Yousaf wins contest to succeed Sturgeon
liveHumza Yousaf is the new leader of the Scottish National Party and will become Scotland’s first ethnic minority first minister. In a bitter contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon, the vast majority of senior figures in the SNP supported Yousaf, the health secretary, over Kate Forbes, the finance secretary, who finished second. Taking to the stage, Yousaf, 37, began by...Humza Yousaf is the new leader of the Scottish National Party and will become Scotland’s first...Humza Yousaf is the new leader of the Scottish National Party and will become Scotland’s first...
WILLIAM HAGUE
This result is a rallying cry for unionists
newI approach the subject of Scottish politics with some humility. In my four years as Tory leader, I made 35 visits to...I approach the subject of Scottish politics with some humility. In my four years as Tory leader, I made 35 visits to Scotland but finished up gaining only one seat — and that was one of the few I never visited. The Conservatives north of the border have since been rebuilt as a distinctively Scottish party but at...I approach the subject of Scottish politics with some humility. In my four years as Tory leader, I made 35 visits to Scotland...
video
WORLD NEWS
Netanyahu agrees to pause court reforms
UK NEWS
Energy firms force-fitted 250 prepay meters a day
newMinisters have been “horrified” to discover that energy suppliers force-fitted prepayment meters in customers’ homes...Ministers have been “horrified” to discover that energy suppliers force-fitted prepayment meters...Ministers have been “horrified” to discover that energy suppliers force-fitted prepayment meters...
Markets
Banks buoyed by deal to take over collapsed lender
After a rollercoaster week in which London’s stock markets fell in and out of the red amid concerns about the health...After a rollercoaster week in which London’s stock markets fell in and out of the red amid...After a rollercoaster week in which London’s stock markets fell in and out of the red amid...
uk news
Hen party hordes strike fear into York
Go to Sunday morning service at York Minster and you may find the cobbled streets along the way strewn with discarded satin sashes and deflated plastic penises. The ancient city, famed for its gothic cathedral, medieval walls, sedate tearooms and...Go to Sunday morning service at York Minster and you may find the cobbled streets along the way...Go to Sunday morning service at York Minster and you may find the cobbled streets along the way...
clean it up
Victory for Times campaign as firms promise maps of sewage discharge
Swimmers, canoeists and other river users across England will be able to access real-time online maps of sewage...Swimmers, canoeists and other river users across England will be able to access real-time online...Swimmers, canoeists and other river users across England will be able to access real-time online...
Science
Big rise in microplastics found around UK coastline
Researchers have found microplastic pollution around the UK coastline at concentrations nearly 100 times greater in...Researchers have found microplastic pollution around the UK coastline at concentrations nearly...Researchers have found microplastic pollution around the UK coastline at concentrations nearly...
football
‘Ukrainians feel safe here’: friendship comes first for fans at Wembley
Olympic Way, the pedestrian road that leads from Wembley Park Tube station to the stadium’s crescent arch, is meant to be a place of pilgrimage. Yet in recent memory it has often been a scene of chaos: a place of flung pints and flailing fists and...Olympic Way, the pedestrian road that leads from Wembley Park Tube station to the stadium’s...Olympic Way, the pedestrian road that leads from Wembley Park Tube station to the stadium’s...
ENVIRONMENT
Ministers’ failures on replacing boilers ‘threaten net zero’
Government advisers have condemned “negligible” progress by ministers on replacing gas boilers with green alternatives in homes. The head of the National Infrastructure Commission said that without better policies and...Government advisers have condemned “negligible” progress by ministers on replacing gas boilers with green alternatives in homes. The head of the National Infrastructure Commission said that without better policies and...Government advisers have condemned “negligible” progress by ministers on replacing gas boilers with green...
POLICING
Force’s police recruits to drop degrees for on-the-job training
A police force is to allow its recruits to abandon their “life-sucking” degree course in favour of on-the-job training to free up 100,000 hours of officer time. Hampshire Constabulary is the first force to allow students to...A police force is to allow its recruits to abandon their “life-sucking” degree course in favour of on-the-job training to free up 100,000 hours of officer time. Hampshire Constabulary is the first force to allow students to...A police force is to allow its recruits to abandon their “life-sucking” degree course in favour of on-the-job...
