linkedin
profile. He was also an intelligence
specialist with the US navy for four
years. He became head of global
security at Apple in November 2018.
Apple said: “We expect all of our em-
ployees to conduct themselves with in-
tegrity. After learning of the allegations,
we conducted a thorough internal in-
vestigation and found no wrongdoing.”
The indictment of Mr Moyer follows
a two-year investigation by Mr Rosen
into allegations that employees of
Laurie Smith, sheriff of Santa Clara
county, used concealed-carry permits
as bargaining chips for bribes and
donations to her re-election campaign.
Ms Smith’s headquarters were raided
last year; she has not been charged.
Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
Populist leader quits
over Nazi messages
Netherlands The leader of the
Forum for Democracy (FvD), a
populist anti-immigrant party,
resigned after members of its
youth wing praised the Nazis in
online chat messages. Thierry
Baudet will remain an MP. The
messages, published in the
newspaper Het Parool, included
one that said “Jews have
international paedophile
networks” and others that praised
the SS and the Nazi’s economic
policies. Mr Baudet, 37, blamed
his resignation on a “trial by
media”. The FvD, which was
formed in 2016, won two seats in
parliament in 2017 and its support
surged in senate and European
elections last year. (AFP)
Leniency for officer
who shot migrant girl
Belgium Prosecutors have asked
for a one-year suspended
sentence for a police officer who
opened fire on a van carrying
migrants and killed a Kurdish
girl aged two. Victor-Manuel
Jacinto Goncalves, 48, charged
with involuntary homicide at a
court in Mons, protested that he
would not have shot at the
vehicle if he had known that
migrants were inside. (AFP)
Human rights alarm at
threat to rebel capital
Ethiopia Human rights groups
have raised alarm at an expected
attack on the capital of the
rebelling Tigray region after Abiy
Ahmed, the prime minister,
issued a 72-hour ultimatum for its
leaders to surrender expired. His
forces have warned residents of
Mekele that there will be no
mercy if they do not flee the city,
a move that the UN said could
violate international law. (AP)
Russian warship issues
threat to US destroyer
Russia The defence ministry said
that one of its warships
threatened to ram a US destroyer
that had entered waters claimed
by Russia. It said that the Admiral
Vinogradov, an anti-submarine
destroyer, sent a warning to the
USS John S McCain in Peter the
Great gulf in the far east before
the American ship returned to
neutral territory. Such incidents
at sea are uncommon. (AFP)
Female terror suspect
stabs woman in neck
Switzerland A female suspected
terrorist grabbed a woman and
stabbed another in the neck in a
department store in Lugano, a
southern city, federal prosecutors
said. Police claimed that the
suspect, a 28-year-old woman
who lived in the Ticino region,
had been arrested. One victim
suffered serious but not life-
threatening injuries while the
other was hurt lightly. (Reuters)
Deer armed with stolen
rifle hunted by police
Czech Republic Police appealed
for help after a deer that was
frightened by a dog ran towards a
hunting party and fled with a rifle
caught on its antlers. It was later
seen about half a mile away with
the unloaded .22 Hornet dangling
by its strap. Police said that the
rifle was slung on a hunter’s
shoulder when the deer snagged
it, and that anyone who found it
should contact them. (Reuters)
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 43

World

Dalí revealed as ‘father to adopted village boy’

Spain
Isambard Wilkinson Madrid
Salvador Dalí and his wife “adopted” a
young boy in Spain whom they looked
after for years, treating him as a son, a
new book has revealed.
The existence of the couple’s links
with a village boy has surprised Dalí
experts, who said it humanised and
showed an unexpectedly affectionate
side to the Catalan artist, believed to be
emotionally frigid, and his wife, Gala,
who professed to dislike children.
El Niño Secreto de los Dalí, or The
Dalís’ Secret Child, describes how the
painter and his wife first met Joan Figu-
eras in 1948, having returned to Spain
after living in the United States for ten
years.
Figueras’s father took him to Dalí
when he was five years old because the
artist was looking for a model for an in-
fant Jesus while staying in the coastal
village of Port Lligat.
The painting, the Madonna of Port
Lligat, which featured the boy and was
finished in about 1950, marked the start
of a relationship that was most intense
during Figueras’s boyhood. He lived
with the Dalís during their months-
long summer sojourns in the village,
sleeping in their bed and eating with
them. The author has pointed out that
there was no evidence of any abuse.
However, according to José Ángel
Montañés, the author, although the
Dalís were among the most publicity-
hungry figures in the history of art, the
story of the relationship was forgotten
because it was hidden in plain sight.
“Everyone knew about Figueras, but
the relationship had never transcended
the local scene, even though his pres-
ence was evident in more than a hun-
dred photos,” he said. “Nobody had
Joan Figueras was
five when his
father took him to
Dalí to be a model
thought to complete the
puzzle because it had not
attracted attention.”
Five years of research in
which Mr Montañés inter-
viewed local people, including
Mercè Cabanes, the wife of Fi-
gueras, who died in 1999, un-
earthed the story of how a
“nice, naughty, handsome and
lively boy” won over the
couple. Dalí indulged him
with play sword-fighting and
football on the beach. Gala
played cards with him
while Dalí painted. All three sailed,
swam and sunbathed in the hidden
coves of the artist’s beloved Cap de
Creus.
The couple also took the boy on visits
to the zoo and cinema in Barcelona,
where they stayed at the Ritz and intro-
duced him as their godson. Figueras’s
father, a fisherman and decorator,
was an old friend of Dalí’s dating
back to the artist’s family holidays in
the area during his childhood. For
Figueras’s family, the relationship
was an opportunity for their son
to be taken care of and
helped with his educa-
tion. “While in the vil-
lage they ate sardines, at
the Dalí house they ate
lobster,” Mr Montañés
said.
However, according
to the book, the parents
did not allow the Dalís to take their child
to be educated in the United States and
the mother “had certain misgivings
about Gala”. Dalí’s wife had abandoned
her only child, Cécile, the product of her
marriage to the French poet Paul Élu-
ard, whom she left for Dalí.
The relationship continued after Fi-
gueras grew up and married, but ended
in 1982, when Gala died and Dalí never
returned to Port Lligat. “There are still
many details we do not know about Dalí
and Gala, but discovering their relation-
ship with Joan Figueras will help us to
appreciate the human tenderness that is
sometimes denied to them,” Ian Gibson,
a Dalí biographer, told The Times.
In 2017 a DNA test disproved a Span-
ish woman’s claim that Dalí was her
father. Gala and the artist staged orgies,
but accounts suggest that Dalí, who
may have been homosexual and impo-
tent, merely took part as a voyeur.

MICHAEL BUNEL/LE PICTORIUM AGENCYZUMA/REX; CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/EPA

Police lambasted for

brutal camp clearance

P
resident Macron’s
government has
been put on the
defensive after
police used brutal
methods to clear about
500 homeless migrants
who had erected tents to
sleep on a square in
central Paris (Charles
Bremner writes).
Gérald Darmanin, the
interior minister,
demanded an urgent
explanation from Didier
Lallement, the Paris
police commander, over
the violent handling of
the mainly Afghan male
refugees on the Place de
la République. Officers
used tear gas, beat the
migrants with
truncheons and pulled
them from tents that
had been set up with the
help of charities.
“Some of the images
of the dispersal of the
illegal migrant camp at
Place de la République
are shocking,” Mr Police kicked migrants and beat them with truncheons to clear the camp on Place de la République, which had been set up with the help of charities
Darmanin tweeted. He
promised action against expelled from makeshift Marlène Schiappa, in came on the day that broadcast any image of cover demonstrations.
the police as soon as he camps near the Stade de charge of citizenship, parliament was due to police officers on duty if He has insisted the
received the report. The France on the northern and Emmanuelle approve a new security there is an intention to media would not be
minister’s criticism was edge of Paris last week Wargon, the housing law that is seen by the “harm” them. affected and were free to
a break from his usual but had been offered no minister — called on the media and left-wing Mr Darmanin has said cover protests.
endorsement of the alternative. authorities to provide opposition as an attempt the law means the media Police unions had
police and hardline talk In response to the accommodation for the to limit freedom of the must blur the faces of demanded the law after
on law and order. violent scenes, two migrants immediately. press. The law in effect officers in action and officers were identified
The migrants had been cabinet ministers — The police violence makes it illegal to apply for permission to and threatened online.

Driverless trains halted by absent staff Europe can only prosper

Italy
Tom Kington Rome
A tube line in Rome that boasts a fleet
of driverless trains has ground to a halt
due to staff shortages, the latest crisis to
hit the city’s hapless transport system.
Rome’s C line, which opened in 2014
with automatic trains to reduce the
need for heavily unionised drivers, was
shut down for hours on Monday after six
station masters called in sick.
Thousands of commuters were forced
to cram on to buses, prompting an out-
cry about Covid-19 contagion risks.
Unions are preparing for pay talks
with management, which led to an
internal investigation into whether the
shutdown was a tactic to apply pressure
on their employers.
“This is a slap in the face to the city
and to Romans trying responsibly to
get to work,” Pietro Calabrese, the city’s
transport chief, said.
Local opposition politicians blamed
Virginia Raggi, the city’s Five Star party
mayor, for the chaos, claiming that
Rome’s transport network was “out of
control”.
Ms Raggi was elected with the
support of the city’s unions in 2016 and
has since done little to curb rampant
absenteeism among transport staff and
rubbish collectors.
About 1,400 bus and train workers
are off work every day in Rome, 12.5 per
cent of the total, compared with 8 per
cent of transport workers in Milan.
“Romans have been abandoned by an
incompetent administration,” Carlo
Calenda, a centre-left politician who
aims to unseat Ms Raggi next year, said.
Shoddy maintenance has been
blamed for the regular fires that break
out on Rome’s buses — 26 so far this
year — sending passengers fleeing.
The most dramatic incident occurred
in the early hours of Saturday morning
when an out-of-service bus burst into
flames in the Aurelio neighbourhood.
As the driver leapt to safety the heat
melted the brakes, sending the bus
rolling down a shopping street, torching
six parked cars and four mopeds as it
passed, causing a shop front to disinte-
grate in the heat and the windows of
ground-floor apartments to explode.
Startled residents in their night-
clothes evacuated their homes, many
mistaking the loud explosions emanat-
ing from the flaming wreck for a terror-
ist attack.
The bus, which was purchased seven
years ago, eventually careered into a
line of dustbins, setting them on fire as
it slowed to a halt.
if it splits in two, says PM
European Union
Bruno Waterfield Brussels
The Portuguese prime minister has
called for a smaller European Union of
“values” with other countries frozen out
of future integration because they do
not accept debt transfers, migrant
quotas or demands over the rule of law.
António Costa has suggested that his
vision of “variable geometries” was
needed because of a “real dichotomy” in
Europe based on a cultural divide rather
than traditional geographical divisions.
He will push the idea next spring,
with the support of France, at a special
summit of European leaders in Lisbon.
His comments highlight the EU’s
most divisive political debates over inte-
gration and by implication would ex-
clude groupings of countries defined by
their hostility to debt sharing, migration
or “rule of law” constitutional rulings.
Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands
and Finland, known as the frugal four,
remain strongly opposed to the idea of
fiscal transfer to help highly indebted
countries, such Portugal, Spain or Italy.
Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic
and Slovakia would be excluded
because they did not bring in refugee
quotas during the 2015 migration crisis.
The Polish, Hungarian and Slovenian
governments oppose a “rule of law”
mechanism that would cut EU funding
to countries that are criticised by
Brussels for constitutional issues such
as judicial independence or gay rights.
44
World
Scientists stumble across
‘space oddity’ in Utah desert
United States
Will Pavia New York
Scientists looking for wildlife as they
flew over Utah spotted something
glittering from the canyon below. As
the pilot turned the helicopter
around, they saw a strange and un-
natural form rising from the ground.
The scientists were counting big-
horn sheep, but their mission
soon began to resemble mble
the Arthur C Clarke ke
story The Sentinel, in n
which a lunar explor-
er spots “a metallic
glitter high on the
ridge of a great
promontory”. Bret
Hutchings, a pilot
for the Utah Depart-
ment of Public Safety, y,
said the biologist who
Whoa,
spotted it “was like: ‘Whoa,
turn around! There’s this thing
back there, we’ve got to go look at it’”
it’.”
Mr Hutchings landed the helicop-
ter and one scientist shot videos as
the men descended into a bowl-
shaped rock formation, at the base of
which stood a triangular, silver
monolith. “OK, the intrepid explorers
go down to investigate the alien life
form,” the cameraman said.
It was about 3.5m (12ft) high and re-
sembled the monolith in 2001: A Space
Odyssey, the Stanley Kubrick film
that Clarke’s story inspired. One man
climbed on another’s shoulders to see
if there was any writing on the top.
“We were thinking is this some-
thing Nasa stuck up there?”
Mr HuHutchings said. “Are
they b bouncing satellites
off it or something?”
In Clarke’s story the
ob
object is one of
m
many beacons that
a ancient civilisa-
an
ti
tion “scattered
th
throughout the Uni-
ver watching over
verse,
t worlds with the
all the
promi of life”.
promise
U
The Utah Department
of Public Safety, which
released the video
videos, said it was illegal
to install structures or art without
authorisation on federal public lands,
“no matter what planet you’re from”.
Another state bureau will decide if
further investigation is needed.
Defying gravity A voluminous dress stole the show at the Harmony IV fashion show in Hong Kong, which is curated by refugees
Hindu nationalists rage over
‘love jihad’ kiss in BBC series
India
Hugh Tomlinson Delhi
An onscreen kiss has incurred the
wrath of Hindu nationalists with
some calling for a boycott of Netflix
because a television series had
insulted their religious beliefs.
A Suitable Boy, the lavish BBC
adaptation of Vikram Seth’s novel, set
in early-1950s India, has aroused
much interest in its homeland since
its release last month.
Directed by Mira Nair and written
by Andrew Davies, featuring an all-
Indian cast, scenes have been pored
over by a critical audience in the
nation of 1.4 billion people.
For some members of the Bharati-
ya Janata Party (BJP), the debate
about the costumes, acting talent and
beauty of the show has overlooked
the kiss between Lata and Kabir, the
Hindu heroine and her Muslim suit-
or, in the shadows of a Hindu temple.
Police in the central state of Mad-
hya Pradesh have started a criminal
investigation against Netflix execu-
tives after BJP members claimed the
kiss promoted “love jihad”, an alleged
plot by Muslim men to convert
£700m drug haul was lavatory cleaner
Thailand
Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Editor
The Thai government has admitted
that 11.5 tonnes of chemicals seized by
anti-narcotics police are not drugs
worth more than £700 million but a
harmless stain remover.
Somsak Thepsuthin, the justice
minister, admitted that rather than
29 billion baht (£715 million) worth of
ketamine, the Narcotics Control
Board had seized 475 sacks of trisodi-
um phosphate, a legal chemical used
as a food additive and cleaning agent.
The mistake occurred after the sei-
zure of the bags from a warehouse in
1G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
Hindu women to Islam through mar-
riage. In northern Uttar Pradesh, the
BJP state government has issued
draft legislation that would impose
five-year jail terms on men who use
marriage to convert women to
another faith. Yogi Adityanath, a
Hindu cleric and BJP chief minister
for the state, appeared to threaten
that men plotting love jihad should
“prepare for their final journey”.
The draft law makes no mention of
any particular faith but BJP oppo-
nents have denounced it as the latest
nationalist attack against India’s 200
ms. Mr Adit
million Muslims. Adit-
yanath was previously
ttempted
charged with attempted
murder and has urged
supporters to kill Mus-
lims.
“Love jihad [is] an
exhaustingly big-
oted term. The
ntol-
hatred and intol-
erance has creptrept
so deeply that theyy
Danesh Razvi andnd
Tanya Maniktala a
oy
in A Suitable Boy
Chachoengsao province in central
Thailand. “This discovery is only the
beginning,” Mr Somsak said at a tri-
umphant press conference. “There
will be further investigations to seize
ill-gotten gains connected to drug
smuggling.”
The chemical turned a testing solu-
tion purple, as does ketamine, but fur-
ther investigation revealed that the
same effect is caused by trisodium
phosphate, which is used in lavatory
cleaners and as an acidity regulator in
food. Only 66 of the 475 sacks have
been checked and testing continues
in case the legal chemical is being
used to hide the illicit one. The
ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
are now brazenly planning laws
against consensual interfaith mar-
riages,” TS Singh Deo, a leader with
the opposition Congress party, tweet-
ed.
A Suitable Boy is set in the after-
math of Indian independence in 1947.
Religious tensions that have dogged
India ever since provide a backdrop
to the drama.
Last year Ms Nair, a critic of the
BJP, said that the novel showed the
friendships that survived in mixed
communities through Partition but
were being repressed in the polarised
The politics between
India of today. “The b
Hindus and Muslims in the b book are
so nuanced and prophetic,” sshe said.
“This beautiful coexistence that we
used to have, of frien friendships,
Hindu and Muslim families
that have gr grown up
together anda suf-
fered to
together.
Those frie
friendships
are what I was
raised around,
but that India is
being de-
stroyed
stroyed, sys-
temati
tematically.”
authorities appear to recognise, how-
ever, that they have made an embar-
rassing error.
“I accept the fact it might have been
premature to hold a press conference
to announce the seizure,” Mr Somsak
said. “But in this case, the Office of
the Narcotics Control Board had
been informed of the seizure of keta-
mine in Taiwan, investigated and
found an undeniable link to it. It
would have been a mistake if I did not
make it public.”
Ketamine is used medically as an
anaesthetic and to treat depression.
Recreationally, it induces hallucina-
tions and a state of depersonalisation.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1GM 45

Business
world markets (Change on the day) commodities currencies
FTSE 100 Dow Jones Gold Brent crude (6pm) £/$ £/€
6,432.17 (+98.33) 30,046.24 (+454.97) $1,803.98 (-34.02) $ $47.81 (+1.88) $ $1.3353 (+0.0053) $ €1.1242 (-0.0006) ¤
6,500 32,000 2,200 50 1.350 1.150

6,000 30,000 2,000 45 1.300 1.125

5,500 28,000 1,800 40 1.250 1.100

5,000 26,000 1,600 35 1.200 1.075

Oct 27 Nov 4 12 20 Oct 27 Nov 4 12 20 Oct 27 Nov 4 12 20 Oct 27 Nov 4 12 20 Oct 27 Nov 4 12 20 Oct 27 Nov 4 12 20

Pressure grows on booming retailers to return taxpayers’ Covid aid

Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor
Retailers that paid out dividends after a
boost in sales during lockdown are
under growing pressure to hand back
millions of pounds of taxpayer support
after the boss of AO World said that
executives “should go and ask their
mum if she would be proud”.
John Roberts, 47, said that the online
electricals retailer had returned busi-
ness rates relief and furlough cash after
sales and profits had boomed during
the pandemic.
Supermarkets will enjoy a £1.9 billion
tax discount this year after the govern-
ment announced a business rates holi-
day. It was intended to help shops that
have been battered by lockdowns, but it
also benefited supermarkets whose
sales rose as they remained open.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and B&M, the dis-
count chain, have paid out dividends
worth hundreds of millions on the back
of strong sales. Simon Roberts, 49,
Sainsbury’s chief executive, said the
business rates discount had covered the
costs of keeping shops Covid-secure
and that the tax was unfair anyway
because it disproportionately hit
bricks-and-mortar businesses over
online rivals.
However, the AO World boss said
that the fairness of business rates was a
separate issue. “We could hold views on
the 2 per cent digital tax and whether
that’s fair or not, but it’s not just about
what the legislation says, it’s also about
the court of public opinion,” he said.
“I think they should ask their mums
if they would be proud of that. I think if
they had not paid a dividend then
everyone wouldn’t be so upset about it.”
Peter Pritchard, 50, chief executive of
Pets at Home, defended paying a
£12.5 million interim dividend to share-
holders while receiving £15 million of
business rates relief. He said that unlike
the supermarkets, which could sell
clothes while high street fashion chains
were shut, Pets at Home had a level
playing field because all pet stores had
been able to operate during lockdown.
He said that he was “incredibly
proud” of how the business had operat-
ed during the crisis and emphasised
that it had not increased the dividend
but had maintained the payout, which
was “important to pension funds”.
AO World, Pets at Home, pages 50-51

Biden boost pushes Dow Car industry

‘faces £55bn
loss’ under
past 30,000 for first time no-deal exit
Robert Lea Industrial Editor
A no-deal departure from the European
Hopes for smooth transition and Covid vaccine buoy markets Union will cost the British car industry
£55 billion over the next five years, the
Robert Miller automotive sector has warned.
Landmark moments Mike Hawes, chief executive of the
The Dow Jones industrial average Society of Motor Manufacturers and
broke through the 30,000-point barrier Traders, said in his annual address to
for the first time last night as investors the trade body that Brexit uncertainty
bet on a swift economic recovery next along with the Covid-19 crisis and the
year. government’s accelerated ban on sales
Their optimism was boosted by of petrol and diesel cars have delivered
progress on coronavirus vaccines and a “triple whammy” for the industry.
the formal go-ahead for Joe Biden’s Mr Hawes called for ministers to stop
transition to the White House in Nov 2020 scapegoating the industry over emis-
January. Dow breaks sions and instead create a partnership
Investors welcomed President through 30,000 to hit the government’s accelerated
Trump’s decision to allow the handover for the first time carbon targets.
to begin after weeks of delay, propelling He said that 2020 was “not the year
the Dow up 454.97 points, or 1.5 per Dow Jones Feb 2020 30,000 anyone wanted: a triple whammy of
Sep 2008 Concerns over
cent, to 30,046.24, giving it a gain of Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy Covid, Brexit and an end-of-sale date
Oct 1929 Covid-19 knock 25,000
5.3 per cent over the year. Wall Street as global financial crisis mounts brought forward a decade”, identifying
equities worldwide
Reports that Mr Biden was expected crash signals March 1933
the government’s plan to ban the sale of
to nominate Janet Yellen, the former Oct 1987 20,000 cars and vans with internal combustion
the onset of Dow enjoys its Black Monday triggers a 22.6 per
head of the Federal Reserve and an the Great best day — engines by 2030 that was announced
expert in labour economics, as his cent fall, its largest daily drop last week.
Depression jumping 15.3 per 15,000
Treasury secretary also boosted cent — after In a hard-hitting message delivered
sentiment. The more broadly based Nov 1972 to members of the trade body and to
Congress 10,000
ce: Refinitiv

S&P 500 share index rose 1.6 per cent to Dow breaches 1,000 for the first Alok Sharma, the business secretary,
moves to time after the re-election of
3,635.41, also a new record. It is 12.5 per stabilise the US who joined him on a remote videolink,
cent higher this year. President Nixon 5,000 Mr Hawes said that the SMMT’s latest
Source:

banking system
Sourc

Mr Trump hailed the Dow’s mile-
stone as “the ninth record since the
beginning of 2020 and the 48th time
that we’ve broken records during the
Trump administration”.
Mike Zigmont, head of trading and
research at Harvest Volatility Man-
agement, a money manager in New
York with $3.5 billion of assets, said:
“Investors are getting optimistic about
the coming six months. There has
been a lot of positive vaccine news
recently and with the announcement
that the transition of the Biden
administration is kicking off, it just
makes a lot of uncertainties of the
future disappear.”
However, James McDonald, chief
executive of Hercules Investments,
sounded a note of caution. “We
1930 1940
wouldn’t be putting new money to work
in stocks with the Dow at 30,000
because of rising Covid-19 cases . . . and
the likelihood of insufficient fiscal stim-
ulus from Congress. We are positioning
for a 20 per cent stock market pullback
between now and the 2021 presidential
inauguration,” he said.
Sharing the stock market limelight
with America’s oldest index was Elon
Musk. The Tesla chief overtook Bill
Gates, 65, the Microsoft founder, to
become the world’s second richest man
after shares in the electric carmaker
rose 6.4 per cent to $555.38, making it
worth $526.5 billion. Investors rushed
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
to buy Tesla in the run-up to it joining
the S&P 500 on December 21.
Mr Musk, 49, has a fortune of more
than $128 billion based on his 20 per
cent stake in Tesla, which has risen by
almost 680 per cent in the past 12
months. Mr Gates’ fortune is reported
to be $127.7 billion.
Last week Mr Musk became the third
richest man after he overtook Mark
Zuckerberg, 36, Facebook’s founder. He
remains some distance behind Jeff
Bezos, 56, the co-founder of Amazon,
who is worth $182 billion, according to
the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Mr Gates might have maintained his
0 a crash out of EU trading arrangements
2000 2010 2020
place in the wealth rankings if he had
not given more than $50 billion to help
to fight diseases and tackle poverty,
mainly through the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, which also has
backed the development of Covid-19
vaccines.
Mr Musk could become even
wealthier if the Tesla share price
continues to rise, putting him in line for
a bonus deal that could pay him a
record $55.8 billion. To trigger the
maximum payout, the billionaire has to
build Tesla into a $650 billion company
by 2028.
Yellen the history-maker, page 55
estimates put the loss of business from
at two million vehicles produced until
2025. He said that would cost the
British manufacturing industry £55 bil-
lion, or £27,500 per vehicle.
Britain’s car factories, led by Jaguar
Land Rover, Nissan, Mini and Toyota,
expect to produce only 885,000
vehicles this year because of Covid-19
shutdowns and a collapse in demand.
There is also a fear that Nissan and
Toyota’s UK plants could fall foul of
new trading arrangements.
Mr Hawes said that ministers had to
understand the impact of Covid restric-
tions on motor dealers. “Many show-
rooms across the country are back in
lockdown, choking factories of orders
and costing millions,” he said.
46 1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

Business

Need to know
1
Tough new restrictions on pubs
when lockdown ends will cause
landlords to lose 180 million
Can Sunak Season of
little cheer

pints in beer sales over Christmas,

losing an average of £50,000 each,
the British Beer and Pub
Association said. The industry
body reacted furiously to the
tighter rules, which come into
bring hope
force from December 3, describing
them as a “betrayal”. Page 2

2
The Dow Jones industrial
average broke through the
30,000 points level for the
of recovery
first time last night as investors bet
on recovery next year after
progress on coronavirus vaccines
and the go-ahead for Joe Biden’s
move to the White House in
January. Page 45
in new year?
The chancellor faces a tions. A £16.5 billion three-year in-

3
Retailers that paid dividends
after a boost in sales during
lockdown are under pressure
to hand back millions in taxpayer
support after John Roberts, boss of
AO World, said that executives
“should go and ask their mum if
she would be proud”. Page 45
crease in defence spending has been
historic challenge announced, much of it likely to go on
cyberintelligence, technology and the
when he unveils his Royal Navy.
An extra £3 billion has been commit-
spending review today, ted to the NHS for the coming year. Of
that, £1 billion is to address non-Covid
writes Philip Aldrick backlogs and £500 million for mental
health. The funds are on top of the

4
A no-deal departure from the
European Union would cost
the car industry £55 billion
over the next five years, the
Society of Motor Manufacturers
and Traders said. The coming ban
on sales of petrol and diesel cars
was a “triple whammy” on top of
Covid-19 and Brexit uncertainty, it
said. Page 45
Had everything gone to plan this year,
Rishi Sunak would have been unveiling
his big economic plan in his keynote
budget. Instead, faced with an ever-
changing health crisis, he had to scrap
it. Then he had to abandon plans for a
three-year comprehensive spending
review. All that’s left is a slimmed-
down, one-year spending plan to see
him through to March.
What has not changed, however, is
£20.5 billion real-terms increase in
NHS spending made last December.
The government has said that its
existing priorities will receive more
funding. They include hiring 50,000
nurses and recruiting 20,000 police
officers by 2023. The Treasury will con-
firm that £3.7 billion is to be released for
investment in 40 hospitals.
Spending on schools will rise by
£2.2 billion this year to £50 billion as

5
Bitcoin came within touching
distance of a record high as it
broke through the $19,000
mark for the first time since 2017.
The digital currency was standing
at $19,420, up by 6 per cent for the
day, having climbed as high as
$19,429.02. Its all-time high, set in
December 2017, was $19,666.
the obligation of the Office for Budget
Responsibility to produce a five-year
forecast, and the government’s fiscal
watchdog will now have a pretty good
idea of how bad this year has been.
“We know what we’re going to get,”
Torsten Bell, director of the Resolution
Foundation, said. “GDP will be down
10 or 11 per cent, the worst in 300 years.”
Borrowing was already forecast to be
part of plans to rebuild 50 schools a year
for the next decade. Further education
is getting £1.5 billion. A further £4 bil-
lion has been earmarked for 18,000
additional prison places over the next
four years. Much of the investment in
infrastructure will come from the
£640 billion investment commitment
over the parliament made in the March
budget. It will not be new money, but

6
The housing market boom
sparked by the end of
lockdown in the spring did
not let up last month. But experts
warned there were signs it was
slowing down. HM Revenue &
Customs recorded 105,630
transactions in October. Page 48
7
AO World is back in the black,
with its boss saying it had a
“half-year like no other”. The
£372 billion this year. It may now be a
little higher as the furlough extension
offsets better growth than expected.
what’s the damage?
The bigger question will be the long-
term damage, which the OBR estimat-
ed in July at 3 per cent of permanently
lost GDP relative to pre-pandemic
forecasts. The Bank of England was
more optimistic in November, forecast-
ing a 1.75 per cent shortfall. Mr Bell said
allocation of existing spending plans.
The bill for the prime minister’s ten-
point plan for the environment will
come out of that pot as well. He has
promised £12 billion for offshore wind,
hydrogen fuel, carbon capture, green
energy, home insulation, electric car
Complicated figures, too much
charge points and tree planting.
As part of the levelling-up agenda, a jargon . . . and too little trust
national infrastructure strategy will be
published alongside the spending Behind the story gap in people’s understanding of
review to map out long-term plans for economic concepts and economic

online white goods seller reported
a pre-tax profit of £18.3 million for
the six months to September 30,
against a loss of £5.9 million last
year. Page 50
that much of that would be explained
by the collapse in business investment,
leaving the capital stock of the country
permanently depleted.
That shortfall will determine the size
of the hole in the public finances that
transport, broadband, housing and
energy. A new National Infrastructure
Bank, based in the north of England,
will be created to leverage up public
money with private investment. There
will be a three-year £2.9 billion “restart”
O
n a day when we are set statistics. Many feel economics is
to be bombarded by a confusing and complicated and
welter of figures and regret they are unable to
statistics, trust in understand it. The lessons are
economics is low among the public stark . . . We need to communicate
because there is too much jargon economic issues better to the

8
A boom in the number of
people buying puppies during
lockdown has led to a surge in
sales and profits at Pets at Home.
The retailer had a 5.1 per cent
increase in sales to £574.4 million
for the 28 weeks to October 8,
while pre-tax profits rose 14.6 per
cent to £38.9 million. Page 50
one day will need to be filled. Andrew
Goodwin, UK economist at Oxford
Economics, reckons annual borrowing
will still be about £100 billion at the end
of the parliament. He said the OBR
forecast would show that about £50 bil-
lion of tax rises would be needed for the
government simply to balance day-to-
day spending, excluding investment.
The OBR is likely to base its forecasts
scheme to help one million unem-
ployed people to find a job.
what’s expected
About four million public sector work-
ers are expected to be told that their
wages will be frozen for a year. The
chancellor has said the pay restraint is
justified by “reasons of fairness” as
private sector pay has lagged behind
and the data is inaccessible, a
landmark survey has found (Philip
Aldrick writes).
More than half of Britons are
unable to define GDP and a large
proportion do not understand what
the budget deficit is, even though
they recognise the term. Many are
unaware that the data is collected
independently and suspect that it
public.”
Only 47 per cent of the public
could identify GDP from a list of
definitions and while 67 per cent of
people recognised that the
government had a budget deficit,
only 40 per cent knew that meant
spending was higher than taxes.
Understanding of interest rates
was good, but economic concepts

9
The chairman of Countrywide
has resigned after failing to
win shareholder support for a
deal that would have handed
control to a private equity firm.
Peter Long, 68, has left Britain’s
biggest estate agency group with
immediate effect. Page 52
on a central scenario, with upside and
downside ones also presented to reflect
the uncertainty. With one month to go
before the Brexit transition ends and
the government stating that it will be
happy with an Australian-style deal,
effectively no deal at all, if it does not
secure a Canada-style one, the OBR
may also lay out a worst-case Brexit
the public sector this year. That could
save up to £4 billion. The aid budget
may be cut, from 0.7 per cent of GDP to
0.5 per cent, saving another £4 billion.
There probably will be more money to
spend on vaccinations and testing.
what won’t happen
The chancellor may use his spending
is “used to promote a particular
view”.
People are particularly cynical
about jobs numbers, according to
the Economic Statistics Centre of
Excellence and the National
Institute of Economic and Social
Research. The public sometimes
believed that the statistics were
such as inflation and the deficit
were confusing. People were put off
by “unnecessary economic jargon”,
which created “disillusionment
about people’s ability to influence
economic outcomes . . . and distrust
in economic statistics”.
Trust is also hurt by the fact that
official figures are presented and

10 Dominic Blakemore, the

boss of Compass, pledged
that the giant catering
group would emerge from the
Covid-19 pandemic “stronger than
we’ve ever been” as it returned to
profitability in its latest quarter.
The company has laid off 7,000
British employees. Page 53
scenario for the first time. This week
Andrew Bailey, the Bank of England
governor, said that the long-term con-
sequences of Brexit could be worse
than Covid-19.
what’s already announced
Technically, the Treasury is running a
single-year spending review for depart-
ments, but it has already made excep-
review to warn that tough decisions on
taxes have to be made, but he won’t
make them today. Tax decisions will be
left until the March budget, or later.
The legal fiscal rules against which the
OBR will measure the chancellor are
now remarkably out of date. They are
not even his predecessor Sajid Javid’s
rules, but Philip Hammond’s. Mr Sunak
will not announce his new ones yet.
“ ‘massaged’ and ‘fudged’ by the
government”. Most official
economic data, including jobs, is
collected by the independent
Office for National Statistics in
line with international standards.
Johnny Runge, the research
associate and lead author, said:
“Our research reveals a significant
discussed by politicians, the report
said. As a result, people “saw the
government as the source of the
data”. They also believe that
unemployment and inflation are
higher than the data shows.
Researchers surveyed a
nationally representative sample of
1,665 adults.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1GM 47

Business
GDP Jobs
At the height of lockdown, the economy shrank
22 per cent, erasing 17 years of growth. The recovery
has been swift, but GDP remains 8.2 per cent below
As many as one million people have lost their jobs.
If forecasts are correct, the UK will avoid mass
unemployment and joblessness will peak below
Countrywide is no
its pre-pandemic peak
GDP level
UK, monthly index
UK 105
GDP growth (%)
BoE forecast
8 per cent seen after the 2008 crisis
Unemployment rate
Aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted 10%
bookies’ favourite
100 7.25
6 25
6.25 8
95 business commentary Alistair Osborne
1.3 1.3 1.75 6
90

T
wo former bookies fighting Failing that, there’s DIY. But is a
4
85 over a knackered estate cash-call plus disposals realistic?
agency group. What sort The housing market’s fizzing. But
MPC forecast,, Nov 80 2
of long shot was that? the board is still a mess. Stand-in
OBR forecast, Aug -11 Well, less of one now that chairman David Watson has been a
75 0
2010 14 18 2022 2018 20 22 2010 12 14 16 18 20 22 2024 Countrywide chairman Peter Long non-exec since September 2013,
has fallen through the floorboards: when the shares were around £140,
out in a huff after losing the support so lacks credibility. Ditto the senior
Borrowing Public spending of the board and the shareholders management. And Mr Bowcock was
Borrowing will hit a peacetime record this year. The Keeping the size of the state below 40 per cent of GDP (report, page 52). jocked off his horse at William Hill.
furlough extension is likely to mean the OBR slightly has been totemic for Tory governments. The pandemic Instead of Mr Long and his wacko He’ll need fresh riding skills to
increases its borrowing forecast this year from will drive spending above 50 per cent, the highest since plan to keep the roof on, in rides ex- negotiate the Countrywide course.
£372 billion £bn the Second World War William Hill chief Philip Bowcock,
as flagged here last week. But the
Public borrowing 400 As a share of GDP
Forecast 52%
55%
new “interim chief executive” still Pet profits
Treasury analysis of 50 has the same trifecta of options:
300

N
independent forecasts cutting a fresh deal with Alchemy, o wonder the country’s skint.
45 fronted by ex-Gala Coral boss Carl Rishi Sunak can’t stop giving
200 Leaver; selling out to Connells for money away. Look at the
40
cash; or some sort of DIY job, latest recipients: hamsters, rabbits
100 35 requiring investors to stump up and goldfish. Or at least the
fresh cash on top of the £140 million company offering them temporary
0 30 Mr Long tapped them for in August accommodation en route to market:
2018 at £5 per share. Pets at Home (report, pages 50-51).
19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20
20

20

20

20

20

20

20

50

60

70

80

90

00

10

20
00

04

08

12

16

20

24

Each brings heavy going, what It’s the latest winner from the
-6

-7

-8

-9

-0

-1

-2
-0

-0

-0

-1

-1

-2

-2

1
1

with the top four shareholders — business rates bonanza: £15 million
Retail spending House prices Hosking Partners with 21 per cent, through the front door via taxpayer-
Sources: ONS, BoE, OBR, Pantheon Macroeconomics, Nov MPR

Oaktree (18.3 per cent), Catalist funded relief and £12.5 million out
The recovery in retail sales points to the resilience of House prices have surged this year thanks to the cut in
(10.5 per cent) and Brandes (8.8 per the back as the half-year dividend.
households, whose purchasing power has been protected interest rates and the stamp duty holiday. The strong
cent) — arguing over what they As an “essential” retailer, its 452
by furlough and savings during the first lockdown. It is a market also hints at an underlying economic strength
reason for optimism behind the disastrous GDP data
want. And the race is against the stores have been open throughout.
clock because Cross Ocean, the And, thanks to lockdown, there’s
Retail sales Average house price, UK £000s holder of most of Countrywide’s been a boom in pets at home, with
15% Volume sales, seasonally 260 £90 million net debts, is cross people preferring the company of
10
adjusted, Great Britain 120 enough to want £50 million of it their new gerbil to their family.
240 back by September. Yes, that seems The upshot? Sales up 5.1 per cent
5 miles away. But try issuing results to £574 million, pre-tax profits up
220
0 100 without being able to sign off as a 14.6 per cent to £38.9 million and
200 “going concern”. free cashflow up 143 per cent to
-5
Indeed, the only thing officially £60.5 million. Yes, profits were
180
-10
Growth rate (left hand scale)
80 dead is Alchemy’s initial stab at flattered a bit by one-offs. But does
-15 160 taking control of a group today Pets really need taxpayer help?
Index (right hand scale) trading at 222¾p — on shares down Well, it says £25 million of extra
-20 60 140 3 per cent — at a joke 135p in return corona costs outweighed the rates
2018 2019 2020 2006 08 10 12 14 16 18 2020 for underwriting a £90 million cash holiday. The vet service was
injection. But that was obvious restricted to emergencies and there

Top jobs taken by the already wealthy
Philip Aldrick Economics Editor
Nearly nine in ten senior roles in
financial services are held by the
wealthiest third of households and staff
from poorer backgrounds take longer
to climb the career ladder.
The findings have been released by
an independent taskforce that is being
launched today, commissioned by the
government and run by the City of
London Corporation, to combat bias
and improve socio-economic diversity
in the industry.
The report, using data from eight
leading employers in the industry, has
senior roles were occupied by white
men from independent or selective
state schools.
It also has found that employees from
less privileged backgrounds take 25 per
cent longer to progress in their careers,
despite no evidence of poorer perform-
ance. This “progression gap” increased
to 32 per cent for black people of lower-
income households.
To tackle the lack of socioeconomic
diversity, the taskforce will create a
membership body and will produce a
productivity analysis “to build the busi-
ness case for increasing socioeconomic
diversity”. It will lead a consultation of
seconds after Mr Long last month
unveiled his “exciting new chapter
in the evolution of Countrywide”:
the 60-brand outfit spanning John
“We’re entering a new chapter for UK D Wood, Hamptons and Bairstow
financial services and it’s vital firms Eves. No investor allowed out of the
have the right leadership to grasp the funny farm would have agreed to
opportunities ahead. That means that deal. Yet Mr Long was ready to
taking action to ensure talented people pay Jefferies and Barclays bankers a
from all backgrounds and parts of the big chunk of £8 million fees for
country can reach their full potential.” some of the lousiest advice ever.
The research, which used data on And now he’s gone in a bit of a
7,780 employees from the Bank of flounce-out, having taken the chair
England, the Financial Conduct in April 2016 with the shares at £105,
Authority, the Payment Systems Regu- sacked the chief and then proved
lator, Blackrock, First Sentier Investors, how a quality travel group boss can
Legal & General Investment Manage- screw up with estate agents. But can
ment, Santander and an anonymous Mr Bowcock do better?
firm, showed that 51 per cent of employ- Well, Alchemy’s initial attempt to
ees were from higher socio-economic raise money from investors,
were £8 million of store safety costs.
And Pets has a more nuanced case
than the supermarkets, recipients of
almost £2 billion in rates relief,
mainly paid out in dividends.
But AO World boss John Roberts
has a point: “I think they should ask
their mums if they would be proud
of that.” Yes, as an online retailer,
his return of £300,000 of rates and
furlough cash is a hamster-size
contribution. But the principle
holds. The chancellor was barking
mad to give retailers open during
the crisis a rates holiday. They
should give it back.
A pound of jargon

M
found that 16 per cent of practitioners regulators, government and the indus- background, as defined by parental oc- underlined by presentations ind the gap. Apparently it’s
went to independent school, twice the try to decide further action. cupation. That proportion was 89 per implying £500 million of upside, was “significant” — at least
national average, and 43 per cent of John Glen, the City minister, said: cent for senior managers and above. shown up for what it was when when it comes to “people’s
Connells pitched up with a mooted understanding of economic

