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Get your money back if either England or Scotland lifts the trophy.
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The Restore Britain leader on Makerfield’s by-election, the Belfast riots, and rejecting far-Right accusations |
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Annabel Denham Senior Political Commentator |
Rupert Lowe is causing trouble for Reform in Makerfield, where a by-election five days from now could shape Britain’s political future. However, does he consider himself more than a troublemaker?
The Great Yarmouth MP, elected to Parliament in 2024, had a very public row with Nigel Farage last spring – prompting him to set up a rival political movement occupying the narrow space to the Right of Reform.
Then, last autumn, the Restore Britain founder took the unusual step of taking a Tory spot on the public accounts committee.
Some conciliatory words were recently exchanged between Lowe and Kemi Badenoch, but a pact is out of the question. Lowe – whose party has a single MP, 20 staff, and no fundraising operation – intends to win the next general election outright. “Under first past the post,” he insists.
He wants to accomplish this without moderating. Polls – which typically put Restore on between 3 and 5 per cent – suggest he is peeling off voters on the hard-Right of British politics. Those who previously backed Reform but now, Lowe believes, think Farage is going too “soft”.
Still, the multimillionaire former Southampton FC chairman may struggle to be more than a provocateur with such ideological rigidity. Nowhere is this more apparent than on immigration, the issue which has attracted some deeply unsavoury characters to his movement.
“We’re not far-Right,” he insists. Then later: “If you define common sense as far-Right, I’m happy to be called far-Right. I’m not going to be put down by some woke creeps telling us we’re racist.”
This interview is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading ➤ |
Lesley Groff described Epstein as a master manipulator |
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Ed Cumming |
Nobody appears in the Epstein files more often than Lesley Groff, the paedophile’s longest-serving assistant, who was interviewed by the House oversight committee in Washington earlier this week.
Groff was involved in every aspect of Jeffrey Epstein’s life, from booking his chefs and jets to arranging his meetings with the great and good. Whether it was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Gates or Peter Mandelson, Groff was there in the thick of things.
She also booked his massages, which were a front for a network of sexual abuse. She arranged payments, travel, accommodation and beauty treatments for dozens of young women. FBI interviews detail how highly Epstein valued Groff, rewarding her work with money, holidays and other gifts.
The Epstein files revealed the abuser’s inner circle and mentioned Groff by name more than 160,000 times |
Groff has always denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Through her lawyers, she has said that – like so many of the people close to him – she was hoodwinked by the financier and shocked when the full extent of his trafficking was laid bare.
Others wonder how she could have been so close to him yet blind to what was really happening. Epstein once said his assistants were an “extension of my brain”.
How much did Groff really know?
For subscribers only ➤ |
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Camilla Tominey Many voters care more about what benefits they are entitled to than about making savings to fund Britain’s defences Continue reading ➤
Charles Moore The Ukraine invasion has lasted longer than the First World War. That alone is a defeat for Putin Continue reading ➤
Alastair Sooke No artist brought greater joy to the British public than David Hockney Continue reading ➤ |
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Jean-Marc Bosson plans to vote Yes in Switzerland’s referendum |
A picture-postcard Swiss cheese town is the unlikely front line of a vote that could blow up Switzerland’s relationship with the EU. The vote on whether to cap the population at 10 million is being watched by Europe’s populist Right as a test case for border control and immigration restriction. Continue reading ➤ |
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Few would argue that ethnic minorities have, historically, suffered discrimination in Britain. The police reforms introduced after the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 were broadly welcomed. However, over the past decade, public services, from universities to the NHS, have been quietly replacing policies of “equality” with a new woke ideology of “equity”. The result is a state sector that positively discriminates in favour of minority groups. Continue reading ➤ |
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Our travel expert has found last-minute holidays to the US and Canada, including match tickets, for under £1,000 |
Cast your mind back to the 2012 London Olympics, writes Simon Calder, our Travel Correspondent. Heathrow bosses forecast, ludicrously, that every seat on every inbound plane would be filled. The then-mayor Boris Johnson urged people to stay away from the city. Yet the capital was empty. Every big global travel event follows the same pattern. World Cup fever has proved less contagious than hoped, making this an excellent time to visit North America – whether or not you love football.
