‘Disgraceful’ Thames Water told not to punish consumers
Bosses want to raise bills by 40%
Britain’s biggest water supplier must not “hit consumers” to prop up its finances and avoid nationalisation, the government has said after the company asked to increase bills by 40 per cent. Thames Water wants to raise bills from an average of £436 to £609 a year by the end of the decade and be...Britain’s biggest water supplier must not “hit consumers” to prop up its finances and avoid nationalisation, the government has said after the company asked to increase bills by 40 per cent. Thames Water wants to raise bills from an average of £436 to £609 a year by the end of the decade and be...Britain’s biggest water supplier must not “hit consumers” to prop up its finances and avoid nationalisation, the government...
health
Fertility clinics ‘pressuring’ young women to freeze their eggs
newGazing out at the Mediterranean sea from an idyllic rocky mountaintop, Sophie Hermann announced to her half a million Instagram followers that she had decided to freeze her eggs. Since that post in August, the 37-year-old former Made in Chelsea star has shared details on social media of every aspect of the egg-freezing process, which she...Gazing out at the Mediterranean sea from an idyllic rocky mountaintop, Sophie Hermann announced to her half a million Instagram followers that she had decided to freeze her eggs. Since that post in August, the 37-year-old former Made in Chelsea star has shared details on social media of every aspect of the egg-freezing process, which she...Gazing out at the Mediterranean sea from an idyllic rocky mountaintop, Sophie Hermann announced to her half a million Instagram...
uk news
He went with a smile: assisted dying saved my husband from torment
A widow who drove her husband to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland said he died smiling after months of “absolute torment” suffering from motor neurone disease (MND). Barbara Shooter, 67, called for the UK to decriminalise assisted dying and stop “outsourcing compassion to a foreign country”. She said the...A widow who drove her husband to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland said he died smiling...A widow who drove her husband to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland said he died smiling...
post office scandal
Post Office knew court defence was false, draft report shows
Editor's picks
janice turner
Why aren’t British women having babies any more?
market watch
How to make a profit as a landlord in 2024
football | paul joyce
Liverpool look elsewhere as Alonso set to stay at Leverkusen
updatedXabi Alonso will not feature on the final shortlist to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor as Liverpool believe the...Xabi Alonso will not feature on the final shortlist to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor as...Xabi Alonso will not feature on the final shortlist to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor as...
obituary
Larry Lloyd, fearsome defender and one of the ‘Miracle Men’ at Nottingham Forest
It was a highly unusual way to seal a footballing deal. Nottingham Forest’s idiosyncratic manager, Brian Clough...It was a highly unusual way to seal a footballing deal. Nottingham Forest’s idiosyncratic manager...It was a highly unusual way to seal a footballing deal. Nottingham Forest’s idiosyncratic manager...
Politics
politics
Islamophobic tweets just ‘hurty words’, says mayoral candidate
The Tory candidate for mayor of London has claimed in an interview that the town of Crawley, 30km to the south, is in the capital, and that Islamophobic tweets are just “hurty words”. Susan Hall’s campaign has been beset by a series of blunders...The Tory candidate for mayor of London has claimed in an interview that the town of Crawley, 30km...The Tory candidate for mayor of London has claimed in an interview that the town of Crawley, 30km...
photography
Kate’s wasn’t the first royal photo to be edited, Times archive shows
One photograph led the headlines this month as leading news agencies withdrew an image of the Princess of Wales, citing concerns over image manipulation. The Associated Press confirmed: “At closer inspection, it appears that the source has manipulated the image.” Photo manipulation has existed since the beginning of photography — only the methods have changed. Early...One photograph led the headlines this month as leading news agencies withdrew an image of the...One photograph led the headlines this month as leading news agencies withdrew an image of the...
