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Monday January 11 2021 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73365
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The Game Leeds knocked out of FA Cup by Crawley
Trump’s ban prompts questions over social media regulation Jack Malvern
The decision by social media giants to ban President Trump raises a “very big question” over how they are regulated, Matt Hancock has said. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram blocked Mr Trump’s accounts after his supporters stormed the US Capitol last week. Mr Hancock, the health secretary
and a former culture secretary, said yesterday that the move showed they were “taking editorial decisions”. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News, he added: “And that is a very big question because then it raises questions about their editorial judgments and the way that they’re regulated. It is obviously one for the culture secretary, but as a former
culture secretary I think it does lead to very interesting questions about the role of social media and the role of the social media companies in the decisions, in the editorial decisions that they take.” The government announced last month that Ofcom would be given powers to investigate social media companies under the Online Harms Bill, which is due to be debated this year.
The Tory MP Damian Collins said Mr Hancock was right that social media companies had taken editorial decisions over Mr Trump’s account. “But they’ve always taken editorial decisions, mainly through their algorithms,” he added. “Their systems promote, recommend and rank content so they’ve never been neutral. “What they’ve done now is go further
in their decision to close down Donald Trump’s accounts because he’s inciting an insurrection that led to violence and death. But that absolutely means now that we need to say, ‘Is it right that we leave these decisions to people like [the Facebook founder and chief executive] Mark Zuckerberg?’ It shouldn’t be left to them. There needs to be a regulatory Continued on page 2, col 5 OLIVER DIXON
Shops told to get tough on the Covid rule-breakers Crackdown as Johnson says NHS in parlous state Francis Elliott Political Editor Kat Lay Health Editor
Supermarkets face being legally required to enforce mask wearing and social distancing as part of a wider crackdown on compliance with the lockdown. Boris Johnson told senior ministers last night that the situation in the NHS was “parlous and perilous”. He was speaking at a meeting to review attempts to prevent the service from being overwhelmed as the number of hospital patients with Covid-19 in England passed 30,000 for the first time. Ministers had agreed earlier to toughen enforcement of the rules amid fears that poor compliance will mean the lockdown failing to bring infection rates under control. This will focus on retail and the exemption to the government’s “stay at home” order that allows people to exercise once a day. The rules on shopping stop short of formal legislation, but a government source said that retail bosses were being put on notice that this would change without improved compliance. “We need to make sure supermarkets in particular are following the rules given this is one of the few places where you still see people from different households in the same indoor space,” the source said. “So we’ll be looking at whether all the right protections are in place — including ensuring social distancing is being followed, that one-way operations are in place, that there are limits on the
number of people in stores at one time, and that all customers are wearing masks.” In other developments: 6 There were 54,940 new cases of coronavirus in Britain yesterday, with the seven-day average up 14 per cent on the previous week. The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test was 563, bringing the total fatalities to 81,431. The seven-day average death toll was up 48.9 per cent on last week. 6 Before the opening today of the first mass vaccination centres, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, promised that every adult in Britain would be offered a jab by the autumn. 6 NHS bosses criticised private hospitals and doctors in London for not cancelling non-urgent operations. 6 Nearly half of head teachers in England have had to create priority lists for the children of key workers because demand is so high, a survey indicates. A Public Health England study last November showed that supermarkets were the most frequent common exposure setting for those catching the coronavirus in England. The analysis of NHS Test and Trace data showed that more than 18 per cent of those who had contracted the virus had visited a supermarket in the preceding days. The next most common location was secondary schools on 12 per cent. Although experts said that the data did not prove where people were catching the virus, it showed the need to stop transmission in shops. Priti Patel, the home secretary, and Continued on page 2, col 3
Young and fearless Wisley in Surrey is one of several RHS gardens open to local people, who must book a slot in advance
Charles signs up big business to save planet Valentine Low
The Prince of Wales will announce today an ambitious charter that he hopes will persuade big business to save the planet, bringing together his half century of campaigning. Backed by a multibillion-pound fund for green initiatives, he will call for the private sector to sign up to his ten-point Terra Carta — or Earth Charter — that is inspired by Magna Carta. The prince wants the charter to define his legacy. “It is the culmination of 50 years’ work,” a royal source said. “It is a pivotal moment.” The planned commitment to sustainability has been backed by businesses including BP, Heathrow airport and
HSBC. Charles will publicise it at the One Planet Summit, being held in Paris, at which he will speak remotely. He writes in the foreword to Terra Carta: “Humanity has made incredible progress over the past century, yet the cost of this progress has caused immense destruction to the planet that sustains us . . . Today must be the decisive moment that we make sustainability the growth story of our time.” The prince hopes that the plan will inspire a belief in “the fundamental rights and value of Nature” in the way Magna Carta did for the fundamental rights and liberties of people. Billed as a “recovery plan to 2030 that puts Nature, People and Planet at the heart of global value creation”,
the charter is the result of nearly a hundred meetings with businesses, philanthropists and investors since Charles announced his Sustainable Markets Initiative at Davos last year. The charter is being launched alongside a fund run by the Natural Capital Investment Alliance, which has a target of $10 billion by next year. It is supported by HSBC Pollination, Lombard Odier and Mirova. The fund aims to “harness and preserve natural capital” as a way to reduce emissions, restore biodiversity and create jobs by investing in areas such as bioenergy, forestry, regenerative farming and using waste as a resource. Charles calls for action to give children a future, page 11
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News Today’s highlights 7am Director of the Royal College of Nursing Mike Adams 12.40pm Matt Chorley speaks to the Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, right 2pm The author and broadcaster Alexandra Heminsley 2.45pm Singer-songwriter Tom Speight 8.30pm TV producer-turned-author Sophie Cousens on her new book This Time Next Year
Kat Lay Health Editor
Listen on DAB | Smart speaker | Online at times.radio | Times Radio app
T O D AY ’ S E D I T I O N Rattle quits UK for Germany
Woman held after two die
150 migrants intercepted
Sir Simon Rattle is expected to quit his London job for a new post in Germany. He has been music director of the London Symphony Orchestra since 2017 and will take the same post at the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich. Page 5
A woman was arrested on suspicion of murder after two men died at a house in east London. The suspect, 28, was tasered when police went to a disturbance at the semi-detached property in Ilford. A neighbour raised the alarm after hearing screams. Page 17
About 150 migrants were intercepted while trying to cross the Channel in freezing fog. The Home Office said border officials dealt with four small boats while the French authorities stopped boats at sea or halted people trying to leave beaches. Page 21
COMMENT
Some police are overzealous but tougher lockdown enforcement is encouraging CLARE FOGES, PAGE 27
Any Trump trial may be delayed
M&G investors hit two ways
Football fears Covid penalty
Democrats are aiming to begin the second impeachment of President Trump today but may delay any trial that follows in the Senate for several months to avoid overshadowing the early days of Joe Biden’s new administration. Page 32
Small investors locked in M&G’s flagship property fund for more than a year have suffered an 11 per cent loss while collectively paying millions of pounds in fees. M&G suspended trading in the £2.3 billion fund after a rush of redemptions. Page 37
Failure to follow social-distancing rules while celebrating could hinder efforts to keep elite football going. Scenes of Chorley players singing in a packed dressing room after their FA Cup defeat of Derby County left ministers unimpressed. Page 64
LETTERS 30 LEADING ARTICLES 31 WORLD 32
BUSINESS 37 REGISTER 49 LAW REPORT 51
SPORT 56 CROSSWORD 64 TV & RADIO TIMES2
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NHS attacks private hospitals for not cancelling operations
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NHS chiefs have criticised private hospitals and doctors in London for performing non-urgent operations despite the “unthinkable pressures” of the pandemic. A letter leaked to HSJ, the health service journal, asked trusts in the capital “not to support” private work for at least a month. London’s NHS hospitals have cancelled almost all planned care. At least two have postponed urgent cancer surgery as figures show that treatment levels are failing to keep pace with demand. The NHS has been trying to negotiate use of the capital’s private hospitals for cancer patients. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One that the health service was “probably under the greatest pressure” ever. For the first time the number of hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients in England is more than 30,000. NHS England figures show that at 8am yesterday, 30,758 patients with Covid-19 were in hospitals, with 2,963 on ventilation. The leaked letter was signed by leading clinicians including Vin Diwakar, the regional medical director for London, and the medical directors of the Royal Free London Foundation Trust, Imperial College Healthcare Trust and Barts Health Trust. It was sent to the medical directors of all London’s acute hospital trusts. It said: “The second wave of Covid-19 is putting pressures on the service that only a year ago would have been unthinkable. In this context, with all but
Q&A What happened with private hospitals first time round? In March last year, NHS England bought 92 per cent of the capacity of the independent hospital sector for use by the health service. The deal was reportedly worth £400 million per month. How was it used? Generally the private sector was not used to treat coronavirus patients. Instead the private sites typically became “Covid-free” hubs where patients could get other procedures or diagnostic tests performed. When did that end? The NHS ended that contract in late summer for inner London providers, as well as in cities such as Exeter and Leeds. NHS bosses were said to balk at the price of private healthcare in the capital. The contract expired at the end of December elsewhere. What is in place now? The NHS announced “new national contracts” with 14 independent healthcare providers covering January, February and March this year. But the contract is not on the same basis or scale as last year, and crucially does not include any of the main London private hospitals.
the most urgent elective activity postponed in the NHS in London, it feels profoundly uncomfortable to us that some elective work . . . is continuing in the independent sector.” The letter adds that a delay for more than a month could “release some medical capacity back to the NHS”. Almost all doctors who undertake work in private hospitals also work for the NHS in some capacity. The HSJ said that there was a view among senior NHS doctors in the capital that the independent sector and doctors working in it were “once again . . . walking off with the money” and needed to be “shamed” into providing more help. A spokeswoman for NHS London said: “The NHS is working closely and flexibly with independent sector providers to secure more capacity.” NHS England’s cancer resilience plan, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, shows that London needs to treat more than 500 cancer patients a week to stay on top of demand. Only 122 were treated last week in NHS hospitals and 101 in private hospitals. Almost 4,000 cancer patients have been waiting for treatment longer than the 62-day target. It emerged that the capital’s largest trust, Barts Health, had cancelled cancer operations that specialists said needed to happen within 28 days, as had King’s College Hospital trust. Talks between the NHS in London and private hospitals to take on more cancer care are continuing. Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said that the delaying of operations was a “temporary emergency response to a temporary emergency problem”.
Big coronavirus increase in care homes Kat Lay
Outbreaks of coronavirus in care homes have risen sharply, official figures show, with a third of residents’ deaths now down to the disease. There were 549 acute respiratory infection incidents caused by Covid in care homes in the week ending January 3. The figure, which refers to two or more laboratory-confirmed cases linked to a particular setting, is a 61 per cent increase on the previous week, when 341 were recorded. Separately, figures from the Office for National Statistics and Care Quality
continued from page 1 Covid-19 rule breakers Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, have been asked to toughen enforcement of the lockdown rules and put pressure on police and local authorities respectively to do more to drive home the message. Police officers are to be asked to emphasise that the exemption in the rules that allows people to go out for exercise once a day must not be misused, another government source has said. Mr Hancock refused yesterday to criticise the police over complaints that some forces had been overzealous in handing out fines. “I’m absolutely going to back the police because the challenge here is that every flex can be fatal,” he told Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News. “These rules are not there as boundaries to be pushed, they are the limit to what people should be doing.” Peter Horby, chairman of the government advisory group Nervtag, told the The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One that the lockdown must be taken “very
Commission show that in the week ending December 31, 32 per cent of deaths of care home residents were due to Covid-19. The number of care home residents who died of coronavirus that week was 856. That figure is itself up a third from the beginning of the same month, with 644 residents dying of the virus in the week ending December 4. Residents’ families have said they are extremely concerned that care homes are being asked to take coronaviruspositive patients from hospitals. It is thought the virus was seeded in care homes in the spring by people dis-
charged from hospital. In the week ending April 24, 3,761 care home residents died from Covid-19. A care home in East Sussex said that it had lost 13 of its 27 residents to the disease over Christmas. Adam Hutchison, managing director of Belmont Healthcare, which operates Edendale Lodge in Crowhurst, told The Guardian: “It is just unstoppable. We are sitting ducks.” He said: “It’s hard for me to say how it got in. Because of the protocols we were following, everything was there.” Some residents had attended hospital appointments, he said.
seriously” as “we are now in the eye of a storm”. He said that if the infection rate did not slow down then “we’re going to have to be even stricter”. At 8am yesterday there were 30,758 patients with Covid-19 in hospitals, 2,963 of whom were on mechanical ventilation. NHS bosses say other regions are not far behind London, which has almost a quarter of those patients and where pressures have been described as “unthinkable”. Health chiefs are desperate to avoid a situation where they must declare Critcon level four, meaning that the NHS could be forced to refuse or withdraw critical care. Senior medical staff in the capital say privately that they are close to that point. The NHS is activating plans to use Nightingale hospitals and seek additional help from private hospitals. Mutual aid networks, where hospital trusts send patients or staff between one another, are being expanded beyond the usual neighbouring sites.
continued from page 1 Regulation call for tech giants
Coronavirus reports, pages 6-10 Earning consent, leading article, page 32
framework around them that sets the rules of the road.” Mr Zuckerberg wrote on Friday that the company would block Mr Trump’s accounts until Joe Biden had taken office because it was clear that Mr Trump “intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor”. Mr Trump now faces impeachment proceedings. Facebook said that it welcomed some regulation. “Facebook has long called for new rules to set high standards across the internet,” a spokeswoman said. “We already have strict policies against harmful content on our platforms, but regulations are needed so that private companies aren’t making so many important decisions alone.” Twitter, which said on Friday that it had suspended the president’s account, did not comment. Impeachment move ‘delay’, page 32
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Foggy notion A walker on the Isle of Wight ponders rime ice, formed when mist freezes. The chilly conditions in Wadebridge, Cornwall, create an icy bubble on a leaf while dogs scamper over a frozen pond in Inverleith Park, Edinburgh. Weather, page 53; Heavy snow in Spain, page 35
Rise of funerals to give Fido a fitting farewell Kate Palmer Senior Money Reporter
The loss of a loved pet used to mean soberly taking a spade and disturbing a shrub at the bottom of the garden. Now owners want to give their faithful friends a proper send-off, spending hundreds of pounds in the process. For the Reverend Tara Hellings, helping people through difficult times is one of the most important parts of her job as an Anglican vicar — and that includes the loss of a family pet. She has officiated at funerals for dogs, cats and even a hamster. She has also been called upon to witness pet cremations, where she says a prayer, and can provide a full service with prayers, hymns and a pet picture. “We put an awful lot of God in our pets, who have been very much a comfort when people are stuck indoors,” says Ms Hellings, who has a chocolate
labrador, Flossy. “Part of the pastoral care of a vicar should be to help people, whatever their needs are.” More and more Britons intend to give their pets an individual send-off, according to the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria. It noted a 10-15 per cent increase last year in owners requesting cremations at a time when, because of Covid-19, people have spent more time with their pets. Owners spend up to £400 for a service and an animal-shaped urn. This contrasts with the service provided by vets, where remains, which are classed as waste, are typically sent to a third party to be cremated en masse for a fee of about £50. Vicars and spiritual leaders may also be called upon to help grieving owners who choose to go to pet crematoriums. “Sometimes people contact me for a conversation, while others prefer a full
Dignity Pet Crematorium said losing a pet could “bring up crushing emotions”
order of service,” says Ms Hellings, whose parish covers Crondall and Ewshot in Hampshire. “It’s such a privilege to help owners who are feeling sad. My job isn’t to tell people what to think.” Kevin Spurgeon, owner of the Digni-
ty Pet Crematorium in Winchfield, Hampshire, said: “A loss of a pet can bring up crushing emotions, and people want something more personal.” January is one of his busiest months, as people decide to put down pets that have been ill after the festive break. Individual cremations cost about £180 for a cat or small dog and up to £300 for a large dog such as a wolfhound or St Bernard, with extra fees for letting owners watch their pet being placed into the cremation chamber. Owners who opt for a cremation via their vets will probably send their animal to a pet crematorium chain. One of the biggest, CPC Cares, owned by the veterinary group Independent Vetcare, says some owners are willing to pay extra for individually attended cremations, where they can watch their pet go into the chamber via CCTV. Most pets are cremated communally.
Kevin Rough, 58, says the death of his dog Bow Bell was “like the loss of a child”. He has now created a very unusual memorial for the 10-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, who suffered a brain tumour last year. He and his wife could not attend the cremation but Mr Rough, a scaffolder from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, got a tattoo of Bow Bell’s face on the top of his right hand, using ink mixed with the ashes of his beloved family pet. Nearly 90 per cent of dogs are euthanised by a vet, according to a dog mortality study published in the magazine Veterinary Journal. A separate study in the Journal of Death and Dying found that owners often experienced mental health problems such as “total grief, social isolation and loss of control” after pet death. A compassionate response to loss, leading article, page 31
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Sturgeon ready to rebut Salmond’s ‘nonsense’ claims Mark McLaughlin
Alex Salmond’s claims that Nicola Sturgeon breached the ministerial code by concealing her knowledge of sexual harassment allegations against him are “absolute nonsense”, the deputy first minister has said. John Swinney said the first minister would robustly defend herself against allegations that she broke the minister-
ial code by misleading parliament and that she would “put to rest” the claims. Mr Salmond, the former first minister, made an extraordinary personal attack on Ms Sturgeon, calling her testimony to the inquiry into sexual assault claims made against him “simply untrue” in his submission to James Hamilton, the independent adviser to the Scottish government who is investigating Ms Sturgeon’s con-
duct. Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon are due to give evidence to the Scottish parliamentary committee investigating the episode within weeks. Mr Swinney said that Ms Sturgeon would give a detailed rebuttal of the allegations. Mr Salmond was awarded more than £500,000 in legal expenses after the Court of Session ruled in January 2019 that the Scottish government investigation into historical sexual harass-
ment allegations had been unfair and “tainted by apparent bias”. In March last year he was cleared in the High Court of charges that he had sexually assaulted nine women. Ms Sturgeon is under pressure to say what she knew and when about the allegations and the botched investigation, after it emerged that she had not disclosed in the government record several meetings with Mr Salmond. ZACHARY CULPIN/BNPS
Quintagram® No 896 Solve all five clues using each letter underneath once only 1 Afternoon or evening meal (3)
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Hip fracture death risk People living on their own are at greater risk of dying if they break their hip than those who have a partner, a study shows. The chances of dying from a hip fracture are more than 30 per cent higher for men and 20 per cent higher for women who live alone, according to research by Oslo University. Up to 75,000 hip fractures occur each year in the UK, costing more than £2 billion in medical and social care. About 30 per cent of people who break a hip die within a year.
Gas workers end strike British Gas engineers will end a five-day strike today with no sign of a breakthrough in the dispute over pay and conditions. More than 7,000 GMB members have been mounting socially distanced picket lines since Thursday after Centrica, British Gas’s owner, said that it would fire many staff and rehire them on lower salaries, according to the union. Jaw-some The Dorset-based artist Darrell Wakelam has been running online tutorials during lockdown showing children how to make 3D art from recycled materials
Mother’s sudden death
PM under pressure from top Tories to take stronger stand against China
A woman died in her sleep in the room next to her young children. Stacey Frere, 32, was found by her husband, Ben, 36, shortly after she went to bed in their home in Milton Keynes last month. They are awaiting toxicology and tissue sample results but were told it could be sudden adult death syndrome, which affects 500 Britons a year.
Francis Elliott Political Editor
Senior Conservatives are gearing up for a renewed push to force Boris Johnson to take a tougher stance against China. Lord Hague of Richmond is among those endorsing research that he says details evidence of human rights abuses in the country. In a report being published on Wednesday, the Conservative Human Rights Commission accuses the Chinese regime of torture, slave labour, surveillance, forced televised confessions and arbitrary disappearances and detention, most notably in relation to minorities such as the Uighurs. In Red Box today Nus Ghani, a Tory former minister, is rallying support for a change to forthcoming trade legislation to allow British courts to rule whether a country is guilty of genocide. Supporters hope that removing the need for international courts on any such charge will enable the government to use trade as a tool against countries accused of gross human rights abuses. Ms Ghani writes: “Brexit wasn’t a
vote for Britain to pursue isolationist policies, to pull up the drawbridge or to downgrade our values. It was a vote, full of hope and optimism, which said that Britain should play its part in leading the global world order, rather than having the EU set our values for us. “So as we form trade deals with new partners, we must honour our sacrosanct responsibility never to let economic concerns trump ethical ones by dealing with genocidal states. If a country is mired in genocide — the crime above all crimes — Britain must not be complicit.” Mr Johnson agreed to end Huawei’s involvement in the 5G network, but has previously resisted pressure from his party to punish Beijing. In cabinet meetings he has argued for a balanced approach. Lord Hague said that the report on human rights abuses by China presented evidence “of torture, arbitrary arrest and forced confessions accompanied by a clampdown on freedom of religion and the incarceration of huge numbers of people in Xinjiang [home of the
Crackdown is denounced Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Editor
Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States have issued a joint statement denouncing last week’s arrests of scores of democracy campaigners in Hong Kong under the draconian national security law imposed last summer. The foreign ministers of the countries expressed “serious concern” about the increasingly repressive atmosphere in the territory, and called for respect for “legally guaranteed rights and freedoms”. The Hong Kong government rejected the demands, which it said suggested “people with certain political beliefs should be immune to legal sanctions”.
Uighurs]. We should condemn such abuses anywhere in the world, and China cannot be an exception to that. “However we conduct our relations with China in the future, it is important to have our eyes fully open.” Lord Patten of Barnes, the last governor of Hong Kong and a former Conservative chairman, said that the report “gives a terrifying view of the cruelty of President Xi Jinping’s brutal regime. The Communist Party has assaulted any sign of dissent and has set about building a totalitarian surveillance state beyond George Orwell’s imaginings.” Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the Conservative former foreign secretary, said: “This report on China and the human rights record of Xi Jinping makes sad and disturbing reading but it should be read in every foreign ministry around the world. If only it could also be read by the Chinese people. “They would realise the degree to which millions of their fellow citizens are being persecuted and imprisoned by a cruel Communist Party.” thetimes.co.uk/redbox
Rough times for Parky Sir Michael Parkinson is upset that while members of his golf club refer to his wife as Lady Mary they do not call him Sir Michael. “A man at the golf club did it the other day. ‘How do you think she became a Lady while I’m still Mr?’ I told him,” Parkinson, 85, told Reader’s Digest. He no longer plays at Wentworth in Surrey but his wife does.
Sailor adrift for 3 days A sailor whose yacht drifted in the Channel for three days after his engine and radio failed was rescued by the crew of a police boat on patrol from the Port of Dover. Kent police tweeted: “To be fair to him he did have his sails up but there was hardly a breath of wind to help him out.” Officers said the stricken yachtsman was “extremely grateful”.
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Germany beckons as Rattle is ready to quit HIROYUKI ITO/GETTY
Richard Morrison Chief Culture Writer Jack Malvern
Britain’s most famous conductor, Sir Simon Rattle, is expected to quit his London job and take up a new post in Germany, The Times has learnt. Rattle, who turns 66 next week, has been music director of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) since 2017, initially on a five-year contract that was expected to be extended. However, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich, one of Germany’s best, will reveal this week that he will be its next music director. It is believed that he will announce his departure from the London orchestra at the same time, because the two compete on international markets. The news will be a shock to the British orchestral world, which has already been demoralised by the collapse of musical activity during the pandemic. Rattle, who was chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 16 years, has kept his German links. He still lives in Berlin with his third wife, the Czech-born singer Magdalena Kozena, and their three children. He has made no secret of his dismay about Brexit, and has formed closer ties with the Bavarian orchestra since the death in 2019 of Mariss Jansons, its previous music director. However, the main reason for him quitting London is believed to be the receding prospects of building a new concert hall in the capital. Rattle regards the Barbican Hall, the home of the LSO, as inadequate for world-class music making. It was widely reported when he joined the London orchestra that the City of London Corporation’s offer to build a new Centre for Music was a deciding factor. After a promising start the scheme has become mired in complexities. The centre is scheduled to be built on the site of the present Museum of London, but that cannot happen until the museum is moved to the nearby Smithfield Market. Work on that will not begin until Smithfield’s meat traders move to a new market that has not yet been constructed at Dagenham Dock, but it was revealed last summer that the traders have leases at Smithfield extending to 2028. The chances of a new London concert hall opening in the next decade are now regarded as minimal. The move is a blow for British music. Even in the few seasons he has conducted the London orchestra, Rattle’s concerts have garnered rave reviews and, until the lockdown, capacity crowds. The irony for him is that he is swapping London for a city, Munich,
Sir Simon Rattle lives in Germany and was previously the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, before joining the London Symphony Orchestra
that also has no world-class concert hall, but it may have tempted him with a more convincing offer to build one. A spokesman for the London orchestra declined to comment. The Bavarian orchestra did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The possibility of Rattle’s move has prompted speculation in the German press. Die Welt said the orchestra would announce its new music director on January 12, naming Rattle as the most likely candidate. “That is bitter for the British, who, with the most famous living English conductor at the helm, had the hope of finally getting their own concert hall in London,” the newspaper said. Rattle, who would leave in 2022 if he worked out his contract in London, said in January last year that he despaired at the idea of Brexit. He added that “in London there is no good place to play orchestral music”.
Analysis
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ate in the evening of September 14, 2017, Sir Simon Rattle took his bow. Elgar’s Enigma Variations had faded, Helen Grime and Thomas Adès had been introduced to many and London’s music scene was riding high (David Sanderson writes). Rattle, whose precociousness in childhood led him to become the youngest ever member of Liverpool’s youth orchestra, had finally arrived in the capital at the helm of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). His September season, This is Rattle, was the
dawn of a new era in which he would mastermind the construction of a new world-class concert hall. Sir Nicholas Kenyon, managing director of the Barbican Centre which is home to the LSO, said at the time that “the future is thrillingly open and full of potential”. After all, Rattle had been loyal to his two previous organisations, spending 18 years transforming the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and 16 with Berlin Philharmonic. So what to make of his departure after just a few years at the Barbican? It will be a huge loss to Britain’s classical music
scene; Rattle was the undoubted kingpin with the clout to champion the unknown, broaden the repertoire and refresh the genre. He was a figurehead who arts administrators, artists and government ministers would listen to. It also, surely, sounds a death knell for plans to build a multimillionpound concert hall with acoustics the envy of the world. This hall, given a £250 million price tag but with initial backing from George Osborne, then the chancellor, had helped lure Rattle back from Germany. Then the government withdrew its support. Billionaire
philanthropists remained thin on the ground. A pandemic silenced musicians. While the City of London Corporation has, so far, sheltered the Barbican from the worst ravages of the crisis, there are no guarantees over future subsistence funding never mind a new concert hall. Perhaps Rattle became sick of trying to sweettalk would-be backers. Perhaps Brexit was the final straw. Perhaps he just missed Germany. However, Elgar’s Variations may never sound as sweet again as they did on that September evening 40 months ago.
Radio station to get kids into Mozart Cadbury’s celebrates its Matthew Moore Media Correspondent
Britain’s first classical music radio station aimed at children launches today, offering a playlist ranging from Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to Tchaikovsky. Fun Kids Classical is aimed at 6- to 12-year-olds and their parents, looking for a “calming and contemplative” alternative to pop stations. The digital station has been created with Lang Lang, the chart-topping Chinese pianist who performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It is unveiled today by the Fun Kids radio network, which began broadcasting nationally in 2016 and now reaches 300,000 children a month. Matt Deegan, the station manager, said it was “outrageous” that adults were able to choose between more than 200 radio stations in the UK, while
children were limited to one or two. “Kids have always been massively under-served with radio,” he said. “Whenever you talk about children’s radio, Listen With Mother gets brought up — and that’s over 50 years ago.” Lang Lang runs a foundation to help children learn a musical instrument
Mr Deegan said it was “surprising and disappointing” that the BBC did not offer more children’s radio. “It’s a gap we are very happy to fill,” he said. Fun Kids Classical will play popular works by the likes of Beethoven and Grieg, in addition to compositions
already familiar to many young children, such as Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Mozart’s Twelve Variations on the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star will also feature. There will be a focus on contemporary and diverse performers such as the young British cellist Sheku KannehMason, who played at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the saxophonist Jess Gillam. Recordings by Lang Lang, the station’s ambassador, will also feature. The Chinese virtuoso, 38, started playing the piano aged three and has a foundation to help young people learn an instrument. He said: “I am passionate about giving children the opportunity to hear classical music from a young age, so it’s wonderful to work with Fun Kids Classical to help inspire a new generation of classical music lovers.”
Creme Eggs with gay kiss Nadeem Badshah
Cadbury’s new television advert features a gay couple kissing over a Creme Egg as part of the treat’s 50th anniversary, it emerged yesterday. Callum Sterling and Dale K Moran, a real couple, lean into each other as they take a bite of either end of the chocolate egg. The narrator of the ad says: “Sharers? Yeah, we are down with that.” The advert celebrates “five delicious decades” of the different ways the Creme Egg can be eaten, from its use in baking to the debate between licking or biting. One woman in the video licks an egg and another dips her finger into the gooey fondant. Paddy McGuinness, 47, the TV pre-
senter, posted a picture on Twitter of himself and Gino D’Acampo, 44, the Italian restaurant owner, eating either side of one Creme Egg. He wrote: “I’m shocked by the new Cadbury creme egg advert! I can’t believe myself and @Ginofantastico didn’t get a look in?” Cadbury’s also revealed that it had hidden 200 gold-covered Creme Eggs in shops, which could be worth £5,000 to anyone who finds them. The confectionary maker said it had disguised the golden eggs in normal wrapping. More than 200 million Creme Eggs are sold in Britain every year, and more than 500 million are made, one third of which are sold overseas. The first gay kiss on primetime TV was in 1987 in the BBC soap EastEnders.
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Monday January 11 2021 | the times
News News Coronavirus
Hancock promises every adult Kat Lay Health Editor Francis Elliott Political Editor
Every adult will be offered a vaccine by autumn, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, promised yesterday, on the eve of the first mass vaccination centres opening their doors this morning. Boris Johnson will visit a site in the southwest as it begins to inoculate people over 80 and health and social care staff. Mr Hancock claimed that the inoculation programme was on track to meet its first target by February 15. However, in London nurses offered the vaccine to friends before it spoiled when patients missed appointments. Writing in The Times Red Box Mr Hancock and Pascal Soriot, the chief executive of Astrazeneca, wrote that it was “important to remember that the manufacture of vaccines is a biologic process that is subject to variability”. They added: “Astrazeneca continues to make progress in the scale-up of vaccine production towards its goal of supplying two million doses a week”. Before the first publication of a daily breakdown of progress so far, Mr Hancock said that a third of those aged over 80 had been offered the vaccine. The Queen, 94, and Duke of Edinburgh, 99, have already had their injection. Mr Hancock claimed take-up of the vaccine had been fantastic. The top four priority groups, the over-80s, carehome residents, frontline health and care workers and those deemed clinically extremely vulnerable, are being promised a jab before February 15. Mr Hancock said that today’s release would show that the pace was at close to 200,000 inoculations a day. He told Times Radio that Britain was going to have a “brilliant summer”. He set a target of covering the entire adult population by autumn adding that in the medium term it was likely people would receive Covid vaccination when they got annual flu shots. The government will set out its full vaccine delivery plan at a Downing Street press conference this afternoon. There are now more than 1,000 vaccination sites delivering the PfizerBiontech and Oxford-Astrazeneca jabs. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has also approved a vaccine by Moderna but supplies are not expected until the spring. Today the NHS will open seven large vaccination centres, capable of delivering tens of thousands of jabs a week, and has sent letters to over-80s within a 45-minute drive of the sites offering them an appointment. They include the NHS Nightingale at the Excel conference centre in London, the Centre for Life in Newcastle and the Manchester Tennis Centre and Football Centre. More GP-led vaccination centres are also expected to open, as well as the first pharmacy sites, bringing the total to about 1,200. Stephen Powis, the national medical director for England, said: “Please don’t contact the NHS to
Q&A How do I get the vaccine? “Don’t call us, we’ll call you,” the NHS says. Over-80s are most likely to be contacted by their GP, who will book them in. Hospitals are also contacting patients as well as vaccinating frontline workers. What about the new mass vaccination centres? Letters are being sent to over-80s who live up to a 45-minute drive from one of the centres. Bookings can be made online or by phone. If people already have a date set by a GP, they can choose which suits them best.
The national picture How many people have Covid-19? There were 54,940 new cases reported yesterday, bringing the total to 3,072,349 or 46 for every 1,000 people Daily cases 60,000 +29.9% increase from 50,000 seven days ago (based on seven-day moving average)
40,000 30,000
National R number 1.1 to 1.4 Aug
20,000
Seven-day S d average
Sep
Oct
Nov
10,000 0 Dec Jan
How many people have died? Yesterday there were 563 deaths reported, bringing the total number in the past seven days to 6,363. The rolling seven-day total is at 96.5 per cent of the peak during wave one in April
What will the NHS vaccination centres be like? Those attending will be registered by volunteers, asked about their health and assessed. After the jab they will be observed for 15 minutes. The process should take an hour.
Deaths Seven-day average
Can I just turn up? No, people will not be seen without an appointment. Doing so would jeopardise social-distancing arrangements.
Wave one began Mar 23, wave two began Sep 23
20
What if I can’t attend the appointment? Tell the NHS service you booked with. The Pfizer vaccine in particular has a short shelf-life. Nurses in London are said to have been ringing friends when people fail to turn up, to try to make sure vaccine does not go to waste.
seek a vaccine, we will contact you. When we do contact you, please attend your booked appointments.” A nurse at a hospital vaccination hub in Middlesex, who asked to remain anonymous, said that about 45 people had failed to turn up for their appointment on Thursday. She said: “Had we known they weren’t coming, someone else could have been slotted in in their place.” Instead she said that she and her
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How many people are in hospital? There are 32,294 patients in hospital being treated. 3,098 patients are on ventilators. An additional 4,066 patients have been admitted, up 35 per cent in the seven days to Jan 4 when this data was last updated Hospital admissions Seven-day average
4,000
Wave one
3,000
Wave two
2,000 1,000
20
When will I get the vaccine? The NHS says everyone in the top four priority groups will be offered a jab before mid-February. That will cover older care-home residents and their carers, frontline health and social care workers, the over-70s and individuals who are clinically extremely vulnerable. The next five priority groups are over-65s, people with a condition such as diabetes, over-60s, over-55s and over-50s. Prioritisation after that is unclear, but those in key public-facing roles are likely to be high up the list.
1,000 800 600 Wave two 400 200 0 100 140 180 days
Wave one
60
100
140
0 180 days
How does 2020 compare? There were 11,520 deaths from all causes recorded in England and Wales in the week to Dec 25, of which coronavirus accounted for 25 per cent. The number of weekly deaths was 3,566 higher (45 per cent) than the five-year average for the same time of year Excess deaths England and Wales 20,000 J F M A M J J A S O N D 15,000
Five-year average J F M A M J J A S O N D
10,000 5,000 0
colleagues had phoned friends and asked them: “How quickly can you drop everything and get here?” While some doses were used that way, “a lot of it had to be thrown away because we can’t keep it beyond a certain time”. She added: “I think it’s deplorable that people are offered a slot and then just don’t turn up, and never get in touch.” Vaccine roll-out, letters, page 30
‘Make it easier for retired GPs to pitch in’ Kat Lay
Officials have been urged to do more to reduce red tape for retired doctors who want to help with the NHS vaccination programme. Six modules have been removed from training requirements. They covered conflict resolution, moving and handling, equality and diversity, fire safety, preventing radicalisation, and safeguarding children, but 15 remain in place, covering things such as anaphylaxis and infection prevention.
Claire Barker, a retired GP who raised the issue, told The Daily Telegraph: “I still think the requirements would put a lot of people off.” Liam Fox, a doctor and former minister who has been trying to volunteer, said: “Too much time-wasting bureaucracy will act to deter people.” Richard Vautrey, who chairs the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: “Of course there need to be standards but there must also be a pragmatic approach, especially when it comes to doctors who may have only
stopped practising very recently.” Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said that “these are highly trained and highly skilled medical professionals who have spent their lives on the frontline of patient care and we need all hands on deck. We must keep on doing everything we can to . . . get more GPs through the system.” The Department of Health said: “We have reviewed the process for experienced clinicians to ensure it is smoother and takes account of their non-clinical training.”