Bitcoin back in reach of all-time high 250p-a-share cash bid, valuing

James Dean
Bitcoin came within touching distance
of a record high last night as it broke
through the $19,000 mark for the first
time since 2017.
The world’s most popular digital
currency was standing at $19,420, up by
6 per cent for the day, having climbed as
high as $19,429.02. Its all-time high, set
in December 2017, was $19,666.
Bitcoin has climbed by 165 per cent
this year. Some analysts believe that the
rally is down to broadening acceptance
of the digital currency this year by real-
world companies such as Paypal,
although uptake remains very low.
Others believe that a handful of big
holders of bitcoin are manipulating the
market as they did during the rally of
2017.
Mike Novogratz, founder and chief
executive of Galaxy Digital, a bitcoin
investor, said that “2017 was a global
speculative mania. We’re nowhere near
what 2017 looked like. It was driven by
small retail investors. This rally is being
driven by institutions slowly getting
into this space. We’re still going to have
volatility in bitcoin, but the maturity
process is happening.”
Bitcoin was worth next to nothing
Countrywide at £82 million.
Alchemy will only invest if it takes
control. So can the private equity
when it was launched in 2009, but it firm return with a price big enough
reached parity with the US dollar in to match Connells and convince
2011. It started this year at about $7,000, investors — not least Jeremy
but dipped below $5,000 in March. Hosking at Hosking Partners — to
Last week, Davy, the Irish broker, come along for the ride with a
predicted that one bitcoin would be minority stake? It’s not obvious.
worth somewhere between $200,000 Meantime Connells, owned by the
and $600,000 by 2040. A leaked report Skipton Building Society, is
from Citigroup, the American bank, struggling to offer the share
suggested that bitcoin would hit alternative investors want. And Mr
$318,000 by the end of next year. Hosking doesn’t want to cash out at
Kevin Muir, a currency trader in 250p: one reason he’d prefer a bid
Toronto, said: “You can’t model a from listed former suitor LSL
mania. Is it plausible? For sure. It’s a Property Services. Could Connells
mania. But does anyone have a clue? tempt him with a higher cash bid?
Not a chance.”
concepts and data”. Or so says a new
report from the Economic Statistics
Centre of Excellence and the
National Institute of Economic and
Social Research. Where’s the
economy in those names?
They wonder if “jargon” could
make things “inaccessible”. Well,
maybe. But not so much as the duo
not even being able to answer their
own questions without producing a
235-page report. The highlight?
That some people confuse GDP
with the pound (GBP) or, if not,
with General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR). He’s easily
confused with a real general.
alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk
48
Business
Wind farms
forced to
use British
suppliers
O
ffshore wind
farm
developers will
forfeit their
subsidy contracts if they
fail to meet plans to
support the British
supply chain, under
government proposals
(Emily Gosden writes).
The business
department is looking
for ways to boost the
share of offshore wind
projects that are made
in the UK. The Times
revealed on Monday that
the government
estimates that less than
half of the £50 billion
capital investment in
new wind farms this published yesterday, to be eligible to compete receiving subsidy
decade will be spent in offshore wind developers for consumer-funded payments until they are
Britain, with most will have to set out more subsidy contracts. assessed to have
turbine parts likely to be specific commitments in They will be held to delivered on their plans.
made overseas. their supply chain plans, account by new rules If they fail to do so by a
Under proposals which are a prerequisite that will bar them from given date, they could
Housing sales boom as buyers
trade up for bigger properties
Gurpreet Narwan
Economics Correspondent
The housing market boom sparked
by the end of lockdown in the
spring did not let up last month,
government figures show.
However, industry experts
warned yesterday that there were
signs of the breakneck pace of
expansion finally slowing down.
HM Revenue & Customs
recorded 105,630 transactions in
October, 9.8 per cent up on Sep-
tember and 8.1 per cent more than
in the same month last year.
The busy market was in stark
contrast with the spring, when
transaction numbers plummeted
by about 50 per cent in April and
May as the pandemic forced an
effective shutdown in property
sales. Pent-up demand and stamp
duty relief for homes priced below
£500,000 have played a role in the
revival.
“Residential transactions have
increased incrementally each
month [since May], reflecting the
Vaccine hopes fire up oil and tarnish gold
Emily Gosden Energy Editor
Oil prices rose to their highest level
since March yesterday as traders
bet on a resurgence in demand for
fuel driven by the emergence of
several hugely promising vaccines
for Covid-19.
Brent crude, the global bench-
mark price, was up 3.9 per cent at
$47.86 a barrel in New York last
night. It had tumbled from more
than $65 a barrel at the start of the
year to less than $20 in April as
lockdown restrictions led to a col-
lapse in demand for fuel.
Bjarne Schieldrop, an analyst at
SEB, the Nordic bank, said: “Oil
2GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
forfeit the contract placed a huge expansion
altogether. of the technology at the
Britain has more centre of its plans for a
offshore wind farms “green industrial
than any other country revolution”, aiming for a
and the government has quadrupling of installed
action figures reflect the high
number of sales that were being
agreed over the summer, but the
latest data suggests that agreed
sales are slowing.
Lucian Cook, director of
residential research at Savills, the
estate agency group, said: “Sales
being agreed have eased back by
around 12 per cent since their highs
over the summer and early
autumn, which in part reflects less
fresh stock being brought to the
market at this time of the year.
House sales last month were up “However, they remain well
nearly 10 per cent on September above levels seen in the same
period last year, particularly in the
gradual easing of coronavirus market over £500,000. That sug-
public health restrictions for the gests the experience of the second
property market and the intro- lockdown has reaffirmed people’s
duction of residential transaction changed housing priorities, which
tax holidays within the various UK is likely to support activity to the
administrations,” HMRC said. end of the stamp duty holiday.”
Growth has been driven at the Economists warned that the
higher end of the market by boom in the property market
householders looking to trade up would not last. Unemployment is
for bigger homes, but analysts said expected to climb and stamp duty
that some of this demand was relief is due to end in April.
starting to fade. The latest trans- “The government may be forced
demand rebound in 2021 is now a just over $1,800 last night. Bank of
certainty and markets are not America yesterday ditched its
waiting to price it in.” He predicted $3,000 target for gold, set in April,
that Brent would end the year at saying that the metal was likely to
$50 a barrel and would average $55 be a “a laggard” amid a recovering
a barrel next year. economy that could to lead to
Analysts at Bank of America higher interest rates.
said they believed that Brent The resurgent oil price helped to
would average $50 a barrel next drive a recovery in the share prices
year, but could peak at about $60 of Royal Dutch Shell and BP, the
when the summer driving season FTSE 100 oil majors, both of which
in the United States and Europe suffered falls in their share prices
boosts demand. last month to their lowest levels in
While oil prices have been a quarter of a century. Shell’s B
recovering from pandemic lows, shares rose by 73½p, or 5.9 per cent,
gold prices have fallen back from to close at £13.26¼ yesterday, up
record highs of above $2,000 an more than 50 per cent up from
ounce earlier in the year to stand their nadir, while those of the rival
ALAMY
Developers will lose their
subsidies if they fail to use
British manufacturers
capacity by 2030. The
government offers
financial support to
developers through
contracts that commit
consumers to pay a fixed
price for the electricity
that farms will generate.
Early projects received
high prices that will cost
consumers billions of
pounds in subsidy
payments to top up the
wholesale price in
coming years.
The costs have fallen
since then and recent
contracts have been at
prices below forecast
average wholesale
prices. However, the
contracts remain
extremely valuable to
developers because they
provide a guaranteed
revenue stream. This is
particularly important
as more wind farms are
built as there will be
much lower wholesale
prices on windy days
when power is plentiful.
to extend the holiday to avoid a
damaging downturn,” Andrew
Wishart, at Capital Economics, the
consultancy, said.
“However, with the government
growing increasingly concerned
about the fiscal cost of the crisis, it
is at least likely to become less
generous. In any event, many
buyers will have already brought
forward a planned purchase. That
raises the risk of a housing market
correction.”
He said that the stamp duty cut
had been an “expensive mistake”
that was fuelling demand in a
market that did not require it.
A survey by the Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors
found that a net balance of 8 per
cent of its members expected
house prices to rise next year. This
is down from 27 per cent in
October. High street banks are
also responding by reducing the
availability of high loan-to-value
mortgages and raising interest
rates in anticipation of a fall in
property prices.
BP rose by 21¼p, or 8.4 per cent, to
274¾p, up about 40 per cent from
their low. Both stocks, however,
remain about 40 per cent down
this year after the companies cut
their dividends and announced
heavy losses.
A report by KPMG, the Big Four
consultancy, has painted a gloomy
picture ahead for the oil and gas
industry. A survey of UK compa-
nies in the sector found the lowest
levels of confidence in inter-
national activity since it began in
2004. Fifty-eight per cent of
contractors expected the outlook
to worsen next year, with a fifth
forecasting redundancies.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
David Smith
Be ready to be shocked, but you
‘‘
don’t really need to be horrified
Rishi Sunak was
pulling no punches
when he said last
Sunday that this
week would see “the
economic shock laid bare” and the
damage inflicted on the economy by
Covid-19 set out in black and white.
Alongside his one-year spending
review, a new official forecast from
the Office for Budget Responsibility
will contain numbers the like of
which we have never seen before.
The deepest recession, probably in
centuries, and a budget deficit
approaching two and a half times the
previous peacetime peak of
£158 billion in 2009-10 are, indeed, an
economic shock laid bare. They did
not have official economic forecasts
in 1921 or 1709, the year of the Great
Frost, so we are the first to experience
anything like this.
So let me offer some soothing balm,
some therapy to see you through this
shock. The economic downturn this
year, which the OBR should tell us
will be in low-double-figure
percentages, in other words more
than 10 per cent, should not extend
into another fall in gross domestic
product next year, unless everything
we have learnt in recent weeks about
vaccines and the recovery from the
virus is wrong. This makes it distinct
from its historical predecessors: 1921
was the third in a savage three-year
recession that followed the end of the
First World War and was much more
serious for Britain than the Great
Depression a decade later; the 1709
slump, which was followed by another
downturn in 1710, reflected the impact
of weather — the Great Frost — on a
predominantly agricultural economy.
Moreover, this year’s recession has
already pretty much happened. It
reflects the deep downturn in a six-
week period from mid-March to
hen
the end of April, when
omic
much regular economic
activity was
proscribed. This
month’s second
national lockdown
will have
produced a fall in
GDP, but the
evidence,
including from
this week’s flash
A savage recession
followed the end of
the First World War
1GM
purchasing managers’ survey, which
showed a hit to services but
manufacturing still growing, suggests
it will be a modest one. It followed an
extraordinary 23 per cent recovery in
GDP between April and September.
Not only that, but this year’s
recession is very different from any
other. Consumer spending, the
biggest expenditure component of
GDP, has slumped and in the third
quarter was 12.4 per cent lower than it
was in the final quarter of last year.
Yet this was not because people had
been forced by dire economic straits
or unemployment into spending less,
but because they were unable to do so
amid restrictions on travel,
entertainment, hospitality and so on.
Where people have been able to
spend, online or offline, retail sales
are well above both pre-Covid levels
earlier in 2020 and where they were a
year ago.
I am not doing a Harold MacMillan
here and saying that “most of our
people have never had it so good”, but
it is an odd recession in which the
overwhelming majority have felt little
economic pain. This is not to
minimise the difficulties of those who
have, including those who have lost
jobs and the real and continuing
problems of some sectors, notably
hospitality and travel.
Some of the recession, too, is due to
the way that GDP is measured. The
Office for National Statistics sees
itself as upholding the highest
international standards in the way it
measures the output of the public
sector, but the effect, certainly in the
first half of the year, was to give the
UK a bigger downturn than other
countries.
Then there is the issue of
forecasting. I do not envy the OBR’s
challenge in trying to assess and
predict the economy in these
unpreceden
unprecedented
circumst
circumstances. In some
ways, it has done the
oppo
opposite of the
gov
government.
W
Whereas ministers
ha
have
ov
overpromised and
u
underdelivered
(although things
(a
se
seem to be
im
improving), the
OB
OBR has been
exce
excessively gloomy,
so the surprises have
been on tthe upside. Its
been
first stab at guessing how severe a hit
the economy would suffer, in April,
came up with an eye-catching 35 per
cent drop in GDP in the second
quarter. It also thought that the
unemployment rate could shoot up to
10 per cent. In the event, the GDP fall
was barely half what it feared, at
19.8 per cent, and the unemployment
rate, admittedly held down by
furlough, so far has risen to only
4.8 per cent.
When it became clear that its
35 per cent was badly out, it suggested
in July that the drop would be 21 per
cent. That was close enough, but its
predictions for third-quarter growth,
ranging from 5.9 per cent in its
downside scenario to 11.5 per cent on
the upside, were much gloomier than
the 15.5 per cent rise recorded.
This has fed through to the OBR
getting its borrowing figures wrong.
Numbers last Friday showed a
cumulative budget deficit so far this
fiscal year of £214.9 billion. It thought
that by now the figure would be
£291 billion. There is also the
inevitability that this year’s official
statistics, for both growth and
borrowing, will be revised. That
happens every year, but will be a
particular feature this year, when
compiling data has been more of a
challenge.
We are not out of the woods yet.
This is the darkness before the dawn
of the vaccine. It is not associated
with a collapse in economic activity,
but risks remain and this
government is capable of snatching
defeat from the jaws of victory and
inflicting further damage on a still
fragile economy with a no-deal
Brexit.
I cannot imagine that Andrew
Bailey, the Bank of England
governor, would have said that the
adverse effects of a no-deal Brexit
would be worse than Covid-19 if he
did not think that a deal was in the
’’
offing, albeit a thin one. Or that Mr
Sunak would have said at the
weekend that he was focusing on the
coronavirus, not Brexit. We should
prepare for the “economic shock laid
bare” described by
the chancellor, but it
may not be quite as
shocking as first
appears.
David Smith is Economics Editor of
The Sunday Times
david.smith@sunday-times.co.uk
Comment Business
Katherine Griffiths
Accessing your own
cash the minute you
earn it is long overdue
L
ex Greensill doesn’t have
the cuddliest image. The
Australian banker-turned-
billionaire rose through the
ranks of Wall Street firms to
go it alone with an innovative
business that finances supply chains,
attracting controversy along the way
because of his company’s proximity
to GAM, a Swiss investment firm
that nearly collapsed, and its
multiple connections with Sanjeev
Gupta, the British entrepreneur.
Those links have raised questions
about the complexity and opacity of
the privately owned Greensill
operation.
Not that Mr Greensill seems
daunted. Indeed, the 43-year-old
wants to expand his reach: as well as
financing businesses’ supply chains,
he wants to finance their people,
too. His company has bought a start-
When people are paid
Source: EY
Daily 4% 8%
Between daily
6% 8%
and once a week
Weekly 13% 20%
Fortnightly 6% 52%
Monthly 69% 11%
Other 2% 1%
up called Earnd and is rolling it out
across several countries, including
Britain.
Workers can use the app to access
their salary as soon as they have
earned it, rather than having to wait
as long as a month. Greensill has
made it free for NHS workers and
has said that it will do the same for
other public sector staff, while the
private sector pays a fee of about £1
per employee per month, with no
charge for the employee.
Greensill is not the only business
to spot an opportunity to shake up
the traditional system of monthly
payrolls — or fortnightly, in the
United States — which is based on
creaking administrative systems, the
fact that tax is attached to salary
payments and employers’ desires to
hang on to cash for as long as they
can. Wagestream, Anyday and
Salary Finance offer variations on
the same idea. Some argue that this
is the “ultimate ESG” — meeting
environmental, social and
governance standards that business
increasingly aspires to achieve.
While many people run out of
49
cash before payday, it is mainly
those on lower incomes for whom
quick access to pay could make the
biggest difference. For this group, it
also could unlock better deals on
utilities and other services
previously kept for those who can
meet their bills quickly.
According to EY, the market for
on-demand salary payments could
be huge. It believes that there is a
total of approximately $1 trillion in
employer payroll accounts on any
given day in developed countries.
Offering immediate payments
costs companies money, but it could
be outweighed by the benefits of a
happier workforce — but it’s bad
news for the world of payday loans,
high-cost credit and overdrafts.
Those loans cost more because the
risk is higher, but also because those
borrowers lack choice. The
Financial Conduct Authority has
said that it believes high-cost credit
is a better alternative to illegal
money lenders. Even so, it has
already cracked down on punitive
rates and would be emboldened to
do so further if there was wide
availability of finance in the form of
quick payment of salaries.
None of this means that people
will never be swallowed up in a cycle
of debt — Earnd and its peers
cannot change how much a person
is paid — yet the evidence is that
when people know they are going to
be paid straight away, they are more
willing to take on shifts, so end up
earning more (albeit for more
work).
The revolution in salaries depends
on employers embracing the change.
It seems likely, though, that in a few
years’ time the phenomenon of
waiting for pay day will seem
outdated. Lord Turner of
Ecchinswell, former chairman of the
financial regulator, said a decade
ago that what banks had been doing
in the run-up to the financial crisis
was “socially useless”. Financial
technology start-ups were meant to
be the new generation of useful
lenders, but they left some
onlookers sceptical about the point
of their pretty bank cards and
embracing of social media. Enabling
people to access their own money is
the embodiment of social utility —
and there is no need for gimmicks.
Katherine Griffiths is Banking Editor
of The Times
550 1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

Business

Lockdown provides key for

AO World’s return to profit
Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor
A surge in sales of laptops and chest
freezers during lockdown has enabled
AO World to swing back into the black,
with its online retail boss claiming that
the company has enjoyed a “half-year
like no other”.
The group reported a pre-tax profit
of £18.3 million for the six months to
September 30, compared with a loss of
£5.9 million in the same period last year.
That was fuelled by a 53.2 per cent jump
in sales to £717 million as it benefited
from the rapid shift online while high
street stores were shut during the
national lockdown.
John Roberts, 47, chief executive,
said: “This has been a half-year like no
other. I believe our market has changed
as a result, forever. Online is now the
dominant retail channel for customers
and manufacturers alike.”
He said that the company’s problem-
atic loss-making German division was
on track to achieve monthly profit-
ability. “We have taken huge strides
forward on our commitment to fix all
the fundamentals of our European
business and we now have a profitable
platform from which to accelerate our
growth in Germany and beyond,” he
said.
AO World, founded by Mr Roberts in
2000 after a £1 pub bet, has grown to
have 3,000 employees and sells more
than 12,000 products to seven million
customers. It has had a turbulent time
as a public company, including a string
of profit warnings on the back of a
botched international expansion that
forced it to pull the plug on its foray into
the Netherlands.
The AO World boss said that he
expected a record performance for the
company during Black Friday this
week, which he said was “now known as
November”, a reference to how the im-
ported American discounting period
has been stretched longer every year
since it was introduced to Britain a
decade ago.
Mr Roberts said he believed that
bricks-and-mortar retailers, which
remain closed in the second lockdown
in England, would not be missing out
on Black Friday because so much of the
promotional event had shifted online.
“I think that the promotion is good
for customers,” he said, “because it
gives them lower prices when they
want to shop — not how it used to be in
the old ways of retail, when people
would buy all their Christmas presents
at full price, only for them to be 30 per
cent off [in the January sales] a few days
Puppy love
after they had been given.”
AO World has recently tested
concessions in Tesco’s larger Extra
revival gives
stores, its first move into physical retail,
although they were open for only a few lift to Pets
weeks before the second lockdown
forced their temporary closure. Mr
Roberts said that both sides had ambi-
at Home
tions to develop the partnership be-

A
yond five stores and that customers had boom in the number of
been buying premium electrical items, people buying puppies
including £4,000 smart TVs and during lockdown has
American range cookers, defying ex- led to a surge in sales
pectations that the partnership would and profits at Pets at
be more suited for customers to order Home (Ashley Armstrong writes).
small appliances with their groceries. Britain’s largest pet supplies
Shares in AO World fell by 41½p, or retailer yesterday announced a
9.9 per cent, to 378p last night.

Ombudsman access must

be extended, ministers told
James Hurley Enterprise Editor
The government has been urged to
grant hundreds of thousands more
small companies access to independent
redress services to address an “imbal-
ance of power” with telecoms and
energy suppliers.
Ombudsman Services, a not-for-
profit organisation, said its research
showed that the larger the company,
“the more likely it is to want to take an
energy or telecoms complaint to a third
party for redress”.
Only small businesses with up to ten
employees can take a telecoms com-
plaint to Ombudsman Services. In
energy, the company must be a “micro-
business” with fewer than ten staff and
must meet additional eligibility rules
based on its gas and electricity con-
sumption, annual turnover and balance
sheet.
The Federation of Small Businesses
said that the limit for both industries
appeared to be arbitrary and should be
“aligned with the accepted definition of
a small business, i.e. 50 employees”.
Matthew Vickers, chief executive of
Ombudsman Services, said that it was
regularly forced to “turn away” busi-
nesses because they were too large and
that dispute resolution in energy and
telecoms should be brought into line
with financial services.
Since April last year, small businesses
with up to 50 employees, an annual
balance sheet below £5 million or an
annual turnover of less than £6.5 mil-
lion have been able to use the Financial
Ombudsman Service. Mr Vickers esti-
mated that doing the same in energy
and telecoms would give more than
200,000 companies access to com-
plaints resolution.
“A disputed energy or phone bill
could be the difference between an
SME failing and surviving,” he said.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
5.1 per cent increase in sales to
£574.4 million for the 28 weeks to
October 8, while statutory pre-tax
profits increased by 14.6 per cent to
£38.9 million.
Peter Pritchard, chief executive,
said that pet ownership had surged
during the coronavirus pandemic as
people spent more time at home
and devoted their new-found leisure
hours to activities such as walking
their dogs. Mr Pritchard, 50, called
it a “baby boom”, because of the
significant increase in ownership.
“More people working from home
means that more people can have a
pet,” he said.
Nearly half of all Britons who own
a pet got at least one new animal
during lockdown and 10 per cent of
households without pets intend to
Camelot hails huge shift to online sales Boeing Max set to return
Dominic Walsh
An advertising campaign encouraging
people to play the National Lottery
online has limited the damage to sales
in shops caused by the pandemic, its
operator said yesterday.
Camelot, which has run the lottery
since its launch in 1994, is under
pressure to deliver as it prepares to take
part in the formal bid for the next
licence, which is due to be awarded next
autumn.
In the half-year to September 26, it
reported a 1.7 per cent dip in sales to
£3.85 billion after an 18 per cent fall in
sales in shops as the first lockdown took
hold.
Nigel Railton, chief executive, said
that it also had suffered a hit to sales
after postponing a series of special
jackpot draws that had been planned
for April and May after deciding that it
would be “inappropriate to encourage
people to go to shops”.
He said that despite “a tough six
months”, the level of first-half sales had
1GM
get one in the next six months,
according to an Ipsos Mori poll.
Pets at Home was founded in 1991
by Anthony Preston and was listed
in 2014. It has 452 stores, including
300 dog-grooming salons.
The company said that as a result
of the strong sales, it expected full-
year profits to be in line with last
year’s underlying profit of
£93 million, despite disruption from
the pandemic and costs relating to
hiring temporary staff and
implementing safety measures.
In addition to £8 million of one-off
costs, it also lost £17 million from
the closure of its grooming salons, a
ban on selling pets during
lockdown, reduced customer
numbers and the restriction of its
veterinary services to emergency
Many lottery players have now moved
online since the pandemic outbreak
been the second best achieved by the
National Lottery, just behind the record
first half reported this time last year.
“At the start of the pandemic, our
sales in retail dropped by 30 per cent
overnight,” he said. “So we changed our
advertising to encourage people to play
online.” The outcome was “a seismic
shift”, with retail sales down £500 mil-
lion and digital up by £455 million. “We
treatments only. Mr Pritchard said
that the company would be shutting
its stores on Boxing Day, costing an
estimated £3 million in lost sales,
“to give our staff a rest”.
The strong trading has prompted
the retailer to pay a 2.5p dividend,
worth £12.4 million, despite
receiving business rates relief.
Pets at Home, which has been
classed as an essential retailer, said
that its like-for-like sales had grown
by 7.9 per cent in the second
quarter, helped by the re-opening of
its grooming salons. The business
has recorded a 22 per cent increase
in the number of its subscription
customers, creating an £80 million
division of people who buy pet food
on a monthly basis. It also recorded
a 25 per cent increase in the
had 1.3 million digital registrations in
six months, of which 600,000 were new
players.”
Mr Railton, 53, said that the sales per-
formance had “bucked the trend of
European lotteries” during the pan-
demic, with the French lottery down
10 per cent, Italy down by 30 per cent
and Spain off by more than 50 per cent.
The amount generated for good
causes fell by only 1.5 per cent to
£863.7 million in the first half. The
amount paid to lottery winners edged
up by £5.5 million to £2.24 billion, creat-
ing 203 new millionaires.
Mr Railton confirmed that Camelot,
owned by the Ontario Teachers’
Pension Plan, was one of “a number of
interested parties” involved in the
competition for the fourth National
Lottery licence, which is due to kick off
in earnest next year. Other parties
thought to be interested include Sazka,
the Czech lottery group, and Richard
Desmond, owner of the Health Lottery.
Sugal & Damani, the Indian group, is
also expected to participate.
ALAMY
number of its Puppy and Kitten Cub
members, who typically spend a
fifth more than non-members.
Mr Pritchard said: “In spite of the
continuing and wide-ranging
impact of Covid-19, there is much to
be optimistic about. The market in
which we operate remains resilient,
with recent changes to our work
and leisure patterns supporting
rising levels of pet ownership, a
good proxy for future growth in
both the underlying market and our
business.”
He said that shoppers were
buying Christmas merchandise
earlier than in the past, including
gifts for pets and dog advent
calendars.
Shares in Pets at Home rose 2¼p,
or 0.5 per cent, to 421p.
with Ryanair next summer
Robert Lea Industrial Editor
Ryanair has said that it aims to be in the
front of the queue for deliveries of the
grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft, with
as many as 30 of them hoped to be in
operation by next summer.
The airline has been one of the big-
gest supporters of the latest generation
of the bestselling single-aisle aircraft.
Ryanair has called it “the game-
changer”, saying that the jet, with 4 per
cent more seats and 16 per cent lower
fuel burn than conventional Boeing
737s, will transform its financial per-
formance.
The Boeing 737 Max has been
grounded since March 2019 after two
crashes that killed 346 people.
Last week the Federal Aviation
Administration, the US regulator,
cleared the 737 Max as airworthy again,
but the aircraft is not expected to be
flown commercially before the new
51
Business
JD Sports
takes hit for
Debenhams
rescue bid
Ashley Armstrong
More than half a billion pounds was
wiped off the value of JD Sports yester-
day after it revealed that it was close to
a takeover of Debenhams.
A rescue deal could be sealed by the
end of this week, it is understood.
The Times reported on Tuesday that
JD Sports had entered exclusive talks
with the department stores chain’s
advisers.
Shares in JD Sports fell by 52¾p, or
6.5 per cent, to 760p, valuing the sports-
wear retailer at £7.4 billion.
The group has a track record of
swooping on struggling retailers, in-
cluding Blacks Leisure, Go Outdoors,
JJB Sports, Pretty Green and Foot-
asylum, but its acquisitions have tended
to be part of its sports fashion strategy.
Analysts raised concerns that buying
Debenhams could be a distraction from
its focus on younger shoppers. Greg
Lawless, at Shore Capital, said that
there was an “increased execution risk
and complexity in engineering an
improvement from a demonstrably and
sustained problem child”.
It is understood that JD Sports,
which is is primarily attracted to the
opportunity of snapping up cheap
space on the high street, will retain its
highly successful sports brand.
Debenhams, whose history can be
traced to 1778 and which employs
12,000 people, has been dogged by the
shift to online shopping and the burden
of long legacy leases, but the pandemic
and its second administration process
have allowed its executives to renego-
tiate rents on significantly better terms.
It has 124 stores and remains one of
Britain’s most popular retail websites,
with 300 million visits a year.
JD Sports declined to comment.
According to figures shown this year
to prospective bidders, seen by The
Times, Debenhams is estimated to
make £1.7 billion in sales this year and
£251 million of adjusted earnings before
interest and other charges. The chain is
understood to have between £570 mil-
lion and £700 million of debt and
£200 million of stock. Its advisers had
been demanding about £300 million
from bidders.
year as the American manufacturer has
to go through rewiring and software
updates and needs to retrain pilots.
Ryanair had been due to take its first
737 Max aircraft in time for the summer
2019 season. Of its initial five-year
order for 210 jets, it had expected to take
50 in the first months.
Michael O’Leary, 59, the carrier’s
chief executive, is in negotiations over
how many aircraft Boeing might deliv-
er next year and what it will be charging
for an airliner that originally had a list
price of £124 million. He said that
Ryanair may receive between 25 and 30
in its first batch, but there was “a lot of
work for us to do with Boeing over the
next couple of weeks and months if
we’re going to reach an agreement”.
Ryanair has said it would not neces-
sarily alert anxious passengers whether
they were boarding a 737 Max.
Shares in Ryanair fell by eight cents,
or 0.5 per cent, to €15.43.
552 1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

Business

Countrywide boss quits as

investors reject equity deal
Louisa Clarence-Smith amended deal with Alchemy and a
Behind the story fundraising from existing shareholders.
Property Correspondent
Mr Long, a former chief executive of

W
The chairman of Britain’s biggest estate hen Peter former chief overboarding row. Tui, the travel operator, took over as
agency group has resigned after failing Long took executive, which took But it wasn’t enough. non-executive of chairman of Country-
to win shareholder support for a deal control of power away from Recent attempts to wide in April 2016, when its shares
that would have handed control of the the business in 2018, individual branches, cut debt have been stood at £78.85. He was appointed exec-
company to a private equity firm. he said that merged sales and less successful, utive chairman in January 2018 and
Peter Long, 68, has left Countrywide Countrywide had lettings and led to a including a plan to launched a £140 million emergency
with immediate effect, the company been mismanaged loss of skilled staff sell Lambert Smith rights issue that year, pledging to intro-
said yesterday. Philip Bowcock, 52, a and that its problems and a sharp decline in Hampton, its duce a “back to basics” strategy to
former chief executive of William Hill, were “self-inflicted” profit. In contrast, Mr commercial property regain market share.
the bookmaker, has been installed as (Louisa Clarence- Long’s “back to division, to a Monaco- Merger talks with LSL Property
interim chief executive to find an alter- Smith writes). Two basics” strategy won based investor who Services were terminated in March and
native refinancing solution. years on, the estate support for its attempt never came up with a £38 million deal to sell Lambert Smith
Countrywide has about 850 bran- agency group’s to return power to the cash. The ditched Hampton, its commercial property
ches covering estate agency, conveyan- executive chairman is branch managers. takeover attempt by division, collapsed this year. The com-
cing and surveying, including the facing similar He launched a LSL Property Services pany managed to stay profitable in the
Hamptons International and Bairstow accusations. £140 million cash-call took up valuable first six months of 2020, reporting
Eves chains. Despite benefiting from There have been and debt was reduced management time. underlying earnings of £14.9 million,
the boom in the housing market since successes. He put the from £300 million to Earnings have but only after government support and
the end of the first lockdown, the group business on a fresh £125 million. He also stabilised in the past cost-cutting.
remains encumbered by £91.9 million footing after its failed agreed to quit as two years, but the Mr Long said: “It was always my
of debts. “retail revolution”, led chairman of Royal promised turnaround intention to step back when we found
Mr Long’s suggestion to share- by Alison Platt, the Mail after an has yet to kick in. the right figure to take Countrywide
holders in October was to hand a forward, and Philip is that person.”
controlling stake in the business to Mr Bowcock, who left William Hill
Alchemy Partners, the British private cluding Hosking Partners and Catalist share bid, claiming that the group has last year, said: “I look forward to work-
equity firm, at a discount price of 135p a Partners, who branded it “unnecessary, “the potential to enter administration ing with the team at Countrywide and
share in return for a £90 million cash ill-judged and dilutive”. without a significant capital injection”. our shareholders to unlock the long-
injection. The deal was supported by Countrywide was forced to admit Countrywide said that it would term value of the Company’s underly-
Oaktree, which has an 18.3 per cent that there was “insufficient” support for engage with shareholders to consider ing resilience for all our stakeholders.”
stake in Countrywide, but it prompted a the Alchemy deal. refinancing options, including the Shares in Countrywide closed down
backlash from other shareholders, in- Connells, a rival, has made a 250p-a- indicative approach from Connells, an by 3.2 per cent, or 7¼p, at 222¾p.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1GM 53

Business
PAUL CHILDS/REUTERS

will be based in London, will
be two thirds-owned by Accor
Lifestyle and a third-owned by Sharan
Pasricha, the British group’s
choice is Indian-born founder and chief
executive.
right for The parties said that they
were entering exclusive
negotiations over a venture
Ennismore that initially would comprise
12 brands with 73 hotels, with a
Ennismore owns
Gleneagles, host of
the 2014 Ryder Cup
stake two years ago, is the
owner of the Delano,
Mondrian and Hudson brands.
Mr Pasricha, 40, will
become co-chief executive of
the venture alongside Gaurav
Bhushan, head of Accor’s
lifestyle division. They will
lead a team of up to 300
employees in London and New
York, including an in-house
Cost-cutting points
‘stronger’ Compass
back to profitability
Dominic Walsh Compass volumes from the pandemic. There is
caters for no final dividend, although the position
The boss of Compass pledged that the businesses is being kept under review.
giant catering group would emerge and events Mr Blakemore, chief executive,
from the Covid-19 pandemic “stronger described 2020 as “a year of two
eturned to
than we’ve ever been” as it returned halves
halves”,, the ccrunch point being March,
ter.
profitability in its latest quarter. when CovCovid-19 forced Compass to
Dominic Blakemore said that close half
h the business. It moved
the FTSE 100 company had ad from organic revenue growth
continued to take decisivee of 55.3 per cent in the first quar-
action on costs and contract ter to a fall of 2.1 per cent, fol-
renegotiations, laying off lo
lowed by declines of 44.3 per
7,000 British employees ce
cent and 34.1 per cent in the
during the coronavirus th
third and fourth quarters.
outbreak, and it was on R
Revenues in North Amer-
track to deliver an under- ic
ica, its biggest market, fell
lying margin of 2.5 per cent by 18.5 per cent on an organ-
in the first quarter. ic basis, while Europe was
Mr Blakemore, 51, said that at dow
down 24 per cent and the rest
despite a return to lockdown n in of wo
world was down 7.9 per cent.
some of its biggest markets, rkets, The shares,
s which have fallen
including most of the UK, Compass b
byy a third over the past 12 months,
had a strong pipeline of new contracts gained 33½p, or 2.5 per cent, to £13.77.
fence off-
in healthcare, education, defence,
shore and remote, and added: “The
scope for growth from first-time out-
sourcing and share gains is significant.”
Although the news on vaccines was
positive, it would take time to rebuild
the business, he said, with “our recovery
still a couple of years away”.
Compass Group, once part of Grand
Metropolitan, is the world’s biggest
caterer. Before the pandemic it em-
ployed 600,000 people in 45 countries
serving 5.5 billion meals in work can-
teens, schools and universities, on off-
shore oilrigs, in the defence sector and
at sporting events. It has been hit hard
by the coronavirus, however, forcing it
to take drastic measures. It has raised
£2 billion of new equity, lifting its total
liquidity to £5 billion, has scrapped the
dividend, cut boardroom pay and fur-

T
he company that owns
Gleneagles and the
Hoxton hotel chain is
to merge its operations
with the lifestyle division of
Accor, of France, to create a
€1 billion-plus joint venture
(Dominic Walsh writes).
Under the deal, which does
not include the hotel property
assets, the management of
Ennismore’s hotels will join
Accor brands including SLS,
Mama Shelter, Mondrian,
Delano and Hudson.
The joint venture, which will
use the Ennismore name and
committed pipeline of 110
hotels and active discussions
over another 70.
The venture is expected to
generate underlying annual
earnings of more than
€100 million within three to
four years, once the effects of
the Covid-19 pandemic have
dissipated, with cost synergies
of about €15 million a year.
As a prelude to signing a
deal, Accor said it intended to
buy out its partners in SBE
Entertainment, Mama Shelter
and 25hours. SBE, in which
Accor bought a 50 per cent
creative studio, with another
20,000 or so hotel staff
employed by the third-party
owners. It will be run
autonomously from its French
majority shareholder.
Mr Pasricha founded
Ennismore in 2011 and bought
the original Hoxton hotel in
Shoreditch, east London, the
following year, before
acquiring Gleneagles from
Diageo in 2015. Accor,
founded in 1967, is Europe’s
biggest hotel group, known for
brands such as Ibis, Mercure,
Novotel and Sofitel.
loughed staff.
It said that it had “tried to protect as
many jobs as possible” and had re-
deployed many people to other sites,
but with UK volumes down by 30 per
cent it had been forced to cut 7,000 roles
from its British workforce of 50,000.
In the year to the end of September,
Compass suffered an 18.8 per cent fall in
underlying revenues to £20.2 billion,
with operating profits tumbling by
69.7 per cent to £561 million, although
the numbers were not as bad as the
market had feared and cashflow was
ahead of forecasts. On a statutory basis,
operating profits slumped by 81.9 per
cent to £294 million owing to the hit on

Nelson ready to hand over command at IQE

Simon Duke Technology Business Editor
The founder of IQE is standing down
after three decades running one of
Britain’s biggest independent micro-
chip companies.
Drew Nelson will move aside when
the Newport-based IQE appoints a
new chief executive, but he intends to
stay on as a director.
Mr Nelson, 65, founded IQE in 1988
and listed it on Aim, London’s junior
stock market, at the height of the dot-
com boom in 1999. The company
makes wafers — the building blocks of
semiconductors — and employs about
650 people at sites in the United States,
Britain and Asia.
The departing chief executive, who
owns a 5 per cent stake, said that he
would give his successor the “freedom
650
to take the company forward”. His
replacement would bring “fresh pers-
pective” to the company, which Mr
Nelson said was in a “growth phase”
Number of people after suffering a fall in its share price of
employed by IQE at nearly two thirds over the past three
sites ocver three years.
continents Its business was disrupted by the
IQE trade war between Washington and
Beijing, in which Huawei, the Chinese
technology group, was cut out of the
global semiconductor supply chain.
The slowdown in smartphone sales
delivered a further blow. However,
IQE’s fortunes have stabilised and in
future it hopes to sell more of its wafers
to the makers of 5G network equip-
ment and manufacturers of sensors
used in driverless cars.
The company said that revenues for
this year would be “at least” £170 mil-
lion, an annual rise of more than 20 per
cent, with operating profits in the “mid-
single-digit” millions. It recently
signed a contract worth more than
$10 million from a customer in the
defence sector for wafers used in
radio chips. It predicted that demand
for 5G-ready phones and network kit
would continue to grow over the next
few years.
After Mr Nelson steps down as chief
executive, he will retain his seat on the
board and will take the title of presi-
dent. Phil Smith, IQE’s chairman, said
that the founder would “ provide his ex-
pertise and industry knowledge and
will remain with the company as a
powerful ambassador and adviser.”
Shares in IQE rose 2½p, or 4.3 per
cent, to 63p yesterday, valuing the busi-
ness at about £483 million.
554 1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

Business
The Times unit trust information service
Yld Yld Yld Yld Yld Yld
Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- %