video
royal family
King plans to ‘dial up’ engagements towards summer, says Palace
The King plans to “dial up” his official engagements towards the summer and has already increased the number of...The King plans to “dial up” his official engagements towards the summer and has already increased the number of people he can meet inside, a Palace source said. After Easter the King and Queen will take a break to enjoy “a quiet period”, a Palace source said, before returning to “gradually dial up” the King’s diary...The King plans to “dial up” his official engagements towards the summer and has already increased the number of people he can...
religion
Clergyman who called trans archdeacon ‘a bloke’ cleared by tribunal
A clergyman who called the Church of England’s first trans woman archdeacon a “bloke” should not be punished, a...A clergyman who called the Church of England’s first trans woman archdeacon a “bloke” should not...A clergyman who called the Church of England’s first trans woman archdeacon a “bloke” should not...
the times diary
Tory candidate rocks up and rocks out on the doorstep
When courting the electorate, it helps to make them laugh. In a new book on general elections since 1830, the...When courting the electorate, it helps to make them laugh. In a new book on general elections...When courting the electorate, it helps to make them laugh. In a new book on general elections...
Armed guards at French schools after headscarf-row terror threats
Dozens of French schools have been placed under armed guard after more than 130 received Islamist terrorist threats amid fresh resistance to the ban on religious clothing in schools. The Jean-Perrin Lycée in Rezé, near the city of Nantes in western France, was evacuated on Thursday after pupils...Dozens of French schools have been placed under armed guard after more than 130 received Islamist terrorist threats amid fresh resistance to the ban on religious clothing in schools. The Jean-Perrin Lycée in Rezé, near the city of Nantes in western France, was evacuated on Thursday after pupils...Dozens of French schools have been placed under armed guard after more than 130 received Islamist terrorist threats amid fresh...
Exposed: hard-right European politicians ‘on Putin’s payroll’
A Prague-based news website backed by two pro-Russia businessmen has been covertly paying hard-right politicians in European countries including Germany and France to turn public opinion against support for Ukraine, an investigation led by the Czech government has revealed. Petr Fiala, the prime minister, said on Wednesday that Voice of...A Prague-based news website backed by two pro-Russia businessmen has been covertly paying hard-right politicians in European countries including Germany and France to turn public opinion against support for Ukraine, an investigation led by the Czech government has revealed. Petr Fiala, the prime minister, said on Wednesday that Voice of...A Prague-based news website backed by two pro-Russia businessmen has been covertly paying hard-right politicians in European...
Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for FTX fraud
Standing to address a court in New York before he was sentenced to a lengthy jail term, Sam Bankman-Fried finally acknowledged the thousands of people whose accounts he raided via his failed cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, and apologised. “A lot of people feel really let down, and they were very let down, and I am...Standing to address a court in New York before he was sentenced to a lengthy jail term, Sam...Standing to address a court in New York before he was sentenced to a lengthy jail term, Sam...
The tech entrepreneur working on a reversible male contraceptive
In the middle of the last century, two remarkable women in their seventies drove the production of a contraceptive...In the middle of the last century, two remarkable women in their seventies drove the production...In the middle of the last century, two remarkable women in their seventies drove the production...
Baltimore bridge collapse traps military ships on standby for war
Four US military cargo ships on standby for war are among the vessels trapped in Baltimore as concerns grow about the...Four US military cargo ships on standby for war are among the vessels trapped in Baltimore as...Four US military cargo ships on standby for war are among the vessels trapped in Baltimore as...
Japan turns to tech to help with unfolding dementia crisis
In any other café, Tadashi Iida would be a terrible waiter. Unless he immediately writes them down, he gets the orders wrong and brings green tea instead of white coffee. He frequently gets confused over the change, handing back to customers all...In any other café, Tadashi Iida would be a terrible waiter. Unless he immediately writes them...In any other café, Tadashi Iida would be a terrible waiter. Unless he immediately writes them...
video
South Africa bus crash: Girl, 8, is only survivor as 45 killed
An eight-year-old girl was the only surviving passenger when a bus plunged off a bridge and into a ravine killing 45 people, the South African transport ministry has said. The vehicle was taking people from Botswana, a landlocked country bordering...An eight-year-old girl was the only surviving passenger when a bus plunged off a bridge and into...An eight-year-old girl was the only surviving passenger when a bus plunged off a bridge and into...
analysis
Who will be forced to clean up the Thames Water mess?