Protester critical and French police hurt in ‘horrifying violence’
A demonstrator is fighting for his life after an environmental protest ended in “scenes of horror” when police fought activists who used petrol bombs, axes, metal spikes and other weapons. The 30-year-old man suffered a head injury, adding to tensions over claims of police brutality during...A demonstrator is fighting for his life after an environmental protest ended in “scenes of horror” when police fought activists who used petrol bombs, axes, metal spikes and other weapons. The 30-year-old man suffered a head injury, adding to tensions over claims of police brutality during...A demonstrator is fighting for his life after an environmental protest ended in “scenes of horror” when police fought activists...
war in ukraine
Putin holding Belarus as nuclear hostage, says Kyiv
Ukraine said last night that Russia was holding Belarus “as a nuclear hostage” after President Putin threatened to move tactical nuclear weapons there. Nato also reacted with outrage to the Russian leader’s “dangerous and irresponsible” statement on Saturday in which he said he had agreed to a request by President Lukashenko and had fitted...Ukraine said last night that Russia was holding Belarus “as a nuclear hostage” after President Putin threatened to move tactical nuclear weapons there. Nato also reacted with outrage to the Russian leader’s “dangerous and irresponsible” statement on Saturday in which he said he had agreed to a request by President Lukashenko and had fitted...Ukraine said last night that Russia was holding Belarus “as a nuclear hostage” after President Putin threatened to move...
war in ukraine | analysis
Has Biden’s endgame for Ukraine changed?
The weapons supplied by the United States and Nato allies to Ukraine have grown in sophistication and capability since the Russian invasion 13 months ago. President Biden’s policy throughout has been driven by the need to avoid the risk of the war escalating into a regional conflict or, worse, a direct confrontation...The weapons supplied by the United States and Nato allies to Ukraine have grown in sophistication...The weapons supplied by the United States and Nato allies to Ukraine have grown in sophistication...
City of Light to switch off public transport signs
newTrain stations, underground networks and airports in France have agreed to turn off illuminated signs and advertising...Train stations, underground networks and airports in France have agreed to turn off illuminated...Train stations, underground networks and airports in France have agreed to turn off illuminated...
Kamala Harris tries to find her grandfather’s house in Zambia
newA wish by Kamala Harris to visit the house in Zambia where she spent time with her grandfather has led to a hunt for...A wish by Kamala Harris to visit the house in Zambia where she spent time with her grandfather...A wish by Kamala Harris to visit the house in Zambia where she spent time with her grandfather...
Windfall for group that sacked 800 P&O workers
The Dubai-owned company that admitted it had broken employment law by dismissing 800 British crew at P&O Ferries last March and replacing them with cheap foreign labour has been awarded a multimillion-pound windfall under Rishi Sunak’s freeports scheme, in what unions condemned as an...The Dubai-owned company that admitted it had broken employment law by dismissing 800 British crew at P&O Ferries last March and replacing them with cheap foreign labour has been awarded a multimillion-pound windfall under Rishi Sunak’s freeports scheme, in what unions condemned as an...The Dubai-owned company that admitted it had broken employment law by dismissing 800 British crew at P&O Ferries last March...
Turner attacks Credit Suisse regulation
The head of the main City regulator at the time of the last financial crisis has spoken out in the controversy surrounding the recent wipeout of $17 billion of Credit Suisse bonds and criticised the supervision of the bank. Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, who was chairman of the Financial Services Authority from 2008 until it was abolished in...The head of the main City regulator at the time of the last financial crisis has spoken out in the controversy surrounding the recent wipeout of $17 billion of Credit Suisse bonds and criticised the supervision of the bank. Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, who was chairman of the Financial Services Authority from 2008 until it was abolished in...The head of the main City regulator at the time of the last financial crisis has spoken out in the controversy surrounding the...