Continue reading ➤
Sign up to Travel with Simon Calder to receive inspiration and expert advice in your inbox each week ➤ |
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After 17 years of marriage, my kind, well-respected partner’s personality seemingly changed overnight, writes Anonymous. He started zoning out at the dinner table and would disappear to the bathroom for 45 minutes. Convinced a brain tumour was causing his bizarre behaviour, I begged him to see a doctor. Then came his chilling confession that shattered my family’s world... Continue reading ➤ |
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Edward Scott reversed his diabetes by drastically cutting down his consumption of carbohydrates and sugar |
At more than 21st and newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I was an “absolute bloater”, writes Edward Scott. I knew I needed to turn my health around, but issues with my heart and hips ruled out exercise, and I wasn’t willing to give up my evening tipples or bacon sandwiches. However, I eventually managed to shed more than 5st and reverse my diabetes, without feeling deprived. This is how I did it. Continue reading ➤
- For Diabetes Awareness Week, Dr Ian Lake shares how he halved his insulin requirements and took control of his health with a low-carb diet.
- Plus, is muesli really a healthy breakfast? Our expert shares her verdict.
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Do you have plans for this weekend? Whether you’re staying in or going out, we’ve got you covered. Every week, Diana Henry, The Telegraph’s award-winning cookery writer, brings you three dishes for a perfect weekend meal. Meanwhile, William Sitwell shares his view from the culinary world – and a recommendation or two.
If you’re staying in...
Steak salad with blue cheese and buttermilk dressing |
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Diana Henry Food writer |
We could have weeks of summer days with no blue sky. That’s the way our summers go. Growing up in Northern Ireland, the weather was even less dependable than it is in England. I can remember spending endless summer holidays lying on the sofa reading novels instead of being outside. Maybe that’s why I like this kind of weather. It’s peaceful. You don’t feel you have to go out and do things (and you can only go out if you’re wearing a huge cagoule because heavy rain can start at any time). You certainly don’t need recipes for cold soups – in fact, I am about to make leek and potato soup, not because I need the warmth but because the leeks are so good right now – but you still want to eat summery food.
This weekend, I’ll also be making all the substantial salads in my repertoire (basically those with a meat component), like this steak salad with blue cheese and buttermilk dressing. I love the way the leaves wilt a little with the heat of a steak. Those salad leaves are much better with a hunk of meat than chips are. You need good bread for mopping up those juices.
Roast summer vegetables with ajo blanco |
I take an old favourite I can make in my sleep – roast vegetables (I usually make these at the weekend and then eat them for the next four days) – and pair it with sauces that aren’t difficult to make. Take roast summer vegetables with ajo blanco – the sauce is actually a cold Spanish soup made with bread, garlic, almonds, extra-virgin olive oil and a dash of sherry vinegar. It can be served with fish or griddled chicken as well. Salsa verde is another option – it works with so many things – or I do that dish made famous by Delia in her summer collection from years back, layering the vegetables with goat’s cheese, a harissa dressing and couscous. Roast Mediterranean vegetables are one of the joys of summer, whatever the weather is like.
Apricot and almond croûtes |
I also adore these apricot and almond croûtes – you can make them with other stone fruits and also with cherries – which you just shove in the oven. So good they make me wonder why I ever make pastry.
If you’re eating out, spare a thought for the overtaxed restaurant. In William Sitwell’s column this week, he delves into Labour’s tax hikes.
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William Sitwell |
It’s hard not to miss the big-hitting campaign from hospitality: “VAT’s the problem.” Leading chefs and voices across the culinary firmament are on social media and TV sofas with their admirable and heartfelt pleas to Labour to slash VAT from 20 to 10 per cent.