The shareholders of Thames Water are prepared to abandon the crisis-hit privatised regional monopoly after failing to persuade Ofwat, the regulator, to cut a special deal to save the utility, which serves 16 million people. Thames Water’s nine shareholders, including some of the heavy hitters of...The shareholders of Thames Water are prepared to abandon the crisis-hit privatised regional monopoly after failing to persuade Ofwat, the regulator, to cut a special deal to save the utility, which serves 16 million people. Thames Water’s nine shareholders, including some of the heavy hitters of...The shareholders of Thames Water are prepared to abandon the crisis-hit privatised regional monopoly after failing to persuade...
Why is Thames Water in so much debt? This is what went wrong
updatedThe crisis at Thames Water has created an uncertain future for Britain’s biggest privatised water company. Shareholders are refusing to inject funding in a stand-off with Ofwat. The water industry regulator has refused to allow the company to increase its bills, which investors say makes its proposed turnaround plan “uninvestible”.The crisis at Thames Water has created an uncertain future for Britain’s biggest privatised water company. Shareholders are refusing to inject funding in a stand-off with Ofwat. The water industry regulator has refused to allow the company to increase its bills, which investors say makes its proposed turnaround plan “uninvestible”.The crisis at Thames Water has created an uncertain future for Britain’s biggest privatised water company. Shareholders are...
thames water
Bonds sink as debt investors scramble to sell
Debt investors scrambled to sell bonds linked to Thames Water as fears grew about the financial crisis gripping the heavily indebted utility. The price of a bond issued by the utility’s holding company slumped to 15p in the pound after it emerged that shareholders in the group had refused to inject £500 million that...Debt investors scrambled to sell bonds linked to Thames Water as fears grew about the financial...Debt investors scrambled to sell bonds linked to Thames Water as fears grew about the financial...
tempus
For a giant like Walmart, big is beautiful
Walmart is quintessentially American in its vastness. Last year the supermarket chain made $421 billion in net sales...Walmart is quintessentially American in its vastness. Last year the supermarket chain made $421...Walmart is quintessentially American in its vastness. Last year the supermarket chain made $421...
Market report
FTSE 100 enters holiday weekend at a 12-month high
Investors entered the long Easter weekend with a spring in their step as the FTSE 100 finished at a 12-month high...Investors entered the long Easter weekend with a spring in their step as the FTSE 100 finished at...Investors entered the long Easter weekend with a spring in their step as the FTSE 100 finished at...
comment | rhymer rigby
I know just the place if you want a different skull every month
Would you subscribe to a restaurant? A car? A hotel? A service that delivers you a different animal skull every month?Would you subscribe to a restaurant? A car? A hotel? A service that delivers you a different...Would you subscribe to a restaurant? A car? A hotel? A service that delivers you a different...
Government debt servicing costs will be high for years, says IMF
Governments face years of high debt interest costs even as central banks are poised to cut interest rates in 2024...Governments face years of high debt interest costs even as central banks are poised to cut...Governments face years of high debt interest costs even as central banks are poised to cut...
RECRUITMENT
Religious jobs are a broad church — there’s more than just clergy
As perhaps the ultimate job with purpose, careers in the church are enjoying a second coming. In a world of zero-hours contracts and corporate greed, doing God’s work is an increasingly attractive option for those seeking a meaningful role making a difference to communities locally and worldwide. Two factors have combined to resurrect interest in church employment.As perhaps the ultimate job with purpose, careers in the church are enjoying a second coming. In...As perhaps the ultimate job with purpose, careers in the church are enjoying a second coming. In...