Army of vaccination Thousands sign up because they are keen to help out their communities, writes Arthi Nachiappan After six attempts to inject a plastic training pad on the side of an arm Benjamin Fellows was confident that he could administer the coronavirus vaccine. “After the first one it felt quite easy and natural,” he said. “With a bit of practice there’s not much to it. You get into a routine. It’s quite exciting.” Mr Fellows, 30, an IT consultant from Maidstone, Kent, is one of St John Ambulance’s volunteer army of vaccinators. About 10,000 people have signed up to administer the vaccine, with the charity also getting
about 6,000 volunteers to reassure and help those having their injections and a further 14,300 focusing on administration and supporting the vaccinators. Zainab Yasmin, 42, signed up to be a volunteer after a bout of Covid-19 last March. She saw her mother and siblings hospitalised with the virus. “I have seen how it affects families,” Ms Yasmin, a public health programme manager in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, said. “I contracted the virus badly and when I was recovering I could not walk even a few yards. It turns you into a person you never thought you’d be — you become so reliant on help when you’re used to being independent. You’re doing a service to your community and your country by vaccinating people.” The first volunteers were sent to seven sites yesterday, including the Nightingale field hospital in London’s
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will be offered a jab by autumn TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE
Members of the St John Ambulance train vaccine volunteers in east London
High turnout leaves schools struggling Nicola Woolcock Education Editor
Demand for school places has forced almost half of head teachers in England to create priority lists for children of key workers, a survey suggests. Schools remain open to vulnerable children and those of critical workers but a large number qualify, including some in food production, local government, communications and finance. Matt Hancock yesterday urged key workers not to send their children to school if they could manage at home. The health secretary told Sky News: “If you’re a key worker and your partner doesn’t work then you shouldn’t be sending your children to school. That’s clear in the guidance. I understand that more people are sending their children to school than they did last time. But we really do need everybody who works in the NHS where at all possible to be able to make it to work.” Mr Hancock said schools would not reopen to all until there were no new virus mutations, vaccines were proceeding effectively, the death rate was falling and the NHS was not in danger of being overwhelmed. After concern about the key worker scheme, the Department for Education asked people to honour the spirit of key worker status but did not change its guidance. This says schools should not limit the number of children of key workers or vulnerable pupils they look after during lockdown, and only one parent needs to be a critical worker for their child to attend class — even if parents are working from home. Forty-eight per cent of heads have had to prioritise places for children of key workers or vulnerable pupils “due to an excess of demand”, according to a poll by the National Association of Head Teachers (Naht). Thirty-four per cent of school leaders said they had 31 per cent or more of their normal roll attending school on Thursday; 10 per cent said they had 41-60 per cent of their pupils in school. The government’s “confused” mes-
volunteers leads virus fightback ExCel centre and Millennium Point in Birmingham. Vaccines are also being given at venues in Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Surrey and Stevenage. St John Ambulance volunteers are expected to be working in 100 sites by early March. For Catherine Moulton, 47, from London, not being able to see her parents in Cheshire over Christmas helped her decide to volunteer. “That was the point that I felt like it probably was going to get worse before it got better,” she said. “The scale of the effort that is required made me want to be a part of it and to help. I’d been sitting at home for ten months not really able to do anything practical.” Ms Moulton, a screenwriter, said that she had not seen her parents in nearly a year because they were shielding. “I guess I feel like there’s loads of people in the same position as me,” she said. “I want things to be
back to normal as soon as possible.” She will work her first shift on Friday at the ExCel centre. Volunteers can sign up to do as many shifts as they want but are expected to do a minimum of two sixhour shifts a month. They are trained in how to give the injections as well as handle people who might be anxious about being vaccinated. After reports of the rising Covid-19 case numbers Jeff Surprenant, 25, volunteered to administer the vaccine. “I watched the news and saw how critical [the situation] was so I wanted to make a difference in a healthy, modest way,” Mr Surprenant, who works for the Canadian chamber of commerce in London, said. “If that can free up a healthcare professional to treat patients, that’s good that we can give them support.” Richard Salter, 27, is keen to start giving the injections. “I’m looking forward to being part of it,” Mr Salter,
who works in sales, said. He has volunteered with St John Ambulance for the past nine years. “The recent news has given us a sense of urgency to say that this really is needed,” he said. “This is our getout clause, out of the lockdown life that we’ve been living.” Richard Lee, the chief operating officer of St John Ambulance, said that about 600 first aid volunteers had signed up to teach the syllabus to tens of thousands of applicants. “What I like about this is it’s communities vaccinating communities,” he said. “For instance, people in Hull are banding together, getting trained and participating in the running of the vaccination centre in their area. This is real communities looking after communities and that’s fantastic. It’s a really humbling thing to watch.” Cooped up? Volunteer and you’re allowed out. Times2, page 7
sage on school attendance risks defeating the national aim of suppressing the virus, the leader of the union warned. Naht wants the government to tell heads how many pupils on-site is “too many”. Paul Whiteman, its general secretary, said: “In these circumstances it is understandable why quite so many parents with children at home are questioning, with some degree of frustration, why their children are being asked to stay at home when so many aren’t. “This situation is incredibly difficult for parents. The increase in demand for places compared to the national lockdown last March is very concerning. “It is critical that school places for the children of key workers are only used when absolutely necessary in order to reduce the numbers in school and stem the spread of the virus.” Seventy-four per cent of school leaders say demand for places has greatly increased compared to the lockdown in March last year, according to the Naht survey. Thirty eight per cent of respondents had 21-30 per cent of their usual cohort attend last week, while 22 per cent had 31-40 per cent of their roll in school. Twelve per cent had more than 41 per cent of pupils in. Gavin Williamson confirmed to MPs last week that children without access to technology can attend school during lockdown. EU transition workers have also been added to the list of parents eligible for school places. Schools are supposed to offer high quality remote lessons, with children doing three to five hours of learning each day. Far more schools are offering live and video lessons than in the first lockdown, but some heads are reluctant to teach via video conferencing software such as Zoom, saying it could breach their privacy. The Daily Mail reported Jo Campbell, head teacher at Ore Village Primary Academy in Hastings, as saying: “I won’t put that pressure on my staff and I have too many safeguarding concerns. Pre-recorded sessions are enough.”
Call for all teachers to be moved up the priority list Nicola Woolcock
Teachers could be next in line for the Covid-19 vaccine after a growing campaign to give them priority. MPs told The Times last week that Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, was not swayed by their arguments that schools would open more quickly if teachers were vaccinated. A member of the group advising on the vaccine rollout suggested, however, that this could change. Adam Finn, of Bristol University, told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme on Sky News that the “critical role” played by teachers would “figure in the discussions” of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation. Professor Finn said that committee members were told to come up with a plan by next month to determine the priority order of vaccinations. Immunising teachers would help schools to reopen fully. Most pupils are
taking classes online but schools remain open for vulnerable children and those of key workers. Professor Finn said: “We will be discussing this and coming up with a plan. When it comes to teachers . . . we appreciate the critical role that they play and so that will figure in the discussions.” Another issue over vaccination priority arose yesterday when four former health ministers supported a campaign by a young father to get the terminally ill immunised. The cross-party quartet wrote to Matt Hancock, the health secretary, on behalf of Fred Banning, 38, diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer last February and told he had nine months to live. Mr Banning, of East Renfrewshire, said that there was a strong case for pushing the terminally ill up the priority list. Getting the vaccine early would mean those with a limited lifespan could spend their final months living more normally with loved ones.
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Monday January 11 2021 | the times
News Coronavirus
Public warned that bending lockdown rules could be fatal Charlotte Wace
Bending the coronavirus lockdown rules “could be fatal”, Matt Hancock warned as he refused to criticise police for taking a tough approach. The health secretary said he would support the officers when asked about Derbyshire police fining two women who drove five miles separately to walk at a beauty spot. “The challenge here is that every flex can be fatal,” he said. Mr Hancock told Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News: “You might look at the rules and think: ‘Well, it doesn’t matter too much if I just do this or do that.’ But these rules are not there as boundaries to be pushed. They are the limit to what people should be doing. “The police are right to take very seriously the rules we have brought in. We haven’t brought them in because we wanted to. We’ve brought them in because we had to. Every flexibility can be fatal.” Priti Patel, the home secretary, s’ realso defended the officers’ he sponse to breaches. She stressed that there was “aa need for strong enforcement where people are clearly breaking these rules”. She promised that officers would “continue to engage with the public acrosss ot the country and will not hesitate to take action when necessary”. en told to issue Police officers have been £200 fines to offenders who refuse to go home at the first time of asking in guidance highlighted by The Sunday Telegraph. Paul Netherton, the deputy chief constable of Devon and Cornwall, told Times Radio that issuing penalty notices to those breaking lockdown rules after one warning was “what the government” expected. Mr Netherton, the national police spokesman on civil contingencies, told Gloria De Piero and Tom Newton Dunn: “Everybody knows what the rules are. This is no longer about people not understanding what they should be doing. We’ve been in this situation for a year now.” Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has said that nurseries should “probably” be closed in an effort to curb the number of coronavirus infections. “There is a case for looking at nursery schools,” he told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One. “We’re talking to the scientists about that. “I think people are surprised that primary schools were
Do as I say, not as I do . . . Charlotte Wace
A local council leader has issued a “stay local” coronavirus warning to residents from a luxurious beach holiday in the Maldives. Angie Dale, below, the independent leader of Richmondshire district council in North Yorkshire, said in a press release issued on Friday: “The number of Covid cases is rising dramatically every day and we are told we haven’t reached the peak yet, so it is vitally important that people heed the stay local message.” But at the time she was with her family enjoying the sundrenche surroundings of drenched Kuda Kudahuvadhoo, an island t Maldives. It is in the be believed that she will be returning from her h holiday tomorrow. According to fr friends, she had en enjoyed a swim and wat watched the sunset from her balcony on the from day that tha the warning was day issued. issued. ha not broken any Mrs Dale has rules because North Yorkshire was only in Tier 2 at the time she departed. But her actions were criticised by politicians who felt she should have remained in the country. “Everyone has the right to do what they want to when no laws are being broken,” said Ian Threlfall, a Conservative councillor in the area. “But it is disappointing, I have to say. “The advice is there for all, it is for everyone and whilst the leader has not done anything wrong, we were being advised even before the current restrictions not to travel.” Helen Grant, deputy leader of the council, said: “She has taken a holiday with her family, a decision that she made herself. “I don’t comment on people’s personal lives and this is a personal matter.”
closed but nurseries aren’t.They probably should be closed. I do want to talk to the scientists about that.” While schools are shut except to vulnerable children or those with keyworker parents, nurseries have stayed open to all families during the third lockdown. Meanwhile a public health expert and adviser to the Scottish government has warned that the coronavirus response across the UK needs to be more proactive.Devi Sridhar, a professor of public health at Edinburgh University, said there was “no clear strategy” in the UK other than “reactive lockdowns” when hospitals were under pressure. Professor Sridhar told Times Radio: “People have been in lockdown for almost a year and I think it is unrealistic for people to continue to distance and avoid mixing for months and months when it’s part of what makes us human.” She said that lessons should be learnt from other countries where normal life had largely resumed. Test-and-trace systems must be improved, along with stricter measures at international borders and support packages for people who were forced to self-isolate. Vaccines provided a “bright spot” but there were still questions about how they would affect the long-term prevalence of coronavirus, she said. “We are not at the mercy of this virus where whatever it does we have to react,” she said. “We can dictate how this evolves but we need a bit more agency in being more proactive and ahead of it instead of always behind it.” Derbyshire police have said that they would review the fixed penalty notices. The force added that guidance received later from the National Police Chiefs Council had “clarified the policing response concerning travel and exercise”. Hardyal Dhindsa, the Derbyshire police and crime commissioner, said: “On the face of things and based on what I have been told so far, it would appear that the force has been a little over-zealous in its interpretation of the guidance.” The women, Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore, claimed that so many officers were at Foremark Reservoir last week that they “thought somebody had been murdered”. They were told that their hot drinks were in breach of the rules because they were “classed as a picnic”. Lockdown compliance is a boost for policing, Clare Foges, Page 27 Thunderer, page 28; Letters, page 30 Restrictions on liberty are necessary but temporary, leading article, page 31
Cancer girl dies after missing US treatment A ten-year-old girl has died after she missed her cancer treatment abroad because of the pandemic. Eva Williams had been due to fly to New York in April last year for medical trials but travel restrictions were introduced the month before. Her family had raised more than £300,000 in the hope of getting Eva private treatment. However her father, Paul Slapa, 35, said his “most caring and loving” daughter had passed away on Friday. Eva, from Wrexham, north Wales,
had been suffering from a rare and aggressive brain tumour. Mr Slapa said: “Over the past week, Eva had lost the ability to speak, eat and swallow fluids, and she has suffered more than any child should ever have to suffer. “Watching her still fight each day has been heart-breaking. Eva is an inspiration to many, certainly to me, and I cannot begin to imagine how we will go forward from here.” Sarah Atherton, MP for Wrexham,
raised the young girl’s case in Prime Minister’s Questions in July. Boris Johnson said the government would “look at everything we can do to support her travel arrangements”. However, Mr Slapa and Carran Williams, Eva’s mother, said her cancer had progressed too far by the summer to be accepted for treatment on the trial. Eva was given a diagnosis of a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma tumour after she started to complain of dizziness and blurred vision in December 2019.
Staying apart is a distanced memory
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any people appeared to be taking little notice of the lockdown restrictions this weekend with crowds seen at beauty spots and beaches (Charlotte Wace writes). Photographs showed the north Tyneside
coast filled with groups of walkers and queues forming outside a café serving takeaway drinks. One resident described the scenes as “crazy” and claimed it was “actually busier than usual”. In London, long lines of people were seen at food stalls in Hampstead High
Street while, in Falmouth, Cornwall, pictures were shared of vehicles filling up car parks. Dozens of fines were issued by police forces across the country, including to a couple in their fifties who made a 260-mile round trip from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, to watch the seals on Horsey beach in Norfolk. In South Wales, police issued penalty notices to nine fans of the TV comedy Gavin
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Give us exam grades early to avoid repeat of chaos, heads urge Nicola Woolcock Education Editor
Head teachers have demanded to be told of their pupils’ exam results weeks earlier than usual to avoid a repeat of last year’s fiasco over grades and university entries. The Association of School and College Leaders and the head of the Independent Schools Council said that schools should be given the final grades before results day in August so that they can alert officials to any glaring discrepancies. A-level and GCSE exams were cancelled last week for the second year running. They will be replaced by some form of teacher assessment. Ofqual, the exams regulator, will publish a consultation this week that will set out how it believes that pupils should be graded. One idea reportedly being considered is for pupils to take short exams marked by teachers. Another is for children to produce portfolios for coursework or for schools to moderate samples of each others’ work. Helen Pike, the first female master of Magdalen College School in Oxford since it was founded in 1480, said that the government should pre-release the grades to schools and possibly award grades only after a dialogue between schools and the exam boards. “Last April it was mooted that grades would be released in late June,” she said. “We missed a trick in not suggesting that this should happen on a confidential basis well ahead of pupils receiving them. Any negotiation could and should happen well ahead of the end of the summer term. “Schools would then have notice of where their grades were heading and this would avoid the shock and awe approach of grade release and the consequent further education and higher education chaos which we saw last year.” Ms Pike’s proposal was supported by Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Inde-
pendent Schools Council and the former head master of Harrow School, northwest London. “The appeals process will be lengthy this year with large numbers involved,” Mr Lenon said. “So we need results as early as possible.” Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the decision to cancel this year’s exams was premature and cast doubt on Gavin Williamson’s claim last week that a Plan B had been drawn up and was being “fine-tuned”. Mr Barton said any exams should not be held too early because the maximum amount of time should be spent on teaching to make up for lost learning. While grading should not disadvantage pupils, it was also vital to keep public trust in the exam system, he said. Whatever was used to replace exams there “must be a robust moderation process”. He said: “Mini exams are not going to stand up.” Mr Barton added that schools should get results in time to allow “a proper appeals system”. He said: “Schools getting sight of their grades and being able to see whether there is an issue, would be good. The more we can have a ‘no surprises’ situation, the better.” John Tomsett, head teacher of Huntington School, York, said that schools should be involved in the grading process. Exam boards should give grade quotas to schools which could create their own assessments with support from exam boards, ensuring that pupils are questioned on what they have been taught, he said. These assessments would be marked and moderated by schools. Pupils would be put in rank order in different subjects based on their performance. Schools would match the rank order against the grade quotas, look for anomalies and send the final grades to exam boards in July. An Ofqual spokeswoman said that she could not comment on what the consultation would contain.
Police driving ambulances amid delay in 999 response Fiona Hamilton Crime Editor Kat Lay, Andrew Ellson
St James’s Park, London, above, Long Sands, Tynemouth, and a north London park
& Stacey, who broke lockdown rules to meet at Barry Island, the seaside resort featured in the series. In Bristol, police arrested a teenager and issued 38 fines over plans to hold an illegal rave. Avon and Somerset police said the “Bristol Freerave” event had been prevented from going ahead on Saturday night after they
received a tipoff about its location. In Derbyshire, mountain rescue teams were called to a group of plane-crash enthusiasts who got stuck during a fivehour walk on Saturday. The group had travelled from Manchester to hunt for the crash site on Bleaklow Moor of a B-29 bomber. In Dorset, a video appearing to show two women being arrested for “sitting on a bench” at a beach
went viral on social media amid accusations that police had been too heavyhanded. But a separate video from the scene later showed one of the women subjecting the officers to a Covid-denying rant. Police said the women were part of an anti-lockdown protest nearby and that the video was “planned and stagemanaged”. Both women are believed to have been issued with fixedpenalty notices.
Police are being deployed to drive ambulances and a lack of staff is delaying answering of 999 calls as emergency services start to buckle under the strain of coronavirus. A senior police source said there were fears that some areas could see a “999 service only” because of the number of staff off sick amid an escalation in infections. The disclosure will strengthen calls by the Police Federation for officers to be prioritised for vaccines. In some areas, entire shifts of 999 call-handling staff have been “wiped out” by cases of Covid-19. The Metropolitan Police has transferred 75 officers to drive ambulances and assist medics at the London Ambulance Service, with a further 125 on standby. Police officers have also been primed to step in in at least five other areas, including South Western Ambulance Service, which covers 10,000 square miles from Bristol to Cornwall, if the situation worsens. In the seven days to January 3, the latest available figures, there were 9,256
ambulance delays of between 30 and 60 minutes in England and 5,318 delays greater than 60 minutes. These are the highest weekly numbers this winter and mean 16 per cent of patients were delayed by 30 minutes or more and nearly 6 per cent by more than an hour. Tracy Nicholls, head of the College of Paramedics, told Sky News yesterday that the service was under “unprecedented pressure” and delays for category three calls — urgent, but not lifethreatening — had been up to 10 hours in high-pressure areas. Private ambulance services say they have seen a surge in demand. Julia Mulligan, the police and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire, revealed that 39 control room staff in the call-handling centre had had to selfisolate, which had a “considerable impact” on response. A small number of calls were delayed by two minutes when they should have been answered immediately. She said the force had a backup control room, problems were quickly rectified and there was no adverse outcome. However, it illustrated the seriousness of the situation.
coronavirus in brief
Joan Collins praises jab Dame Joan Collins has become the latest celebrity to get the coronavirus vaccination. The actress, 87, announced on Instagram that she had received the Oxford UniversityAstrazeneca jab in central London on Saturday morning. She said the procedure had been painless and seamless, noting that she received it on the same day as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were vaccinated at Windsor Castle. She also thanked two NHS staff members for their work. Sharing a photo of herself getting the jab wearing a flower-patterned facemask, Dame Joan wrote: “Delighted to get [the] vaccine yesterday morning . . . Thank you Mr. @rajgill2585 and @dr_ammarahughes for a painless and seamless procedure!” Other celebrities, including the actor Sir Ian McKellen, 81, the broadcaster Prue Leith, 80, and the rock’n’roll star Marty Wilde, 81, have also shared their experience of the vaccine. The government aims to offer it to almost 14 million vulnerable Britons by the middle of next month.
Big Issue’s plea for help A fresh appeal for support has been launched by The Big Issue after its vendors were forced again to stop selling the magazine by the lockdown. Almost 1,400 people are affected. They are not eligible for furlough and cannot work from home. Lord Bird, the magazine’s founder, called on the public to support its 100 Days of Action appeal by taking out a subscription or making a donation.
Pupils’ suffering matters Plans by universities such as Surrey and Birmingham to reduce entry requirements for this year’s applicants will not be enough to help students, Nishan Canagarajah, the vice-chancellor of Leicester University says. Leicester will not lower grades but will instead take into account the cirumstances of pupils who have faced the most disruption because of school closures.
Nightlife impact inquiry MPs and peers will investigate the impact of Covid-19 on nightlife. The newly formed all-party parliamentary group for the nighttime economy will invite workers and businesses to share the effects the pandemic has had on them, and will look into ways for the sector to safely reopen. Jeff Smith, the Labour MP and chairman of the committee, said the report would be published next month.
Ready meals feel chill Sales of chilled ready meals fell by £74.2 million in the 12 months to September as Britons had more time to cook under the lockdown. Data from the analyst Nielsen found that sales of chilled ready meals, a category that forms 75 per cent of the ready meal market, fell by 3.6 per cent. Growth in ambient meal sales of 10.1 per cent and in frozen meals of 5.6 per cent did not offset the fall.
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News News Coronavirus World CHRISTOPHER JUE/GETTY IMAGES
China fights new outbreak near Beijing china More than 360 people have tested positive for coronavirus in an outbreak in Hebei province, south of Beijing. The National Health Commission reported yesterday that 69 new cases had been confirmed in 24 hours, including 46 in Hebei. Travel between Hebei and Beijing has been restricted, with workers having to show proof of employment to enter the capital.
Fresh start Men and women purify body and soul for the new year by bathing in ice-cold water during an annual ritual at the Teppozu Inari shinto shrine in Tokyo
Germany secures bigger share of vaccines than other EU members Germany has upset other EU member states by securing a disproportionately large share of the bloc’s common pool of vaccines, according to a report. Brussels has ordered roughly two billion doses in total, which are theoretically to be divided up according to each member state’s population. However, Germany is in line to receive nearly 30 million more doses than this principle would suggest, according to an EU document obtained by Der Spiegel magazine. The bloc’s vaccine strategy was already under fire from critics who claimed that it had, in effect, backed the wrong horses in the scientific race, buying too few doses of the jabs that are available now and too many of those that are still in the testing phase. So far the European medical regulator has approved two vaccines for use, one made by Biontech and Pfizer, and another by Moderna, a US biotech company. Both are in short supply and must be stored at extremely cold
Vaccination progress Proportion of the population to receive a vaccine Israel 20.6% UAE 11% Bahrain 5.0% US 2.0% Denmark 1.9% UK 1.9% Iceland 1.4% Italy 1.0% Slovenia 0.9% Lithuania 0.8% Germany 0.6% World av. 0.3% France 0.12% Source: Our World in Data
Oliver Moody Berlin
temperatures, hampering the rollout of countries’ inoculation campaigns. Of the 160 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, Germany is expected to get 50.5 million, about 20 million more
than it would obtain under the population key. It has also apparently acquired the rights to an outsized proportion of the Biontech jab. The EU initially ordered 200 million doses but bought another 100 million shots after positive clinical trial results. Germany allegedly obtained 25 million of these 100 million supplementary doses, although it accounts for only 18.6 per cent of the bloc’s population, while none were allocated to Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and four smaller states. None of these countries have yet responded to the report. Der Spiegel said that the agreement was under renegotiation, with Poland likely to get about 650,000 doses and Belgium some 150,000. There were further claims that EU discussions over which vaccines to order had been riven by national tensions. Last summer, when the strategy was first drawn up, several countries were reluctant to gamble on the Biontech and Moderna vaccines because of their relatively high cost and reliance on what was then unproven messenger RNA-
based technology. EU insiders told the German magazine that the bloc had only agreed to order the Biontech vaccine under pressure from Berlin because other member states “did not want to give Germany a slap in the face”. France allegedly resisted buying the Biontech jab and insisted on buying 300 million doses of the French-made Sanofi vaccine, which has since been heavily delayed by mishaps in its clinical trials. Clément Beaune, the French Europe minister, dismissed this version of events as “simply false”. However, German government sources told Der Spiegel that Paris had “put the brakes” on the Biontech order in its determination to support Sanofi. Bottlenecks in Europe’s supply of vaccines have made for a slow first fortnight in many countries. Germany, whose coronavirus death toll passed 40,000 yesterday, vaccinated 533,000 people, or 0.64 per cent of its population, in the first two weeks. This compared with 617,000 doses administered during the first 12 days of inoculation in the UK.
Support for antivaxers fades Virus forces sumo’s grand as Le Pen agrees to have jab champion out of the ring Adam Sage Paris
Antivaxers have lost a key ally as Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Rally leader, said she would be vaccinated. Her approval suggested that the antivaccination movement may be in retreat as dismay spreads over France’s dismal start to the inoculation drive. Our World in Data, the statistics compiler, said that 0.12 per cent of French people had been vaccinated with one dose, fewer than in any country surveyed except Mexico. The fiasco is being attributed to the government’s reluctance to confront a sceptical population provoked by antiestablishment parties such as National
Rally. A poll last month found that 80 per cent of the party’s voters would refuse an injection and Ms Le Pen said: “We don’t have a long-term vision of those vaccines. They developed [them] in a year and a half where they usually take five to ten years.” At the weekend she said: “I would be ready to be vaccinated, although I am not a priority case. I said in December I would not be vaccinated if my doctor had not received studies on the vaccinations. Today we have those studies.” A recent poll by the Harris Interactive institute suggested that 56 per cent of the French population would now contemplate a coronavirus jab, a nine-point rise since December.
Richard Lloyd Parry Tokyo
The ancient Japanese sport of sumo is being ravaged by the coronavirus, which has infected scores of wrestlers and caused at least one to quit for fear of contracting it. The annual new year grand sumo tournament began in Tokyo yesterday with 65 wrestlers eliminated after they tested positive for the virus or had been in close contact with those who have. Among them was Hakuho, the Mongolian grand champion considered the greatest wrestler in the sport’s history. The sumo governing body said it would abandon the tournament if a significant number of other cases were found.
In May a 28-year-old wrestler, Shobushi, died of the virus, which has spread through the training quarters, or “stables”, where sumo fighters live and train. Last week a 22-year old wrestler named Kotokantetsu gave up the sport after being refused permission to sit out the tournament for fear of infection. “As of today I am resigning,” he tweeted. “The [Japan Sumo] Association said being afraid of the coronavirus is not a valid reason to take a break and that my choice was to either [fight] or quit. Because my body is important, I decided to retire.” Eighteen stable masters, referees and hairdressers, who create the fighters’ elaborate topknots, also tested positive.
canada Dozens of fines were handed out in Quebec at the weekend as a curfew came into force to combat a virulent second wave of coronavirus in the French-speaking province. The curfew, which runs from 8pm to 5am, is among North America’s toughest, with fines ranging from C$1,000 (£581) to C$6,000. The measure has drawn criticism from a vocal minority but officials fear that without it hospitals will be overrun. Twenty fines were handed out to anti-curfew protesters in Quebec City and 17 in Montreal on Saturday night, police said. italy A 103-year-old Italian man who escaped from a Nazi prison camp has hit back at online abuse from people who claimed that he was too old to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Basilio Pompei, who lives in a care home in Tuscany, was among the first in the region to get the jab, prompting claims that it should have gone to someone younger. “When I was young I was as brave as a lion and I still have plenty of courage — tell that to these haters,” Mr Pompei said. In 1943 he refused to pledge allegiance to fascism and was sent to a prison camp in Poland, but managed to escape back to Italy.
World update Global cases
Global deaths
88,383,771
1,919,126
Most new cases 1 US
313,516
2
UK
3
Brazil
52,035
4
India
36,867
5
Russia
22,851
6
S Africa
21,606
7
France
20,034
8
Italy
19,976
9
Colombia
18,221
10 Germany
16,946
54,940
14,362 Mexico 103 China 103 Countries reporting most deaths 1 US 365,886 201,460 2 Brazil 3 India 150,999 4 Mexico 132,069 5 UK 81,431 78,394 6 Italy 67,217 7 France 61,837 8 Russia 9 Iran 56,100 10 Spain 51,690 Deaths per million population* 1 Italy 1,297 2 UK 1,200 3 Peru 1,157 4 Spain 1,106 5 US 1,105 6 France 1,030 11
*Countries with populations greater than 20m
Source: WHO
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Call for £10bn green trams to clear cities choked by traffic Graeme Paton Transport Correspondent
At least 20 tram networks are needed to help to clear towns and cities “choked in traffic”, ministers have been told. A report due to be published today recommends a £10 billion investment programme to develop “mass transit” networks in metropolitan areas that have populations of at least 250,000 people. Electric or battery-powered trams are regarded as the greenest and most efficient way to transport people. They can typically carry about 20,000
passengers an hour in each direction — four times more than buses. Tram networks were hugely popular in the 19th and early 20th century before tracks were dug up to create more space for buses and cars. Only ten cities have trams or underground train networks, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. Three are in London — the Underground, Docklands Light Railway and Tramlink in the south of the capital. The study published by Alstom, the French rail manufacturer, criticised the
“green transport gap” in the UK. It said that the country compared unfavourably with similar places elsewhere in Europe when it came to mass transit. Germany has 52 networks and France has 29. New schemes are being developed across Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America. The report said that the “absence of these systems” meant that “urban areas remain choked in traffic congestion and inefficient travelling conditions”. Research has found that traffic jams cost the British economy about £8 billion a year through lost production.
The study recommended a £10 billion government investment over ten years to start the proposals. It suggested that the private sector could help to cover the costs rather than the taxpayer. The report identified 20 areas where a new tram system was justified. Leeds was the largest urban area in Europe without a network, it said. Boris Johnson has pledged to “remedy the scandal” and plans are being developed for a tram system in the city by 2033. The report said that a network could be expanded to include Bradford and Wakefield. It said that trams or light rail
systems could be built in Southampton, Portsmouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast and Hull. The report endorsed plans for Cambridge and Coventry. Other places suggested were Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester, Derby, Plymouth, Brighton, Swansea, Reading, Luton, Peterborough, Doncaster and Middlesbrough. Nick Crossfield, the managing director of Alstom UK and Ireland, said that mass transit schemes “have a strong role in reducing transport emissions . . . improving air quality and providing an economic boost for local areas”. ANDREW MILLIGAN/PA
Act now to give our children a future, Charles urges business Valentine Low
The Prince of Wales will warn that the world “is at a tipping point” when he appeals today for business to join his crusade for sustainable growth. He will launch Terra Carta, a charter to try to persuade companies to put saving the planet at the heart of business strategy. He says that it is only with the help of corporate leaders that the global economy can be transformed. In a speech to be given remotely to the One Planet Summit in Paris, Prince Charles says: “I am making an urgent appeal to leaders, from all sectors and from around the world . . . to give their support to this Terra Carta — to bring prosperity into harmony with nature, people and planet over the coming decade. “I can only encourage, in particular, those in industry and finance to provide practical leadership to this common project, as only they are able to mobilise the innovation, scale and resources that are required to transform our global economy.” Charles says that important progress has been made “in forging consensus on the direction humanity must take”. He adds, however: “Consensus and intention, goals and targets, are only the first steps. The next — although long overdue — must be an extraordinary, practical effort to mobilise the financial resources, technical ingenuity and institutional innovation required to pursue them. “It is this which will determine whether or not our children and grandchildren look back on a series of broken promises or instead reflect on a tipping point at which the world shifted to a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous trajectory.” Charles began his initiative before the lockdown. He argues, though, that Covid has taught the world valuable lessons. “The coronavirus pandemic has shown us that it is indeed possible to mobilise the necessary resources and accelerate the timelines for transformative progress. It has also shown us how vital health is to human and economic wellbeing. “Sustainability is a choice. If we make it a part of our core values it will define our purpose, determine our choices and drive our actions. Whether as a
business, an investor, an asset owner or as a country, let us choose to make sustainability a core value so that, together, we can build the sustainable and prosperous future our children and grandchildren deserve.” This morning Charles will co-host a One Planet discussion on green investments with President Macron of France, who held a telephone meeting with the prince on Friday. Charles will attend another virtual session this afternoon at which he will give a speech to launch Terra Carta. Designed by Sir Jony Ive, the former chief design officer at Apple, the charter is backed by international banks and corporations including Bank of America, Unilever, Astrazeneca, EY, Schroders and Coutts. The 17-page Terra Carta outlines ten areas for action and includes nearly 100 recommendations for business to help set “our planet on a fundamentally more sustainable trajectory”. The aim is to “drive investment into solutions (nature-based and engineered) that address the climate and biodiversity crises”. The recommendations, which say that net carbon zero should be achieved “much sooner” than the target date of 2050, embrace everything from sustainability labelling and green energy to carbon capture and electric aircraft. They also include calls for the restoration of degraded habitats including the Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon and the southeast Asian deltas. The commitments reflect Charles’s belief in the harmony of nature. One pledge says that “the integrity of all ecosystems, on land and under water requires that climate, oceans, desertification and biodiversity be treated as one common system”. Another emphasises that “nature underpins the inherent prosperity, wellbeing and future of all people and the one planet we share”. A video has been released of Charles describing the stark choices faced by humanity. He says: “Time is fast running out and we are rapidly wiping out, through mass extinctions, many of nature’s unique treasure trove of species, from which we can develop innovative and sustainable products for the future. Timelines for change must be brought forward if we are to make a transformative shift by the end of the decade, and before it is quite literally too late.”
Charles has been vocal about the environment since his 1970 Cardiff speech, below
Analysis
I
n February 1970,when the Prince of Wales was 21, he spoke at a countryside conference in Cardiff. He had just been made chairman of the Welsh countryside committee, and ution chose to discuss pollution of the air sea and rivers, over-population and the problems of waste (Valentine Low writes). It was his first key speech on the environment and touched on many of the areas that would become themes in his life over the next 50 years: waste, the destruction of habitats
d the th h and d worship of progress and technology at the expense of nature. Today’s announcement is the culmination of everything that the prince has said about the environment ever since. For years he has felt like a lone voice, warning of the dangers faced by humanity only to be
ig ignored or even m mocked. Even if C Charles was not th only person the m making such w warnings, and ex exaggerates the ex extent to which hi views were his di dismissed, there is no doubt that it is only in recentt years that such once-marginal views have become mainstream. Today’s speech is more than just another gloomy prognostication about the fate that awaits mankind if we fail to mend our ways. This is an attempt to do something about it. Charles has spent the past year courting some
of the biggest names in business to persuade them to join his crusade. Their support gives his Terra Carta some heavyweight credibility. However, it will not escape attention that some of those names, including Heathrow and BP, are arguably responsible many of the world’s environmental problems. The Terra Carta is thousands of words long and has some 100 recommendations for every area where business meets the environment. Charles wants this to be his legacy: the key test will be whether those words translate into action.
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Starmer ditches EU pledge as a lost cause Francis Elliott Political Editor
A Labour government would not try to restore freedom of movement with the EU, Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday, ditching a promise he made during the party’s leadership election. The Labour leader committed to the trade treaty negotiated by Boris Johnson if he takes over in No 10 after a 2024 general election as he seeks to move on from the issue that split the party from many of its traditional voters. “Whether we like it or not that is going to be the treaty that an incoming Labour government inherits and has to make work,” Sir Keir told the BBC. “It is not being straight with the Brit-
ish public to say you come into office in 2024 and operate some other treaty. We have to make that treaty work. “There are bits already that need to be improved on. If you look at the creative industries and how they are going to operate across borders, there are huge gaps for them. The service sector of course has largely been left out. “But I don’t think that there’s scope for major renegotiation. We’ve just had four years of negotiation. We’ve arrived at a treaty and now we’ve got to make that treaty work.” When Sir Keir was asked while campaigning for the party leadership a year ago if he would try to restore freedom of movement, he replied: “Yes, of course.
Bring back, argue for, challenge.” He had previously called for Labour to “make the case for freedom of movement”. The ability to work and travel freely with other EU countries is more popular with Labour members, however, than the rest of the country. The greater levels of immigration associated with freedom of movement became a key factor driving support for Brexit. Mr Johnson’s claim to have brought back control over immigration will remain a campaigning plank for the Conservatives for the foreseeable future. Sir Keir wants to move the political focus on from Brexit and immigration after being briefed by Joe Biden’s poll-
ster, John Anzalone, on how the incoming US president won back the support of white, male working-class voters. He will today put rising council tax bills at the heart of an offensive before a bumper set of local government elections in May that will include those postponed from last year. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, tied much of the increased support for councils to cope with Covid-19 to raising council tax by 5 per cent. Labour says that could see people in a Band D property paying an extra £90 a year. Sir Keir will call for families to be “put first” during the latest lockdown, demanding that ministers protect epidemic-hit household budgets from STEVE BACK
Sunak: Free ports will get us out of doldrums Miles Costello
Plans for a string of zero-tax “free ports” will be a key plank in the drive to haul the economy out of the slump created by coronavirus, according to the chancellor of the exchequer. Days after a proposal for a Thames free port in London was announced, Rishi Sunak said creating such zones would generate tens of thousands of jobs and provide a boost for some of the most deprived areas of the country. Free ports would be at the heart of Britain’s ability to establish itself as an independent trading nation with its newfound freedom from EU protocols and restrictions, Mr Sunak said. Free ports are tariff and tax-free economic zones that can operate independently of the country where they are based. They have been championed for years by right-wing Conservatives, including Mr Sunak, in the belief that light-touch treatment will encourage investment from domestic and international companies. Enthusiasts also argue that transport infrastructure around free ports will improve. The government is hoping to approve at least seven sites over the coming months. Critics say free ports take jobs away from other areas and deprive the Treasury of tax; they also argue that there is no evidence that international compa-
Asbos and fines issued to suicidal patients
nies will find them more attractive than the EU single market. However, in comments to The Sunday Express yesterday, Mr Sunak hailed the idea. “As we start a new chapter in our history as an independent trading nation we are free to support our great British industries to create a vibrant economy fit for the future,” he said. “Our ambitious free ports policy is at the heart of this — empowering regions across the country to become hotbeds of innovation, regenerating our communities by creating thousands of jobs and turbocharging Britain’s post-Brexit growth.” He encouraged sea, air and rail ports to bid for free port status. The Thames free port bid team, led by Forth Ports and DP World, says its plans would create more than 20,000 new and better-paid jobs in some of the poorest parts of the UK. It would also lead to a £400 million investment at three sites: London Gateway and Tilbury port in Thurrock, and the Ford car factory in Dagenham where the company has plans to build electric and autonomous vehicles. Barking and Dagenham council is set to back the proposal. “Our proposal will reconnect Britain’s biggest market with its industrial engine. A Thames free port will be a magnet for new investment, jobs, skills development and the adoption of greener technology,” the bid team said.