Wood bets on brand winners to resurrect Dignity
With an estimated £860 million fortune built from a career in insurance and property, Sir Peter Wood, is enjoying a life of five houses, six children, five grandchildren, with a sixth on the way, and tennis and a personal trainer three days a week. Yet despite the growing family and the jet-setting to Palm Beach...With an estimated £860 million fortune built from a career in insurance and property, Sir Peter...With an estimated £860 million fortune built from a career in insurance and property, Sir Peter...
Comment
Raising the state pension age risks trapping millions in poverty
The French are rioting over changes that will leave their public pension system vastly more generous and expensive...The French are rioting over changes that will leave their public pension system vastly more...The French are rioting over changes that will leave their public pension system vastly more...
Comment
Tories must work with Labour for long-term stability investors crave
Over the past six months, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, have reacquainted business with what a...Over the past six months, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, have reacquainted business...Over the past six months, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, have reacquainted business...
The week ahead
Next boss cautious about the year ahead
Coaches seek better road to zero-emission travel
The government is being told to come clean on its policy for decarbonising the coach industry. Operators fear that...The government is being told to come clean on its policy for decarbonising the coach industry.The government is being told to come clean on its policy for decarbonising the coach industry.
need to know
Your three-minute digest
1 Raw sewage was dumped into rivers and coastal areas across England more than 300,000 times last year despite a fall...1 Raw sewage was dumped into rivers and coastal areas across England more than 300,000 times last...1 Raw sewage was dumped into rivers and coastal areas across England more than 300,000 times last...
Football
Chelsea face summer fire sale of players to meet FFP rules
newChelsea face having to raise substantial amounts of cash by selling off players this summer to avoid breaching the Premier League’s financial rules next year after reporting large losses for a second successive season. The club reported a loss of £121 million for last season, despite making a...Chelsea face having to raise substantial amounts of cash by selling off players this summer to avoid breaching the Premier League’s financial rules next year after reporting large losses for a second successive season. The club reported a loss of £121 million for last season, despite making a...Chelsea face having to raise substantial amounts of cash by selling off players this summer to avoid breaching the Premier...
football
From ‘club signings’ to longing for home – loveless marriage of Conte and Spurs
The sight of Harry Kane being sick on the side of the pitch, and other Tottenham Hotspur players collapsing to the floor, after a brutal open training session at the Seoul World Cup Stadium caused quite a stir. Yet it was a comment made by Antonio Conte as Spurs prepared to return to London from their pre-season boot camp in South Korea...The sight of Harry Kane being sick on the side of the pitch, and other Tottenham Hotspur players collapsing to the floor, after a brutal open training session at the Seoul World Cup Stadium caused quite a stir. Yet it was a comment made by Antonio Conte as Spurs prepared to return to London from their pre-season boot camp in South Korea...The sight of Harry Kane being sick on the side of the pitch, and other Tottenham Hotspur players collapsing to the floor, after...
Rugby Union
Hogg to retire after Scotland’s World Cup campaign
newStuart Hogg has vowed to go out on a high at the World Cup after announcing that he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the tournament. The 30-year-old Exeter Chiefs full back will bow out of both the club and international game at the conclusion of a tournament that pits Scotland against South Africa...Stuart Hogg has vowed to go out on a high at the World Cup after announcing that he will retire...Stuart Hogg has vowed to go out on a high at the World Cup after announcing that he will retire...
Football | Tom Roddy
Rice and Maddison burnish reputations but City duo spurn golden chance
Football | Alyson Rudd
How Spurs’ misaligned culture is ‘eating managers for breakfast’
State of the Union | Will Kelleher
Only time and money can salvage the mess that is English rugby
English rugby has creaked and then crumbled; now comes the chance to rebuild it. In a season in which England won only two Six Nations matches, for a third year in a row, two Gallagher Premiership clubs, Worcester Warriors and Wasps, went into liquidation. England players are looking to leave for better wages in France and anger has swept across the community game too...English rugby has creaked and then crumbled; now comes the chance to rebuild it. In a season in...English rugby has creaked and then crumbled; now comes the chance to rebuild it. In a season in...