European Assets Trust 106.50 108.50 -0.49 6.29 European ‡@ 2757.00 … -13.00 1.00 Diversified Income A Acc ‡@327.72 … +0.23 2.50 UK Act 350 A Acc ‡@ 199.00 … -2.20 … High Income Acc 286.60 286.60 +1.80 3.96 THREADNEEDLE INVESTMENTS
Extra Income ‡@ 28.31 … +0.08 2.90 Diversified Income A Inc ‡@76.11 … +0.05 3.93 UK Dynamic Acc ‡@ 175.40 … +1.30 2.62 UK 100 Comp Acc @ 354.70 354.70 +0.90 3.71
Client Serv: 0800 0683000
Glob Spec Sits ‡@ 4989.00 … +50.00 0.07 Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Acc ‡@127.58 … +0.03 4.38 UK Dynamic Inc ‡@ 130.00 … +1.00 2.54 UK 100 Cos @ 187.10 187.10 +0.40 3.81
Global Focus ‡@ 2881.00 … +25.00 … Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Acc Gross ‡@125.82 … +0.20 … UK Equity A Acc ‡@ 401.90 … +0.60 3.45 UK Select Pflo @ 286.50 286.50 +1.30 3.15 Intermediary Serv: 0800 0684000
For Abbey National see Santander International ‡@ 149.50 … +0.20 0.08 Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Inc ‡@84.11 … +0.02 6.01 UK Equity A Inc ‡@ 46.44 … +0.07 3.49 UK Selection Port Acc @ 554.60 554.60 +2.60 3.09 Institutional Shares (Class 2) (163500,000 min)
For Allchurches see Ecclesiastical Japan ‡@ 476.30 … -1.50 … Emerging Mkts Equity A Acc ‡@166.85 … +1.00 0.64 UK Eqy & Bd Inc Acc ‡@ 167.10 … -0.20 3.41 Worldwide Mgd Acc @ 867.00 867.00 -2.50 1.52
ALLIANZ GLOBAL INVESTORS Moneybldr Bal ‡@ 45.42 … +0.12 … Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt A Acc ‡@192.60 … -0.20 3.90 UK Eqy & Bd Inc Inc ‡@ 90.29 … -0.48 3.50 Wwide Mgd @ 519.80 519.80 -1.40 … UK Oseas Earns ‡@ 107.30 … +0.97 1.77
Inv Serv: 020 7065 1400 Helpline: 0800 317 573 Moneybldr Glob 327.60 327.60 -0.10 0.21 Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt A Inc ‡@86.70 … -0.09 5.65 UK Higher Inc A Acc ‡@ 1132.00 … +7.00 …
Moneybldr Gwth ‡@ 76.12 … -0.95 … Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt Gross I Acc ‡@220.49 … -0.05 … UK Higher Inc A Inc ‡@ 531.30 … +2.00 …
Gilt Yield A ‡@ 206.01 … +0.27 … MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MGMT LTD
Moneybldr Inc ‡@ 38.58 … +0.11 … Enhanced Natural Resources A Acc ‡@125.50 … +2.77 1.50 UK Sm Cos A Acc ‡@ 581.00 … +0.90 0.98
Strategic Bond Fund ‡@ 209.94 … +0.09 2.41 Enquires: 0800 0961 962
Moneybldr UK Ind ‡@ 104.20 … +0.88 4.58 Global Bond A Acc ‡@ 139.30 … +4.03 0.82 UK Str Eq Inc A Acc ‡@ 160.40 … +2.10 …
UK Corp Bond C ‡@ 104.79 … -0.78 … The Morgan Stanley Funds (UK)
Special Sits ‡@ 3515.00 … +35.00 3.11 Global Bond A Inc ‡@ 109.33 … +3.00 0.82 UK Str Eq Inc A Inc ‡@ 85.42 … +1.15 …
UK Eqty C ‡@ 6317.26 … -14.91 3.28 Class A Shares
Wealthbuilder 69.75 72.18 +0.53 0.44 Global Bond I Gross Inc ‡@1167.00 … +29.78 1.25 US A Acc ‡@ 1036.00 … +25.00 …
UK Eqty Inc A ‡@ 270.46 … +3.50 … Equity Managed Funds
US Sm Cos A Acc ‡@ 1098.00 … +17.00 …
UK Gwth A ‡@ 6009.13 … +62.67 1.60 Global Dynamic A Acc ‡@ 184.15 … +1.46 0.11
Eur (Ex UK) Eq A Acc ‡@1310.92 … +4.24 1.25
UK Index A Inc ‡@ 1423.81 … -5.83 3.01 Global Energy A Acc ‡@ 164.19 … +6.15 2.68 Def Eqty & Bd Acc @ 126.90 126.90 +0.40 0.76
HALIFAX INVESTMENT FUND MGRS LTD Glob Brands A Acc ‡@ 11357.05 … -24.65 0.95
UK Mid Cap A ‡@ 5190.70 … +27.54 … Global Equity A Acc ‡@ 193.39 … +1.65 0.37 Eqty & Bd Acc @ 172.60 172.60 +0.80 0.79
01296 386 386 UK Eq A Acc ‡@ 1184.53 … -0.02 1.66
Global Franchise A Acc ‡@264.46 … +0.85 0.11 Mgd Income @ 73.09 73.09 +0.11 4.47
Authorised Inv Funds Global Free Enterprise A Acc ‡@1074.30 … +12.01 0.51
Share Class `C JUPITER UT MGRS LTD
Global Gold A Acc ‡@ 198.99 … -11.41 … Fixed Income
020 7581 3020
Corporate Bond ‡@ 40.72 … +0.11 2.42 Global Special Situations A Acc ‡@243.46 … +9.06 0.01 Stg Corp Bd A Acc ‡@ 2618.35 … -3.81 …
ARTEMIS FUND MGRS LTD Absolute Return ‡@ 40.08 … -0.01 0.89
Ethical ‡@ 98.67 … +0.90 0.42 Global Special Situations A Inc ‡@188.32 … +7.01 0.57 UK Ind Lnkd A Acc ‡@ 1350.60 … -3.80 …
0800 092 2051 Distribution and Growth ‡@97.18 … +1.11 3.99
European ‡@ 95.61 … +0.32 1.61 Managed Growth A Acc ‡@261.08 … +0.24 0.31 UK Long Bd A Acc ‡@ 1288.90 … … …
Authorised Inv Funds Emg Euro Opps ‡@ 203.24 … -0.40 4.10
Far Eastern ‡ 119.30 … +0.50 1.84 Monthly High Income A Acc ‡@236.51 … +0.50 3.71
Capital R Acc ‡@ 1522.01 … +21.12 3.37 Euro Special Sits ‡@ 447.34 … -3.37 … Retail Shares (Class 1)
Fund of Inv Tst ‡@ 132.30 … +1.30 0.78 Monthly High Income A Inc ‡@64.75 … +0.13 5.19
Euro Opps R Acc ‡@ 91.26 … -0.48 1.29 Intl Gwth ‡ 99.99 … +0.82 1.25 Multi-Asset Protector A Acc ‡@171.08 … +0.26 … European ‡@ 2673.72 … -30.19 … SANTANDER UNIT TST MGRS
Stg Bd Ret Inc ‡@ 63.10 … +0.18 0.74
Euro Opps R Inc ‡@ 85.36 … -0.46 1.30 Japanese ‡ 65.16 … +0.85 1.22 Financial Opps ‡@ 789.86 … +9.53 … 08457 413002
Strategic Bond A Acc ‡@ 244.54 … +0.19 1.96 Strat Bd Ret ‡@ 48.13 … +0.07 2.61
European Growth R Acc ‡@305.26 … +2.89 2.43 North Amer ‡ 114.50 … +0.90 0.44 Income Trust ‡@ 423.64 … +8.06 … Bal Pfolio Inc ‡@ 110.50 … +0.40 …
Strategic Bond A Inc ‡@ 119.47 … +0.09 3.32 UK Corp Bond ‡@ 67.01 … +0.17 2.14
Global Energy R Acc ‡@ 20.70 … +1.09 4.15 Smaller Cos ‡@ 108.10 … +0.60 0.56 Merlin Bal (Acc) ‡@ 202.49 … -1.27 … Bal Port Gwth Acc ‡@ 219.90 … +1.20 …
Target Return A Acc ‡@ 102.03 … +0.44 0.82 UK Corp Ret ‡@ 66.88 … +0.18 1.80
Global Growth R Acc ‡@ 281.52 … +3.75 1.77 Special Sits ‡@ 45.06 … +0.68 … Merlin Gwth (Acc) ‡@ 465.14 … -3.08 … Equity Inc Inc ‡@ 198.50 … +0.30 …
Target Return A Inc ‡@ 87.63 … +0.01 0.87 UK Eqty Inc Ret ‡@ 87.76 … +0.15 3.98
Global Income R Acc ‡@ 124.50 … +2.25 3.64 UK Equity Inc ‡@ 75.49 … +0.48 … Merlin Inc (Acc) ‡@ 322.86 … -1.23 … N&P UK Gwth Inc ‡@ 182.80 … +0.10 …
UK Alpha A Acc ‡@ 2479.91 … +20.77 1.18 UK Gwth & Inc Ret ‡@ 82.97 … +0.17 3.27
Global Income R Inc ‡@ 84.77 … +1.53 3.75 UK FTSE 100 IT ‡@ 55.40 … +0.43 3.33 Merlin Wwide (Inc) ‡@ 341.40 … -3.16 … Stkmkt 100 Tkr @ 205.00 205.00 +0.60 1.80
UK Blue Chip A Acc ‡@ 770.11 … +3.15 … UK Hi Yld Bd 1 ‡@ 42.18 … +0.11 3.88
Global Select R Acc ‡@ 138.98 … +0.45 … UK FTSE All-S IT ‡@ 64.94 … +0.53 3.06 UK Growth ‡@ 222.60 … -0.46 0.78 UK Growth Acc ‡@ 418.10 … +0.90 2.57
UK Smaller Companies A Acc ‡@5589.05 … +17.95 … UK Inst Acc ‡@ 152.45 … +1.62 1.51
High Income R Inc ‡@ 71.80 … +0.15 … UK Growth ‡@ 70.52 … +0.36 2.83 UK Special Sits (Inc) ‡@ 162.83 … +3.12 1.62 UK Growth Inc ‡@ 238.10 … +0.50 …
UK Smaller Companies A Inc ‡@5013.09 … +16.11 … UK Mnthly Extra Inc ‡@ 77.36 … +0.04 3.83
Income R Acc ‡@ 420.06 … +1.87 4.75
UK Special Situations A Acc ‡@1157.06 … +35.61 0.87 UK Mnthly Inc Ret ‡@ 62.81 … +0.23 4.88
Income R Inc ‡@ 199.19 … +0.89 4.91
UK Special Situations A Inc ‡@424.69 … +13.08 0.88 SCOTTISH MUTUAL INV MNGRS LTD UK Retail ‡@ 124.12 … +1.16 1.66
Monthly Dist R Inc ‡@ 65.09 … +0.49 3.86 HSBC GLOBAL ASSET MGMT (UK) LTD
0141 248 6100 UK Sel Retail ‡@ 113.27 … +0.60 2.53
Strategic Assets R Acc ‡@ 77.00 … +0.26 … Enq: 0845 745 6123 Dlg: 0845 745 6126 Mon-Fri 8-6 UK Smaller Cos ‡@ 391.98 … +4.23 …
Strategic Bond R M Acc ‡@105.16 … +0.18 … HSBC Index Tracker Investment Funds (OEIC) LEGAL & GENERAL (UT MGRS) LTD European Inc 1490.03 1571.17 +2.17 0.95
Strategic Bond R M Inc ‡@ 58.53 … +0.10 … Enquiries: 0870 050 0955 Dealing: 0870 050 0956 Far Eastern Inc 584.69 617.09 -0.73 …
Strategic Bond R Q Acc ‡@104.97 … +0.18 … Amer Ind Acc ‡@ 722.49 … +6.49 …
Equity Acc @ 2616.00 2639.00 -8.00 2.12 Intl Growth Inc 380.56 400.59 +0.02 0.75
Strategic Bond R Q Inc ‡@ 58.52 … +0.10 … Amer Ind Inc ‡@ 592.76 … +5.33 1.41
Equity Dist @ 893.80 902.00 -2.70 2.15 Japanese Inc 41.85 41.85 +0.43 0.56
UK Growth R Acc ‡@ 599.96 … +1.99 2.70 Euro Ind Acc ‡@ 1000.48 … -1.45 2.22
For ISIS Asset Mgmt see F&C Fd Mgmt Ltd (OEICS) Euro Ind Acc @ 445.20 445.20 +0.50 1.46 Mutual European 2387.80 2517.12 +3.47 …
UK Smaller Cos R Acc ‡@1509.65 … +17.28 2.22 Euro Ind Inc ‡@ 666.64 … -0.97 2.28
Euro Ind Inc @ 302.90 302.90 +0.30 1.49 Mutual Far Eastern 1050.45 1108.65 +5.48 0.90
UK Special Sits R Acc ‡@ 616.11 … +6.33 1.93 FTSE 100 Ind Acc ‡@ 216.65 … +1.73 4.78 JANUS HENDERSON INVESTORS Fixed Int Acc @ 160.20 161.50 +0.50 … Mutual North Am 1983.00 2092.88 +6.23 0.24 For Resolution see Ignis
FTSE 100 Ind Inc ‡@ 104.50 … +0.84 4.90
Investors Serv: 0800 832 832 Dlng: 0845 946 4646 Fixed Int Dist @ 78.25 78.96 +0.23 … Mutual UK Eq 1146.29 1209.80 +7.95 3.28
FTSE 250 Ind Acc ‡@ 281.84 … +2.59 2.61 TU FUND MANAGERS LIMITED
Glob Gwth Acc @ 243.90 243.90 -1.30 1.15 Nth American Inc 1227.65 1295.67 -7.28 …
FTSE 250 Ind Inc ‡@ 178.79 … +1.64 3.04
All Stks Credit A Inc ‡@ 145.50 … +0.40 … Glob Health Acc @ 88.72 88.89 -0.50 0.96 UK Equity Inc 507.87 536.01 +3.52 3.35 British 856.10 856.10 -10.70 0.57
FTSE All-S Acc ‡@ 568.76 … +4.69 4.47
AXA FRAMLINGTON UNIT MGMT LTD FTSE All-S Inc ‡@ 306.22 … +2.53 4.71 Asian Div Inc U Trst Inc ‡@92.43 … +0.68 8.85 Glob Tech Acc @ 76.61 76.71 -0.39 0.27 European 210.70 219.40 +1.00 …
Dling: 0845 602 1952 Priv Clients: 0845 777 5511 Jap Ind Acc ‡@ 141.17 … +2.32 1.92 SCOTTISH WIDOWS UNIT TRUST MGRS
Equity Inc ‡@ 572.40 … -2.70 4.43 Jap Ind Inc ‡@ 113.97 … +1.88 1.95 0845 300 2244 * Yield expressed as CAR (Compound Annual Return);
Gilt Acc @ 201.30 211.80 +0.10 … Pac Ind Acc ‡@ 459.48 … +1.75 … Authorised Inv Funds (OEICs)
† Ex dividend; ‡Middle price; . . . No significant data. #
Pac Ind Inc ‡@ 298.09 … +1.14 …
Periodic charge deducted from capital; @ Exit charge
Gilt Inc @ 74.35 78.24 -0.39 1.09 OEIC A Class
Health Acc ‡@ 2451.00 … -6.00 … Managed Investment Funds
Jap Smlr Co Ac @
Managed Inc ‡@
62.56
138.30
66.09
…
-0.19
…
…
4.20 HSBC Investment Funds (OEIC) - Retail Share Class
Bal Port A Acc ‡@
Caut Port A Acc ‡@
222.90
205.20
…
…
+0.30
…
0.58
0.81
British funds
Monthly Inc Inc ‡@ 217.30 … +1.40 … Caut Port A Inc ‡@ 150.90 … … 0.99
Balanced Acc ‡@ 222.62 … +1.46 … 12 month Price Int Yld Grs rd
UK Growth Inc ‡@ 223.50 … -1.40 … Opps Port A Acc ‡@ 246.50 … +0.50 0.65
Balanced Inc ‡@ 151.95 … -0.14 … High Low Stock (£) +/– % yld
UK Select Opps Inc ‡@ 1881.00 … -4.00 0.65 Prog Port A Acc ‡@ 240.00 … +0.50 0.63
Corp Bd Acc ‡@ 319.35 … +1.13 …
UK Sml Cos Inc ‡@ 313.30 … +1.60 …
Corp Bd Inc ‡@ 131.88 … +0.46 … Index-linked
Gilt & Fd Int Acc ‡@ 519.07 … +1.12 … 113.42 110.06 Tr IL 1Y% 2022 110.06 – .06 1.75 –2.99
Overseas Growth Investment Funds
Gilt & Fd Int Inc ‡@ 77.81 … +0.17 … 364.55 352.66 Tr IL 2K% 24 * 358.19 – .30 1.51 –2.89
Income Acc ‡@ 571.80 … +11.08 … Eur Sel Gth A Acc ‡@ 3038.00 … -8.00 … 112.37 108.34 Tr IL 0V% 24 110.52 – .10 … –2.87
AXA FUND MANAGERS LTD 120.25 113.18 Tr IL 0V% 26 117.35 – .14 … –2.87
Income Inc ‡@ 257.98 … +5.00 … 136.38 127.25 Tr IL 1N% 2027 132.14 – .21 1.03 –2.87
Admin & Enq 0117 989 0808 Monthly Inc Acc ‡@ 283.25 … +4.14 … 129.83 119.40 Tr IL 0V% 28 125.48 – .17 … –2.81
Tracker and Specialist Investment Funds
AXA Trusts Monthly Inc Inc ‡@ 125.76 … +1.84 4.24 131.98 120.50 Tr IL 0V% 29 127.32 – .22 … –2.77
UK Grth & Inc Ret B Acc ‡@118.82 … +2.27 3.97 UK Trkr A Acc ‡@ 298.10 … -0.80 3.27 393.65 360.53 Tr IL 4V% 30 * 377.87 – .91 1.71 –2.74
Gen Acc ‡@ 2101.00 … +6.00 2.64 163.88 144.89 Tr IL 1N% 2032 156.33 – .42 0.80 –2.70
UK Grth & Inc Ret B Inc ‡@57.48 … +1.10 4.19 UK Trkr A Inc ‡@ 159.10 … -0.40 3.35
Gen Inc ‡@ 1079.00 … -2.00 2.70 161.19 140.01 Tr IL 0O% 34 153.44 – .59 … –2.58
UK Gth & Inc Acc ‡@ 118.82 … +2.27 3.97 310.44 269.24 Tr IL 2% 35 * 296.91 –1.16 0.82 –2.55
UK Gth & Inc Inc ‡@ 57.48 … +1.10 4.19 UK and Income Investment Funds 159.59 134.20 Tr IL 0V% 36 151.19 – .75 … –2.47
187.20 157.14 Tr IL 1V% 2037 176.63 – .87 0.67 –2.48
Corp Bond A Acc ‡@ 350.90 … … 1.61 183.12 148.88 Tr IL 0X% 40 172.27 – .78 … –2.32
UK/Global Investment Companies Corp Bond A Inc ‡@ 135.00 … … 1.77 175.05 139.06 Tr IL 0V% 41 163.66 – .81 … –2.27
HSBC Specialist Investment Funds (OEIC) Envir Invtr A Acc ‡@ 360.40 … -3.10 1.04 195.05 154.83 Tr IL 0X% 42 182.01 – .86 0.34 –2.24
Euro Acc A ‡@ 234.70 … … 1.18 183.33 142.10 Tr IL 0V% 44 170.18 – .78 … –2.17
American Index Retail Acc ‡@722.49 … +6.49 … Hi Inc Bond A Ac ‡@ 237.80 … +0.20 4.81 190.64 144.18 Tr IL 0V% 46 175.90 – .97 … –2.12
Extra Inc Inc B ‡@ 86.74 … +0.24 1.16
American Index Retail Inc ‡@592.76 … +5.33 1.41 Hi Inc Bond A Inc ‡@ 78.58 … +0.07 4.95 222.83 168.17 Tr IL 0O% 2047 205.38 –1.32 0.37 –2.12
Global Gwth Acc R ‡@ 246.00 … +1.60 0.61
Asian Gth Acc ‡@ 147.77 … -0.07 … Hi Res A Acc ‡@ 342.00 … -0.40 4.02 200.53 147.47 Tr IL 0V% 48 184.04 –1.28 … –2.10
Japan Acc A ‡@ 168.20 … -0.30 1.72 223.34 163.69 Tr IL 0K% 50 204.39 –1.64 … –2.07
Asian Gth Inc ‡@ 130.99 … -0.06 … Hi Res A Inc ‡@ 115.70 … -0.20 …
Pac Gwth Acc A ‡@ 512.10 … +2.50 … 221.88 158.49 Tr IL 0N% 52 201.23 –2.02 … –2.04
Chinese Eq Acc ‡@ 513.81 … +0.27 0.40 Safety Plus A Acc ‡@ 40.49 … … … 296.98 211.39 Tr IL 1N% 2055 266.15 –3.26 0.52 –2.00
Chinese Eq Inc ‡@ 434.76 … +0.22 … Strat Inc A Acc ‡@ 220.30 … +0.20 2.21 239.65 161.25 Tr IL 0V% 56 212.19 –3.19 … –1.99
Euro Gth Acc ‡@ 834.52 … +9.67 0.58 Strat Inc A Inc ‡@ 102.70 … +0.10 2.24 245.15 162.44 Tr IL 0V% 58 217.15 –3.68 … –1.98
Euro Gth Inc ‡@ 699.96 … +8.12 0.62 UK Gwth A Acc ‡@ 166.60 … +0.50 4.09 282.43 182.62 Tr IL 0W% 62 248.92 –5.08 … –1.95
CIS UNIT MANAGERS LTD 291.55 176.73 Tr IL 0V% 65 253.86 –5.91 … –1.98
UK Sel Gwth A Acc ‡@ 2091.00 … … … 313.02 183.95 Tr IL 0V% 68 271.40 –6.47 … –2.02
08457 46 46 46
European Gwth ‡@ 178.00 … -0.60 0.24 IGNIS ASSET MGMT
OEIC B Class Longs (Over 15 years)
Sus Leaders ‡@ 685.70 … -5.70 … Dlg: 0141 222 8282 160.46 145.12 Tr 4N% 36 152.53 + .09 2.79 0.64
Tracker and Specialist Investment Funds
UK Growth ‡@ 551.90 … -0.80 1.40 American Gth Inc @ 322.55 340.42 -3.34 … 122.20 107.68 Tr 1O% 37 116.07 + .09 … 0.73
UK Income ‡@ 197.30 … +2.00 4.84 UK Trkr B Acc ‡@ 327.70 … -0.80 3.83 178.53 159.30 Tr 4O% 38 168.27 + .17 2.82 0.71
Balanced Growth @ 262.17 276.69 -0.93 1.52 171.40 151.78 Tr 4N% 39 161.17 + .19 2.64 0.75
UK Trkr B Inc ‡@ 158.20 … -0.40 3.94
Balanced Growth Acc @ 393.13 414.92 -1.40 1.49 174.76 153.76 Tr 4N% 40 163.98 + .24 … 0.79
Corporate Bond ‡@ 99.69 … -0.89 4.77 115.15 98.58 Tr 1N% 41 107.73 + .19 … 0.85
European Growth @ 403.88 426.26 -3.57 2.18 UK and Income Investment Funds 186.37 162.55 Tr 4K% 42 173.78 + .28 2.59 0.83
CLOSE FUND MANAGEMENT LTD 161.41 138.69 Tr 3N% 44 150.04 + .29 … 0.86
European Growth Acc @ 475.71 502.07 -4.21 2.24 Corp Bond B Acc ‡@ 363.80 … +0.10 … 169.66 145.35 Tr 3K% 45 157.14 + .32 … 0.87
0870 606 6402 Glob Gwth @ 331.53 349.90 -3.09 0.12 Corp Bond B Inc ‡@ 134.90 … … 2.01 193.38 165.20 Tr 4N% 46 178.41 + .37 2.38 0.88
Beacon Inv ‡ 84.88 … +0.35 0.01 Higher Yield @ 83.98 88.64 -0.29 4.43 UK Gwth B Acc ‡@ 180.30 … +0.50 4.52 125.21 103.24 Tr 1K% 47 114.45 + .29 … 0.89
Higher Yield Acc @ 275.04 290.28 -0.92 … 133.12 109.31 Tr 1O% 49 121.56 + .31 … 0.88
UK Sel Gwth B Acc ‡@ 2193.00 … +1.00 … 203.44 171.45 Tr 4N% 49 186.39 + .42 2.28 0.87
Japan @ 49.06 51.78 -0.03 0.94 Cautious Man Fd A Acc ‡@273.00 … +2.40 3.24 Gwth Tst Acc @ 106.00 106.50 -1.00 0.17 101.54 89.96 Tr 0X% 50 92.96 + .29 … 0.89
Managed @ 130.89 138.15 -0.06 … Cautious Man Fd A Inc ‡@143.30 … +1.20 3.30 High Inc Acc @ 135.90 138.10 +0.30 4.82 198.36 164.59 Tr 3O% 52 179.68 + .53 … 0.87
Managed Trust @ 71.96 76.96 +0.17 … OEIC C Class 137.00 108.94 Tr 1X% 54 121.84 + .46 … 0.88
Dealing: 020 7426 6232 China Opp Fund A Acc ‡@1853.00 … +4.00 0.20 Japan Ind Acc @ 69.48 69.48 +1.03 1.51
Mngd Pfolio Inc @ 95.54 100.84 -0.11 0.58 UK and Income Investment Funds 225.53 185.37 Tr 4N% 55 202.37 + .83 2.10 0.86
Emg Mkts Opps Fd A Acc ‡@227.30 … +1.20 0.26 Pacific Ind Acc @ 185.80 185.80 +1.60 … 145.53 114.48 Tr 1O% 57 128.22 + .64 … 0.85
Winchester ‡ 3250.76 … +6.22 0.93 Pacific Grth @ 498.71 526.34 -2.81 … Erpn Grth Fund A Acc ‡@ 251.60 … +0.70 0.51 UK 100 Ind Acc @ 180.90 180.90 +0.90 … UK Gth C Inc ‡@ 116.80 … +0.50 5.36 231.12 186.33 Tr 4% 60 205.55 + .83 … 0.83
Smaller Comp @ 756.24 798.14 +1.64 0.15 Erpn Sel Opps Fd A Acc ‡@1940.00 … +13.00 0.19 UK Active Opps Acc @ 249.90 252.90 -0.10 … UK Sel Gwth C Acc ‡@ 2292.00 … … … 102.03 84.75 Tr 0K% 61 88.76 + .54 … 0.82
Smaller Cos @ 628.94 663.79 +1.36 0.21 Fix Int Mnthly Inc Fd Acc ‡@33.73 … +0.07 3.91 UK Index Acc @ 280.40 280.40 +2.30 3.13 186.29 143.33 Tr 2K% 65 162.44 + .85 … 0.83
236.70 181.73 Tr 3K% 68 206.10 +1.11 … 0.81
Global Equity Fund Acc ‡@4021.00 … … … UK Index Dist @ 143.80 143.80 +1.20 3.21 161.53 115.50 Tr 1X% 71 137.65 +1.02 … 0.74
STANDARD LIFE INVESTMENTS
EDENTREE INV MGMT LTD Global Equity Income A Inc ‡@59.22 … +0.36 3.71 US Ind Acc @ 652.90 652.90 -0.70 1.09
INSIGHT INVESTMENT FDS MANAGEMENT LTD 0845 279 3003
0800 358 3010
Client Servs: 0207 163 4000
Global Tech A Acc ‡@ 2831.00 … +8.00 … Worldwide Acc @ 328.50 328.50 +1.20 1.05
Investment Funds (OEIC) - Retail Shares Mediums (5-15 years)
Amity European A ‡ 268.00 … +2.10 1.16 Instl UK Idx Opps A Acc ‡@93.13 … +0.83 …
Insight Investment Multi-Manager Funds AAA Inc CAT Acc ‡@ 102.90 … … 1.11 102.69 100.47 Tr 0O% 23 102.09 – .02 … –0.03
Amity International A ‡ 305.50 … +2.50 0.51 M-Asset Abs Ret A Acc ‡@146.70 … -0.20 0.90 M & G SECURITIES 107.57 105.98 Tr 2N% 23 106.35 – .02 … –0.03
Well Bldr Bal Acc ‡@ 96.05 … -0.32 … M-Man Active Fd A Acc ‡@242.20 … +0.30 … Enq: 0800 390 390 Dealing Line: 0800 328 3196 AAA Inc CAT Inc ‡@ 59.33 … +0.01 1.12 100.64 100.22 Tr 0V% 24 100.31 – .02 … 0.03
Amity Sterling Bond A ‡ 106.20 … +0.30 3.84
Well Bldr Gwth Acc ‡@ 93.79 … -0.36 … M-Man Inc Grth A Inc ‡@ 152.20 … -0.60 … Authorised Inv Funds AAA Income Acc ‡@ 111.00 … … … 104.35 101.53 Tr 1% 24 103.48 – .02 … –0.02
Amity UK A Inc ‡ 230.90 … -1.20 1.41 112.01 109.75 Tr 2O% 24 110.45 – .03 … –0.01
M-Man Inc Grth Fd A Acc ‡@186.20 … +0.10 … Amer Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 182.70 … +1.40 …
Higher Income A ‡ 121.00 … +0.90 5.45 Charifund Inc ‡ 1352.52 … +14.82 … 124.55 121.42 Tr 5% 25 121.45 – .04 4.12 –0.01
Sterling Bond U Trst Acc ‡@253.30 … +0.70 1.33 Corp Bond Acc ‡@ 189.40 … +0.70 …
UK Equity Growth A ‡ 286.10 … +3.50 1.71 103.71 99.71 Tr 0X% 25 102.76 – .03 … 0.02
Sterling Bond U Trst Inc ‡@71.28 … +0.20 1.34 Corp Bond Inc ‡@ 67.37 … +0.23 … 111.08 107.73 Tr 2% 25 109.50 – .04 … 0.01
INVESCO FUND MGRS LTD Sterling Class A Investment Funds 1
Strategic Bond A Inc ‡@ 133.00 … +0.20 … Euro Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 228.90 … +0.20 … 101.14 99.94 Tr 0V% 26 100.22 – .05 … 0.08
Dling: 0800 085 8571 Inv Serv: 0800 085 8677 109.72 105.40 Tr 1K% 26 108.19 – .06 … 0.05
UK Abs Ret Fd A Acc ‡@ 161.50 … -0.50 … Euro Smlr Cos Acc ‡ 417.76 … +1.23 … Glb Advtg CAT Acc ‡@ 148.80 … +0.90 0.86
Brkr Serv: 0800 028 2121 109.23 103.96 Tr 1N% 27 107.41 – .07 … 0.13
UK Alpha Fund A Acc ‡@ 141.90 … +0.80 0.37 Euro Smlr Cos Inc ‡ 370.15 … +1.10 … Glob Advtg Acc ‡@ 196.60 … +1.10 0.84
F & C FUND MANAGEMENT LTD (OEICS) INVESCO Funds 132.20 127.00 Tr 4N% 27 128.83 – .09 3.30 0.13
UK Irsh Sm Co Fd A Acc ‡@664.30 … +4.70 0.26 Glob Eq Uncstrd Acc ‡@ 160.90 … +0.30 0.19 100.95 99.02 Tr 0V% 28 99.53 – .04 … 0.19
Enqs: 0870 601 6183 Dealing: 0870 601 6083 UK Str Inc N/Trl ‡@ 323.57 … -0.12 7.05 UK Property A Acc @ 229.20 240.91 +0.03 3.19 Higher Inc Acc ‡@ 146.00 … +0.40 3.26 113.61 107.25 Tr 1X% 28 111.28 – .05 … 0.19
Sterling Class A Investment Funds 2
Share Class 1 - Retail UK Property A Inc @ 95.38 100.25 +0.01 3.25 Higher Inc Inc ‡@ 49.97 … +0.14 … 151.42 144.76 Tr 6% 28 145.93 – .07 4.11 0.23
Extra Income Inc ‡ 671.50 … +4.78 5.43 Japan Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 125.90 … +2.50 0.19 107.70 100.14 Tr 0Y% 29 105.25 – .03 … 0.28
Corporate Bd ‡@ 61.23 … +0.14 … US Growth Fund A Acc ‡@1627.00 … +14.00 … 102.60 99.37 Tr 0W% 30 100.27 – .03 … 0.35
INVESCO PERPETUAL Funds Gilt & Fxd Int Inc ‡ 105.57 … +0.35 … Managed Acc ‡@ 306.30 … +1.00 0.97
Emerging Mkts ‡@ 130.70 … +0.60 … 148.82 140.24 Tr 4O% 30 143.66 – .04 3.31 0.32
Gl Hi Yd Bd Inc ‡ 47.27 … +0.12 5.26 Select Inc Acc ‡@ 95.70 … +0.40 … 148.26 137.84 Tr 4N% 32 142.76 – .02 2.98 0.44
Euro Gwth & Inc 1 ‡@ 1173.00 … -9.00 … Childrens Acc ‡@ 403.11 … +3.68 3.53
Index Linked Bd Inc ‡ 158.57 … -0.52 … Select Inc Inc ‡@ 55.85 … +0.23 … 159.28 145.74 Tr 4K% 34 152.29 + .07 2.95 0.55
Extra Inc Bond ‡@ 50.02 … +0.05 … Corp Bond Acc ‡@ 226.36 … +0.26 …
Index Trckr Inc ‡ 66.98 … +0.54 4.47 UK Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 317.60 … +2.70 3.37 101.67 97.86 Tr 0X% 35 99.34 + .06 … 0.67
FTSE All-Shr Track ‡@ 368.00 … +3.00 4.20 High Income Inc ‡@ 293.62 … +1.79 6.01 JP MORGAN ASSET MGMT Short Dated Corp Bd Inc ‡ 26.02 … +0.01 1.75 UK Eq Hi Alpha ‡@ 193.20 … +2.40 3.19
Global Gwth SC1 ‡@ 296.00 … +1.70 …
High Inc Trst @ 12.29 12.95 +0.04 5.01
Income & Grth Inc ‡@ 369.49 … +0.03 … OEIC UK Select A Inc ‡ 3040.56 … +19.83 … UK Eq Hi Inc Acc ‡@ 213.60 … +3.00 … Shorts (under 5 years)
Income Inc ‡@ 1144.52 … +6.52 4.16
Max Inc Bond ‡@ 49.36 … +0.07 2.42 Asia A Acc ‡@ 304.60 … +1.20 0.13 UK Eq Hi Inc Inc ‡@ 63.80 … +0.87 … 101.22 100.24 Tr 1K% 21 100.24 – .01 … –0.05
Money Acc ‡@ 91.17 … … 0.21 105.79 102.96 Tr 3O% 21 102.96 – .02 … –0.03
Multi Man Caut ‡@ 70.41 … … 3.18 Emerging Mkts ‡@ 321.40 … +1.20 0.21 Sterling Class A Investment Funds 3 UK Ethical Acc ‡@ 204.10 … +0.60 2.18
Monthly Inc Plus Inc ‡@ 105.52 … +0.21 5.18 111.40 104.29 Tr 8% 21 104.29 – .02 7.67 –0.05
Multi Man Distr ‡@ 60.44 … … 3.37 Eur Dyn (ex-UK) A Acc ‡@231.70 … +1.10 … UK Opps Acc ‡@ 282.00 … -1.60 … 101.25 99.79 Tr 0K% 22 100.87 – .01 … –0.02
UK Aggressive Inc ‡@ 154.28 … -0.24 … Corp Bd A Inc ‡ 41.91 … +0.09 3.08
North Amer ‡@ 640.20 … +5.60 … Euro Smllr Cos ‡@ 908.10 … -1.70 0.65 UK Opps Inc ‡@ 256.40 … -1.40 … 104.19 103.13 Tr 1O% 22 103.17 – .01 … –0.03
UK Growth Acc ‡@ 612.40 … +9.08 3.40 Dividend Inc ‡ 49.01 … +0.38 …
Pacific Gwth ‡@ 529.80 … +3.20 … Europe A Acc ‡@ 1548.00 … +2.00 1.45 UK Smlr Cos Acc ‡@ 944.10 … -1.90 … 108.06 105.16 Tr 4% 22 105.16 – .02 3.80 –0.02
UK Sml Cos Eqty Acc ‡@ 1370.08 … +12.94 … Recovery A Inc ‡ 111.58 … +2.52 2.81 100.60 … Tr 0V% 23 100.24 – .01 … 0.02
Strategic Bd ‡@ 207.00 … … … Gbl Hi Yld Bd A Acc ‡@ 121.30 … +0.20 5.17
UK Sml Cos Gwth ‡@ 82.54 … +0.04 … Sml Cos Inc ‡ 363.98 … +1.25 1.91
UK Equity ‡@ 3053.00 … +2.00 1.64 Gbl Hi Yld Bd A Inc ‡@ 34.68 … +0.06 5.36
Gl ex-UK Bd A Acc ‡@ 294.90 … -0.30 … SVS BROWN SHIPLEY FUNDS
UK Gwth & Inc Acc 1 ‡@ 658.50 … … … * maturities as having an eight-month indexation lag
Gl ex-UK Bd A Inc ‡@ 225.80 … -0.20 … Sterling Class A Investment Funds 4 Enquiries: 0141 222 1151
UK Gwth & Inc Dist ‡@ 234.70 … … … INVESTEC FUND MGRS
UK Smaller Cos ‡@ 975.40 … +3.30 … Glb Fins A Acc ‡@ 1077.00 … +1.00 … Episode Allocation A Inc ‡@136.60 … +0.78 2.77 Balanced A Acc ‡@ 140.60 … +0.19 1.31 This is a paid for information service. For
Broker Support and Dealing: 020 7597 1900 Global A Acc ‡@ 2000.00 … +21.00 … Balanced A Inc ‡@ 128.05 … +0.18 1.33
OEIC Series i,ii,iii, & iv further details on a particular fund, readers
Japan A Acc ‡@ 676.80 … +10.90 … MANEK INVESTMENT MGMT LTD Cautious A Acc ‡@ 120.28 … -0.11 1.61
American A Acc ‡@ 552.96 … +3.75 … Multi-Man Tst A Acc ‡@ 1288.00 … +9.00 0.86 Cautious A Inc ‡@ 107.37 … -0.10 1.63
should contact their fund manager.
0844 800 9401
Asia ex Japan A Acc ‡@ 884.11 … +2.90 0.36 Multi-Man Tst A Inc ‡@ 1159.00 … +8.00 0.89 Dynamic A Acc ‡@ 324.28 … +0.85 …
FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL Growth Fd Acc @ 41.47 43.54 -0.01 …
Capital Accumulator A Acc ‡@216.96 … +5.43 0.02 Nat Resources ‡@ 583.10 … +14.10 2.70 Dynamic A Inc ‡@ 296.43 … +0.78 …
Private Clnts 0800 414161 Broker Dlgs 0800 414181 Data as shown is
Cautious Managed A Acc ‡@391.24 … +0.19 0.37 New Europe A ‡@ 214.30 … -0.60 5.16 Growth A Acc ‡@ 342.29 … +0.46 …
Amer Spec Sits ‡@ 1660.00 … +32.00 0.02 Cautious Managed A Inc ‡@256.40 … +0.12 0.39 Portfolio ‡@ 289.90 … +0.90 1.53 MARKS & SPENCER UNIT TRUST LTD Income A Acc ‡@ 256.66 … +0.19 … for information
American ‡@ 5140.00 … +53.00 … Diversified Growth A Acc ‡@132.36 … +0.04 1.12 Stg Corp Bd A Acc ‡@ 106.30 … +0.20 1.23 0808 005 5555 Sterling Bond Acc ‡@ 242.37 … -0.28 … purposes only. No offer is made by
Euro Opps ‡@ 541.10 … +0.30 0.43 Diversified Growth A Inc ‡@141.70 … +0.05 1.13 Stg Corp Bd A Inc ‡@ 61.07 … +0.10 1.22 High Income 112.10 112.10 +0.60 … Sterling Bond Inc ‡@ 97.00 … -0.11 … Morningstar or this publication
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Janet Yellen, who is widely expected to be the first woman to lead the US Treasury, has supported generous government spending to encourage economic growth
‘Tiger’ Yellen on brink of history — again
James Dean US Business Editor
Janet Yellen’s career is one of firsts.
She was the first woman to lead the
US Federal Reserve and now is
expected to be the first woman to lead
the US Treasury. In doing so, she also
would be the first person to complete
the illustrious hat-trick of leading both
institutions and serving as chairwoman
of the White House’s Council of Eco-
nomic Advisers.
With a CV this impressive — and
boasting mainstream popularity, to
boot — Ms Yellen, 74, Joe Biden’s choice
to lead America’s federal finance
department, could prove to be a power
player on the world stage far beyond
Washington as Britain and the United
States seek to strengthen their “special
relationship”.
“She’s an incredibly capable person
who knows everybody and you under-
estimate her at your peril,” David
Blanchflower, a former member of the
1GM
Bank of England’s monetary policy
committee, said. “If Janet Yellen calls
Boris Johnson, he’s going to take that
call and he’s going to pay attention.”
Professor Blanchflower, now based
at Dartmouth College in New Hamp-
shire, described Ms Yellen as a “tiger”,
but also a compromiser who “every-
body likes”. He predicted that she
would usher in a period of “serious and
calm economics”.
“Boring, experienced, calm people
are taking over after four years of com-
plete chaos,” Professor Blanchflower
said. “Is Janet Yellen going to do some-
thing stupid? Absolutely not.”
Pandemic relief will be at the top of
her in-tray. Republicans and Demo-
crats in Congress continue to bicker
over the scale of a new round of corona-
virus fiscal stimulus, with Democrats
proposing a $2.2 trillion package while
Republicans favour $650 billion of
spending. Meanwhile, the US recovery
from the pandemic is stalling, with
some economists pencilling in a first-
quarter contraction for next year.
Ms Yellen believes that spending is
essential to counter the damage being
done by Covid-19. “We need to con-
tinue extraordinary fiscal support,” she
said last month. Before that, in Septem-
ber, she stated: “There is a huge amount
of suffering out there. The economy
needs the spending.”
In keeping with her Keynesian lean-
ings, she has long supported generous
government spending, financed by tax
increases, to spur economic growth
when required. She believes that when
inflation and interest rates are low, as
they are now, borrowing presents little
risk if it is needed to stimulate a dam-
aged economy.
She will need to work closely with
Jerome Powell, 67, chairman of the
Federal Reserve. Ms Yellen, who once
worked with Mr Powell at the Fed, has
praised his response to the pandemic
while criticising comparative inaction
KEVIN DIETSCH/UPI/ALAMY
from the White House and Capitol Hill.
With monetary and fiscal policy be-
coming increasingly intertwined, their
relationship will be crucial.
One of her first actions could be to
reverse a decision made last week by
Steven Mnuchin, the present Treasury
secretary, to allow five of the Fed’s nine
emergency lending schemes to expire
‘If she calls Boris
Johnson, he’s going to
take that call and he’s
going to pay attention’
next month. Mr Powell had recom-
mended that the schemes, designed to
support small and medium-sized busi-
nesses, municipalities and corporate
credit markets, should be extended. Ms
Yellen praised the schemes shortly
after they were unveiled in March.
As the US economy pulls away from
55
Business
Profile
J
anet Yellen was born in
1946 in a well-to-do suburb
of Brooklyn, New York, to a
teacher mother and doctor
father (James Dean writes).
She attended Brown University,
the private Ivy League university
in Rhode Island, where she
switched her undergraduate
degree from philosophy to
economics — a decison of which
she said later: “I discovered that
economics was of enormous
relevance to our lives and had
the potential to make the world a
better place.” She went on to
receive a doctorate from Yale.
Ms Yellen was appointed as a
Fed governor in 1994, serving
until 1997, when she left to chair
the White House Council of
Economic Advisers under Bill
Clinton. She served as president
of the San Francisco Fed for
seven years from 2004. In 2010,
she was appointed as vice-
chairwoman of the Federal
Reserve, and in 2014, President
Obama appointed her to lead the
central bank, which she did for
four years. She has since worked
at the Brookings Institution, a
Washington-based think tank.
the pandemic, Ms Yellen will be able to
turn to manifesto promises made by Mr
Biden, the president-elect. A central
pledge is to raise taxes on companies
and wealthy Americans.
This is where she will encounter
greater resistance, and a test of her pol-
itical prowess, should Republicans re-
tain the Senate. President Trump’s deep
cuts to corporate and income taxes in
2017 were a signature achievement,
much like Obamacare for his predeces-
sor. The Democrats need to win two
Senate run-off elections in Georgia in
January next year to take control of the
chamber, which is regarded as unlikely.
As Fed chairwoman, Ms Yellen often
spoke forcefully of the dangers of
uneven wealth distribution and the
participation of women in the work-
force, leading to accusations by some
Republicans that she was speaking out
of turn. Her powers to influence policy
on matters such as these would not be
so limited as Treasury secretary.
556 1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

Business Markets
Tempus news in brief
Buy, sell or hold: today’s best share tips
AA agrees to buyout
The AA has agreed to be

Float towers over next stage of revival

acquired by Warburg Pincus
International and Towerbrook
Capital Partners, the private
equity firms. The roadside
recovery group has accepted a
cash offer of 35p a share, valuing
returned the business to underlying it at £218 million, according to the
vodafone Bargain buy growth. The coronavirus outbreak Financial Times. The proposal
Market value PE ratio 20x brought international travel to an includes an investment of about
£32.6bn Div yield 6.4% Share price Vodafone
250p Six months to September 30
effective standstill, hitting the group’s £380 million to help to reduce the
revenues from roaming charges company’s debt. The AA was

D
eciding to recommend Europe during the six months from March to taken public by its previous
buying Vodafone shares, Revenues €16.6bn the end of September. Strip out the private equity owners in 2014.
as Tempus did in April, Adjusted pre-tax profit €1.4bn effects of that and Vodafone The shares closed down 0.5 per
200
felt like something of a increased its half-year revenues by cent at 31¾p, making the
leap of faith (Miles Vodacom (Africa) 1.1 per cent over the period. company worth £198.2 million.
Costello writes). Previously, a share Revenues €2.4bn At the same time, it has benefited
price stuck in the doldrums, annual 150 Adjusted pre-tax profit €662m from customers’ increased use of Minibonds report due
losses, heavy debts and an axed mobile phones while working from
dividend had made for a compelling home during lockdown. The use of The government plans to
case to avoid the stock, despite its Other markets voice-call minutes rose by 20 per publish the long-awaited report
very attractive dividend yield, back Revenues €1.9bn cent and data usage was up by 30 per by Dame Elizabeth Gloster into
then running at above 7 per cent. 100 Adjusted pre-tax profit €606m cent over the period. the Financial Conduct
Source: Refinitiv

Since then, though, the giant
telecoms group has won a long-
running $2 billion tax dispute in
India, made healthy progress hiving
off and listing its European masts
business, lopped about €4 billion
from its borrowings and reported a
credible set of annual and first-half
results.
And the shares? With the interim
dividend held firm and the yield still
strong, the stock — widely held by
retail investors — has been a relative
gainer, adding nearly 14 per cent in
an extremely difficult market.
Measured historically, though, the
share price is still very weak.
Based in Newbury, Berkshire,
Vodafone was created in 1982 as a
subsidiary of Racal Electronics. It has
grown into one of the world’s largest
telecoms groups, selling mobile,
broadband, landline and television
services in Europe and Africa. The
FTSE 100 company has a market
pennon
H1 earnings H1 dividends
17.9p a share 6.77p a share
2016 2017 2018 2019
ADVICE Buy
WHY Very low valuation for a
business being transformed
under new leadership
value of just over £32.6 billion and in
the year to the end of March made
an operating profit of €4.1 billion on
revenues of just under €45 billion.
It’s fair to say that the case for
buying into Vodafone centres, at least
in part, on Nick Read, 56, who
became its chief executive in late
2018. Having initially infuriated
shareholders by rebasing the
dividend amid billions in annual
could have it in cash off the next bill
or in free shares, but only 6 per cent
decided to take the latter. If that
figure sounds low, then Pennon
excuses it by stating that only 23 per
Net debt €44bn
50 H1 dividend 4.5 euro cents
2020
losses, he has reinvigorated the
group.
Most notably, as well as extricating
Vodafone from some of its non-
central markets, he has moved to
capitalise on its ownership of a vast
network of masts and towers in
Europe. Having separated the masts
assets division into a new business,
Vantage Towers, there are plans to
float it early next year. Analysts
reckon that the listing will value
Vantage Towers at between
€15 billion and €20 billion and will
provide Vodafone with a tidy sum of
money that will help to reduce its
debts still further.
Crucially, and despite the backdrop
of a global pandemic, Mr Read has
sitting on £2.7 billion in cash that
accounts for the majority of its
£4.5 billion stock market valuation.
Many investors would like the
cash back via a dividend, but Pennon
With the debt bill still high, at just Authority’s handling of the
under €44 billion, but reducing, it is £237 million London Capital &
encouraging that Vodafone held its Finance minibonds scandal
interim dividend at 4.5 cents a share, before Christmas. Dame
albeit at a rebased level that investors Elizabeth handed her report to
would prefer to see higher. the FCA this week and the
It is unfortunate for Mr Read that regulator will submit it to the
Vodafone’s share price is below where Treasury, along with its own
it was when he took office when he response to her findings. Both are
has made such strides in making it a expected to be published before
more attractive proposition. The parliament’s December recess.
shares were up 3½p, or 12.7 per cent,
at 125¼p yesterday, but have fallen by Testing time at Intertek
44 per cent over the past five years.
That does make them cheap, of Intertek said that it was on track
course. Using conventional measures, for a “resilient” year, with like-
the shares trade for just under 20 for-like revenues down 7 per cent
times earnings. However, using a in the first ten months. André
measure preferred by telecoms Lacroix, chief executive of the
analysts that strips out the effects of world’s largest tester of consumer
multiple one-off items and that goods, said that there had been a
valuation falls to between six and rebound in its assurance, testing,
seven times earnings. Frankly, either inspection and certification
way — and boosted by the yield — operations. Net debt will be lower
the shares look attractive. than last year’s at £570 million to
£590 million and he forecast
“sequential margin progress” in
price. So it might be a giant cash the second half. The shares fell
handover after all next year, a result 390p, or 6.4 per cent, to £56.82.
that some investors will cheer,
rather than an expansion in a water Greencore levels up
sector that is becoming increasingly

I
f, as the prime minister exhorts us
on a regular basis on various
issues, we were to rely on the
common sense of the great British
public, then we would not be buying
shares in Pennon (Robert Lea
writes).
In the autumn, the FTSE 100
owner of South West Water gave
away £20 million of operational
savings that it had made to its
customers in Cornwall, Devon and
parts of Somerset and Dorset, at
about £20 per household. They
cent of households in its region hold is working out whether it could contentious and tightly regulated. Greencore, the Irish sandwich
any shares at all— although that spend it on acquiring another Analysts reckon that fair value for maker, pushed through a
seems even worse, since it means regional water monopoly — Wessex Pennon shares starts with a “10”. £90 million equity-raising
that only about a quarter of South Water, its next-door neighbour, for Weakness in recent days taking the yesterday to shore up its balance
West Water customers who are au instance. Analysts reckon that it shares to a near-12 month low at sheet after its profits slumped by
fait with stock market investment could afford a £6 billion deal to 964¼p suggests that at present levels 81 per cent. The Dublin-based
fancied holding Pennon stock. acquire the much larger Southern Pennon is a buying opportunity. group said that UK restrictions
Perhaps the 94 per cent of South Water. designed to slow the spread of
West Water customers who turned At yesterday’s half-year results, Covid-19 had “hampered the
down the free shares got it wrong? Pennon gave no update on what it ADVICE Buy recovery in demand in food-to-go
After all, in the wake of the recent would do. That suggests the WHY Well-run company with a categories”. The company’s
blockbuster £4 billion sale of its opportunities might be too shares, placed at 112p, rose 5¼p, or
Viridor waste-recycling business and complicated to execute or that they big cash pile 4.4 per cent, to 124p. On Monday
having reduced its debt, Pennon is might not be available at the right it reported a fall in pre-tax profit
to £17 million.

PRICES
Major indices London Financial Futures Commodities
New York Zurich Period Open High Low Sett Vol Open Int ICIS pricing (London 7.30pm) Brent (9.00pm)
Dow Jones 30046.24 (+454.97) SMI Index 10491.59 (+27.19) Long Gilt Dec 20 134.87 135.21 134.77 134.93 519993 322526
MAR 21 133.91 134.29 133.85 134.02 283325 237672 Jan 47.86-47.85 Apr 47.80-47.78
Nasdaq Composite 12036.79 (+156.15) DJ EURO Stoxx 50 3507.98 (+44.94) Feb 47.79-47.78 May 47.85-47.80
3-Mth Sterling Dec 20 99.950 99.955 99.950 99.955 21248 487286
S&P 500 3635.41 (+57.82) Crude Oils ($/barrel FOB) Mar 47.78-47.76 Volume: 2104528
Mar 21 99.965 99.970 99.960 99.965 29224 711141
Jun 21 99.985 99.990 99.980 99.985 26536 852797
Tokyo Brent Physical 46.92 +1.86 LIFFE
London Sep 21 100.00 100.01 99.995 100.00 27192 568840 BFOE(Feb) 47.92 +1.80
Nikkei 225 26165.59 (+638.22) Dec 21 100.00 100.01 99.995 100.00 24628 476771
FTSE 100 6432.17 (+98.33) BFOE(Jan) 47.87 +1.74
3-Mth Euribor Dec 20 100.53 100.53 100.53 100.53 25613 481331 WTI(Feb) 44.91 +1.85 Cocoa
Hong Kong FTSE 250 19789.56 (+207.21)
Mar 21 100.54 100.54 100.53 100.54 48157 338113 WTI(Jan) 45.11 +1.83
Hang Seng 26588.20 (+102.00) FTSE 350 3661.79 (+52.78) Jun 21 100.54 100.55 100.54 100.54 32818 369002 Dec 1892-1882 Mar 1715-1597
FTSE Eurotop 100 2859.69 (+34.61) Mar 1856-1848 May 1719-1715
Sep 21 100.55 100.55 100.54 100.55 43551 337353 May 1794-1787 Jul 1640-1630
Amsterdam Products ($/MT)
FTSE All-Shares 3633.35 (+51.07) DEC 21 100.55 100.56 100.55 100.55 41510 374497 Jul 1766-1750
AEX Index 607.46 (+6.09) 3-Mth Euroswiss Dec 20 100.77 100.78 100.77 100.78 918 50647 Sep 1730-1720
FTSE Non Financials 4344.92 (+55.38)
Mar 21 100.77 100.78 100.77 100.78 4418 42031 Spot CIF NW Europe (prompt delivery) Dec 1715-1563 Volume: 95972
Sydney techMARK 100 5957.78 (+51.01)
Jun 21 100.78 100.79 100.77 100.78 4081 26260
AO 6855.50 (+83.50) Bargains n/a Sep 21 100.77 100.78 100.77 100.78 1663 19662 Premium Unld 375.00 376.00 +17.00 RobustaCoffee
US$ 1.3350 (+0.0023) FTSE100 Dec 20 6363.0 6434.5 6351.5 6411.0 105582 764281 Gasoil EEC 386.75 388.75 +17.50
Frankfurt 3.5 Fuel Oil 266.00 267.00 +10.25 Nov 1472-1360 Jul 1402-1375
Euro 1.1244 (-0.0004) MAR 21 6346.0 6390.0 6346.0 6370.5 22 5290
DAX 13292.44 (+165.47) FTSEurofirst 80 Dec 20 4796.0 Naphtha 399.00 403.00 +17.00 Jan 1349-1348 Sep 1408-1350
£:SDR 0.98 (+0.00) Mar 1363-1361
MAR 21 4780.0
Singapore Exchange Index 78.83 (0.29) May 1375-1373 Volume: 15161
Straits 2891.63 (+42.85) Bank of England official close (4pm) ICE Futures
CPI 109.05 Oct (2015 = 100) © 2019 Tradeweb Markets LLC. All rights reserved. White Sugar (FOB)
Brussels The Tradeweb FTSE Gilt Closing Prices information contained
RPI 294.30 Oct (Jan 1987 = 100) Gas Oil Reuters Oct 385.70-382.00
BEL20 3724.22 (+110.08) herein is proprietary to Tradeweb; may not be copied or
RPIX 290.10 Jun (Jan 1987 = 100) re-distributed; is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely; and does not constitute Dec 385.00-372.70
Dec 387.00-386.75 Mar 397.00-396.75 Mar 410.00-409.50 Mar 387.80-375.80
Paris Morningstar Long Commodity 514.08 (+2.87) investment advice. Tradeweb is not responsible for any loss or damage that might result Jan 390.25-389.75 Apr 399.25-399.00 May 402.40-400.30 May 384.20-364.20
CAC-40 5558.42 (+66.27) Morningstar Long/Short Commod 3784.94 (-9.09) from the use of this information. Feb 394.00-393.75 Volume: 720443 Aug 393.10-388.70 Volume: 49282
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 2GM 57

Markets Business
ALEX TAI/SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES

Covid clouds lift for travel

stocks in ‘reopening trade’
Tom Howard Market report

T
hose businesses hit hardest
by the pandemic finally insurance
enjoyed their day in the sun
as the “reopening trade”
gathered pace. Over the past
couple of weeks, largely thanks to
Sale talks take flight at Phoenix
scientists developing not one but

P
three likely coronavirus vaccines, hoenix Group is £400 million and
investors have started to look beyond exploring a sale £500 million, “with
the virus and to position their of its life some potential upside
portfolios for when things start insurance business in as Phoenix is not a
returning to normal. The rotation Europe that could forced seller”. While
stepped up a notch yesterday, with fetch £500 million the business has
London’s army of battered travel, (Ben Martin writes). about £26 billion of
meant that Tiffany & year. Tiffany is being leisure, energy and banking stocks The FTSE 100 assets, accounting for
China sales Co beat Wall Street’s bought by LVMH after — all of which stand to benefit from insurer said yesterday about 12 per cent of
expectations for the two companies any easing of restrictions — flying that it had received the group’s total, the
help Tiffany quarterly profit ended a bitter legal higher. expressions of interest division contributes
yesterday (Robert battle last month and Airlines and travel groups were for the division and Citigroup analysts said 5 per cent of
profits shine Miller writes). agreed a deal under given a push by confirmation that was “assessing a range the division could be operating profits, they
The American which the French from the middle of next month of strategic options to worth £500 million said.

A
rise in sales of jeweller’s third-quarter luxury goods group maximise value for Phoenix confirmed
more than 70 per profit rose to will pay a slightly lower shareholders”. well as about 10,000 the potential sale
cent in China $119 million, compared price of $15.8 billion, a Wall Street report Phoenix’s European policies in Sweden, after Bloomberg
and a recovery in with $78.4 million in discount of operations are Norway and reported that a deal
demand at home the same period last $425 million. The Dow Jones industrial average focused mainly on the Germany. It also might be in the offing.
clocked its fastest 10,000-point rise Irish and German life includes a British Its shares closed down
to cross 30,000 for the first time, businesses that it took offshore funds unit. 2p, or 0.3 per cent, at
Results in brief despite rising coronavirus cases and on when it bought Analysts at 782¼p yesterday. The
Name Pre-tax figure Dividend lockdowns that have left millions Standard Life Citigroup estimated group has a stock
Profit (+) loss (-) jobless. The index rose 454.97 Aberdeen’s insurance that the division could market value of about
AO World (retail HY) £18.3m (-£5.9m) nil points, or 1.5 per cent, to 30,046.24. division in 2018, as be worth between £7.8 billion.
Appreciate (consumer HY) -£6.2m (-£1.3m) 0.4p p Apr 6
CML Microsystems (technology HY) £0.8m (£0.9m) 2p Dec 18
Compass (services FY) £210m (£1.5bn) nil people arriving in England from 11.4 per cent, higher to 174½p in the in first-half sales. Games Workshop,
Cranswick (consumer HY) £53.7m (£47.4m) 18.7p p Jan 29 Covid hotspots will have to hope that the improving outlook the Warhammer figurine maker, fell
Eckoh (technology HY) £2.5m (£2.6m) nil quarantine for five days, rather than would boost demand for its services, 390p, or 4 per cent, to £94.55 and
Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas (resources HY) -$1.5m (-$18.4m) nil the present fourteen, if they test which include building and looking Ocado, the online grocer, lost 101p, or
IG Design (consumer HY) $17.1m ($20.5m) 3p TBC
negative for the virus on the fifth day. after gas and oilrigs. 4.5 per cent, to £21.43.
Intercede (technology HY) £3,000 (-£0.3m)) nil
Marechale Capital (finance HY) -£63,439 (-£63,960) nil Industry leaders had been battling for Banks, among the year’s worst Other developments also brought
Pennon (utilities HY) £61.9m (£119.4m) 6.77p p Apr 1 months to cut the self-isolation performers, rose amid hopes that a some much-needed clarity to the
Pets at Home (consumer HY) £38.9m (£34m) 2.5p p Jan 8 period, which they argued was further return to normality would fire up the outlook for 2021. President Trump
Record (finance HY) £2.6m (£3.2m) 1.15p p Dec 31 crippling an already struggling sector. economy. Lloyds, the nation’s biggest essentially admitted defeat, paving
Severfield (engineering HY) £6.6m (£8.2m) 1.1 p Jan 8 Tui, the tour holiday operator, mortgage lender, improved 2¼p, or the way for a smoother transition in
Ten Lifestyle (leisure FY) -£5.9m (-£7.3m) nil jumped 74¾p, or 15.9 per cent, to 6.2 per cent, to 39½p and Barclays put the White House to Joe Biden than
Treatt (consumer FY) £13.7m (£12.6m) 6p f 4.16p p Mar 18 546½p; Carnival, the P&O Cruises on 10p, or 7.1 per cent, to 150¼p — its some in the market had feared, while
Trifast (industrials HY) £2.7m (£7.9m) nil owner, rose 127p, or 10.5 per cent, to highest level since the days before progress appeared to be being made
UDG Healthcare (health FY) $108.2m ($74.3m) 17 cents f 12.54 cents p Feb 5
6 Results in brief are given for all companies valued at more than £30 million. f = final p = payable
£13.33; and Easyjet, the budget airline, February’s stock market crash. with Brexit talks. JP Morgan
ascended 60½p, or 7.8 per cent, to Those moves helped the FTSE 100 reckoned that there was an 80 per
The day’s biggest movers 840p. to rack up a gain of 98.33 points, or cent chance that a deal would be
London’s oil stocks also flowed 1.6 per cent, to 6,432.17, its highest hashed out before the end of the year.
Company Change higher, as prices of the black stuff hit since the start of June. A tier below, Eddie Stobart Logistics, which
Tui Travel shares boosted by cut to quarantine period 15.9% their highest price since early March, the FTSE 250 put on 207.21 points, or owns 49 per cent of the eponymous
SSP Benefits from “reopening trade” 13.6% with traders betting that the 1.1 per cent, to 19,789.56. haulier, enjoyed the kind of
Micro Focus On track for its best month ever 12.5% impending arrival of vaccinations will Investors were dumping stocks that rollercoaster session you only get on
Wood Group Energy shares track oil prices higher 11.8% lead to a swift recovery in demand had seen them through the worst of Aim, London’s junior market. The
Petrofac Better outlook for oil market bodes well for new contract wins 11.4% next year. BP shares gained 21¼p, or the pandemic. AO World, the online shares were up 25 per cent at one
Diploma Falls sharply for second day in a row -5.3%
Intertek Trading update disappoints -6.4%
8.4 per cent, to 274¾p, their highest seller of fridges and dishwashers that point before the company came out
JD Sports Market not happy with Debenhams takeover talk -6.5% since March, while Royal Dutch has quadrupled in value this year, fell to say it wasn’t sure why they had
Homeserve Fears that it might drop out of FTSE 100 at next review -7.2% Shell improved 73½p, or 5.9 per cent, by 41½p, or 9.9 per cent, to 378p, risen so much. It ended the session
AO World Investors dump pandemic winners -9.9% to £13.26. Petrofac zipped 17¾p, or despite announcing a 54 per cent leap down ¼p, or 1.9 per cent, at 10¼p.