Emma Yeomans
Britain can win friends in US by being ‘global broker’ The UK will have to “fight its way to the table” as Joe Biden, the president-elect, seeks to rebuild US relations around the world, according to a study. With MPs set to debate Britain’s future foreign policy in the Commons this afternoon, a new research paper by Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank, has set out how a “global Britain” can strike a new path post-Brexit and how the government can woo incoming administration figures in Washington. The paper, called “Global Britain, global broker: A blueprint for the UK’s future international role”, says: “The incoming administration of Joe Biden will seek to heal America’s relations with allies in Europe and Asia. “But Brexit Britain will have to fight its way to the table on many of the most important transatlantic issues, with the EU now the US’s main counterpart in areas such as China relations and digital taxation.” The report suggests three areas ripe
for Britain to tackle as a global broker in 2021. First, it says, the UK can use its cochairing of the Cop26 conference “to secure stronger national commitments on climate change from the US and China”. Second, the UK can use its place in Nato “to broker closer working relations between Nato and the EU, especially on cybersecurity and protecting space assets”. And third, the UK can use its G7 presidency in 2021 “to start making this anachronistic grouping more inclusive”. The study says Britain’s government will be “better networked institutionally than almost any other country’s” despite Brexit, adding the “soft power inherent in its language, universities, media and civil society can enhance the influence of British ideas”. But it adds: “Assets do not automatically equate with influence. There needs to be a vision for Britain’s international role, and the political will . . . to put this vision into action.”
council tax hikes and cuts to universal credit. He will also press for key workers such as teachers, the armed forces and care workers to be given pay rises and for the ban on home evictions and repossessions to be extended. “This is the government that gave Dominic Cummings a £40,000 pay rise but won’t pay our carers a decent wage,” he is expected to say. “This is the government that wasted £22 billion of taxpayers’ money on a testing system that doesn’t work but now won’t find the money to support families. “There will be hard months ahead but the seasons will turn. A dark winter will give way to a brighter spring . . . and together we can build a better future.”
Grandma arrives in Downing St to help out
T
he prime minister’s future mother-in-law has reportedly formed a household bubble at Downing Street to look after her grandson (Charlotte Wace writes).
Wilfred was born to Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson eight months ago. Josephine McAffee, Ms Symonds’s mother, is believed to make regular visits to their flat above No 11.
People suffering mental health issues were handed antisocial behaviour notices forbidding them to speak to family and friends if they felt suicidal in a move described as “shocking” by charities. Community protection notices (CPNs) can be issued by police or local authorities to curb antisocial behaviour — commonly noise complaints and littering — and if breached can result in criminal prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500. The Times has identified cases in which an order was issued to people effectively banning them from contacting friends, family or even helplines if they felt suicidal. One woman received an order stating she could only speak to specific mental health professionals if she was in distress. Another was told she could not use any form of social media, including messaging services like Whatsapp, to ask for help. Rheian Davies, head of legal at the mental health charity Mind, said people needed specialist care rather than punishment. She said: “Criminalising people who are at their most unwell — experiencing a mental health crisis — does nothing to help protect patients or the community.” Police are increasingly involved in mental health care. Officers can be called out to people in mental health crisis if they pose a danger to themselves or others, and forces receive more than 800 such calls every day. One woman, whom The Times is referring to as Lily, received a notice from Suffolk police warning her that she could be fined £2,500 if she contacted “anyone by any means to make threats or allude to thoughts of self-harm or suicide, save to the mental health crisis line or an allocated mental health professional”. The restrictions were placed on her for two years in 2019 after she was admitted to hospital with borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. On one occasion, she texted a friend to say that she had been thinking about self-harming. Her friend called for officers to carry out a welfare check but when police came to her house they told her she had breached the order. A spokesman for Suffolk police said the notices are only issued if a person’s conduct “unacceptably affects victims and the community”. He added that in this case, the person was given a helpline number to call.
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Boyfriend fears missing hiker was attacked by armed hunters David Brown, Adam Sage Paris
The boyfriend of a British backpacker who vanished while hiking in the Pyrenees has said that he fears she has been kidnapped or killed by a hunter. Daniel Colegate said he spotted a large number of armed hunters while searching for Esther Dingley after her disappearance on November 22. He has prepared a 23-page dossier of theories about what happened to Ms Dingley, drawn up with the help of the missing persons charity LBT Global. The dossier examines possibilities that Ms Dingley, 37, had an accident, went missing on purpose or that someone else harmed her. The Times revealed last month that police were concentrating on the theory that she had deliberately disappeared after heavy snowfall forced them to abandon searches of the mountains where she was last seen. Mr Colegate, 38, said yesterday he accepted that his partner could have had an accident but questioned why search teams had not found her or any of her equipment. The dossier lists all the equipment carried by her and notes: “If Esther did have an accident, it must have been instantly incapacitating, preventing her from deploying any form of shelter.” He told the Sunday Mirror: “The fact no trace was found — and given the specifics of the weather, terrain and location — I lean toward somebody else being involved, even though that raises its own questions. Another person being involved is the only other viable alternative.” While Mr Colegate walked the trail where Ms Dingley was last seen he spotted hunters and feared that she might have come into contact with an armed stranger. He admitted there was no evidence to support his theory. The dossier records concerns by
REUTERS
Backpacker’s last known movements FRANCE Border Nov 22, 4pm Nov 17 Climbs Pic de Stays at Sauvegarde Angel Orus Refuge
Nov 21 Hikes Port de la Glère to Port de Venasque
SPAIN Nov 15-19 Parks van at Benasque. One mile Later returns
The final texts Esther Dingley sent a photograph and text message to Daniel Colegate from the 8,983ft Pic de Sauvegarde at about 3.30pm on November 22. It read: “I’m on a col/peak so can’t stop for too long. Can’t wait to read all your messages. Love you very much XXX having a really good time.” About 35 minutes later, she wrote that she was headed for the Port de la Glere mountain pass the next day. She added: “Might dip into France. Hoping Refuge Venasque has a winter room. Keep you posted when can. Love you xxx”.
French police that Ms Dingley may have voluntarily disappeared because she feared Mr Colegate wanted to end their nomadic lifestyle. “It’s true to say we sometimes have different preferences, like any normal couple, but we discuss them openly,” he said. “The suggestion Esther would have to disappear so she can keep travelling is nonsense — especially as she was already on a solo trip as part of our normal relationship.” Ms Dingley, a personal trainer, had never had mental health issues during their six years of travelling, he added. Mr Colegate told the Sunday Mirror: “The pain of her disappearance is excruciating — but even that pales into insignificance against the pain of not knowing. It’s crippling. The nightmares, the constant questioning, the helplessness. Every aspect of my life and the future I dream of includes Esther.” He concluded: “Until Esther is found I still hold on to the hope she might come home safely.” The idea that Ms Dingley got into dif-
Esther Dingley sent a photo to her partner just before she disappeared. Police said she may have vanished on purpose
ficulty while walking is still the main theory being examined by Spanish and French police. Rescuers said she could have become disorientated by hypothermia and fallen into a crevasse. A Spanish Olympic skier crossed over the path of an English woman who asked him for fresh fruit an hour before Ms Dingley sent Mr Colegate a photo-
graph of herself at the 8,983ft summit of the snow-capped Pic de Sauvegarde. Mirabelle Brisset, a French hiker, was reported last week to have been concerned after Ms Dingley approached her a few hours before sunset wearing “short shorts” and asking for leftover food on the afternoon she went missing. Mr Colegate and Ms Dingley met
while students. They later decided to go travelling after Mr Copeland had a health scare. They were living in a farmhouse in the French village of Arreau in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Ms Dingley had crossed into Spain in late October to avoid Covid-19 restrictions and had left their camper van in a village when she disappeared.
Wartime ‘Spitfire woman’ dies at 103 Help over-65s get on their Nadeem Badshah
One of the last surviving “Spitfire women”, who transported aircraft to the front line during the Second World War, has died aged 103. Eleanor Wadsworth died in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in December after a short illness, it was confirmed yesterday. She was one of about 165 women who flew without instructions or radios during the conflict. The trailblazing pilot operated out of White Waltham in Berkshire, the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) programme that trained female pilots to fly numerous types of aircraft. Karen Borden, who interviewed Mrs Wadsworth for an upcoming book, said that “like many of the women pilots, she was incredibly humble about her contribution to the war effort”. “She joked about how flying ‘straight and level’ was her mark . . . and how marvellous it was to take to the air on her own,” the author told the BBC. Mrs Wadsworth, who was born in
Nottingham, joined the ATA in 1943 after seeing an advert for female pilots. She was one of the first six successful candidates to be accepted with no or little previous flying experience, according to Sally McGlone, a historian. Her favourite plane was the Spitfire, which she flew more than 130 times and Pilot Eleanor Wadsworth flew without radio help
described as “a beautiful aircraft” that was “great to handle”. When the ATA was wound up in 1945, more than 309,000 aircraft had been transported to the front line with pilots clocking up more than 400,000 hours of airtime. The pilot’s son, Robert, paid tribute and said that she had been “a wonderful mother, an adoring grandmother and
great-grandmother”, adding that she was “matter of fact” about her wartime service. John Nichol, an author and a former member of the RAF, wrote on Twitter: “Sad to learn that last surviving female ATA pilot Eleanor Wadsworth has died aged 103. “She joined up in 1943, flew 22 types inc Spitfire & Hurricane. “Commenting on her long life she said, ‘It’s just luck! I try not to worry about things I have no control over’.” Mrs Wadsworth’s funeral will take place tomorrow. She had been one of three surviving female ATA pilots along with Nancy Stratford, an American, and Jaye Edwards, who was born in Britain and now lives in Canada. In an interview last year, she said that she had been “looking for a new challenge” when she joined the service and that the thought of learning to fly for free “was a great incentive”. “I put my name down and didn’t think much about it,” she said.
bikes with a loan, says firm Graeme Paton Transport Correspondent
A government-backed loan scheme should be introduced to enable a million pensioners to buy a new bike, ministers have been told. In a report today Pure Electric, a UK retailer, suggests a taxpayer-backed 20 per cent discount on bikes for people aged 65 and over. A loan would cover the balance, with repayments taken from an individual’s state pension. The scheme, applicable to conventional or electric bikes, would help some of the six million older people who are classed as “inactive”. Pure Electric, which is based in Somerset and has 17 shops from Edinburgh to Southampton, says one million pensioners could benefit over four years. It would mirror the “cycle to work” scheme in which employees get a tax break to buy a new bike.
Peter Kimberley, the chief executive of Pure Electric, said: “The pandemic has highlighted the benefits of regular exercise and cleaner air. We understand the Treasury is under pressure, but this money might make the difference between the elderly deciding to stay in or taking up a new activity.” The suggestion follows a government announcement last year that it would introduce taxpayer-funded incentives to enable more people to buy electric bikes. That scheme could launch this spring. Mr Kimberley added: “Cycle to Work has been so successful over the past two decades. Given the new lockdown, now is the perfect time to build on that by targeting the 12 million over-65s who are not in work and can’t qualify for it. “It doesn’t seem fair that workingage people have been able to access government support to enjoy the benefits of cycling but retired people can’t.”
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Adjustable lenses put future in focus
T
he days of frantically searching the house for a missing pair of reading glasses could soon be over (Tom tes). Knowles writes). A companyy has made “tuneable” specs that change focal strength at the turn of a dial. Voy, an American startup, says its ion “nano-precision ble users to glasses” enable adjust to different activities from reading to driving. The lenses can swiftly be changed from -5 to +2 dioptres. The product is based on technology developed in the 1960s by Luis Alvarez, a Nobel laureate. This features two polycarbonate plates that slide across each other when the dial is turned. The position of the plates determines the strength of the lenses. Adlens, in Oxfordshire, created a similar product in 2015 but has moved on to virtual-reality eyewear. The Voy glasses have been nominated for an
award at CES, the world’s largest technology conference, which begins its four-day run today and is being held digitally. One theme will be technology that can help to protect again against the coro coronavirus. It w will inc include a ho host of cle cleaning rrobots, ob with tthe he US U arm of L G un LG unveiling C LOi, a d CLOi, droid that in iits in ts latest ve version uses ultraviolet light to disinfect touch-points. Also related to the pandemic, “MaskFone” is a mask with a built-in microphone that links to a smartphone. It is
Bring back early closing, says Paxman
Voy says its glasses can be used for reading or driving at the turn of a dial, below
showcased by Binatone, the UK-Hong Kong telecoms company. Likely to raise eyebrows is a device by Ikin, a US group, that turns smartphone pictures into holograms. CES usually gives the smaller companies a chance to grab the spotlight but analysts say the digital format may stymie that. Ben Wood, an author at CCS Insight, from Slough, Berkshire, said: “At previous events, relatively unknown companies [could] break through the noise based on a serendipitous encounter on the show floor.”
Jeremy Paxman has suggested a return to the days of shops closing early on one afternoon a week. He said that many people, particularly Brexit supporters, would welcome the idea. Writing in Saga magazine, the former Newsnight presenter said he was reminded of early closing when he went to his local butcher’s on a Wednesday afternoon recently, only to find it shut. The practice was made law in 1950 but repealed in 1994. “Everyone has forgotten about early closing,” he said. “It’s an expression like ‘darning’ and ‘trunk call’ which no longer has any meaning. Use it and people under 40 look at you as if you’re speaking Ndebele [the South African language]. Baffled is too active a term to describe their wonderment. “Early closing days are a survival from gentler times, and I have a sneaking suspicion that many of those who voted ‘Leave’ in the referendum rather wish we could have them back. “How dare Napoleon sneer at a nation of shopkeepers? As that great Scot Adam Smith pointed out, a government answering to a nation of shopkeepers was destined for greatness.” Paxman noted that the law behind it was made by parliament rather than Brussels. “A nation of early closers will be fine shaping its own future.” He criticised university-educated Remainers for having lost touch with where consumer goods come from, citing the example of the sitcom Open All Hours. “The more that incomes are unrelated to the world of Arkwright’s brown cotton coat, the more we believe that stuff just arrives from somewhere a long way away, called Amazon,” he said.
How they work 1 Put glasses on face
2 Use dials on frame to adjust view
Towards nose for longsightedness, away from nose for shortsightedness
‘Kill bill’ is open to abuse, Patel is told
Defence chief warns attacks online could lead to real war
Actress recalls teenage battle with anorexia
Fiona Hamilton
Fiona Hamilton Security Editor
A law allowing police and MI5 informants to commit crime contains too great a scope for abuses, peers have told the home secretary. The absence of limits in the covert human intelligence bill, known as the kill bill, is of “concern to the rule of law”, they say. In a letter they told Priti Patel that the legislation needed to rule out murder, torture and rape to ensure that the “worst abuses do not take place”. The bill returns to the Lords today. It would give a legal basis for MI5, the police and other bodies to authorise criminality by their agents when “necessary and proportionate” to maintain their cover. Unlike countries with similar laws, including the US, Canada and Australia, the British bill contains no limits. A group of peers is expected to support an amendment by Lord Dubs calling for strict limits. The letter is signed by Lord Dubs, Dominic Grieve, the former attorneygeneral, and Baron Wallace of Tankerness, the Scottish Lib Dem peer. The justice group Reprieve has been campaigning for limits in the bill. Dan Dolan, Reprieve’s deputy director, said: “This bill leaves the door open to statesanctioned murder, torture or rape.” The Home Office has said authorisations would have robust safeguards.
Covert warfare by Russia and China, including cyberhacking and disinformation, risks an “uncontrollable state of all-out war”, the head of the armed forces has warned. General Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, said clandestine activity by hostile states did not reach the threshold for war but could quickly “light a fuse” if it were misunderstood or escalated. “And, of course, if you look back over history, it’s those moments of miscalculation which often precipitate what ends up being an uncontrollable state of war. And that’s the bit that we really, really have to watch.” In a new podcast General Carter and other military and security figures sound the alarm about the risk of interference by hostile states leading to conflict. Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb, a former director of special forces who led British troops in the Iraq war, said the UK was in a “gathering storm” comparable to the early 1930s before the escalation in hostilities with Germany led to the Second World War. He told Into The Grey Zone, a podcast by Sky News, that the constant covert attacks were akin to being “boiled like a frog”. If proper action was not taken to thwart hostilities, he added, “then don’t be surprised if we end up in 1939 — and
a world war which nearly killed this country and would have changed the global order as we know it”. Tensions between Russia and Britain have escalated since the Kremlin was blamed for the attempted assassination of the former double agent Sergei Skripal with a nerve agent in Salisbury in 2018. In July the National Cyber Security Centre accused Russia of using cybercriminals to try to hack into Britain’s vaccine research. Senior intelligence officials including
The actress Celia Imrie has revealed that while she was in hospital with anorexia as a teenager she was told by a nurse that she was “taking up the bed of a really sick child”. The 68-year-old star of Calendar Girls and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel developed the eating disorder after being told she was too big to become a dancer. She was admitted to hospital at the age of 14, weighing just four stone, and was subjected to electroconvulsive therapy. Imrie now says anorexia sufferers are the only people who can cure themselves and says she is “living proof” it can be done. Speaking on the Andy Jaye podcast, Imrie said it took the brutal honesty of a nurse at Great Ormond Street hospital in London to make her realise that she could cure herself. Asked how she managed to get herself well, Imrie replied: “I was very young actually, I was in Great Ormond Street and a staff nurse said to me, ‘You do realise you are taking up the bed of a really sick child, don’t you?’ “Now for me you see that was the best thing she could possibly have said because it was a real wake-up call . . . I’m not trying to dismiss it because it’s a very grim thing to go through but you have to understand, anybody that’s suffering from anorexia, that you got yourself there and you truly are the only person that can get yourself out of it.”
General Sir Nick Carter says Britain is being targeted by hostile states
Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, have warned, however, that China represents a greater long-term threat. They say it has been engaged in attempts to steal British intellectual property and target technology and infrastructure. Into The Grey Zone, which starts today, details the types of activity carried out by hostile states and the evolution of warfare into cyberhacking and disinformation that aims to discredit Britain. In the first episode General Carter outlines the risk if the often invisible threat is not countered: “So on the one hand, we might wake up one day and
discover that we are in a police state and all of our freedoms have been denied us. That’s one end of it. The other end of it is that our opponents will have found a way to unravel our democracy from inside. And our freedom, our way of life and all the things that we espouse would have been undermined. And we won’t have noticed it.” Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, says Britain is being targeted every day by adversaries using cybertools, disinformation, financial corruption and organised crime to “divide us, to weaken us or to compete with us”. He says that “grey zone” warfare involves undermining democracies or crippling an economy “without a shot being fired”. He continues: “And then, if you did want to drive in one day with your armoured brigade, there’s not much left to get in the way.” In a later episode Lord Sedwill, who was national security adviser until September, warns about what is at stake if democracies do not wake up. He says: “The danger is that by the time we notice that the damage has been done, it is too late to address it. This is the particularly worrisome nature of the grey zone. It isn’t driven by events . . . You don’t realise that [institutions and the democratic system] have been undermined until it’s already happened because it’s an accumulation of small actions rather than a particular set of events.”
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Rembrandt’s reader comes out of shadows ALAMY; JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
David Sanderson Arts Correspondent
The Duke of Buccleuch has finally given An Old Woman Reading the space she deserves. For nearly two decades the Rembrandt masterpiece has been in hiding, placed 12ft high on a wall in the upper reaches of a Scottish castle after thieves stole a neighbouring painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The enforced isolation has, the tenth duke admits, been a “great sadness because you can’t really see and enjoy her”. He has now moved the multimillion-pound portrait into a space where it can properly be appreciated. But while it now hangs at eye level and is not crowded by other artworks, visitors to the castle will still have to go through a secret door and up a staircase or two to find it. The August 2003 theft of Leonardo’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder byy visitors to Drumlanrig Castle, in Dumfries and Galloway, jolted the family into placing their Rembrandt closer to the turrets and above the gaze of most appreciative eyes. The documentary film My Rembrandt explores the paranoia in the Buccleuch family after the theft in which two men bought entry tickets to the castle, grabbed the Leonardo from a downstairs wall and escaped through the hills of southern Scotland in a car. The documentary, by the Dutch director Oeke Hoogendijk, which is now on general release, shows the duke allowing Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum to bring the portrait down from its lofty perch above a fireplace on a little-visited upper floor. Taco Dibbits, director-general of the museum, tells the duke: “It is too high up and the intimacy it has now is lost.” The duke, who is one of Britain’s biggest private landowners with about 200,000 acres, tells Mr Dibbits that the fear of losing another old master had prompted them to move An Old Woman Reading to a littlevisited room. After describing its position as a bit of a “problem” he added: “Our beautiful, lovely, glorious lady . . . she hangs high and out of reach because in 2003 we had an awful theft from the castle. There was a Leonardo painting which hung downstairs. They were
An Old Woman Reading has been moved by the tenth Duke of Buccleuch to a small room in Drumlanrig Castle, which is accessed through a secret door hidden behind another painting
side by side. My father was so shaken by what happened that he decided that she should instead hang high up on a higher floor. But it is a great sadness because you can’t really see and enjoy her.” Mr Dibbits, who has placed An Old Woman Reading
on the museum’s list of top three “must buy” Rembrandts still in private collections, tells the film-makers that the Rijksmuseum — which holds more works by the old master than any other institution — would “like to acquire [it] . . . when you see this painting then you fall in love on the spot”. However, the duke is adamant that he just wants to “draw her [portrait] into the family and have her in a space . . . where she can read her book while we are reading our book as well”. A small reading room — apparently reached through a secret door hidden behind another painting in one of the castle’s corridors — is chosen for An Old Woman Reading. The duke is
later seen reading with the portrait above him. The painting has been in the family for over two centuries, however, it is difficult to estimate its value with few Rembrandts remaining in private hands. In 2015 the Louvre and Rijksmuseum joined to pay the Rothschild banking family £160 million for Rembrandt’s portraits of the married couple Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit. The marginalisation of An Old Woman Reading for safety reasons is the latest twist in what has become one of Britain’s most remarkable art thefts. The duke’s version of Leonardo’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder was recovered four years after it was stolen when
police raided the offices of a law firm in Glasgow. The ninth duke had died aged 83 a month earlier. In 2010 a solicitor, Marshall Ronald, and four other men were tried and acquitted of threatening to destroy the masterpiece unless they were paid £4.25 million. Mr Ronald subsequently brought a civil action against the duke, claiming that he had agreed to pay him the £4.25 million through an intermediary. The Court of Session in Edinburgh threw out the claim. The Leonardo has been on loan to National Galleries of Scotland, where security arrangements ensure that it, at least, can be seen at eye level and without the need for secret doors.
Villagers brew a plan to save their pub Mint cashes in with coin for Charlotte Wace Northern Correspondent
The Travellers Rest pub has been a feature of Skeeby, a North Yorkshire village, since the 19th century. Its closure in 2008 caused immense sadness in the area. Two years later the Skeeby Community Pub Society was set up to try to save it. For more than a decade, members have kept up a tireless battle to run it as a community pub, hoping to defeat a developer’s plan to turn it into housing. Now what is thought to be Britain’s longest-running community pub campaign stands a chance of victory after Richmondshire district council agreed to look into the prospect of a compulsory purchase order. An appeal for pledges of financial support from people formally giving
their intention to donate or buy shares has reached more than £100,000. “I feel there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Richard Wright, a committee member, said. “We do feel we’ve got to the point where the council are really considering it.” Kay Richardson, 36, who grew up in Skeeby, worked in the pub from the age of 13 until she left school. “It was such a lovely atmosphere,” she said. “I can remember in summer doing 100 Sunday dinners. It was so busy because it was so popular. All weekend it would be packed to the rafters. It is just so sad to see it empty and looking unloved.” Andrew Lovell, 64, described how his great-great grandparents ran the pub for 60 years in the 19th century. “It was a centre of the village and villages need a centre,” he said. Carol Wilkinson moved to the village
six years ago, after the Travellers Rest had closed. She was instrumental in the success of a similar community pub campaign in a neighbouring area. She claimed that the coronavirus helped to relaunch the campaign because people became more aware of the community and the increasing need for strong community ties. “Once it is gone, it is gone for ever,” she said. “It’s been there for years and it would be a travesty to see it go now.” Skeeby villagers remain hopeful that they will succeed over the landowner. A spokesman for the district council said that it was exploring the possibility of utilising compulsory purchase order powers to help break the deadlock in negotiation. He said: “The council . . . is working closely with the community pub group to help them develop their business case.”
anniversary of decimalisation Commemorative coins celebrating the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day have been launched by the Royal Mint. The decimal currency system was formally adopted in Britain on February 15, 1971, evolving from the centuries-old tradition of pounds, shillings and pence. The transition took years of planning and involved a huge information campaign. To strike the coins, a new factory was needed, with machinery, production techniques and processes. The 50p commemorative
coin was designed by Dominique Evans. She said that people “still have a fondness for the pre-decimal coins” and that they could still be found “in random jumbles, in boxes and drawers, which led me to place together the denominations as if you had just found them and were looking at them from above”. The coin will be sold on the Royal Mint’s website in a range of finishes, priced from £10 up to £2,175, for a gold version. The Royal Mint is also asking people to share images of their coin collections.
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Police boss admits all-white senior team is ‘not OK’ David Brown
The chief constable of the force where five policemen were sacked for “abhorrent” racist language has said “it is not OK” that her senior officers are all white. Olivia Pinkney of Hampshire police said she was very aware that her senior leadership team “look the way they do” and admitted that she was concerned by the lack of diversity. The highestranking black officer in the county is a chief inspector. Ms Pinkney criticised her force after detectives in a serious organised crime unit were sacked for racist and sexist
language. She said: “If we look at the chief officer group of this constabulary, we are half female and have all sorts of other diverse characteristics — but we are all white. I’m really aware of that and so I’m doing what I can to mitigate in the short term and I have a detailed plan, which also national policing has as well, to try and shift that balance. It’s not OK that we look like we do across UK policing and I know my colleagues and I are determined to shift that.” The 2011 census found that 7 per cent of the county’s citizens were non-white. Six members of Hampshire’s serious organised crime team were found guilty last Friday of gross misconduct
Olivia Pinkney said that it was vital that the police was an inclusive place to be employed
for using “the whole array” of offensive language in a series of covert recordings after a complaint was made about their behaviour. The officers, based at the northern police investigation centre in Basingstoke, were accused of either making “abhorrent” comments or not challenging others who did. Detective Con-
stable Sol Koranteng, the only black officer on the team of 14, was likened to a mixed-breed dog and accused of being “stolen from Africa” in a crate to be taken to London Zoo, and it was suggested that he had “forged qualifications” from Nigeria. They nicknamed the area of the office where Mr Koranteng and a white South African colleague worked “African corner” and hung a map of Africa on the wall there. A disciplinary panel in Eastleigh ruled that the officers’ behaviour was so serious that all six accused, with the exception of the most junior officer, should be dismissed from the force. John Bassett, the chairman of the
panel, said that the unit’s conduct was “shameful” and the “antithesis” of what the public expected. Chief Inspector Ricky Dhanda, who has been in the force for 14 years, is the highest-ranking non-white officer in Hampshire. Commander Alison Heydari left the constabulary last year after two decades to join the Metropolitan Police. She is the most senior black female police officer in the UK. Ms Pinkney said after the officers were sacked: “Policing has never before been under so much appropriate scrutiny. There is no place in my force, or in policing more widely, for those who do not live up to this standard.” LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Flipping glorious An open water swimmer makes the most of the quiet before dawn by breaking the ice for a dip in a lake near Scunthorpe at the weekend
Officers need racial training, says athlete put in handcuffs The Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams has welcomed the outcome of a review into the Metropolitan Police’s use of handcuffs after she was subjected to a stop and search, but says more effective racial bias training is needed. The athlete accused the force of “racially profiling” her and her partner, Ricardo dos Santos, when they were handcuffed and separated from their three-month-old son last July. Dame Cressida Dick, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, apologised to Williams after a video of the couple’s car being stopped in Maida Vale, west London, was posted online by their coach Linford Christie, the Olympic gold medallist. Dame Cressida ordered a review, led by Matt Twist, a deputy assistant commissioner, into the use of handcuffs where an arrest has not been made, a tactic often used for stop and search. Scotland Yard said on Friday that it would improve its “training, policy and processes” following the review, which made ten recommendations. Williams
Bianca Williams was searched by police last July
welcomed the announcement, but said: “The handcuffs were painful and it was incredibly humiliating to be separated from my baby . . . While I welcome better training in the Met on the use of handcuffs, the trauma of the incident did not start or end with the handcuffing. It was racial stereotyping and prejudice. I would like to see some effective bias training as well as better training on the use of force.” Scotland Yard said that it would develop a “specific policy on handcuffing pre-arrest . . . including the requirement to justify any initial application of handcuffs as well as their continued use”. The review said that the use of handcuffs “cannot, and must not, be considered a matter of routine”.
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Woman tasered and arrested after two men die at house David Brown
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two men died at a house in east London. The 28-year-old suspect was tasered by the police who had been called to a disturbance at the semi-detached house in Ilford at 4.30am yesterday. Inamul Hussain, 32, a neighbour, said he called the police after hearing a woman screaming at the house. “I saw them taser her, she had blood on her. I heard police say, ‘Put the knife down,’ ” he said. “She was screaming something about her husband but it was quite broken, I think they’re Polish. Several men and several women live there, they are always partying and drinking.” Mr Hussain recorded a video of several police officers outside the house, in which they can be heard shouting “Show me your hands now”, “Come here now” and “Get out, get on the floor now.” Abid Ahmad told the Ilford Recorder: “[The woman] was screaming for help about 10 or 15 minutes prior to the police coming, She seemed terrified. “I heard a loud noise before she came running out of the house at about 4.15am screaming. I heard her talking about her husband when the police came and asked her who’s inside, but I don’t know who the other man was.” Another neighbour said that he had heard screams before the woman was seen with a knife in her hand. Kuddus Miah, 44, said: “She was screaming, ‘Help, help, call the police.’ ” He said that another neighbour had seen the woman “coming in and out of the house crying out for help and apparently had a knife in her hand”. “She was maybe around 5ft 5in, blonde hair, maybe late twenties,” he added. “Apparently they were new tenants.” Mr Miah said that the woman was later transferred from a police van to an ambulance. “I heard the lady screaming inside the ambulance,” he said. Ambulance crew went to the scene but the men had died in the house, a
Scotland Yard spokesman said. The woman, who suffered minor injuries, was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment. Other neighbours also described being woken by screams. One man, who gave his name only as Singh, said: “She was quite hysterical, calling for the police, screaming. She was at the doorstep then went back inside and then out again, screaming for help.” A video showed police officers at the front door checking whether officers inside had a defibrillator. The owner of the rented house said that she did not know the identity of the tenants. Last night the police said that the victims’ relatives had not yet been informed of their deaths. Khayer Chowdhury, the cabinet member for crime on Redbridge
Police were called to a disturbance at the house at about 4.30am yesterday
council, said he had been briefed by the police about the deaths and said there was “no wider threat to the public”. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that the two victims were believed to have been in their forties. He added: “Homicide detectives in the Met’s specialist crime command are investigating. “They are working to understand the full circumstances, including how the parties were known to each other. Officers believe they know the identity of the deceased and are working to inform next of kin.” The arrested woman has been released from hospital after treatment for her injuries. Last night she was in police custody.
Delivery driver killed by his own car during ‘robbery bid’ A 14-year-old boy has been arrested after a suspected robbery in which a takeaway delivery driver was hit by his own car. The man later died. The police were called to reports of a crash in Stockport, Greater Manchester, on Friday night. Officers believe that the car had been taken from a delivery driver and it then crashed into him. The man, who was in his fifties, was taken to hospital, where he died yesterday afternoon. The boy was earlier arrested on suspicion of robbery and is in custody. The police are still looking for a silver Mercedes that they believe was stolen. Detective Inspector Charlotte Whalley, said: “This was a horrific ordeal that
has rocked the community. At this stage it is thought there were others involved in the incident and we’re currently carrying out a number of lines of inquiry to trace those believed to be responsible. “We’re continuing to ask the public to come forward with any information that may assist us — even the smallest bit of information can prove vital. “Anyone who may have seen a silver Mercedes in the area at the time or may have seen it in suspicious circumstances since is asked to get in touch — this vehicle could prove vital in our investigation. We’re also keen for anyone with any CCTV or dashcam footage to get in touch.”
JORDAN PETTITT/SOLENT NEWS & PHOTO AGENCY
All change A British Rail Class 483 train has finished its regular run on the Isle of Wight and will switch to its steam railway
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City car park was bathed in former glory Nadeem Badshah
Toughing it out A kingfisher hovers over an ice hole in Leeds, a robin at the RHS garden at Wisley, Surrey; and gulls in Sefton park, Liverpool Weather, page 53
A Victorian bath house has been discovered beneath a car park during work to create the first public park in Manchester in a century. The Italianate building was demolished after being bombed in the Second World War but the remains of its pools were uncovered by archaeologists from the University of Salford. The tiles of the Mayfield Baths on Baring Street, where the largest pool was 62ft long, were found in “stunning” condition. The bath house, which opened in 1857, served workers from the print and textiles factories in the area behind Manchester Piccadilly railway station. Graham Mottershead, of Salford Archaeology, said: “Crowded and substandard living conditions gave rise to cholera and typhoid . . . the baths would have been a vital source of hygiene.” The team uncovered the remains of two large tiled pools and parts of boilers, flues and pumps that were used to heat and circulate water around the pools and laundry rooms. Mayfield Partnership, the company building a 6.5-acre park, 1,500 homes, retail and office space on the land, said that it would preserve the tiles.
Breeder loses dogs in private prosecution Nadeem Badshah
The first private prosecution of unlicensed dog breeding, launched by an animal charity, has led to a breeder being forced to give up two rescued pets. Nicola Palmer was the subject of the legal action by Phoenix Rehoming after she breached her adoption contract by failing to remove the reproductive organs of male and female dogs brought to the UK from Romania. Palmer, 39, had no licence to breed the dogs but allowed them to have nine puppies, five of which sold for £300 each. The rest were given to family members. Phoenix Rehoming sought help from the charity Animal Protec-
tion Services, which organised the private prosecution. Palmer, of Kesgrave, Suffolk, was accused of three charges of theft relating to the two adult dogs and the litter and breeding dogs without a licence. A spokesman for Animal Protection Services said: “We believe this is the first ever private prosecution relating to an unlicensed dog breeder. “We have found that there are a growing number of people cashing in on the huge demand for puppies caused by the coronavirus pandemic and people spending more time at home . . . there are also organised crime groups who are getting involved in breeding. Many groups are switching from drugs to puppies because there is so little en-
Nicola Palmer said she thought the two adopted dogs “were entirely mine”
forcement. The law about licensing breeders is supposed to be enforced by local authorities, but they have only brought a handful of cases. We are in the process of bringing a further seven
private prosecutions of people involved in unlicensed breeding.” Palmer returned the adult dogs when she was served with the summons at her home last month. The theft charges were dropped at Suffolk magistrates’ court last Wednesday in return for her pleading guilty to not having a breeding licence. Palmer, who is on benefits, was given a conditional discharge, and ordered to pay £230 towards the estimated £11,000 costs of the prosecution, and a £21 victim surcharge. Palmer, who made a donation of £530 to the charity for the puppies, said: “It wasn’t made clear to me when I took on the dogs that the charity still owned them even though I had paid for them.
I had all their paperwork and passports showing they had been imported from Romania so in my mind they were entirely mine.” Anyone making more than £1,000 a year from dog breeding has to acquire a local authority licence with the exception of the breeding of family pets. The Times reported in 2019 that pet detectives were deploying software used to tackle terrorists to trawl classified ad websites and identify thousands of potential puppy farms. The software, which utilises technology similar to that used by police and intelligence services to tackle serious crime including child abuse, looks for identical photographs or common phone numbers and physical addresses.