Rugby union
. . . but all is well across the Channel as France surfs World Cup tide
It was April 1 last year, on a cold Friday night, when a crowd of 10,000 packed into Stade Guy Boniface for a clash...It was April 1 last year, on a cold Friday night, when a crowd of 10,000 packed into Stade Guy Boniface for a clash between Mont-de-Marsan and Bayonne. That crowd pales when set against top football matches, and Welford Road regularly has more than twice that in the Gallagher Premiership, but it is impressive when...It was April 1 last year, on a cold Friday night, when a crowd of 10,000 packed into Stade Guy Boniface for a clash between...
Football | Paul Joyce
Maddison passes his England audition with sorcery and a smile
FOOTBALL | BILL EDGAR
Game in numbers: North London harmony and three generations of Gudjohnsen
Football | Ian Hawkey
Tuchel’s to-do list: beat City and Dortmund, keep Müller sweet
“Not a lot of love, not a lot of heart,” reflected Joshua Kimmich, wistful at the cold-eyed sacking of yet another...“Not a lot of love, not a lot of heart,” reflected Joshua Kimmich, wistful at the cold-eyed...“Not a lot of love, not a lot of heart,” reflected Joshua Kimmich, wistful at the cold-eyed...
Mike Atherton | Cricket
Patel’s successor must get Yorkshire out of perilous position
The Yorkshire members bade goodbye to 17 tumultuous months under Lord Patel’s leadership on Friday. Patel stepped...The Yorkshire members bade goodbye to 17 tumultuous months under Lord Patel’s leadership on Friday.The Yorkshire members bade goodbye to 17 tumultuous months under Lord Patel’s leadership on Friday.
gallagher premiership
Baxter threatens changes after Bath dent Exeter’s play-off hopes
Bath 36 Exeter Chiefs 19
Rob Baxter, the Exeter Chiefs director of rugby, threatened to make immediate and wholesale changes to his side after Bath dented his team’s play-off hopes. Baxter laid down the law to his squad in the aftermath of this five-try drubbing to a Bath side who had not won since New Year’s Eve. Exeter have games against Leicester Tigers, Bristol Bears and London Irish to...Rob Baxter, the Exeter Chiefs director of rugby, threatened to make immediate and wholesale...Rob Baxter, the Exeter Chiefs director of rugby, threatened to make immediate and wholesale...
RUGBY UNION
New law to avoid repeat of Steward red could be in place for World Cup
A law change to avoid a repeat of Freddie Steward’s controversial red card against Ireland in the Six Nations is...A law change to avoid a repeat of Freddie Steward’s controversial red card against Ireland in the Six Nations is under consideration before the World Cup this autumn. Steward was sent off in Dublin last Saturday after Jaco Peyper, the referee, and the television match official (TMO) decided that the collision...A law change to avoid a repeat of Freddie Steward’s controversial red card against Ireland in the Six Nations is under...
rugby union | Stuart Barnes
In rugby’s answer to Hotspur and Hal, Smith brings the flair but Farrell the control
FOOTBALL
Smith Rowe: Arsenal are on fire but I’m desperate to reclaim place
Nine months after scoring his last goal Emile Smith Rowe was back on the scoresheet with a renewed determination to put a frustrating year behind him. After undergoing groin surgery in September, he has had to watch from the sidelines as his Arsenal team-mates try to land their first Premier League title since 2004. Having started his first game since his operation, in...Nine months after scoring his last goal Emile Smith Rowe was back on the scoresheet with a...Nine months after scoring his last goal Emile Smith Rowe was back on the scoresheet with a...