RECRUITMENT: SIX FROM THE BEST
Inspire your team by being your true self at work
Lee Gilbert is chief marketing officer of Nourish Care, the UK’s largest provider of software for the adult care...Lee Gilbert is chief marketing officer of Nourish Care, the UK’s largest provider of software for the adult care sector, and one of the few trans women in UK C-suite roles. Before International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, Gilbert shares her advice for being truly you through your career. Be authentic....Lee Gilbert is chief marketing officer of Nourish Care, the UK’s largest provider of software for the adult care sector, and...
football | paul joyce
Liverpool look elsewhere as Alonso set to stay at Leverkusen
updatedXabi Alonso will not feature on the final shortlist to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor as Liverpool believe the Spaniard will not be available this summer. The development strengthens the hand of candidates such as the Sporting Lisbon head coach, Rúben Amorim, who is highly regarded at Anfield...Xabi Alonso will not feature on the final shortlist to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor as Liverpool believe the Spaniard will not be available this summer. The development strengthens the hand of candidates such as the Sporting Lisbon head coach, Rúben Amorim, who is highly regarded at Anfield...Xabi Alonso will not feature on the final shortlist to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor as Liverpool believe the Spaniard will...
RUGBY UNION | SAM WARBURTON
Rees-Zammit’s NFL switch can be great sports story – but I fear for Wales
Louis Rees-Zammit reminds me a bit of my former team-mate Jamie Roberts. They are not your usual Welsh rugby players. Their personalities mean that they can see well beyond the traditional confines and career paths of others, and as a result they can attract some criticism from the more blinkered quarters, but good on them, I say. Roberts...Louis Rees-Zammit reminds me a bit of my former team-mate Jamie Roberts. They are not your usual Welsh rugby players. Their personalities mean that they can see well beyond the traditional confines and career paths of others, and as a result they can attract some criticism from the more blinkered quarters, but good on them, I say. Roberts...Louis Rees-Zammit reminds me a bit of my former team-mate Jamie Roberts. They are not your usual Welsh rugby players. Their...
FOOTBall | matt dickinson
We’re guilty of burdening likes of Mainoo – just look at Morrison
Is there anything more seductive in sport than youthful brilliance? It was hard to avoid that feeling reading through The Times’s archives this week of the early sightings of some of England’s greatest footballers; a compelling sift through those first glimpses of careers that blossomed spectacularly. It is not just...Is there anything more seductive in sport than youthful brilliance? It was hard to avoid that...Is there anything more seductive in sport than youthful brilliance? It was hard to avoid that...
James Magnussen INTERVIEW | Matt Lawton
Meet swimmer who will ‘juice to the gills’ to become fastest of all time
exclusiveNFL | Paddy von behr
Trick plays and new rules – why Chiefs are perfect fit for Rees-Zammit
HENRY WINTER | Ali Al-Hamadi interview
‘Tough as nails’ Ipswich striker who escaped Saddam and thrives on adversity
RUGBY UNION | STUART BARNES
England to benefit from club game that’s gone from turgid to thrilling
The Gallagher Premiership is a product. Yuck. Yep, it is a business and its business is to pack the stadiums and draw...The Gallagher Premiership is a product. Yuck. Yep, it is a business and its business is to pack...The Gallagher Premiership is a product. Yuck. Yep, it is a business and its business is to pack...
rugby union
Slade reveals how senior players helped switch on England’s attack
Henry Slade has revealed England’s improved attacking performances in the Six Nations were the result of a “flip”...Henry Slade has revealed England’s improved attacking performances in the Six Nations were the...Henry Slade has revealed England’s improved attacking performances in the Six Nations were the...
RUGBY UNION | FIN SMITH INTERVIEW
‘I learnt a lot from Ford – he’s best fly half in the world’
For a burgeoning international player to grow into a consistently top-class talent, the transition between club and country is a skill that must be mastered. George Ford has had to cope with this for much of his career. The ultimate fly-half chameleon, he — like almost no one else — has flitted between game styles to suit coaches since he emerged as a teenager at...For a burgeoning international player to grow into a consistently top-class talent, the...For a burgeoning international player to grow into a consistently top-class talent, the...