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AI identifies tumours to speed up treatment of cancer Katie Gibbons
A hospital in Cambridge is the first to use artificial intelligence technology developed by Microsoft to treat cancer patients faster, helping to cut the treatment backlog and save lives. Addenbrooke’s is the first hospital in the world to use Inner Eye, software that automatically highlights tumours and healthy organs from scans, reducing the time it takes clinicians to prepare radiotherapy treatment by up to 90 per cent. The results are then checked and confirmed by a clinical oncologist before treatment starts. Up to half the people in the UK will
develop cancer at some point in their life. Of those, half will be treated with radiotherapy, which involves focusing high-intensity radiation beams to damage the DNA of tumours while avoiding surrounding healthy organs. Many cancers can grow rapidly if left untreated so reducing the lengthy treatmentplanning stage will help save lives. Inner Eye is the result of an eightyear project with Microsoft and Addenbrooke’s and is being introduced in other NHS trusts. It is easy to access and free to use. When the AI tool is in place, hospitals will be able to use their own data to improve accuracy. Raj Jena, an oncologist at Adden-
Case study
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isa Miles lost her father, John Mason, to prostate cancer in May. It was diagnosed in November 2019 and he was told that radiotherapy would start after Christmas, but there were delays to the treatment plan being drawn up and it was rescheduled for
March. Then the pandemic hit and everything stopped. In May Mr Mason, 80, collapsed and was taken to hospital where doctors found the cancer had spread to his liver and lungs. Palliative care was the only option. Ms Miles said: “He would be alive today if his
treatment hadn’t been delayed. We went from being told in November that it was fully treatable to him dying in May. “Anything that helps to speed up treatment is a game changer. I don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through.”
brooke’s, said: “To be diagnosed with a tumour of any kind is an incredibly traumatic experience for patients. So as clinicians we want to start radiotherapy promptly to improve survival rates and reduce anxiety. Using machine-learning tools can save time for busy clinicians and help get our patients into treatment as quickly as possible.” To determine the best course of treatment and where and when radiotherapy will be most beneficial, a series of 3D scans must be taken of the patient. These images come in the form of stacks of 2D images, dozens of images deep, each of which must be examined and marked up by a radiation oncologist, clinical oncologist or specialist technician, a process called contouring. In each image, an expert must manually draw a contour line around the tumours and key healthy organs in the
target area using dedicated computer software. For complex cases this can take several hours in the planning of a single patient’s treatment but Inner Eye can do this task 13 times faster. Pat Price, a professor at Imperial College London and chairwoman of Action Radiotherapy, a charity, said: “This is just one brilliant example of the quiet but amazing technological revolution that has unfolded in radiotherapy in recent years and could dramatically improve cancer survival rates.” Cancer waiting times were causing concern before the coronavirus struck and the pandemic has exacerbated this, with people now missing out on potentially life-saving diagnoses and treatment. In England at least 4.4 million fewer scans were performed between April and September last year compared to the same period in 2019. One in seven people is now waiting more than three months for a scan as the NHS attempts to clear the backlog. Hilary Stobart, 66, who was treated for breast cancer at Addenbrooke’s ten years ago is now telling patients about the new technology. “Waiting for treatment is one of the hardest things. You want the tumour to be treated as quickly as possible to stop it growing but you’re also worried about the potential damage to tissue around, which for me was heart and lungs. By the time you get to radiotherapy you’ve had all these tests, it is very stressful, so anything that speeds up the process will have a huge impact on survival rates and the psychological wellbeing of patients.”
Vaping teens turn into smokers Teenagers who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to become daily smokers, according to a study. The research showed that those who start vaping early and develop a nicotine addiction are at risk of becoming heavy smokers as they get older. The study was based on annual interviews with a representative sample of people aged from 12 to 24 between 2014 and 2018. One of the authors, John Pierce, a professor emeritus in cancer research at the University of California, San Diego, said: “This is the first paper that actually looks at progression to dependent cigarette smoking among young adults. E-cigarettes are a
gateway for those who become daily cigarette smokers.” In 2019, about 15 per cent of 11 to 18year-olds in the UK said they had tried vaping. Professor Pierce added: “The start product has changed from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, but the end product has stayed the same. When users become dependent on nicotine, they are converting to cigarette smoking.” Co-author Karen Messer said: “Trying e-cigarettes and other tobacco products before the age of 18 is strongly associated with becoming a daily cigarette smoker.” The findings were published in the online edition of Pediatrics.
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the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Children among 150 migrants caught crossing the Channel in freezing fog
Giant shark babies were born 2m long
ALAN FRASER/ALAMY; STEVE FINN
David Brown
Border patrols intercepted about 150 migrants attempting to cross the Channel in freezing fog at the weekend. The Home Office said last night that UK border officials dealt with four small boat incidents involving 57 people yesterday. The French authorities prevented 12 people departing their territory and four boats carrying 38 people were stopped entering UK waters. The Border Force’s coastal patrol vessel Hunter suffered engine problems during the rescue operation. A spokesman said the problem was “quickly resolved and she adhered to all maritime safety requirements”. Six small boats were caught by Border Force patrols and taken into the harbour on Saturday. One boat carrying about 30 men, women and children was towed into Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne, after getting into difficulty 23 miles off Beachy Head. Another 29 people were stopped in three boats in dangerous conditions by French authorities before they could reach the UK. The bad weather has meant that this was only the second batch of migrant crossings this year. On January 2 one boat carrying about ten people was intercepted and taken into Dover Marina. A record 8,410 migrants were intercepted making the treacherous Channel crossing by small boat last year, more than four times the 1,850 who made the journey in 2019. It came as it was announced that the home secretary has set up a command centre to catch people smugglers. Priti Patel had predicted last spring that crossings by small boats would be “infrequent”. She has now created a hub to co-ordinate land, sea and air operations. The command centre, which includes police, Border Force officers and the operators of surveillance drones, will be at the heart of Operation Altair, led by Dan O’Mahoney, the government’s small boats commander. It will be linked to partners in Calais. Mr O’Mahoney told The Sun on Sunday: “Improved intelligence-sharing has meant that the French prevented more than 6,000 attempts last year, but we know that more needs to be done. By setting up the new command cell, we are making the UK’s and French law enforcement response more agile than it has ever been.” A total of 211 people made it to British shores last month, including 33 who arrived on New Year’s Eve. Nine people are known to have died while attempting to cross the Channel
Migrants arriving in Eastbourne included children. At Dover Marina a group was taken ashore by Border Force officials
last year, including a family of five and two other men who drowned in October when their boat capsized off Dunkirk. The bodies of Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, a Kurdish-Iranian, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, Anita, nine, and Armin, six, were recovered. The body of 15-month-old Artin and two other men who were on board the boat when it capsized off Loon-Plage
near Dunkirk have not been recovered. Chris Philp, the minister for immigration compliance, said: “People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and not risk their lives making a dangerous and illegally facilitated crossing. “Post-EU exit, this government will work to fix the broken asylum system. Changes to the law are being made to enable cases to be treated as inadmissi-
ble if they have travelled through a safe country. The government will continue to seek to return those with no legal right to remain.” Last year the EU recorded the lowest number of illegal migrants detected crossing its external borders since 2013. Frontex, the EU’s border agency, said the reduction was largely due to restrictions relating to the coronavirus pandemic.
Postcode error brings lorry gridlock to quiet village Ben Webster
This will be a “nail-biting week” at Britain’s borders with the end of the Christmas lull and post-Brexit red tape expected to cause serious delays, road haulage industry leaders have warned. A village in Kent had a foretaste of any potential chaos when 30 lorries clogged its narrow streets last week after they were given the wrong postcode when they were diverted from the Eurotunnel terminal near Folkestone. Video taken by residents of Mersham last Thursday showed lorries meeting head-on and having to try to negotiate tight corners. One scene featured a row of three lorries stuck down a narrow road. The drivers had turned up at the ter-
Ashford
KENT M20
Mersham
Folkestone
A2070 Five miles
minal without the required Covid-19 test and were sent to a testing centre at a new lorry park at Sevington but they were given the wrong postcode on a government leaflet. Stewart Ross, who lives in the village, described the situation as a fiasco. He said: “It’s basic — even a primary school kid would get that right. Nobody in the
village has blamed the drivers — we have always thought the problem is with the authorities as they haven’t got their act together.” The issue was solved by the end of Thursday, with extra signs and staff directing lorries to the right location. The Road Haulage Association said there could be far worse delays this week because there would be many more lorries trying to cross the Channel to France and French customs officials were expected to be much stricter with drivers without the right documents. “I’m very worried about this coming week. It’s going to be tough — a nailbiting week,” Rod McKenzie, the association’s director of policy, said. He said businesses had stockpiled goods ahead of the Brexit deadline,
meaning there had been fewer lorries than normal in the first few days of January but numbers would rise again this week, with up to 6,000 lorries a day crossing to France compared with only 2,000 a day last week. Mr McKenzie accused the government of unfairly suggesting businesses would be to blame for any delays because they had failed to prepare for the additional paperwork required. “This is very complicated and there are not enough customs agents to process forms. Traders are not used to it, they don’t have the experience,” he said. “The French last week said they were going to turn a blind eye to some things but this week they have flagged very clearly that they are going to rigidly enforce the border.”
The ancient megalodon, or megatooth shark, gave birth to babies larger than most adult humans which grew by feeding on unhatched eggs in the womb, new research has suggested. The animal, which lived roughly 23 to 3.6 million years ago, reached a length of at least 15 metres (50ft). According to the study in Historical Biology, from the moment of birth Otodus megalodon was already a big fish. Kenshu Shimada, professor of paleobiology at DePaul University in Chicago and lead author of the study, said: “As one of the largest carnivores that ever existed on Earth, deciphering such growth parameters of megalodon is critical to understand the role large carnivores play in the context of the evolution of marine ecosystems.” Researchers scanned growth bands in megalodon vertebrae specimens at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. Measuring up to 15cm in diameter, the vertebrae were previously estimated to have come from an individual about nine metres long based on comparisons with vertebrae of modern great white sharks, according to the researchers. The images revealed the vertebrae to have 46 growth bands, meaning that the nine-metre megalodon fossil died aged 46. By back-calculating its body length when each band formed, they estimated that the shark’s size at birth was about two metres long, suggesting that megalodon gave birth to possibly the largest babies in the shark world. Researchers said the data also indicated that like all present-day sharks, an embryonic megalodon grew inside its mother by feeding on unhatched eggs in the womb — a practice known as oophagy. Martin Becker, of William Paterson University in New Jersey, co-author of the study, said: “Results from this work shed new light on the life history of megalodon, not only how megalodon grew but also how its embryos developed, how it gave birth and how long it could have lived.”
Bentley keys on hotel lost property list Airline tickets, an engagement ring and an array of valuable goods were among items left behind by people who stayed at Travelodge hotels last year. One business traveller in Chester left the keys to a brand-new Bentley, and a stockbroker staying in London left behind a file that contained share certificates worth £500,000. A company chief executive staying in Aberdeen missed his flight home as he had to return to the hotel for a lucky penny that he had carried for 40 years. Other items discovered by staff included two first-class tickets to the Maldives and a marriage certificate. Shakila Ahmed, of Travelodge, said: “With millions of customers annually staying at our 563 hotels across the length and breadth of the UK for thousands of different reasons, we do get a range of interesting items left behind. “This year’s audit includes an R2-D2 robot, a William Shakespeare outfit with skull, a money tree bearing £50 notes, a 60-year-old marriage certificate, a six-foot cuddly polar bear and a message in a bottle wedding proposal.”
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Student’s dismay as university finds man groped her but lets him stay Arthi Nachiappan, Maddy Mussen
Warwick University faces further claims that it failed to deal with sexual misconduct after a student who was groped on campus criticised the authorities for allowing her assailant back there. Jessica, not her real name, criticised the university for disregarding her wishes after she said that she did not wish to see the man at the university again. In 2019 Jessica was watching a film with a friend in his room in a hall of residence when he tried to kiss her and touched her breasts under her clothing without her consent. She alleges that he also twice tried to put his hands down her trousers. The incident “ruined” her university experience, Jessica said, and she fell behind with her studies. In an impact statement sent to the university she added that seeing the man on campus would be “hugely triggering”. She complained to the university instead of to the police after an independent sexual violence adviser told her that a police report could take years to conclude and that she might run into the man on campus in the meantime. At a disciplinary hearing the man admitted two of four allegations and partially admitted a third. After delays caused by the pandemic, the university told Jessica in November that they considered three of four allegations proven. The man was ordered to avoid the campus for any reason other than education for the rest of his course and to join a sexual misconduct behavioural change programme. Both parties were told to avoid contact. “I was shocked,” Jessica said. “Even if he is only supposed to go to lectures or seminars, you can’t really monitor what he does on campus, so he can still roam
freely. The buildings we study in are quite close to each other. I told the university I didn’t want to see him on campus and it was totally disregarded.” The university has moved to online learning because of the pandemic but the restrictions will apply when teaching in person resumes. It emerged in 2018 that 11 male students at Warwick shared graphic comments about rape, genital mutilation and assault against their female peers in a group chats on social media. Three students were expelled. Two had their suspensions cut from ten years to one on appeal but decided not to return. Female students named in the chat said they were disappointed that the perpetrators had not faced greater sanctions and Stuart Croft, the vice-chancellor, publicly apologised about the handling of the incident. In November a Warwick student who said she was raped on campus accused the vice-chancellor of presiding over a “toxic” culture in which women’s claims were not taken seriously. Daisy Ingrey, 19, and Emilie Eisenberg, 18, set up the “Shame On You Warwick” campaign to support those who experienced sexual violence while at the university. They have had meetings with university staff and students’ union officers to discuss how to prevent sexual assault, and support victims. A spokesman for the university and Warwick Students’ Union said that students involved in disciplinary cases were supported by liaison officers and members of disciplinary panels received sexual misconduct training. “Our policy on sexual misconduct is clear — it will not be tolerated,” the spokesman said. “Individuals found to have broken our values, either by police or by our disciplinary processes, will face sanctions, which may include expulsion.”
Ocado warns of shortages due to Covid and Brexit Nadeem Badshah
Ocado has warned customers of stock shortages over the next few weeks because of staff absences due to Covid-19 and post-Brexit customs controls on hauliers. Food and drink industry bosses said controls were due to be tightened this week, risking disruption of supplies. The online supermarket said: “Changes to the UK supply chain have affected some of our suppliers and may result in an increase in missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks.” It added: “Staff absences across the supply chain may lead to an increase in product substitutions . . . as some suppliers consolidate their offering to maintain output.” Logistics UK, the hauliers’ trade body, said that low traffic in the days after new year was “masking a serious lack of trader readiness”. Some categories of food imports were running at 20 per cent of normal levels as a result of shoppers stockpiling before December
31. The delays are being caused by nontariff barriers, including the requirement to produce health certificates and a certificate of origin. Every HGV sent by a major high street retailer from the mainland to Northern Ireland had failed to comply with the new rules on food hygiene and safety, according to David Wells, chief executive of Logistics UK, resulting in the vehicles being diverted to a border control post for inspection. He wrote to Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, urging him to intervene to relax “formalities for vital food supply chains into Northern Ireland from Great Britain”. Dominic Goudie, head of international trade at the Food and Drink Federation, told The Sunday Times: “We will be faced with a double whammy of a huge increase in volume, at the same time as the rigorous checks start to creep in.” The government says the food industry is “well-prepared” to ensure people have the food they need.
SOTHEBYS/PA
Lock stock The key to the bedroom on Elba in which Napoleon Bonaparte died is to be sold by Sotheby’s in London after being found in a trunk in Scotland
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Patel to make police explain unpopular decisions Francis Elliott Political Editor
The home secretary is preparing to force police chiefs and police and crime commissioners to do more to explain controversial operational decisions. This month Priti Patel will publish the recommendations of a review into PCCs, which were introduced in 2012 to make the police more accountable. Recommendations include drawing “brighter” lines on what constitutes operational independence and moving to first-past-the-post for PCC elections after the polls in May. Allies of the home secretary denied that she intended to use the review as a power grab or to limit police chiefs’ independ-
ence after a series of controversies including the policing of last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests. However, Ms Patel was critical of a decision not to intervene when a statue of Edward Colston was toppled into Bristol harbour in protest at his links to slavery. Sue Mountstevens, the police and crime commissioner for Avon and Somerset, refused to comment on the policing and the decision to prosecute those responsible. She said it was a matter of operational independence. In a statement she said: “It is important that I enable the police service and chief constable to operate independently.” However, government sources say that
Four-year wait for court trials Nadeem Badshah
Victims of crime, defendants and witnesses are waiting up to four years for a crown court trial, lawyers say. The number of outstanding cases has risen to 53,000 while the caseload in magistrates’ courts is more than 400,000. David Greene, president of the Law Society, told The Guardian: “After years of
underfunding and cuts, there was already a significant backlog in the criminal courts which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. This means justice is being delayed for victims, witnesses and defendants . . .” HM Courts and Tribunal Service said: “The magistrates’ backlog continues to fall and our crown courts list thousands of cases each week, including more than 250 jury trials.”
Police were criticised over the toppling of a statue of Edward Colston in Bristol
commissioners should take a more prominent role and accuse some of hiding behind operational independence to avoid public comment. A source said: “That’s the sort of occasion where the current system isn’t working in that the person elected to have a view on just that sort of incident and to be accountable for it goes missing.” They added that Ms Patel was keen to achieve a cross-party consensus and agreement of the police forces themselves on clearer protocols governing how far and in what circumstances police chiefs ccould use their operational independence. Paddy Tipping, of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “We can all learn from experience and this
is an opportunity to reflect on the role and help shape and develop it.” Andrew Gwynne, a Labour member of the home affairs committee, said that the coalition government was warned about some of the “problems” with the system when introducing it in 2011. He added: “I do worry it is a power grab, because different areas do have different needs, do have different problems.” Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said that government “cuts to police forces like Greater Manchester police went way too far and damaged the quality of response to the public. They should be helping police forces recover and not playing politics with policing.”
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Immigration will be Biden’s biggest headache Trevor Phillips Page 28
Comment
We should welcome stricter lockdown policing Some officers are overzealous but tougher enforcement is encouraging and might mark a resurgence of spirit in forces Clare Foges
@clarefoges
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iss, we have reason to believe that the wet patch on your pocket is the result of a melted snowball. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned . . .” Another only-in-coronavirus moment last week as police in Shropshire threatened action against those indulging in snowball fights. In Mansfield a raid on a gym caused 20 Lycra-clad fugitives to flee. At Euston station in London officers were checking that travellers’ journeys were essential. The Met is now fining those caught without masks or attending parties rather than reasoning with them. The common response to all of this is outrage; accusations of “jobsworth” plods being drunk on power. I won’t deny that some incidents have been petty — seven officers swooping on a couple of women having a takeaway coffee outside is extreme — but overall I am glad of this gear change to more assertive policing. The line on the Covid-19 infections graph isn’t racing upwards faster than Blackpool’s Big One because of the incompetence of our government alone but because of the disobedience of our fellow citizens. In this age when consciences are often left unpricked by concerns about the greater good, people will get away with what they can get
away with — and many have realised they can get away with a lot. Consider the closing words in this Met statement on an illegal rave (of about 500 revellers) that was broken up last summer: “Police were called at 00.43am to reports of a large group of people gathered at an unlicensed music event in Walthamstow Forest. Officers attended. Those in attendance were dispersed by 03.19 hours. There were no arrests.” No arrests? Among 500 ravers? It is unlikely that any had stumbled across the party while out on a midnight forage for mushrooms. Hundreds decided to break the law and the law was not enforced. Below these acts of arrant stupidity are millions of minor rule-twistings that alone seem inconsequential but together notch up thousands of infections a day. The government is making increasingly desperate pleas for people to “stay at home” because it is clear they are not. Traffic is at 60 per cent of normal levels; where are
The virus cannot pole-vault walls, it needs people to mix they all going? Now that the Covid-19 situation is truly dire, now that hospitals are running out of beds and the UK’s daily death tolls are soaring above Australia’s toll for the entire pandemic, we should be relieved the police are being more assertive, notwithstanding a few overzealous officers. The virus cannot pole-vault over walls and slither through letterboxes, it needs people to mix. If the threat of flashing lights and fines deters a fraction of that mixing, good. And, though it may be premature to suggest it, my hope is that the enthusiastic policing of the moment
may signal the beginning of a longoverdue change in police culture. While outfits like Black Lives Matter might suggest that British police are as brutal as some redneck force in Texas, and while some youths who have gobbled Americanisms mutter about oppression from “the Feds”, the central problem with British policing in recent years hasn’t been that the cops form too heavy and forbidding a presence on our streets; quite the opposite. The problem is the sense that the police are in retreat, invisible, in the patrol car dreaming up some quirky message they can put on the force’s official Twitter account rather than walking the streets. Some types of crime are now barely bothered with. Over 95 per cent of burglaries go unsolved; 0.6 per cent of car thefts end with a conviction. Come to my local park one summer’s day and you will smell the fact that cannabis is de facto decriminalised, sunbathers blowing out clouds of pungent smoke. While we might long for a Dixon of Dock Green-style local presence, neighbourhood policing has collapsed. A year ago Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary warned that the public had “given up” on the police. In many places the blue line is not thin but non-existent. The decline is partly due to overstretch. While government cuts meant the reduction of frontline officers by 15 per cent between 2010 and 2018, officers were contending with more online offences and more sophisticated organised crime. Yet this is about a lot more than capacity. It is about a lack of confidence. Forces are terrified of accusations of discrimination so they jump on every politically correct bandwagon and prioritise trivial online “hate crimes”. Police officers are terrified of complaints torpedoing their careers,
from a punctured tyre. It was all about diversity, inclusion, and health and safety. For a long time we discussed the scenario of a dispute in which a man teased a female colleague about breaking a nail. Was this misogynistic? As special constables, what should our response be? I didn’t go back for lesson two. Many critics of this rather wet police culture will see their handling of Covid-19 rule-breaking as further
Police officers are terrified of complaints torpedoing careers
Police are justified in apprehending lockdown protesters and flouters
so they become risk-averse and wary of using the tools given to them. If the criminal they are chasing is injured they might be sued for it. If they stop and search a black man they might be called racist for it. If a suspect is wielding a smartphone camera at them, they might find heavily edited footage going viral off the back of it. And so a combination of scarce resources, self-protection and fear of the mob’s retribution has contributed to a culture that we might summarise as institutionally timid. I experienced this 15-odd years ago when I started training as a special constable. Lured by fantasies of chasing muggers down alleyways, I had jumped through all the hoops: written exams, fitness tests, uniform fittings. Then came the first day of lessons and excitement left me like air
evidence of the rot; minor ruleflouters are soft targets, after all. But in the zealous policing of late I glimpse something more hopeful: early signs that in these extraordinary times some police officers are recovering their initiative, becoming more proactive, enthusiastically going about their duties on the streets rather than retreating to the desk or patrol car. While it might irk some people to have police asking about their movements, at least these officers are now visible. While it might have been barmy for Derbyshire police to pour black ink into a blue lagoon to deter Instagrammers from the beauty spot, at least it showed effort and imagination. While you may see only jobsworths, I see a resurgence of spirit that has been missing for a long time; a subtle shifting from the back foot to the front. Perhaps this is fanciful. Perhaps, once this particular threat has receded, the status quo will resume. But if the snowball inquisitions of 2021 mark a shift to more assertive, proactive, on-the-street policing, that would be a very welcome thing.
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Immigration will be Biden’s biggest headache One consequence of Trump’s disgrace is that 74 million voters feel left without a champion Trevor Phillips
@mtrevorp
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fter losing the 1962 election for governor of California, a bitter Richard Nixon told the journalists whom he blamed: “You’ve had a lot of fun . . . just think how much you’re going to be missing. You won’t have Nixon to kick around any more”. It is hard to imagine a defeated politician making Nixon sound gracious; but once again, Donald Trump has managed to confound everyone’s expectations. And even in defeat he retains his great superpower: the capacity to drive his enemies crazy. It is virtually inconceivable that a Senate divided 50:50 will ever muster the two-thirds majority needed to impeach Trump. Yet the bloodlust in Congress is such that the Democrats’ House leader, Nancy Pelosi, plans to waste the next week in vain pursuit of an empty husk, when she should be helping to prepare Americans for the tough choices that will confront the new president. Any hope that Trump’s rejection of his invitation to Joe Biden’s inauguration next week (did it read “Donald: See You Next Tuesday”, perhaps?) will end America’s flirtation with extremism is forlorn. Trumpism is not an ideology but a
psychological state, characterised by for-me-or-against-me absolutism, the absence of reflection and a complete rejection of rational analysis. The disease has taken hold on both sides of the Atlantic, and it infects supporters and critics alike. Even the normally level-headed New York Times columnist Charles Blow appears to have fallen into line. This week he called for his fellow African Americans to move back to the South en masse. His “big idea” is to establish a black majority in the old Confederate slave states; in short, a return to de facto segregation. Even if this were morally conscionable, one glance at the electoral map suggests that things would not work out in the way Blow hopes. Bizarrely, the Race-Baiter-in-Chief increased his share of the vote among America’s fastest-growing minorities,
We need immigrant workers to turn the wheels of the economy and among black men; a third of Muslims voted for him. More troubling for the incoming administration is that in counties won by Biden, who prides himself on being a working-class boy from Scranton, blue-collar voters accounted for just 23 per cent of the electors, compared with 31 per cent in counties won by Trump. The Democrats are increasingly the delegates of well-educated whites and poor people of colour — almost exactly the same dilemma facing our own Labour Party. As of next week,
there will be nowhere for the left to hide, not least on the single issue that has propelled support both for Brexit and for Trumpism: immigration. On the face of it, Covid-19 has reduced the political salience of border control worldwide; according to Demetrios Papademetriou of the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, global flows have fallen by 46 per cent. But in a thoughtful essay Papademetriou, probably the foremost authority on international migration, charts the devastating toll of the disease and its downstream impact. He points out, for example, that the post-Brexit markets to which our government hopes to turn had a 20 per cent fall in migrant remittances last year; if Filipino care workers aren’t earning money in Europe, their mothers won’t be spending cash buying British beef. The biggest challenge for governments, he says, will be deciding when and how fast to reopen their economies and labour markets. Many businesses may believe they can solve their labour shortages by investment in automation and artificial intelligence. But quite apart from turning technology into a “job predator”, this approach simply won’t succeed. We can’t robotise health and social care for the elderly. And the famous prediction that the factory of the future needed just two employees — a man to feed the dog and the dog to stop the man touching the machines — hasn’t come true. Europe and the US are still short of hundreds of thousands of programmers and engineers,
who will probably be found in Asia and Africa. The fact is that we need to admit immigrant workers to help turn the wheels of the economy; but we also need to close the borders to stem the tide of Covid-19 death. Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris, herself the daughter of recent immigrants, suggests a tilt towards liberalisation. He may move quickly to get rid of some of the more egregiously unpleasant Trump legacies, such as the so-called Muslim ban, and make it easier for undocumented migrants to find a way to citizenship. But Harris’s proposed amnesty for 11 million of America’s illegal immigrants seems to have been quietly buried. I tend to favour Papademetriou’s moderate, pragmatic combination of tidying up the asylum system coupled with a tough drive to pick and mix those immigrants who will add to prosperity and social cohesion. It should fit with Biden’s amiable, pragmatic centrism. But politically it may not be enough to win back many of the 74 million who voted for the madness to continue. Kamala Harris, no doubt already planning her own presidential run, will I am sure keep Nixon’s sour 1962 press conference in mind. Americans are forgiving and forgetful; redemption is never far away. Just six years after being defeated and disgraced, her predecessor as senator for California and vice president placed his hand on the Bible and promised — once again — to preserve, protect and defend the constitution. And we all know how that ended.
pride or shame. Friends and colleagues seem to consider Twitter as, at best, a necessary evil, and Instagram is about craving the adulation of strangers, which seems a bit odd. The pregnant women I’ve seen on friends’ feeds all pose smugly as if they’re a cross between a Botticelli and Mother Earth, the tropical sunsets make me sick with envy and as for the socialites: they show off their vast houses and enormous jewels, jump into private jets to go on holiday pre-Covid, then complain they’ve been burgled while they’re away. Well, duh. Is a daily dose of schadenfreude delivered directly to our d phones helpful right now? On second thoughts, maybe it’s just the ticket. Sign me up.
competent trained monkey. I returned to it recently as a tone-deaf adult with no musical ability. Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto seemed like an excellent place to start after a 30-year hiatus, so I bought what they call musicplus-one, where you play along to the orchestral background, but they sent me the score and a code and I don’t understand: what am I supposed to do with that? I tried Chopin’s delicate Raindrop prelude, which I could play as a teenager, but it now sounds more like a hailstorm in Burnley. The problem, I’ve decided, isn’t that I can’t read music. It’s lack of ambition. Chopin and Rachmaninov clearly aren’t enough of a challenge for someone with no talent, so it’s time to bring on the Beethoven. After weeks of practice I am now able to play the first line of Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto. The whole thing runs to 33 pages. A friend has worked out that at this rate it’ll be 12 years before I get to the end.
Hilary Rose Notebook
Horrible ham hock won’t save BA’s bacon
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he chef Tom Kerridge has been zhoozhing up British Airways’ inflight economy meals, introducing a ham hock and cheddar sandwich and a brie ploughman’s. If only they’d asked me. It’s time to take a stand against the rise of ham hock, which is second only to hot ham on the list of abominable things you can do with a dead pig. Ham should only ever be served cold in a sandwich, very thinly sliced, with English mustard, lettuce and mayo. No chutney, no cheddar and definitely not nasty thick shards of chewy hock. Kerridge’s brie ploughman’s sounds more the thing, with malted bread and crispy radish, until we get to the apple chutney and rocket. Rocket is an indefensible foodstuff, a poor man’s watercress that tastes only of acrid sharp edges. Chutney is disgusting. A friend just pointed out that M&S does a ham, cheese and
chutney sandwich. No wonder their profits are plummeting.
Womb for manoeuvre
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urprising medical fact of the week: the uterus moves. I had no idea until, mid-scan, the clinician paused and told me to jump up and down because she couldn’t see it. I never paid much attention in biology classes, so maybe this is one of those things that everyone knows except me, but still. The idea that our internal organs are a moveable feast is bizarre. How much movement are we talking? Fractional? Inches? And why doesn’t it hurt?
Belly laughs
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eghan and Harry have announced that they’re quitting social media, to which I say simply: what took you so long? I’ve never been on it, although I don’t know if that should be a source of
Score draw
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t’s a year now since I was given a piano and it’s not going well. I learnt as a tone-deaf child with no musical ability and became a passably
Get stuffed
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f London is the place that everywhere else in the country loves to hate, Notting Hill is the part of it that Londoners love to hate. A friend was stopped on the street there recently and asked: “Do you know where I can buy foie gras?”
Reading books is not meant to be a competitive sport Michael Henderson
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ow many books did you read last year? I got through 48, about a dozen fewer than usual, but a respectable enough tally. It’s more or less a book a week, which is a sound foundation for a civilised life. Besides, whoever imagines the joy of reading is enhanced by the number of books devoured? It is not a race. There are no prizes. Andy Miller, author of The Year of Reading Dangerously, takes a different view. Last year, he boasted, like a boy scout acquiring badges for good conduct, he read 203 books — or at least turned the pages, as nobody can take in much of value by ploughing through four books a week like some literary combine harvester. Perhaps he also drains a bottle of wine in 10 minutes, to prove it can be done. If it is to have any meaning other than the statistical, reading is a practice best performed slowly. If
Also, avoid books that are supposed to be ‘good’ for us you enjoy a book you should live with it for a week, so the echoes may linger. Two novels that gave particular pleasure last year, Hasek’s The Good Soldier Svejk and The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr, occupied 10 days of steady absorption. When Flaubert said that he read in order to live he didn’t mean he spent every minute of every hour with his head in a book. When it comes to works of scholarship, the slower the better. Two magnificent books published in 2020, The Europeans by Orlando Figes and Alex Ross’s Wagnerism, emerged from years of deep thinking. Such books are not meant to be wolfed down, any more than skipping through a picture gallery a dozen paintings at a time will bring the viewer closer to the artist. Also, avoid books that are supposed to be “good” for us. It isn’t necessary to read a single turgid sentence of Boring Saul Bellow when there is a James Lee Burke to hand. Not every “classic” is worthy of veneration: Tristram Shandy honks like John Coltrane, and is not nearly so funny. As for Midnight’s Children, it’s more fun to walk round town with a nail in your boot. But, oh, the delight of discovery! Lucky the reader coming to Richard Russo for the first time, and let no human agency keep you away from Larry McMurtry’s “Texas tetralogy”. Should you wish to savour a thoroughly English feast, however, the novelist to plunder is Simon Raven. Alms for Oblivion, the unrepentantly filthy sequence of 10 books covering the post-war years, is like bathing in honey. If you start now, and read properly, you may finish by Easter. Michael Henderson is a freelance writer
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Women should cheer for Katharine Whitehorn The veteran journalist who died last week exemplified a good-humoured, pragmatic feminism that we can still learn from Libby Purves
@lib_thinks
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hen death takes a great entertainer or teacher, followers feel an instinct beyond mere memorialising: you want to pass on what they gave you. Maybe this urge is strongest in women, because those who came before us faced tougher barriers. If they overcame them with grace, style and amusement rather than whining victimhood it creates a saner view of our own conflicts. Victoria Wood did it for women in entertainment, Marie Curie in science, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson in medicine. As for politics, choose your own heroine. Mine today is in a lesser but useful trade. Katharine Whitehorn, CBE, died last week aged 92. Starting as a sub-editor on a woman’s magazine, she was recruited by Picture Post in 1956 to write and interview, admitting that it was useful to a beginner to have a seasoned photographer with her to advise what questions she
could “get away with”. In 1960 she joined The Observer, a lone female in a sea of men. Her columns, elegant and deceptively light, were useful for my generation a quarter of a century later. She was dry, funny and honest about work, marriage, divorce law, housing, friendships, health, the uses of gin and the messy compromise of life. One of her most famous musings was about being a “slut” — not in the sexual sense but admitting a degree of slatternly scuffling at home in the interests of getting on with a productive day. Her most famous line was the rueful one about taking something out of the dirty clothes basket “because it had become,
She told us that ‘having it all’ didn’t mean doing it all perfectly relatively, the cleaner thing”. For women these were not the semi-legendary “swinging Sixties”: there was still a postwar urge to drag the roses back round the door and demand domesticity in women even if they went out to work. Nine years after Whitehorn, Jilly Cooper’s writings about being a scatty young wife were entertaining and selfdeprecating but still bowed faithfully
to the priorities of wifely duty. Cooper’s book How to Survive Work and Wedlock suggests making sure work lets you get home before your man so you can get domestic duties over with and pretty yourself up, because chaps don’t like women “fussing around” with Hoovers. Never underestimate that pull: it was not semi-ironic like today’s domestic goddesses. Remembering her first editor, David Astor, Whitehorn said he “felt strongly about motherhood; so much so that he found it extremely difficult to hire women at all . . . for if they were single, or separated, they were probably not typical, and certainly not good for Our Women Readers. Yet if they did have children, why weren’t they home looking after them?” Married at 30, she told us that “having it all” didn’t mean doing it all perfectly. Not that she was incompetent: her 1961 book Cooking in a Bedsitter was in print for four decades. After living alone in 1950s gas-ring bedsits long before ready meals and microwaves, she blithely advised how to make nourishing, delicious, even adventurous meals while “cooking at ground level, in a hurry, with nowhere to put the salad but the washing-up bowl, which is in any case full of socks”, and washing up in a communal bathroom. It was useful and funny, but implicitly
celebrated the then-revolutionary female satisfaction of living independently, precariously, setting your own standards without guilt. She expressed no misandry or victimhood, even when teasing some men as “Incapability Brown”. In eminent later life she noticed that: “Any committee that is the slightest use is composed of people who are too busy to want to sit on it for a second longer than they have to.” She
It is hard to fantasise about a hero if he is snoring 18 inches away was immensely at ease with men as brotherly colleagues, which may owe something to her time at postwar Cambridge with many ex-servicemen alongside callow boys. Far from the rom-com values touted today, she mused on the unwisdom both of “sex for the sake of it” and romantic ideals of marriage, observing that it is hard to fantasise about a hero if he’s snoring 18 inches away from you. She saw straight, separating value from fluff. Her later memoir does not shirk from her husband’s alcoholism or her widowhood grief; once in recent years she fired off a furious column about how annoying it was to have her devoted son send round
a carer — but “I suppose having a helper at home to stop a son from worrying is just one more thing a mother should do”. With the old rueful, amused resignation to duty: “I gave her a meal and tried to be polite to her.” Bet she was. Katharine Whitehorn was good company. Old newsprint yellows fast but her attitude can refresh us today. The old legal and cultural straitjacket has loosened: women now lead and govern and campaign freely. Yet there are new strictures on teenage girls and millennials: be clever and ambitious, demand your dream, be “sorted”, efficient, smartly dressed yet sexually “hot” and uninhibited. Marie Kondo your home, tend your mental state like a fragile plant, have acceptable opinions, “healthy” relationships and enviable Instagrams. There are actually more tests to fail now than in 1960. So we have anorexia and anxiety disorders rising and an unprecedented number of girlchildren begging to be freed from their gender. Katharine Whitehorn, born in 1928, still has messages. Including, right now, my favourite KW principle: when you’re depressed, snubbed or heartbroken, that’s the time to worm the cat and clean the bathroom, “Seeing as you’re miserable anyway . . .” A perfect philosophy for lockdown.