Gold/Precious Money rates % Dollar rates Exchange rates

London Grain Futures
LIFFE Wheat (close £/t)
metals (US dollars per ounce) Australia
Canada
1.3614-1.3616
1.3022-1.3022
Bank sells Bank buys
Halifax Mortgage Rate 3.74 Australia $ 1.713 1.970
Jan 192.50 Mar unq May 193.75 Bullion: Open $1835.00 Denmark 6.2712-6.2717
Canada $ 1.616 1.859
Jul 196.00 Nov 160.50 Volume: 765 Euro 0.8427-0.8428
Close $1803.75-1804.20 High $1835.80 Denmark Kr 7.757 8.848
Hong Kong 7.7512-7.7517
London Metal Exchange Egypt n/a n/a
Low $1801.28 Japan 104.65-104.65
Treasury Bills (Dis) Buy: 1 mth -0.041; 3 mth -0.100. Sell: 1 mth -0.080; 3 mth -0.120 Euro ¤ 1.056 1.207
(Official) AM $1812.50 PM $1805.08 Malaysia 4.0850-4.0900
Hong Kong $ 9.585 10.898
Norway 8.9303-8.9353
Krugerrand $1785.00-1881.00 (£1338.55- Hungary 359.058 436.425
Cash 3mth Dec 21 Singapore 1.3429-1.3431
1410.54) Indonesia 17253.500 21630.300
1 mth 2 mth 3 mth 6 mth 12 mth Sweden 8.5713-8.5743
Israel Shk 4.135 4.847
Copper Gde A ($/tonne) Platinum $963.00 (£722.14) Switzerland 0.9126-0.9127
Japan Yen 127.068 146.722
Interbank Rates 0.0380 0.0428 0.0459 0.0639 0.1349
7302.0-7302.0 7314.0-7314.0 7316.0-7316.0 Silver $23.24 (£17.42) New Zealand $ 1.833 2.166
Palladium $2362.16 (£1771.36) Eurodollar Deps 0.06-0.26 0.07-0.27 0.08-0.28 0.12-0.32 0.19-0.39 Other Sterling Norway Kr 11.281 13.052
Lead ($/tonne) Poland 4.525 5.522
Argentina peso 107.58-107.59 Russia 90.714 108.937
2006.0-2006.0 2021.0-2021.0 2052.0-2052.0 European money Sterling spot and forward rates Australia dollar 1.8154-1.8157 S Africa Rd 19.386 22.892
Zinc Spec Hi Gde ($/tonne) deposits % Mkt Rates for Range Close 1 month 3 month
Bahrain dinar
Brazil real
0.4994-0.5061
7.1940-7.1980
Sweden Kr
Switzerland Fr
10.789
1.123
12.134
1.303
2745.0-2745.0 2756.0-2756.0 2772.5-2772.5 Copenhagen 8.3506-8.3876 8.3622-8.3634 42ds 138ds Euro 1.1237-1.1238 Turkey Lira 10.625 12.418
Currency
Euro 1.1273-1.1222 1.1237-1.1237 5pr 14pr Hong Kong dollar 10.336-10.337 USA $ 1.252 1.426
Alum Hi Gde ($/tonne) 1mth 3mth 6mth 12mth Rates for banknotes and traveller's cheques as
Montreal 1.7359-1.7433 1.7363-1.7366 1pr 6pr India rupee 98.700-98.686
1964.5-1964.5 1981.0-1981.0 2005.0-2005.0 Dollar Indonesia rupiah 18850-18895 traded by Royal Bank of Scotland plc yesterday
New York 1.3295-1.3379 1.3334-1.3335 2pr 10pr
0.13 0.20 0.29 0.55 Kuwait dinar KD 0.4080-0.4102
Nickel ($/tonne) Oslo 11.898-12.038 11.911-11.915 15pr 73pr
Sterling Malaysia ringgit 5.4551-5.4617
Stockholm 11.415-11.504 11.430-11.434 23ds 79ds
16007.0-16007.0 16068.0-16068.0 16200.0-16200.0 New Zealand dollar 1.9137-1.9142 Data as shown is
0.04 0.05 0.06 0.13 Tokyo 139.13-139.82 139.53-139.55 3ds 10ds Singapore dollar 1.7906-1.7910 for information
Tin ($/tonne) 15mth Euro Zurich 1.2138-1.2192 1.2169-1.2171 9ds 27ds S Africa rand 20.298-20.311 purposes only. No offer is made by
18681.0-18681.0 18688.0-18688.0 18524.0-18524.0 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.50 Premium = pr Discount = ds U A E dirham 4.9035-4.9038 Morningstar or this publication
558 1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

Business Equity prices

Dividend yields Please note dividend yields are 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price
supplied by Morningstar. The yield is the sum of a High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E

company’s trailing 12-month dividend payments 1450 700 Liontrust 1440 + 50 2.0 60.3 878W 364X Barratt Devs 644O – 4 3.0 16.5 165K 126V Primary Hlth 142O – O 5.0 19.3 2050 1150 Braime Groupv 2050 … 0.5 34.6
divided by the last month’s ending share price 50 33X Livermore Invsv 37 + 2K 7.5 -2.6 4310 1879 Bellway 3072 – 21 4.9 7.2 51O 23O Raven Property 26W … … -8.8 425 260 Caffyns 295 … 7.6 …

67N 23Y Lloyds Bkg Gp 39K + 2N 2.8 98.7 5474 3131 Berkeley 4775 – 40 2.5 15.2 136 82 Raven Property Gr‡ 113K … … … 5K 1O Cap XX Ldv 5 – V … …

12 month Price 12 month Price 55K 22X LMS Capital 30Y + V … -2.6 1240 697K Big Yellow Group 1154 + 2 2.9 20.7 105 65 Raven R CNV Pref‡ 85K … … … 440 281 Castings 357 – 5 4.1 15.4
High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E 137K 46 RDI REIT 93 – 2 10.7 -3.9
2 W Location Sciencesv W … … -1.0 445 242 Billington Hldgsv 293 … … 11.2 38K 9O Chamberlinv 9O + N … -0.1
56K 27 Real Estate Invsv 36K … 9.2 … 56K 24 Checkitv 53K + 2 … -4.7
9216 5806 Lond Stk Ex Gp 7616 – 268 0.9 67.7 342 185 Boot (Henry) 250 – 12 2.0 13.8
348 227N Direct Line Ins 307 + 3 2.3 11.0
Automobiles & parts 72 52 Downing ONE VCT 52K … 7.6 -2.9 251W 93X M&G 200Y + 5O 5.9 4.7 99Y 63 Breedon Groupv 82K – 1W … 43.2
848 313V Redrow 547K – 4 3.7 16.6 729 432K Cohortv 601 + 4 1.5 25.8
867 501K Safestore 794 – 12K 2.2 8.9
1 W Drumzv K … … -1.4 162W 96W Man 121W + 3K 6.5 9.8 638O 313O Br Land 489N + 15 4.8 -4.4 95K 58 Croma Securityv‡ 64K + K 1.7 …
202N 30X Aston Martin Lagonda 77K + K … -3.0 1258 651 Savills 976 + 1K 0.5 19.4
166W 93 EFG-Hermes Hldg 119 + 6X … 8.1 10N 6N Manx Finv 9N … … 5.9 205 110 Caledonian Tstv 135 – 5 … 8.3 1155 775 Dewhurstv 1130 … 1.1 34.8
8O 5O Secure Propertyv 6K … … -4.4
250 127K EPE Special Oppsv 250 … … 4.1 340 160 Dialight 256 – 9 … -5.2
1Y X Marechale Capv Y … … … 267 99 Cap & Count Prop 136W + 2V 1.1 -2.3
Banking & finance 830 522Y FBD 626X + 4W … 4.3
9033K 5799O Marsh McLn 8609X + 128O 1.7 26.8 293 34Y Cap & Regnl 57 + Y 36.8 -0.2
987K 659W Segro 907V + 10V 2.2 14.7
2260O 919O Electrolux 'B' 1785V – 16K 2.0 23.8
68 59 Fiskev 65 … … … 124W 16O SIG 35 + 1V 3.4 -0.8
1K N Feedbackv 1V … … -5.3
37K 12K 1PMv 22O + 1K 2.4 13.0 50K 20 Frenkel Toppingv 43 … 4.6 42.1 857K 550 Mattioli Woodsv 740 + 15 2.8 19.7 1775 1700 Cardiff Prop 1725 … 0.9 13.4
55K 23K SigmaRocv 54O + 1K … 44.5
2944 1887 Admiral 2835 – 41 3.4 16.8 1460 670 Gooch Hsegov 1200 + 60 0.9 64.2
975 345 Georgia Capital 463K + 9 … 5.2 28 7O Metal Tigerv 23 – O … -0.4 43 21 Carecapitalv 31 + 1 … -3.7 124K 108K Smart (J) 113K … 2.8 8.1
23K 12 ADVFNv 15K … … -6.6 3620 1810 Goodwin 3380 – 105 2.8 32.7
5W 1O GLI Financev 2N … … -0.6 229 58 Metro Bank 128 + 8 … -0.4 137 73 Clarke T 94 + K 4.6 14.2 530 300 St Modwen Prp 374 – 3K 0.9 -7.7
457 246 AJ Bell 405 – 13 1.1 48.6
152O 102 Greencoat UK Wind‡ 129V – 1W 5.4 32.7 2532 1667 Halma 2243 – 33 0.7 46.1
218 90 Amryt Pharmav 201 – 2 … -3.2 1507 763V Nat Aust Bk 1282W + 32W 6.3 23.2 312K 160 CLS Hldgs 218 + 2 3.3 10.0 37 19 Steppe Cementv 32 … … 8.0
17955Y 11002 Aon Corpn 15674K + 463 0.9 25.7 790 470 Gresham Housev 787K + 7K 0.5 … 1510 901 Hill & Smith 1364 + 16 0.7 29.1
261 93N NWG 166V + 8 1.2 50.3 540K 269 Countryside Prop 441W + W 3.6 13.5 236V 99V Taylor Wimpey 164K – 3 2.3 13.4
64K 24 Appreciate Groupv 29N … 7.3 9.9 1355 865 Gresh Hse Stratv 1200 … 1.7 -6.8 45 31K Holders Techv 37K … 1.3 37.5
1350 607K Arbuthnot Bkgv 672K + 10 2.3 26.3 345 167 Numisv 345 + 5 3.4 40.1 355O 42 Countrywide 222X – 7N … -1.9 232 81K Town Centre 110 + 3 10.6 -2.4
102Y 68W Gulf Invest 102Y + 3 2.3 …
3W 1V Image Scanv 1Y – V … …
4N 1N Arc Mineralsv 3N … … -4.5 452 190 Onesavings Bank 409W + 7 1.2 9.6 400O 36X Craven Housev 36X – 2N … -0.6 1720 650 Travis Perkins 1352K + 18 1.1 …
385 198 H&T Groupv 275 – 5 1.7 7.0
18 2K Arden Partnersv 13K – 1 … -1.4 1206 674O IMI 1175 + 75 1.2 20.8
48 23X Hansard Global 36K … 12.1 11.4 V … Origo Partnersv V … 54.2 … 3107 1574 CRH 3107 + 158 2.3 18.4 166X 85Y Tritax Big Box REIT 164 … 4.0 15.9
25 15 Argo Groupv 18K … … … V … Inspirit Energyv … … … -8.8
2073 1158 Hargreaves L 1500 + 20 2.3 22.7 1088 446K PayPoint 618 + 13 7.6 9.3 4282 2360 Derwent London 3198 + 16 2.2 25.2 311 134 Tyman 311 + 8K 1.2 27.3
570 307V Ashmore Gp‡ 436O + 17W 3.8 17.0
137Y 82O Helios Underv 119 … 1.2 5.9 6020 3400 Judges Scientificv 5440 … 0.9 36.8
1497O 775N Aus New Z 1262X + 37Y 6.2 16.0 1339 634K Unite Group 1022 – 17 1.0 -9.7
37 13K PCF Groupv 24 … 1.6 10.4 4N 2 Dolphin Capitalv 3V … … 3.9
428 211 Aviva 337O + 13V 2.8 6.1 1439 666W Hiscox 1108K + K 1.0 … 375 191O Urban&Civic plc 343 + K 1.1 11.1 116 59 LPAv 89 … 1.2 32.0
333V 138O Banco Santander 223X + 12X 4.0 -5.0 803 467W Phoenix Gp 782V – 2 5.9 10.6 O … EQTECv K … … …
600V 283N HSBC 399X + 15X 1.9 … 1478 510 Vistry Group 873K + 11K 2.2 16.1 697W 217 Meggitt 425K + 26 1.3 …
1818 735 Bank of Georgia 1250 + 10 … 7.3 V … Plutus PowerGenv … … … -0.2 48 22K First Propv 37 + K 4.5 8.6
864K 563W IG Group 802 – 12K 5.3 12.3 248K 74N Melrose 163V + 2N 1.0 …
192W 80V Barclays 150V + 10 … 13.0 122 70V Warehouse REITv 122 + 2 4.9 14.1
592 191 Impaxv 570 – 18 0.9 52.7 491K 144V Provident 299W – V 3.0 20.9 45 25 Fletcher Kingv 37K … 4.6 96.1
606K 293W Beazley 384 + 11K 3.2 30.0 1307 482W Workspace Grp 729K + 15K 4.6 18.3 324O 178O Morgan Advanced‡ 289 + 7 1.3 …
V … Blue Star Capitalv V … … … 1877 559K Intermed Cap 1764 + 57 2.8 46.1 1506 710O Prudential 1257 – 8 2.9 30.9 95 31K Foxtons Group 41K + X … …
625 572K Wynnstay Propsv 575 … 3.3 … 420 168 Mpac PLCv 420 + 32K … 18.4
273 142K BP Marsh&Ptnrsv 244 … 0.9 6.5 179O 32K IPF 95K + 3K 4.8 -8.3 3O 1V Quadrise Fuels Intlv 2 + N … -4.5 886 70 Galliford Try 119 + 4K 29.3 -4.0
66 7 Braveheart Invv 38K – 3K 1.3 … 195 107K MS Intlv 122K … 6.7 -8.1
176K 128V Intl Public Pntshp 170 + W 4.2 29.6
174X 97K Quilter PLC 140K + 2Y 3.7 46.8 990 518 Gleeson (MJ) 666 – 26 5.1 14.2
375V
61K
138W Brewin Dolphin
20K Catena Groupv#
292K +
59 –
6 5.6 18.7
2K … …
356 127 Investec 198K + 12O 12.3 11.4
187 107K Randall & Quilterv 185 + K 1.7 74.3 990 371 Grafton Gp Uts 892K + 28 0.7 23.5
Consumer goods 159 64K Northbrdg Indv 77K + 1 … -2.7

355 252 Investment Co‡ 291 … 4.2 … 2080 955 Oxford Inst 1932 + 52 0.5 34.9
65 31K Cenkos Secsv 53 + 1K 5.6 29.7
90 43 IP Group 90 + 3K … … 2150 1230 Rathbone Brs 1534 – 2 4.5 26.2 338 207W Grainger 290K – 5V 1.7 16.9
345 203 Charles Stanley 278 … 3.2 10.1 8 3O Agriterrav 6 … … -0.5 4094X 2646O Philips El nv 3794K – 47K … 38.2
338K 215 Chesnara 278K – 8 7.6 23.2 215 89O Jarvis Securitiesv‡ 200 … 3.9 17.8 676O 326Y RSA Ins‡ 676V + V 1.1 22.0 966 543 Gr Portland‡ 656W – 6 1.9 32.8 8 3O PipeHawkv 7N … … 5.7
46 19K Aireav 28 + 1 2.8 17.5
140 64 City of Lon Gpv 91K … … -3.7 418Y 164X Jupiter Fund Mgmt 260O + 2O 6.5 14.1 2500 1430 S & U 1800 + 60 6.6 10.9 128X 15 Hammerson‡ 24 + O 21.0 -0.3
652 336 Anglo-Eastern 652 + 16 … 11.3 143K 58 Pressure Techv 65 + 1K … -6.7
474 275 City Lon Inv Gp 435 – 5K 6.4 14.7 87 41X Just Group 60V + O … 1.4
57W 28X Schroder REIT 38V + N 7.1 -6.0 156 86O Harworth Gp 104K … 0.2 65.3 197K 150 Animalcarev 187K + 5 1.0 … 5905 2276 Renishaw 5580 + 80 0.8 …
N … Clear Leisurev N … … -0.9
850 528 Lancashire Hdgs 748K – 1 1.6 35.5
1663 926K Close Bros‡ 1395 – 1 3.1 19.2 3443 2098 Schroders 3160 + 112 3.6 19.4 320 200 Heath (Samuel)v 320 … 3.8 7.5 2708 1607K AB Foods 2128 + 109 2.1 23.8 18O 4K Renoldv 13K … … 9.0
17K 9K Leeds Groupv 16K … … -1.6
422 121V CMC Markets 422 … 0.8 14.1
318W 138K Legal & Gen 271Y + 11O 6.4 13.2 2635 1478 Schroders N/V 2075 + 25 5.4 12.7 526 243 Helical Bar 392 + 4 2.6 12.3 149K 48K Bakkavor Group 79 – 1 2.5 18.8 254X 38Y Rolls-Royce 115O + 8O 1.3 -1.1
604W 258V Commerzbk 486V + 20N … 52.7
913X 436V Deutsche Bk 855N + 31 … … 58385O 321 Liberty Group 321 + 2Y 10.3 … 1675 562 Secure Trust Bk 890 + 22 2.2 8.1 947K 610 Highcroft Invs 670 + 5 7.1 … 627 372K Barr (AG) 523 + 1 0.7 28.0 2 1V Ross Gp 1N … … 1.9
22N 3 Bidstack Groupv 5N … … -2.0 341 191N Rotork 318 + 6K 0.7 30.0
3507 2382 Brit Amer Tob 2685K – 25 5.7 9.7
Investment companies 990K 601 Britvic 824K – 12 3.6 25.9
91X 36N SDI Groupv 87K + 2 … 34.1

190W 42O Senior 73O + 3X 3.0 -3.0

12 month Price Yld Dis(-) 12 month Price Yld Dis(-) 2329 1085 Burberry Grp 1684K + 20K 2.5 56.5 93 51O Severfield 67 – 1O 4.3 10.0
High Low Company (p) +/- % or Pm High Low Company (p) +/- % or Pm 410K 145 C&C Grp 220K + 3 2.2 …
18Y 7N Six Hundredv 8N – V 9.0 2.7
160 88 Carr's Grp 125K + 1K 3.7 9.0
1874N 1011N SKF B 1874N + 81V 1.3 25.9
1186 529O 3I Group 1081 – 8 3.9 20.3 190N 104 IPST UK Eq 158 … 4.7 -1.8
430 190 Character Grpv 384K – 5K 6.7 12.0
317O 184Y 3i Infrastructure 304K + K 3.6 17.1 78 38K IP Enhanced Inc 70V + V 7.0 -5.9 300 65 Slingsby (HC)v 250 … … 0.9
116 66V Abrdn Div I&G 95 … 4.6 -16.4 640 285V IP UKSmallerCos 495K + 6K 2.0 -8.6 2020 722K Churchill Chinav 1245 + 17K 0.8 25.9
1769K 814K Smiths 1546 – 2 2.0 94.8
1547X 608N Aberforth Smlr 1216 + 48 3.6 -6.6 573 328K JPM American 571 + 11 1.2 -4.5
2883 1494 Coca Cola HBC 2224 + 3 2.5 21.4
895 536 Alliance 886 + 12 1.6 -4.9 476 272 JPM Asia 473 + 3 3.6 1.1 675 245 Solid Statev 605 + 5 2.2 15.3
500W 302K Asia Dragon Trv 495 + 11 0.9 -11.7 80O 35 JPM Brazil 66K – N … -10.2 435 315 Colefaxv 415 … 0.6 19.3
302K 152 Somero Enterv 287 + 7 1.6 10.7
247 141 Athelney Trust 185 … 4.7 -25.5 674 284K JPM Chinese 644 + 7 2.6 1.3
4076 2922 Cranswick 3634 + 10 1.5 22.9
816Y 493 AVI Global Trust 811 + 4 2.4 -8.7 798 446 JPM Claverhs 592 – 6 5.3 -4.2 3005 2132 Spectris 2672 + 10 0.8 14.3
616O 384Y Baillie Gifford Chi Gr Tr520 – 26 1.6 23.5 106 99 JPM Elect Mg C 102K … 0.3 -0.9 185V 126V Devro 155 – 2W 1.7 -6.2
11915 7710 Spirax-Sarco 10965 – 550 1.0 48.2
1420 594 Baillie Gifford Euro Gr1330 – 15 1.7 3.6 929O 565V JPM Elect Mg G 882K + 5 2.0 -5.7 3281 2200 Diageo 2903 – 15K 2.4 48.4
1010 514 Baillie Gifford Jpn Tr 1004 + 15 0.3 2.3 114 64 JPM Elect Mg I 89 + 2 5.8 -6.4 54 14 Surface Trsfmsv 48 … … …
274K 105 Baillie Gifford SN 257 + 3K … 6.8 128 72X JPM Em Mkts 125V + K 1.1 -4.8 1K X Distil PLCv 1K … … 17.7
359 231 Thorpe FWv‡ 329 – 1 1.6 28.8
216 111 Baillie Gifford UK Gr 212 … 1.6 1.6 305 170Y JPM Eur IT Gth 286K + K 1.7 -13.8 1V N Equat Palm Oilv# O … … -0.3
1089 689 Bankers 1070 + 6 2.2 1.6 166 78O JPM Eur IT Inc 127 + 2 5.0 -13.6 8X 4 TP Groupv 6V + N … …
1950 1460 BH Global 1855 + 5 … -1.5 455 209 JPM Euro Smlr 450 … 1.5 -9.4 104 51V Finsbury Foodv 76W + 2X 4.5 10.1
88K 42K Transense Techv 52 … … -7.7
3729 2530 BH Macro 3540 + 20 … 9.0 141K 82 JPM GEMI 134 + 2O 3.9 -8.1 11460 3590 Games Workshop 9455 – 390 1.5 43.4
1518 648 Biotech Growth 1458 – 32 … 2.1 391 218 JPM GG&I 381 … 3.9 2.7 14 5N Tricornv 5N – N 3.6 -3.3
1025N 687X Glanbia 860W – Y 2.8 18.4
72K 36V BlckRck Com Inc 69 – N 5.9 -13.2 766 398 JPM Indian 641 + 7 … -16.7
2490 1515 Ultra Electrncs 2172 – 84 0.6 22.7
136 77W BlckRck Fro Inv 108 – 1K 5.8 -5.2 552 275 JPM Jap Sml Co 532 … 3.3 -5.5 281O 89V Greencore 124 + 5V 5.0 9.5
507Y 271V BlckRck Grt Euro 498 + 12 1.3 -2.7 723 323 JPM Japan# 692 + 11 0.7 -1.7 510K 302V Vesuvius‡ 487 + 18K 1.2 26.1
560 237 Headlam 358 – 5 2.1 …
214 117 BlckRck Inc & Gwth 189K + 1K 4.5 0.4 1430 598 JPM Mid Cap 1110 + 37K 2.8 -9.4
50 10 Hidong Estate 50 … … 9.3 1190 524 Vitec 812 – 24 1.5 …
509V 250 BlckRck Latin Am 357 + 7K 5.9 -10.7 107 63 JPM Mlti-Ass 87K … 4.4 -12.6
196K 106K BlckRck N Amer Inc 164O + 1O 5.1 -7.2 804 404 JPM Russian 600 + 2 5.8 -11.6 1332 780 Hilton Food‡ 1140 … 1.8 25.3 281 80 Volexv‡ 281 – 14 0.3 36.6
1806 770 BlckRck Smlr 1492 + 16 2.3 -5.0 325Y 126 JPM Smllr Co 310 … 3.7 -4.8
71K 26 Hornbyv 66 – 1 … … 1770 666V Weir 1770 + 81K 0.9 …
724 315K BlckRck Throgmorton 700 – 2 1.6 2.2 392 191N JPM US Sml 388 + 10 0.7 -0.4
446 208K BlckRck Wld Min 445K + 3 5.0 -5.5 308K 148 Jupiter UK Gro Inv 212 + 7 … -6.3 2045K 1219 Imperial Brands 1506K + 28K 13.7 16.6 4730 2130 XP Power 4690 + 140 0.8 50.2
39N 19 Blue Plan Int Fn# 21K … 8.0 -25.3 1200 644 Jupiter US Smlr 1100 – 2K … -10.1
X N J Lewis Hfordv K … … -3.1 250 82K Zytronicv 130 + 5 17.5 10.9
358 181K BMO Cap&Inc 285 … 4.8 -1.9 364 161 Keystone IT 286 – 1 4.0 -15.2
120O 43K BMO Comm Prop 73W + 2N 2.7 -38.9 656 366 Law Debenture 621 + 8 4.7 -0.8 11246W 8282K Kerry Gp 10266N – 62V 0.7 37.0
150 76X BMO Glbl Smaller 137V – W 1.2 -7.0 1489X 696 Lowland 1140 – 2K 6.0 -3.3
415N 219 BMO Priv Eq Ord 314 – 4 4.1 -17.3 268 134 Majedie 219 + 2 4.7 -17.1
88K 56V McBride 62W + 1W … 16.8 Health
89O 38X BMO Real Estate 58O – 1 3.9 -36.9 369K 232 M Currie Port 355 – 2K 1.2 1.4 312K 125K Mulberry Groupv 238 – 14 2.1 -3.2
103 57 BMO UK HIT 87 … 6.5 -8.4 119O 71 Marwyn Val In 115 … … -26.8
1700 910 Nicholsv 1120 + 30 1.1 23.4 1561 1016 Abcamv 1394 + 1 0.8 66.3
103 56 BMO UK HIT B 88 … … -7.4 279 116X Mercantile IT 234 + 2 3.1 -2.1
406 224 BMO UK HIT UNIT 342 … 4.8 -10.0 569 293 Merchants 432 + 10K 7.7 0.2 305 120 Norcros 193 + 2 4.5 14.3 307K 192 AdvancedMedicalv 240 – 15K 0.6 37.8
926 550 Brunner 846 + 1 2.3 -12.7 710 420 Mid Wynd 682 … 0.9 2.0 132K 67 Sigma Capv 130K + 1 1.5 15.9 440V 263Y HK Land 318Y – 2N 5.5 -4.5
372Y 189 Origin Entsv 324W … 5.9 23.1 21 7W Allergy Therapv 16K … … 13.3
3195 1920 Caledonia Inv 2940 + 50 1.7 -17.7 1290 618 Monks Inv Tst 1248 + 10 0.2 1.9 1199K 660 St James Place 1056K – 9K 3.6 20.3
322V 143 Ibstock 204K + 4 1.5 …
199K 118 City Merch Hi Yld 188 – 2 5.4 -0.1 1526K 645 Montanaro Eur Sml 1485 + 2K 0.6 2.5 73 37 Pittardsv 47K … … -3.0
738K 336O Stand Chart 470 + 20 1.2 13.0 87K 57V Allnce Pharmav 73Y – 1 0.7 35.3
448K 269 City of Lon IT 361K + 4K 6.2 3.5 945N 552 Murray Income Trust 854 … 6.2 2.5 570 365 James Halsteadv‡ 457 – 1 2.6 27.7 838K 239K Portmeirionv 495 + 30 1.6 15.6
166K 50O Crystal Amber Fd 93K + 2 2.2 -16.8 1288 760 Murray Int 1108 + 26 5.6 -0.6 336Y 174 Strd Life Aber 279N + 8V 7.7 -6.9 75K 41N Anglev 41N – 1K … -6.2
400O 273K John Laing Group 325K + 4 1.7 … 1 W Provexisv O … … …
384O 200 Dunedin Entp 327 – 1 1.2 -16.5 81K 75O Nb Global Floating 79 – W 4.2 -13.7 20K 1O Starvestv 17 – N … 4.2 465 225 Anpariov‡ 435 … 1.7 24.4
644 335K Edinburgh ITv 538 + 16 5.8 -9.0 308 198 Pacific Assets 307 + 11 0.9 -9.9 876 445K Keller 665 … 1.8 17.1 260 161 PZ Cussons‡ 224 – 1K 3.7 40.0
43N 19 STM Groupv 28K … 5.2 17.5 … … Aqua Bounty … … … …
317 124K Edin Wwide 313 + 1K … 2.1 2620 1268K Pantheon Int 2310 + 10 … -23.6
427 121O Electra Pte Eq 239 + 9K … -38.3 342 157V Perpetual In&Gr 244K + 1K 6.2 -5.3 3839W 2054Y Sun Life Can 3431W + 27K 3.7 14.7 7414 3493Y Kingspan Group 6222 – 244W 0.1 36.2 182K 45W REA 54 … … -4.8
9320 6221 AstraZeneca 8000 … 2.7 60.2
314 214 EP Global Opp 269 + 4 2.7 -12.1 2420Y 1122 Pershing Square 2280 + 15 1.3 -29.7 1378 635 TBC Bank Group 1326 + 54 … 7.8 6X 2N Real Gd Fdv 4O … … -0.2
1001K 489 Land Sec 714Y + 24Y 4.8 -6.3 190 97K Brand Architektsv 136K – 2K 3.1 -5.4
113 62W European Assets 108 + K 6.2 -11.0 47000 37650 Personal Assets 44950 – 150 1.2 1.2
W V Tiger Royal and Investv N … … -1.3 Y … RiverFort Global Oppsv‡ Y … … 30.5
928X 510 European Opp Trust PLC704 – 5 1.2 -8.7 2553 1134N Polar Cap Tech 2110 – 30 … -6.2 21X 9 Lon & Assoc 10 … 1.8 -1.4 32 12Y Circassia Groupv 30W + 1W … -2.1
789 463 F&C Investment Tr 752 + 12 1.5 -8.0 886 840 Alternative Credit Invt PLC878 – 2 5.1 -2.9 417K 188 TP ICAP PLC 216O + 4O 7.7 22.1 256 132K Stock Spirits 231K – 4 3.4 14.1
242O 137 London Metric Prop 233 + 3W 3.6 … 220W 147 Convatec Group 203K … 2.2 …
417W 243 Fidlty Asian Val 390 + 3 2.2 -8.7 149K 74 Prem Glb & Inf 145 – 1 7.3 -9.4 216K 54V Virgin Money UK 147 – 2 … -9.8 585 115 Tandemv 585 + 5 0.7 9.9
394K 180V Fidelity China Sp 383 + 1 1.1 -0.6 167 95O Renewables Inf 127O + K 6.0 16.0 120 52K Macau Prop Op 70K – N … -1.7 67K 30 Creighton 50K … 1.0 11.6
1560 1060 Volverev 1350 … … … 801W 530V Tate & Lyle‡ 646V + 5 4.5 12.4
277 177W Fidlty Euro Val 272 + 1 2.5 -5.8 2185 1252 RIT Cap Ptnr 1970 + 20 … -2.9
225 104N Fidlty Jap Tru 223 + 7 … -5.2 467K 108 Riverstone 270 + 6O … -40.9 57 35 WH Irelandv 41K … … … 876 519K Marshalls 765K – 11K 0.6 … 3574 2168 Dechra Pharma‡ 3174 – 176 1.0 96.8
13O 3O Ternv 6O – X … 68.5
280K 128V Fidlty Spec Val 236K + 4 3.9 1.3 476X 244 Schroder TotRt 468 – 2 1.5 1.0 29 19 Walker Crips Grp 26K … 3.5 15.6 2X Y Deltex Medicalv 1N … … …
158W 40W McCarthy & Stone 115W … 4.6 15.1
928 595 Fins Gwth & Inc 842 … 2.1 0.5 593 345 Schrd Asia Pac 593 + 6 1.6 -5.9 646 310 Treatt 640 – 6 0.8 40.4
4118K 1598X Wells Fargo 2134 + 165 7.7 29.3 21O 3 e-Therapeuticsv 12X – V … …
155K 76K GCP Infrastructure 111 – V 5.2 8.9 320 171V Schrod Inc Gwth 274 – K 5.5 1.2 283 153 McKay Secs 202 – 9 5.0 23.5 V … Two Shieldsv … … … …
212K 90 GCP Student Living 145K + 2O 3.5 -16.7 203 126 Schrod Jap Gwth 187 + 1K … -14.9 1419V 775N Westpac 1124V + 28K 7.6 17.1 268 135 Eco Animal Hlthv 247K – 5 6.0 18.5
130 84 Michelmershv 103 + 1K 1.1 13.5 6W 2W Ukrproduct Gpv 5K … … 2.5
854 540 Gen Emer Mkts 844 + 11 … -11.0 700 271Y Schrod UKMid 598 … 3.3 -5.3 31X 21X Worsley Investors Ltd 27V … … …
75 20 Gldn Prosp Prc Mtl 46N – 2Y … -23.4 40Y 18Y Schroder UK PP Tr 25O – K … -42.0 77K 16Y EKF Diagnosticsv‡ 62O + O … 45.4
1970 1030 Morgan Sindall‡ 1406 – 46 1.4 12.1 4929N 3607X Unilever (NV) 4310Y – 14V 3.4 21.1
58K 16K Zoltav Resourcev 57K + 1 … -2.6
155 99Y Greencoat UK 129V – 1W 5.9 9.7 467 243O Scot American 455 + 1 2.9 4.7 33K 7O Futura Medicalv 15 + O … -5.7
1X W Mountfield Gpv K … … 8.3 4892 3726 Unilever 4340 – 27 3.4 21.2
202 123O Hansa Investment 183K + 3 1.2 -36.2 847 550 Scot IT 710 – 8 3.9 -8.8 36473Y 22129O Zurich Fincl 31015X + 229O 5.4 17.4
200 125 Hansa Inv Co 'A' 180 + 1 0.6 -36.7 1119 451O Scot Mtge 1080 + 15 0.3 -1.9 598 150 Victoriav 598 + 18 … … 4452 2650 Genus‡ 3920 – 106 0.7 63.3
12750 8750 Mountview 11300 + 100 3.5 15.5
1919 857 Hbrvest Glbl Pt Eq 1720 – 12 … -21.5 216 140K Secs Tst Scot 201 – 3 3.3 1.6 1846 1291O GlaxoSmKline‡ 1380 + 14 5.8 10.9
1377Y 860X Hend Euro Foc 1350 – 10 2.3 -10.0 118N 74K Sequoia Eco 105 – 1V 6.3 7.3 Construction & 208K 44K NewRiver REIT 76X + 3N 28.1 -1.9
195
1104
100 Hend High Inc
470 Hend Smlr
147
1022
+
+
2
14
7.0
2.6
-7.5
-3.0
1495K
924
563 Temple Bar
570 Tplton Emg Mkt
968
908
+
+
2
3
6.6
2.3
0.1
-11.4 property 622K 180 NMCN 267 + 2 3.3 7.4 Engineering 1N W Gunsyndv 1V … … -0.8

2695 1701K Hikma Pharms 2601 + 1 1.4 15.2

1947X 877 Herald 1930 + 16 … -8.7 497O 217K TR Property 388 – 1K 3.7 -7.9 345 170K Palace Capital 207 + 1 6.8 …
312 148W HgCapital Trust 304K – K 1.6 1.8 1V X Tritax EuroBox EUR 1 … 3.6 -11.8 289K 190W Amiad Water Systv 250 … … … 528 258 Hutchison CMv 450 – 5 … …
183 133O HICL Infra 170 … 5.4 14.7 87 58X Troy Inc&Gth 72 – 1V 4.1 0.4 1550 1120 Abbeyv 1550 … 0.6 14.2 380 175 Panther Securitiesv 175 … 6.8 -2.4
… … Ass Br Eng# 15 … … -0.2 305 170 Immunodiag Sysv 200 … 0.3 17.2
220 154 Highbridge Tactical 218 + 3 … -11.4 91X 47N UK Comm Prop REIT 72Y … 3.2 -12.6 131K 60 Alumascv 108 … 4.0 20.0 1V W Pathfinder Minsv W … … -1.9
1015 460 ICG Ent Tr 894 + 8 2.0 -20.6 255 109O Utilico Ord 177 – 1K 2.7 -45.8 4415 1940 Avon Rubber 4200 – 75 0.5 … 28 7 ImmuPharmav 13W + K … -4.6
34O 24Y Aseana Props 25W … … -2.1
431 226 Impax Env Mkts 419K + 4K 1.2 8.7 252 135 Utilico Emerging Mkt 183 + K 4.0 -13.8 3298 1534K Persimmon 2856 – 21 … 13.4 142W 34 Indivior 129Y – 1K … -6.4
2O 1V Ashley Hsev# 1V … … -0.2 646K 212 Babcock 354Y + 24O 8.4 -9.1
346 198 Invesco Asia Tr 344 + 11K 1.0 -11.4 i 154K 132 UtilFin RdZDP 2020 155 + 1 … -0.1
6K 1K Pires Investmentsv 3N … … -7.1 669 397 BAE Sys‡ 118K 43 IXICOv 118K + 1 … 81.1
308 180K Invesco Inc&Gr 243 + 2 4.7 -14.1 136 92 UtilFin RdZDP 2022 135 + K … 2.8 84K 65V Assura Grp 75O – V 3.6 22.9 526K + 2W 1.7 13.9
147K 124 IPST Bal 142K … … -7.2 534 288 Vietnam Ent Inv 533 … … -7.0 40 27K Plaza Cent 30 – 10 … -0.1 971 433 Bodycote 792 + 24K 0.7 34.1 11O 3O LiDCOv 11O … … 24.6
2Y 1V Aukett Fitz Robv 1N … … 2.9
218 140 IPST Gbl Eq 200 … 3.9 -2.5 235K 130 Witan 208 + 2K 2.7 -8.1
104 96 IPST Managed 102 … 0.7 -3.2 293W 189K Balfour Beatty 270K + 3V 0.7 17.8 619 395K Polypipe Group 485K – 7K 0.8 38.5 1850 1320 Braime A N/Vv 1340 … 0.8 22.6 415N 238V Mediclinic Int 293O – 4W 2.6 -6.7
3785 2159K Ww Health 3545 + 5 0.7 0.5
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1GM 59

Equity prices Business

12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price
High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E