NFL
Rees-Zammit set to join Super Bowl champions
Louis Rees-Zammit will this week sign with Kansas City Chiefs, the Super Bowl champions who count Taylor Swift as...Louis Rees-Zammit will this week sign with Kansas City Chiefs, the Super Bowl champions who count Taylor Swift as their most famous fan. The 23-year-old Welshman has been visiting clubs over the past week after taking part in the pro day for those on the International Player Pathway (IPP). Rees-Zammit recorded a...Louis Rees-Zammit will this week sign with Kansas City Chiefs, the Super Bowl champions who count Taylor Swift as their most...
football
Most goals at 8.15pm, away day woe at 12.30pm – kick-off times analysed
Early kick-off times have been part of the English footballing calendar since the 1990s. They were designed to reduce fan violence and alcohol consumption, particularly before derby games. However, with the global appeal of the Premier League and...Early kick-off times have been part of the English footballing calendar since the 1990s. They...Early kick-off times have been part of the English footballing calendar since the 1990s. They...
football | Ashley westwood interview
I thought, ‘I don’t want any caviar, I just don’t want to get blown up’
Bill Edgar’s Deep Dive
The (sometimes chaotic) history of the Easter weekend in English football
Women’s football
Leicester sack manager over alleged relationship with player
FOOTBALL | conti cup final
Russo has last chance to salvage Arsenal’s season – and end trophy wait
Football | Hamzah Khalique-Loonat
Tactical lessons Southgate will have learnt from Belgium game
A spate of injuries to key players meant Gareth Southgate’s England team against Belgium was a product of contingency, but the game proved a microcosm of tactical themes that are likely to play an important role in this summer’s European Championship — matters of balance, width, ball progression and pressing. The England manager said that he finds the midfield the most...A spate of injuries to key players meant Gareth Southgate’s England team against Belgium was a...A spate of injuries to key players meant Gareth Southgate’s England team against Belgium was a...
racing
Thunderer’s racing tips
BET OF THE DAY
Nine Tenths (3.0, Newcastle)
This smart mare has to concede plenty of weight but she’s dropping in...BET OF THE DAY
Nine Tenths (3.0, Newcastle)
This smart mare has to concede plenty of weight but she’s dropping in grade and her form claims are extremely solid. Racecards Newcastle
1.18 Thunderer’s choice: Orne has the strongest form and looks open to more improvement stepping back up to a mile. Dangers: Silent...BET OF THE DAY
Nine Tenths (3.0, Newcastle)
This smart mare has to concede plenty of weight but she’s dropping in grade and...
Comment
Starmer’s growth gambit: put mayors in charge
Patrick Maguire
Labour plans a huge transfer of responsibilities to the regions and will empower local leaders to revive their economies
emma duncan
Minimum wage is a success — don’t max it out
Gerard baker
New Islamist group is political peril for Biden
martin samuel | notebook
Lack of planes for Rwanda shows 1984’s still a way off
Jawad Iqbal
Forget ad bans and train line rebrands, Sadiq, tackle knife crime
Leading Articles
Labour’s Luther
Wes Streeting is one of the most promising members of the shadow cabinet. But the man likely to be health secretary must challenge orthodoxy if he is to save the NHS
Hostage in Moscow
Evan Gershkovich has now been held for a year in prison. Russia should pay a price
The Kindness of Strangers
The King’s message praising those who help in time of need struck a poignant note
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fixing our neglected and failing prison system
Sir, Your investigation (news, Mar 28) corroborates the findings of a growing number of reports by the Inspectorate of Prisons highlighting the perilous state of our prisons. In some of the worst ones, such as Bedford, there is almost a sense of...Sir, Your investigation (news, Mar 28) corroborates the findings of a growing number of reports...Sir, Your investigation (news, Mar 28) corroborates the findings of a growing number of reports...
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: Annual conference of NASUWT, a teachers’ union, in Harrogate; National Science Fiction Convention begins in Birmingham; Passion of Jesus event at Trafalgar Square, London, marks the start of Easter.