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Letters to the Editor should be sent to [email protected] or by post to 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
Letters to the Editor
Pensions and how to pay for the pandemic
Democracy at risk Sir, James Forsyth (“Johnson is not Trump’s transatlantic twin”, Jan 8) implies that we need not worry about threats of the kind confronting Washington last week. I disagree. Of course Boris Johnson and President Trump aren’t identical, but they share troubling key traits. In particular Mr Johnson and his allies have dabbled in anti-democratic rhetoric. Parliament was accused in the 2019 Conservative manifesto of “thwarting the democratic decision of the British people”, while Geoffrey Cox, the former attorney-general, claimed that MPs had “no moral right to sit”. It is surely no coincidence that the Twitter hashtag #peopleversusparliament attracted some pretty dark content at the time, while many MPs received threats. The common transatlantic thread is that senior political figures need to respect, and indeed uphold and celebrate, the constitutional rules by which they are constrained. If they fail to do so they risk undermining the legitimacy of the core institutions of democracy, and fuelling distrust, division and hate. The UK may not be quite where the US is but an “it couldn’t happen here” attitude would be dangerously complacent. Professor Meg Russell Director, Constitution Unit, UCL Sir, I disagree with Ashley Meyer that it was right of John Bercow to ban President Trump from speaking in parliament in 2017 (letter, Jan 8). It is partly due to the cancel culture embedding itself in so many of our institutions that many are turning to social media and dark corners of the web to express their views. If the US president has unattractive views, it is better that they are held to the bright light of scrutiny rather than pretending that they don’t exist. Benjamin Frost London SW1
Low-traffic zones Sir, I live near a low-traffic neighbourhood and agree with many of the issues Janice Turner pinpointed (“Street closures spark a new culture war”, Jan 9). But she did not mention the trouble that emergency vehicles were having in reaching residents in these areas. A ten-minute emergency journey as opposed to a necessitated longer one can be the difference between life and death for some. Consultation, not only with residents but also the emergency services, needs to be carried out as soon as possible. Juliet Barnett Enfield, north London
Corrections and clarifications The Times takes complaints about editorial content seriously. We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules and regulations and the Editors’ Code of Practice that IPSO enforces. Requests for corrections or clarifications should be sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
Sir, I strongly agree with the letter from Sir John Oldham and others that the pensions triple lock should be restricted and the highest public-sector pensions frozen (Jan 9). But another change is urgently required to redress the longstanding discrimination against younger taxpayers: ending the exemption from national insurance contributions for people over pension age. With employee contributions for someone earning at the upper threshold amounting to nearly £5,000 a year, the exemption provides a wholly unjustified subsidy to better-off older people — all the more so when you take into account the additional 2 per cent surcharge on earnings above the threshold. Why should I, as a 72-year-old happily continuing to work and with no dependants, pay so much less tax than a 42-year-old with the same earnings who may well have children to support? Patricia Hewitt Health secretary, 2005-07 Sir, While it is right to argue that the older generation should bear a fair share of the costs of the pandemic, the proposed solutions from Sir John Oldham et al would add unwelcome
Playing catch-up Sir, If we want to be truly fair and allow all pupils to catch up we must plan to allow those who want or need it to repeat a year. Further education colleges might be repurposed to offer some A-level courses and English and Maths GCSEs while schools might have to adapt in the same way as NHS wards have had to be repurposed. Exams should represent a level of attainment rather than a guesstimate. Anything else is akin to an IQ test and risks rolling problems to the next stage of education when lack of understanding risks causing more failure. Dr Nicky Lee Haslemere, Surrey
Vaccine roll-out Sir, Sir John Bell’s comments (“The NHS could vaccinate everybody in five days if it were better motivated”, Jan 9) are revealing. Past governments have dealt with immediate crises by bold appointments: in 1915 David Lloyd George became minister for munitions; Lord Beaverbrook took
PLANS TO CLIMB MOUNT EVEREST from the times january 11, 1921 Sir Francis Younghusband, President of the Royal Geographical Society, announced at a meeting of the Society last night that the political obstacles to the proposed attempt to cliimb Mount Everest have been removed, that a preliminary reconnaissance will be made of the ground this year, and that the actual attempt on the summit will follow in 1922. As has been previously stated in The Times, the Society and the Alpine Club have been planning an expedition to scale Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, for the past 18 months, but on
complexity to the pension system. The suggestion of “means-testing the triple lock” would presumably mean millions of pensioners being means-tested to give them differential pension increases. This would be a massive increase in bureaucracy just as we are introducing a simplified and already highly progressive flat-rate state pension system. Likewise, taking winter fuel payments from pensioners paying higher-rate tax would save very little (as few pensioners pay tax above the basic rate) but would add yet more complexity. Rather than complex tweaks, bolder measures will be needed. Levying national insurance contributions on the wages of those over pension age would be a start, as would an end to the unduly generous tax treatment of capital gains, which tends to benefit the oldest and wealthiest. The sums needed by the chancellor will not be delivered by complex tweaks to the system, and he should be bold in asking those who have the broadest shoulders to bear the heaviest burden. Sir Steve Webb Partner, Lane Clark & Peacock, and pensions minister, 2010-15 Sir, Like the pandemic, the last war charge of aircraft production in 1940; Margaret Thatcher sent Michael Heseltine to Liverpool following the riots in 1981. Boris Johnson has chosen a junior minister to oversee the vaccination programme. I have no cause to doubt the competence or good intentions of Nadhim Zahawi, but his status is unclear. Is it beyond the wit of this government to find a big beast with real clout who is capable of banging on the doors of the most eminent? James Hickson Bewdley, Worcs Sir, Matt Chorley’s suggestion (“Here’s a new oven-ready vaccine plan: get our idle kids to do the jabbing”, Jan 9) does not faze me at all. Many years ago when the polio vaccine was introduced, my father thought it would be a good idea if his eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son immunised each other and learnt how to use a syringe. We duly did this under his supervision. No harm done. Granted, he was a doctor. Still, a couple of years previously I had had my tonsils removed in our bathroom by a doctor friend, my arms tied back to a kitchen chair, staring into a huge glass ballon November 8 Sir Francis informed the Society that in the view of the Government of India there were political reasons against proceeding further with preparations. Last night, however, he was able to announce news from the Secretary of State for India that the Tibetan Government had been approached, and had given permission for an expedition to be sent to explore the peak. Such an expedition, said the President, must be essentially a great adventure. High risks will have to be run, and severe hardships endured — risks from icy slopes and rocky precipices, and such avalanches as buried Mummery’s party on Nanga Parbat 26 years ago; and hardships from intense cold, terrific winds, and blinding snowstorms. In addition, there will be the unknown factor of the capacity of a human being to stand great exertion at a height more than 4,000ft higher than man has as yet ascended any mountain.
also had the greatest effect on young people. But we did more then, to help them, than change tax thresholds. In the 60 years it took to pay off war loans, we also built millions of homes and created the NHS. We built a network of motorways and a national grid for electricity. We invested in nuclear power and opened 30 new universities. We need to do the same again after this pandemic: to build millions of houses, create a national network of high-speed railways, and another of high-speed broadband. We need free ports and a new fishing industry, a carbon neutral energy system, and a national apprenticeship scheme for the 50 per cent who leave school not in pursuit of a degree. Our young need homes and jobs. Mike Clegg Lytham, Lancs Sir, Instead of higher-rate taxpayers giving up the winter fuel allowance, I suggest they donate the sum directly to a homeless charity. If the allowance is taken away, the monies will disappear back into the exchequer pot from where it will never reach the people who need it. Phil Docherty London SW19 with swaying liquid. Again no harm done. After a few hours I was given some ice cream. Evelyne Shellard Northiam, E Sussex
Police and picnics Sir, The letter of the law can be enforced, but surely the spirit of its intent can only be encouraged. Seven police officers fining two walkers at a beauty spot in Derbyshire (report, Jan 9) might please their political masters, but it erodes the trust on which policing by consent relies. If the government believed it necessary or justifiable to limit the distance an individual could travel to exercise it should be written in the law. Police officers should not be expected or encouraged to compensate for inadequate legislation. Chris Livingstone Whitehead, Co Antrim Sir, If a cup of tea counts as a picnic, does that mean that when we’re allowed back into the pubs we don’t need a Scotch egg? Iain McCoubrey Letcombe Regis, Oxon The expedition will also be in the highest degree scientific. The summit will never be reached unless we have first explored all the approaches to it through country at present entirely unknown; and then examined, mapped, and photographed the mountain itself in fullest detal. In the present year the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society propose to organize a reconnaissance party to acquire this geographical knowledge. Next year we will send to Tibet a climbing party to apply it in a great effort to reach the summit. We hope that the reconnaissance party may cross into Tibet when the passes open, about the end of May. The results of their work will be examined during next winter and final plans made for the assault upon the mountain in 1922. thetimes.co.uk/archive
A new Olympics Sir, Should the Olympics be called off (report, Jan 9), I propose a shorter event in 2022. At an agreed date, the top 16 ranked sportsmen and women in each discipline (no team games) would meet for semi-finals and finals for the Olympics and Paralympics. Later in the year, another event would take place with the top eight ranked teams meeting, in two tables of four — the top two in each table going forward to a final. And maybe for those athletes from smaller countries, it might be possible to run a “tier-two” Olympics alongside both events. This would make it possible for other cities to be able to bid to host it. It would be hugely more interesting, it would be cheaper and it would stop the indiscriminate growth of the Games and give the Olympic family a chance to reset the movement. Derek Wyatt Labour MP, 1997-2010; chairman of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic parliamentary group
Sporting legend Sir, I wonder if Matt Dickinson would consider adding Max Woosnam (1892-1965) to his interesting gallery of great all-rounders (Sport, Jan 8). He was five times a Cambridge blue in different sports, England football captain, captain of Manchester City, Davis Cup captain, Wimbledon doubles champion, an Olympic tennis gold medallist, a Lord’s centurion, and scratch golfer. And he compiled a maximum break at snooker. He beat Charlie Chaplin at table tennis armed only with a butter knife and refused to earn a penny from sport. John Hodgkinson South Luffenham, Rutland
Magical stones Sir, Hagstones have been used more widely than for keeping horses safe from harm and protecting Suffolk villagers from witchcraft (Nature Notebook, Jan 9). They are used to ward off nightmares and illness; West Country fishermen carry them as protection; and pregnancy is said to be facilitated by tying one to your bedpost — efficacy not guaranteed. Peter Saunders Salisbury
Wooster sauce Sir, I greatly enjoyed Ben Macintyre’s article on the link between great French chefs and the British aristocracy (“Sprinkle Gallic flair with British riches”, Jan 9). However, he has surely omitted the greatest of all, if only literary. I refer, of course, to Anatole, Aunt Dahlia’s chef in PG Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster stories, who is described as “God’s gift to the gastric juices”. The menu set out at the conclusion of The Code of the Woosters — sylphides à la crème d’écrevisses, mignonette de poulet petit duc and points d’asperges à la Mistinguette — sounds pretty tasty. Andrew Russell Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire
Short shrift Sir, Further to your letters (Jan 9), as an Anglican I have not worn shorts in town since I was upbraided in the street by a bishop quoting Psalm 147, 10: “The Lord hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse: neither delighteth he in any man’s legs.” Peter Pooley Alresford, Hants
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Leading articles Daily Universal Register UK: Coronavirus vaccination figures will be published daily starting from today. World: One Planet Summit for Biodiversity, hosted by President Macron, held virtually.
Nature notes Catch a ruffe in a stream or canal and it will become entirely rigid in your hands, extending its long, tall dorsal fin and flaring its gills, a defence strategy likely to cause many predators to drop it in surprise. Ruffe don’t play well with others, and if you find one it is likely to be the only species of small fish in the area. Organs called neuromasts, encased in bone tubes in their heads, detect the vibrations of oncoming predators, which, along with their cryptic markings and nocturnal habits, make them hard to catch. The accidental introduction of the fast-breeding and adaptable ruffe to America’s Great Lakes may prove an ecological catastrophe. melissa harrison
Birthdays today Mary J Blige, pictured, singer, Be Without You (2005), 50; Chris Beardshaw, garden designer and TV presenter, 52; Geraint Bowen, organist and director of music, Hereford Cathedral, 58; Sir Alan Bowness, art historian, director of the Tate Gallery (1980-88), 93; Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Rhondda, shadow leader of the House of Commons (2015-16), 59; Anna CalderMarshall, actress, Wuthering Heights (1970), 74; Prof Brian Cantor, metallurgist, vicechancellor of the University of Bradford (2013-19), 73; Jason Connery, actor, Robin of Sherwood (1986), 58; Newton Faulkner, singer and guitarist, Hand Built by Robots (2007), 36; Caryn Franklin, fashion commentator, 62; Melvyn Hayes, actor, Summer Holiday (1963), 86; Prof Sir Tony Hoare, consultant principal researcher, Microsoft Research, Cambridge, developer of Quicksort, 87; Sandra Horley, chief executive, Refuge (1983-2020), for women and children escaping domestic violence, 69; Richard Hughes, flat-racing jockey and three-time champion, now trainer, 48; Tony Kaye, keyboard player, Yes, 76; Brian Moore, rugby union player, England (1987-95), and rugby presenter, 59; Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, 44; Vicki Peterson, guitarist and singer, the Bangles, Walk Like An Egyptian (1986), 63; Matteo Renzi, prime minister of Italy (2014-16), 46; Rachel Riley, TV presenter, Countdown, 35; Bryan Robson, footballer, England (1980-91), and manager, 64; Tom Rowlands, musician, the Chemical Brothers, Block Rockin’ Beats (1997), 50; Arthur Scargill, trade unionist, president, National Union of Mineworkers (1981-2002), 83; The Most Rev Philip Tartaglia, RC Archbishop of Glasgow, 70; Joel Zwick, film director, My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), 79.
Consent and Covid Restrictions on liberty are necessary temporary measures to stop infection. They will lose public support if the police implement them harshly and capriciously The global pandemic has elicited restrictions on liberty unknown in Britain since the Second World War. Despite these privations, public support for these necessary measures to contain the spread of infection has not wavered since the onset of the crisis. It is vital that public consent be maintained, and this unfortunately requires the police and courts to implement the new regulations. If there is no cost to flouting them, then the lawabiding majority will understandably lose faith in the message that their sacrifices are required for the public good. The reverse also holds true, however. If the police are perceived to be punishing people for inadvertent, or even debatable, infractions of the rules then they will risk forfeiting public goodwill. And one police force in particular is showing a heavy handed disinclination to think this conundrum through. Last week two friends, Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore, drove a few miles from their respective homes in Leicestershire to meet for a walk at Foremark Reservoir in south Derbyshire. They were stopped by Derbyshire police as they parked, and challenged on what they were doing. And they explained, reasonably enough, that they were intending to go on a socially distanced walk
The last word “Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.” Dodie Smith, novelist and dramatist, I Capture the Castle (1948)
lockdown was announced in March, Derbyshire police released drone footage of people strolling at a local beauty spot; this, they said, was not “essential travel” under government guidelines. The police undoubtedly have difficult judgments to make in enforcing Covid restrictions. They do need to do this in the case of flagrantly risky behaviour, such as organising illicit house parties and other superspreader events. In general, they have done this well across the country. Before issuing fines, police seek to engage with people, explain the law to them, and encourage them on grounds of safety to adhere to it. Only then, do they enforce the restrictions by issuing fixedpenalty notices. Since the first lockdown was announced, some 32,000 of these notices have been issued in England and Wales. That is a hearteningly low number in an area of about 60 million people. The notion, spread by a curious alliance of anti-vaccination campaigners and misguided civil libertarians, that there is a groundswell of popular opposition to draconian policies lacks empirical support. For that to remain the case, however, requires that the public have confidence in the law. Punishing people who are scrupulously trying to live within the law is an absurd abuse of power.
Trading Places Business needs support in managing the costs of transition to the post-Brexit era The announcement on Christmas Eve of a trade deal between Britain and the European Union was a relief to industry. It has become clear, however, in the ten days since the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) came into force that it entails costs and bureaucracy for business. That is an inevitable consequence of Britain leaving the European single market and the customs union. The challenge now for the government is to devise an industrial strategy to assist businesses to cope with these costs, and to pursue new trade agreements globally to expand access to export markets. The good news is that, since Britain finally severed its ties with the EU on January 1, there has not been a descent into chaos at the border. But there is evidence of disruption behind the scenes, with the transport of goods and courier services held up because of the need for documentation. Big companies such as Marks and Spencer have warned of the impact of delayed freight on their cross-border business in Ireland and France. These are not merely teething problems of Brexit. They are built into the deal that the government has negotiated with the EU. And this is in spite of
Boris Johnson’s claim that the TCA involved “no non-tariff barriers” for trade. The prime minister clearly misspoke. The TCA ensures that, in most cases, tariffs will not apply, but there are new non-tariff barriers to trade and heavier costs for business. The aggregate annual cost for British supply chains just in completing customs declarations, for example, is estimated to be about £15 billion. There are also certification costs, visa costs for labour, and rules of origin. The last of these is an especially significant challenge for business. It is standard practice, in a free-trade agreement such as the TCA, to apply what are known as preferential rules of origin. The deal removes tariffs on the cross-border flow of goods, thereby giving British exports a preferential treatment that other non-EU countries lack. Hence British exporters to the EU will have to prove that their goods have a minimum content from this country in order to qualify for duty-free treatment. British-made cars, for example, will qualify for tariff-free access to the EU providing that they comprise at least 55 per cent British or EU content. British manufacturing supply chains are closely
linked with the EU. There is no definitive answer, for all exporters, on how to manage these new non-tariff barriers. For some companies, whose export business is a relatively modest share of their turnover, it may make sense merely to pay the duty rather than engage in wholesale corporate restructuring. But for others, the costs of adapting will be substantial. Business needs help. There has long been a good case, distinct from the failures of interventionism of the 1970s, to allocate funds for research and development to knowledge-intensive industries such as biotech and renewable energy. That strategy should proceed to build competitive enterprises. The government should also work in the joint committees established under the TCA to ease access for British companies. And in the long term it needs to redouble its commitment to global free trade. If the single market closest to Britain no longer offers frictionless trade, the search for new export destinations becomes still more crucial. It can be done, but the government needs to be explicit about the costs that business has already incurred, and determined to ease them.
Animal Rites
On this day In 1864 Charing Cross railway station was opened in London; in 1922 insulin was first used in the treatment of diabetes, on a boy aged 14 at the Toronto General Hospital. A refined second dose on January 23 was successful, and he lived for another 13 years; in 1981 a three-man British team, led by Ranulph Fiennes, completed the longest and fastest crossing of Antarctica.
together. The police peremptorily awarded them each a £200 fine and told them that the hot drinks they had bought on the way from a café were classed as a picnic. No public-spirited citizen disputes that the restrictions imposed on this country since March have a genuine and humane purpose to protect public health. Only a strange milieu of conspiracy theorists imagine that the government actually sought to clamp down on liberties (apparently in the interests of a global cabal of big pharmaceutical companies). But the ordeal that these two young women have undergone brings the notions of lockdown and social distancing into disrepute. The Derbyshire police and crime commissioner, Hardyal Dhindsa, has said that an urgent review is now taking place into how the fines had been issued. That is right, if belated, but in truth there is an inherent problem if a police force cannot grasp that in this case it has exceeded any serious notion of protecting the public from harm. Britain is a populous nation whose county boundaries are hardly set in stone, literally or metaphorically. It was mere caprice to judge that these women were taking a walk that was not local. Nor is it the first time that this police force has behaved with excessive zeal. Shortly after the first
Providing pet funerals and cremations is a compassionate response to loss The mortality of a non-human companion can be a shock and a cause of severe distress. The BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth disclosed on social media last month that she was “utterly heartbroken” by the death of her dog Winnie, hit by a car while chasing squirrels. About 1.5 million pet animals die each year, and the emotional needs of their owners are being increasingly met by pet cemeteries and crematoriums. Some pet burials or cremations are presided over by priests or other religious officiants. There is nothing sentimental or morbid in any of this. Grief on the loss of a house pet is entirely
natural, and it is a compassionate act to provide a ritual means of bidding them farewell. The bond between humans and domestic animals is not a modern affectation. It has been observed through millennia. In Homer’s Odyssey, the devoted hound Argus recognises his master on his return and then dies. Publius, the Roman governor of Malta in the 1st century AD, was so devoted to his lap-dog Issa that he had its portrait painted to commemorate it after death. Reverence for domestic animals is expressed in more recent art too, especially in the Victorian age. Sir Edwin Landseer, celebrated for such
animal depictions as the stag in The Monarch of the Glen, was often commissioned by grief-stricken pet owners to paint a canine corpse, brought to his studio, as it would have looked in life. The establishment of the London Hyde Park Dog Cemetery in 1880 (also admitting a few cats and monkeys) testified to the need for consolation for those whose pets had departed this life. Indeed it was so popular that it closed a few years later having met its capacity. If in the 21st century, and especially in the times of isolation required now, there is a similar search for solace, it is a measure of humanity to provide the means for it.
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World Democrats may delay impeachment trial to keep focus on Biden United States David Charter Washington
The Democrats will begin the second impeachment of President Trump today but may delay his trial in the Senate for several months to avoid overshadowing Joe Biden’s new administration. Members of the House of Representatives were called back to Washington by Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker and a senior Democrat, who said that they would first try to pass a resolution calling on Mike Pence, the vicepresident, to act with a majority of the cabinet to remove Mr Trump. Yesterday a second Republican senator, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, called for Mr Trump to resign for inciting violence when supporters stormed the US Capitol building on Wednesday. The insurrection, which caused five deaths and left members of Congress fearing for their lives as they hid from marauding rioters, brought a temporary halt to the formal process of confirming Mr Biden as the winner of the election in November after Mr Trump urged the crowd to “show strength”. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor and Republican former governor of California who grew up in postwar Austria, compared the pro-Trump riots to Kristallnacht in 1938 when Naziinspired mobs smashed up synagogues and Jewish homes and businesses, killing numerous Jews. “Wednesday was the day of broken glass right here in the United States,” he said in a video posted on Twitter. “It all started with lies and lies and lies, and intolerance. Being from Europe I’ve seen firsthand how things can spin out of control. President Trump sought a coup by misleading people with lies. My father and our neighbours were misled also with lies and I know where such lies lead.” Mitch McConnell, the Senate major-
Arnold Schwarzenegger compared the Capitol attack to Kristallnacht in 1938
ity leader, set out a timetable should the House vote to pass articles of impeachment this week, as expected. He said this would mean the trial would probably begin at 1pm on January 20 — one hour into Mr Biden’s presidency. The trial process must start as soon as the Senate receives the articles of impeachment from the House but Jim Clyburn, the Democratic whip in the House, said that he favoured a delay. Even if Mr Trump had left office by then, a Senate conviction would prevent him from running again. “Nancy Pelosi is smarter than that. We will take the vote that we should take in the House and she will make the determination as when is the best time . . . [to] move that over to the Senate,” he told CNN. “Let’s give Presidentelect Biden the 100 days he needs to get his agenda off and running.” Mr Clyburn said the impeachment articles — the charges faced by Mr Trump — would be drawn up today with a vote tomorrow or Wednesday.
Mr Toomey joined Lisa Murkowski, a senator for Alaska, in calling for Mr Trump to resign, and Ben Sasse, of Nebraska, has said he will consider articles of impeachment. Seventeen Republicans would need to vote with Democrats in the new Senate, which is balanced at 50 seats each, to convict the president by a two-thirds majority. “The best way for our country is for the president to resign and go away as soon as possible,” Mr Toomey, who will stand down in 2022, told NBC. He said he did not think there was time for an impeachment with only ten days left in Mr Trump’s term, and that there did not appear to be consensus to use the constitution’s 25th Amendment, which enables a cabinet majority to remove him. Mr Pence has maintained a public silence about the possibility of using the 25th Amendment, which would install him as president. He has not spoken with Mr Trump since Wednesday afternoon, when he broke with the president by ignoring his overtures to reject votes from several swing states to block Mr Biden’s election. Sources close to the vice-president said that he was unlikely to pursue the 25th Amendment but did not rule out its use as a way to keep Mr Trump in line during his final days. Unlike Mr Trump, Mr Pence is to attend Mr Biden’s inauguration. No Republicans in the House have joined the call for impeachment. Seven moderates appealed to Mr Biden to urge Ms Pelosi to call off the move. An Ipsos poll for Reuters showed that 57 per cent of Americans wanted Mr Trump removed immediately, including nine out of ten Democrats but two in ten Republicans. Nearly 70 per cent disapproved of Mr Trump’s actions before the attack on Congress. Biden’s biggest headache, Trevor Phillips, page 28 Democracy at risk, letters, page 30
Analysis
T
he final moments of Donald Trump’s extraordinary presidency will seal his place in the history books as the first to be impeached twice but there are good reasons why Joe Biden has not joined the clamour (David Charter writes). Mr Biden’s friend Jim Clyburn urged his Democratic colleagues to take their foot off the gas by holding on to the articles of impeachment rather than sending them straight to the Senate, which must start a trial as soon as it receives them. Mr Clyburn helped to
turn out Mr Biden’s home state of South Carolina to rescue the former vice-president’s primary campaign. He is now trying to manage the impulsive instincts of his party to rush through the impeachment process. Mr Clyburn argues that Mr Biden should be given a clear run at his first 100 days, when he will need the Senate to help pass emergency measures to relieve the pandemic, including payments to those most in need. Almost overlooked in the week of insurrection, infections and deaths rose to new highs. Mr Biden is too canny to intervene directly, as
seven moderate Republicans requested. How would that look? One president being prosecuted in the House for trying to thwart Congress and his successor attempting to stop Congress from acting as it wishes? Mr Clyburn is acting as Mr Biden’s agent in these matters, either at his request or by intuition. Both know that the rush to prosecute is a mistake that could undermine Mr Biden’s message of unity. A delay in the second trial of Mr Trump serves several purposes besides allowing the full attention of the Senate and media that Mr Biden needs. It
allows time for more evidence of Mr Trump’s role in Wednesday’s astonishing events to emerge. A delay would enable Americans to see how Mr Biden operates in the White House; it might stir memories of how a US president can behave. It will finally deny the limelight to Mr Trump, for whom the greatest punishment at the moment is to be ignored. Rushing to the Senate trial would mean that Mr Trump is for ever stained as the first president to be impeached twice. It would also feed his invincibility complex if he became the first to be acquitted twice.
Workers install security fencing around the US Capitol after it was stormed by a mob of
FBI rounds up more faces David Charter
A growing number of rioters who became faces of the insurrection at the US Capitol are in jail on charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct. The FBI asked the public for help to identify participants from the many online images taken by the invaders themselves, most of whom were not wearing masks despite the pandemic. Jacob Anthony Chansley, who wore horns, a fur pelt, face paint and brandished a spear adorned with the US flag, turned himself in to police, the Department of Justice said. Also known as Jake Angeli, he told agents that “he came as part of a group effort from Arizona, at the request of the president that all ‘patriots’ come to [Washington] DC on January 6”. Before his arrest Mr Chansley appeared to have few regrets, telling NBC News: “The fact that we had a bunch of
traitors in office, hunkered down, put on gas masks and retreat to their bunker, I consider that a win.” Adam Christian Johnson, 36, who smiled and waved for a photo as he allegedly carried off a lectern belonging to Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker, is to appear in federal court today on theft charges as well as unlawful and violent entry. Derrick Evans, 35, a new member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, was detained on Friday after streaming live video on his Facebook page showing “himself joining and encouraging [the] crowd”, the FBI said. It added: “In the video, Evans is allegedly seen crossing the threshold of the doorway into the US Capitol and shouting, ‘We’re in, we’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!’ ” Mr Evans, who was elected in November and promoted himself as “a pro-Trump conservative who will always stand up, speak out, and fight
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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The World at Five Ugandan singer bidding to end 35-year dictatorship In depth and online today at 5pm thetimes.co.uk
ERIN SCOTT/REUTERS
New defence secretary must overhaul ageing missile defence system Michael Evans
Trump supporters last week. Mr Trump could go on trial as soon as January 20 if articles of impeachment are passed this week
Joe Biden’s new defence secretary will face an early and crucial decision on replacing America’s ageing ballistic missile defence system to protect against advances in the arsenals of Iran and North Korea. The Pentagon has asked for designs for a new “hit-to-kill” missile interceptor system from the US’s largest defence companies and will shortlist the best for the $4.9 billion programme in the next few months. It will be one of the first weapon procurement decisions to be made by the man nominated by Mr Biden to be defence secretary, retired general Lloyd Austin, the former head of US central command. The weapon, known as the new generation interceptor (NGI), will replace the systems first deployed in 2004 after US intelligence agencies warned that North Korea could hit Hawaii with a nuclear missile. Initially only eight interceptors were installed in silos at Fort Greely in Alaska. Today there are 40 interceptors in Alaska and four at Vandenberg air force base in California. However, these interceptors, which had a chequered flight test record, are capable of defending the US from only a small number of relatively unsophisticated long-range missiles launched from rogue states such as North Korea or Iran. Advances by both countries have made it imperative to develop a more capable defence system. North Korea is now believed to have an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach anywhere in the US and also has decoy systems to confuse American defence systems. Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, announced at his ruling Workers’ Party congress last week that he planned to expand his nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon has set a six-year timetable for deploying a new ground-based interceptor armed with multiple hit-tokill mini-interceptors to destroy several
ballistic missiles simultaneously in what is known as the mid-course phase. The other two phases of a missile’s trajectory are boost, when it is first launched, and terminal, as the incoming warhead re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere. Depending on what the defence industry produces, Vice-Admiral Jon Hill, director of the US missile defence agency, has said he hopes to start testing the NGI weapon in the mid-2020s. The current military and intelligence assessment is that the existing 44 interceptors at Fort Greely and Vandenberg will be sufficient to counter the threat from North Korea and Iran until the mid-to-late 2020s. But by then the interceptors will be more than 20 years old and less reliable. In the interim, the US will increasingly rely on weapons that are located closer to North Korea and Iran. These Lloyd Austin, a retired general, has been nominated by Joe Biden to be defence secretary
include the Aegis weapon system fitted on 62 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers and 22 Ticonderogaclass guided-missile cruisers. Japan also has Aegis warships which operate closely with the US navy in the Sea of Japan. The same system, called Aegis Ashore, is based on land at Deveselu in Romania and another one is being built at a naval support facility in Redzikowo, Poland, as part of a European component of the US missile defence network. The US army has seven batteries armed with terminal high-altitude area defence missile interceptors (Thaad) which can shoot down a ballistic missile inside and just outside the Earth’s atmosphere. There are US Thaad batteries in South Korea and on the Western Pacific island of Guam.
from the Capitol riot mob Pro-Trump social network banned Adam Christian Johnson is due in court
for Christian values”, resigned on Saturday. Larry Rendell Brock was arrested in Texas yesterday by the FBI for allegedly being the man videoed on the Senate floor carrying zip-ties that can restrain people. Eric Gavelek Munchel was held in Tennessee and alleged to have been the man carrying plastic restraints seen on the Senate balcony. One man told the FBI that he arrived in Washington on Thursday, a day late for the rally, after being delayed en route. Cleveland Meredith was found with a Tavor X95 assault rifle, a Glock pistol and hundreds of
rounds of ammunition. He was held for threatening Ms Pelosi in texts. At least a dozen other people were facing criminal charges in the federal district court for the District of Columbia and at least 40 people faced lesser charges in the District of Columbia superior court, a local venue. Richard Barnett, 60, from Arkansas, who was seen sitting in Ms Pelosi’s office with his boots on her desk, turned himself in to the FBI on Friday.
David Charter
The social network being considered by President Trump as a refuge since his ban from Twitter has been removed from the internet after Amazon, Google and Apple withdrew their support. Parler had been picking up Trump followers but was first removed from the Apple and Google app stores and then told it was being denied Amazon’s webhosting service. Amazon said the site had seen a “steady increase in violent content”, which breached its terms. Mr Trump’s inner circle vented their fury at the permanent suspension of his personal account from Twitter on Friday night and at moves to “cancel” Parler — using the president’s former favourite medium of Twitter, where he had nearly 89 million followers. Some substituted the president’s face for their own in their user photograph in protest. “Free speech is dead & controlled by
leftist overlords,” Donald Trump Jr, the president’s eldest son, tweeted. Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer, tweeted: “Who will be silenced next?” Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, posting on his personal Twitter account, said: “Sadly, this isn’t a new tactic of the left. They’ve worked to silence opposing voices for years.” The president himself used a final tweet from the official @potus account — swiftly erased by the network — to declare that he might start his own online platform “in the near future”. Mr Trump was not the only user to be banned by Twitter. It suspended the accounts of numerous conspiracy theorists who promoted the false QAnon movement claims that Mr Trump is a messiah on a mission to rescue America from a paedophile network of leading Democrats. Among those banned were Michael Flynn, Mr Trump’s first national secur-
ity adviser who has been urging the president to declare martial law in swing states to restage the election, and Sidney Powell, a lawyer advising the president who falsely claims that election machines in many states were manipulated to steal millions of votes. Ted Cruz, a Republican senator who has become a firm supporter of Mr Trump, tweeted: “Big Tech’s PURGE, censorship & abuse of power is absurd & profoundly dangerous. If you agree w/ Tech’s current biases (Iran, good; Trump, bad), ask yourself, what happens when you disagree? Why should a handful of Silicon Valley billionaires have a monopoly on political speech?” Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitch also suspended the president’s accounts. Reddit, a news and discussion website with a normally permissive attitude, closed a forum popular with Trump fans, saying that it was inciting hate.
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World RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Embassy’s tweet about Uighur women deleted China Twitter has deleted a post
from Beijing’s embassy in Washington which claimed that Uighur women’s minds had been “emancipated” by the police crackdown in Xinjiang province. The tweet carried a link to an article in China Daily, a state-run newspaper, which said that women in the region were no longer “baby-making machines” thanks to the promotion of “reproductive health” as part of Beijing’s campaign against what it describes as religious extremism. Witnesses say many Uighur women have undergone forced sterilisation or have been fitted with contraceptive devices in an effort to stem population growth.
Politician sprung from jail is elected president Kyrgyzstan A nationalist
Are you mine? A bride waits expectantly and a garlanded groom arrives on the shoulders of a relative at a mass Hindu wedding ceremony for 48 couples in Karachi
Human remains recovered from site of airliner crash off Jakarta Indonesia Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Editor
Human remains, wreckage and luggage have been recovered from around the crash site of a jet that fell into the sea with 62 people on board moments after take-off from Jakarta. Divers raised wreckage from the Boeing 737 operated by an Indonesian budget airline, and signals from the aircraft’s two “black box” data recorders were detected in the Java Sea. There were no signs of survivors and the police asked families of the 50 passengers and 12 crew to provide dental records and DNA samples. The passengers were all Indonesian, seven of them children. Among those on board were a married couple, Rizki Wahyudi and Indah Halimah Putri, both 26, their seven-month-old baby, and Mr Rizki’s mother and cousin.
Debris salvaged from the water was brought ashore at the port in Jakarta
There is no clear explanation yet for the crash on Saturday, although continuing heavy rain had delayed the take-off from Soekarno-Hatta airport for an hour. Flight SJ 182, operated by Sriwijaya Air, was bound for Pontianak in the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. It crashed into the sea less than
five minutes into its journey. Flighttracking data indicates that four minutes after take-off it fell by as much as 10,000 feet in less than a minute. The explosion as it hit the water was heard by fishermen, who were unable to see the plane because of the heavy rain. “We heard something explode, we thought it was a bomb or a tsunami since after that we saw the big splash from the water,” one fisherman, Solihin, told the Associated Press. “It was raining heavily and the weather was so bad. So it was difficult to see clearly. But we can see the splash and a big wave after the sounds. We were very shocked and saw the plane debris and the fuel around our boat.” The Indonesian navy, police, coastguard and Ministry of Transport mobilised 28 ships, five helicopters and two planes to search the area between the islands of Laki and Lancang, 20 miles
northwest of Jakarta in the Thousand Islands chain. Both the pilot and co-pilot on the flight had long experience. The aircraft was a 26-year-old Boeing 737-500, said by the airline to have been in good condition. It was not a 737 Max, the new generation Boeing plane, whose antistall system caused two air crashes, including one in Indonesia in 2018 that killed all 189 people on board. There have been 697 deaths in air accidents in Indonesia over the past decade, making it the most dangerous country for aviation, ahead of Russia, Iran and Pakistan. “I represent the government and all Indonesians in expressing my deep condolences for this tragedy,” President Widodo of Indonesia said. “We are doing our best to save the victims. We pray together so that the victims can be found.”
Six rangers killed by rebels Stalin-themed kebab shop plundering wildlife reserve purged by Moscow officials DR Congo Jane Flanagan
At least six park rangers were killed and others seriously wounded yesterday as they guarded endangered species in Africa’s oldest and most besieged wildlife area from an armed militia. The attack on Virunga National Park brings the number of rangers killed over the past year to at least 18. The two million-acre reserve on the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo is known as much for its deadly history as its rare animals. Scores of rebel groups fight over the region of the park as they seek control of its mineral riches. At least 200 rangers have been killed in the past decade. “We confirm a group of armed men attacked our positions, we have recorded cases of death and injuries in the ranks of fellow eco-guards,” Olivier Mukisya, a spokesman for the park, said. The attack, which included a lengthy
fire fight and the killing of at least two rebels, took place during a morning raid, he added. It came just days after the unexpected arrival of 580 elephants to the park from neighbouring Uganda, which was welcomed by Virunga officials as a “beacon of hope”. Thousands of civilians have been killed in clashes between armed group in recent years, and thousands more have fled their homes. North Kivu province was also the epicentre of the world’s second-worst ebola epidemic, which lasted nearly two years until June and resulted in more than 2,700 deaths. Virunga was founded in 1925 when the Congo was a Belgian colony. It boasts one of the largest rainforests in the world. Approximately 700 rangers are employed from local communities to protect its wildlife, which includes a quarter of the world’s last critically endangered mountain gorillas, of which there are approximately 1,000.