12X 2V N4 Pharmav 5X – K … -7.2 42 16 Aeorema Commsv 23K … 4.2 6.2 13952K 71N DRD Gold 71N – 6O 1.5 20.0 39K 4 Tri-Star Resv 4K + K … … 258 170 Science Groupv 255 … … … 61K 26 MTI Wirelessv 61K + 1K 2.6 22.0
96.38 65.09 Novartis CHF 80.27 + 0.67 3.5 27.5 55 11N Altitude Groupv 17K … … -4.0 2X W ECR Mineralsv 1O … … -3.5 142X 7K Tullow Oil 33O + 3Y 5.5 -0.1 169W 102K Serco Gp 121 + 3Y … 12.0 29 6K Nanoco Gp 9Y – W … -5.6
107 6X Omega Diagsv 47 – 6 … -9.7 234 111 Arcontech Grpv 205 – 2 0.9 22.7 307 82K URU Metalsv 255 – 5 … -3.3 29W 24K Smiths News 29W + Y 3.4 -1.7 53 21O Netcallv 51K … 1.0 …
9V 3 Empyrean Energyv 4V … … …
873 400 Oxford Biomedica 860 + 10 … … 421V 176K Ascential 352 + K 0.5 … W V Vast Resv V … … -0.5 3332 1944 Smurfit Kappa‡ 3176 – 12 0.8 19.7 67K 44 Northamberv 56K … 0.7 1.9
29Y 7W EnQuest 12O + 1 … -0.2
10N 1N Physiomicsv 5O … … … 113 16K Staffline Gpv 43 + 2K … -0.3 23 7 Online Blockchainv 22 + 1 … -3.5
607K 364X Auto Trader 539O – 12V 1.3 24.4 37 2W Eurasia Miningv 28 – N … … 7X 2 Victoria Oil&Gasv 4O + X … -0.1
4O 2X Proteome Sciesv 3X + V … … 388 200 SThree 321 – 3 1.5 13.1 125K 71 Oxford Metricsv 91K + 1K 1.9 38.7
292X 178O Bloomsbury Pub‡ 255 – 10 0.4 16.9 39K 18K Volga Gasv 23 … … -1.4
2Y X Europa Oil&Gasv 1 … … -0.8
7960 5150 Reckitt Benck 6310 – 240 2.7 … 161 90 Synecticsv 100 … 1.3 … 10N 4O Parityv 8K + X … -9.8
38K 5N Bonhill Groupv 5O … 4.7 -0.3 N … W Resourcesv … … … -2.1
426V 203W Evraz 404K + 18V 14.9 13.8
152K 57K RUA Life Sciencesv 152K + 5 … … 88 31K Pennant Intlv 35K – 1K … -4.4
22 7K Westmount Engyv 16O – O … 8.5 5 1W Tanfieldv 2O … … -8.1
72K 51 Catalyst Mediav 51 … 9.8 …
2N N Sareum Hldgsv 1K – V … … … … Exillon Energy# 41V … … 1.8
29K 14 Thruvision Groupv 25K … … … 410K 140N Playtech 370 + 6 1.5 …
7 N Catenaev 3 + V … -0.9 421X 135W Wood Grp (J) 316 + 33N 2.9 61.9
610 304 Silence Therapv 435 + 7 … … 207O 101X Ferrexpo 207V + 2V 6.4 3.9 52 14 Proactis Hldgsv 38N – V … -1.2
6W 2 Woodboisv 2O … … -5.2 75 43K Tribalv‡ 71O – 1 … …
851 557 Daily Mail 699 – 4 3.4 12.3
1979 1152K Smith & Neph 1423K – 10K 2.1 39.4 1357K 527 Fresnillo 1048 – 37 1.1 47.9 387O 236W QinetiQ 311O + 3O 2.1 16.7
2V K Xtract Resourcesv 1V … … -4.5 6O 2K Universe Grpv 4 … … -4.1
143N 52K Spire Hcare 135O + V 0.9 -2.3 275 220 DCD Mediav 240 … … …
28 2X G3 Exploration# 28 + 10O … -2.6 167K 60 Vianetv 86K … 6.5 10.2 308 110 RM 199 + 5 1.0 11.9
5O 2W Dods Gpv 3V … … … 1V W Zephyr Energyv X … … -0.9
247K 5O Synairgenv 89 – 3K … … 794K 534O Sage Gp 579K … 2.9 18.9
21K O Galantas Goldv 16N … … -2.4 1040 510 Vp 780 + 31 3.9 16.8
1O N Tissue Regenixv W … … -1.2 41 20 Ebiquityv 20 … … -3.8
21O 7N GCM Resourcesv 10K … … -2.1 5O 1W Seeing Machinesv 5W – V … -3.8
14N 5N Westminsterv 6V – N … …
268 24K Tiziana Lifev 86K – 6 … … … … Edenville Energyv … … … -1.6
68K 23 Gem Diamonds 45K – 1O … …
Professional & 292K 129 Shearwater Grpv 156 + 11K … …
25
525
9N Totallyv
302K Tristelv‡
18K –
505 – 15
K 1.3 …
1.1 46.4
1338 697 Euromoney In Inv 1008 + 6 3.2 43.6
26K 8N Getechv 11N + N … -1.3 support services Retailing 9K 5 SimiGonv 6N … … -1.9
2075 600 Future 1962 – 36 … 87.5 103K 14K Smartspace S'warev 98 … … …
249K 112K Glencore 211K + 11Y 3.7 …
832K 464 UDG Healthcare 801K + 52 1.6 27.8 1690 875 GlobalDatav 1510 … 0.9 … 1425 905K Softcat‡ 1145 – 28 1.3 30.7
3500 1320 4imprint Grp 2530 + 80 0.8 32.1
59K 3 ValiRxv 25N + 1N … -1.0 2N X Global Petrolv O … … -1.3 420K 50 AO World 378 – 41K … …
117O 42O Gocompare.com 110 – 1 0.8 42.3 59Y 15 AA 31O – V 1.8 2.7 304 151K Spirent Comms 247K – 13K 1.7 20.1
118W 60N Vectura Grp 112 – 2W … … 121391X 635N Gold Fields 635N – 50N 1.2 27.0 5438 1050 Asosv 4451 – 101 … 35.4
315K 35K Hyve Group 92O – O 20.7 -7.1 869V 314N Aggreko 606 + 9K 1.5 … 56 23N SRT Marinev 41 + 1 … …
8O 2W Goldplatv 7V … … … 534K 266K B&M European‡ 468 – 16Y 1.6 24.0
798 305 IG Design Grpv 584 + 51 1.5 34.5 645 399 Andrews Sykesv 550 … 4.0 14.8 2N 1N Tavistockv 1K … 0.6 -1.6
Industrials 39 8 Immedia Grpv 22K – 2 … -3.1
9V 1K Goldstone Resv 7Y – W … …
3238 1300 Ashtead 3238 + 21 1.2 22.4
160X
71K
9Y Brown (N)
33 Cambria Autov
58K –
56K –
1W 12.1
1 1.9
6.0
5.5
954W 533Y Tele. Ericsson 913K + 8N 1.4 24.3
27 1K Greatld Gldv 22O – N … … 193 80 Telit Commsv 193 – 4 … 31.3
870V 354W Informa 556W – 7 1.3 … 70 9N Asimilar Groupv 23 + K … …
169O 28K Card Factory 44K – 1 6.5 10.6
104 65 Accsys Techv 102K + K … 57.9 87 32K Griffin Miningv 87 – 2 … … 61K 22K Touchstarv 51K … … 26.9
156K 54W ITV 97 + 4O 2.6 12.9 411 310 AssetCov 411 … … …
6263W 3495N BASF 5435W + 246V 5.5 … 485 239 CPPGroupv 273 … … …
215 51Y Gulf Keystone 90 + V 12.8 … 830 455 Tracsisv 570 … 0.3 31.6
6W 1O Jaywingv 5X … … -2.8 32 13K Avisenv 27 + 1 … …
7010V 3613Y Bayer DM50 4327W + 95K 5.8 -6.4 1360 706K CVS Groupv 1360 – 10 0.4 …
317W 92K Hochschild 210W – 6W 0.7 … 24 10 Trakm8v 14K … … -6.6
42K 6O Live Company Gpv 8N – W … -1.0 112K 62 Begbies Traynorv 91Y – 2 2.9 …
285 130 Biome Techv 185 … … -4.2 453O 279O Dairy Farm Intl 321V – O 5.2 20.5 44 24 Triad Grp 29K + 2K 10.1 -6.2
… … Mediazestv … … … -1.1 8O 1X Horizonte Minrlsv 6Y … … … 236 129 Blancco Techv 201 – 4 … …
9O 1K Byotrolv 6V – V … 77.5 290K 110 DFS Furn 234 … 3.2 -7.4 1 V UK Oil & Gasv V … … -3.0
145 65 Miradav 85 … … … 41K 18K Hummingbird Resv 29 – 2 … 4.5 2603 1277 Bunzl 2313 – 77 0.6 20.3
245 111 Calisen 191O + 4O … … 1561 659K Dunelm 1245 – 18 1.6 29.0 7X 2N Wamejav 6X … … …
108 36 Mission Groupv 60 + 1K 3.6 18.6 425 122 Hunting 190 + 7K 3.4 -1.9 183 23X Capita 50K + 3Y … -9.8
12X 5 Camb Gbl Timberv 5 … … -6.2 518 182K Frasers Group 451V – 22W … 24.3 820 338 Wandiscov 440 – 13 … …
103 67K Cloudcall Groupv 89 … … -8.9 367X 227V Moneysupermarket 257V – 2O 4.5 16.1 12 2N Hydrodecv# 3N … … -0.1 … … Carillion# 14V … 129.9 … 39 3N French Conn 9K … … -0.5 526 255 Water Intelv 510 … … 47.0
79K 36K Coats Grp 68Y … 0.6 32.5 1365K 618K News Corp A 1365K + 25W 1.1 -7.8 105 20Y Ilikav 104 + 1 … … 32K 22K CEPSv 22K + K … -1.4 2442 1119 Greggs 1845 + 73 0.6 … 160K 18X Xaar 160K + 5K … -9.7
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1410 685 Cropper (James)v 1150 … 1.1 22.7 556 218 Next 15 Commsv 504 – 6 0.5 … 290 100 Indus Gasv 198K … … 9.1 2071 1002 Compass 1377 + 33K 2.9 21.2 732K 400 Howden Join 628K – 17 0.6 27.5 82K 32 Zoo Digitalv 63 + K … …
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1060 500 Fullr Sm A 704 – 8 2.8 … 709348N 5452V Anglo Amer Plat 5452V – 92W 2.3 17.3 393K 142 Signature Aviation 242Y + 2N 1.7 …
401 106K Petrofac 174K + 17O 5.8 -5.0 660 256 Aptitude Software 445 … 1.2 38.0
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the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
New York’s first black mayor
who defeated Rudy Giuliani
David Dinkins
Page 62
Obituaries
Hamish MacInnes
Mountaineer, writer, inventor and stunt double who climbed the Matterhorn aged 16 and became a sought-after adviser on action films
“Don’t worry”, said Michael Palin to
shocked witnesses of a man throwing
bodies into a ravine, “he’s the head of
mountain rescue.” He and the other
Pythons were filming The Holy Grail.
They had enlisted Hamish MacInnes,
head of Glencoe Mountain Rescue, to
throw dummies into “The Gorge of
Eternal Peril”, which King Arthur and
his knights can cross only if they
correctly answer the three questions of
the wizard who guards it. Eric Idle’s
Sir Robin breezes through his first
two questions, telling him his name
and his favourite colour, but, unable to
recall the capital of Assyria, he is
whizzed into the air, and plunged into
the gorge below.
Palin recalled that MacInnes “had a
great sense of humour and was won-
derfully eccentric, which was just what
we wanted and he helped us on the
film”. He was also, in Palin’s recollect-
ion, a man who saw life as something
“to grab with both hands”, and grab it he
did. He first climbed the Matterhorn
when he was 16, and went on at least 20
expeditions to the Alps, the Caucasus,
South America and elsewhere.
He was also a moderniser of moun-
tain rescue techniques, a writer, and an
inventor. He designed the first all-
metal ice axe, which unlike those with
wooden shafts was not liable to break
when put under pressure, and the
MacInnes stretcher, which is now used
by mountain rescue teams. These inno-
vations will have saved
untold lives, as will the
techniques he pioneered
as founder, in 1961, of the
Glencoe Mountain Res-
cue Team. Known as “the
Fox of Glencoe”, he had
the idea to use radar to
look for bodies in the
snow, and in 1972 pub-
lished the International
Mountain Rescue Hand-
book, which has become
the standard text world-
wide.
Having seen how Aus-
trian mountain guides
trained their dogs to look
for victims of avalanches,
he trained his own dogs,
Tiki and Rangi, to do the
same. In 1965 he set up the
Search and Rescue Dog
ning cours-
Association, putting on training cours
es for the dogs of rescue teams across
Scotland. Another innovation inspired
by his time in Austria was the Scottish
Avalanche Information Service.
Knowing as much as anyone about
how to stay safe in a perilous environ-
ment, he was sought as an adviser on
action films, and as a stunt double. The
scenes that he helped bring to life in
Clint Eastwood’s 1975 film The Eiger
Sanction are regarded as some of the
most difficult stunts ever filmed.
Drawing on MacInnes’s expertise,
Eastwood was able to film on the north
face of the Eiger, and perform his stunts
himself. For Highlander (1986), with
Sean Connery (obituary October 31,
2020), MacInnes facilitated the filming
of a sword fight atop the Cioch Pinnacle
of Black Cuillin, on the Isle of Skye. He
was also an adviser on The Mission
(1986), starring Robert de Niro as a mis-
sionary in 18th-century South Amer-
1GM
ica He
ica. H remainedi d friends
f with Palin,
who once called him by satellite phone
from the heart of the Himalayas to say
that he was lost, and needed directions
to K2. “Well”, said MacInnes, “it’s not
that far . . .”
Hamish MacInnes was born in
Gatehouse of Fleet, a town in Kirkcud-
brightshire, in 1930 to Katie (née Mac-
Donald) and Duncan McInnes (Ham-
ish later adopted the more distinctive
Scottish spelling of the family name).
His father had worked for the Chinese
police in Shanghai before fighting in
the British and Canadian armies in the
First World War.
It was not until just after the Second
World War, when the family moved to
Greenock on the River Clyde, that
MacInnes was introduced to climbing
by a neighbour, Bill Hargreaves, who
would set off for the hills on his motor-
bike every weekend. MacInnes asked
him if he could join his ascent of the
MacInnes with
Hamilton, a St
Bernard, c 1992.
MacInnes set up the
Search and Rescue
Dog Association in
1965. Left, with
Everest behind him
in 1953 — the year
that he and John
Cunningham were
beaten to its summit
by Hillary and
Tenzing. MacInnes
worked on The Eiger
Sanction stunts with
Clint Eastwood
Cobbler a pinnacle
Cobbler, pinn in the Southern
Highlands, later recalling that “I was
very fortunate to team up with Bill Har-
greaves, because he was a very good
climber and he showed me the basic
safety measures. There were no Out-
ward Bound schools in those days. It
was basically a DIY situation, and that
could be very dangerous.”
He took to the sport impetuously,
relishing “the most wonderful feeling of
isolation, as if you had all the wild
places entirely to yourself”, and at the
age of 16 set off to the Alps to scale the
Matterhorn successfully.
By the age of 17 his talent as an in-
ventor was beginning to show, too, in
the car that he built from scratch. He
undertook his National Service in the
army, stationed in Austria, and would
spend his leave in the Dolomites.
Many of his early climbing exploits
were as part of the Creagh Dhu Club
based in Glasgow, which he described
as “a bunch of pretty tough blokes from
Register
BILL FRASER/MIRRORPIX/GETTY IMAGES
the shipyards and all very good climb-
ers”. In 1953, with his fellow member
John Cunningham, he conceived a
hare-brained plan to be the first to the
summit of Everest.
With hardly any money, no backing
from an Alpine club and no permission
from the government of Nepal, they
trekked to Everest base camp, dodging
police checkpoints and intending to
sustain their ascent of the mountain by
scavenging rations abandoned by a
Swiss expedition the previous year.
Yet when they arrived at the base camp
they discovered that they had been
pipped to the peak by a young New
Zealander, Edmund Hillary, and his
Sherpa companion Tenzing Norgay.
Instead of following in their footsteps,
they made the first ascent of a nearby
peak, Pumori.
MacInnes would return to Everest in
1975, joining Sir Chris Bonington’s
successful ascent. He, however, did not
make it to the top but was swept away by
an avalanche on the southwest face,
which he was lucky to survive.
His tenure as leader of the Glencoe
Mountain Rescue team, from 1961 to
1994, was a life of continuous call-outs
to save stranded climbers. “One of the
things you pick up in rescue are the
mistakes of other people, and that goes
into your hard disk,” he said. “By going
on so many rescues, as I did, and seeing
so many fatalities, it doesn’t diminish
your wish to climb — but it’s made me
more aware of the risks, there’s no
doubt about that.”
An extraordinarily energetic man, he
would rise at 4am, and at the age of 70
was still climbing, alone, most days. His
creative energies seemed no more ex-
haustible than the physical; a writer of
61
murder mysteries
mysteries, h he claimed
l i d that his
record for completing a novel was 12
days. As a film-maker and photo-
grapher he also captured the bleak
beauty of the landscape around his
home. “If I do a thing I try to do it to the
best of my ability,” he said. “I don’t see
much point in doing something unless
you can do it well.”
He also built his own home, in
Glencoe, where he lived, childless and
alone, unwilling to talk to interviewers
about past relationships. He had been
married to Catherine MacInnes, whom
he met climbing in the Alps, but they di-
vorced in the 1960s; she died last year.
He took to the sport
impetuously, relishing
the feeling of isolation
A harsh fate for such an independent
man befell MacInnes in 2014, when a
delirious episode led to him being
sectioned in a psychiatric hospital near
Fort William. He was treated for
dementia and psychosis, and made
several attempts to escape the hospital,
once scaling its walls to stand on the
roof. Unable to remember anything
about his past life, he was advised by his
psychiatrist to look over the films he
had made and the 40 books he had
written. With their help he began to
piece together his sense of self, a
journey documented in the 2019 film
Final Ascent.
After 15 months in the hospital he
was allowed to return home, embitter-
ed by memories of being forced into a
straitjacket. “Over the years, I have lost
more than 30 friends. I’ve been de-
clared dead six times, I think. And I’m
still here. I have always been physically
strong but mentally as well, which is
why I am still alive.”
He resumed a punishing daily work-
out but no longer climbed, saying “you
get to an age where you have to accept
you are physically not as strong and
your balance isn’t so good. I consider
chasing ghosts very dangerous.
“My regret is I wasn’t born in the
1880s,” he said, “when you could go
and explore — that would have been
a good time to live.”
Hamish MacInnes, climber, was born on
July 7, 1930. He died of cancer on
November 22, 2020, aged 90
62
Register
David Dinkins
First black mayor of New York who had a notable victory over Rudy Giuliani only to come unstuck on account of his ‘niceness’
According to conventional wisdom
there is no place for nice people in the
dirty, rough-and-tumble politics of
New York. Ed Koch spent a dozen may-
oral years from 1978 to 1989 being as ab-
rasive as possible, while Rudy Giuliani
(1994-2001) led a controversial “clean-
up” of the city that involved heavy
policing and racial profiling, and latter-
ly has achieved notoriety as President
Trump’s pugnacious personal lawyer.
Between them came David Dinkins,
urbane, courtly, silver-haired and al-
ways dressed immaculately in double-
breasted suits. In place of Koch’s lacer-
ating and often witty tongue, Dinkins
was that rarity in New York, a man who
spoke in full and punctuated sentences,
attributing his articulation to a univers-
ity lecturer who would not tolerate
grammatical errors. “I will speak to this
issue at the appropriate juncture,” was a
typical Dinkinsian phrase that critics
held up as evidence of his procrastina-
tion but supporters claimed showed
his ability to think, speak and behave
rationally.
The trouble for Dinkins, observed a
profile in The Times on the day of the
mayoral primaries in 1989, was that he
always sounded too gentle. “Notably in-
effective if well-meaning,” was another
contemporary verdict. Even his elect-
ion slogan, “You don’t have to be loud to
be strong”, seemed unduly cautious in
the cacophony that is New York. Such
niceness proved to be a handicap at a
time when New York’s ever-simmering
racial cauldron was threatening to boil
over, with even black voters complain-
ing that he was not angry enough.
When Dinkins, the first African-
American mayor of New York, took on
the city that never sleeps, he faced an
alarmingly high murder rate (2,246 in
1989 alone) that continued to rise for
his first year and then fell only margin-
ally. He also inherited soaring rates
of HIV infections, homelessness and
drug-fuelled crime, all of which he
addressed in his hesitatingly and cau-
tious manner, providing ammunition
to those calling for instant results and
soundbite solutions.
Like the mayors of all big cities, there
Barry Griffiths
Leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and gifted solo violinist who enjoyed poker, table tennis and hat collecting
As the leader of the Royal Philharmon-
ic Orchestra, Barry Griffiths delivered
world-class performances from the
concert platform with a meticulous
authority. Yet when he left the stage,
usually with a standing ovation ringing
in his ears, he was equally at home en-
tertaining his fellow musicians on the
piano in the bar, convivially bashing out
the hits of the day well into the night.
“He never failed to join the post-con-
cert celebrations,” recalled the viola
player Andrew Sippings, who played
under him for many years and later be-
came the RPO’s chairman. “At parties,
receptions or in hotel lobbies when
there was a piano to be seen, Barry
would sit down and play what seemed
to be an endless stream of popular
tunes and show numbers to which the
whole orchestra would sing along.”
He was unpretentious and ebullient;
if there was no post-concert piano
available on tour, he would play poker
into the small hours, yet was always first
on parade when the coach was ready to
leave the next morning.
Griffiths’ career as a concertmaster
began at the age of 17 when he became
the leader of the Midland Youth Or-
chestra. He went on to lead the BBC
Northern Symphony Orchestra (later
renamed the BBC Philharmonic) and
was an international dimension to his
office and in 1992 Dinkins visited the
Canary Wharf development in London
to promote New York as an inter-
national business centre. “In many in-
dustries, a leading company can hardly
afford not to have a presence in the Big
Apple,” said the mayor of a city with
more than seven million residents and
a budget of $30 million.
More than many civic leaders, Dink-
ins laid the foundation for long-term
improvements, although this gave crit-
ics the opportunity to suggest that he
had achieved little in office while later
being able to take the credit for them-
selves. Times Square was cleaned up;
housing in Harlem, the Bronx and
Brooklyn was improved; new taxes
were introduced to pay for more polic-
ing; and a 99-year lease was negotiated
with the US Tennis Association for a
stadium and tennis complex in Flush-
ing Meadows that continues to provide
benefits to New York residents.
Yet Dinkins was found wanting when
strong and immediate action was
needed, including during the Red Ap-
ple boycott, in which a Korean-owned
grocery store in Flatbush, Brooklyn,
was subjected to a racist boycott, and
He faced an alarmingly
high murder rate;
2,246 in one year alone
the race riots in Crown Heights in 1991,
which erupted after a Jewish student
was stabbed and died. He later
regretted not crossing the picket line
outside the Korean shop and failing to
insist on a faster and stronger police
response in Crown Heights. However,
the damage was done and at the 1993
election he lost to Giuliani by the same
slender margin that he had beaten him
four years earlier.
David Norman Dinkins was born in
Trenton, New Jersey, in 1927, the
“scrawny” son of William Dinkins, a
barber, and his wife Sarah Lucy, known
as Sally, a cleaner. His parents separat-
ed when he was six and he was largely
Unflappable flair: Griffiths in 1977
was leader of the RPO from 1976 until
1989. Among the finest violinists of his
generation, he guided the RPO’s or-
chestra with an unflappable flair
through hundreds of distinguished
performances, tours and recordings,
working under the baton of the con-
ductors André Previn, Vladimir Ashke-
nazy, Antal Doráti and Yuri Temirkan-
ov and with soloists ranging from
Yehudi Menuhin to Nigel Kennedy.
One of his most memorable nights with
Dinkins delivering his first speech as mayor of New York City on January 2, 1990
raised by his father, spending some of
his childhood in Harlem.
He was educated at the racially
segregated Trenton Central High
School and in 1945 he tried to enlist lo-
cally in the US Marines, but was told
that they had filled their racial quota.
He travelled around the northeast US
before being accepted by an alternative
recruiting station, serving for a year.
At Howard University, the historical-
ly black university in Washington DC,
he read maths and met Joyce Burrows,
who was studying sociology and later
became an accountant; they were mar-
ried in 1953. The couple later became
known for socialising with activist en-
the RPO came at the Royal Albert Hall
in 1982 when he led the orchestra in the
first London concert appearance of
Luciano Pavarotti.
After leaving the RPO he spent 15
years leading the orchestra at the
English National Opera until his retire-
ment in 2004. He also took the conduc-
tor’s podium at the Coliseum for a pro-
duction of Così Fan Tutte. His final
years were spent coaching and con-
ducting youth orchestras, notably the
London-based Lydian Orchestra.
His most celebrated pieces as an in-
strumentalist included Elgar’s violin
concerto, Richard Strauss’s tone poem
Ein Heldenleben and Bach’s Mass in B
minor. At the RPO’s first run-through
of the latter his playing of the solo
brought the rehearsal to a standstill and
prompted an adulatory speech by
Doráti, the conductor.
As a concertmaster Griffiths could be
demanding or encouraging, often both
at the same time. One colleague de-
scribed him as able to “clothe a perti-
nent opinion in such a way that one was
both charmed and chastened”. Neither
was he above admonishing even the
most dictatorial conductor if he felt that
they had got something wrong, though
it was usually done with diplomacy.
Shortly after Griffiths had joined the
1GM
FRANKIE ZITHS/AP
tertainers of the period, notably the
singer Harry Belafonte, the Fifties
“king of calypso”. Her father, Daniel,
was one of the first black people to be
elected to the New York State assembly
and was among Dinkins’s mentors.
Joyce died in October and Dinkins is
survived by their son David, a broad-
caster, and daughter Donna, a nurse.
Back in New York, Dinkins con-
tinued his studies at Brooklyn Law
School while working in his father-in-
law’s liquor store at night. By 1956 he
was practising law and becoming in-
volved in the backroom politics of the
local Democratic Party in Harlem.
Slowly he began climbing the rungs of
RPO, Sidney Sax, a fine violinist in his
own right who led the string quartet on
the Beatles’ hits Yesterday and Eleanor
Rigby, rang to offer him some lucrative
session work. “I have a job leading the
orchestra. Why would I want to work
for you?” Griffiths told him. Yet he was
far from averse to playing non-classical
music and led the RPO in sessions or
concerts with pop artists including the
Three Degrees and Glen Campbell.
A believer in strict timekeeping in
music and in life, he was only known to
be late once — at a rehearsal for an out-
of-town engagement where he found
there was no parking space reserved for
him. When he protested that he was the
leader of the RPO, the parking attend-
ant replied: “Well I’m the leader of this
car park and you’re not parking here.”
He liked the joke and may well have
turned it into one of the Lear-like non-
sense limericks that he enjoyed writing.
Barry Griffiths was born in Birming-
ham in 1939, the son of Frank and Mar-
garet Griffiths. His father was a butcher
and his mother kept the shop’s ac-
counts, but both were keen amateur
musicians. His musical education came
at the Royal Manchester College of
Music (now the Royal Northern Col-
lege), where he met his wife Angela
(née Caldwell) who was also a violinist.
Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
the City Hall ladder and in 1966 he
was elected to the New York State
Assembly.
In 1973 the mayor, Abraham Beame,
nominated him as his deputy, but Dink-
ins was forced to withdraw after revela-
tions that he had failed to file income
tax returns for the previous four years.
“I was busy taking care of other people’s
business,” he explained, although crit-
ics said this highlighted his inability to
keep focused on the job in hand. He
held the largely ceremonial position of
New York city clerk from 1975 to 1985,
the year in which he was elected bor-
ough president of Manhattan at the
third attempt. In the primaries for the
1989 mayoral election he defeated the
incumbent Koch, who had become
caught up in corruption allegations,
and in the election proper he saw off Gi-
uliani, who ran an inept campaign.
After being voted out Dinkins made
no attempt at a political comeback, al-
though he remained a backroom player
in Democratic Party politics. He en-
joyed playing tennis, presented a radio
show called Dialogue with Dinkins and
became a professor at Columbia Uni-
versity, where his office was packed
with photographs and mementoes. In
2013 he published A Mayor’s Life: Gov-
erning New York’s Gorgeous Mosaic, its
subtitle coming from a phrase he had
used at his inauguration to describe the
city’s racial melting pot.
Often he would grumble to inter-
viewers that the first sentence of his
obituary would refer to him as “the first
black mayor of the city of New York”
and the next would be about the Crown
Heights riots. “I don’t say it’s unfair, but
there are things that are more accurate
or of greater moment,” he told The New
York Times in 2017. “I think we did over-
all a pretty good job. When things went
well, we didn’t always get the credit to
which we were entitled, but if things do
not go well, you’re the mayor, it’s your
fault. Still the greatest job in the world.”
David Dinkins, mayor of New York,
1990-93, was born on July 10, 1927. He
died of natural causes on November 23,
2020, aged 93
That she made the ranks of the
National Youth Orchestra and he did
not was the cause of some good-na-
tured family ribbing.
His wife survives him along with
their eight children, Claire, Francis,
Katy, Peter, Cecilia, Dominic, Antonia
and Susie. Six of them work as profes-
sional musicians or music teachers.
Away from the concert stage he was
in his time a crack table-tennis player
and had a formidable collection of hats,
acquired as mementoes of his foreign
travels. His bedroom overflowed with
them, from a Mexican sombrero to a
Turkish fez. A man of strong faith, he
converted to Catholicism late in life and
played the organ at his local church in
Sevenoaks, Kent.
As a violinist he made many fine re-
cordings, none more masterful than his
acclaimed 1987 recording of Vaughan
Williams’s The Lark Ascending under
the baton of Previn. Fittingly, it was the
final piece played as Griffiths was laid
to rest.
Barry Griffiths, classical musician, was
born on May 20, 1939. He died of cancer
on September 17, 2020, aged 81
obituaries@thetimes.co.uk
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Law Report
Home Office ‘removal windows’ risked
preventing access to justice for migrants
Court of Appeal
Published November 25, 2020
Regina (FB (Afghanistan)) v
Secretary of State for the Home
Department
Regina (Medical Justice) v Same
Before Lord Burnett of Maldon, Lord Chief
Justice, Lord Justice Hickinbottom and
Lord Justice Coulson
[2020] EWCA Civ 1338
Judgment: October 21, 2020
The Secretary of State for the
Home Department’s “removal
notice windows policy” for re-
moving those without the right to
enter or remain in the United
Kingdom, which for those who
fell within its scope meant that,
following a short notice period in
which removal could not be ef-
fected, a removal window was set
within which the individual could
be removed at any time without
further notice, was unlawful in-
sofar as it gave rise to a real risk of
preventing access to justice.
The Court of Appeal so held in
allowing appeals by: (i) FB, an
Afghan, against the decision of
the Upper Tribunal (Immigration
and Asylum Chamber) (Mr Jus-
tice Lane, President and Upper
Tribunal Judge O’Connor)
([2018] UKUT 428 (IAC)) hold-
ing, inter alia, that the policy, al-
though deficient in a number of
respects, was not incompatible
with the right to access to justice;
and (ii) Medical Justice, a charity
which facilitated the provision of
advice to those detained in immi-
gration removal centres, against
the decision of Mr Justice Freed-
man, sitting in the Administrative
Court of the Queen’s Bench Divi-
sion ([2019] EWHC 2391 (Ad-
min)) to similar effect.
Ms Sonali Naik, QC, Mr Alex
Goodman and Mr Ali Bandega-
ni for FB; Ms Charlotte Kilroy,
QC, Ms Alison Pickup and Mr
Court Circular
Clarence House
24th November, 2020
The Prince of Wales this evening
held a Meeting with The President
The perfect
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Mark an unforgettable
day with a feature in
Readers’ Lives, a service
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1GM
Anthony Vaughan for Medical
Justice; Mr Steven Kovats, QC,
Ms Deok Joo Rhee, QC and Mr
Colin Thomann for the secretary
of state. The Equality and
Human Rights Commission in-
tervened by way of written sub-
missions only.
Lord Justice Hickinbottom
said that the policy under chal-
lenge was set out in version 17 of
Chapter 60 of the Home Office
Immigration returns, enforce-
ment and detention: General
Instructions, “Judicial reviews
and injunctions” (the policy),
which gave guidance to case-
workers on notice periods,
removal windows and the judicial
review process in enforcement
cases.
The challenge to the policy was
essentially under two broad
heads, namely:
(i) Notice of a removal window,
without notice of removal direc-
tions, was unlawful, because the
common law and/or the statuto-
ry scheme required notice of di-
rections specifying date and time
of removal to be given; and
(ii) Even if removal windows
were not inherently unlawful in
that way, under the policy many
unappealable decisions adverse
to the individual were inevitably
made in the removal window
period so that, once the decision
was made and notified, there was
a serious risk of removal before
the affected individual was able
to access the court to challenge
the decision by way of judicial
review.
As to the first challenge, there
was no statutory requirement for
notice of removal directions to be
given to a person whom it was
proposed to remove. Section
10(7) of the Immigration and
Asylum Act 1999 (as substituted
by section 1 of the Immigration
of Ireland via telephone.
Kensington Palace
24th November, 2020
The Duke of Cambridge this morning
participated in a Meeting with the
Duchy of Cornwall Finance
Committee via telephone.
His Royal Highness afterwards held a
Meeting with The Queen of the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan via
telephone.
The Duchess of Cambridge, Joint
Patron, the Royal Foundation of The
50%
discount for
subscribers
Act 2014) concerned giving di-
rections for removing a person,
but it imposed no duty: it only
gave the secretary of state or an
immigration officer the power to
give directions, and then not to
the person it was proposed to be
removed but only to the captain,
owner or agent of the aircraft.
Where, within the statutory
immigration scheme, there was
an intention that notice be given
to an individual then that
intention was express and clear:
see, for example, section 4 of the
1971 Act.
At common law, it was well-
established that there was gener-
ally a public law duty to give an
individual notice of any decision
which had a direct adverse
impact on his or her rights or
interests, but that duty was
neither absolute nor stand-alone.
It was a duty associated with the
obligations of procedural fair-
ness. On analysis, the informa-
tion given to a person to be de-
ported under the policy satisfied
that requirement.
As to the second issue, the right
of access to justice meant not
merely theoretical but effective
access in the real world. For that
right to be effective, an individual
had to be allowed sufficient time
to take and act on legal advice.
The common law right of ac-
cess to justice could be restricted
only by parliament and then only
by clear authorisation in the form
of express statutory provision or
necessary implication. It was not
susceptible to being outweighed
by factors such as other rights
and interests, the convenience of
the executive or the courts, and
the risks of abuse of process.
Medical Justice raised a sys-
temic challenge to the policy it-
self. Although systemic unfair-
ness might be illustrated by what
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, this
morning held a Meeting with Ms Kelly
Beaver (Managing Director of Public
Affairs, Ipsos Mori) via video link.
Her Royal Highness, Joint Patron,
the Royal Foundation of The Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge, this
afternoon held an Early Years
Meeting via video link.
St James’s Palace
24th November, 2020
The Earl of Wessex, Patron, London
Youth, this afternoon attended a
had happened in individual cases,
such a challenge did not focus up-
on the consequences of unlaw-
fulness for a particular individual
or group as did most judicial re-
view challenges, but rather upon
the administrative scheme itself
and the risk of unfairness in a
public law sense arising from that
scheme as a scheme.
There was a conceptual differ-
ence between something
inherent in a system which gave
rise to an unacceptable risk of
unfairness, and any number
(even a large number) of
decisions that were simply
individually aberrant.
Whilst there was a legitimate
public interest in encouraging ir-
regular migrants to make any
claim for leave to enter or remain
promptly and in discouraging
late claims, and whilst the failure
to take earlier opportunities to
make such a claim might be rele-
vant to the question of whether
the court should grant or refuse
interim relief, it could not restrict
access to the court.
The opportunity that irregular
migrants who were removed
might have to challenge the law-
fulness of their removal, after the
event and from abroad, was not a
compelling argument that the
scheme was lawful. That opportu-
nity was a factor which the court
could take into account in decid-
ing whether interim relief should
be granted, it was not a factor that
bore on the issue of access to the
court prior to removal.
A migrant had to be entitled to
access a court prior to removal, if
only to contend that out-of-
country proceedings would be in-
effective in his or her case. The
potential difficulties for out-
of-country challenges were
well-known.
Furthermore, notice of re-
Meeting with Board Members via
video link.
St James’s Palace
24th November, 2020
The Princess Royal, Past
Master, the Worshipful
Company of Carmen, today
held an audience via video
link to present The Princess
Royal Gold Medal to Mr
John Ratcliff (Past Master Emeritus).
Colonel Simon Bennett (Master)
was present.
‘Our families
had been friends
h
for years’
SARA GOREE, 32, AND
CHRIS BEAUMONT, 33,
WERE MARRIED ON JANUARY 17, 2020,
AT THE MANOR HOUSE IN CASTLE
COMBE, WILTSHIRE.
THEY FEATURED IN THE TIMES
ON JULY 18, 2020
moval in the form of a removal
window was used in cases where
the irregular migrant contended
that removal would subject him
or her to treatment contrary to
articles 2 and 3 of the European
Convention on Human Rights
(protecting right to life and pro-
hibiting torture, respectively)
and the 1951 Refugee Conven-
tion. Therefore, the consequen-
ces of an unlawful removal might
be grave, and irremediable after
the event.
It was not sustainable to state
that the ability to apply to the sec-
retary of state for deferral of the
removal window showed that the
scheme as a whole had an intrin-
sic flexibility that did not deny ac-
cess to justice. There were few
cases in which deferral was con-
sidered, and very few in which it
was granted.
Whether an irregular migrant
was removed before having an
opportunity to obtain legal
advice and apply to court was
a matter of pure happenchance;
it was, in the legal sense, arbitrary
and thus in any event unlawful.
The policy incorporated an
unacceptable risk of interference
with the right of access to court
by exposing a category of
irregular migrants, including
those who had claims founded on
articles 2 or 3 human rights and
protection grounds, to the risk of
removal without any proper
opportunity to challenge a
relevant decision in a court or
tribunal. The policy was, there-
fore, unlawful insofar as it gave
rise to a real risk of preventing
access to justice.
The Lord Chief Justice and
Lord Justice Coulson delivered
concurring judgments.
Solicitors: Duncan Lewis So-
licitors; Solicitor, Public Law
Project; Treasury Solicitor.
Her Royal Highness, Patron, the
Vine Trust, this evening participated
in a Board Meeting via video link.
Kensington Palace
24th November, 2020
The Duke of Gloucester,
Commodore, Royal Ulster Yacht
Club, this morning held a Meeting
with Mr Alan Espey (Vice
Commodore), Mr Maurice Butler
(Rear Commodore) and Mr Garth
Maxwell (Honorary Secretary) via
video link.
63
Register
Births, Marriages and Deaths
www.newsukadvertising.co.uk
THIS is how it will be when the dead
are raised to life. When the body is
buried, it is mortal; when raised, it will
be immortal. 1 Corinthians 15.42 (GNB)
Forthcoming Marriages
MR C. M. T. BULLEN-SMITH
AND MISS E. K. PFEIFFER
The engagement is announced between
Max, son of Mr and Mrs Patrick Bullen-
Smith of Hammerwood, Sussex, and Ella,
eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Robert
Pfeiffer of Highgate, London.
MR A. J. NEWTON
AND MISS K. F. M. SAVAGE
The engagement is announced between
Alec, son of Simon and Helen Newton of
Bourton, Oxfordshire, and Kate, daughter
of Sandy and Caroline Savage of The
Sands, Surrey.
Deaths
HALL
Michael Harold on 22nd November
2020, aged 85, died peacefully.
Beloved husband of the late Jenny
Hall, much-loved father of Emily,
Alexandra and Warren and
grandfather of Sophie, Edward,
George, Nicholas and Alexander.
His funeral will be held at Burstow
Church. No flowers please but
donations, if desired, to RNLI or
www.c-r-y.org.uk
KENNINGTON Diana Mary Thyne (née
Hutcheson) died on Saturday 31st October
2020, aged 85. Much-loved wife to Ivor,
mother to Nigel, Justin and Alison, and
grandmother to nine. Funeral on Friday 4th
December at 1pm which will be
livestreamed (please contact
sanders.roehampton@dignityfunerals.co.uk
for details). Family flowers only,
donations if desired to WWT (the
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust).
LEVY Peter died peacefully at home on
15th November 2020, aged 81. Adored
husband of Colette, devoted father of
Claudia, Mel and Jonathan, much-loved
grandfather of Ma’ayan, Yarden, Yuval,
Noah, Zac, Louis and Mia. Cherished
brother of Jane and Lawrence (deceased).
He will be greatly missed by all his
family and friends.
MANSON Alastair, died peacefully on
14th November 2020, aged 91, with his
family with him. Greatly loved husband of
Frances and father of Lucy, Alice and the
late William. Private cremation.
PROPHET Elizabeth Jennifer Anne (née
Pratt) passed away on 16th November
2020, aged 89, following a short illness.
Mother to Richard and Charles (d. 2018)
and grandmother to Olivia. Inquiries c/o
Stoneman Funeral Service, Redhill, Surrey.
SYKES Georgina Catherine died on 10th
November 2020, aged 55, at The Royal
Bournemouth, much-loved mother to Paula
and Alyssa and sister to Henry. Private
funeral only — no flowers please.
VERNON Margaret died peacefully on
19th November 2020, aged 81. Much-loved
mother of Philip, Susan, Richard and David.
She will be greatly missed by her family
and friends.
WALBEOFFE-WILSON Fleur (née
Rayner) on 20th November 2020. Beloved
wife to John and much-loved mother to
Sabrina, Julie, Sophie, Emma and Ferfer, to
her 12 grandchildren and five great-
grandchildren, died peacefully at home.
She will be greatly missed by all those
whose lives she touched.
WOOD John Anthony, “Tony”, passed
away peacefully on 18th November 2020,
aged 89. Loving husband to Gill, father
to Tim (and Caroline), Richard (and
Joanne); grandfather to Will, Tom, Nick,
Alex and Milly. Sportsman, gentleman,
kind and much loved. Memorial service
in the spring.
WRIGHT Dr Lind on 19th November
2020, aged 92. Lind will be greatly missed
by her family and friends.
Legal Notices
66 1GM Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times

Weather
Today Rain clearing England and Wales. Sunshine and showers elsewhere. Max 13C (55F), min -4C (25F) Weather Eye
Paul Simons
Around Britain Five days ahead Wind
W d speed
p e Sea
S a state
ae Orkney
ney Shetland
Sh
Key: b=bright, c=cloud, d=drizzle, pc=partly cloudy Staying chilly into next 34 C l
Calm
du=dull, f=fair, fg=fog, h=hail, m=mist, r=rain, (mph) 14
4 6
sh=showers, sl=sleet, sn=snow, s=sun, t=thunder week with overnight Slight 11
11
*=previous day **=data not available frosts in places, but with Temperature Moderate
Rough
Temp C Rain mm Sun hr* sunny spells at times 28 (degrees C)
7
midday yesterday 24 hrs to 5pm yesterday
7 3
10 DU 0.2 0.0
Tomorrow Flood alerts and warnings
Aberdeen
Early cloud and rain clearing southeast
Aberporth 11 PC 0.0 0.6
England to leave much of the British At 17:00 on Tuesday there were 8
Anglesey 12 PC 0.0 0.0 Isles dry with sunny
sunnyy spespells,
p lls, variable two flood alerts and one warning in 5
Aviemore 7 R 6.2 0.0 cloud and a few
eww ling
llingering
inggerin
eri g mist
er mist patches. England, no flood alerts or warnings
8