Football
Broadhead: I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life
After Wales flopped at the World Cup, they promised to rebuild the team with a new generation of players. The search...After Wales flopped at the World Cup, they promised to rebuild the team with a new generation of players. The search led them to several teenagers and a slightly more familiar face: Nathan Broadhead. Broadhead, who turns 25 next month, was on the fringes of the Wales squad for a while, having won 18 under-21 caps.After Wales flopped at the World Cup, they promised to rebuild the team with a new generation of players. The search led them...
women's Super League
City stun sluggish Chelsea as title race takes another twist
Football | EFL postcards
Rochdale face dropping out of Football League for first time in 102 years
racing
Thunderer’s racing tips
interview
Georgia Harrison: My battle for justice against revenge porn
The reality TV star didn’t want to see her boyfriend jailed — but it was necessary to protect her own future
life
Can you really choose what to dream about?
Sleep researchers are developing strategies to help us experience lucid dreams, reports Damian Whitworth
LIFE
This satire of weird wellness fads feels uncomfortably familiar
As Netflix launches a dramedy about the wellness industry, Olivia Petter looks back at how she got caught up in juice cleanses and sleep trackers
INTERVIEW
Ken Bruce on leaving the BBC: ‘I was annoyed. I thought, ‘I’m not being difficult’
The veteran broadcaster talks to Andrew Billen about his swift departure from Radio 2, the old drinking culture and his move to commercial radio
ASK PROFESSOR TANYA BYRON
My son has bipolar and spends his days in bed. How can we help him?
interview
Nicholas Braun: ‘When we finished shooting Succession, I sobbed’
Before meeting me in a bar in midtown New York one Saturday evening, Nicholas Braun spends the afternoon mooching around the Gagosian gallery and drinking cocktails with none other than . . . Matthew Macfadyen. That’s right, Cousin Greg and Tom...Before meeting me in a bar in midtown New York one Saturday evening, Nicholas Braun spends the...Before meeting me in a bar in midtown New York one Saturday evening, Nicholas Braun spends the...
FIRST NIGHT | COMEDY
Nick Mohammed — the Ted Lasso star’s anarchic alter ego
FIRST NIGHT | CLASSICAL
Philharmonia/Soddy — Bryn Terfel tingles the spine
first night | classical
A House of Call — the LPO bring fizz to a evening fit for a maverick
★★★★☆
For one thing, most of the London Philharmonic Orchestra faced the audience’s right, shaped in a wedge with...★★★★☆
For one thing, most of the London Philharmonic Orchestra faced the audience’s right...★★★★☆
For one thing, most of the London Philharmonic Orchestra faced the audience’s right...
first night | theatre
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation — a bear of very little taste
★★☆☆☆
Is this latest Disney spin-off any good? Well, all I’ll say is that, in the unlikely event that David Hare...★★☆☆☆
Is this latest Disney spin-off any good? Well, all I’ll say is that, in the unlikely...★★☆☆☆
Is this latest Disney spin-off any good? Well, all I’ll say is that, in the unlikely...
first night | dance
On the And — a fitting honour to a master of contemporary dance
★★★★☆
There is probably no one who had as much impact on the development of British contemporary dance as Robert Cohan. Born in New York 98 years ago this week, he regularly partnered the great Martha Graham on stage and even co-directed her...★★★★☆
There is probably no one who had as much impact on the development of British...★★★★☆
There is probably no one who had as much impact on the development of British...
BEST PLACES TO LIVE
Comment
Snooty Oxfam’s war on words is a disaster zone
Tomiwa Owolade
The charity’s new inclusive language guide is muddled ideological nonsense that gravely undermines its mission statement
EDWARD LUCAS
Xi is using Putin for influence in Europe
LIBBY PURVES
Pill brought us freedom but not more respect
JULIET SAMUEL | NOTEBOOK
Writing’s on the wall for humble pen and pencil
MATTHEW PATTEN
Take urgent action to get ghost children back into school
Leading Articles
Tartan Turmoil
The new leader of the SNP will inherit a divided rabble of a party. Whoever succeeds Nicola Sturgeon, the winners are likely to be Labour and the Union
Clean Break
A commitment by all water companies to publish detail of sewage spills is welcome
No Hard Feelings
A British soldier is fondly remembered by the Argentine prisoners he guarded
letters to the editor
Boris Johnson and the political wilderness
Sir, It is paradoxical that Matthew Parris (“Boris, exile is the best bet — for all of us”, Mar 25) has to explore at all the political options for Boris Johnson, given his fall from high office for proven dishonesty as prime minister.Sir, It is paradoxical that Matthew Parris (“Boris, exile is the best bet — for all of us”...Sir, It is paradoxical that Matthew Parris (“Boris, exile is the best bet — for all of us”...