Russia Marc Bennetts Moscow
After less than a week a Stalin-themed kebab shop has been liquidated by Russian officials. Staff at the Stal’in Doner in Moscow wore uniforms of the NKVD, forerunner to the KGB. Customers were greeted with the Stalin-era slogan: “Life has become better, life has become happier.” The menu offered a “Stalinskaya” kebab with double serving of meat. “It’s bigger and richer,” Stanislav Voltman, the owner, told state media. Another kebab was named after Lavrentiy Beria, the feared NKVD chief. Tens of millions of Soviet citizens were executed or imprisoned during Stalin’s three-decade rule but his reputation has been revived since President Putin came to power in 1999. Calendars and T-shirts featuring Stalin are on sale in central Moscow. But the kebab store appears to have been a
politician freed from prison during violent protests in October won a landslide victory in the snap presidential election. Sadyr Japarov, 52, who became prime minister then assumed the interim presidency, won almost 80 per cent of the vote. A large majority also backed a plan to give the president greater powers at parliament’s expense. (Reuters)
Airstrike ‘hit jihadists, not wedding party’ France The French defence minister has denied reports that its fighter jets killed 20 civilians at a wedding party in Bounti, central Mali, on January 3, saying that only jihadists were targeted and that she had verified the information herself. Florence Parly said that there was neither a marriage, nor women and children, but that the casualties were several dozen men. (AP)
Dozens arrested in protest against election Kazakhstan Dozens of people protesting against an election in which the opposition is not taking part were arrested yesterday in the capital, Nur-Sultan, and the principal city, Almaty. The five parties competing for seats in the lower house of parliament are all loyal t the authoritarian government. The only registered opposition party declined to field candidates.
Landmine clearance opens pilgrimage site West Bank A shrine near the traditional site of Jesus’s baptism hosted an Epiphany procession for the first time in more than 50 years after it was declared free of landmines. Fifty Franciscan friars travelled to the abandoned church a mile from Qasr al-Yahud after three years of mine-clearing by Israel to remove munitions from its war with Jordan, which ended in 1994. (Reuters)
Stanislav Voltman said that he was interested in Stalin but not a fan
Greeks hit the beach in January heatwave
step too far. Mr Voltman was detained by police and his shop closed. Valery Fadeev, the head of the Kremlin’s human rights council, has said that the café would offend the relatives of people who suffered in the Soviet era. Some communists said, however, that the shop was disrespectful to Stalin. Mr Voltman said that he had not intended to cause offence. “I’m interested in Stalin,” he said. “But I’m not a fan.”
Greece People headed to parks and beaches as a rare January heatwave offered a respite from the lockdown. With temperatures in Athens set to reach 23C, Greeks swam in the sea and strolled on the promenade on the Athens coast while police kept crowds under control. In the past 50 years such high temperatures for January have been seen only in 1987 and 2010. (Reuters)
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Foie gras farmers spit feathers as cull fails to halt bird flu outbreak France Adam Sage Paris
President Macron’s agriculture minister has admitted that he was slow off the mark to curb a strain of bird flu that is threatening France’s foie gras producers. Julien Denormandie made the concession after officials registered a total
of 127 outbreaks in the duck and goose farms that force-feed birds to produce what French gastronomes cherish as one of their finest delicacies. His words have raised fears that duck and goose farmers could face a repeat of 2016 and 2017, when uncontrolled bird flu outbreaks cost the sector €350 million. Foie gras producers have angrily
accused Mr Macron’s government of failing to grasp the gravity of the crisis. Mr Denormandie said that 600,000 birds, mainly ducks, had already been culled in an effort to curb the H5N8 virus that reached the foie gras heartland of the Landes departement of southwest France in early December after being detected elsewhere in Europe a month earlier. But he added:
“We have to admit that we have not gone quickly enough.” The minister said that he had requisitioned four abattoirs to accelerate the slaughter of ducks and geese in a race against time against the virus, which poses no danger to humans. “There will be hundreds of thousands more [birds culled], that’s certain,” he said, adding that all ducks and ZUMA PRESS INC/ALAMY LIVE NEWS
Heavy snow paralyses large parts of Spain
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pain was warned of dangerous days ahead as emergency services began delivering food supplies after the heaviest snowfall in 50 years (Pablo Sharrock in Barcelona writes). Madrid was worst hit by Storm Filomena, which cut off large parts of the country, closed its busiest airport and paralysed train services. About 1,500 people had to be rescued after becoming trapped in cars, some for more than 12 hours. Forecasters warned that the next few days would be dangerous, with temperatures expected to plunge to minus 10C. Appeals from the authorities to stay at home to avoid spreading coronavirus were largely ignored as people took advantage of the freak weather to ski and snowboard on Madrid’s central Gran Via, walk along its M30 motorway, and engage in mass snowball fights. About 12,000 miles of
geese, along with free-range chickens and turkeys, within a 5km radius of outbreaks would be slaughtered. Éric Dumas, deputy chairman of the foie gras producers’ federation, said: “We are afraid that won’t be enough. The virus is progressing very quickly.” He called on the government to show “courage” and to order the slaughter of all ducks and geese in the Landes.
Family’s fight for cookbook ‘Aryanised’ by the Nazis Austria Sara Tor
Snowfall
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Cuenca Valencia
150 miles
A skier making his way through Móstoles on the outskirts of Madrid
roads across central Spain have been hit by the storm. The government began sending food convoys to those in need, and supplies of the coronavirus vaccine to keep its inoculation programme on track. “I want to reiterate the
government’s call for maximum caution in the face of the evolution of the weather in the next few hours,” Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, tweeted. A 36-year-old woman gave birth in an ambulance in Madrid after health workers were unable to get her to hospital. Health workers went to
extreme lengths to relieve colleagues, some of whom worked double and triple shifts. Some nurses walked up to eight miles to get to work. Near Malaga, a man and a woman in a car drowned when a river burst its banks. Up to 30cm of snow were recorded in Madrid on Saturday, the heaviest fall since 1971.
Call centre converted into court for mass trial of mafia suspects Italy Tom Kington Rome
The inner workings of Italy’s richest and most secretive mafia are about to be exposed as 355 suspected gangsters and corrupt politicians face justice in the biggest mob trial in Italy for 30 years. A massive Calabrian call centre has been converted into a courtroom to try the alleged members of the ’NDrangheta, and seat nearly 1,000 lawyers, judges, prosecutors and spectators. The defendants will be locked in cages. More than 900 witnesses will give evidence at the trial, which starts on Wednesday, and investigators will produce 24,000 wiretaps and bugged conversations to back up charges of murder, extortion and drug dealing. With another 92 suspects opting for a separate fast-track trial, the hearings promise to rival the 1986 “Maxi” trial in
Palermo, which lifted the lid on Sicily’s Cosa Nostra. “This is the most important maxitrial since Palermo,” said Nicola Gratteri, a leading anti-’NDrangheta prosecutor, who ordered the arrests in 2019 in Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Bulgaria that led to the trial. It is a serious blow for the Calabrian mafia, which has an estimated turnover of €40 billion to €50 billion and uses strong links with Latin American drug cartels to import cocaine through ports such as Rotterdam, and Albanian and Turkish gangs to transport it to market. Despite the mob’s obsession with religion and history — it makes initiates swear an oath while placing a drop of blood on the image of a saint — bosses have modernised operations in recent years, sending their sons to top business schools to learn how to launder money through property and investments. The trial will focus on mob activity in
the Calabrian province of Vibo Valentia, an area dominated by the Mancuso clan — one of most powerful in the loose confederation that make up the ’NDrangheta. “They are very violent but extremely entrepreneurial with a global network of contacts,” Antonio Nicola Gratteri, who is prosecuting the ’NDrangheta, had schoolmates killed in their feuds
Nicaso, a mafia expert who has written books with Mr Gratteri, said. Originally livestock farmers, the Mancusos hit the big time when a quarry they controlled provided stone for the development of Calabria’s Gioia Tauro cargo port in the 1990s. Mr Nicaso said the trial would show how they
had grown to equal powerful clans from Reggio Calabria, further south. “A leaf doesn’t move in Vibo Valentia without the say-so of the Mancusos,” he added. A former senator, a police chief, lawyers, local councillors and businessmen were among those arrested on suspicion of colluding with the mob. “This is a mafia that looks like us and is ever closer to us,” Mr Gratteri, 62, said. He has an insight into the mob’s mindset after growing up in Calabria, where schoolmates were killed in blood feuds and he played football with a friend he later prosecuted for mafia membership. One of the greatest obstacles he faces is the blood ties that determine ’NDrangheta membership, meaning turncoats are rare. But cracks are appearing. His take-down of the Mancusos has been helped by Emanuele Mancuso, son of a clan boss, who has been revealing mob secrets after accepting police protection.
The rights to a cookbook that once stood on bookshelves in half the households of Vienna have been returned to its owners, more than 80 years after they were stolen by the Nazis. Written in 1935 by Alice Urbach, a Jewish resident of Vienna, the bestselling So kocht man in Wien! (How to cook in Vienna!), containing 500 pages of recipes including boiled beef, Wiener schnitzel, apricot dumplings and pastries, was swiped following the Nazi’s 1938 annexation of Austria. As Urbach fled to Britain, her publishers, Ernst Reinhardt of Munich, bowed to the orders of the Nazis, who claimed the cookbook and two others she had written for themselves by “Aryanising” and republishing it under the name of Rudolf Rösch, whose existence has never been proven. The theft was outlined in Alice’s Book: How the Nazis Stole My Grandmother’s Cookbook, written by Alice’s granddaughter, Karina Urbach, and published in Germany in October. However, the cookbook’s publishers acknowledged the theft only after Dr Urbach was interviewed by Der Spiegel. “I had contacted the publishers while I was writing the book to ask for the rights back but they did not help,” said Dr Urbach. “They claimed that they had lost their archive during the Second World War. The Jewish community in Vienna tried to contact them too but got the same reply.” After the publication of her interview, Ernst Reinhardt told The Times that it considered the decisions of the company’s past leadership to be morally unjustifiable and thus had reverted all rights to the heirs of Alice Urbach. “We hope that this will keep the memory of Alice Urbach and her life’s work alive and help highlight a longneglected aspect of the horrors of the Nazi regime,” the company said. Recently, more archival material has been found by Ernst Reinhardt. “There were about 18 quite heart-breaking letters from my grandmother to the publisher from 1950 to 1954, each one asking for her rights back,” said Dr Urbach. “She was so polite. She said she was sure it was not their fault and that she simply wanted the rights so she could publish the cookbook in America, her home at the time.” Dr Urbach also found a contract forcibly signed by her grandmother in 1938 transferring the cookbook rights to the publisher. Contracts in which Jews signed away material goods under duress are common. The theft of intellectual property, however, is a new field. Alice Urbach died in California in 1983 at the age of 97. An English translation of her book, containing the history of its theft by the Nazis, is to be released next year.
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Monday January 11 2021 | the times
World EMMA WELLS
Roman bath site will be reburied for lack of funds Jordan David Rose Beirut
An ancient Roman bath site discovered in the Jordanian capital is to be filled in and paved over due to a lack of funds to preserve it. Construction workers in Amman stumbled upon the 1,900-year-old ruins last month while laying drainage pipes under a busy street. City officials have now declared that the site will be filled in with sand and repaved, despite sitting close to tourist attractions such as a 6,000-seat Roman amphitheatre and Temple of Hercules. “These are coronavirus times and there is no funding in the offing,” a spokesman from the Department of Antiquities told The National newspaper, although he hoped that the baths might be excavated and preserved as a museum in future. Sand with a high silica content “will engulf the site” next week, but would make it relatively easy to unearth again, he said. The baths are believed to extend as far as 300 metres under the city from
The ruins were found while workers laid drainage pipes to stop flooding
the uncovered portion, which included the remains of furnaces. Pottery fragments and a headless statue of a noble found at the site have been dated to the 2nd to 3rd century AD, when the city was part of the Roman Empire and named Philadelphia after the Macedonian-Egyptian pharaoh, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who ruled from 285 to 246 BC. Its discovery by workers who were laying drainage pipes prompted a row between archaeologists and the municipal authorities, torn between preserving heritage and the need to prevent flooding in the city of 4 million people. Local business owners were also divided, with some complaining that the excavations had prevented their customers parking, while others saw an opportunity to lure future tourists. Last week the Greater Amman Municipality said it was suspending work on the drainage project and would consider ways to divert culverts around the filled-in archaeological remains. Tourism to the Dead Sea, Petra and other attractions has been a pillar of the Jordanian economy, providing up to one fifth of the country’s GDP, but suffered in recent years from conflict and security fears, even before the pandemic. Two ancient bath sites have also been found in the Roman cities of Gerasa (now Jerash) and Gadara (Umm Qais), north of Amman. Yazid Elayan, head of the Department of Antiquities, said that there were sites of huge archaeological significance under Amman, but that the authorities needed to “balance the needs of the city to protect it from flooding [with] preserving antiquities under the streets.”
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT All Lebanon needs is a railway but bombs, inertia and politics have stopped it in its tracks
Richard Spencer BEIRUT
I
t is a tough time for Lebanon, as everyone knows, but there is one sector of government that is keeping things on track. The national railway administration has managed to protect itself from budget cuts, despite huge political and financial problems. With the port explosion in Beirut last August another deep blow to the country’s transport infrastructure, it was good to learn last week that the
administration’s spending rose from 13 billion Lebanese pounds (£6.5 million) to 16 billion last year. Now all Lebanon needs is a railway. In many ways the country is a train-spotter’s paradise. Aficionados used to visit just to gawp at disused stations in picturesque hillside towns and locomotives rusting in abandoned yards. Souvenir shops sell posters from the 1930s advertising railway holidays to exotic destinations: Haifa, Damascus, the Hijaz. A regular service from Beirut to Tripoli, 50 miles up the coast, though? No, that does not exist. The continuing existence of a railway administration, with 300 staff, in a country whose railways were destroyed in a civil war that ended three decades ago is a paradox unique to Lebanon. The
The dwarf giraffe grazes on the Namibian plain beside an adult male. It is 8ft 6in tall compared with 16ft for a typical giraffe
Dwarf giraffes draw the short straw Ben Hoyle Los Angeles
The first known dwarf giraffes have been found 2,500 miles apart in Africa, proving that sometimes the tallest mammals don’t rise to expectations. The typical adult giraffe is about 16ft tall with willowy legs and a crane-like neck. In 2015, however, researchers in the Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda encountered an unusual Nubian giraffe. Its neck was long but its legs were stumpy, as if someone had put the top half of a giraffe costume on a horse. This giraffe, nicknamed Gimli after the dwarf character in The Lord of the Rings, was estimated to be 9ft 4in tall, barely 5in more than the tallest human on record. Michael Brown, a conservation science fellow with the Giraffe
country’s bureaucracy exists to provide opportunities for sectarian political patronage as much as services such as railways. The paradox is terribly bad for Lebanon. Andreas Kindl, the German ambassador, was moved by the budget’s railway clause to acerbic public comment last week, saying that “public transport could be a great blessing to Lebanon considering how much time we all spend every day in traffic jams”. As local journalists pointed out, having the frugal Germans mock you when you are trying to get an international bail out for your economy is not a good sign. Lebanon is not the only place in the Middle East going backwards in transport terms. A century ago railways spanned the region, with the Berlin to Baghdad line, or the Hijaz Railway connecting Haifa to Medina in what is now Saudi Arabia. Now there are hardly any. The wars that destroyed them were rarely the residents’ fault. Lawrence of Arabia started blowing them up, followed by many of the 20th century’s empires. The failure to rebuild the lines does rest with Engines have been left to rust in overgrown shunting yards
Conservation Foundation (GCF) and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, was surprised as were his colleagues. “The initial reaction was disbelief,” he told The New York Times. Three years later the team found an undersized giraffe on a farm in central Namibia. The animal, which they called Nigel, was even shorter at 8ft 6in. The giraffes, both mature males, were photographed and scientists used digital techniques to measure their body parts. Researchers confirmed that the two animals were shorter than their peers because two bones in their legs were smaller. Dwarfism was the best explanation that they could find. The condition has been documented in domestic animals but has rarely been observed in the wild. An article in the
local governments, however. As campaigners point out, restoring the network that connected Beirut to not only Tripoli but also Damascus and Aleppo would take pressure off crumbling, trafficjammed roads and assist Syria’s rebuilding. They have even put together proposals. “Our talented engineers have created a master plan,” Elias Maalouf, who helped to found Train Train Lebanon, one pressure group, said. “But there is no money.” Elsewhere in the region the situation is even stranger. There is no shortage of cash in the Gulf, and a high-speed line that connected Kuwait to Sharjah via Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai would save thousands of greenhouse gasguzzling flights each week. Last week Etihad Rail, the United Arab Emirates’ national rail company, began making tracks for stage two of a
BMC Research Notes journal by Mr Brown and Emma Wells of the GCF makes clear that they have not been able to analyse the genetic diversity among the populations of the two giraffes. That may explain the incidence of dwarfism. Prior cases “in captive animals have been associated with inbreeding”. The researchers said that the Murchison Falls giraffe population was estimated to include more than 1,350 adults but in the 1980s it fell to about 78. Unless some similarly short female giraffes can be introduced to them, Gimli and Nigel are unlikely to be able to pass on their genes. The researchers noted that, given their shorter legs, “successful mounting for breeding seems physically improbable”.
national network, but for freight only. Why is this? As with much in the Middle East, the short-term advantages of inertia outweigh the long-term gains of investment. Monopoly licences to import Mercedes and Toyotas have always ensured support for the regime from key businessmen. Railways are also assets, and selling off or renting out railway property is a good way to earn money — and rake-offs. Mr Maalouf lives in Rayak, in the Bekaa Valley, once the Middle East’s most important junction, connecting Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo and Haifa, which is why it was Lawrence’s first victim. In the Seventies it was made an army base by Syria during the civil war. Now its shunting yard, where weeds poke through steam engines with Mount Hermon as a backdrop, is particularly photogenic. But the mountain is also the Syrian border, and so hopes for a railway revival founder on Lebanon’s political breakdown, US sanctions and the threat of a war between Iran and Israel that would drag in Hezbollah. As Mr Maalouf says, the enemy of the train was once political. Now it is geopolitical.
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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End misery for trapped investors, M&G urged Call to lift year-long suspension of property fund Louisa Clarence-Smith
Investors locked in M&G’s flagship property fund for more than a year have suffered a negative annual return of about 11 per cent while collectively paying millions of pounds in fees. M&G suspended trading in its £2.3 billion UK property fund in December 2019 after suffering a rush of redemptions. The fund, which owns offices, warehouses, retail parks and shopping centres, is held by tens of thousands of small investors. It has been hit by heavy falls in the value of retail property, which was suffering a structural decline long before the pandemic began. The suspension was introduced as a temporary measure to allow fund managers time to raise cash levels to pay redemptions by selling assets at market prices. More than one year on, though, investors are still uncertain about when they will be able to access their money. M&G’s latest annual report for the property fund has revealed the pain inflicted on investors, reporting the 11 per cent negative return for the year to the end of September 2020. Investors have paid estimated fees of between £12 million and £14 million while the fund has been suspended. They have received a negative total return from the fund for five years, according to the annual report. “The fund therefore did not meet the current objective of providing a combination of capital growth and income over five years or more by investing mainly in UK commercial property,” it said. Pressure is growing on M&G to reopen the fund and waive a greater part of its fees than the 30 per cent discount it gave investors during the suspension. Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, chairman of Olim, a commercial property manager, said: “M&G must time limit this sorry saga now or the Financial Conduct Authority should feel their collar. Temporary suspensions should last no longer than three months. M&G must set a firm and final
date of March 31 for trapped unit holders to get their cash.” The fund’s managers have made asset sales of £395.8 million since the suspension started, increasing its cash level from less than 5 per cent of its total assets, to 18.1 per cent at the time of its most recent update last month. Ryan Hughes, head of active portfolios at the online investment platform AJ Bell, said M&G should reduce fees further “to recognise the prolonged inconvenience to investors”. A spokeswoman for M&G said: “Throughout the temporary suspension, we continue to balance the objective of raising cash levels with the need to protect the interests of all our investors and our ongoing targeted sales programme is intended to preserve the portfolio’s integrity and long-term prospects.” She said the fund “continues to be actively managed and pay income distributions”. Regulators have taken an increased interest in property funds since 2016 when some open-ended funds aimed at retail investors suspended redemptions after the Brexit vote to avoid having to make fire sales of assets. A dozen property funds, holding about £12 billion, froze withdrawals after the Covid-19 outbreak. The suspensions came in because the funds’ independent valuers said there was too much uncertainty to judge the worth of the assets as more people worked from home and shopped online. Frozen funds including those managed by St James’s Place and Columbia Threadneedle have reopened, however, after valuers said that they could value properties with confidence. The FCA is consulting on reform of open-ended property funds after concerns about a liquidity mismatch where investors can trade in the funds daily but property assets can take months to trade. Proposed new rules would require investors to give notice, potentially of up to 180 days, before their investment is redeemed. A report is expected from the FCA soon.
Star man Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has his eyes on the British broadband market after Ofcom cleared his Starlink internet project to operate. The Tesla boss is now about to compete with the government’s Oneweb satellite service Page 40
‘At least 250,000 small firms to go under’ Philip Aldrick Economics Editor
A record number of small businesses expect to shut this year unless the government steps in with more help, according to a survey of the sector. At least 250,000 companies with fewer than 50 staff will fold after haemorrhaging sales and taking on debt during the coronavirus pandemic, the quarterly monitor by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found. With the economy closed for a third lockdown, confidence within the small company sector has sunk to the second lowest level in the decade the survey has been running. Only last year’s March lockdown reported a lower level. One in five small businesses shed staff in the three months to December, including the November lockdown, and one in seven expect to make redundancies this quarter. “We risk losing hundreds of thousands of great, ultimately viable small businesses this year at huge cost to local communities and individual liveli-
hoods,” Mike Cherry, the FSB chairman, said. “A record number say they plan to close over the next 12 months and they were saying that even before news of the latest lockdown came through.” Britain’s manufacturers said, however, that customs delays caused by Brexit were a more immediate risk than the lockdown. According to a survey by the manufacturing industry group Make UK, 47 per cent of respondents considered customs delays the biggest business risk; 46 per cent said the biggest threat was a national lockdown. Little over a week after Brexit became a reality examples of border disruption are emerging. Companies have had goods turned back at the border after failing “rules of origin” requirements. Others have said that prices may have to rise to absorb the cost of paperwork. The survey conducted jointly by Make UK and the accountants PWC found that a third of companies believed that investment prospects would decrease having left the EU. Less than a fifth (18 per cent) said that they would
increase. Twenty six per cent of companies expect exports to the EU to fall and 16 per cent believe that they will increase. A third said that the UK’s ability to attract international talent would decrease and 11 per cent expect the UK to be a more attractive destination. Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, said: “The transition to new trading arrangements was always going to be the biggest challenge facing manufacturers this year . . . the fact we have an agreement in place doesn’t alter that.” Mr Cherry said: “Action in March will be too late to stem closures. We have to look again at how we treat emergency debt facilities.” The FSB surveyed 1,400 of the country’s 5.9 million small businesses. Figures published by the property adviser Altus showed that half as many pubs shut last year as in 2018 thanks to “government interventions such as furlough, grants, rates relief and liquidity in the form of cheap loans”. Business needs support to transition to post-Brexit era, leading article, page 31
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Business
Need to know
1
Supermarkets face being legally required to enforce social distancing and mask-wearing in a crackdown on lockdown compliance. Boris Johnson told ministers that the NHS was in a perilous situation. Page 1
Has LV= done enough to
2
The Prince of Wales is publishing a charter today to persuade big business to save the planet. Kick-started by a multibillion-pound fund to invest in green initiatives, he will call for the private sector to sign up to his ten-point Terra Carta, or Earth Charter. Pages 1, 11
3
Senior Tories are hoping to force Boris Johnson to take a tougher stance against China. Lord Hague of Richmond is among those endorsing a report that he says details human rights abuses, including slave labour, in China. In Red Box, Nus Ghani, a former Tory minister, rallies support to change forthcoming trade legislation to allow British courts to rule whether a country is guilty of genocide. Page 4
4
At least 20 tram networks are needed to help to clear towns and cities “choked in traffic”, ministers have been told. A report today recommends a £10 billion investment programme to develop “mass transit” networks in metropolitan areas with populations of at least 250,000 people. Page 11
5
A record number of small businesses expect to shut this year unless the government steps in with more help. At least 250,000 companies with fewer than 50 staff will fold after shedding sales and taking on debt during the pandemic, the quarterly monitor by the Federation of Small Businesses found. Leading article, page 31, page 37
6
Investors locked in M&G’s flagship property fund for more than a year have suffered a negative annual return of 11 per cent while collectively paying millions of pounds in fees. Page 37
7
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative Party leader, is seeking to help staff at one of Britain’s oldest social enterprises who claim that they are owed £200,000 in unpaid wages. Clarity Products is a soap and toiletries maker, most of whose factory workers in London are blind, disabled or have a longterm health condition. Page 40
8
Southend airport is central to the future plans of a slimmed-down Stobart Group, which is changing its name to Esken in an effort to draw a line under its problems. Page 42
9
For Paul Triniman, former chief executive of the Londonbased smoking cessation start-up Kind Consumer, the company’s collapse bookended a year to forget. Mr Triniman began 2020 on a ventilator for 19 days in the intensive care unit at Poole hospital with Covid-19. Page 44
10
The pandemic has made a late payment problem for British businesses worse, the Institute of Directors said as it called for “more firepower” for a government watchdog. Page 45
The mutual’s planned sale to Bain Capital leaves a long list of unanswered questions, writes Patrick Hosking In 1843, the year Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, public-spirited citizens of Liverpool set up a burial society to help the poor to save for their own funeral costs. Over the following 177 years it expanded to become a £16 billion savings giant known today as LV=. Throughout that time it managed to sustain its mutual status and avoid the need for outside shareholders. The death knell for that philosophy was sounded on December 15, when the LV= board abruptly announced plans to renounce mutuality and sell the group for £530 million to Bain Capital, a US private equity firm better known for buying and selling fast-food businesses such as Burger King than for its pensions and savings expertise. The proposed deal was billed by the LV= board as “an excellent financial outcome for all of our members and an unrivalled commitment to LV=’s prospects, business and people”. There would be a one-off payment made to all 1.25 million members of the society on top of a boost to the retirement pots of the 340,000 policyholders in its core with-profits fund, the entity that is the beneficial owner of the society. This would be closed to new business. The way the deal was structured and announced, however, and the lack of
detail given to the members have raised concerns. Some policyholders believe that the deal may well be an excellent outcome for Mark Hartigan, the chief executive, but have yet to be convinced that it is in their own best interests. Inevitably, with such a complex transaction, not all the details have been ironed out yet but LV= has, according to some members, failed to answer a string of basic questions. why do anything, and why now?
LV= has all along insisted that it is in very good financial shape. It secured a cash injection of more than £1 billion when it sold its general insurance division to Allianz, which now licenses the LV= name to sell insurance. In its latest results LV= reports a rock-solid capital coverage ratio of 244 per cent. The outgoing chief executive, Richard Rowney, who left in December 2019, took a final-year package of £1.91 million, including £1.22 million of bonuses. If this reward was justified, why does LV= feel the urgent need to sell out only a few months later? And why now, in a recession that has inevitably depressed the price of all life assurance assets? why keep policyholders in the dark?
One said: “LV= is meant to be a mutual organisation. Converting it to one owned by private equity doesn’t exactly reassure one. When you are left in darkness, you can’t help having suspicions.” LV= has since given more information on its website. It is also now planning a virtual seminar on February 3,
LV=, rugby sponsor and £16 billion savings giant, was founded in Victorian times to
although it has raised suspicions that it will be a stage-managed PR event. The media are banned. why opt for a private-equity buyer?
Bain’s backers tend to expect a return within three to seven years. A mutual can plan for the very long term, which is important for members wanting retirement nest-eggs in 30, 40 or 50 years’ time. For years LV= has trumpeted the virtues of mutual ownership as central to its philosophy. A rival offer of £540 million from Royal London was at first the preferred option and was given the blessing of the
with-profits committee, an independent panel charged with defending the interests of policyholders. Bain then came back, however, with additional assurances, which appear to have been enough to sway the LV= board. what will members receive?
LV= will not give a number for either the size of the cash payment to the ordinary members or the boost to withprofits policyholders’ pots. It says that the latter could be “up to 40 per cent” but will depend on the type of product the member holds, the size of their investment and the length of time until their policy matures. How much overall goes to the with-profits fund has not
TGI Fridays next on menu for sell-off Pretty Little Miles Costello
The private equity owner of TGI Fridays in Britain plans to put the bar and restaurant chain up for sale as it winds down its portfolio after succumbing to an attack by a corporate raider. Electra Private Equity, a Londonlisted investment vehicle, is also aiming to sell off its other assets before the year is out and return the proceeds to shareholders. They include Hotter Shoes and Sentinel, which makes flushing and cleaning products for heating and hot water systems. It is thought that other private equity firms and trade rivals are likely to show interest in the three businesses, which Electra has improved and invested in. Analysts believe that TGI Fridays, which Electra bought for £100 million in 2014, could be worth as much as £275 million, Hotter Shoes could fetch
£85 million or so and Sentinel about £20 million. Electra is one of London’s oldest listed private equity vehicles having floated in 1976. In 2016 it came under assault from the veteran activist investor Ed Bramson, 70, who installed himself as chief executive after a shareholder coup. Mr Bramson, who is no longer in charge but still has a representative on the board, initiated a review that led to the decision to sell the assets and wind up the business. More than £2 billion has so far been returned to shareholders following other sales, among them of the holidays operator Parkdean Resorts and the online photoElectra has invested in the bar and restaurant chain
graph printer Photobox. Assuming that the pandemic eases by about Easter, Electra could begin an auction in the second half of the year. There are 85 TGI Fridays in Britain, all run as franchises. Although they have been forced to close during lockdowns, a new management team has introduced delivery, as well as click-and-collect ordering. There are also new products, including food to cook at home and there are plans to build up the cocktails business. Electra’s stock market worth has dwindled as the assets have been sold. The shares, which trade at a substantial discount to the net value of its assets, value the business at just over £100 million.
earner for founder of fashion brand Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor
Umar Kamani, the founder of the fastfashion site Pretty Little Thing, received a £3.4 million dividend from the business three months before selling out to Boohoo, run by his father. Mr Kamani sold his 34 per cent remaining stake in Pretty Little Thing last May for £330 million in a deal that gave him £161 million in cash and a stake worth 2.6 per cent in Boohoo. Pretty Little Thing had 6.3 million active customers in the year to the end
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Business
get deal over line? STU FORSTER; HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES
senior management and non-executive directors. They are paid fees of between £66,000 and £261,000 (for the chairman Alan Cook). Mr Hartigan says he has had no discussions with Bain about his role, but it seems likely that there would be a future for him under Bain ownership. what votes are required and could the courts block the deal?
Some policyholders believe that LV=’s articles of association present an insurmountable hurdle to the deal. Yet LV= has told The Times that it has found a way around this obstacle. Article 14.23 stipulates that any move to demutualise requires a vote that achieves a turnout of at least 50 per cent of LV=’s 1.25 million members — more than 600,000 policyholders — and that any attempt to disapply this rule must meet the same threshold. This presents an extremely high bar: a vote in 2019 to convert LV= from a friendly society to a mutual company limited by guarantee attracted only an 8.8 per cent turnout. The group’s last annual meeting drew 5.2 per cent. To get round the 50 per cent turnout bar, LV= plans to hold two member votes that do not require that barrier. The first will ask members to approve the Bain takeover. This will require the backing of 75 per cent of members who vote but will not need to meet a minimum turnout. The mutual will then ask for member backing for it to seek court approval to change Article 14.23. This will also require the approval of 75 per cent of voting members and, as with the first vote, will not be subject to a turnout threshold. As part of the process LV= will need to produce an independent expert to give a verdict on the deal. help the poor; a sale to private equity ends nearly two centuries of mutual status
been disclosed either. Even if the wider cash payment is only, say, £100 per member, that swallows up £125 million of the purchase price. Then there are other liabilities to meet including possible top-up payments to the staff pension fund and debts. LV= concedes that with-profits members will not know the precise boost to their pots before the deal is put to the vote. The wider payment to all members will be disclosed in time. what’s the view of the with-profits committee?
dropped its objection to Bain’s proposal. LV= told The Times: “The LV= withprofits committee agrees with the LV= board that the proposed transaction with Bain Capital represents an excellent financial outcome for LV=’s withprofits policyholders.” The committee chairman David Hare is “no shrinking violet”, according to industry insiders. He was the withprofit actuary at Police Mutual and alerted the regulator and the board that it had serious issues, problems that led to its rescue by Royal London last year.
can regulators block it?
The Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority could impose restrictions limiting how quickly Bain would be allowed to extract dividends from the business in future, or who it might sell the business on to in due course. Regulators appear to have had no problems in approving Bain’s £1.2 billion purchase of Esure, the car insurance group that owns Sheilas’ Wheels, in 2018. The Financial Conduct Authority will also examine the deal. LV= is confident that the vote will take place in the first half of this year and the deal will complete before the end of 2021. But by any reckoning there are a few hurdles to clear first. 6 Additional reporting by Katherine Griffiths and Ben Martin
As The Times has reported, the six-person committee initially supported the rival Royal London offer. It then
what’s in it for management?
of February and it shipped 19 million orders, driving up sales by 37.9 per cent to £516.3 million during the year. Profit for the year was £45 million. It paid a £10 million dividend. Mr Kamani also received a £1.17 million pay package. Mr Kamani has spent the crisis on private jets and yachts for business trips and holidays in Dubai, Istanbul and Portofino in Italy while using Instagram to update shoppers on Pretty Little Thing’s influencer collaborations. Boohoo was founded by Mahmud Kamani, Umar’s father, and Carol Kane in 2006 and has enjoyed explosive growth recently. Boohoo was embroiled in a scandal last year over the treatment of its workers after an investigation into minimum wage breaches at Leicester factories that supply Boohoo. Boohoo and the Kamanis say that they had no knowledge of the mistreatment of staff in its factories in Leicester. The company has walked away from 64 suppliers in Leicester since the controversy emerged and engaged Alison Levitt, QC, to review the business.
Insolvency firms put under investigation after scandals
If Royal London had clinched the deal it had planned to clear out the entire
Louisa Clarence-Smith
MPs have opened an investigation into the insolvency profession after criticism about their objectivity standards, The Times has learnt. The focus is likely to be on the relationship between insolvency practitioners and the lending banks that have the power to appoint them. When businesses go bust their biggest creditors, usually banks, appoint insolvency firms. It has prompted claims that the recovery firms act in the interests of the banks over those of the business or other creditors. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on fair business banking said it had received complaints from business owners that the system did not do
enough to protect their companies when they had fallen into insolvency. Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative cochairman of the group, said: “There have been a number of high-profile failures in the insolvency industry. The APPG has also received its fair share of complaints about the system.” One scandal was the administration of Comet Group. Neville Khan, 57, a former partner at Deloitte, was reprimanded and fined £50,000 last year by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. It found that Mr Khan did not “take reasonable steps” to ensure that he was objective in handling the administration. The MPs are working with the City law firm Humphries Kerstetter to identify failures in the system.
