I recreated all my favourite TV tropes, from crawling through pipes to being two kids in a trenchcoat
Rushanara Ali just did what any rational landlord would August 12, 2025 As a government minister, Rushanara Ali was foolish, but as a landlord, completely rational. Her case exposes the flaws of rental reform.
Take a stopover in Baku, a boom-town, secular Dubai August 11, 2025 Just 5.5 hours from London, Baku – the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan – is an easy yet still exciting escape. The city presents a jumble of architecture: futuristic skyscrapers straight out of Tron, formidable Soviet structures, and a 12th century walled old city, a one-time Silk Road stop still peppered with caravanserais, palaces and mosques. [...]
Why the Online Safety Act has become a political nightmare August 11, 2025 The UK’s Online Safety Act, which came into force on 25th July, was conceived with the noble aim of protecting children from harmful online content. It mandates that web service providers implement “highly effective” age verification measures to prevent minors from accessing material that promotes suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or abusive behaviour, as well as [...]
Amazing Miami, from incredible food to miles of beaches and modern art August 8, 2025 Given that Florida’s most famous resident is a six-foot talking mouse, and its second most recognised face is that of a President who’s never more than three words away from a headline, it should come as little surprise that the Sunshine State enjoys putting on a show. Throw in a recent smattering of Michelin stars [...]
Wilderness festival review: silliness and beauty combine to offer five-star escapism August 7, 2025 Around a quarter of the people who attended Wilderness festival this year glamped, swerving the surely horrifying idea of pitching their own tent, and they quaffed champagne at banquet feasts and from lakeside hot tubs. There is no getting around it: Wilderness attracts what the festival likes to call a “bouji” crowd (bosses don’t like [...]
London pub scene ‘showing real resilience’ despite soaring costs August 7, 2025 The number of pubs in London has barely budged in the last decade despite heavy pressure on the capital’s hospitality scene. There are 3,523 pubs in the capital, only 10 fewer than in 2023 and just under the 3,530 venues recorded in 2017, according to data from the ONS. “The data shows it’s far from [...]
Libby in Paris: How to drink wine like the French August 2, 2025 There’s something so effortlessly chic about Parisians. The French way of life is tightly woven with centuries of excellent wine-making, and they seem to drink it beautifully. I popped over for Bastille Day to see if I could learn to sip with similar sophistication. It began as soon as I arrived. I had booked a [...]
A massive burger festival is coming to London – and you can vote for the UK’s best bun July 31, 2025 “London, get ready to loosen your belts,” is the message from the team at Burger Fest UK, taking place at Signature Brew in east London on 13 and 14 September, with dozens of traders showing off what they believe are the UK’s very best pattys in buns. So far, nine revered burger makers have confirmed [...]
Is director training the answer to football’s governance woes? July 31, 2025 A new study suggests reforming football governance by testing and training directors. But is the regulator capable, asks Ed Warner? Countless millions follow professional football in England, claiming allegiance to a favourite club whose fortunes are entwined daily with each individual’s emotions, their highs and lows in seemingly unavoidable synchronicity. Turns out these essential forces [...]
How the wellness bro came to rule the City July 31, 2025 As finance bros roam the City clutching pink smoothies, Anna Moloney examines the changing culture of health and rise of the wellness bro.