A
Showers neaar
ar northwest
northwes
nort
n
nor
noor
o tthwe
th
hweest
hwe sster
ter
t n coasts.
Barnstaple 14
10
PC
PC
0.0
0.0
**
**
in Wales, and four flood alerts and Aberdeen
C F fter years of war between
Bedford Max 10C, minin
n -3
-33C
-3CC 35 95
Belfast 12 DU 11.6 0.0
three warnings in Scotland. For
30 86
England and France, in
further information and updates
Birmingham 11 PC 0.0 **
in England visit flood-warning- 25 77 1120 the English king
Bournemouth 12 DU 0.1 0.4 5 NORTH Henry I finally negotiated
11 DU 0.0 **
information.service.gov.uk,
uk, for Wales 20 68
Bridlington
naturalresources.wales/flflooding and SEA 15 59 a settlement with the
Bristol 11 PC 0.0 1.2
Camborne 12 B 0.8 1.4 for Scotland SEPA.org.ukk 8 10 50
French king Louis VI. Satisfied with
7 Edinburgh
Cardiff 11 C 0.0 1.1
10
26 Glasgow 5 41
this outcome, Henry and his royal
Edinburgh 13 PC 7.8 2.4 0 32
Eskdalemuir 9 R 42.0 0.2
7 14
4 -5 23 entourage sailed home from the
Glasgow 11 R 24.0 0.1
10
-10 14 Norman port of Barfluer on this day,
Hereford 11 PC 0.0 **
Herstmonceux 11 DU 0.0 1.5 ATLANTIC
Londonderry -15 5 November 25, 1120.
Ipswich 10 B 0.0 5.3
Newcastle It was a cold day, but the wind was
OCEAN Carlisle
Isle of Man 12 DU 3.6 0.1
Friday Belfast favourable and the sea calm when
Isle of Wight 11 PC 0.0 ** 9
Jersey 11 PC 0.0 0.1 Cloudy with patchy rain in northern 9 9 the royal party gathered to cross the
and western Scotland. A few coastal 9
Keswick 11 R 28.0 ** showers in easte
eastern
tern aand nd south
southeastern
o eastern Yorkk Channel. Henry left on one ship,
Kinloss 8 R 3.2 0.2 England. Elssewhe
ew w
whe
wh
where
where,
he
h
here,
here
eere
re,
reee,, dry
ddrry
ry aand
an
nd chilly with
h while his son William Adelin,
13
3
Leeds 10 C 0.0 ** sunny spellss and
aan
nd
nd fog
fo
foogg patc
ppaaat
atch
tches
ches.
Lerwick 8 PC 7.0 0.0 Max 9C, min
inn --2C
2C
C Manchester Hull
daughter Matilda and some 300
Leuchars 11 PC 0.2 0.9 ooo
Liverpool 9 others followed on another, The
Galway IRISH 11
1
Lincoln 11
12
B
C
0.0
0.0
3.5
** 5
White Ship. Many of William’s party
Liverpool SEA 10 Sheffield
London 11 PC 0.0 0.7 Dublin
LLlandudno
were drunk, possibly including the
Lyneham 11 PC 0.0 1.5 captain, and though the seas were
Manchester 11 C 0.0 2.2
Margate 10 B 0.0 3.5
6 8
Shrewsbury
Nottingham calm, soon after they left the ship hit
9 a submerged rock and capsized.
Milford Haven 12 C 1.0 **
i h
Norwich
Newcastle 11 C 0.0 ** 12
2 8 “The night was bitterly cold and
Nottingham ** C 0.4 4.3 Birmingham
Orkney 9 C 2.0 0.0 9
Cork
Cambridge frosty,” the chronicler Orderic
Oxford 11 PC 0.0 ** 8 Vitalis recorded. All the passengers
Swansea Oxford 12
Plymouth 13 C 0.8 ** and crew fought desperately to
Portland 12 PC 0.4 ** Cardiff
Scilly, St Mary’s 13 PC 0.8 **
Saturday Channel Islands CELTIC 1
11 survive in the icy sea. Although
Shoreham 11 PC 0.0 0.1 Showers or spells of rain in Ireland,
SEA Bristol London their cries for help could be heard
western Scotland and around Irish Sea
Shrewsbury 11 PC 0.0 2.8 10
Snowdonia ** ** 7.4 **
coasts. Elsewher
Elsewhere,
ere,, llargely
arge g lyy ddry
ry with
Southampton
on shore, the moon was less than a
sunny spellss and
an
an
ndd va
var
variable
aarrriia
iiabl
abl
ab
ble cloud. 0
10 quarter full and the night so dark
Southend 11 C 0.0 3.8 Max 12C, mi
min
in -2C
in 2C
2 C Exeterr
South Uist 9 C 5.8 ** 21
2 1 Plymouth Brighton that no one on land could see what
Stornoway 8 C 2.0 0.0
Tiree 7 R 10.0 0.0
was happening. William managed to
Whitehaven 9 PC 20.4 0.0 7
13 get into a small rowing boat but
CHANNEL 2
20
Wick 9 C 1.6 ** 14
4 when he heard the screams of his
Yeovilton 13 PC 0.0 1.9
half-sister Matilda he insisted on
11
8 General situation: Cloudd andd rain will west, but plenty of dry and
an sunny Lake District, NE Eng, Aberdeen, IoM, turning back. However, survivors in
The world clear England and Wales. Chilly with spells elsewhere. Light to moderate Edinburgh & Dundee, Borders: Mainly the sea tried to scramble onboard,
All readings local midday yesterday
sunshine and showers elsewhere. northwesterly winds. Maximum dry with sunny spells and an isolated the boat overturned and William
Alicante 17 PC Madeira 21 PC 7 E Anglia, London, SE Eng: Mild to start 10C (50F), minimum -1C (30F). shower in the north. Light to moderate
Amsterdam 10 B Madrid 11 S
drowned; his body was never found.
with bright or sunny spells. Cloud will Wales, SW Eng, Channel Is, Cen S Eng, southwesterly winds. Maximum
Athens 17 PC Mallorca 19 PC
thicken from the west through the Midlands, Cen N Eng, NW Eng, E Eng: 9C (48F), minimum 1C (34F). “No ship ever brought so much
Auckland 16 R Malaga 18 PC
morning, giving way to showery rain Cloudy to start with outbreaks of rain SW Scotland, N Isles, NW Scotland, misery to England,” the historian
Bahrain 23 S Malta 19 PC Sunday
Bangkok 32 PC Melbourne 19 B Dry and chilly in the south with bright
later. Light to moderate southwesterly
later clearing eastwards
eastwards, heavy in some NE Scotland
Scotland, Glasgow
Glasgow, Moray Firth
Firth, William of Malmesbury wrote.
Barbados 30 PC Mexico City 19 S or sunny spells at times. Cloudier winds, turning to the northwest by central areas. Turning sunny from the Argyll, Cen Highland: Sunshine and Henry was inconsolable and the
farther north with
with the
the chance of rain
th the evening. Maximum 13C (55F), west later. Very mild to start in central scattered wintry showers. Light to
Barcelona 16 PC Miami 25 B
or showers. minimum -1C (30F). southern England. Winds generally moderate variable winds, stronger
disaster threw the succession into
Beijing 7 S Milan 12 S
Beirut 22 PC Mombasa ** ** Max 10C, mi
min
in -2C
in 2C
2 C Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: Chilly light and northwesterly. Maximum across the Western Isles. Maximum turmoil. Henry had a number of
Belgrade 5 M Montreal 1 DU with showers in the north and 13C (55F), minimum -2C (28F). 9C (48F), minimum -4C (25F). children by a variety of mistresses,
Berlin 5 S Moscow 2 R but only two legitimate offspring
Bermuda 22 C Mumbai 31 S 4
Bordeaux 10 S Munich 4 C Tides Noon today could succeed him: William and
Brussels 10 PC Nairobi ** ** Tidal predictions. 1000
100
110
00
000 HIG
HI
HIGH
H IGH
IIG
GH
GH 100
10
11000
000
000
00
Matilda. With William dead, Henry
Heights in metres
Bucharest 9 S Naples 17 S
8
pronounced Matilda his heir. But
Budapest 0 FG New Orleans 19 S Today Ht Ht
Buenos Aires 30 S New York 10 PC 8 Aberdeen 10:27 3.6 22:26 3.7 9984
8844 LOW
LOW
W when Henry died on December 1,
Cairo 23 PC Nice 15 PC Avonmouth 03:18 10.1 15:45 10.7 9992
99
9922
100
1008
110
0008
0008 1135, his nephew Stephen of Blois
24 S 21 PC HIIG
HIGH
HIG
H IG
IGH
GHH
Calcutta Nicosia
9
Belfast 07:50 3.0 20:04 3.2 LOW
LO
LOW
OW claimed the throne as he was the
Canberra 21 B Oslo 5 B Cardiff 03:06 9.5 15:34 10.1 110008
1008
0 8
00 H
HIGH
Cape Town 16 B Paris 9 S 02:02 4.4 14:17 4.7
next male in the line of succession,
Devonport 68 997
9668
9968 976
76
76 11016
101
10
0016
0116
Chicago 7 PC Perth 33 S
Dover 07:32 5.6 20:23 5.6
10244 and with the support of nobles he
Copenhagen 8 R Prague 0 FG was crowned three weeks later.
Monday Dublin 08:34 3.6 20:33 3.7
Corfu 20 PC Reykjavik -1 C
Delhi 23 S Riga 6 PC Cloudy with spells of rain in northern Falmouth 01:44 4.0 13:57 4.3
LOW
LO
LOW
OW
Matilda refused to cave in, though,
Britain, persistent at times in western Greenock 09:05 2.9 21:16 3.2
Dubai 26 PC Rio de Janeiro 25 B
Scotland. Drier farther
f her south, but still
fart Cold front and so England was plunged into a
13 B 22 S Harwich 07:50 3.4 20:33 3.6 1024
1102
10
0
Dublin
Faro 18 PC
Riyadh
Rome 15 S
the chance of a few
few
w sshow
sh
how
ho
h owers.
Holyhead 07:20 4.7 19:20 4.9 Warm front civil war so terrible it was called “The
1032
03
03 1016
0116
0016
Florence 14 PC San Francisco 15 PC
Max 9C, min n 2C
2C
Hull 02:18 6.2 15:13 6.1
LOW
W
Occluded front Anarchy”, which lasted until 1153.
Frankfurt 5 B Santiago 26 S Leith 11:30 4.7 23:40 4.8 HIGH
HIG
IGH
IG
G Trough
Geneva 5 B São Paulo 23 PC Liverpool 07:48 7.6 20:05 8.1
Gibraltar 17 B Seoul 6 S 8 London Bridge 09:53 5.7 22:33 6.1
Synoptic situation Highs and lows Hours of darkness
Helsinki 3 B Seychelles 30 PC Lowestoft 05:17 2.3 18:59 2.3 24hrs to 5pm yesterday Aberdeen 16:08-07:44
Hong Kong 25 PC Singapore 28 R Milford Haven 02:39 5.4 15:01 5.8 Cloudy and mild to start across Belfast 16:38-07:45
Honolulu 29 PC St Petersburg 2 SH southeastern Britain with Warmest: Rhyl,
9 Morecambe 08:04 7.5 20:13 8.0 Clwyd, 14.2C Birmingham 16:32-07:18
Istanbul 14 PC Stockholm 5 B rain slowly clearing eastwards Coldest: Fyvie Castle, 1.1C
7 Newhaven 07:38 5.6 20:06 5.5 Cardiff 16:41-07:19
Jerusalem 24 S Sydney 20 B across England and Wales. Wettest: Tyndrum, 46.8mm
Newquay 01:36 5.5 13:57 5.9 Exeter 16:46-07:17
Johannesburg 25 S Tel Aviv 24 S Brighter and chillier elsewhere Sunniest: Weybourne,
Oban 02:50 3.0 14:59 3.4 Norfolk, 6.3hrs* Glasgow 16:24-07:45
Kuala Lumpur 29 PC Tenerife 25 S in a more northerly flow, with
8 Penzance 01:11 4.4 13:26 4.7 Liverpool 16:32-07:27
Kyiv 6 B Tokyo 13 R high pressure building from the
23 S 6 D Portsmouth 08:24 4.2 20:26 3.9 Sun and moon London 16:29-07:07
Lanzarote Vancouver west, but occluded fronts will For Greenwich Manchester 16:28-07:24
Las Palmas 24 S Venice 12 S Shoreham 07:49 5.2 20:18 5.1 Sun rises: 07.35
The Times weathererr Southampton 06:33 3.8 18:54 3.7
bring a scattering of showers. Newcastle 16:18-07:29
Lima 17 B Vienna 2 FG Sun sets: 15.59
02:40 7.3 15:04 7.8
Tomorrow, high pressure will Moon rises: 14.31 Norwich 16:18-07:06
Lisbon 16 PC Warsaw 7 B page is provided Swansea
continue to build from the west,, Moon sets: 03.04 Thu Penzance 16:56-07:23
Los Angeles 16 S Washington 11 PC Tees 12:40 4.5 --:-- --
24 S 4 B
by Weatherquestt with largely dry conditions. Full moon: November 30 Sheffield 16:26-07:21
Luxor Zurich Weymouth 03:15 1.5 15:25 1.6
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Sport
Heading must
be reduced but
never banned
Matthew Syed
yed
F
ootball has always been a
massive contributor to the
nation’s well-being — and
remains so today. This is a
message that should be
proclaimed from the rooftops in an
age of rising obesity and ever higher
prevalence of diseases related to
inactivity such as cancer, heart
disease and diabetes.
My son plays football every week
(or did before lockdown) while my
two brothers-in-law play for amateur
teams in London and Bath. One of
my brothers-in-law, Ciaran, plays for
Polytechnic FC, founded in 1873. His
training sessions overlap with those of
my son, so they get a chance to watch
each other at the playing fields near
our home in southwest London.
Football is not just about the
exercise, the way it works almost
every muscle in the body, but the
camaraderie. What you witness
taking place in parks and fields is
collective joy. Sure, there are bad
tackles and language, and a few idiots
who think it is cool to berate the
referee, but this is a social institution
as much as a sporting one, a
community asset as much as a health
blessing.
I mention this because I cannot
help noting that many parents and
amateur players are scared out of
their wits by headlines about the risk
2G M
of dementia from the game. It is a
talking point on WhatsApp groups
and forums, and has even been
brought up by my son. A healthy
debate is one thing, and long overdue,
but there is little doubt that the
benefits of recreational football
massively outweigh the risks.
Even in the professional game,
where the risks are higher, the health
benefits seem to win out over the
putative dangers. That is the
conclusion of a landmark report by
Glasgow University examining a large
cohort of professional footballers in
Scotland. The major headline from
this research was that these players
are 3½ times more likely to die of
dementia than the general
population.
The Glasgow paper also found that
outfield footballers were prescribed
medication for neurodegenerative
diseases at a higher rate than
goalkeepers and were slightly more
likely to die of these diseases
(although this second finding didn’t
reach the threshold of statistical
significance). This implies that
heading the ball may partly explain
the higher prevalence of dementia
among retired footballers.
But alongside this finding was
another that needs amplifying. For
despite the increased prevalence of
neurodegenerative diseases,
footballers had lower incidence of
cancer and heart disease and were
less likely to die before the age of 70
(although they had a higher mortality
rate over 70).
In other words, assuming I’ve read
the paper correctly, the net health
effect of professional football is
positive.
More research is needed into heading in the modern era of lighter balls but concussion protocols must improve immediately
The question is: what should the
game do with these findings? One
approach that gains traction with
each passing day is that as much risk
as possible should be removed from
the game, thus making it even
heathier than it already is. This is why
many are arguing that heading the
ball should be banned entirely, with
ideas such as mandating that corners
are played along the ground, that long
passes should be uncontested, that
high aerial passes are banned.
I think such ideas, however well
intended, go far beyond the existing
evidence. I also suspect that such an
unprecedented change to the rules
would set in train a set of unintended
consequences. For football without
heading wouldn’t be football. The art
of crossing to a team-mate, of leaping
to defend a corner, of nodding the ball
into the net, are bound up in the
complex tapestry of the game every
bit as much as dribbling and shooting.
Headers often create the most
beautiful goals, such as Robin van
Persie’s at the 2014 World Cup or
Cristiano Ronaldo’s majestic leap for
Juventus in 2019.
Moreover, if heading were banned,
it is not inconceivable that football’s
popularity would decline.
This is something that professional
players may be happy to countenance
if it reduced the risk to their health,
but should be taken into account. The
sport may also split, with those willing
to take on the risks of heading playing
under a new banner. Such a
fracturing could lead to declines in
the participation rates of the amateur
game — something that would have
an unambiguously deleterious effect
on public health.
We should also place the risk
ascertained by the Glasgow research
in a broader context. I asked David
Colquhoun, one of the world’s top
statisticians, to take a look at the
paper (none of the authors responded
to requests for information).
Colquhoun’s take was that it seemed
highly plausible that heading was the
cause of the higher risk of dementia,
but that it was difficult to prove this
link. “The control group are matched
by sex, age and degree of social
deprivation but heaven knows
whether there exist other relevant
factors that weren’t matched,” he said.
What we need above all else is
more evidence. The median age of
those studied was 66 and many
played in the era of route one (and
some with waterlogged balls).
67
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
It would be useful to see if the risks
were altered by the reduced
prevalence of heading in the elite
game today, along with changes in the
materials used for the ball itself.
Some experts believe that this won’t
make much difference to the impact
given that lighter balls travel faster,
but what we really need is data not
opinion.
This is why the authorities should
urgently fund new research,
something we can perhaps all agree
on. But as this is being conducted, the
game would be wise to take a middle
road. To strengthen concussion
protocols, which have been
inadequate for too long. To reduce
the amount of heading on the
practice pitch, which is where the vast
majority of the impacts take place. To
explain to professional players the
risks in their proper context, so that
they can take informed decisions.
Above all, though, the authorities
should remind the millions of people
who play this game for fun, all around
the world, that football is a wonderful
way to lose weight, to get fit and to
make friends.
When the social restrictions of this
blasted pandemic finally end, we will
need the game more than ever.
68
Sport Tennis
‘I knew I had to get back in shape’
Stuart Fraser
Tennis
Correspondent
When the former world No 1 and televi-
sion pundit Mats Wilander questioned
in September whether Andy Murray’s
comeback was worth taking precious
wild cards away from younger players,
the image was conjured of the incensed
three-times grand-slam singles cham-
pion putting up newspaper cuttings of
the Swede’s quotes on the kitchen wall
of his Surrey home.
“I think anything like that gives
short-term motivation,” Murray admit-
ted yesterday. “It helps. But I don’t think
longer term, like in a month’s time,
that’s necessarily something I will be
thinking about.”
Rather, a set of scales has provided
ivational fuel
the main source of motivational
for Murray’s pre-season prepara-
tions. Down in the dumps ps and
keen for answers after two
of his tamest defeats, at
the US Open and French
Open in September, the
h
33-year-old discovered
that he had put on
unnecessary weight.
In 2016, at peak
physical condition
during the most
successful year of his
career, his body fat per--
centage sat at about 9 to 10
per cent. A fresh reading ding
last month showed itt had
crept up towards that off an aver-
age male, at 16 per cent..
“Off the back of the French Open
and with how I was feeling physically
since the US Open, I properly went
and had a think about things and did
some testing and stuff,” Murray said. “I
was asked recently what was still
motivating me and it was something
as simple as getting on a body fat
percentage scale thing, and I wasn’t
happy with the readout that I got from
that.
“I was like, ‘Right, I can get myself in
much better shape than I’m in just now.
I’ve worked hard to get to this point but
I can do better. I could make sure I’m
eating better, I can make sure I’m
stronger in the gym.’”
This was one of the main reasons for
Murray deciding to shut down his
season prematurely last month. A
lingering pelvic issue — related to the
hip resurfacing surgery he had last year
England resist temptation
to use Stokes as an opener
Cricket
Elizabeth Ammon
England will not change their T20
batting line-up and move Ben Stokes to
the top of the order despite his success
in that position at the IPL.
Chris Silverwood, the England head
coach, said Jos Buttler would continue
to open in the shorter format despite
the fact that Stokes performed well as
an opener for Rajasthan Royals at the
tournament in Dubai, while his team-
mate Buttler dropped down the order
to No 5. Stokes struck a 59-ball century
against Mumbai Indians last month
and Silverwood said he was “intrigued”
by Rajasthan’s decision but added that it
did not change England’s thinking.
Something to
aim for Andy. . .
Andy Murray,
seen here in his
prime in 2013,
decided after the
French Open,
below, that he
needed to lose
body fat to
get back to
competing at his
previous level
— forced
his
his with-
drawal ffrom a
drawal
tournamen
tournament in
Cologne, and he
Cologne,
deemed it best not to play
deemed pl any
further matches, instead focusing on an
extended period of training.
“I guess with an extended off-season,
it’s going to allow me to do that,” he said.
“Usually when it’s only four or five
weeks long, it can be tricky to make big
gains in that time. But if it’s going to be
potentially ten to 12 weeks, that’s the
length of time a boxer would have to
train for a big fight and you can get
yourself in great shape in that time.
“I’ve been doing tons of work in the
gym and trying to build towards beating
all of my personal bests, which has been
quite exciting. The only thing that I
maybe won’t get to the same level again
is the speed. But I’m hoping that by
improving my strength and my power
that will help me get a little bit faster on
the court. There’s no reason why I can’t
get back to what it was before.”
“It’s great that those two guys get
experience of doing different things
and I don’t think it ever hurts them as
players to explore different options but
it doesn’t muddy the waters at all,” he
said in the lead-up to England’s three-
match T20 series against South Africa,
which starts on Friday.
“We’re pretty certain about which
way we want to go and we’ll do that.”
Buttler, who averages 31 in T20 inter-
nationals at a strike rate of 144.7, scored
an unbeaten 77 off 54 balls from the top
of the order in a winning chase against
Australia in September.
6 New Zealand’s Greg Barclay was last
night elected as the new independent
chairman of the ICC, cricket’s world
governing body.
Inevitably, Murray’s underwhelming
performances this year, losing four of
seven matches, led some to ponder how
much longer he felt it was worth
continuing his career if he could not get
close to the top of the game again.
“If I’m fit, I will reach the latter stages
of events,” Murray said. “I haven’t for-
gotten how to play tennis. I’ve seen
enough in the limited amount I have
played in the past year. I was beating a
top-ten player in the Cincinnati Mas-
ters [Alexander Zverev], and at the end
of last year I was winning against guys
like Stan [Wawrinka, to win the Euro-
pean Open]. I know I will perform and
win big matches if I can get properly fit
and healthy.”
Appearing at the rescheduled Tokyo
2020 is a goal for Murray, who has won
singles gold at the past two Olympics.
Despite being the world No 121, he is all
but guaranteed of the place in the draw
that has been left open for former gold
medallists and grand-slam champions.
The uncertainty over the Australian
Open is not helpful. Organisers are ne-
Sportswomen of
year crowned
Find out who won by
watching the virtual
awards from 6.30pm
Register to watch ceremony:
sportswomenoftheyear.co.uk
2G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
10%
Murray said in 2016 his
body fat was between 9
and 10 per cent — an
average man of his age
would be about
20 per cent fat
gotiating with the Victoria government
over the 14-day quarantine period that
cannot start before January 1. The origi-
nal start date of January 18 may be put
back by a week or two to allow players
more time to prepare in Melbourne.
“A lot of players are coming from very
cold climates,” Murray said. “To then go
and ask players to play in 36-degree
heat with no match preparation, it just
increases the risk of injuries.”
Murray has kept an eye on the con-
troversy surrounding Zverev, the world
No 7 from Germany, who has repeated-
ly denied allegations by his former girl-
friend, Olya Sharypova, of physical
abuse. The delayed response and lack
of an investigation by the ATP leads
Murray to believe that a domestic
violence policy should be developed.
“That is obviously something we as a
sport should be looking into. They can
be a bit more proactive in a situation
like that,” he said.
6 Andy Murray wears AMC, a premium
tennis clothing brand, created and
designed by Andy and Castore.
Sutton ‘lied’ to MPs about
his knowledge of doping
Cycling
Matt Lawton Chief Sports Correspondent
The former technical director of British
Cycling has been accused of misleading
a parliamentary committee, a medical
tribunal heard yesterday.
In March 2017, Shane Sutton was
asked by MPs if he had any knowledge
of doping, to which he claimed he did
not. The subsequent parliamentary
report concluded Team Sky had
“crossed” an ethical line when using
medical exemption certificates to give
certain medicines to riders.
Yesterday, Kvetoslav Palov, a
member of the same ANC Halfords
team as Sutton at the 1987 Tour de
France, gave evidence at the medical
MICHAEL DODGE/GETTY IMAGES
continued from back
Murray: Make stars have jab
season under protocols that included
strict limits on the movement of players
outside the event site, while many
matches were held behind closed doors.
“I would hope that all the players
would be willing to do that [be vaccinat-
ed] for the good of the sport, providing
everything is proved to be safe with
clinical trials and there are not any
significant side-effects,” Murray said.
“I guess we’re not going to know the
long-term effects for a while. But, from
what I’ve been hearing on the news,
there shouldn’t really be any.”
It is unlikely that any requirement to
take the vaccine would come before the
Australian Open in January, but it may
be an issue for Wimbledon in June.
Murray acknowledged the issue would
become contentious if Djokovic, 33,
refused the vaccine, but said: “I’m confi-
dent players would be into it if it meant
the tour going back to normality.”
hearing for Richard Freeman, the
former British Cycling and Team Sky
doctor accused by the General Medical
Council (GMC) of ordering testostero-
ne sachets “knowing or believing” it
was for a rider.
Palov said anyone involved in cycling
as long as Sutton was “lying” if they
denied any knowledge of doping.
However, he admitted his testimony
to MPs — when he said he and Sutton
visited a toilet at McDonald’s in Edin-
burgh during the 1987 Tour of Britain
and that it was littered with syringes
discarded by riders — was inaccurate.
Simon Jackson, QC, pointed out that
the first McDonald’s in Scotland
opened two months after the race.
The hearing continues tomorrow.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 1G M 69

Racing Sport
3.00 Stallions Mares’ Standard Open 2.15 Novices’ Hurdle 1.30 Handicap (£2,782: 2m) (13) 5.00 Novice Stakes (2-Y-O: £3,429: 7f) (14)
Wetherby NH Flat Race (£3,087: 2m) (12) (£3,769: 3m 1f 119yd) (10) 1 (13) 41400 AMANTO 39 (P,T,CD) Ali Stronge 10-9-12 D E Hogan (3) 1 (7) 00 ALABAMA BOY 14 Ed Walker 9-5 R Kingscote
Rob Wright 1 1- MISS LAMB 310 (D) J O’Keeffe 4-11-5 J Colliver 1 1/3-1 YOUNG BUCK 35 (T,CD) P Nicholls 6-11-4 H Cobden 2 (4) 04006 SOCIAL CITY 13 A Carroll 4-9-10 C Fallon 2 (6) EXCEEDINGLY REGAL W Knight 9-5 C Shepherd
2 41- FASHION NOVA 297 F O’Brien 5-10-12 P Brennan 2 124-5 BEATTHEBULLET 17 Miss R Curtis 6-10-12 S Bowen 3 (3) -0000 LOVELY LOU LOU 37 (P) J Butler 4-9-10 M Ghiani (5) 3 (10) FORD MADOX BROWN D O’Meara 9-5 A Kirby
11.45 Devour 1.50 Soaring Glory 3 0 JUST JESS 12 Mrs S Smith 4-10-12 D Cook 4 (9) 4-653 BALLYDOYLE 11 (P) G L Moore 5-9-9 T P Queally 2 ILZA’EEM 23 S & E Crisford 9-5 James Doyle
3 33P-P CARLOW FARMER 34 (T) C Longsdon 7-10-12 W T Kennedy 4 (1)
12.15 First Impression 2.25 Smarty Wild 4 LEADING EWE ON (W) J Snowden 4-10-12 G Sheehan 5 (11) 54602 LYRICA’S LION 11 Miss S West 6-9-8 S De Sousa
4 P-611 GALLOW FORD 32 Katy Price 5-10-12 B Poste 5 (5) 3 JAAFEL 35 B Meehan 9-5 J Crowley
12.50 Beat Box 3.00 Misty Mani
5 3 MISTY MANI 90 P Niven 5-10-12 B Hughes 5 5 GEORDIE WASHINGTON 23 N Hawke 4-10-12 6 (12) 0-010 RIVER DART J39 (D) A Carroll 8-9-8 6 (3) LOWNDES SQUARE Ed Walker 9-5 T Marquand
1.20 The Mulcair 3.30 Chosen Port Elisha Whittington (5)
6 SAUCY SALLY M Hammond 5-10-12 B Garritty (3) Mr Kieren Buckley (7) 7 (8) 0 MUNIFICENT 9 (T) P & O Cole 9-5 Rossa Ryan
Going: good to soft-soft in places Racing TV 7 00 SHIBUFFY 18 D Thompson 5-10-12 A Anderson (7) 6 0 JOE HAZE 16 P C Dando 6-10-12 M Bastyan (3) 7 (5) 45 KEANE’S KINGDOM 35 (B) Archie Watson 3-9-6
8 (11) NEENEE’S CHOICE A Balding 9-5 W Cox (3)
Hollie Doyle
8 SOLWAY PRIMROSE Miss L Harrison 6-10-12 Ross Chapman 7 66-3 ONCHAN 25 N Twiston-Davies 5-10-12 T Bellamy 9 (2) ROYAL FLEET C Appleby 9-5 W Buick
11.45 Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap 8 (1) 43040 CELTIC CLASSIC 10 (B) P & O Cole 4-9-4 R Hornby
9 1- THEDABBER 263 D Pipe 5-10-12 D Noonan 8 /111- WICK GREEN 270 (H) Mrs J Mason 7-10-12 D Bass 10(14) 4 SERGEANT MAJOR 20 R Hannon 9-5 S M Levey
Hurdle (£3,899: 2m 4f) (13) 10 00-6 VESHENSKAYA 30 A Crook 5-10-12 J Kington 9 00-U MIDNIGHT MAKEOVER 13 Lady S Brooke 6-10-5
9 (7) 00001 UNCLE BERNIE 39 (P,CD) Sarah Hollinshead 10-9-4
Joshua Bryan (3) 11 (4) THE VEGAS RAIDER M Bell 9-5 C Bishop
1 544-2 SOMETIMES ALWAYS 25 I Williams 5-11-13 C Todd (3) 11 VISION DE DAME (T) S Corbett 4-10-12 Sam Coltherd (3) Miss L Brooke (7) 12 (9) 02 TWILIGHT MADNESS 47 S Hodgson 9-5 J Haynes
10 (2) 16223 AFFAIR 76 (BF) H Morrison 6-9-4 C Bennett
2 /62-1 ROOKIE TRAINER 35 (T) N Mulholland 6-11-12 H Reed (3) 12 0 WOODFORD BRIDGE 26 Clare Hobson 4-10-12 J M Davies 10 F0 YORSEXYANDUKNOWIT 27 A Wintle 7-10-5 J Best 0 BELLA COLOROSSA 21 Mark Pattinson 9-0 W Carson
11 (8) 00400 KYBOSH 47 (P) M Appleby 4-9-1 A Rawlinson 13(12)
3 33-P3 GIOVANNI CHANGE 20 (P) M Walford 5-11-12 A Thorne 3-1 Thedabber, 7-2 Fashion Nova, 4-1 Miss Lamb, 5-1 Misty Mani, 6-1 Leading 11-10 Young Buck, 7-4 Onchan, 10-1 Carlow Farmer, 12-1 Beatthebullet, 14-1 14(13) SURREY PRINCESS G Baker 9-0 N Currie
12 (6) 60/00 AMERICAN CRAFTSMAN 23 (P) A Wintle 6-9-0 D Probert
4 15-06 ENFIN PHIL 25 M Hammond 6-11-10 B Garritty (3) Ewe On, 10-1 Saucy Sally, 20-1 Vision De Dame, 25-1 others. Wick Green, Gallow Ford, 25-1 Geordie Washington, 100-1 others. 11-4 Ilza’eem, 4-1 Royal Fleet, 9-2 Jaafel, 8-1 Twilight Madness, 10-1 Lowndes
13(10) 60304 ALEATORIC 13 (B) Martin Smith 4-8-12 E J Walsh
5 513-0 ARCHIE BROWN 20 H Hogarth 6-11-9 B Campbell Wright choice: Misty Mani was not given a hard time when 9-2 Keane’s Kingdom, 5-1 Affair, 6-1 Ballydoyle, Uncle Bernie, 8-1 Lyrica’s Square, 12-1 Ford Madox Brown, 14-1 Alabama Boy, 16-1 others.
6 040-U SEABOROUGH 20 D Thompson 5-11-8 A Anderson (3) third at Sedgefield Dangers Miss Lamb, Fashion Nova
2.50 Mares’ Handicap Hurdle Lion, 10-1 Aleatoric, 12-1 Social City, River Dart, Celtic Classic, 14-1 others.
7 42-25 TRAPPER PEAK 20 (BF,D) Justin Landy 11-11-7K Brogan (3) (£5,913: 2m 4f) (10) 5.30 Handicap (2-Y-O: £4,464: 7f) (7)
8 03-41 DEVOUR 26 (C) S Corbett 7-11-7 N Moscrop 3.30 Stallions Mares’ Standard Open 1 /40-0 DONT HESITATE 26 F O’Brien 7-11-12 C Brace (3) 2.00 Handicap (2-Y-O: £4,464: 5f) (7) 1 (1) 23010 LONDON PALLADIUM 33 (V,D) H Palmer 9-5 James Doyle
9 52-13 GOLDEN ROBIN 20 (D) Mrs S Smith 6-11-6 2 -4051 DIAMOND GAIT 39 (P,T) K Bailey 7-11-12 D Bass
Sam Coltherd (3) NH Flat Race (£3,087: 2m) (12) 1 (7) 21431 BEDFORD FLYER 22 (D) J L Eyre 10-3 L Edmunds 2 (4) 51 EVENING SONG 18 (H,D) M Botti 9-4 S Cherchi (5)
1 BELLA BLUESKY A Whillans 4-10-12 Craig Nichol 3 12-30 MOLLY OLLYS WISHES 18 (T) D Skelton 6-11-12 H Skelton 2 (2) 52220 PROSPECT 29 M Johnston 9-7 F Norton 3 (2) 12030 TOUSSAROK 51 M Johnston 9-4 P J McDonald
10 212/0 SHERIFF GARRETT 11 (P,T,D) T Easterby 6-11-4 4 13F-U DAME DU SOIR 16 (H) D Bridgwater 7-11-12 B J Powell
D McMenamin 2 5 BILLAMS LEGACY 40 F O’Brien 5-10-12 P Brennan 3 (3) 30363 NELSON GAY 95 (BF) R Hughes 9-5 K Shoemark 4 (7) 10 AUTUMN TWILIGHT 32 (D) D Menuisier 9-3 W Buick
11 5-644 LOUGHERMORE 24 S Waugh 6-11-1 C McCormack 3 1- CHOSEN PORT 263 Olly Murphy 4-10-12 A Coleman 5 60-01 MASKADA 23 (H,C) Stuart Edmunds 4-11-10 C Gethings 4 (6) 22134 BLACK SPARROW 29 (BF,CD) P McEntee 9-4 5 (6) 33601 MARIANCE 27 (D) J Portman 9-3 J Mitchell
6 33-P1 VALSE AU TAILLONS 7 J Farrelly 7-11-5 M Bastyan (3) Grace McEntee (5) 6 (5) 43251 FAYATHAAN 43 M Loughnane 9-3 E Greatrex
12 -2435 ROCK ON TIGER 34 (BF) H Daly 5-11-1 R Patrick 4 P3-2 ELECTRIC ANNIE 28 Jack Barber 5-10-12 D Jacob
7 2P3-1 MISS JEANNE MOON 19 N Mulholland 6-11-3 J Best 5 (4) 03306 STAY SMART 8 (T,D) D O’Meara 8-13 S Gray 7 (3) 04354 FOOLS RUSH IN 25 (P) T Dascombe 9-2 R Kingscote
13 40-04 KANGAROO VALLEY 13 (P) P Kirby 4-10-11 J Williamson (8) 5 R0 FLAKARNA 70 (H) C Grant 5-10-12 S Quinlan
8 0-000 MISS TYNTE 13 (P,T,D) D Pipe 8-11-2 T Scudamore 6 (5) 0040 MOPS GEM 19 M Appleby 8-7 Josephine Gordon 11-4 Evening Song, 7-2 Fayathaan, 4-1 Autumn Twilight, 5-1 Mariance, 7-1 others.
10-3 Sometimes Always, 9-2 Rookie Trainer, 13-2 Giovanni Change, 7-1 6 6- GENTLE ROSE 319 (W) Mrs P Sly 4-10-12 S Twiston-Davies
9 6305- RAREST DIAMOND 273 (W,T) C Tizzard 6-10-8 R M Power 7 (1) 60000 SHESSWEET 7 P Butler 8-6 George Rooke (5)
Golden Robin, 8-1 Trapper Peak, Devour, 10-1 Rock On Tiger, 12-1 others. 7 GOOD LOOK CHARM J Moffatt 4-10-12 B Hughes
8 0- LIME DROP 319 H Daly 4-10-12 R Johnson 10 444-5 TRONADA 22 A King 4-10-8 T Cannon 6-5 Bedford Flyer, 7-2 Nelson Gay, 4-1 Prospect, 7-1 Black Sparrow, 10-1 others. 6.05 Handicap (2-Y-O: £3,429: 1m) (14)
Rob Wright’s choice: Devour can defy a 7lb rise for his win 15-8 Valse Au Taillons, 5-1 Maskada, 11-2 Diamond Gait, 13-2 Miss Jeanne
9 4 MISS MOCKTAIL 19 Steph Hollinshead 5-10-12 J Quinlan 1 (13) 434 USS NIMITZ 40 M Johnston 9-7 J Fanning
here Dangers Rookie Trainer, Giovanni Change Moon, 8-1 Dame du Soir, 10-1 Molly Ollys Wishes, 12-1 Tronada, 16-1 others. 2.35 Novice Stakes (2-Y-O: £4,075: 1m) (10)
10 SOLWAY MOUSE Miss L Harrison 6-10-12 D McMenamin (3) 2 (7) 403 TICK TOCH 20 W Haggas 9-7 T Marquand
11 6 TIFFANY ROSE 28 Robert Stephens 4-10-12 M G Nolan 1 (3) ALTO VOLANTE W Haggas 9-5 C Fallon 3 (12) 44262 DREAM CHASER 36 (P) H Dunlop 9-7 Tyler Heard (7)
12.15 Juvenile Maiden Hurdle 12 00-0 ZARA’S UNIVERSE 21 A Crook 4-10-12 J Kington 3.20 Handicap Chase (£4,289: 3m 1f) (11) 2 (10) 6 CRANE 20 M Bell 9-5 J P Spencer 4 (9) 44 DON’T LOOK BACK 64 R Hughes 9-6 S W Kelly
(3-Y-O: £3,899: 2m) (13) 11-8 Chosen Port, 4-1 Billams Legacy, 9-2 Electric Annie, 12-1 Miss Mocktail, 1 30P-3 GARRANE 29 (P) J Scott 8-11-12 M Griffiths 3 (5) HEAVEN’S BILL L Carter 9-5 D Costello 5 (4) 6434 HAFEZ 72 (B) R Hannon 9-5 Rossa Ryan
1 EN COULEUR F30 M W Easterby 10-12 S Quinlan Good Look Charm, 14-1 Lime Drop, 16-1 others. 2 P51-2 ECLAIR DE GUYE 35 (P,BF) Mrs L Wadham 6-11-12 4 (4) 00 HUNTER’S FORCE 7 G Baker 9-5 Hollie Doyle 6 (1) 0042 THE NAIL GUNNER 47 I Furtado 9-5 J Haynes
2 5 FACT OR FABLE 19 J S Moore 10-12 J M Davies Bryony Frost 5 (7) 0 LA FORZA 14 M Tregoning 9-5 H Turner 7 (3) 55 THAPA VC 23 Sir M Prescott 9-5 Doubtful
Wright choice: Chosen Port, an Irish point-to-point
3 25 FIRST IMPRESSION 26 J J Quinn 10-12 B Hughes 3 F00-3 ELAN DE BALME 38 (P) D Pipe 6-11-12 T Scudamore 6 (9) 5 MUMMY’S BOY 14 C Hills 9-5 K Shoemark 8 (11) 00514 SHADY MCGEE 34 (CD) W Knight 9-4 C Shepherd
winner, appeals Dangers Billams Legacy, Bella Bluesky
4 4 MR SHADY 13 (P) J S Moore 10-12 R Mania 4 P/P-6 PERFORM 15 (P,T) Sheila Lewis 11-11-11 Sean Houlihan (3) 7 (2) SIR JOHN BOWDLER M Johnston 9-5 F Norton 9 (5) 03150 MISS FERNANDA 65 (H) George Boughey 9-3 B Curtis
5 6 NUMBERONESON 13 (T) H Whittington 10-12 D Jacob 5 04/0U TINTERN THEATRE 25 N Twiston-Davies 9-11-10 8 (8) 0 SOYUZ 33 S Dow 9-5 S De Sousa 10(10) 50342 CUBAN CIGAR 13 R Hannon 9-3 L Catton (7)
Mr J Savage (7)
6
7
6 RANCO 83 (W,P,T) D Pipe 10-12
04 THE IMPOSTER 14 N Hawke 10-12
D Noonan
D Cook
Hereford 6 454-1 CUBAN PETE 27 (C) Miss V Williams 8-11-10 Robert Dunne
9 (6)
10 (1)
05 WITHOUT REVENGE 28 R Charlton 9-5 T Greatrex (3)
BRAZEN JESSE M Usher 9-0 C Bennett
11 (8) 3000 SKY BLUE THINKING 30 C Cox 9-2
12 (6) 05600 MARSABIT 50 H Morrison 9-0
A Kirby
R Kingscote
Rob Wright 7 F02-P HOLLY JAMES 23 E Williams 6-11-10 C Ring (3) 2-1 Alto Volante, 11-4 Mummy’s Boy, 4-1 Sir John Bowdler, 8-1 Crane, 10-1 13(14) 00616 HEADSHOT 40 R Hannon 9-0 S M Levey
8 TWO SOX F113 T Easterby 10-12 J Hamilton
8 U04-5 SPECIAL ACCEPTANCE 43 P Webber 7-11-10 T J O’Brien Without Revenge, 12-1 Soyuz, 20-1 La Forza, 25-1 Heaven’s Bill. 14 (2) 00646 DURABELLA 13 P & O Cole 8-0 K O’Neill
9 WARRANTY F131 H Whittington 10-12 G Sheehan
12.05 Sam Barton 2.15 Onchan 9 41/2- STORMY MILAN 567 (T) C Longsdon 7-11-5 Paul O’Brien (3) 9-2 Tick Toch, 5-1 The Nail Gunner, 6-1 Uss Nimitz, 7-1 Don’t Look Back, 8-1
10 YULONG MAGICREEF F97 Jonjo O’Neill 10-12 Jonjo O’Neill Jr.
12.40 Hoi Polloi 2.50 Valse Au Taillons 10 /6-55 STAY OUT OF COURT 14 (P) A Wintle 9-11-0 C Gethings 3.10 Novice Stakes (2-Y-O: £4,075: 1m) (9)
11 2 FLAT WHITE 26 Mrs L Wadham 10-5 Maxime Tissier (5) Dream Chaser, 10-1 Shady Mcgee, 12-1 Headshot, Thapa VC, Cuban Cigar.
1.10 Kerb Line 3.20 Eclair De Guye 11 54-24 CLONDAW RIGGER 27 (T,CD) Katy Price 8-10-11 B Poste
12 MIRACLE EAGLE F43 J O’Keeffe 10-5 J Colliver 1.40 Princess Midnight 3.50 Miss Fisher 1 (9) DIAMOND OF DUBAI R Hannon 9-5 A Atzeni
13 WALKONBY F33 M Hammond 10-5 B Garritty (3)
3-1 Eclair De Guye, 5-1 Cuban Pete, 11-2 Elan De Balme, 10-1 Tintern Theatre, 2 (5) 0 HALLO SIXTIES 20 C Drew 9-5 D E Hogan (3) 6.35 Handicap (£3,429: 1m) (14)
Going: good to soft-soft in places Stormy Milan, Clondaw Rigger, Perform, 12-1 others. 3 (7) JACK OF TRADES S & E Crisford 9-5 S De Sousa 1 (1) 02020 LAPIDARY 47 (C) Mrs H Main 4-9-7 M Dwyer
11-10 First Impression, 6-1 Flat White, 13-2 Yulong Magicreef, 8-1 Walkonby,
Sky Sports Racing 4 (1) 0 KELMSCOTT 33 D Menuisier 9-5 K Shoemark 2 (13) 00030 ADELANTE 12 G Baker 4-9-5 N Currie
10-1 Ranco, Numberoneson, 16-1 Warranty, 25-1 others. 3.50 Standard Open NH Flat Race 5 (3) 0 RENBAWI 9 M Johnston 9-5 F Norton 3 (9) 32032 LOVER’S MOON 9 (B) H Palmer 3-9-5 James Doyle
Wright choice: First Impression was a fair fifth in listed 12.05 Novices’ Hurdle (£3,769: 2m 4f) (13) (£2,274: 2m) (11) 6 (4) 04 SEA CROSSING 39 James Ferguson 9-5 Hollie Doyle 4 (11) 2-405 TAHITIAN PRINCE 34 (P) R Hannon 3-9-4 S M Levey
company here Dangers Yulong Magicreef, Walkonby 1 /51-3 FRATERNEL 19 (D) A King 5-11-4 T Cannon 1 ALFOSKI G McPherson 5-11-0 Kielan Woods 7 (2) 0 SPY LEGEND 40 (BF) R Beckett 9-5 R Hornby 5 (6) 45136 I’M AVAILABLE 4 (BF,CD) S C Williams 4-9-3R Kingscote
2 5PP1- LITTLE BRIAN 254 (C) A Ralph 9-11-4 B R Jones (3) 2 ARBENNIG (W) J Snowden 4-11-0 Page Fuller 8 (8) 0 URBAN FOREST 7 E De Giles 9-5 Pierre-Louis Jamin (5) 6 (14) 56032 PRIZE FIGHTING 28 (BF) C Cox 3-9-3 A Kirby
12.50 Novices’ Handicap Chase 3 533/ AJAY’S WAYS 626 G McPherson 6-10-12 Kielan Woods 3 4 FAMOSO 46 (BF) P Nicholls 4-11-0 H Cobden 9 (6) 0 CHAPPAQUIDDICK 14 P & O Cole 9-0 D Probert 7 (7) 20000 KINGSTON KURRAJONG 33 (P,CD) M Attwater 7-9-2
(£4,289: 1m 7f) (7) 4 F50-5 BAY OF INTRIGUE 40 J G O’Shea 5-10-12 J McGrath 4 FLORINSFIRTH (T) M Sheppard 4-11-0 S Sheppard 11-4 Sea Crossing, 3-1 Diamond Of Dubai, 7-2 Jack Of Trades, 4-1 others. C Shepherd
1 -3555 GLOBAL JACKPOT 26 (T) M Hammond 7-11-12 B Garritty (3) 5 1-40 BROOKSWAY FAIR 17 E Williams 4-10-12 C Ring (3) 5 INTHEBORISCAMP D McCain 4-11-0 L Murtagh (3) 8 (5) 3-452 CAPRIOLETTE 28 (D) Ed Walker 5-9-2 T Marquand
2 512-4 EXELERATOR EXPRESS 20 (T) N Mulholland 6-11-11 6 4-63 BUCKSKIN 35 Katy Price 5-10-12 B Poste 6 JUKEBOX JUNIOR Mrs N Evans 4-11-0 B R Jones (3) 3.40 Apprentice Handicap 9 (2) 44615 TAKEONEFORTHETEAM 23 (CD) M Loughnane 5-9-0 E Greatrex
S Twiston-Davies 7 F-1 BUMPY JOHNSON 53 D Pipe 4-10-12 T Scudamore 7 3 LIBBERTY HUNTER 23 B Eckley 4-11-0 Robert Dunne 10 (8) 05000 MAKAMBE 68 (CD) Chelsea Banham 5-9-0 J Haynes
(£2,782: 1m) (12)
3 34506 TIDAL WATCH 26 Jonjo O’Neill 6-11-11 Jonjo O’Neill Jr. 8 23-33 GETABAY 66 G Elliott (Ire) 6-10-12 R M Power SHERBORNE C Tizzard 4-11-0 R M Power 11 (3) 1-000 PENPAL 84 (W,H,T,C) J Fanshawe 3-9-0 D Muscutt
8 1 (12) 60150 AVORISK ET PERILS 117 (W,CD) G L Moore 5-9-7
4 F5331 DOUKAROV 13 (H) S Curran 5-11-9 J M Davies 9 4 MR PEANUT 46 A Wintle 4-10-12 T Bellamy WAR CALL D Skelton 4-11-0 H Skelton R Clutterbuck (5) 12(12) 60400 TUNED FOR POWER 11 Adam West 3-8-13 Rossa Ryan
9
5 0F55- FUNAMBULE SIVOLA 259 (W) Miss V Williams 5-11-4 10 0 OPTIMISE PRIME 45 B Pauling 4-10-12 D Bass 2 FLYING NUN 35 Emma Lavelle 5-10-7 2 (9) 40410 REVOLUTIONARY MAN 72 (B,E,T,BF,C) George Boughey 5-9-7 13(10) -0600 MUSTAQQIR 76 J Butler 4-8-12 J Crowley
C Deutsch 10 J Bowen
11 3-5 SAM BARTON 29 Emma Lavelle 5-10-12 J Bowen Megan Nicholls 14 (4) 000-0 TAUREAN STAR 34 (D) L Dace 7-8-11 C Bishop
6 4/16- PALIXANDRE 484 (T) Sam England 6-11-4 J England 11 MISS FISHER N Henderson 4-10-7 N De Boinville
12 24- SCARPIA 285 (BF) N Henderson 6-10-12 N De Boinville 3 (1) 23002 LUNAR DEITY 18 (CD) S C Williams 11-9-7 Grace McEntee (5) 4-1 Prize Fighting, 9-2 Lover’s Moon, 5-1 Capriolette, 7-1 I’m Available,
7 13-35 BEAT BOX 30 (P) J Ewart 4-10-11 B Hughes 11-4 Miss Fisher, 7-2 Famoso, 11-2 Flying Nun, 13-2 Sherborne, 8-1 others.
13 4-50 THE WEASEL 19 N Mulholland 6-10-12 C Brassil (5) 4 (7) 02020 LUNA WISH 70 (D) G Margarson 3-9-5 C Fallon Takeonefortheteam, 10-1 Tahitian Prince, 14-1 Mustaqqir, Lapidary.
7-4 Doukarov, 4-1 Funambule Sivola, 5-1 Exelerator Express, 11-2 Beat Box, 7-2 Bumpy Johnson, 9-2 Sam Barton, 5-1 Scarpia, Getabay, 13-2 Fraternel, 5 (10) 05430 THE WARRIOR 41 (CD) L Carter 8-9-5 Joshua Bryan
6-1 Palixandre, 16-1 Global Jackpot, Tidal Watch. 8-1 Little Brian, 16-1 Bay Of Intrigue, Optimise Prime, Brooksway Fair, 20-1 others. Lingfield Park 6 (3) 25014 BLACK MEDICK 3 (P,C,D) Mrs L Mongan 4-9-4 7.10 Handicap (£3,429: 1m) (14)
Callum Hutchinson (7)
Wright choice: Beat Box reverts to his best trip after 1 (9) 00320 BUCKINGHAM 11 Eve J-Houghton 4-9-7 Georgia Dobie (5)
Rob Wright 7 (8) 4346 BLUE DAWN 22 (H) Ed Walker 3-9-3 M Ghiani (3)
failing to stay at Ayr Danger Exelerator Express 12.40 Novices’ Hurdle (£3,769: 2m 4f) (13) 2 (10) 21600 NOTE BLEU 25 (B,CD) G L Moore 3-9-5 H Crouch
8 (6) 41045 DREAMBOAT ANNIE 18 (C) M Usher 5-9-3
1 /4P-1 FANCY FOUNDATIONS 68 G Elliott (Ire) 6-11-4 R M Power Isobel Francis (5) 3 (1) -3310 GIUSEPPE CASSIOLI 32 (D) M Botti 3-9-5 B Curtis
12.00 Gold Standard 2.00 Nelson Gay (nap)
1.20 Intermediate Chase 2 43/41 PRESENTEDWITHWINGS 23 (CD) T Symonds 6-11-4 B Poste 12.30 Yes My Boy 2.35 Alto Volante 9 (5) 33234 SONNETINA 41 (BF) D Coakley 4-9-3 G Bass (5) 4 (3) 05212 TRUE BELIEF 36 (H,BF) B Johnson 4-9-4 W Carson
(£4,289: 3m) (3) 3 P BLOOD EAGLE 19 D J Jeffreys 4-10-12 Kielan Woods 1.00 Newyorkstateofmind 3.10Diamond Of Dubai 10 (2) 03006 SAUCY ENCORE 21 (H) Mrs A Perrett 3-9-3 D Keenan 5 (14) 3-101 UZINCSO 28 (CD) J Butler 4-9-3 J Crowley
4 43P- FIDDLERS TRACKER 262 (H) Miss R Curtis 5-10-12 S Bowen 1.30 Keane’s Kingdom 3.40 Blue Dawn 11(11) 03165 FIVEHUNDREDMILES 11 (B,D) P Evans 7-9-2 6 (12) 50002 WORLD TITLE 11 (D) Archie Watson 3-9-2 Adam J McNamara
1 30404 BORN BY THE SEA 10 P Gilligan (Ire) 6-11-0
Jack G Gilligan (7) Gina Mangan (7) 7 (6) 26564 BOBBY WHEELER 28 (P,C,D) C Cox 7-9-2 A Kirby
5 56 GALAN DES PLANCHES 27 N Henderson 4-10-12 J McGrath Going: standard Sky Sports Racing 12 (4) 26435 CRISTAL PALLAS CAT 27 (D) R Ingram 5-8-7 8 (8) 33050 ROMAN SPINNER 28 (T,CD) R Guest 5-9-1 James Doyle
2 /4P-4 GEORDIE B 16 Miss V Williams 7-11-0 A Coleman 6 50- GLANCE FROM CLOVER 262 A Ralph 5-10-12 Robert Dunne Draw: 5f-1m, low numbers best Rhiain Ingram (3)
3 1/1P- THE MULCAIR 347 (W) D Skelton 6-11-0 Bridget Andrews 7 1- HOI POLLOI 292 Emma Lavelle 5-10-12 J Bowen 9 (4) 00200 WIND IN MY SAILS 11 (D) E De Giles 8-9-0 L Keniry
9-2 Black Medick, 5-1 Lunar Deity, 6-1 Blue Dawn, Revolutionary Man, 7-1 others.
5-4 Geordie B, 11-8 The Mulcair, 4-1 Born By The Sea. 8 0 HONORARY COLONEL 38 P Hobbs 4-10-12 T J O’Brien 12.00 Handicap (£2,782: 1m 2f) (14) 10(11) 32500 JACK D’OR 43 (CD) Ed Walker 4-9-0 T Marquand
9 400 RAINBOW STORM 23 O Sherwood 4-10-12 K Lenihan (10) 11(13) 00001 RISAALAAT 21 (V,C) M Walford 4-8-13 Tyler Heard (7)
Wright choice: The Mulcair has had a breathing operation 1 (6) 32250 GOLD STANDARD 30 (BF) A Carroll 4-9-7 C Fallon
since a poor run at Cheltenham Danger Geordie B 10
11
RAPID FLIGHT N Henderson 4-10-12
6F- SMARTMANDARCY 276 R Bandey 5-10-12 Sean Houlihan (3)
N De Boinville
2 (11) 01000 FAMOUS DYNASTY 41 (CD) M Blanshard 6-9-7D Probert Kempton Park 12 (5) 03625 MOXY MARES 37 (D) M Loughnane 5-8-12 E Greatrex
13 (7) 0000- WESTERN DAWN 385 G Baker 4-8-11 S W Kelly
12 440-3 SNOWPIERCER 15 Lady S Brooke 6-10-12 Miss L Brooke (7)
3 (12) 15564 CRYSTAL CAROLE 21 J Best 4-9-6 Josephine Gordon Rob Wright 14 (2) 03124 CASHEL 23 (CD) M Appleby 5-8-9 L Morris
1.50 Novices’ Hurdle (£3,964: 2m) (12) 13 6-000 SINISTRY 16 (H,T) N Hawke 4-10-5 T Buckley (5)
4 (5) 06630 YAGOOD 36 R Ingram 4-9-6 Rhiain Ingram (5) 3-1 Uzincso, 9-2 True Belief, 6-1 Risaalaat, 8-1 World Title, 10-1 others.
1 12-12 SOARING GLORY 20 (BF,D) Jonjo O’Neill 5-11-4 5 (2) 25341 EMERALD FOX 11 (C) P Chamings 5-9-6 4.00 Kath’s Toyboy 6.05 Don’t Look Back
5-2 Rapid Flight, 7-2 Hoi Polloi, 4-1 Fancy Foundations, 5-1 Presentedwithwings, George Rooke (5) 4.30 Mjolnir 6.35 I’m Available (nb)
Jonjo O’Neill Jr.
8-1 Galan Des Planches, 14-1 Honorary Colonel, 16-1 others. 6 (3) 16322 LADY MORPHEUS 27 (BF) G L Moore 4-9-6 Hollie Doyle
7.40 Handicap (£5,208: 1m 3f) (9)
2 45-60 ABINGTON PARK 16 P Kirby 5-10-12 T Dowson 5.00 Ilza’eem 7.10 True Belief
7 (1) 10000 SORAMOND 18 (B,D) E Dunlop 3-9-4 G Wood 5.30 Toussarok 7.40 No Nay Bella 1 (9) 60052 BIG COUNTRY 95 (CD) M Appleby 7-10-0 L Morris
3 1/0-B BIRD ON THE WIRE 14 D McCain 5-10-12 B Hughes
4 233 DONNIE AZOFF 74 (W,T) J Snowden 4-10-12 G Sheehan
1.10 Handicap Hurdle (£2,794: 2m 4f) (11) 8 (9) 40000 JUNOESQUE 18 (H,D) J Gallagher 6-9-4 D Keenan (3) Going: standard to slow
2 (7) 00113 CULTURE 21 (V,CD) Tom Ward 4-9-10 T Marquand
1 23F0/ PENGO’S BOY 786 (H) R G Hawker 11-11-10 T J O’Brien 9 (8) 43605 WILLINGLY 28 (T) M Usher 3-9-4 C Bennett 3 (4) 12300 SANDYMAN 13 (B) P & O Cole 4-9-8 L Keniry
5 DUKE OF ALBA F370 J Mackie 5-10-12 J M Davies Draw: 5f-1m, low numbers best Racing TV
2 26-00 IMPERIAL ICON 24 K Bailey 5-11-9 D Bass 10 (4) 012-2 MOJAMBO 311 (P,T) D C O’Brien 5-9-4 R Hornby 4 (3) 3D116 ANDALEEP J28 (T) G McPherson 4-9-8 W Carver (5)
6 331-P GEMIRANDE 29 Miss V Williams 4-10-12 C Deutsch
3 312/2 BRAVE JAQ 39 (H,T) R Potter 9-11-9 Mr Thomas O’Brien (3) 11 (7) 44650 RESTRICTED ACCESS J9 J Portman 3-9-4 T Saunders (5) 4.00 Novice Auction Stakes 5 (5) 41004 BERRAHRI 26 (C) J Best 9-9-6 J Haynes
7 030- KIPLIN 259 O Pears 5-10-12 S Quinlan
4 05-30 THAIS TOIR 29 Tom Lacey 5-11-9 N De Boinville 12(13) 41000 ARABESCATO 28 (B,CD) N Littmoden 3-9-3 S De Sousa 6 (8) 20-00 SIR PRIZE 44 (CD) D Ivory 5-9-1 G Downing
8 00 LITTLE ORANGE 13 S Waugh 6-10-12 J Hamilton (2-Y-O: £4,075: 6f) (12)
5 63/1- CARNAGE F460 Mrs N Evans 5-11-7 B R Jones (3) 13(14) 65600 MUSIC MAJOR 11 (P,CD) M Attwater 7-9-3 A Rawlinson 7 (2) 13351 NO NAY BELLA 23 (H,CD) M Botti 3-9-0 B Curtis
9 1/0-6 MISTER FLEMINGTON 25 Daragh Bourke 9-10-12 R McLernon 1 (1) 1 POPMASTER 36 (CD) Ed Walker 9-8 T Marquand
6 63-25 KERB LINE 27 (BF) J Scott 7-11-7 R Dingle (3) 14(10) 630-0 MUNGO’S QUEST 18 S Dow 3-9-2 D Costello 8 (1) /234- PERSUER J15 T R Gretton 4-8-10 Tyler Heard (7)
10 P PROSECUTE 20 (H,T) Clare Hobson 7-10-12 2 (3) CASH MACHINE Tom Clover 9-1 J Mitchell
Tabitha Worsley (5) 7 2/0-0 JENNYS DAY 29 Katy Price 9-11-6 B Poste 11-4 Emerald Fox, 9-2 Lady Morpheus, 6-1 Mojambo, 7-1 Gold Standard, 9 (6) 16-60 ROSARDO SENORITA 126 (C) R J Smith 3-8-7 K O’Neill
3 (5) 2 TIGERHON 22 (BF) D O’Meara 9-1 W Buick 9-4 No Nay Bella, 3-1 Big Country, 4-1 Culture, 6-1 Andaleep, 14-1 others.
11 131- RORY AND ME F69 (T) M Hammond 5-10-12 A Cawley 8 P21-F RUSSIAN SERVICE 17 S Drinkwater 8-11-5 Jack Tudor (3) 8-1 Crystal Carole, 12-1 Yagood, Willingly, Arabescato, 16-1 others.
4 (8) 0 BELAFONTE 33 J Portman 9-0 E Greatrex
12 00 SPOT ON SOPH 26 (H) Sam England 4-10-5 J England 9 60U-P MOTDEPAS 12 G L Moore 5-11-1 Joshua Moore
5 (12) F0 BREEZYANDBRIGHT 18 Mike Murphy 9-0 D Muscutt
4-7 Soaring Glory, 4-1 Donnie Azoff, 7-1 Rory And Me, 10-1 Gemirande, Bird 10 5005- OXFORD BLU 255 (T) Lady S Brooke 6-11-0 Miss L Brooke (7) 12.30 Handicap (£7,439: 1m 2f) (6) Blinkered first time: Kempton 6.05 Hafez. 7.10 Note Bleu.
6 (6) 04 PLEINMONT 37 C Cox 9-0 H Crouch 7.40 Sandyman. Lingfield 12.00 Soramond. 1.00 Brunel’s
On The Wire, 33-1 Duke Of Alba, 50-1 Kiplin, Abington Park. 11 0/006 NEW MOON 17 (T) Tom Lacey 6-11-0 S Sheppard 1 (3) 01252 PLANTADREAM 11 (BF,C) J Best 5-9-12 J P Spencer 7 (2) ZENZERO D O’Meara 9-0 J Crowley Boy; Bowling Russian. 1.30 Keane’s Kingdom; Aleatoric.
Wright choice: Soaring Glory was second in a better race 11-4 Brave Jaq, 4-1 Kerb Line, 5-1 Thais Toir, 7-1 Imperial Icon, 2 (5) 05360 PACTOLUS 41 (H,T,CD) S C Williams 9-9-10 A Atzeni DRAGON’S FIRE A Hales 8-13 L Morris
8 (4)
at Newbury Dangers Abington Park, Rory And Me 8-1 Russian Service, 12-1 Jennys Day, Oxford Blu, 14-1 Carnage, 18-1 others. 3 (6) 40231 KRYPTOS 9 J Berry 6-9-7(5ex) Megan Nicholls GOINGTOCALIFORNIA D F Davis 8-13 C Bishop
9 (7)
4 (2) 22443 YES MY BOY 9 (P,CD) Archie Watson 3-9-5 Hollie Doyle 10(10) 2 KATH’S TOYBOY 13 R Hughes 8-13 S W Kelly
2.25 Handicap Chase (£7,928: 1m 7f) (9) 1.40 Novices’ Handicap Chase 5 (1) 30201 FANTASY BELIEVER 14 C Hills 3-9-0 K Shoemark 11 (9) SEE THE CELEBRITY D P Quinn 8-13 L Keniry Course specialists
(£2,989: 2m) (11) 6 (4) 00612 SHA LA LA LA LEE 12 (P,C) T Dascombe 5-8-11 Jane Elliott 12(11) 20 CAMASSIA 21 George Boughey 8-10 B Curtis
1 U111- BILLINGSLEY 271 A Ralph 8-11-12 S Twiston-Davies Hereford: Trainers N Henderson, 6 from 12 runners,
1 025-6 DELFACE 17 (B) D Pipe 7-11-12 F Gillard (7) 9-4 Plantadream, 7-2 Fantasy Believer, 4-1 Yes My Boy, Kryptos, 6-1 others. 9-4 Popmaster, 7-2 Kath’s Toyboy, 4-1 Tigerhon, 6-1 Zenzero, 8-1 Camassia, 16-1
2 FP-06 JOKE DANCER 26 (P) Mrs S Smith 7-11-10 R Mania 50.0%; J Farrelly, 4 from 10, 40.0%. Jockeys N De Boinville,
2 25022 NO QUARTER ASKED 29 (T) P Bowen 5-11-8 J Bowen Pleinmont, Cash Machine, 25-1 Dragon’s Fire, Goingtocalifornia, 30-1 others.
3 331-4 PROTEK DES FLOS 25 B Haslam 8-11-7 R McLernon 1.00 Handicap (£5,208: 6f) (7) 3 from 6 rides, 50.0%; H Skelton, 10 from 37, 27.0%.
3 F02FP MOANS CROSS 23 D Bridgwater 6-11-6 M Bastyan (3)
4 446-3 SMARTY WILD 25 P Hobbs 6-11-6 R Johnson
4.30 Novice Stakes (£3,429: 6f) (8) Kempton: Trainers C Appleby, 38 from 98, 38.8%; S&E
4 PP04/ GENTLEMAN’S DREAM 1339 G L Moore 8-11-4Joshua Moore 1 (1) 56144 BOWLING RUSSIAN 36 (V,CD) G Baker 3-9-7 C Fallon
5 43-1F SOME REIGN 26 (BF) Mrs R Dobbin 9-11-5 C O’Farrell
5 406-0 EURKASH 26 (H) P Webber 6-10-13 C Gethings
Crisford, 8 from 31, 25.8%. Jockeys W Buick, 40 from
2 (5) 64306 PRINCES DES SABLES 12 (D) D O’Meara 4-9-5 S Gray 1 (6) MJOLNIR R Guest 3-9-5 S W Kelly
6 5-P31 BALLYVIC BORU 26 (CD) B Ellison 8-11-3 B Hughes 159, 25.2%; James Doyle, 61 from 271, 22.5%.
6 0-520 KHANISARI 16 E Williams 6-10-8 C Ring (3) 3 (3) 0-005 COBRA EYE 103 (D) D Steele 3-9-5 R Clutterbuck (7) 2 (5) PRESUMPTUOUS (T) J Osborne 3-9-5 N Currie
7 35060 AZZURI 12 D Skelton 8-11-2 Bridget Andrews
7 5/431 PRINCESS MIDNIGHT 23 (T,CD) C Tizzard 6-10-3 R M Power 3 (8) TOMORROWLAND (T) J Osborne 3-9-5 C Shepherd
Lingfield: Trainers S&E Crisford, 5 from 11, 45.5%; W
4 (7) 06212 NEWYORKSTATEOFMIND 4 (B,BF,CD) W Muir 3-9-3 Haggas, 54 from 194, 27.8%. Jockeys A Atzeni, 33
8 251-0 SO EASY WAY 42 (W) H Whittington 4-11-1 G Sheehan 8 302-3 POTTLEREAGHEXPRESS 53 T Lawes 7-10-3 J McGrath George Rooke (5) 3433 BLACK BOX 10 R Brisland 3-9-0 B Curtis
4 (3)
9 /44-P SAINT LEO 25 (BF) Miss L Russell 7-10-10 D R Fox 9 /P-0P MAROC 29 (P) Mrs N Evans 7-10-3 D Burton (5) 5 (2) 10324 DAZZLING DES 13 (CD) D O’Meara 3-9-3 D Probert
from 123, 26.8%; D Hogan, 8 from 37, 21.6%.
5 (7) 322 FAUVETTE 5 R Guest 3-9-0 J Crowley
3-1 Some Reign, 7-2 Ballyvic Boru, 11-2 Billingsley, 6-1 Joke Dancer, 7-1 10 233-0 SADMA 15 Nick Lampard 11-10-0 D Crosse 6 (6) 03043 VANDAD 13 (T,BF) Mohamed Moubarak 3-8-11 Hollie Doyle 6 (2) 00 I AM WILD 68 M Hoad 5-9-0 O Lewis (7)
Wetherby: Trainers D Skelton, 41 from 146, 28.1%; J
Smarty Wild, 10-1 Protek Des Flos, 12-1 Saint Leo, 14-1 Azzuri, So Easy Way. 11 000-P GORCOMBE’S RASCAL 15 (H) J Frost 7-10-0 J Best 7 (4) 32600 BRUNEL’S BOY 21 (V) M Channon 3-8-11 S De Sousa
Snowden, 7 from 27, 25.9%. Jockeys D Jacob, 8 from
7 (1) 05-0 PERFECT SUNSET 125 (W,T) A Balding 3-9-0 W Carver (5)
Wright choice: Smarty Wild made a promising start over 5-2 Princess Midnight, 7-2 No Quarter Asked, 13-2 Pottlereaghexpress,
24, 33.3%; Bridget Andrews, 4 from 14, 28.6%.
6-4 Newyorkstateofmind, 7-2 Vandad, 5-1 Dazzling Des, 6-1 Bowling Russian, 8 (4) SEPORA Adam West 3-9-0 Rossa Ryan
fences at Ascot Dangers Joke Dancer, Ballyvic Boru 7-1 Delface, 8-1 Moans Cross, 10-1 Eurkash, 14-1 Khanisari, 16-1 others. 8-1 Princes Des Sables, 14-1 Brunel’s Boy, 25-1 Cobra Eye. 5-4 Fauvette, 3-1 Black Box, 7-1 Mjolnir, 8-1 Perfect Sunset, 10-1 others.