World: Today is Good Friday, the Christian holiday.
On this day
In 1848 strong winds blew huge amounts of ice across Lake Erie that led to Niagara Falls running dry for 30 hours. People carried lit torches across the brink of the Horseshoe and American Falls; in 1849 the Punjab was officially brought under British rule, ending the reign of Duleep Singh, the fifth and last maharajah of the Sikh empire. A former owner of the Koh-i-noor diamond, he moved to the UK where he was granted a pension and bought Elveden hall and estate, Suffolk in 1863, redesigning the interior to resemble a Mughal palace. He died on October 22, 1886, in Paris, aged 55; in 1867 the British North America Act created the dominion of Canada, uniting the provinces of Canada (divided to form Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; in 1898, in the House of Commons, an MP quizzed a foreign minister as to how The Times correspondent in Peking (Beijing) had been “able on several occasions recently to publish facts of the utmost public importance several days before the Foreign Office had obtained any information in reference to them”. George Curzon (Lord Curzon of Kedleston) replied that it was the “intelligent anticipation of facts even before they occur” which led to the “unequal competition”; in 1912 Captain Robert Scott, storm-bound in a tent near the South Pole, made the last entry in his diary: “We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. R Scott. For God’s sake look after our people”.
Nature notes
You might call it the resurrection tree. The little rowan on the bridleway was planted in the winter of 2019, and grew well for the first two years. Then came summer 2022 when even the north of England sweltered in heatwaves approaching 40C. The sapling was watered regularly, but succumbed to the relentless sun. When autumn brought a little relief from the weather, the sapling appeared dead. It spent the following winter as a mere stick in the ground, but then, the next year grew a handful of leaves. As the season progressed, it seemed to be recovering. Its renaissance has continued. Already this spring, buds of many flowers are visible, their gorgeous white tipped with a beautiful peach colour. Jonathan Tulloch
Jonathan Tulloch
Birthdays today
Lord (Henry) Bellingham, Tory MP for North West Norfolk (1983-97, 2001-19), Foreign Office minister (2010-12), 69; Baroness (Louise) Casey of Blackstock, chairwoman, Institute of Global Homelessness, 59; Tess Daly, TV presenter, Strictly Come Dancing (since 2004), 55; Duncan Davidson, founder (1972), Persimmon (housebuilding group), 83; Brendan Gleeson, actor, the Harry Potter films, 69; Georgina Godwin, broadcaster and Zimbabwe activist, 57; Julie Goodyear, actress, Coronation Street (1966-2003), 82; Kasper Holten, stage director, director of opera, Royal Opera House (2011-17), 51; Johnny Hornby, founder, chairman and chief executive, The&Partnership, 57; Eric Idle, actor and comedian best known for the Monty Python series and films, 81; Lord (Richard) Keen of Elie KC, advocate-general for Scotland (2015-20), chairman, Scottish Conservatives (2014-15), 70; Christopher Lambert, actor, Highlander (1986), 67; Elle Macpherson, model, 60; Sir John Major, prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party (1990-97), 81; Crystal Oldman, chief executive, Queen’s Nursing Institute charity, 65; Dame Priti Patel, Tory MP for Witham, home secretary (2019-22), 52; Dame Fiona Reynolds, chairwoman, Royal Agricultural University, vice-president, Campaign to Protect Rural England, chairwoman, National Audit Office, 66; Laurence Robertson, Tory MP for Tewkesbury, 66; Hannah Russell, chief executive, British Science Association, 47; Chris Sainty, UK ambassador to Portugal (2018-Jan 2024), 57; John Suchet, ITN newsreader (1972-2004), 80; Joseph Hooton Taylor, astrophysicist, Nobel prize in physics (1993), 83; Lord (Norman) Tebbit, chairman of the Conservative Party (1985-87), 93; Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria, 72; Leah Williamson, footballer, Arsenal and England, 27; Duncan Wilson, chief executive, Historic England, 67.