So, as I write this week in Sitwell’s Restaurant, what happens when Nigel Farage, Reform UK’s leader and a great bar prop, comes out and says, “we’ll do that very thing?”
His party also pledged to reverse Labour’s disastrous increase in employer National Insurance contributions. Because, oh, what ghastly, frightful, awkward pain when pesky Nige gives the normally Left-leaning food world exactly what it wants.
It’s a vexing dilemma up there with gastronomy’s other big question: “Still or sparkling?”
Read the full column ➤ |
Hockney’s viewEvery weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
Thanks for all your replies to this week’s newsletters. It was a close-run thing, but Monday’s edition – on the plan by Sainsbury’s to sell only white eggs, on account of their superior net-zero credentials – prompted the most responses.
Chris Brackston’s was fairly representative: “What a ridiculous idea. Shops are selling avocados flown from Peru, spring onions from Egypt and lamb from New Zealand. I am going to boycott Sainsbury’s on principle.
“In any case, though, I shop at my local butcher, we grow our own fruit and veg, and recently we added a small flock of chickens to the mix. They lay a mix of green and brown eggs.”
Carol Boag wasn’t opposed to white eggs per se: “I prefer to use them, and actively seek them out. In recent times I have found them to be fresher than brown ones. I also bake with them and have had no problems. However, I believe people should have choice available to them.”
Meanwhile, Thursday’s edition, about cider (and particularly scrumpy), prompted some pleasantly hazy recollections. I enjoyed this, from Richard Bowen: “When I came out of the Army in the glorious summer of 1959, a bunch of us went to many BBQs around the Gower coast.
“I was sitting on the sand at one of them and a mate passed me a large bottle of scrumpy. It was lovely and I drank the lot. We then went for a midnight dip and I relished the warm seawater so much that, when I stopped and turned around, the beach was a distant dot. Never again.”
Finally, yesterday came the sad news that David Hockney had died. Besides that talent for painting, he wrote occasional, excellent letters to The Telegraph.
Here he is on impish form during lockdown: “Bossy-boots Hancock and bossy-boots Boris are suggesting if everybody loses five pounds it would save the National Health Service £100m. I can’t see how this could be measured; the NHS is what it says, a national service.
“If no one smokes, eats chocolate or butter, cheese and bacon, they might live to be 104. Call that living? Bossy-boots always want to take the sweet things out of life, and remember that the ultimate bossy-boots is a slave owner.
“The National Health Service will always have to deal with births and deaths, the final cause of death is birth. Love life.” That’s all from me for this week, folks. I’ll be back on Monday to bring you the best Telegraph talking points. In the meantime, you can contact me here. |
Andrew Baker’s Saturday quiz |
Come together for the latest instalment of my Saturday quiz.
1. The author Dorothy L Sayers was born on this date in 1893. What was the name of the fictional aristocratic detective she created?
2. The classic Disney cartoon The Aristocats is set in which city?
3. What is the name of the cat who has served as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office since 2011?
4. The Mouse-trap is the name of the play within the play performed by characters in which of Shakespeare’s works?
5. What was the trade of William Shakespeare’s father, John?
You can find the answers at the end of the newsletter.
Plus, can you tackle The 1% Club? Scroll down to see if you got the questions right – and play for free on our website and app.
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1981 | Shots fired at Elizabeth II (and our front page from the following day below)
2018 | Fifa awards 2026 World Cup to US, Canada and Mexico
2021 | Joe Biden has tea with Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle during an altered visit owing to the pandemic
Birthdays: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (40), David Gray (58), Tim Allen (73)
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Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was DICHOTOMY. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. |
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. Please send me your thoughts on this newsletter. You can email me here. |
Quiz answers:
- Lord Peter Wimsey
- Paris
- Larry
- Hamlet
- Glover
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Get your money back if either England or Scotland lifts the trophy.
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