Yesterday’s racing results

Lingfield
Going: standard
11.55 (1m 1yd) 1, Kendergarten Kop (D Nolan,
6-1); 2, Arju (18-1); 3, Mr Mac (4-1). 11 ran.
NR: Tip Top. Nk, Kl. D Flood.
12.25 (7f 1yd) 1, Isola Rossa (W Buick, 11-4
fav); 2, Sweet Believer (15-2); 3, Puy Mary
(11-2). 13 ran. 1Ol, 2l. J R Fanshawe.
12.55 (7f 1yd) 1, Unforgiving Minute (Grace
McEntee, 33-1); 2, Lequinto (9-4 fav);
3, Mr Tyrrell (40-1). 10 ran. Kl, 1Nl. S Curran.
1.25 (6f 1yd) 1, Obtuse (T P Queally, 8-1);
2, Patsy Fagan (9-4 fav); 3, Split Elevens (15-2).
9 ran. 1N, sh hd. P D Evans.
1.55 (6f 1yd) 1, Mammasaidknockuout (Rossa
Ryan, 5-1); 2, Olivia Mary (10-3 fav);
3, Decadent (4-1). 9 ran. 1l, Ol. R Hannon.
2.25 (6f 1yd) 1, Comeatchoo (Hollie Doyle, 9-2);
2, Pastfact (18-5); 3, Knockabout Queen
(7-2 fav). 10 ran. NR: Popple, Valentine Blues.
Nk, 1N. P S McEntee.
2.55 (1m 2f) 1, Saratoga Gold (Tom Marquand,
13-2); 2, Branwell (7-4 fav); 3, Where You At
(15-2). 8 ran. 1l, 3Nl. C Hills.
3.25 (1m 4f) 1, Hasty Sailor (R L Moore, 10-11
fav); 2, Pledge Of Peace (28-1); 3, Rafiot (33-1).
11 ran. 3Kl, 2Ol. Sir Michael Stoute.
Placepot: £56.40. Quadpot: £7.60.
Sedgefield
Going: good
12.15 (2m 3f 188yd, hdle) 1, C’Est Le Bonheur
(B S Hughes, 10-11 fav); 2, Hurricane Mitch
(5-4); 3, Swedishhorsemafia (5-1). 8 ran.
17l, 2Kl. Dr R D P Newland.
12.46 (2m 77yd, ch) 1, Cybalko (Jonathan
England, 9-4); 2, Arizona Glory (10-3); 3, Roll Of
Thunder (14-1). 10 ran. Nk, 12l. Sam England.
1.16 (3m 2f 59yd, ch) 1, The Late Legend
(S Bowen, 3-1); 2, Scoop The Pot (9-2);
3, Nortonthorpelegend (5-2 fav). 9 ran.
NR: Late Date. 7Kl, 2Kl. T H Weston.
1.46 (2m 178yd, hdle) 1, Minella Drama
(B S Hughes, 4-7 fav); 2, Lord Torranaga (5-2);
3, Busy Street (7-1). 12 ran. 11l, 13l.
D McCain Jnr.
2.16 (2m 3f 65yd, ch) 1, Equus Dancer (S Bowen,
Evens fav); 2, Onthefrontfoot (4-1); 3,
Slanelough (4-1). 6 ran. 12l, 2Kl. P Bowen.
2.46 (2m 178yd, hdle) 1, Sincerely Resdev (Mr
Aidan Macdonald, 14-1); 2, Evita Du Mesnil (4-
1); 3, Let’s Sway (9-4 fav). 12 ran. NR: Paper
Promise, Zamarkhan. ns, 6l. Micky Hammond.
3.16 (2m 178yd, flat) 1, Tardree (C O’Farrell, 7-
2); 2, Risk D’argent (11-2); 3, Northern Falcon
(11-4). 8 ran. Hd, Kl. Laura Morgan.
Placepot: £4.40.
Quadpot: £2.20.
Southwell
Going: good to soft (good in places)
12.37 (2m 4f 88yd, ch) 1, Cave Top (R T Dunne,
9-2); 2, Shady Oaks (40-1); 3, Master Burbidge
(15-2). 11 ran. NR: Frisson Collonges, Jarlath.
2l, 1l. Oliver Greenall.
1.07 (3m 60yd, ch) 1, Ecossais (Ross Turner,
11-2); 2, Summit Like Herbie (6-4 fav); 3, Path To
Freedom (25-1). 6 ran. 13l, 14l. Oliver Greenall.
1.37 (1m 7f 182yd, flat) 1, Firestep
(Nico de Boinville, 15-8 fav); 2, Midnight
Centurion (25-1); 3, Steady The Ship (9-1).
10 ran. 2Ol, 1Nl. N J Henderson.
2.07 (1m 7f 182yd, hdle) 1, Get Your Own (Harry
Bannister, 22-1); 2, Caddyhill (5-1); 3,
Tremwedge (6-4 fav). 13 ran. 1Ol, 1Ol. A M Hales.
2.37 (3m 60yd, hdle) 1, Skylanna Breeze (Jonjo
O’Neill Jr., 11-4 fav); 2, Alright Marlene (22-1);
3, Perfect Pirate (9-1). 11 ran. 1Ol, 3Kl. Jonjo
O’Neill.
3.07 (2m 4f 88yd, hdle) 1, San Rumoldo (Tom
Cannon, 12-1); 2, Roses Poses (5-2 fav);
3, Cyrus Keep (4-1). 13 ran. 1Ol, 1Nl. A King.
3.37 (1m 7f 182yd, hdle) 1, Chapati (Fergus
Gregory, 20-1); 2, Manor Park (11-10 fav);
3, Artistic Language (5-1). 12 ran.
NR: Northandsouth. 2N, 3l. Jake Coulson.
Placepot: £74.40. Quadpot: £7.10.
Wolverhampton
Going: standard
4.00 (1m 142yd) 1, Spirit Of Rowdown (Charlie
Bennett, 7-2 fav); 2, Beechwood Emily (13-2); 3,
Desert Cat (15-2). 12 ran. NR: Furniture
Factors. 1l, Kl. M D I Usher.
4.30 (1m 1f 104yd) 1, Uncle Bryn (R Havlin, 2-9
fav); 2, Jaramillo (7-1); 3, Dancing King (50-1). 7
ran. NR: Louis Armstrong. 4Nl, nk. J H M Gosden.
5.00 (6f 20yd) 1, Tilaawah (Tyler Heard, 13-2); 2,
Highest Ambition (10-11 fav); 3, Night
Narcissus (8-1). 8 ran. Kl, sh hd. D M Loughnane.
5.30 (7f 36yd) 1, Silent Escape (Hector Crouch,
10-3); 2, Alexej (4-6 fav); 3, Good Humor (7-2).
7 ran. 2N, ns. S bin Suroor.
6.00 (5f 21yd) 1, Lord Riddiford (Jason Hart,
12-1); 2, Top Breeze (3-1); 3, Pop Dancer (14-1).
11 ran. ns, Kl. J J Quinn.
6.30 (1m 4f 51yd) 1, Guroor (Stefano Cherchi,
14-1); 2, Fair Star (2-1 fav); 3, Candelisa (17-2).
7 ran. NR: Protected Guest. Sh hd, 1Kl. M Botti.
7.00 (1m 4f 51yd) 1, Muftakker (J Garritty, 4-1);
2, Splash Of Verve (13-2); 3, Cafe Sydney
(10-3 fav). 12 ran. 1Nl, Kl. J R Norton.
7.30 (1m 4f 51yd) 1, Lady Of York (Joey Haynes,
11-2); 2, Epaneema (33-1); 3, Ember’s Glow
(9-1). 12 ran. Kl, Ol. Chelsea Banham.
8.00 (5f 21yd) 1, Qaaraat (Cam Hardie, 5-1);
2, Passional (3-1 fav); 3, Trouser The Cash (9-2).
11 ran. Ol, hd. A Brittain.
Placepot: £19.60. Quadpot: £9.50.
70
Sport Rugby union
How Nasa science gave England
Tom Roddy talks to the
founders of the data
analytics company
taking Eddie Jones’s
side to the next level
It was while watching an ice hockey
game in Idaho Falls seven years ago
that a Nasa nuclear scientist came up
with an idea that led to Jonny May’s
spectacular try against Ireland on
Saturday.
May’s length-of-the-field counter-
attack helped England to victory at
Twickenham and left Eddie Jones, the
England head coach, purring over the
team’s use of technology that helped
the move happen.
England have been working with
Sportable, a data analytics company
co-founded by South Africans Dugald
Macdonald, Dan Davson and Peter
Husemeyer, over the past six weeks.
Jones has been increasingly keen to
measure off-the-ball contributions and
has said that his team selection would
be partially influenced by data.
Husemeyer came up with the con-
cept of measuring forces in contact
sport in 2013 while leading a team of
engineers in developing nuclear
rocket engines in Idaho, where they
were working towards Nasa’s aim of
reaching Mars.
“I saw a body check in a game of
ice hockey where one player
completely destroyed another
and it got me thinking, could
you measure the forces in a
game? What if the forces
were in real time?”
Husemeyer, 33, said.
Seven years on and
Sportable’s technology,
which costs between
£16,000 and £60,000
a year, is being used
by Bath and
Leicester Ti-
gers in the
Gallagher
Premier-
ship, as well
as England,
May’s work off the ball
has greatly improved
Mitchell prepared for Welsh sledging to try to distract
Owen Slot Chief Rugby Correspondent
England expect their players to be
personally targeted by international-
standard sledging when they play
Wales in Llanelli on Saturday.
“We’re ready for anything,” John
Mitchell, the England defence coach,
said yesterday. “We expect that again.
That’s just the way they play, so we’ve
just got to be ready for it.”
England will have to set about the job
without Ollie Lawrence, the young
Worcester Warriors centre, who has
made a big impression in his first three
weekends in the international game.
Lawrence has not recovered suffi-
ciently from the minor injury he
suffered in the England game against
Ireland on Saturday.
Lawrence’s absence suggests that
England will have to juggle their back
division. However, though Lawrence is
a loss, the team will be boosted by the
return of Anthony Watson who brings
another high-quality option to the back
three. The Exeter Chiefs hooker Luke
Cowan-Dickie has also returned from a
minor operation and will return
with the target of making their
tactics more effective using real-time
analytics.
Sportable collect data by using three
pieces of technology: a smart rugby
ball, created with Gilbert, which meas-
ures hang time, speed and distance the
ball travels using a chip inside; a device
that sits between a player’s shoulders to
show real-time movement in relation
to the ball; and a vest recording the
force in tackles and scrums across the
shoulders and upper torso, using 80
pressure points that take measure-
ments 60 times a second.
There are various benefits to the
technology for coaches. One area is
contestable kicking to gain ground. The
smart ball allows coaches to assess all
aspects of a kick, from hang time to
drag, distance and spin.
This means that coaches can work
out how long the ball needs to be in the
air for their team to pressure the kick
and chase. If that were, say, 4.1 seconds
then scrum halves can practise their
kicking so they are consistently hitting
the target for trajectory, speed and
hang time.
In the case of May’s try, the techno-
logy was beneficial to England because
of the confidence in how they reacted
to a loose lineout by Ireland.
“We’ve created games that mimic
those sorts of situations,” Jones
said. “What we want the
players to do there is what is
obvious, but it’s their race to
get in position which is really
important.”
When Maro Itoje col-
lected the ball, Jones’s
team sensed the
opportunity and
reacted.
Instead of recy-
cling the ball, Itoje
passed it wide to Ol-
lie Lawrence and
May, holding his
arm in the air, had
already readjusted his position
to be on the outside of the Ire-
land centre Chris Farrell.
Jones explained that the track-
ing technology was helping En-
gland’s work off the ball.
“That’s so important, transitional
parts, it’s a pretty exciting area for us
and it’s pleasing to see that try today
where we shifted the ball quickly to the
straight into the match-day 23 at the
expense of Bath’s Tom Dunn.
Eddie Jones will name his squad of 23
tomorrow. Whoever plays will have
been trained to deal with what Mitchell
described as Wales’s tactics “to distract
and disrupt”.
“They have always had a crack at Ben
Youngs, at Owen [Farrell],” Mitchell
said yesterday. “I think they went hard
at [Kyle] Sinckler a couple of times
we’ve been down there. They clearly
target people. They look to create indi-
vidual distractions and then try to take
away some of the key components to
our ways of creating pressure.”
In the 2019 Six Nations, Wales did
such a successful job at provoking
Sinckler that the England prop gave
away a succession of penalties and was
quickly substituted. Sinckler would
later acknowledge that he had walked
into the trap. “I let the team down,” he
said. “I let my country down.”
Mitchell said yesterday that England
would not personally target players the
way that he says that Wales do. “I think
it is about us getting on with our own
game,” he said.
1G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
Rugby's data revolution
outside and then it was a leg race,”
he said.
Sportable’s technology would have
allowed Jones and his analysts to Analysts Sportable have provided Eddie Jones's team
assess the players’ positioning in with balls with chips in, and vests containing sensors
so that training sessions can be recorded in detail
relation to the ball in practice at every
moment to ensure May was timing his
ONLINE
run right to counter.
ARO ITOJE
“What Eddie is referring to there is THE E SENSORS
SORS
MARO
MA
that Jonny May has got better and bet-
ter and better at putting himself in the A sensor sits
right position at the right time and between the
they’re able to analyse that in the train- shoulder blades and
ing ground to track devices to centime- can measure the
tre-level accuracy,” said Macdonald, 33, Sen
Sensor
position of a player
the nephew of the former Scotland throughout a
international Donald Macdonald. training session to
“So you’re able to understand this is the nearest
where he was when the turnover hap- centimetre. Helps
pened, that’s where I want him to be, coaches analyse
that’s where he’s got to. Then you are what players are
maximising the repeatability of that. If doing when they are
that simulation is run in the training not near the ball.
ground then they can repeat that on
match day.
“We are feeding back information
about the ball and player that shows
you that the player reacted at the right
time and put himself in the right place
at the right time.”
This data is collected using six tripod-
mounted beacons placed around the
training ground pitch and real-time
analytics are fed on to tablets through a
software app.
“You’re able to see whether we’re
increasing by 10 per cent improvement
or 30 per cent improvement day in, day
out,” Macdonald said.
Sportable aims to bring their techno-
logy into the home of rugby fans in the
same way Hawk-Eye can be viewed in Maro Itoje Where England
Englan were positioned fo
tennis and cricket. mocked up
The company also believes that its wearing one of Players' positions in the lead up to Jonny
technology will progress to the point the vests, which May's length-of-the-field-try based on
where it can predict the likelihood of a would usually research from training-ground data
team scoring from a particular moment be worn under
in a game. a training shirt Lawren
wren
“When we integrate all of our data
Ito
together, data from ball and player
tracking, we can provide a predictive
layer, showing what the outcome will and playerpla
ay
ayeerr
be in certain areas of the game with a aring ve esstt
vest
very high margin for success,” Macdo-
nald said.
“If you have a certain line-up of cer-
tain players in a certain position then
we can give you a probability of them
scoring or regaining a kick from a
restart. Once we build up a lot of data it
becomes predictive.”
The England team have gone out of
When England-Wales flares up their way to train themselves to deal
better with what they regard as this
2011 ‘Younger brother’ Davies said, leading to a
Davi concerted tactic from Wales to disrupt
Ben Foden said before mass mêlée in
mas and distract. “We work very hard at it,”
the Six Nations game England’s 12-6 victory.
En Mitchell said, “and we’ve got excellent
that it felt like England staff and experts that work very closely
were the “older 2019 Gatland winds
20 with the team in that area. I think it is
brother” and had to up Sinckler
u something that, over time, we are
make sure they “beat Warren Gatland
W getting better at and we are continuing
our younger brother”. called the England
ca to learn.”
tight-head Kyle
tig He said that the players had specific-
2017 Advert pulled Sinckler
S inc an “emotional ally worked with Andrea Furst, the
BBC Wales created an time bomb”. Wales ran England team sports psychologist, Neil
advert in which Welsh away 21-13 winners. Craig, the head of high performance,
fans struggled to come and Jones himself.
up with an answer to 2018 Farrell snaps 2020 Crotch grab Elliot Daly, the England back,
the question: “What’s Referee Jérôme Garcès Joe Marler grabbed Alun explained: “It is the responsibility of the
good about England?” put every player on a Wyn Jones’s privates in team to make sure that if they [the
England fans sin-bin warning after England’s 33-30 win in opposition] are going out for one per-
complained, and the Owen Farrell snapped at March. He was banned son that we get them back to where
advert was pulled. something Gareth for ten weeks. they need to be. We did a lot of work on
it towards the World Cup and we’ve
carried it on so we know how to react in
However, Neil Jenkins, the Wales Jenkins said he expected Wales to these situations.”
kicking coach, said yesterday that he upset the odds. “This is a big, big game When Jones reduces his squad to 23
expected “fireworks” on Saturday and for us,” he said. “I’m used to expecting tomorrow, he will rest one of the three
that “both teams will be on edge”. to win at home and see no difference loose-head props, Mako Vunipola, Ellis
Though England are clear favourites, on Saturday.” Genge and Joe Marler, who is fit again.
 the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
their cutting edge
SCRUM
Vests with 80 sensor points across the
shoulders and upper torso. Each point
is measured 60 times per second and
can show how load is spread over the
body in the scrum and whether
everyone is pushing at the same time
r May's wonder try
Daly
May
Slade
nce
nce
oje
his men
Jones will then have to decide
whether to select a 6-2 bench, with only
two backs, in which case Max Malins or
Jonathan Joseph would probably miss
out, or a 5-3 bench, in which case one of
the flankers would stand down.
Jack Willis is back in the 25, along
with Ben Earl, Sam Underhill, Tom
Curry and Billy Vunipola. This wealth
of back-row talent is making Jones’s job
as a selector increasingly hard.
The absence of Lawrence, however,
will leave England’s attacking threats
somewhat diminished. Of the squad to
play Wales, none of the backs will bring
a ball-carrying threat with the power
and danger of Lawrence.
Jones, therefore, has two options. He
can revert to the midfield that started
against Italy last month, with Henry
Slade and Joseph at 12-13, or he can
bring George Ford back into the start-
ing line-up in a 10-12 combination with
Owen Farrell, most probably with
Slade at 13. At least all this demon-
strates that England have a number of
options, even if the Lawrence option,
which seemed the preferred one, is no
longer available.
1G M
BALL SENSOR
B also battled depression,
Me
Measures the distance,
han
hang time, and its spin
rate along both axis.
7 managed in an international career
2 3
5
4 that began in 1998 and included
8 1
LH PROP
PITCH SENSOR
Six sensors - at the
corners and either end of
the halfway line - receive
information from chips on
the ball and the players, How try build-up would look on screen
and relay a feed to
analysts
TRACKING...
MAY
Navidi set to be rushed
back for visit of England
Steve James
Wales are ready to take a gamble and
select Josh Navidi in the back row
against England on Saturday in
Llanelli. Navidi, 29, has not played a
match since the end of August after
suffering concussion during a Cardiff
Blues training game in late September,
but Wales have missed his aggression
and edge in contact and are willing to
throw him back in.
Asked if it would be a risk to play
Navidi, Neil Jenkins, the Wales kicking
coach, said: “I don’t think so. If Navs is
right he is a fantastic player.
“For me, I’ll be brutally honest, I
think he is a world-class player. He is
the type who, with minimal rugby, can
step up and play Test-match football.”
Navidi can play across the back row
and Wales have other concerns already,
with Ross Moriarty leaving the camp
yesterday with an ankle injury and
Justin Tipuric battling to be fit for
Saturday after suffering a nasty head
injury against Georgia on Saturday.
COMPUTER
Data all fed back in real time
during a training session
and can be analysed at the
time or later
HOOKER TH PROP LOCK LOCK
FORCE ON EACH SHOULDER IN SCRUM
Taulupe Faletau missed that match
with a knee injury too. Navidi and Fal-
etau are back in full training, but Tipu-
ric is still undergoing concussion proto-
cols. “We will see how he goes later in
the week,” Jenkins said.
After some promising performances
from reserve players in the 18-0 victory
over Georgia, Wales have a plethora of
Navidi could return
to strengthen the
Wales back row
selection calls to make after six succes-
sive defeats before that, and Jenkins ad-
mitted that probably only the captain
Alun Wyn Jones is certain of his place.
“The boys who played on Saturday
put their hands up and there were some
very good performances,” Jenkins said.
“Apart from Al, everyone else is fighting
for their positions.”
‘A rugby genius’ –
Dominici found
dead at age of 48
Tributes are pouring in
for the wing who
defined French flair but
John Westerby writes
C
hristophe Dominici, the
France wing who played 67
times for his country and
played a starring role in one
of the great World Cup
games, died yesterday aged 48.
He was found in a park in the
Saint-Cloud area on the outskirts of
Paris. Police say they are not looking
for anyone else in connection with
his death.
Only six players scored more times
for France than the 25 tries he
appearances in three World Cup
semi-finals and the 1999 final against
Australia. In the semi-final that year,
he scored a memorable try in France’s
remarkable comeback to beat New
Zealand at Twickenham, skilfully
claiming a bouncing ball and
sprinting home from 30 metres,
touching down with a mischievous
smile on his face. The try gave his
side the lead after they had been
trailing 24-10 as they went on to book
a place in the final.
He was also in the France team that
beat the All Blacks in the 2007
quarter-final in Cardiff, before they
were defeated by England in the
semi-final at the Stade de France.
At 5ft 7½in and 12st 12lb, Dominici
was a diminutive, impish presence,
blessed with speed and vision and, in
the manner typical of France at their
best, he played the game with a
twinkle in his eye. In that 1999 semi-
final, the opposing wings were Jonah
Lomu, 6ft 5in and nearly 19st, and
Tana Umaga, 6ft 2in and 16st.
Roxana Maracineanu, the French
sports minister, said last night:
“Christophe Dominici was an
immense player, an artist, a
funambulist. His sudden death is a
shock.”
Jonny Wilkinson, who played
against Dominici in the 2003 and
2007 semi-finals, said: “The death of
Christophe Dominici is terribly
sad. We are thinking of all of
his loved ones. The whole
of sport has lost a true
legend.”
Wilkinson spent the
latter stages of his career
playing for Toulon, the city in
which Dominici was born
and the club with whom he
played his early rugby
before moving to Stade
Français, where he won five
league titles. The Paris-
based team paid tribute to
him: “A rugby genius and
companion without equal,
he will leave a great void.
Our thoughts go to his
family, his wife Loretta, and
his daughters Chiara and Mia.”
On occasions, his showman
tendencies led him to make
Dominici scored 25 tries
in 67 games for France
71
Sport
Loss of World Cup legends
Four of the eight starting wings
from the 1995 and 1999 World Cup
finals have died in the past five
years:
Jonah Lomu The All Black who
revolutionised the sport was first
diagnosed with a kidney disorder in
1995 and later received a transplant.
He died from a heart attack
associated with the kidney disease
aged 40 in 2015.
James Small Capped 47 times by
South Africa and part of the 1995
team that won the World Cup on
home soil. He died last year aged 50
after suffering a heart attack.
Chester Williams Small’s team-mate
on the other wing in the 1995 final
died only two months after Small,
aged 49, from a suspected heart
attack. He became the fourth
member of the 1995 South African
winning side to die after Small,
Ruben Kruger and Joost van der
Westhuizen.
Christophe Dominici France wing in
the 1999 final who died yesterday.
mistakes, notably when he dropped
the ball over the tryline against Italy
in 2004, having raced clear from 40
metres.
Only a year after that epic 1999
semi-final, Dominici was placed into
an induced coma to overcome
depression and nervous exhaustion.
His sister had died when he was a
teenager and he then experienced the
deaths of two friends. In his 2007
autobiography, Dominici revealed
that he had suffered from severe
depression during his career and that
he had been abused as a child.
Since finishing his playing career in
2008, he had worked as a television
pundit and had recently been
involved in an attempted takeover of
Béziers, a fallen giant of the French
club game, by unnamed
investors from the UAE.
Dominici had become
the frontman for the
takeover bid, which he said
could transform the second-
tier club into “the biggest in
Europe”. He had claimed
to have contacted
Frédéric Michalak, the
former France fly half,
with a view to becoming
the coach, and spoken to
high-profile players
including Ma’a Nonu
and Benjamin Fall. But
the takeover was
blocked by the
game’s financial
authorities, leaving
Dominici raging at a perceived
“injustice”.
The Ligue Nationale de
Rugby will pay its respects at
matches in the top two divisions
this weekend while Fabien Galthié,
his former France team-mate and
now the national team’s coach, said
Saturday’s game against Italy at the
Stade de France would be dedicated
to Dominici’s memory.
72
Sport Sky Bet Championship
Ten-man Norwich
survive late scare
2
Stoke City
Campbell 70, Collins 79
3
Norwich City
Buendía 18, Pukki 27, 57
Graham Hill
Teemu Pukki scored twice to keep
injury-hit Norwich City at the top of
the Sky Bet Championship but a
second-half red card for Emiliano
Buendía — and two Stoke City goals —
ensured a tense finish for Daniel Farke’s
side.
Buendía had put Norwich ahead
before Pukki’s goals gave them a 3-0
lead in the 57th minute but the Argen-
tinian was sent off after a reckless kick
in Nick Powell’s face earned him a
second yellow card. It allowed Stoke to
apply late pressure with goals from the
in-form striker Tyrese Campbell and
Nathan Collins, who was on as a
substitute.
Another Stoke substitute, Lee
Gregory, thought he had equalised only
for the referee, Geoff Eltringham, to
disallow it for a foul on Michael
McGovern, who had replaced the
injured Tim Krul in the Norwich goal
after 40 minutes. But the away side
survived to extend their unbeaten run
to nine games.
“We’re having a tricky time with
injuries after the international break so
to get back-to-back wins is massive,”
said Farke, who admitted that Buendía
Stanislas’s double
deepens Forest woe
2
Bournemouth
Stanislas 3, 50 (pen)
0
Nottm Forest
Tom Prentki
Bournemouth’s promotion push is
gathering momentum going into a
packed winter schedule as Junior Stan-
islas scored twice to help lift them back
into the Sky Bet Championship top two.
This was the first of eight games for
Jason Tindall’s side in the month before
Christmas and they dominated from
start to finish against Chris Hughton’s
Nottingham Forest. A goal from Stan-
islas at the start of each half put them in
full command but they might easily
have won by more.
“We spoke about it before the game.
We want to go on a winning run. Now
that’s three wins back to back,” Tindall
said. “I’m delighted with how we
played, certainly for the first 60 min-
utes and I was a little bit disappointed
we didn’t have more than the two
goals.”
Bournemouth started with intensity,
taking the lead in the third minute
when David Brooks’s clever pass found
the path of Stanislas who finished
expertly past Brice Samba.
Brooks was at the heart of everything
good for Bournemouth and would have
had a simple finish had Arnaut Danju-
ma squared the ball to him after an
excellent run from the Dutch winger.
“Brooksy’s ability is fantastic,”
Tindall said of the Wales international.
2G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
JAMES GILL/DANEHOUSE/GETTY IMAGES
was naive in the challenge that got him Stoke (5-3-2) J Bursik — T Smith (Sub: N Collins
the second booking. “He had an out- 46min), H Souttar, D Batth (S Vokes 79), M Fox,
J Tymon (Ince 46) — J Mikel, S Clucas, N Powell —
standing game and scored the first goal, T Campbell, S Fletcher (L Gregory 35).
but once he had a yellow card, he Booked Batth, Fletcher.
needed to calm down and was a bit Norwich (4-2-3-1): T Krul (M McGovern 40) —
emotional.” Farke added that Krul M Aarons, G Hanley , B Gibson, J Sorensen —
could be out for a few weeks with a mus- A Tettey, O Skipp — E Buendía, M Stiepermann
cle injury. (M Vrancic 60), J Martin (P Placheta 60) —
T Pukki. Sent off Buendía.
It was Pukki, the Finland striker, who Referee G Eltringham
Pukki scores the first of his two goals to help Norwich stay on top of the table
made the difference as he followed up
his winner away to Middlesbrough on
Saturday. He scored in each half to take
his tally for the season to seven.
Norwich took the lead after 18 min-
utes when a perfect pass from Marco
Stiepermann wrongfooted the Stoke
defence and Buendía fired into the far
corner. They added a second after 28
minutes when Pukki raced clear from
his markers and fired a left-foot shot
past Josef Bursik, the Stoke goalkeeper.
Norwich’s Josh Martin, 19 and mak-
ing his first league start, set up the third.
There was a suspicion of offside but
Pukki took the ball around Bursik to
score. After Norwich lost Buendía in
the 68th minute, Stoke responded im-
mediately when Campbell pulled one
back. Collins headed home their
second with 11 minutes left.
Michael O’Neill, the Stoke manager,
was critical of the referee for the disal-
lowed effort late on.
“We didn’t lose the game because of
the referee, but it wasn’t a brilliant per-
formance by him,” he said. “It was soft
to disallow the goal.”
Championship table, page 75
“It’s about him playing games consist-
ently. He’s a great lad to work with and
he’s a big asset for the football club.”
After steadying things initially,
Hughton will be under no illusion as to
how difficult his task will be at Forest.
Having lost to Barnsley at the weekend,
they were chasing shadows in the first
half at the Vitality Stadium and
fortunate not to find themselves
further behind.
Forest got off to the worst possible
start to the second half as Jack Colback
made the slightest of contact with
Solanke in the corner of the penalty
area and Simon Cooper pointed to the
spot. Stanislas finished clinically to
score his second.
“When you concede the goals at the
times that we did then it was always
going to be a difficult night,” Hughton
said.
“The second goal kills us. My opinion
[of the penalty] having seen it is that
you can’t give it. The initial contact was
outside the box.”
With Swansea City, Watford and
Norwich City to come and Forest just
three points above the relegation zone,
December does not bring the promise
of much cheer for Hughton.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): A Begovic — A Smith,
C Mepham, S Cook, L Kelly — L Cook, J Lerma
(D Rico 79min) — D Brooks (D Gosling 71),
J Stanislas, A Danjuma (R Riquelme 90) —
D Solanke. Booked Gosling, L Cook.
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): B Samba —
C Christie, T Figueiredo, S McKenna, Y Ribeiro —
R Yates, J Colback — S Ameobi, H Arter (M
Guerrero 76), J Lolley (Knockaert 61) — L Taylor.
Referee S Hooper.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
Klopp: Firmino gives us rhythm
Paul Joyce
Northern Football Correspondent
Jürgen Klopp has described Roberto
Firmino as the complete footballer and
said that the Brazil forward played “12
instruments” in Liverpool’s orchestra.
As the Liverpool manager welcomed
the return of Mohamed Salah for
tonight’s Champions League match
with Atalanta after he tested negative
for coronavirus, he also highlighted Fir-
mino’s enduring importance to his team.
Liverpool insisted that Firmino, who
scored in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over
2G M
Leicester City, was fit despite missing
training last night. Firmino was a sub-
stitute in Bergamo three weeks ago as
Liverpool ran riot, with Diogo Jota
grabbing a hat-trick and Salah and
Sadio Mané also on target in a 5-0 win.
Klopp has always framed Firmino’s
contribution as more important than
his scoring output, which is lower than
that of Salah and Mané, and was
effusive in his praise of the 29-year-old
on the eve of the group D match.
“Scoring was always important for
Bobby,” Klopp said. “But Bobby is a
complete footballer. A football team is
73
Champions League Sport
like an orchestra, you have different Firmino has featured in 52 of Klopp’s
people for different instruments. And 53 European games as Liverpool man- Liverpool v Atalanta
some of them are louder than others, ager, missing only the Champions Kick-off 8pm TV BT Sport 2
but they are all important for the League semi-final second leg at home Radio BBC 5 Live
rhythm. to Barcelona in 2019. Referee C del Cerro Grande (Spain)
“Bobby plays 12 instruments in our A victory over the Italians would
orchestra. He’s very important for our guarantee Liverpool’s progression into Liverpool (probable; 4-3-3)
rhythm. We can play well without him the knockout stage with two games to
Alisson
as well, but I certainly want him on the spare. The last time they achieved that
pitch. And if you look at the numbers, I was under Rafael Benítez in 2006-07. J Milner R Williams J Matip K Tsimikas
like it a lot having him on the pitch. Given Klopp’s concerns about the
“This goal [against Leicester] was busy schedule of his players, the chance
very important, and what I loved most to rotate twice next month would be G Wijnaldum Fabinho C Jones
was the reaction of the boys . . . the welcome. It may, however, be limited
celebration, it was really emotional.” while Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander- M Salah D Jota S Mané
Arnold, Joe Gomez, Thiago Alcântara,
Jordan Henderson, Naby Keïta,
Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex D Zapata J Ilicic
Oxlade-Chamberlain remain injured.
The availability of Salah, who passed A Gomez
Uefa’s protocols on Monday, is a boost, R Gosens R Freuler M De Roon H Hateboer
though Klopp must judge the physical
condition of the forward, who was in B Djimsiti C Romero R Toloi
quarantine in Egypt last week.
“Mo trained with the team and P Gollini
looked really good,” Klopp added. “All
the tests were negative so now, if noth- Atalanta (probable; 3-4-1-2)
ing changes, he’s available. Now we
have to see what we do, because he was
quarantined until three days ago.” How they stand
Meanwhile, Uefa is continuing dis-
cussions with FC Midtjylland and Liv- Liverpool
P
3
W
3
D
0
L
0
GF GA Pts
8 0 9
erpool over the venue for their Ajax 3 1 1 1 4 4 4
Champions League game scheduled Atalanta
Midtjylland
3
3 0
1 1
0
1
3
6 7
1 8 0
4
for December 9. Liverpool had been
due to travel to Denmark but UK coro- Remaining fixtures:
Tonight Ajax v Midtjylland (8.0); Liverpool v
navirus restrictions mean the game is Atalanta (8.0). December 1 Liverpool v Ajax (8.0);
set to be switched to a neutral ground, Atalanta v Midtjylland (8.0). December 9 Ajax v
Atalanta (5.55); Midtjylland v Liverpool (5.55).
with Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna
Park the most likely venue.
Guardiola blames himself
for City’s scoring struggles
Paul Hirst Olympiacos v Manchester City
Pep Guardiola believes that only one Kick-off 5.55pm
person is responsible for Manchester TV BT Sport 3
City’s poor start to the season: himself. Referee Davide Massa (Italy)
City’s performances in the
Champions League have been excep- Olympiacos (probable; 4-3-3)
tional. Should they draw away to Olym-
J Sá
piacos tonight, they will have qualified
for the knockout stages with two games M Drager R Semedo P Cissé Rafinha
to spare and the manager has opted to
rest both Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle
Walker as a result. A Bouchalakis Y M’Vila M Camara
In the Premier League, however, it
has been a different story. City have one L Randelovic K Fortunis G Masouras
game in hand, but after eight matches,
they sit in 13th position, eight points
behind the leaders, Tottenham Hot-
P Foden S Agüero F Torres
spur, who beat them 2-0 on Saturday.
Strangely for a Guardiola team, scor-
ing goals has been a problem. City have I Gundogan Rodri K De Bruyne
ten in the league, which is 17 fewer than
they had accumulated at this stage of J Cancelo A Laporte R Dias K Walker
the previous season. Guardiola refuses
to blame his attackers, however, and Ederson
said yesterday that it was up to him to
resurrect their campaign. Man City (probable; 4-3-3)
“My players are so brave. The reason
why [City have struggled] is the manag-
er,” Guardiola said. “I have to find a way How they stand
to adapt the qualities that we have. I
have to adjust something, to let them Man City
P
3
W
3
D
0
L
0
GF GA Pts
9 1 9
feel we can create more chances. It’s in Porto 3 2 0 1 6 3 6
my hands to help them.” Olympiacos
Marseilles
3
3 0
1 0
0
2
3
1
0
5
7 0
3
If Guardiola can solve City’s troubles
Remaining fixtures:
in the final third, he thinks his team’s Tonight Olympiacos v Manchester City (5.55);
chances of success, particularly in Marseilles v Porto (8.0). December 1 Marseilles v
Europe, are good. Any questions about Olympiacos (8.0); Porto v Manchester City (8.0).
December 9 Olympiacos v Porto (8.0);
City’s Champions League chances of- Manchester City v Marseilles (8.0).
ten infuriate the Catalan, who regularly
points towards City’s lack of historical
success in Europe. Yesterday however, “We know what we have to do. We
he suggested that this could finally be know we are a team who last season
the year that City broke their duck. scored a lot but now we are struggling.
“I have a feeling we will do really well But we have to find solutions. The
this season,” Guardiola, who has not season is still young, I’m fully optimistic
reached the last four with City, said. we are going to have a good season.”
74
Sport Football
‘I put ice packs
on my head
after training
to numb pain’
Alan Birchenall, the
Leicester legend, tells
Henry Winter he fears
dementia but has no
regrets from his career
A
lan Birchenall suffered
from such splitting
headaches after intense
training heading the ball
that his landlady would
gently place ice packs on his forehead
to numb the pain. A charismatic
attacking player in the Sixties and
Seventies with Sheffield United,
Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester
City, Birchenall is now a popular club
ambassador at the King Power.
He is still very active at 75 with the
club’s myriad community activities,
and close to Brendan Rodgers, the
Leicester manager, and his players,
but he worries about the present
generation and the impact of heading,
as well as his playing peers, many of
whom have succumbed to
dementia.
Starting out at
Sheffield United,
Birchenall and Mick
Jones, who went on to
Leeds United and
England fame, formed
a dashing partnership,
“the blond bombers”.
One day, John Harris,
the manager, called them m know how Vards [Jamie
across after training and d
said: “You two are back this
akes up the
afternoon.” Birchenall takes
story. “I can visualise it now. We had
Alan Woodward, right winger, great
crosser of the ball, and Len Allchurch,
Welsh international who played on
the left. They had 20 balls each to
deliver, the old leather ones. When
they were wet they were like bloody
medicine balls.”
Birchenall is close to the Leicester
players in his role as club ambassador
‘Higher dementia risk’ for female players Sutton attacks PFA boss’s claim
Molly Hudson
A leading researcher into sport-related
brain injuries believes that female foot-
ballers could be at even greater risk of
dementia and other neurological dis-
eases than their male counterparts, due
to having less muscular necks and
being more predisposed to concussion.
Dr Michael Grey was inspired to
begin his new study, called SCORES,
having spoken to Dawn Astle — the
daughter of the late former England
striker Jeff Astle, who had dementia —
after recent research showed that
former male professional footballers
are 3½ times more likely to suffer from
The crossing and heading practice
began. “I’d go near, Mick Jones would
go far, and vice versa,” Birchenall says.
“For two or three afternoons a week
we practised heading. I was living
with Lenny Badger, the great full back
for Sheffield United, and his mum. I’d
go back home and Mrs Badger put an
ice pack on my head because I had
this terrible headache. Len would ask
me what I was doing. ‘I must have
headed 40, 50, 60 balls this afternoon,
Len, my head’s sore.’ I was only 18, 19.
Every club in my era did more or less
the same: cross, head, big ball out
from the ’keeper, nod it back. You
spent hours in a week doing that.”
The practice paid off. In only his
second game for United, the Steel
City derby against Sheffield
Wednesday at Hillsborough on
September 5, 1964, Birchenall scored
a famous headed goal. “Len Allchurch
pinged this corner in and from about
15 yards I got up, high in the air, and
wham, banged it past Ron Springett,
the England goalkeeper,” he says.
“There is nothing better than a player
or a fan seeing that type of header. It
gives you goosebumps.”
Wha if it gives you
What
wors “At the time, you
worse?
nev even think,”
never
Bi
Birchenall says. “I’m
pr
proud I got to play at
th highest level, 14
the
co
consecutive seasons in
th old first division.
the
Pl
Players today are
loo
looked after. I don’t
know
Vardy at
Vardy a Leicester] and them
are going to be in 20 years’ time
but the medical sscience today is
unbelievable. They say the balls are
lighter today but they’re coming at a
greater speed.
“Nobody wants heading taken away
because it’s such an integral part of
the game. Frank Lampard’s come out
and said restrict it a lot in training.
Yes, I agree with Frank, but do not
take it out of the game. Heading’s an
art. That headed goal will stay with
me to my dying day . . . now whether
serious neurological diseases than
other men.
“Dawn and I were talking [about the
research] and she was lamenting to me
that ‘This is important, it brings light to
the issue, but it doesn’t do anything for
people who are alive’,” Dr Grey, from
the University of East Anglia, said.
“That’s where the SCORES study was
born, really. This notion that we need to
do something to begin to investigate
people who are ageing, but still alive.”
Dr Grey has been researching brain
injuries for two decades and is leading
the study that will analyse the cognitive
health of male and female former
footballers over the age of 40 who do
Birchenall was one of the best headers of the ball in the Sixties and Seventies and says it is an integral part of the game
that causes it [dementia], it’s too late
to worry about that.
“Everybody I speak to from TC
[Tony Currie] to Badg [Badger] to
Frankie Worthington — and you
know ‘Elvis’ is not well at all, hasn’t
been for ages — we wouldn’t have
sacrificed our careers for not being
able to head the ball, that’s ridiculous.
What stood out in all the games I
played was a searing header into the
top corner. Whether down the road . . .
que sera, sera, what will be, will be.”
Birchenall pauses, not a natural
reflex for such a vibrant, chatty man.
“There’s a link between heading and
dementia, 100 per cent,” he says. “It’s
taken what’s happened to England’s
World Cup players [such as Nobby
Stiles and the Charlton brothers] to
bring it to public attention but there
are hundreds, if not a few thousand,
like me, from the Fifties, Sixties,
Seventies. It’s disturbing.
“My long-term memory is great.
I’m upstairs now in my little office. I’ll
go downstairs and have to come back
up for something that I needed, like
car keys, that I’d laid out ready. I
forget names. I have to write stuff
down. So I have moments of
forgetfulness, which everybody says
not have dementia. The study, which
hopes to follow the same participants
for up to ten years, will have former
players undertake online neurological
assessments. Grey is urging former
female footballers to come forward,
labelling them as “incredibly under-re-
presented” in this type of research.
“We think, because women are more
predisposed to concussions, it’s possible
that it’s also a greater effect for women.”
Grey said. “If you take boxers why ar-
en’t they getting concussed constantly?
Well one of the reasons is, a lot of them
have really thick necks.”
6 Participants can sign up to the
research at scoresproject.org
1G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
to me, ‘Birch, it’s your age.’ I know.
But in players of my generation it puts
a little question mark. It worries me.
“I’ve got away with one massive
thing [a cardiac arrest in 2017].
Whoever I speak to of my generation,
Badg, TC, Martin Chivers, we’ve got
something, new hips, new knees, but
every one of us would take that —
because we played a bloody fabulous
game — but not dementia. There’s no
cure at the moment. I’m club
ambassador at Leicester, got the best
job in the world after playing football.
I love life. Yet how far away am I? I
headed as many balls in the Sixties
and Seventies as anybody. I must
have headed as many as Jeff Astle.”
The West Bromwich Albion and
England forward died in 2002, aged
only 59. Astle’s brain was examined
by the eminent neurosurgeon, Dr
Willie Stewart, who ruled that he was
killed by chronic traumatic
encephalopathy, caused by heading.
“All I’m doing is keeping my fingers
crossed and hoping I’ve escaped,”
Birchenall says. “It’s not a nice feeling
to think that maybe around the
corner . . . it’s fearful. I’ve thought it
about the last few years.”
His concern deepened when Astle’s
continued from back
the assistant chief executive Simon
Barker, charity trustees Brendon
Batson and David Weir, and manage-
ment committee members Lee Grant
and Steph Houghton.
In the eyes of others approached to
join the group, some of these are the
same people who have been accused of
being slow to act in response to the
threat of dementia and other neurode-
generative diseases to PFA members.
Sutton, 47, yesterday attacked Barker
on social media, in response to an inter-
view Barker had given to the BBC
where he had defended the PFA.
Sutton tweeted: “Simon Barker from
COLORSPORT/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
widow Laraine began campaigning
for football to examine the risks of
heading. “It triggered something in
me,” Birchenall says. “For many years
I’ve admired Mrs Astle for standing
out as a lone beacon for every player
since the war.”
As well as more investment in
research, Birchenall would like the FA
and PFA to assist the afflicted and
their families. “People are struggling,”
he says. “Maybe there should be some
financial help for players of the
Sixties and Seventies.”
He does not begrudge the modern
player his quick millions. “I looked at
the England game the other night
[against Iceland], all those young lads
getting their first caps at 19, good luck
to them but I’m also thinking about
the players who’ve got dementia and
earned just above the living wage,” he
says. “It is Nobby, it is Jackie
Charlton, but also a lot more not so
well known. There’s a lost generation
of footballers with dementia.”
inside
The evidence to ban heading from
football is far from conclusive
Matthew Syed, page 67
the PFA: ‘We want to help former
players and their families. We have
never turned down any families in
terms of support.’ This is BULLSHIT
and the PFA know it. Stop talking and
start taking action.”
It comes at a difficult time for the
PFA, which is the subject of a statutory
inquiry by the Charity Commission. At
its annual meeting tomorrow there
should be an update on the process of
appointing Taylor’s replacement. Dele-
gates will also receive key findings of
the QC-led review of the PFA, prompt-
ed by a dispute between Taylor and the
chairman Ben Purkiss in 2018. The
conclusions are understood to be
critical of the PFA management.
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020 2G M 75

