Why dining alone is the last taboo April 12, 2025 During a recent solo trip to a new wine and oyster bar, I was directed to a dim corner of the restaurant far away from other diners. It was as if the patrons needed to be protected from the sad, friendless clown doing a sudoku and enjoying an alcohol free beer. As the waiter came [...]
Silence over lamb: The terrible politics of the dinner table April 12, 2025 Why is the dinner table the setting for so many epic family battles? Anna Wolfe explores the psychology of dining and asks if boomers and Gen-Z are destined to clash over roast potatoes Sunday lunch, a cherished ritual where families gather to share a meal, exchange pleasantries, and, more often than not, step into a conversational [...]
Trump, tariffs and GDP: How do you forecast uncertainty? April 12, 2025 The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), one of the UK’s central forecasters, prepared itself for President Trump’s tariff war – or at least partially. At a presentation after Chancellor Reeves’ Spring Statement, OBR chair Richard Hughes admitted the fiscal watchdog’s central forecast risked being completely undermined by global events. Hughes came up with three possible [...]
What is the semi-automated offside technology coming to the Premier League? April 12, 2025 Semi-automated offside technology is set to enter the Premier League this weekend. But what is it, when was it introduced and what does it mean for fans? What is SAOT Semi-automated offside technology was used successfully within the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, albeit the Premier League version will use Genius Sports as its [...]
Parliament to be recalled over future of British Steel April 11, 2025 Parliament will be recalled on Saturday to discuss the future of British Steel, Downing Street has confirmed. A government source said it is looking “take control” of the company after its owner, China’s Jingye, said its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe were “no longer financially sustainable.” British Steel employs around 2,700 people but is weeks [...]
Britannia: Millionaire ‘Asylum King’ hotel tycoon rakes in the cash April 11, 2025 The millionaire hotel tycoon dubbed the ‘Asylum King’ is still raking in the cash despite his Britannia chain being ranked the worst in the UK. Alex Langsam founded Britannia Hotels in 1976 after opening his first site in Manchester. Langsam remains the company’s chief executive and largest shareholder while his empire also extends to budget [...]
Ineos and Ratcliffe need a sporting win and fast April 11, 2025 “Ineos Britannia announces that it has withdrawn its intention to challenge for the next America’s Cup.” Those were the words issued this week in the latest sporting scaleback by British chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The stream of negative news out of Manchester United – including hundreds of job losses, brutal cost-cutting and criticism over [...]
Heathrow passenger numbers fall after power outage closure April 11, 2025 Heathrow Airport reported a decline in traffic in March as passenger numbers were impacted by the power outage that resulted in a 10-hour shutdown. Some 6.2m passengers flew from the UK’s busiest airport last month, down 7.5 per cent year-on-year. An investigation has been launched into the March closure, which was caused after a fire [...]
Bank of England’s postponement of bond sale is a ‘precaution’ April 10, 2025 The Bank of England’s decision to postpone the sale of long-dated bonds to after June following market volatility was a “precaution”, according to deputy governor Sarah Breeden. President Donald Trump’s tariffs sent markets around the world into a state of panic as 30-year gilt yields surged to its highest level since 1998, pushing up borrowing [...]
Bank of England should be ‘more careful’ about rate cuts, say deputy governor April 10, 2025 A Bank of England rate-setter has said that policymakers need to be “more careful” about cutting rates after years of high inflation, adding that it was “too soon to say” whether President Trump’s tariffs will weigh on price growth in the UK. Sarah Breeden became the second official since Trump’s Rose Garden speech to take [...]