The week ahead When Ken Murphy took over from Dave Lewis in November as boss of Britain’s biggest retailer he said that one of his top priorities would be to ensure that Tesco had a good Christmas. The sudden introduction of tighter Tier 4 restrictions may mean that “good” is not a strong enough adjective to describe Tesco’s numbers. Updates from Sainsbury’s and Morrisons last week revealed that British shoppers had been determined to treat themselves over the holiday period, while figures from the market researcher Kantar showed that it had been the best December on record for the grocers. Tesco also has the biggest online capacity of the supermarkets, with about 1.4 million orders a week, so it will have benefited from the surge in demand for deliveries, while bigger baskets will mean that the service is more profitable than ever. Kantar figures estimate that Tesco sales rose by 11.1 per cent in December, although its estimates for Morrisons and Sainsbury’s were a few per cent higher than what the supermarkets actually reported,
Tesco is well placed for the surge in online shopping during lockdowns
suggesting that Tesco could report like-for-like sales closer to 9 per cent or so. The company, which handed back its business rates relief, will pay investors a £5 billion special dividend in February from the sale of its Thai business. [email protected]
tomorrow A maker of tabletop war games and fantasy figurines is set to secure its status as a lockdown winner, with half-time profits expected to rise sharply. Last month Games Workshop said that it would report sales of £185 million for the six months to November 29 — up 25 per cent year-on-
year. Pre-tax profit for the period would be “not less than £90 million”, an increase of at least 53 per cent on last year. The maker of the Warhammer series has risen from relative obscurity over the past five years, with its share price jumping from just over £5 to more than £116, giving
it a market value of £3.8 billion — about £1 billion more than Marks & Spencer. Interims Accrol, Gateley, Games Workshop Finals Shoe Zone Trading updates Robert Walters, Nichols, JD Sports Fashion, Vistry, THG Holdings, XP Power, Rathbones
wednesday The shift to smartphone shopping has accelerated during the pandemic and it continued in the run-up to Christmas. Asos is expected to be one of retail retail’ss festive winners when it updates the City. Online retail sales rose by 62 per cent in December, compared with 24.5 per cent growth last year, according to BDO, as high street shops in Tier 4 were locked os under quarantine. Asos will have missed out on ve fashion sales of more expensive i items, such as party dresses, owing to the lack of office Christmas parties, but the online retailer has
shown that it has been able to keep up with demand for comfortable stay-at-home outfits. Like Next, its fashion retail rival, it will benefit low rate of from a lower custom returns, which customer be is beneficial to profit ma margins because it ca ship out fewer can it items to make the s same level of sales. L week Asos Last u unveiled plans for a ne UK fulfilment new cen centre, signalling that ex it expects the growth onl of online shopping to continue continue. Kro Interims Kromek T di updates d Trading Asos, Persimmon, Ferrexpo, Page Group, Just Eat Takeaway
thursday
friday
When Taylor Wimpey last updated the market, on November 9, it raised its profit forecast for 2021 on the back of a resurgence in the property market. Its confidence may have increased further after a continued boom in housing transactions in November. There were 105,000 mortgage approvals for house purchases in that month, the highest since August 2007, according to the Bank of England. Interims Ilika Finals Titon, Safestore, Blue Prism Trading updates Taylor Wimpey, Whitbread, Workspace, John Wood, Tesco, Associated British Foods, Brooks Macdonald, Dunelm, Hays, Boohoo, Card Factory, Lamprell, Bakkavor, Halfords, Qinetiq
Figures from the Office for National Statistics are expected to show that the economy contracted by 3 per cent in November, when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown in England. Although output contracted after growing by 0.4 per cent in October, economists said that the damage was unlikely to have been as severe as that caused by the first lockdown in April. Many sectors that were disrupted during the spring continued in November, including education, construction and factories. The housing market was also open for business and many retailers had successfully adapted to online and takeaway orders. Trading update Ashmore
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Business
strikes Duncan Smith urges inquiry into Reality for gaming ‘unpaid’ staff at social enterprise software firm after buy-ups
Louisa Clarence-Smith
A former Conservative Party leader is planning to name in the House of Commons this week a businessman accused of withholding the wages of furloughed staff. Sir Iain Duncan Smith is seeking to help staff at one of Britain’s oldest social enterprises who claim that they are owed £200,000 in unpaid wages. Clarity Products is a soap and toiletries maker that counts Queen Victoria and Winston Churchill among its former patrons. Most of its factory workers in London are blind, disabled or have a long-term health condition. Nicholas Marks, the South African businessman who owns Clarity, was reported to HM Revenue & Customs last year for allegedly failing to pay staff in the pandemic while accepting money from the government’s job retention scheme. He denies any wrongdoing. Community, a union representing
Simon Duke
Nicholas Marks bought Clarity out of administration last year before the pandemic
staff, said that more than 60 people were owed wages totalling about £200,000. Some staff have been owed wages for nearly a year and many of those owed wages had been furloughed, the union said. Staff were said to be unable to claim other support such as universal credit because they had received payslips. “It’s terrible,” Sir Iain said. “These are people that are some of the most vulnerable who you have to applaud for trying to work still.” Lauren Crowley, head of equalities at Community, said: “The overwhelming majority are disabled workers who are now struggling to pay bills and put food on the table.” Sir Iain has urged the Treasury to investigate Mr Marks and support workers who claim that they are owed wages with a stopgap payment. He told The Times that he planned to raise his concerns in a House of Commons debate this week after receiving support from cross-party MPs. Mr Marks, 53, is the director of Mewa Industrial Holdings, a company incor-
The actress Joanna Lumley is among the celebrities who have backed the social enterprise Clarity, founded in 1854
porated in 2019 that is connected to the South African engineering group Mewa. He bought Clarity out of administration before the onset of the pandemic last year. An employment tribunal ruled in December that Clarity must pay £706.35 to Stephen Steppens, 59, a parttime factory worker who is registered blind, for making “an unauthorised deduction from the claimant’s wages”. Mr Marks said that he had “saved the business” and that all staff working
were “fully paid up to date”. He said that some former staff were subject to “proceedings to recover losses” owing to alleged gross misconduct, and the remainder of staff were “subject to redundancy process, the end of which will result in any amounts due being settled in accordance with entitlement”. There is no evidence that Mr Marks has made a fraudulent claim. Sir Iain said that the Treasury should have “upped their investigatory capabilities dramatically” when they intro-
duced pandemic support schemes last year. “I’m just astonished that we didn’t have a much much bigger set of teams investigating all of this in a much speedier way,” he said. HMRC said that it was investigating 5,000 claims made under the job retention scheme. A spokesman for the tax office said it could not comment on identifiable taxpayers or businesses. “We won’t hesitate to take criminal action against the most serious cases,” he said.
A virtual reality start-up backed by Softbank has reported widening losses after buying two games developers. Improbable Worlds, which is developing a platform for large multiplayer online games, lost £65 million in the seven months to the end of 2019, according to accounts at Companies House. In the year to the end of May 2019 it reported a £39 million loss. Improbable is one of London’s most hyped start-ups and has big ambitions for its virtual reality platform, called Spatial OS, for developers of complex multiplayer games. Herman Narula, the founder and chief executive, believes that the tool can simulate the real world and be used for many tasks, from city planning to mapping biological systems. Improbable has licensed its wargaming software to the British and US defence departments. Long-term contracts with the UK military are said to be worth more than £25 million. Mr Narula, 32, the son of an Indianborn property tycoon, founded Improbable with two friends from Cambridge University in 2012. In 2017 Softbank invested $502 million in a deal valuing the company at $1 billion. The following year its valuation was said to have doubled after a $50 million investment by the Chinese firm Netease. Improbable reported revenues of £10.8 million in the seven months to the end of December 2019. That was substantially higher than the £1.2 million it posted for the 12 months to the end of May 2019 but it has struggled to demonstrate to investors that it has a clear path to sustainable profits. Mr Narula now wants Improbable to create its own games as well as further developing its virtual reality platform. In 2019 it bought the American developer Midwinter Entertainment for £27.7 million in cash and shares and spent £5.6 million on The Multiplayer Guys, a games company based in Nottingham. Last February it bought the German cloud computing firm Zeus for an undisclosed sum. Improbable’s headcount grew from 329 in May 2019 to 487 by the end of the year. Its cash pile fell from £193 million to £116 million over the period and it has a £158 million portfolio of bonds.
Musk launches broadband into the UK Council pension funds find Philip Aldrick
Elon Musk is poised to compete with the government’s Oneweb satellite broadband service after his Starlink venture was cleared by the UK communications regulator. Ofcom granted the Tesla billionaire a licence in November, months after the government spent £400 million on a minority stake to reboot the failed Oneweb project alongside the Indian company Bharti Global. Mr Musk, 49, who recently overtook the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest man, with a personal fortune of $188 billion, has now been approved to have dishes and receivers in Britain as well as Greece, Germany and Australia. Starlink is already providing a million dishes across rural areas in the US. Mr Musk’s goal is to deliver superfast broadband to internet blackspots by
Starlink has been cleared by Ofcom
sending 12,000 satellites into low earth orbit. About a thousand are already in place. Starlink is part of Mr Musk’s SpaceX rocket programme. He has said that he will publicly list the business once market conditions are right. The UK licence allows him to compete with terrestrial internet providers such as BT and satellite operators such as Inmarsat, as well as Oneweb. The Sunday Telegraph reported that some UK households waiting for fibre broad-
band had already installed a trial version. Mr Musk’s plan to target the UK may raise new questions about the government’s backing of Oneweb. The firm plans 650 satellites to bring broadband to remote areas but the government has been criticised for a lack of transparency over the investment. Oneweb was established in 2012 to deploy satellites providing remote access internet, having raised $3.4 billion from investors including Softbank and Airbus. It collapsed in the early stages of the pandemic after investors pulled out. The government is thought to be planning to use it to develop a replacement for the Galileo global positioning system to which the UK lost access after leaving the EU. Mr Musk has said that Starlink satellites would include an “anti-reflective” sun visor to answer criticism that they pollute the night sky.
£500m for infrastructure Miles Costello
An investment vehicle backed by a collection of local authority pension funds has raised a further £500 million from its stakeholders as it ploughs money into British infrastructure projects. The move by GLIL Infrastructure takes the fund’s total capital to more than £2.3 billion and gives it further financial firepower to back big developments including in rail, renewable energy, utilities and ports. GLIL Infrastructure was set up in 2015 by Greater Manchester Pension Fund and London Pensions Fund Authority specifically to back infrastructure projects. Pension funds tend to favour investments in infrastructure because they generate a long-term and reliable stream of cashflows that help
them to match their assets with their liabilities to pay retirement benefits over decades. This fund is backed by an array of local authority retirement schemes, including Merseyside and West Yorkshire, Lancashire and Berkshire. It has already invested £1.4 billion in infrastructure, including in Anglian Water, Clyde Wind Farm and Forth Ports. The government is prioritising investment in roads, rail and energy generation assets and hopes to involve the private sector in funding initiatives to rebuild the backbone of the economy. Ted Frith, chief operating officer at GLIL, said: “Our latest fundraising demonstrates the incredible opportunity there is for pension funds to answer that call and to help transform our nation’s infrastructure.”
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Comment Business
Mark Littlewood
Graham Ruddick
When judging a retailer’s performance it’s best not to compare like-for-like
“
As the world embarks on a race to vaccinate at a more rapid pace than the rising Covid-19 infection rate, we can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. Something like normality should return to the world in the coming year and, with a following wind, in the early months of it. Swiftly, attention will turn to who did precisely what to fight the coronavirus, who merits praise, who deserves blame and what lessons can be drawn. The inquest will be an arduous and probably an unpleasant process. The trap we will have to avoid falling into is to listen to those peddling simple, grand theories to explain successes and failures. Such stories have tended to be unhelpful during the pandemic and could be dangerous after it. An accurate post mortem is likely to be messy, highly complicated and even full of irritating contradictions. Banal overarching narratives were emerging last spring. Having ignited excitable media attention, they have typically proven to be falsehoods. In the early stages of the pandemic eastern Europe seemed to be faring far better than the West. In an effort to explain why, one national newspaper suggested lower population densities, lower life expectancy meaning fewer vulnerable people or “sheer luck”. Another media outlet believed the more widespread use of the BCG tuberculosis vaccine in the East could explain the disparity. The Morning Star’s analysis of how to defeat Covid-19 is unsurprising: the more socialism a country has, the quicker it can apparently overcome the virus. Eastern Europe is now faring at least as badly as the West. Perhaps the most bizarre theory was aired by Forbes magazine last April. Countries led by women — specifically Germany, Taiwan and New Zealand — Forbes said that countries led by women, such as Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, did better than those led by men
appeared to be doing better than those led by men. Quite why having a leader with two X chromosomes was likely to translate into more successful public policy in this area remains a mystery. The fact that the countries that were led by women pursued different approaches to tackling Covid-19 was skirted over. The Guardian was nevertheless very taken by this hypothesis. On my own ideological side of the ledger, free market libertarians have also sometimes shown a tendency to reach a comfortable conclusion and then find the evidence to support it. The fact that Sweden, which resisted full-blown lockdowns, did not appear to be experiencing enormously higher death rates was supposedly proof that lockdowns were ineffective. Maybe that deduction will indeed have some merit once all the facts are in, but you surely need to take into account a wide range of other considerations, such as the high number of singleoccupancy dwellings in Sweden. Also, as my Swedish friends have told me only half-jokingly, social distancing has been a cultural norm in their country for generations. Similarly, those of us who are highly sceptical that the NHS is anywhere near being the optimal system for healthcare delivery can point to the UK’s poor record on Covid-19 mortality rates. Perhaps once we have emerged from the crisis and can properly reflect we will appreciate that we have much to learn from the more decentralised, market-driven German health system. But we will also need to consider the differences in the quality and clarity of public health guidance issued by politicians in Germany and the UK. Crises tend to lead to a sizeable growth in the role of the state and there are siren calls that a much larger state should be a permanent feature of the post-Covid landscape. One grand theory is that the AngloAmerican model of capitalism has been shown to have failed utterly, given the poor outcomes in the US and the UK. Such analyses tend to bleach out countries such as Australia, which
ascribe to this supposedly broken model and have coped admirably despite relatively low public spending. Even the most hardened libertarians tend to accept that there is a role for state action in tackling a collective emergency such as a pandemic, but there is little evidence that nations with large public sectors have found the economic hit of the coronavirus any easier to withstand. France has traditionally had a larger government than that of the UK but this extra state capacity has not prevented a similar economic decline. Italy, with a state sector typically amounting to half of GDP, has also experienced a precipitous reduction in national income. Nevertheless Laurence Boone, chief economist of the OECD, has apparently concluded that we will need to increase government spending to facilitate an economic recovery. This is despite the fact that the economic downturn has been an inevitable consequence of government restrictions on the supply side of the economy rather than an absence of demand. In mapping our bounceback from Covid-19 we may run into the Bonini paradox, named after Professor Charles Bonini of Stanford University. This states that the less information or accuracy a model has — for example, assuming female leaders are better at defeating a pandemic — the less useful it is in understanding the situation. But as a model becomes more complex and accounts for more variables the model itself becomes fiendishly hard to understand. Or, as the French philosopher Paul Valéry put it: “A simple statement is bound to be untrue. One that is not simple cannot be utilised.” To break out of that paradox, individuals of very different ideologies will need to accept that the data we will be working with in assessing the response to Covid-19 and our recovery from it is complex, incomplete and uncertain. It will require patience and nuance to learn real lessons. If we fall for simplistic, grand narratives about which path to take we will still win the coronavirus war but will squander the economic peace.
’’
Mark Littlewood is director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs. Twitter: @MarkJLittlewood
’T
is the season for retailers to publish their trading updates for the Christmas period. The City will spend this month trawling through the numbers and trying to identify the winners and losers from the vital shopping weeks of November and December. Much of the focus will be on the like-for-like sales figure at the top of the retailer’s stock market statement, but like-for-like sales are one of the oddities of the City, an unstandardised measure of performance that companies are free to interpret in the way that they see fit. A report published five years ago this week by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales warned that like-for-like sales are “not the best guide to retail
M&S share price 250p 200 150 100 50 0
Source: Refinitiv
Simplistic narratives about the war on Covid will squander the economic peace
Feb Apr 2020
Jul
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Jan 2021
success”. That is putting it mildly. These are some of the questions that should be asked when considering this figure, which is supposed to be a guide to how a retailer has performed year-on-year excluding new shop openings and closures: does it include shops that have been extended? Does it include purchases made using gift vouchers? How does it measure online sales? Does it cover the same period as last year, or is a day missing either side? What impact has inflation had? To highlight the inconsistencies, look at the companies that published their trading updates last week: Sainsbury’s includes shops that have extensions in its like-for-likes but not online sales; Marks & Spencer does not include shops that have been extended by more than 10 per cent but does include online sales. Of course, like-for-like sales do not even take into account how profitable these sales are. They can be inflated by a retailer flogging their stock off cheaply, only for the full financial results later in the year
to show that profit margins have tumbled and so have profits. A supposed Christmas winner can become a loser very quickly. “Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity, but cash is king for your business,” is the old saying in retail. Never has that been more relevant than during the pandemic, which has left many businesses fighting for their future. Covid has made likefor-likes even more irrelevant, with retailers now comparing a shop that is open against a shop that is closed owing to government legislation, and in an industry where online has doubled its share of UK retail sales. M&S brought a new twist in its Christmas trading update on Friday as it tried to explain how lockdown had distorted its figures and hidden a strong underlying performance. It reported that like-for-like food sales excluding its cafés, which were closed by Covid-19 rules, were up 5.7 per cent for the 13 weeks to Boxing Day, better than the headline food like-for-likes of 2.6 per cent. But can you really exclude cafés? Is that a fair statistic to offer given that some people who would have bought food from M&S cafés presumably bought a sandwich or drink from the shop instead? The use of like-for-like sales has attracted scepticism in the retail industry for some time. They rose to prominence in the 1980s after concerns that chains were masking poor underlying performance by opening more shops, which pushed up total sales. But like-for-likes are open to distortion, and in this new era, where high street shops are closing rather than opening and the main competition is the online giant Amazon, which reports one sales figure, it looks hopelessly dated. Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise, the chief executive of Next, is one of the industry leaders who has a disdain for like-for-likes. Next did not use the figure in its trading update last week and that does not appear to have done the company any harm, with its shares up 309 per cent over the past decade. This January look for the old-fashioned metric of total sales and pre-tax profits to judge the performance of Britain’s leading retailers, not like-for-likes. Graham Ruddick is Deputy Business Editor of The Times
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Stobart hopes new name will take off ALAMY
Robert Lea Industrial Editor
With some brands what you see is not necessarily what you get. Eddie Stobart, for instance, is the most identifiable and best-loved trucking brand in the land with its own fan club of motorway spotters. The listed company behind it, Eddie Stobart Logistics, has been a financial disaster bedevilled by accounting chicanery and debts, a business that fooled many investors most of the time, including its onetime biggest shareholder, the star stock-picker turned clay-footed Neil Woodford. Its former parent, Stobart Group, was for a time a stock market darling beloved of investors who did not ask too many questions about the source of assets whose sell-offs delivered a strong flow of dividends. Stobart then imploded in a boardroom civil war played out in the High Court in which the integrity of neither the former boss Andrew Tinkler nor the current chief executive, Warwick Brady, came away unblemished. To compound matters it decided to help to rescue the chronically lossmaking airline Flybe, a cunning plan that cost Stobart at least £50 million.
Southend airport in Essex is central to the future plans of a slimmed-down Stobart Group, which is changing its name to Esken
Why rebrands don’t always deliver You could kind of understand what Betfair and Paddy Power were trying to do when they renamed their company Flutter (Robert Lea writes). Perhaps not so much in the case of the rival Ladbrokes and Coral gambling group, which came up with the infelicitous Entain. Name changes have always been fraught and on occasion tended toward idiocy. British Gas and Grand Metropolitan were
panned when they changed their names to the utterly meaningless Centrica and Diageo. The names have, though, stood the test of time. Invensys seemed a silly remake for that grand old engineering group BTR but it was gobbled up and the name rests. Scottish Telecom caught the preposterous zeitgeist of the dot-com boom and pretentiously rebranded itself Thus, a name jettisoned when it too was taken
Today Stobart Group will announce that it is to ditch its name and rebrand itself Esken in an effort to draw a line under all that has gone before. Last year Stobart Group sold the rights to the “Eddie Stobart” brand to Eddie Stobart Logistics, which had demerged from the parent in 2014 but, somewhat carelessly, had not secured the legal rights to use its own name. There was talk that the brand was worth £50 million. In the end it changed hands for £10 million. Stobart Group has now lost the
over. Royal Mail was perhaps being too clever by half when it tried to rename itself Consignia. People hated it and the rebrand was consigned to wherever undelivered letters expire. There are, of course, some winners even if by default. Segro may sound like something you buy in a garden centre but it is an improvement on the property company’s old name, Slough Estates.
right to its own name. Instead it has alighted upon Esken, derived from the Cumbric old English once used in the north, meaning to climb or ascend. Plc brand changes using unfamiliar words are not always straightforward. Mr Brady, 56, says he wants to be able “to walk into a room and not apologise for the name”. He will find out soon enough whether his wish has come true. More importantly, he says, the name change ends the confusion over the different Stobarts and
is “a catalyst to break from a past of court cases and board coups”. Its decline has meant that Stobart/ Esken has a share register dominated by hedge funds. Seven investors control more than 70 per cent of the stock, headed by the ever-agitating Toscafund with nearly 30 per cent. Up from recent lows of below 20p, the shares opened today at 30¾p, valuing the company at £175 million, a long way off the 281p high in 2017. The much-altered company has three sets of remaining assets: Southend airport, which calls itself London’s sixth airport, a contract to run Teesside airport, and associated ground handling operations; the small airline operation that it tried to merge into Flybe; and a business supplying recycled woodchip to energyfrom-incinerator operators By Mr Brady’s telling, the £100 million turnover woodchip business is worth £200 million. The potential of Southend airport makes it worth £400 million to £500 million. On the sum of those alone he says Esken should be at least an 80p-a-share stock. The company is marketing the woodchip business for sale or demerger. “It’s an attractive, high-margin, cash-generative business,” he said. Mr Brady says the airline business will also soon be out of the door. It has lost a long-term contract with Aer Lingus but retains take-off and landing slots at Dublin airport from which it has flown to UK secondary and tertiary airports. The airline licence and slots could be sold to the Irish startup Emerald, or to Cyrus Capital, the US hedge fund that has bought Flybe from the administrators; or another small Irish franchise carrier, City Jet. Esken will then be a pure play: the stock exchange’s only listed airport operator. Look past these dark days, Mr Brady says, and the Southend tenants Ryanair and Wizz Air could be back operating at 80 per cent this summer. The airport, he says, could by next year be back past the 2.1 million passengers it handled in 2019. Even with passengers in short supply it has benefited from the millions of packages coming into the airport on freighters bound for Amazon. The plan remains for Esken to sell a 20 per cent stake in Southend to Avialliance, a German investor with stakes in Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Budapest and Athens airports, and to then develop a partnership in which Avi buys airports from distressed sellers and installs Esken as the operator. “The selling of the Stobart brand is the last point in a story of a business that has been dogged by past events,” Mr Brady said. “The name has changed and we have a strategy for the future.”
Astrazeneca’s former Avlon factory sold Alex Ralph
A former Astrazeneca drugs manufacturing plant that collapsed about two years after it was offloaded by the FTSE-100 company has finally been sold by the administrator. Avlon, a 100-acre site near Bristol, which produced Crestor, Astra’s old blockbuster statin, and Seroquel, its anti-psychotic drug, has been bought from the administrator by EDC, a Canadian property company, for about £18.5 million. EDC has brought in Maynards, an industrial auctions company, to manage the asset sales and demolition work before it redevelops the site as a warehousing and logistics park.
David Rubin & Partners was appointed administrator of the site in February 2019, just over two years after Astrazeneca sold it to the start-up contract manufacturer Avara for £1. The collapse of the factory has been highly contentious. Astrazeneca agreed in July 2019 to set aside up to £12 million to pay enhanced redundancy for Avlon staff amid criticism from MPs, unions and staff after The Times helped to bring the dispute to light. Former employees accused Astrazeneca of betrayal for failing to ensure the enhanced redundancy payments, for a lack of due diligence on the sale to Avara and for issuing misleading information to staff. Astrazeneca denied the claims and
said that it had set up the fund because Avara had “failed to meet its obligations”. The site has been largely decontaminated and decommissioned by staff and the cost was picked up by the administrator. The sale of the plant has been protracted. A source said that there had been “three false starts and two purchasers pulling out because of Covid”. Talks with a buyer over a £40 million offer broke down. A spokeswoman for Avara declined to comment last year on any plans to reimburse Astrazeneca for the £12 million redundancy fund, saying that the “administration process concerning Avlon” was continuing.
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Business
Identifying the leaders of tomorrow from the bright young things of today CHRIS RATCLIFFE/GETTY IMAGES; ANDREW GOMBERT/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
In an exclusive extract from his new book James Ashton sets out the qualities of those who make it to the top
Jayne-Anne Gadhia is an example of one of the nine kinds of exceptional leader defined in James Ashton’s book. Among the others are, from top, Ajay Banga, Tim Davie, Mark Cutifani, John Vincent and Richard Houston
S
ome started out selling soap powder or headache pills at consumer goods giants such as Procter & Gamble or Reckitt Benckiser. Others spent their twenties finding their wayy around audits, restructurings or consulting projects at one of the Big Four professional services firms or fast-tracking through McKinsey or Goldman Sachs after studying philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford or Cambridge. Chances are they will have burnished their A or credentials with a mid-career MBA us stint at Harvard or similar illustrious seats of learning. There appear to be a handful of prescribed routes to the top for business leaders, typically through one of the talent factories famous for turning out future chief executives with an all-round grounding. There are exceptions, of course. Two leadership types I spend a chapter on, Founders and Scions, are effectively talent-spotted by themselves or their families. But even they are likely to have served an apprenticeship somewhere to learn the ropes of how a large firm operates. There are techniques for getting in and then getting on by propelling themselves up through an organisation. Then, like a high-stakes card game, future leaders must decide whether to stick or twist: hang on for a shot at high office or quit for another opportunity at a rival company. And when they get to the top, they must act like the boss, keeping their feet on the ground at the same time as realising that colleagues will never want to simply shoot the breeze with them again. My very subjective analysis suggests that roughly half of corporate leaders are long-servers who have spent little or no time working elsewhere on their way to becoming the boss. These include three more types: the Alphas, who have assiduously built a power base overr a long period; Diplomats, where longevity is often a g; and requirement for leading; Lovers, who wouldn’t dream of doing an what they anything else other than are already doing. On the other hand, three further leadership types — Sellers, Campaigners and Fixers — are more likely to have played the field, assembling a range of experience from roles of ascending seniority at several employers before landing the first of their top jobs that closely match their skillset. Finally, I pull together the attributes I think will combine to create the effective leaders of the future, the experimental, digitally
ses who savvy bosses ened here are christened s. as Humans. r’s career A leader’s t. trajectory begins before they know iit. ing born a privileged white Simply being male shortens the odds on them making progress. In the UK, much effort has been made to introduce blind CV recruitment that restricts bias against women, ethnic minorities and the working classes. Employers hire by key sk skills instead of academic attainment and have w widened their outre outreach to a broader rang range of schools. Tho Those efforts may hav have an impact on the next generation of leaders, but for n ow “good” schools now aand nd Russell Group u nive universities dominate lleaders’ leader le e CVs. There is evidence that th UK has become more the th me meritocratic, acco according to the board adviser and executive ex coach John Ainley, especially compared with Germany or France, with its system of grandes écoles and two leading French business schools, HEC Paris (Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris) and Insead, through which numerous business leaders pass. Of course, few in their twenties are striving for the top with a genuine understanding of how to get there. As a graduate looking for his first job in India 40 years ago, Ajay Banga, the future leader of the financial services
ggroup roup M astercard, o Mastercard, only se out to work ffor a set co company co that was “g “good and an d global”. l That turned out to be the consumer goods giant Nest Nestlé. However, there are early signs of leaders-in-waiting, if not from their education path, then perhaps from formative entrepreneurial flourishes. That might just be a willingness to earn money as a teenager, or a small business they got going at university. The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie and John Vincent, co-founder of the healthy fast-food chain Leon, fall into this category. In fact, multiple life experiences shape leaders, like all of us. The early death of a parent or coping with dyslexia is a familiar occurrence among Founders, who must be determined to succeed. As one of only a handful of girls studying at Culford School in Bury St Edmunds, Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was unknowingly prepared for the masculine world of banking years before she led the challenger bank Virgin Money on to the stock market. Future leaders must have personal drive and an appetite for hard work. Mark Cutifani, the chief executive of the diversified mining giant Anglo American, which owns the diamond retailer De Beers, raced through his engineering degree at Wollongong University in New South Wales while working night shifts in a mine. And serendipity plays a part. Richard Houston, the senior partner and chief executive of Deloitte in 13 countries across Europe, might have
followed his father into science if meeting his future wife had not put him off studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a year. But he also fancied a career that was “people-based” and not stuck behind a laboratory bench, a desire that eventually took him into consulting. Most importantly, what future leaders have to offer must tally with what corporations are looking for. The general business experience required to propel them into the chief executive’s seat can come later. Recruiters are desperate to vary their graduate intake, signing up standout candidates that don’t necessarily impress with top-of-the-class academic excellence so much as quick wits, creativity and something that marks a departure from the norm. One former Goldman Sachs recruiter, writing anonymously, said that the investment bank hunted out history and literature graduates to diversify the ranks of its new starters away from the purely financial. More tellingly, he or she disclosed that Goldman looked for ambition in its recruits, a hard-to-quantify quality but surely found in the high number of competitive sports people it has taken on. In its halcyon days, Procter & Gamble lured graduates with entrepreneurial backgrounds into its popular sales and marketing programmes. There was no mention of soap powder or shampoo in its own marketing materials, though. One memorable campaign promised applicants: “We will teach you how to run a business at 25.”
Corporations try to champion continuous improvement and that means hunting for hires unafraid to challenge their superiors. The digital giant Amazon uses “bar raisers” in its hiring process. These are third-party interviewers brought in to assess candidates precisely because they are not associated with in-house teams and therefore are stripped of prejudice. The name is a reminder that each hire should be better than 50 per cent of those in similar roles. On its website Amazon lists 14 leadership techniques it is looking for, including an expectation that recruits will take great ownership, keep learning and think big. “Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting,” it states. That ability is not far from what McKinsey has been demanding of its staff for years. Its “obligation to dissent” was a core principle first expressed by one of the consultancy’s founding partners, Marvin Bower, who understood that disagreement — without wrecking professional relationships — was a powerful tool. 6 The Nine Types of Leader by James Ashton is published by Kogan Page in paperback £12.99.
44
1GM
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
Business Working Life
How hopes for alternative to cigarettes went up in smoke Alex Ralph charts the demise of the start-up Kind Consumer with Paul Triniman, its former chief executive
O
f all the many business collapses of 2020, perhaps one of the most disappointing was the demise of a smokingcessation start-up backed by a colourful cast of big City names. Kind Consumer is the Londonbased developer of the Voke nicotine
inhaler device. It had ambitions to upend the multibillion-pound tobacco market by solving one of public health’s most devastating and costly problems: smoking-related disease. The venture raised £140 million since it was founded in 2006 and has attracted investment from the likes of the fund manager Crispin Odey, the
venture capitalist Jon Moulton, Neil Woodford, the fallen star investor, and — most substantially — the FTSE 100 cigarette maker British American Tobacco. It also boasted retail grandees capable of getting Voke on to supermarket shelves. Sir Terry Leahy, the former chief executive of Tesco, was a strategic adviser; Sir Peter Davis, ex-boss of J Sainsbury, and Martin Beaumont, the former chief executive of the Co-operative Group, were non-executive directors. Yet in November, six years after Voke had secured approval from the medicines regulator, Kind Consumer went up in smoke. Administrators from Smith & Williamson agreed to sell the assets for only £1.6 million to OBG Consumer Scientific, a subsidiary of Pharmaserve, via a prepack sale, a fast-track insolvency process. The sale saved the jobs of its 12 employees and allows a potential relaunch of Voke, but given the scale of the company’s demise it may seem like the weakest of happy endings. The failure of Kind Consumer, which burnt its all-star cast of investors, marked the end of the slow collapse of a start-up whose prospects had once burnt bright but had been stamped out by a shift in government policy, a souring of relations with BAT and costly manufacturing challenges. For Paul Triniman, Kind Consumer’s former chief executive, the company’s collapse last month bookended a year to forget, one that had begun with a very different, but no less serious, brush with respiratory disease. Mr Triniman, 60, began 2020 by being placed on a ventilator for 19 days after being admitted to the intensive care unit at Poole hospital in Dorset with Covid-19. Now, and having stepped down as boss of Kind Consumer almost two years ago after a decade in charge, Mr Triniman has had time to reflect on the company’s failure. “The problem that Kind Consumer was trying to address was a very real problem for society,” he said, comparing coronavirus hospital admissions to those caused by smoking-related diseases. “That said, you’ve got a massive tobacco industry that is very cashgenerative and a major contributor to the exchequer. So it’s a very difficult balancing act; from a financial, moral, public health and a personal freedom angle. Society got itself into a situation where smoking is legal and people can of their own free will choose to take up the habit. It’s a drug and they get addicted.” Kind Consumer was founded by Alex Hearn, 38, an Oxford graduate and entrepreneur. It was seeking to encourage smokers to quit by developing and producing a medically regulated nicotine-containing device. “The MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] did a public consultation back in 2011-12 where they took input from all sorts of vested stakeholders — Public Health England, the
Paul Triniman, former chief executive
medical community — and declared that they were going to license all nicotine-containing products bar cigarettes as medicines. So Kind Consumer was well placed.” The plan — to deliver nicotine in very small doses using the same propellant technology used in asthma inhalers through a device that satisfied “all sorts of other social behavioural aspects”, such as having the feel of holding a cigarette — needed significant investment and expertise to steer it through clinical trials, past regulators and into shops. Kind Consumer needed a big partner and would prefer a pharmaceuticals company that had “deep pockets and understood the task”, or a fast-moving consumer goods company, such as Procter & Gamble. Yet it proved a “difficult sell” and Kind Consumer had to settle on a plan C: Big Tobacco. The cigarette industry has been seeking a long-term solution to increasing pressure on sales in western markets from heightened awareness of the deadly risks of smoking and stricter regulation. “Nicotine was a little bit of an orphan,” Mr Triniman said. “It is frowned upon and looked down upon by a lot of circles . . . so we didn’t have too much choice to do a deal with the tobacco industry. They were forced to
the times | Monday January 11 2021
45
1GM
Working Life Business CORIN MESSER/BNPS
Pandemic makes late payment a bigger issue James Hurley Enterprise Editor
Covid-19 has exacerbated a longstanding late payment problem for British businesses, an employers’ group warned as it called for “more firepower” for a government watchdog. The Institute of Directors said that almost two in five business had faced an increase in overdue commercial debts during the pandemic, while nearly one in ten had said that late payment problems had become significantly worse. It added that the issue may become more pronounced in light of the third national lockdown. The government is considering giving tougher powers to its small business commissioner, who can mediate on payment disputes between companies. The role is held by Philip King, an expert in credit management. The institute’s poll of 799 directors found that two in five wanted the commissioner to be allowed to oversee disputes between small businesses, as well as between small and large companies, as he can now. Nearly half thought that the commissioner should be allowed to issue binding monetary awards when mediating on disputes, while one in three said that he should be able to compel the provision of evidence so that he can rule on complaints. Roger Barker, director of policy at the
£23.4bn Late payments owed to small businesses as of October 2020 Source: HM government
of Kind Consumer, has had to reflect on the company’s failure to contribute to solving a public health crisis, as well as his own brush with coronavirus last year
Big Tobacco burns up smaller rivals Start-ups often lead the way in emerging industries, but the e-cigarette market has become increasingly dominated by so-called Big Tobacco (Alex Ralph writes). British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Brands are the three largest players in the industry, accounting for about 30 per cent of sales in Britain, according to data from Euromonitor, the market researcher. “This increasing presence is facilitated by their domination of the smaller but faster-growing ‘closed system’ segment of the market, in which tobacco brands account for about 70 per cent of value,”
Shane MacGuill, head of nicotine research at Euromonitor, said. A “closed system” e-cigarette is a device where users are forced to use a manufacturer’s proprietary refills, he said. The tobacco industry, grappling with pressure on cigarette sales in developed markets because of public health concerns, is investing heavily in the e-cigarette market as a potential long-term solution. BAT, the UK market leader, owns the Vuse and Vype brands; Imperial, based in Bristol, is behind Blu; and JTI sells the Logic devices. BAT’s market share increased to 19.3 per cent in
look at it as they could see the writing on the wall.” Kind Consumer licensed distribution rights to Nicovations, a BAT subsidiary, which in turn entered into a separate agreement with Bespak, part of Consort Medical, in December 2012 to manufacture and supply Voke. BAT was not a shareholder in Kind Consumer but it had invested in the venture. Working in partnership with a tobacco
2019, up from 12.5 per cent in 2014, according to Euromonitor. JTI and Imperial each have a 5.2 per cent share. The tobacco industry has come to dominate the market through deploying its vast cash reserves generated from selling traditional cigarettes to develop new e-cigarette brands or by buying up start-up companies. E-cigarettes contain no tobacco and create an inhalable vapour by electronically heating a liquid. Their popularity is attributed to the similarities with holding a traditional cigarette and the various flavours sold. Mr MacGuill said: “The
company made it harder to collaborate with others, such as academics on local clinical trials, which instead were conducted in Australia. “You are ostracised to an extent,” Mr Triniman said. The product overcame a significant hurdle in late 2014 when it secured licence approval from the MHRA, but by then regulation had already turned against the company. Amid lobbying from the industry, Mr
success of the e-cigarette category is founded in providing smokers with an experience that is sufficiently comparable to the sensorial and ritual aspect of smoking. Or, in many instances, that materially improves upon it in terms of flavour range.” He suggested that these were among the reasons that Kind Consumer’s Voke product failed. “In the context of strict but non-medical regulation of alternative nicotine products, the path to viability is very narrow for any product, which, by design in the case of Voke, cannot offer consumers the same breadth or depth of customisation levers.”