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: Scottish National Party leadership election result; UK government announces new strategy on antisocial behaviour; Rape Crisis report on the impact of the crown court crisis on sexual abuse victims.
On this day
In 1854, during the Crimean War, Britain declared war on Russia. With allies France and the Ottoman Empire, forces landed in the Crimea on September 14, 1854. On March 30, 1856 the Treaty of Paris was signed; in 1945 the last of the V-2 rockets to land in Britain fell on Orpington, Kent. Ivy Millichamp, aged 34, was the last of 67,100 civilian deaths in Britain during the Second World War; in 1973 Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American activist, attended the 45th Academy Awards, where she declined the Best Actor Oscar (for The Godfather) on behalf of Marlon Brando; in 2020 prime minister Boris Johnson began a period of self-isolation at Downing Street after testing positive for Covid-19. On April 5 he was hospitalised and then moved into intensive care, then spent his recovery at Chequers. He returned to No 10 on April 26, 2020
Nature notes
In a tall street tree in central London a pair of crows were busy building a nest. Both the male and female flew in and out carrying sticks, a process that can take up to two weeks in a tricky location or in windy conditions. Finished nests are around 45cm wide, lined in the centre with moss, hair, grass or — especially in urban areas — bits of paper or other litter they’ve picked up. The female incubates the eggs for 20 days, the male bringing food; their chicks fledge a month after hatching. Crows construct a new nest each year, though they might reuse the same spot.
Melissa Harrison
Birthdays today
Ashley Almanza, chief executive, G4S (security company), 60; Tony Banks, founding member and keyboard player, Genesis, 73; Paul Bristow, Tory MP for Peterborough, 44; Mariah Carey, pop singer, All I Want for Christmas Is You (1994), 54; David Coulthard, Formula One racing driver (1994-2008), now a commentator, 52; Stephen Dillane, actor, The Hours (2002), Game of Thrones (2012-15), 66; Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive, National Children’s Bureau, 59; Julian Glover, actor, For Your Eyes Only (1981), Game of Thrones (2011-16), 88; Michel Guérard, chef, one of the founders of nouvelle cuisine, 90; Ellery Hanley, rugby league player, Great Britain (1984-93), 62; Dame Pippa Harris, film and TV producer, Call the Midwife (from 2012), chairwoman, Bafta (2018-20), 56; Peter Howson, painter, official British war artist in Bosnia (1993-95), 65; Jessie J, singer, Bang Bang (2014), 35; Prof Dennis Kavanagh, political analyst, 82; Patrick McCabe, playwright and novelist, The Butcher Boy (1992), Breakfast on Pluto (1998), 68; Prof Heather McGregor, provost and vice-principal, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, 61; Brian McNamara, chief executive, Haleon (health company), 57; Eleanor Maguire, professor of cognitive neuroscience, University College London, 53; Dame Jil Matheson, national statistician (2009-14), 70; John O’Farrell, writer, An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain (2009), 61; Mariano Rajoy, prime minister of Spain (2011-18), 68; Peter Rose, opera singer, 62; Admiral Sir Jock Slater, first sea lord and chief of the naval staff (1995-98), 85; Quentin Tarantino, film director, Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), 60; Lars Tharp, historian and broadcaster, Antiques Roadshow (since 1986), 69; Daphne Todd, portrait painter, president, Royal Society of Portrait Painters (1994-2000), 76; Terry Yorath, footballer, Leeds United (1967-76) and manager, Wales (1988-93), 73; Michael York, actor, Cabaret (1972), Logan’s Run (1976), 81.