Sport

Giroud bails out Chelsea DARREN WALSH/CHELSEA FC/GETTY IMAGES

Rennes
Guirassy 85
Chelsea
Hudson-Odoi 22, Giroud 90+1
Champions League
James Gheerbrant
This match ended with a sight that has
become familiar to English football
watchers in recent years: a forest of
hands patting the pompadour of
Olivier Giroud in a gesture of apprecia-
tion. The immaculately coiffed bonce
of Giroud has been responsible for so
many goals, and this was another sig-
nificant one: a late winner to salvage a
barely merited victory from a scratchy
performance, and thereby guarantee
Chelsea’s passage to the knockout stage
of the Champions League. That will
give Frank Lampard greater licence to
rest players in their last two group
games, a significant luxury in a unique-
ly congested season.
Giroud has reportedly been consid-
ering his Chelsea future as he fears that
lack of game time will harm his chances
of starting for France at the Euros. With
the striker now in his 35th year, and
Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner
carrying Chelsea’s main goal threat,
there had seemed to be a gathering log-
ic to a January exit. But his goal here, in
a match in which Werner missed two
clear chances, was a reminder of his
enduring value.
“I think he’s getting better with age,”
Lampard said. “Oli will get his minutes,
because we have a busy schedule com-
ing up. I think the reason you see such
a reaction around the goal, with some-
one like Oli, who acts the way he does,
day in, day out . . . it shows you what he
means to this team.”
This victory extended Chelsea’s win-
ning run in all competitions to six but,
Giroud’s emphatic goal aside, this was
probably their least convincing per-
formance in that stretch. Lampard’s
team have been undergirded by a re-
inforced defence in recent games, but
here they appeared oddly determined
to test it out, content to let Rennes have
the majority of possession and absorb
shot after shot, as if testing whether that
new jacket really is Kevlar after all.
It was all the more odd because Chel-
sea started the game with real domi-
nance. Hudson-Odoi broke into space
down the right and whipped in a low
cross that allowed Werner to separate
from his marker. Meeting the ball with
the side of his foot inside the six-yard
box, the German sent the ball over the
bar.
From their next chance, Chelsea
took the lead, and it was a goal that
1
2 4
Giroud is mobbed by his team-mates after his stoppage-time header gave Chelsea a narrow victory against Rennes
How they stand
P W
Chelsea.........................4 3
Seville............................4 3
Krasnodar...................4 0
Rennes..........................4 0
added to the gathering evidence of their
potency in transition: Mason Mount
robbed the ball from Eduardo Camav-
inga deep in the Chelsea half, and with
Rennes committed high up the pitch,
he shuffled inside and swept a majestic
through-ball into the path of Hudson-
Odoi, whose smooth speed saw him
surge clear of Rennes’ retreating
defence before he slipped the ball
underneath Alfred Gomis.
Incredibly, given the quality of that
pass, it was only Mount’s second open-
play assist for Chelsea in the Premier
League or Champions League. If he can
find a way to tap into that vision more
regularly, he will be an even better
player.
Minutes later, Mount nearly had a
goal to add to his first-half haul, but was
denied by a superb save from Gomis.
McClaren goes
back for fifth
spell at Derby
Giroud is the fourth
Martin Hardy
Steve McClaren has returned to
football with Derby County and will be
player to score for both given the task of identifying the club’s
Chelsea and Arsenal in the next manager.
Champions League, Wayne Rooney is one of four coaches
following Anelka, in temporary control of first-team
Fàbregas and affairs at Pride Park after the dismissal
Gallas of Phillip Cocu on November 14 and
wants the permanent job. Derby are
bottom of the Sky Bet Championship,
having won only once in the league
this season. They were defeated by
Bristol City in Rooney’s first game in
charge on Saturday.
The club said that McClaren, 59, had
been appointed technical director and
also adviser to the board of directors,
the fifth time he has joined Derby. His
role will include introducing a foot-
balling philosophy.
The club are in the process of being
taken over by Sheikh Khaled, the cous-
in of the Manchester City owner
Sheikh Mansour and a member of the
Abu Dhabi royal family.
It will be the fourth different role
McClaren has filled at the club. In 1985
he signed for Derby as a player, in 1995
he became a coach under Jim Smith
and 2013 he moved to Pride Park as
head coach after the dismissal of Nigel
Clough. He was sacked in 2015 but
returned to the club for a second spell in
the dugout in 2016 only to lose his job
the following year.
The Senegal stopper sprawled full through an unwelcome recurrence of a Rooney, who has spoken of his desire
length in an attempt to cut out Ben weakness Chelsea hoped they had to take over the Pride Park job perma-
Chilwell’s cross, but the ball was banished: the defending of set pieces. nently, was a key member of the
D L F A GD Pts repelled back in Chilwell’s direction Bourigeaud’s corner was exquisite, England squad when McClaren was
1 0 9 1 8 10
1 0 6 3 3 10 and he centred for Mount, only for Guirassy was able to find a pocket of head coach from 2006-07 before being
1 3 4 10 -6 1 Gomis to recover magnificently to tip space between two defenders and his sacked when England failed to qualify
1 3 2 7 -5 1
his shot round the post. header was unerring. for the 2008 European Championship.
At the other end, Rennes were begin- It took Chelsea until the 87th minute
ning to find their feet, with Serhou to have their first shot of the second
Guirassy’s strength and ability to tie half, Chilwell nodding Hakim Ziyech’s Hayes’s champions drawn
in defenders posing some problems. free kick straight at Gomis. It seemed
Receiving the ball with his back to goal, they had left it too late, but then Kanté to face debutants Benfica
he held off Kurt Zouma and unleashed robbed Clément Grenier, Ziyech fed Chelsea will take on Benfica in the
a low shot that was well held by Édou- Werner, and when the ball looped up Women’s Champions League round of
ard Mendy. The striker was then pre- from Gomis’s save, Giroud rose 32. Emma Hayes’s WSL champions
sented with a much better chance, majestically above Gerzino Nyamsi to reached the semi-finals the previous
served up by a sloppy blind pass from thunder a header in. time they were in the competition, in
Chilwell, but with a clear sight of 2019, while Benfica, the Portuguese
Mendy’s goal he unwisely chose a much champions, are making their debut.
more difficult reverse-pass for Benja- Stade Rennes (4-3-3): A Gomis 7 — H Traoré 7, Manchester City, who reached the
D da Silva 7, G Nyamsi 5, T Truffert 6
min Bourigeaud, which was cleared (F Maouassa 86min) — E Camavinga 6 (C Grenier
semi-finals in 2017 and 2018, will face
behind by Thiago Silva. From the 78), S Nzonzi 6, B Bourigeaud 7 — J Doku 6 the Swedish side IFK Gothenburg,
corner, Damien da Silva’s firm header (Y Gboho 86), S Guirassy 7 (M Niang 86), J Léa while Glasgow City, surprise quarter-
was parried by Mendy. Siliki 5 (R Del Castillo 63, 5). Booked Grenier, finalists last season and who came
Bourigeaud.
As Rennes continued to keep Chelsea (4-3-3): E Mendy 7 — C Azpilicueta 6, through qualifying, face Sparta
Chelsea honest, Lampard introduced K Zouma 7, T Silva 6, B Chilwell 6 — M Kovacic 5 Prague. All three British clubs are
N’Golo Kanté and Giroud, but even the (K Havertz 76), Jorginho 5, M Mount 7 (N Kanté away for the first legs on December 9
68, 6) — C Hudson-Odoi 7 (H Ziyech 75),
introduction of Kanté didn’t quell the T Abraham 7 (O Giroud 69, 8), T Werner 6
or 10, with the second legs a week
hosts’ momentum. Eventually, Rennes’ (R James 90+2). later. The holders and seven-times
pressure told, the equaliser arriving Referee B Kuipers (Neth). winners Lyons take on Juventus.

Results Fixtures
P W D L F A GDPts Sky Bet Championship P W D L F A GDPts PW D L F A GDPts P W D L F A GDPts
Snooker B Dortmund....4 3 0 1 9 3 6 9 Norwich...........13 8 3 2 17 10 7 27 Hull.....................13 10 0 3 24 10 14 30 Newport .........13 9 2 2 21 11 10 29 Football
Milton Keynes Betway UK Lazio....................4 2 2 0 8 4 4 8 Barnsley (0) 0 Brentford (0) 1 B’mouth...........13 7 5 1 21 11 10 26 P’borough......14 9 1 4 23 13 10 28 Cheltenham..14 8 2 4 22 12 10 26
Club Brugge...4 1 1 2 3 8 -5 4 Bristol City.....12 7 2 3 16 11 5 23 Lincoln City...13 8 2 3 16 9 7 26 Cambridge ....13 7 4 2 26 10 16 25 Uefa Champions League
Championship: First round (selected
Zenit St P..........4 0 1 3 3 8 -5 1 Toney 66 Swansea..........12 6 4 2 14 7 7 22 Portsmouth...14 7 4 3 26 14 12 25 Forest Green 14 7 4 3 19 13 6 25 (8.0 kick-off unless stated)
results, England unless stated): Ipswich.............13 8 1 4 19 13 6 25 Group A Atletico Madrid v Lokomotiv
S Maguire (Scot) 6 I Boiko (Ukr) 1; Watford...........12 6 4 2 15 10 5 22 Exeter 14 6 6 2 26 17 9 24
Group G B’mouth (1) 2 Nottm For (0) 0 Reading...........12 7 1 4 19 16 3 22 Charlton..........12 7 2 3 17 12 5 23 Carlisle.............14 7 2 5 19 15 4 23 Moscow; Bayern Munich v RB
K Wilson 6 A Hugill 4; D Gilbert 6 D Kiev (0) 0 Barcelona (0) 4 Stoke.................13 6 3 4 21 18 3 21 Fleetwood .....13 7 1 5 24 13 11 22 Salford City....13 6 4 3 21 11 10 22 Salzburg (TV: BT Sport 3).
Fan Zhengyi (China) 3. Stanislas 3, 51
Dest 52 (pen) Brentford........13 5 5 3 18 12 6 20 Sunderland....12 6 4 2 16 10 6 22 Leyton O.........14 6 3 5 21 15 6 21 Group B Borussia Monchengladbach
Braithwaite 57, Luton.................13 5 4 4 11 13 -2 19 Acc Stanley....11 7 1 3 14 10 4 22 Tranmere.......14 6 3 5 17 15 2 21 v Shakhtar Donetsk (TV: BT Sport 1)
Luton (1) 1 B’mingham (1) 1 Blackburn.......13 5 3 5 25 15 10 18 Doncaster.......12 6 3 3 22 14 8 21 Colchester......13 5 5 3 20 20 0 20 (5.55); Inter Milan v Real Madrid
Football 70 (pen)
Griezmann 90 M’brough........12 4 6 2 9 6 3 18 Plymouth........13 5 4 4 20 21 -1 19 Port Vale.........14 6 1 7 16 15 1 19 (TV: BT Sport ESPN; Radio:
Pearson 37 Jutkiewicz 23 Millwall.............12 4 6 2 11 9 2 18 Wimbledon....13 4 5 4 16 16 0 17 Harrogate .....14 5 4 5 15 14 1 19 talkSPORT2). Group C Olympiacos v
Uefa Champions League Juventus (1) 2 Ferencvaros(1) 1 (pen) QPR....................13 4 5 4 15 18 -3 17 Gillingham......13 5 2 6 13 17 -4 17 Bolton...............14 5 4 5 14 18 -4 19 Man City (TV: BT Sport 3; Radio:
Group E Barnsley..........13 4 4 5 14 14 0 16 Crewe...............14 5 1 8 13 14 -1 16 Morecambe..14 5 4 5 17 25 -8 19 talkSPORT2) (5.55); Marseilles v Porto.
Krasnodar(0) 1 Seville (1) 2 Ronaldo 35 Uzuni 19 Preston (0) 0 Blackburn (1) 3 Preston N E....13 5 1 7 16 17 -1 16 Blackpool........13 5 1 7 14 18 -4 16 Crawley ..........14 5 3 6 19 18 1 18
Morata 90+1 Group D Ajax v Midtjylland; Liverpool
Huddersfield.13 4 3 6 15 17 -2 15 N’hampton.....14 4 3 7 14 23 -9 15 Walsall..............14 3 8 3 13 16 -3 17 v Atalanta (TV: BT Sport 2).
Wanderson 56 Rakitic 4 Sent off: Rafferty Armstrong 45 MK Dons.........14 3 5 6 16 19 -3 14
El Haddadi 90+5 P W D L F A GDPts (pen), Birmingham..13 3 6 4 10 12 -2 15 Oldham............14 5 2 7 21 27 -6 17
Barcelona.........4 4 0 0 13 2 11 12 Cardiff...............12 3 5 4 13 12 1 14 Oxford Utd.....12 4 1 7 14 21 -7 13 Grimsby...........12 4 3 5 11 18 -7 15
Brereton 53, Swindon..........13 4 1 8 17 25 -8 13 Sky Bet Championship
Rennes (0) 1 Chelsea (1) 2 Juventus...........4 3 0 1 8 4 4 9 Rotherham....13 3 3 7 12 16 -4 12 Barrow.............14 2 7 5 20 22 -2 13
Dolan 76
Nottm For.......13 3 3 7 9 16 -7 12 Rochdale.........13 3 4 6 12 20 -8 13 Bradford..........13 3 4 6 13 17 -4 13 (7.45 kick-off unless stated)
Guirassy 85 Hudson-Odoi 22 Dynamo Kiev.4 0 1 3 3 10 -7 1
Ferencvaros...4 0 1 3 5 13 -8 1 Coventry.........12 2 3 7 12 23 -11 9 Bristol Rvrs....13 3 4 6 11 20 -9 13 Stevenage......14 2 5 7 10 15 -5 11 Bristol City v Watford; Coventry City v
Giroud 90+1 QPR (3) 3 Rotherham (1) 2 Cardiff City; Middlesbrough v Derby
Wycombe.......13 2 3 8 6 19 -13 9 Burton Alb.....14 2 4 8 18 28 -10 10 Mansfield ......14 1 8 5 13 19 -6 11
6 Group E table, see above Group H Chair 20, Smith 38, Sheff Wed.......12 3 3 6 6 11 -5 6 Shrewsbury...13 1 6 6 13 21 -8 9 Scunthorpe....12 3 2 7 8 19 -11 11 County (7.0); Millwall v Reading (7.0);
Osayi-Samuel 45, Ladapo 84 Derby................12 1 3 8 5 17 -12 6 Wigan................13 2 2 9 9 20 -11 8 Southend........13 1 2 10 6 26-20 5 Swansea City v Sheffield Wednesday.
Group F Man Utd (3) 4 Istanbul B (0) 1 Dykes 45+3 (pen)
Sky Bet League One Accrington 1 Sky Bet League Two
B Dortmund(2) 3 Club Brugge(0) 0 Fernandes 7, 19 Turuc 75 Barrow 3 Oldham 4; Cheltenham 1 Vanarama National League Scottish Premiership
Rashford 36 (pen) Stoke (0) 2 Norwich (2) 3 Crewe 0; Burton 4 Charlton 2; Hamilton v Aberdeen (7.0).
Haland 18, 60 Cambridge 1; Crawley 1 Grimsby 2; Altrincham 0 Bromley 1; Barnet 0
James 90+2 Campbell 70, Buendia 18, Doncaster 3 Blackpool 2; Gillingham 2 Exeter 6 Colchester 1; Leyton Orient 1 Hartlepool 0; Wrexham 4 Sutton 0.
Sancho 45 AFC Wimbledon 1; Ipswich 0 Hull 3; MK
PSG (1) 1 RB Leipzig (0) 0 Collins 79 Pukki 27, 57, Bradford 0; Mansfield 0 Harrogate 1;
Lazio (2) 3 Z St P’burg (1) 1 Sent off: Buendia Dons 2 Shrewsbury 2; Peterborough 1 Newport 1 Walsall 1; Salford 2
Scottish Premiership
Hibernian 2 St Johnstone 2.
Snooker
Neymar 11 (pen) Plymouth 0; Portsmouth 1 Oxford 1; Morecambe 1; Scunthorpe 0 Bolton 1;
Immobile 3, 55 (pen) Dzyuba 25 Wycombe (0) 0 H’dersfield(0) 0 Rochdale 1 Northampton 1; Swindon 0 Southend 0 Forest Green 1; Stevenage Scottish Championship Milton Keynes
Parolo 22 6 Group H table, page 77 Lincoln 1; Wigan 0 Bristol Rovers 0. 2 Port Vale 1; Tranmere 1 Carlisle 0. Hearts 3 Alloa 0. Betway UK Championship.
76
Sport Champions League
Fernandes well
on his way to
cult hero status
Henry Winter
Chief Football
Writer
Man Utd
Fernandes 7, 19, Rashford 35 (pen), James 90+2
Istanbul B
Turuc 75
When Manchester United fans are
finally allowed back into Old Trafford
they will surely start by signalling their
gratitude to Bruno Fernandes, such an
inspiring figure during this strangest,
harshest of years. He brings confidence
and a cutting edge. He brings hope too.
There were many talking points to
this game, stretching from the sight of
Edinson Cavani and Donny van de
Beek making strong cases for regular
inclusion, to Mason Greenwood
returning on a mission, to Daniel James
answering some of the doubts with a
composed finish, while Alex Telles
looks a useful addition at left back.
United’s passing moves, full of lay-offs
and urgency, impressed. Yet most talk
revolved around Fernandes.
The 26-year-old’s importance was
seen not simply with the two early goals
that gave United control, taking his
tally to 21 from 35 appearances since
signing for £47 million from Sporting
Lisbon in January. His significance to
United’s cause was similarly highlight-
ed in the moment when he turned
down the chance of a goal. Selflessly,
Fernandes put a team-mate ahead of a
first hat-trick for United. He knew what
the chance from 12 yards could do to
Marcus Rashford’s self-belief having
failed to score in his past four games.
Rashford had won the 35th-minute
spot kick, racing on to a glorious pass
from Victor Lindelof that encapsulated
United’s first-half desire to get at
Basaksehir. Rashford took the ball
moving
smoothly in his quick-moving
stride, sprinting clear of
Boli Bolingoli down the he
inside-right channel,
then glancing across,
looking for a team-
mate to cross to.
Rashford was travel-
ling so fast that his
fellow attackers were
still trying to catch up. p.
He went alone, cutting ng
him, knocking him over.
Clear penalty. Cavani,
ught
across Bolingoli, who caught
r.
ani making a
forceful first start, offered his services
on penalty-taking duty. There was brief
consultation with the captain, Harry
Maguire. Fernandes took the ball, as
designated taker and on a hat-trick, but
he knew how much it would mean to
Rashford, having also promised him
the next penalty after scoring the only
goal from the spot in Saturday’s win
over West Bromwich Albion.
So Fernandes handed the ball to
United’s No 10. The pressure was
largely off, of course. United were in
Sir Alex Ferguson watches on at Old
Trafford as United sit top of group H
Fernandes’ stunning first goal
4
1
Distance 19 yards
Time 0.6 seconds
Speed 66mph
control, looking a threat every time
they powered forward, playing with far
more conviction than in their embar-
rassing defeat in Istanbul. There was a
balance and belief to United, a fluency
too, any number of quick exchanges
spicing their play as they rolled
forward. Even if Rashford had missed,
United were still in charge. Yet it was
still the height of generosity for a player
on a hat-trick to gift a penalty to some-
body else.
Rashford accepted the present, ran
in, stuttered in his stride, and commit-
ted Mert Gunok. The Turkish inter-
national goalkeeper dived to his right,
and Rashford calmly stroked the ball
the other way for a welcome goal.
It capped an outstanding half from
United, an inspiring advertisement of
what they can achieve under Ole Gun-
nar Solskjaer when they play with this
intensity. Cavani, the tip of Solskjaer’s
4-2-3-1 formation, was frequently a
focal point, playing one-twos, often
with Fernandes, occasionally with Van
de Beek when the Dutchman pushed
up from his starting station alongside
Fer
Fred. Fernandes deserved the
headlin but Cavani, such a
headlines
fine combination of intelli-
gen of movement and
gence
wo ethic, gave United
work
an
another dimension. He’s
a true centre forward,
c
capable of bringing the
be out of Rashford and
best
Gr
Greenwood (or Anthony
Ma
Martial). Fernandes in-
varia
variably brings his A game.
The match was shaped by
Fernandes. From a seventh-
Fernandes.
minute corner
corner, the Portuguese began
the scoring. Telles curled the ball
across, Alexandru Epureanu was so dis-
tracted by trying to stay close to Cavani
that the ball brushed his head and fell to
Fernandes, right of centre, 20 yards out.
He caught the ball on the half-volley,
sending it past Gunok with one of those
thunderous finishes that Paul Scholes,
on TV duty last night, used to trade in.
The new boys, Telles, Van de Beek
and Cavani, all played their part. Telles
kept pushing up the left. Van de Beek,
bringing subtlety and vision, executed
the perfect sliding tackle on the edge of
the United area to prevent Berkay
Ozcan from shooting. Van de Beek then
2G M Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
demonstrated his touch under pressure,
taking a pass from Aaron Wan-Bissaka,
turning away from Ozcan, keeping
United on the front foot. There will be
harder games when Solskjaer will be
tempted to be more cautious, starting
two defensive pivots, Scott McTominay
in tandem with Fred, but Van de Beek
brings more adventure. Paul Pogba
seems even more out of the picture.
Cavani provided constant signs of his
calibre and was involved in Fernandes’s
second after 19 minutes, recycling a ball
from Fred to Martial. The Frenchman
shifted the ball left to Telles, who lifted
over another ball, Gunok fumbled,
gifting Fernandes a tap-in. Soon it was
Fernandes’s turn to hand over presents.
Three goals clear, United eased up,
complacency crept in. Demba Ba had a
shot deflected wide off Maguire, and James, the substitute, scores United’s fourth goal late on to seal a victory which
the second half opened with David De
‘I wanted Rashy to
Gea throwing himself to his right to
push away a strike from Edin Visca.
Solskjaer had sent on Axel Tuanzebe
for Lindelof, who reported a slight back
problem, then Greenwood, James and
Brandon Williams for Rashford, Paul Hirst It was a selfless gesture from
Fernandes and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fernandes to pass up the chance to
who signalled a slight ankle issue. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed Bruno score his third goal after Rashford was
United lost their compactness and Fernandes as the complete attacking bundled to the ground in the box.
urgency. With 15 minutes left, Fred midfielder after he dismantled Istanbul The 26-year-old, who scored from a
fouled Ba and Deniz Turuc curled the Basaksehir to put Manchester United penalty against West Bromwich Albion
free kick in. United were now as brittle within one point of the Champions on Saturday, explained afterwards that
as they had been imperious in the first League knockout stages. part of the reason why he wanted
half. Basaksehir sensed it, and Visca cut Fernandes scored two goals, the first Rashford to take the spot kick was so
in from the right and crashed a shot of which was a stunning powerful drive, that the England striker could remain
against the bar. and could have had a first-half in the hunt for the Champions
Solskjaer sought more security, hat-trick had he not allowed League golden boot. Erling
introduced Nemanja Matic for Martial, Marcus Rashford to take a Haaland of Borussia Dort-
and United added a late fourth on the
counter when Greenwood resisted his
frequent tendency to shoot and picked
penalty.
Twelve of Fernandes’s
21 goals for United have
30
United have been
mund tops the scoring
charts with six goals,
which is one more than
out James, who finished well, keeping come from the penalty awarded 30 penalties in 75 Rashford.
Fernandes and company on course for spot but last night the games since the start of “Every player wants
the knockout stage, when United fans Portuguese playmaker last season — scoring 25 to score a hat-trick but
will hope to be here in numbers. earned deserved praise of them after the last Premier
for showing his other League game I told Rashy
skills. “I’m not surprised by that he would take the next
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): D De Gea 6 — Bruno’s performance because one and I remembered that
A Wan-Bissaka 7 (B Williams 59min, 6), V Lindelof
8 (A Tuanzebe 45, 6), H Maguire 7, A Telles 7 —
we see him every day in training,” Rashy is one of the top scorers in the
Fred 7, D Van de Beek 7 — M Rashford 8 (D James Solskjaer, the United manager, said. Champions League so I think it will be
59, 6), B Fernandes 9 (M Greenwood 59, 7), “We knew what we were going to get important for him to keep going and
A Martial 7 — E Cavani 7. Booked Tuanzebe. when we brought Bruno into the team. take that confidence,” Fernandes said.
Istanbul Basaksehir (4-1-4-1): M Gunok 4 — Rafael
5, M Skrtel 5, A Epureanu 5, B Bolingoli 5 He’s a player who likes to take risks, he “It doesn’t matter who takes the
(H Kaldirim 74) — B Ozcan 5 (Giuliano 74) — likes to create chances, score goals, he is penalties. The most important thing is
E Visca 7, N Chadli 5 (F Gulbrandsen 61, 5), a winner. He wants the team to win and scoring. The team scores so when the
I Kahveci 5 (M Tekdemir 46, 5), D Turuc 7 —
D Ba 6. Booked Skrtel.
do well, and it shows today he can do team scores, I score too.”
Referee O Hategan (Romania). more than just take penalties.” Solskjaer had no problem with
the times | Wednesday November 25 2020
How they stand
Man United.................4 3
PSG..................................4 2
RB Leipzig...................4 2
Istanbul B’sehir........4 1
takes them to within a point of securing qualification for the knockout stages
keep scoring goals’
Fernandes celebrates his second goal
last night with a tribute to his baby son
Fernandes passing penalty-taking
duties to Rashford, who scored seven of
his nine spot kicks last season.
“Marcus is a very good penalty-taker,
2G M
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER BRADLEY ORMESHER
P W D L F
0 1 12
0 2 5
0 2 4
0 3 3
and Bruno is very confident so if he
wants to give it to Marcus then so be it,”
Solskjaer said. “Anthony [Martial] had
one against RB Leipzig so why not
share them around?”
Solskjaer was pleased with the
emphatic nature of the team’s victory,
which leaves them requiring one more
point from their remaining games
against Paris Saint-Germain and RB
Leipzig to make the round of 16.
“We need one more point to go
through but we want to be top of the
group,” Solskjaer said “Tonight I felt in
the first half you saw the intensity of the
boys. The boys wanted to play. They
enjoyed it. It’s a Champions League
night at home. You expect them to
enjoy themselves. We created some
great chances and scored some very
nice goals. I was very pleased.”
The only negative for Solskjaer was
that Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-
Bissaka had to be substituted because of
injury. The pair are now doubts for
Sunday’s match away to Southampton.
“Hopefully they will be ready for the
weekend but we are not sure,” Solskjaer
said. “It’s back problems for Victor and
Aaron had an ankle problem so there
was no point taking any chances and
risking more swelling to it.”
All matches will be shown
live until January at least
A GD Pts
4 8 9
4 1 6
7 -3 6
9 -6 3
Matt Lawton Chief Sports Correspondent
The Premier League is still committed
to televising every game live between
now and the new year despite the
proposed return of fans.
But league officials and the
broadcasters are expecting further
complaints from managers when the
television schedule up to December 30
is announced today.
Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool
manager, followed Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer and Frank Lampard in calling
for an end to the 12.30pm kick-off on
Saturdays, even though BT paid
£880 million for that particular TV slot
for four years under the terms of the
Fans’ return will showcase detail in plans
Paul Barberr
Brighton
chief executive
T
he government’s approval
for clubs to begin to allow
supporters back into
stadiums was welcome
news. It is a positive first
step towards some degree of
normality for football clubs.
We had initially hoped the test
event we successfully staged at the
American Express Community
Stadium at the back end of August,
when Chelsea were our visitors for a
pre-season friendly, would be the
catalyst for the return of fans in
October. On that warm summer’s
afternoon, 2,500 Brighton fans —
socially distanced a minimum of
three seats and two rows apart in
only one of our four stands —
enjoyed seeing live football for the
first time since March.
The behaviour of our fans that day
was impeccable. Health declaration
made — check. Digital tickets
downloaded — check. Socially
distanced queuing at turnstiles —
check. Hand sanitisers available —
check. Follow all guidelines to keep
everyone safe at all times — check.
Any evidence of a post-match rise in
local infection rates? None.
Unfortunately, however, the return
of fans last month wasn’t to be.
Instead, a series of unsuccessful
interventions to control the virus in
different parts of the country
combined with the return of schools,
colleges and universities, all conspired
to send the R rate higher than the
Clubs to allocate tickets through ballots
continued from back
travelling to the venue and also when
inside it;
6 Avoiding over-enthusiastic celebra-
tions that affect other supporters’
space, such as hugging and high-fiving
other fans;
6 Providing contact details for every-
one attending to help test and trace;
6 Avoiding face-to-face contact with
other spectators in seated areas.
The government is due to announce
the tiers that affect all areas in England
tomorrow. Ministers and health chiefs
will also keep the system under con-
stant review and if there is a significant
present broadcast deal. In an explosive
interview with Sky on Sunday, Klopp
accused the broadcasters of putting
their own needs ahead of the welfare of
the players.
But the Premier League and the
broadcasters have responded to the
government’s request to make every
game available on TV while supporters
are locked out of grounds, and a return
of between 2,000 and 4,000 fans —
depending on which of the govern-
ment’s three tiers a stadium’s location
falls under — will not change that.
The Premier League will, as planned,
review the decision to televise all
matches in January. But officials do not
expect many clubs, given their city-
Brighton model for fan return
Fans encouraged to drive
to the ground rather than
taking public transport
Temperature checks
taken outside the ground
Masks must be worn in
walkways around the
ground
Alternate rows used for
spectators and three seats
left between each 'bubble'
of fans
government had hoped. Football’s
pilot programme was suspended, and
ultimately a second national
lockdown was enforced.
Fast forward to today, with the end
of lockdown in sight, and the
potential return — local conditions
permitting — of between 2,000 and
4,000 fans to our stadiums will
provide a small degree of financial
relief for clubs lower down the
pyramid in particular. However, we
also know from our own experience
of playing in the EFL not that long
ago that the return of such a minimal
number of fans will not eradicate
losses for smaller clubs.
Working with capacities of between
2,000 and 4,000 will, in most cases,
only add to the very significant losses
of Premier League and Championship
clubs. While the gate receipts will be
welcome, they will be more than
swallowed up by operating costs. The
limited return of fans is, however, a
fall in infection rates will aim to allow
more spectators into venues in low-risk
areas with the ambition of reaching the
original October 1 target of having even
the bigger stadiums between 25 per
cent and 33 per cent full.
Whitehall insiders say the introduc-
tion of mass testing is also seen as a key
development, before a vaccine is widely
available, as that could mean those with
a recent negative test are allowed a
“passport” into venues.
Most Premier League and EFL clubs
are waiting to learn the tier their area
has been placed into before finalising
plans for fans’ return, but most already
have ballot schemes for season-ticket
77
Sport
centre locations, to be in a position
where they can invite even a small
number of fans to return. The govern-
ment is due to announce the updated
tier system tomorrow and the Premier
League expects a number of its clubs to
be in Tier 3, meaning no fans would be
able to attend matches in those areas.
Spreading the games out to provide
blanket television coverage could prove
problematic in the busy Christmas
period. Klopp’s Liverpool, for instance,
have ten matches between tonight and
the end of December, including three
Champions League fixtures.
Amazon Prime has the rights for two
rounds of Premier League matches in
December.
start. It will give us the opportunity to
demonstrate to the government that
our detailed operational plans will
keep people safe. It will help us to
generate an atmosphere in our
stadiums. And it will give us all the
chance to directly re-engage with our
supporters, who have shown
incredible patience.
We must also use the forthcoming
games to build the government’s
confidence in our abilities to stage
larger-scale events safely — and
perhaps sooner than it may envisage.
We have already prepared detailed
plans for fans to return: up to 25 per
cent of our near 32,000 capacity,
which would be double the 4,000 that
we may be able to get into the Amex
in the short term. In addition, we
have the provisional support of our
local authority to deliver those plans.
While we appreciate some fans will
not feel comfortable returning just
yet, with such a small number of
tickets available via ballot, demand
will still be very high, and inevitably,
many fans will end up disappointed.
We know we can deliver a secure
and safe setting for supporters, with
no more risk than a trip to the
supermarket. If it means committing
to further mitigation such as the
rapid testing programmes being
debated by the government’s Sports
Technology Innovation group, we
would be more than willing to explore
all avenues.
We’d like to think that we are now
taking the first small steps on a
journey that enables Premier League
and EFL clubs to move towards
economically viable capacities as
soon as safely possible, for football
fans to start enjoying their sport
again, and for our country to start
the long journey back towards
normality.
holders lined up. Manchester City
would use a ballot of last season’s
season-ticket holders with those for
this campaign yet to be put on sale. The
club have asked fans to update their
contact details on their website so that
the track-and-trace system they have in
place will be more effective.
Fulham, whose Riverside Stand is
being redeveloped, are planning for
fans to be admitted to two of their three
other stands. Tickets would be sold by a
ballot with last season’s season-ticket
holders given priority.
Clubs in Tier 1 or Tier 2 areas will be
expected to ask fans living in Tier 3
areas not to enter the ballot for tickets.
 2G M
Sport
Strict code of
conduct for
fans’ return
6 Supporters thrown out if they break rules
6 Klopp criticises blanket limit on numbers
Martyn Ziegler, Paul Joyce,
Gregor Robertson
Fans will be obliged to follow a specta-
tors’ code of conduct to attend sports
events when supporters are permitted
to return next week.
The code will detail the behaviour
expected of fans, including maintaining
social distancing inside venues and not
hugging or high-fiving others outside
their social bubble. It is understood that
singing and shouting will be allowed.
Fans will be expected to wear face-
masks as they enter and exit stadiums
but will be free to take them off when
they watch games. Up to 4,000 specta-
tors will be allowed inTier 1 areas where
there is a low coronavirus risk and up to
2,000 in Tier 2, but no fans will be
allowed in Tier 3 areas. Even though
large stadiums are unlikely to see a
financial benefit from such small num-
bers, every Premier League club con-
tacted by The Times said that they were
working on plans to admit spectators.
Outlines for the return of fans have
not been met with unanimous approv-
al, however, with Jürgen Klopp, the
Liverpool manager, critical of the
limited capacity.
“I don’t think it’s unfair [that some
clubs will be able to have fans and some
won’t],” he said. “The rules depend on
different areas. The problem I have at
the moment is that I struggle to put
faith in any kind of announcement.
“And I don’t understand why we
Times Crossword 27,831
1 2 3 4 5 6
9 correction (6,2,5)
10 11
13 14
16 17 18 19
21
23 24
25 26
would now have 2,000 people in a
stadium of 60,000 people and 2,000
people in a stadium of 9,000. I’m not
surprised that it is not thought through,
to be honest. But it’s good news, a good
sign and I take it, 100 per cent.”
Fans can return to sport from next
Wednesday, December 2. Manchester
United host Paris Saint-Germain in the
Champions League that evening and
there are 13 EFL games scheduled, with
a full Premier League programme the
following weekend, as well as England’s
Autumn Nations Cup rugby union final
at Twickenham. Spectators will also be
able to return to race meetings.
The government is expected to
announce details of the code this week.
It is also considering whether to allow
food and drink, including alcohol, to be
served in stadiums as happened
successfully at the test events in
September, helping to reduce demand
outside the ground.
Stewards will ensure that the code is
being followed inside stadiums and
repeated breaches will lead to fans
being ejected.
Requirements of the code are expect-
ed to include:
6 A declaration that fans will not attend
if they display any Covid-19 symptoms
or have been required to self-isolate;
6 Wearing facemasks at entry and exit
points and in the concourse, but not in
the seats;
6 Maintaining social distancing when
Continued on page 77
7 8
12
15
20
22
Fernandes’s generous gesture
Midfielder scores two and then lets Marcus Rashford take penalty in win over
Istanbul Basaksehir, while Chelsea reach the knockout stages, pages 75-77
across
1 Lid turned on standard ovenware
item (8)
6 Everyone into wicked tune (6)
9 At some stage note error also needs
10 Most striking stuff in certain wines
(6)
11 Old Roman god guards unknown
ship for hero (8)
13 Murderous graduate given hearing
stopped by police (10)
15 Why maiden comes to make most
important point? (4)
16 Old Greek lacking craft to make
crossing (4)
18 Monarch in Balmoral perhaps, and
mountainous Welsh location (10)
21 Advantage is seized by partners on
the side (8)
22 Greek sailors dropping with effect
of sun’s rays (6)
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bind, shows spirit (5,2,6)
25 Reportedly, fuel needed for one
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scattered pears (8)
Wednesday November 25 2020 | the times
Rugby’s appliance of science
How Nasa technology helped create
May’s wonder try against Ireland
Pages 70-71
MICHAEL REGAN/GETTY IMAGES
Murray: Make
stars have jab
Stuart Fraser Tennis Correspondent
Andy Murray believes that tennis
players should be made to take a
coronavirus vaccination if they want to
play on the international tour next year.
The view of the three-times grand-
slam champion is at odds with Novak
Djokovic’s well-publicised stance
against compulsory jabs. Two months
ago, the world No 1 from Serbia said
that he would have a difficult decision
to make if someone was “forcing me to
put something in my body”.
But Murray, 33, said yesterday he was
“confident” that players such as Djok-
ovic would have the jab if it was the only
way they would get to play.
The recent positive news surround-
ing the progress of three vaccines has
given Murray hope of a more stable sit-
uation for tennis in the near future. He
competed in four tournaments this
Continued on page 68
PFA dementia
plan faces snub
Matt Lawton Chief Sports Correspondent
The Professional Footballers’ Associa-
tion is facing a potentially embarrass-
ing rejection from key figures it has
approached to join its advisory group
on neurodegenerative diseases.
The Times understands that Chris
Sutton, the former England striker
whose father, Mike, has dementia, and
Dawn Astle, whose father Jeff died of a
neurodegenerative diseases in 2002,
have serious misgivings about the
apparent lack of independence of those
being considered for the group.
While the PFA has been at pains to
distance the outgoing chief executive
Gordon Taylor from an initiative being
led by the PFA’s charity arm, the plan is
for the group to be largely occupied by
key Taylor allies, including John Bram-
hall, the PFA’s deputy chief executive,
Continued on page 74
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A O X H A I R L I N E
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PO P E Y E EG Y P T I A N
4 Review harshly constrains each R D N R U T
piece expressing praise (5) B I S E C T S I MP R E S S
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L E MO N A D E S A L A AM
(7) O O G A C I W
6 Corporation to fail — botched WO R K I NGC L A S S A
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7 Survivor at Sodom among several A R T I F I C E E I D
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(7) plus your telephone company’s network
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17 Stalk Spanish hero on the rise after support recycling
The recycled paper content of
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20 Eve and Abel at odds — do not
disturb (5,2)
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(3)