Triniman said, the MHRA fell in behind a European tobacco products directive, passed earlier in 2014 and that came into effect two years later. It meant that e-cigarettes and other nicotine devices could be sold without being regulated as medical products by the MHRA. The shift in policy triggered a stampede of competition from startup e-cigarette companies and Big Tobacco alike. “It was like the Wild
West.” Despite the significant setback, Kind Consumer pressed on, believing that the safety of its product would set it apart. There were signs, however, that BAT’s interest was waning and increasingly it was investing in its own e-cigarette products. By early 2017 Kind Consumer had taken back control of the venture from BAT amid mounting frustrations, but it needed fresh capital. The complexity and expense of manufacturing to regulatory standard also delayed the release of Voke until 2019. “It was very important to raise capital to support manufacturing and the marketing campaign . . . and that’s where our failings came.” In spite of its big-name backers, Kind Consumer struggled to raise enough fresh funds, leading to an under-resourced launch. “I’m convinced that with the right amount of investment, Voke would have addressed a real need and the market was substantial.” Instead the market has become dominated by Big Tobacco and has led to concerns in the United States about the appeal of nicotine products to young people because of flavoured products and questionable marketing, leading to a clampdown by regulators. The result is far from satisfying, according to Mr Triniman. “The reality is the powers that be . . . have ended up with an unregulated vaping market dominated by the tobacco industry and that’s probably not where the world wanted to be.”
institute, said: “Sadly, late payments are a perennial issue for small and medium-sized enterprises and the pandemic certainly hasn’t helped things. With so much pressure on cashflow, many companies have been left in the lurch through no fault of their own.” Many directors are eager for the small business commissioner to make a mark on the problem, but he needs more firepower. The ability to issue binding awards could make companies think twice before delaying payment. In October, the government said that it would consider new powers, such as the ability to fine, as it said that late payments owed to small businesses had reached £23.4 billion, further threatening the survival of many companies during the pandemic. Other possible new powers include the ability to launch investigations into suspected bad payment practice, without the need to have first received a complaint from a small business, and to review and report on “wider business practices” outside of payment matters. Mr Barker added: “The reality is that there’s no silver bullet to solving late payments. The challenge is cultural and won’t be fixed by one specific power or another. However, giving the commissioner real teeth could send a strong signal that malpractice won’t be tolerated.” The institute noted that there was a mixed picture, with a small minority even reporting fewer late payment problems during the pandemic as certain businesses made efforts to pay debts earlier in order to support suppliers through the turmoil. However, issues are likely to mount as continued Covid-19 restrictions take their toll and emergency state support schemes begin to be wound down.
46
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
1GM
Business Equity prices Mkt cap (million)
Company
Price Wkly (p) +/- Yld% P/E
Automobiles & parts 2,052.25
Aston Martin Lag
1785K – 223W
…
…
Banking & finance 8,793.95
Admiral
2964
+
58
6.17
ADVFNv
1,777.34 348.66
24
+
5
AJ Bell‡
433
–
Amryt Pharmav
195
+
34,505.08
Aon Corpn
60.19
Appreciate Groupv
15093
3.3 17.6 …
…
K 1.1 51.9 6K
… -4.6
K
348K + 247V +
28N +
N
… -9.4
11.09
Caffyns
4.3 16.3
1,433.44
Raven Property Gr
108K –
1K
…
…
53.67
Cap XX Ldv
EFG-Hermes Hldg
116Y
…
…
7.7
24.38
LMS Capital
30V +
V
… -2.6
1,931.83
Big Yellow Group‡
1099
+
2
3.0 33.8
169.45
Raven R CNV Pref‡
85K
…
…
…
160.57
Castings
83.27
EPE Special Oppsv
259
…
… -0.8
38.03
Billington Hldgsv
294
–
18
… 11.2
338.73
RDI REIT
89
–
6
333.48
FBD
691K +
+ 198
0.7 81.9
339.61
Boot (Henry)
255
…
1.9 14.0
62.78
Real Estate Invsv‡
35
+
1
1
… 45.2
–
7.64
Fiskev
65
45.92
Frenkel Toppingv
42K +
266.35
Georgia Capital
17.63
GLI Financev
2,046.90
Greencoat UK Wind
556
+
3K + 134O +
H&T Groupv
272
6
…
4.3
2.20
Location Sciencesv
32W
…
4.8
32,367.11
Lond Stk Ex Gp 9206
…
…
…
5,162.12
M&G
198K +
K 4.7 41.6
2,175.80
Man
149K +
6.3
9.13
Manx Finv
… -1.0
0.71
Marechale Capv
42,118.34
Marsh McLn
16 O
…
K 5.1 34.2
W
8
4.7
1,458.02
Breedon Groupv
11K 5.3 12.1
K 6.0
4,310.09
Br Land‡
465
–
17.68
Caledonian Tstv
150
–
1,234.07
Cap & Count Prop
145
83.86
Cap & Regnl
–
N
1V +
V
8304V – 303
…
5.1
…
…
1.7 26.9
86W –
23Y 1.7 -3.1 2K …
75
+
…
9.2
1.0 -2.5
4O 28.0 -0.3
…
65.34
Hansard Global
7,849.97
Hargreaves L
54.46
Helios Underv
162K +
3,421.36
Hiscox
+
9 68
83,866.67
…
26,982.42
CRH
3437
+ 379
2.1 20.4
2,884.79
Tritax Big Box REIT
169
+
1
3158
+
2.2 24.9
713.33
Tyman
363K +
13
1.0 32.0
4,017.84
Unite Group
–
36
1.0 -9.5
499.42
Urban&Civic plc
344
…
1.1 11.2
2,169.19
Vistry Group
976
+
36K 2.0 18.0
1K 4.8 92.3
449.52
Warehouse REITv
118K –
1K 5.2
5.7
5W
1,377.32
Workspace Grp
760K –
8K 4.7
15.32
Wynnstay Propsv
565
…
… 13.3
PCF Groupv
3.4 28.6
1,141.19
Impaxv
5,083.84
Intermed Cap‡
184.36
IPF
2,817.22 1,377.55
Braveheart Invv
43
+
15
…
…
940.85
Brewin Dolphin‡
310
+
5
5.2 19.8
24.29
Catena Groupv#
59
…
34.87
Cenkos Secsv
61K +
5
4.8 34.5
154.25
Charles Stanley‡
296
19
3.0 13.8
431.44
Chesnara
287K –
W
+
65.06
15.95
+
1435
14K 4.9 13.5
7.0
80K –
Travis Perkins
876K +
0.8
+
3,618.27
IG Group
…
262
… -0.5
3,245.67
BP Marsh&Ptnrsv
…
…
10K 7.4 24.0 4
… -3.5
15
6.1 15.3
…
… -1.3
1455
+
73
3.0 20.0
CMC Markets
420
+
29
3.5
7.1
Commerzbk
492O +
18
…
…
…
795.34
Provident
37,315.70
Prudential
23.06
Quadrise Fuels Intlv
82W +
Y 5.5 -7.2
Intl Public Pntshp
173O +
3K 4.1 30.2
Investec
197Y +
10K 5.5 21.8
13.84
Investment Co
290
1,092.10
IP Group
102O +
3Y
96.39
Jarvis Securitiesv
220
1
1,660.29
Jupiter Fund Mgmt
722.49
Just Group
1,797.13
Lancashire Hdgs
5.05
Leeds Groupv
16,529.58
Legal & Gen
17,738.39
Deutsche Bk
858N +
51W
…
854.67
Liberty Group
4,553.85
Direct Line Ins
336K +
17K 2.1 12.0
804.50
Liontrust‡
–
–
5
3,535.74
Derwent London
26
–
4
1.5 11.3
30.30
Dolphin Capitalv
728
+
27W 6.4 …
+
1430 2V
9.9
… -0.2
6K 2.8 21.9
3N 2V –
155.06
EQTECv
41.39
First Propv‡
37K
3.32
Fletcher Kingv
36
60W +
N …
–
83
2.5 35.2
198.78
Foxtons Group
…
… -4.3
145.48
Galliford Try
131
+
…
4.1
…
…
4.4 13.9
…
…
7W 26.7 -4.4
158Y +
5N 3.2 52.9
456.73
Gleeson (MJ)
784
+
3
2.9 91.7
182K +
6K 1.9 73.3
2,294.13
Grafton Gp Uts
956K +
34
0.6 25.2
3.5 19.6
925.53
Rathbone Brs
1,945.91
Grainger‡
288O +
736K +
13
1.6 35.0
191.93
Schroder REIT
…
1610
+
678W + 2200
–
38K –
70
4.3 27.5
1
1.1 22.1
1,661.82
Gr Portland
60
5.4 13.3
973.75
Hammerson
24
–
K 4.6 -4.3
335.45
Harworth Gp
104
–
654K –
… -2.5
9,381.96
Schroders
3555
+ 218
3.2 21.8
8.11
Heath (Samuel)v
320
10O 6.3 13.5
9,381.96
Schroders N/V
2385
+ 100
4.7 14.6
483.31
Helical Bar
400
…
169.57
Secure Trust Bk
910
2.5 71.9
117.78
Sigma Capv
131K +
V 11.1 20
…
Randall & Quilterv
RSA Ins
…
62
Quilter PLC
S&U
+
6.1 10.4
409.32
7,023.32
298X +
18
15O 3.6 13.8
2,835.36
266.94
1320
–
3.4 10.0
…
1.7
+
…
7
…
…
18K
63.3
1K 4.5 14.5
…
17O 5.7 16.3
277
… 25.8
–
4.2
69O
300V +
42Y 4.6 21.8
636
313K +
+
35
2.2
8.3
K 1.5 16.0
13W 1.9
35.97
Highcroft Invs
695
7,383.10
HK Land
316N +
–
…
O 21.1 -0.3 1 …
+
11,288.90 2,776.82 303.83 1,113.84 2,974.78 692.18 4.64 930.56 279.83 527.00 1,030.49 796.11 351.52 1,476.04 406.25 546.30 666.42 97.70 298.50 451.97 39.85 162.53 133.64 835.97 682.56 1,025.69 11.87 326.93 630.70 870.50 233.29 149.24 77.93 28.25 116.35 369.72 1,587.53 194.58 1,621.92 85.98 68.13 981.44 1,414.85 102.79 110.46 439.28 803.82 4,362.94 312.52 2,059.28 1,193.25 295.71 738.49 1,996.26 952.66 655.23 1,121.14 49.76 2,046.90 84.80 169.60 1,550.93 312.19 198.04 781.38 1,443.95 1,339.52 3,327.45 55.19 645.03 1,202.77 249.36 160.76 6.88
Company
Price Wkly Forecast (p) +/- Yld% P/E
3I Group 1170 3i Infrastructure 311K Abrdn Div I&G 97N Aberforth Smlr 1254 Alliance 925 Asia Dragon Trv 552 Athelney Trust 215 AVI Global Trust 885 Baillie Giff Ch Gr Tr 528 Baillie Gifford Eur Gr 1455 Baillie Gifford Jpn Tr 1116 Baillie Gifford SN 265 Baillie Gifford UK Gr 231K Bankers 1136 BH Global 2000 BH Macro 3640 Biotech Growth 1634 BlckRck Com Inc 86 BlckRck Fro Inv 123O BlckRck Grt Euro 536 BlckRck Inc & Gwth 180 BlckRck Latin Am 414 BlckRck N Amer Inc 167K BlckRck Smlr 1712 BlckRck Throgmorton 768 BlckRck Wld Min 591 Blue Plan Int Fn# 24 BMO Cap&Inc 305 BMO Comm Prop 78Y BMO Glbl Smaller 149 BMO Priv Eq Ord 315K BMO Real Estate 62 BMO UK HIT 91K BMO UK HIT B 92 BMO UK HIT UNIT 363 Brunner 866 Caledonia Inv 2895 City Merch Hi Yld 191N City of Lon IT 383K Crystal Amber Fd 102 Dunedin Entp 330 Edinburgh IT 570 Edin Wwide 379K Electra Pte Eq 268K EP Global Opp 286 European Assets 122 European Opp Trust 738 F&C Investment Tr 813 Fidlty Asian Val 427 Fidelity China Sp 399K Fidlty Euro Val 290 Fidlty Jap Tru 226K Fidlty Spec Val 251 Fins Gwth & Inc 895 GCP Infrastructure 108V GCP Student Living 144 Gen Emer Mkts 923 Gldn Prosp Prc Mtl 58V Greencoat UK 134O Hansa Investment 212 Hansa Inv Co 'A' 212 Hbrvest Glbl Pt Eq 1942 Hend Euro Foc 1460 Hend High Inc 154 Hend Smlr 1046 Herald 2195 HgCapital Trust 322 HICL Infra 171O Highbridge Tactical 239 ICG Ent Tr 938 Impax Env Mkts 449 Invesco Asia Tr 373 Invesco Inc&Gr 275K IPST Bal 154
+ + – + + + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + – + + – + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + + + – + + – – + – + – + + + +
12 3K 2X 6 24 24 … 3 … 25 12 2 5K 32 75 120 58 7X 5N 6 8K 9K 1O 28 3 69 1 13 1 4 8 1 2 1 5 5 15 1K 13 K 6 24 9K 12K 2 1O 9 26 12 18 4 6 7K 20 O O 33 4X K 7 7 4 10 7 10 50 17 2V 2 20 26K 17K 7K 1K
3.9 3.7 4.7 2.8 1.5 0.8 4.3 1.7 1.6 1.5 0.4 … 1.4 1.9 … … … 4.7 4.8 1.1 3.8 4.4 4.5 1.8 1.3 4.1 6.5 3.9 2.4 1.0 4.1 3.5 5.2 … 3.8 1.9 1.7 5.2 5.3 … 1.2 4.7 … … 2.4 5.2 0.4 1.3 1.9 1.0 2.2 … 2.5 1.9 7.4 2.7 … … 5.9 1.0 0.5 … 2.0 6.0 2.1 … 1.6 5.5 … 2.0 1.0 2.6 4.1 …
34.7 21.2 -13.4 -7.8 -4.0 -8.9 -19.0 -8.3 9.3 3.7 7.7 8.7 1.5 1.8 1.6 8.7 … -11.8 -3.4 -0.7 -14.3 -10.0 -8.9 -2.9 1.3 -2.3 -33.1 -1.6 -32.1 -7.9 -17.1 -34.6 -10.8 -10.3 -11.5 -16.6 -18.3 -2.6 3.6 -26.2 -16.0 -9.3 1.9 -24.0 -10.3 -9.7 -9.9 -4.1 -5.9 -0.8 -4.4 -5.7 3.1 0.5 6.1 -17.5 -9.6 -8.3 12.9 -30.5 -31.7 -17.3 -8.8 -7.0 -7.8 -6.1 7.3 14.7 -5.8 -17.8 0.2 -10.3 -8.7 -4.8
Mkt cap (million) 54.54 2.57 45.66 127.54 168.97 1,187.48 484.48 550.48 393.95 7.79 279.33 75.80 1,619.64 231.69 119.73 778.18 448.83 581.81 562.22 327.06 1,178.69 271.00 77.14 290.67 273.96 252.89 33.21 157.28 212.65 826.62 326.92 121.93 316.76 60.04 1,970.89 573.47 419.01 3,168.96 288.82 1,004.26 1,495.03 203.68 404.61 1,360.35 5,170.93 1,403.58 3,268.10 639.17 30.84 2,212.25 3,252.19 180.95 514.77 1,092.68 199.20 250.51 218.46 256.69 772.77 516.56 18,521.57 215.42 1,819.65 653.35 2,355.24 1,279.12 4.65 254.63 888.80 182.49 441.48 68.00 1,256.05 1,857.70 2,423.22
Company
0.2 65.0 1.7 13.6
26K 2.1 35.7 25
6.9
…
12K 5.6 -4.4
Price Wkly Forecast (p) +/- Yld% P/E
IPST Gbl Eq 213 IPST Managed 102 IPST UK Eq 167K IP Enhanced Inc 73 IP UKSmallerCos 499K JPM American 598 JPM Asia 514 JPM Chinese 736 JPM Claverhs 674 JPM Elect Mg C 102K JPM Elect Mg G 965 JPM Elect Mg I 97 JPM Em Mkts 136 JPM Eur IT Gth 312 JPM Eur IT Inc 134N JPM Euro Smlr 488 JPM GEMI 151 JPM GG&I 398K JPM Indian 724 JPM Jap Sml Co 600 JPM Japan# 738 JPM Mid Cap 1157K JPM Mlti-Ass 89K JPM Russian 673 JPM Smllr Co 351 JPM US Sml 421 Jupiter UK Gro Inv 228 Jupiter US Smlr 1282K Keystone IT 344 Law Debenture 698 Lowland 1210 Majedie 230 M Currie Port 378 Marwyn Val In 107K Mercantile IT 249 Merchants 474 Mid Wynd 742 Monks Inv Tst 1372 Montanaro Eur Sml 1675 Murray Income Trust 858 Murray Int 1164 Nb Global Floating 82W Pacific Assets 334K Pantheon Int 2515 Pershing Square 2680 Personal Assets 45550 Polar Cap Tech 2380 Alternative Cred Inv 870 Prem Glb & Inf 170K Renewables Inf 127 RIT Cap Ptnr 2075 Riverstone 287K Schroder TotRt 510 Schrd Asia Pac 655 Schrod Inc Gwth 287K Schrod Jap Gwth 203 Schrod UKMid 623 Schroder UK PP Tr 28N Scot American 474 Scot IT 723 Scot Mtge 1278 Secs Tst Scot 206 Sequoia Eco 109O Temple Bar 977 Tplton Emg Mkt 996 TR Property 403 Tritax EuroBox EUR 1 Troy Inc&Gth 73X UK Comm Prop REIT 68W Utilico Ord 213 Utilico Emerging Mkt 198K UtilFin RdZDP 2022 136 Vietnam Ent Inv 579 Witan 232 Ww Health 3885
+ + + – + + + + + + + + – + + + + + + + + – + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + – + + + + – + – + + + + – – + + + – + + – – + – + + + + + +
6 … 5K 1 12K 21 27K 50 25 … 22K 4 5 11 K 7 4O 12 32 … 7 15 N 31 11K 18 8 90 7 8 12K 4 8 … 1K 27 26 12 22K 26 34 O 14 10 820 200 75 2 13 O 10 9K 21 41 10K 4K 22 2O 10 25 64 K … 22 46 10 107W W K 21K 3O 1 34 1K 160
3.3 0.7 3.9 6.6 1.7 1.0 3.3 1.9 4.4 0.3 1.6 4.9 1.0 1.4 4.3 1.2 3.4 3.4 … 3.2 0.6 2.4 3.9 4.9 1.5 0.6 2.2 … 3.2 5.6 6.0 4.1 1.1 … 2.5 5.9 0.8 0.1 0.5 4.5 4.8 4.7 0.8 … 1.1 1.2 … 5.1 5.9 6.0 … … 1.3 2.7 4.5 2.1 2.8 … 2.6 3.8 0.2 3.1 6.2 4.8 2.8 3.2 3.4 4.4 2.7 2.3 3.4 … … 2.4 0.6
-3.9 -3.4 -4.3 -2.5 -9.6 -4.4 2.9 3.9 -3.6 -1.0 -4.7 -5.0 -3.5 -13.3 -13.6 -12.1 -5.1 3.7 -14.2 1.3 -0.7 -8.5 -13.6 -11.5 -2.4 1.2 -7.3 -9.9 -4.3 2.0 -4.9 -19.0 0.7 -30.8 -1.5 … … 2.8 3.8 -3.7 -0.6 -13.2 -6.7 -15.1 -23.0 1.1 -2.9 -4.8 -14.2 16.4 -4.5 -36.2 1.0 -5.1 1.2 -12.6 -8.4 -33.8 3.6 -11.9 4.0 0.5 9.3 -10.2 -8.8 -9.2 -15.0 -0.6 -17.4 -41.0 -12.7 2.8 -11.6 -4.9 0.6
6,378.29
St James Place 1187
16,046.03
Stand Chart
508W +
+
42K
53K 3.2 22.8
6,683.43
Strd Life Aber
304O +
23K 7.0 -7.6
… 25.3
10,798.11
Kingspan Group
1324
5,065.01
Land Sec
2.56
Tiger Royal and Investv
8.11
Lon & Assoc
23.05
Time Financev
2,142.05 41.58
Macau Prop Op
2
Marshalls
753
1,339.61 2,017.14
TP ICAP PLC Virgin Money UK
K + 25K
N …
237O – 140V +
… -3.1 2.2 14.6
…
…
25.54
Volverev
…
…
…
28.20
WH Irelandv
45K +
2
…
…
644.24
McCarthy & Stone
119O
11.28
Walker Crips Grp
26K
…
2.2
…
188.68
McKay Secs
200
100,799.27
Wells Fargo
2438
42,590.55
Westpac
1160Y +
9.28
Worsley Investors Ltd 27K
53.23
Zoltav Resourcev
48,175.80
Zurich Fincl
1395
+ 217O 5.1 80.8
37K +
52
3.8 32.8
…
…
1K
… -1.7
…
32018Y + 907Y 5.2 18.0
Construction & property 334.03
Abbeyv
41.19
Alumascv
46.77
Aseana Props
1600
+
114 23K 79N +
Michelmershv
135
Morgan Sindall
1568
1.53
Mountfield Gpv
446.44
Mountview
247.49
NewRiver REIT
27.03
NMCN
260
93.98
Palace Capital
204
–
+
175
4.5 15.7 …
… -0.1
1,329.67
Polypipe Group
582
15
2,088.76
Primary Hlth
157W +
2.7 18.5
47K 0.8 26.9
8,856.70
Coca Cola HBC
2431
+
54
2.3 23.4
38.80
Colefaxv
…
0.6 20.0
1,892.70
Cranswick‡
1.6 21.5
275.47
Devro‡
71,072.51
Diageo
10.54
Distil PLCv
…
6.1 13.3
3602
+
82
165
+
11W 1.6 -6.6
3038
+ 160
2.3 50.7
2
…
… 23.3
…
… -0.3
3.42
Equat Palm Oilv#
96.48
Finsbury Foodv
3,827.89
Games Workshop‡ 11680
2,727.27
Glanbia
926Y –
6N 2.6 19.8
579.17
Greencore
110
–
6K 3.4
325.97
Headlam
383
+
0.86
Hidong Estate
889.86
Hilton Food
5K 3.1
+ 480
23
50
+
40
1086
–
28
116.01
Hornbyv
15,502.16
Imperial Brands 1638
69K +
6K
…
1.2 53.6
…
K
… 13.5
+ 275
0.7 16.6
+ 425
0.9 51.5
50K + 345
Y …
…
6W –
N
…
52K –
K
… -7.8
6K +
…
N 2.9 -4.1
2026
–
46
Vesuvius
548
+
11K 1.1 29.4
0.7 21.1
0.9 29.8
…
…
… -3.1 0.6 38.4
5,449.26
Weir
2099
+ 109K 0.7
997.45
XP Power‡
5080
+ 390
24.07
Zytronicv
150
+
10
1467
–
83
238
–
5
3,325.19
Abcamv
512.61
AdvancedMedicalv
4K 6.3 21.5
119.97
Allergy Therapv
18O +
2V
1K
467.37
Allnce Pharmav
87X
…
115.24
Anglev
116.91
Anpariov
…
Aqua Bounty
98,069.48
AstraZeneca
24.12
Brand Architektsv
111.81
Circassia Groupv
28V
4,161.02
Convatec Group
207K +
40.14
Creighton‡
… -3.1 1.6 15.8 …
…
+
5 1N
3.5 42.0
4
–
N
… -0.1
RiverFort Global Oppsv 1N +
N
… 43.1
… -5.1
0.8
2O 4.3 12.8 … 70.0
–
40
0.7 49.2 2.5
3.3 21.7 …
Engineering …
…
0.7 54.3 15.2 12.6
53K + 505
+
0.8
5O 25
…
…
7471
+ 147
140
–
…
0.6 37.5 … 17.8 0.6 41.9 … -8.1 1.4 28.3 …
…
2.9 50.8
2K 3.1 -5.5 …
… -2.0
8W 2.1
…
8.8
…
…
…
Health
6N 1.4 52.0
…
…
1.6 30.2
1.3
…
…
255
1,486.25
3093 11720
13
18
…
5K
Tricornv Ultra Electrncs
1.8 17.8
12K 1.4 11.7
19
–
780
3.20 1,440.94
30
+
+
57
Treatt
Transense Techv
–
+
235
465.07
TP Groupv
8.56
0.9
321
1.0 25.4
7
49.87
…
2.0 97.1
936
– 135
677V +
Surface Trsfmsv Thorpe FWv
… 79
Volexv
… 23.2
Ternv
315
250 1583K +
Vitec
2.5 -3.1
Tate & Lyle
695
Somero Enterv
78.23
2.9
488.73
4
23.12
Solid Statev
176.79
402.08
N 8.3
428.33
29
3,172.15
59.37
Spectris
… 50.7
9.3
+
+
Slingsby (HC)v Smiths
Spirax-Sarco
1.6
…
–
O
2.63
8,641.96
–
…
2060K + 146V 1.2 28.5
6,276.23
3,595.45
…
1.9 24.1
86
500
9
V
3Y 1.4 -1.0
…
199
48K +
8.8
12W – 107N –
1.9
+ 102K 12.6 18.1
10657N –
…
SKF B
2O 4.7 -6.2
…
50
–
…
8,735.27
25
30
+
1290
0.7
Y 4.1 11.6
58
Plaza Cent
720
425
Churchill Chinav
…
+ 215
70X +
+
2.06
Barratt Devs
Character Grpv
142.19
9.4
…
Six Hundredv
+
…
7,331.88
90.86
…
12
Severfield‡
680
+ 104
–
8.9
5975
–
… 41.2
10.57
4450
4Y
10O 0.7 18.4
5O 3.8
98
1N
217.52
Victoriav
11V +
+
123O –
8O +
1O 2.5 -3.7
Unilever
Pires Investmentsv
4101K + 154V
10K
794.59
… -2.6
Philips El nv
+
117,001.35
6.8 -2.4
… 35.0
37,367.13
+
…
…
2
+
91
… 24.1
…
1994
130
…
7.2
Oxford Inst
Senior
21K
3.4
… -3.6
1,145.78
SDI Groupv
–
3O 13.3 -1.2
7.1 -7.6
381.88
4935
9.0
5 5
127.42
Ukrproduct Gpv
…
–
103K +
5.5 10.1
Unilever (NV)
3.4 17.7
115
4K 3.6 25.6
92
2.18
Persimmon
281
Carr's Grp‡
… 21.0
27W 0.6 32.5
129,753.18
13.63
Balfour Beatty
114.43
…
52K
1V
1.3 13.5
9,160.54
1,937.52
…
…
K 1.2
345W +
0.8 17.7
… -1.9
3.4
…
1.9
…
0.9
Rotork
5
…
…
0.6
19
8
Ross Gp
520
3.8 21.1
2K 3.5 22.6
45
246K +
1.2 30.7
3,018.33
… -4.6
Tandemv
…
…
…
1834K +
C&C Grp
1
17Y 1.2
2.52
0.7 27.3
4K
26.28
… -1.6
Pathfinder Minsv
Aukett Fitz Robv
Burberry Grp
767.33
+
… -8.0 0.7 43.7
9
3K 2.9 16.5
Panther Securitiesv
Assura Grp‡
7,425.84
85K +
… 80
Rolls-Royce
271K +
1.90
2.64
Britvic‡
+
…
Renoldv
Stock Spirits
30.95
2871
Brit Amer Tob‡ 2800
2,179.83
… 6460
…
1.1 22.6
8,978.43
543.00
0.6 14.6
W
64,238.84
+ 116
28.06
…
… +
1.5 38.5
1281
…
2K 2.4 19.8
36
– 1200
80O –
45
Real Gd Fdv
1O 3.6
…
K 11450
…
8.49
5K 0.6 …
1.0
2O
MS Intlv‡
Renishaw
…
40
Northbrdg Indv
4,349.12
–
… -6.1
21.16
Pressure Techv
O
N
28.88
30.45
3.98
50
2,113.55
1K
126.82 726.82
+
+
REA
6O 3.5 23.3
1,506.39
480
PZ Cussons
1K 1.8 -1.3
1.2 40.0
Mpac PLCv
24.98
9K +
…
96.82
1,007.50
London Metric Prop‡ 235O +
0.7 31.1
…
Provexisv
9N 1.7 -3.3
46
311K +
Bidstack Groupv
Mulberry Groupv
+
Morgan Advanced
Barr (AG)
McBride
1456
888.93
47.38
119.55
Hill & Smith‡
…
571.35
155.11
0.6 56.0
1,157.24
186
AB Foods
J Lewis Hfordv
3.2 28.4
+ 163
Melrose
Bakkavor Group
Kerry Gp
– 115
2612
9,038.78
17,567.25
1.12
2935
Halma‡
1N +
448K –
483.82
18,831.47
Goodwin
9,916.34
… 10.8
74
… -5.2 2.1 22.6
220.90
39
430
2K 21
0.9 64.0
PipeHawkv
+
…
1.0 39.1
15
3.05
816K +
1.5 25.8 1.6
+
2.5 20.0
–
…
1195
…
12V +
…
… -4.4
Feedbackv
32
510
…
4.0 44.5
Gooch Hsegov
… -0.5
–
9.1
…
14.40
…
83K +
–
Meggitt
Portmeirionv
W 7.0 24.2 5X
2219
257
1695W –
LPAv
17.63
+
67N –
200
50
3,504.61
69.89
…
2.4 29.8
5887X + 685V 0.2 34.3 683
Animalcarev
+
10.82
…
13K 1.6 65
3528N + 246Y 3.6 15.0
120.11
1270
1.9
299.24
6
+
1
Judges Scientificv
1.6 19.7
345K +
TBC Bank Group
622
32
+
Inspirit Energyv
–
763
Sun Life Can
Anglo-Eastern
–
67
406.93
302
Keller
730.26
246.54
K
600
2.36
Pittardsv
John Laing Group
20,636.69
Aireav
2 …
IMI
Origin Entsv
550.96
1
13.23
7
1K
50K –
3,487.20
6.28
1,704.67
2K
Agriterrav
–
Holders Techv
Consumer goods 1.27
368
Image Scanv
3.9 16.3
2.6
…
11O –
1.69
…
379.36
4
31
7.9
1.0
385
3.82
1K 10.2 -2.5
+
3O 1.5
28K –
…
3X 2.2 13.8
88
Price Wkly (p) +/- Yld% P/E
8.0
208
492
+
…
1215
210W +
Starvestv
74
7.0
…
Nicholsv
James Halsteadv
STM Groupv
+
…
8.4
Norcros
Ibstock
16.41
4.8 19.1
1009
5K 2.7
18K 0.9 -7.9
449.17
1,102.98
18.42
+
32
… 53.0
167.84 861.71
+
+
2N
5V 1.8 20.3
Investment companies Mkt cap (million)
Steppe Cementv
1W
PayPoint
98.05
70.08
–
436.57
…
381K –
33
…
Phoenix Gp
117
St Modwen Prp
Craven Housev
32Y 1.8
Plutus PowerGenv
Smart (J)
849.32
1.28
411O +
7,274.41
49.59
18V 1.1 10.4
HSBC
2.37
65N +
+
V
0.6 81.3
SigmaRocv
115
Origo Partnersv
2.8 32.8
181.88
169W +
0.54
53
Electrolux 'B'
Town Centre
…
+
Dialight
5,098.67
Taylor Wimpey
6W 1.1
+ 180
83.69
61.14
987K –
878
K 3.9 -0.7
6,177.16
441O +
1779
30Y –
… -3.4
Onesavings Bank
…
SIG
1W
1,976.23
…
365.10
… -4.4
+
8.1
…
15K 2.1 15.6
392
0.9
N
963V +
Countrywide
5K 3.6 38.7
Blue Star Capitalv
Segro
128.68
–
7.9
Secure Propertyv
11,477.29
451K –
333
…
8.40
Countryside Prop
Numisv‡
3.5 -6.9
Dewhurstv
2,370.90
348.21
6.3
102.63
217K –
2.0 25.1
23W 2.7
76K 0.4 20.5
CLS Hldgs
2K
25
+
886.09
–
+ 130
Cohortv‡ Croma Securityv
96
165
1655
1031
…
245.92 9.98
9.1
Clarke T
NWG
1336X +
Savills
Chamberlinv# Checkitv
3.6 17.3
41.37
6
… -5.7
1,475.00
0.56 31.54
2.1
… -0.5
20,025.25
47K +
–
1.0 11.6
32
47K +
2Y 9.3 14.8
…
134
…
+
Carecapitalv
K
11K
569K – 812
Cardiff Prop
10
23O +
1725
Redrow Safestore
158.38
Nat Aust Bk
–
2,005.72
20.49
44,072.62
+
750
…
1,711.71
6K
2
9.6
… -0.4
6.9
+
11.2 -3.7
2.8 20.0
14K 1.7
10.82
6,172.03
Raven Property
5
108.43
2
1,221.01
165.36
–
… -1.2
6V
Close Bros
3.2 19.5
4737
Metro Bank
152Y +
2,192.75
92
Berkeley
231.04
366K +
Clear Leisurev
+
5,903.58
…
Barclays
2.48
3047
… 21.6
2V 2.4
Beazley
453
Bellway‡
W
100O +
26,545.84
City Lon Inv Gp
3,758.39
36O +
Gulf Invest
2,232.38
City of Lon Gpv
38K +
Lloyds Bkg Gp
52.23
65N 4.2 20.3
229.58
Livermore Invsv
26,086.54
… -5.6
41O 3.5 18.4
K
Company
67.30
Mattioli Woodsv
+
…
Mkt cap (million)
… -1.4
Metal Tigerv
1.8 34.2 V
Price Wkly (p) +/- Yld% P/E
7.4 -3.0
210.43
473
95
+
Company
…
36.41
1364O +
64.99
449.53
Mkt cap (million)
…
…
+
872K +
1288
1K 7.2 -2.7
Price Wkly (p) +/- Yld% P/E
K
…
19
Bank of Georgia
54
Drumzv
1.6
Argo Groupv
Banco Santander
Downing ONE VCT
1.81
…
7.40
612.17
84.15
22K 0.5
11K
42,796.57
Company
810
Arden Partnersv
Aviva‡
Mkt cap (million)
1375
3.84
13,694.71
Price Wkly (p) +/- Yld% P/E
Gresh Hse Stratv
Arc Mineralsv
Ashmore Gp
Company
Gresham Housev
Arbuthnot Bkgv
Aus New Z
Mkt cap (million)
47.86
39.72
38,834.47
Price Wkly (p) +/- Yld% P/E
259.94
… 39.8
131.07
3,371.26
Company
– 449W 0.9 25.1
32N +
4
Mkt cap (million)
…
62 3552
–
1
+ 102
0.8 14.2
3,841.19
Dechra Pharma
10.10
Deltex Medicalv
87.93
e-Therapeuticsv
167.18
Eco Animal Hlthv#
247K
313.95
EKF Diagnosticsv
69
–
2O
… 50.0
38.07
Futura Medicalv
15K +
N
… -5.9
1O + 20Y +
4432
3W …
2,894.02
Genus
70,842.29
GlaxoSmKline‡ 1408W +
6.31
Gunsyndv
6,172.76
Hikma Pharms
+ 236
1X – 2678
N
0.9
…
…
…
…
…
6.0 18.5
0.6 71.6
66W 5.6 11.1 N
+ 160
… -1.2 1.4 15.6
77.45
Amiad Water Systv
0.31
Ass Br Eng#
15
…
… -0.2
3,798.71
Hutchison CMv
522
+
62
…
…
1,088.92
Avon Rubber
3510
+ 345
0.5 84.3
61.60
Immunodiag Sysv
214
+
4
0.8
…
1,372.69
Babcock
271K –
8W 2.6 -5.0
31.97
ImmuPharmav
K
… -4.4
16,111.53
BAE Sys
500K +
11O 1.8 13.2
771.05
Indivior
105
–
3X
… -5.2
1,446.45
Bodycote‡
755K +
10
0.7 32.5
44.27
IXICOv
94
–
8K
… 64.3
0.6 46.1
25.92
Braime A N/Vv
1800
+ 380
0.6 30.3
28.69
LiDCOv
11O
4K 4.5 21.2
28.08
Braime Groupv
1950
…
0.5 32.9
2,130.63
Mediclinic Int
…
12O –
289
+
…
… 24.4
7
1.1 -5.1
the times | Monday January 11 2021
47
1GM
Equity prices Business Mkt cap (million)
Company
15.66
N4 Pharmav
CHF204,770.00 Novartis
Price Wkly (p) +/- Yld% P/E
Mkt cap (million)
Company
8X +
…
16.47
Altitude Groupv
8
3.4 28.9
25.25
Arcontech Grpv
190
…
12K 0.4
CHF83.00
100.77
Omega Diagsv
807.56
Oxford Biomedica
7.20
Physiomicsv
10.63
Proteome Sciesv
47,468.16
Reckitt Benck
N
– 0.65
56
–
981
–
7W
8K
RUA Life Sciencesv
57.19
Sareum Hldgsv
454.85
Silence Therapv
14,202.61
Smith & Neph
629.70
Spire Hcare
157
+
279.88
Synairgenv
140
–
40.09
Tissue Regenixv
212.13
Tiziana Lifev
44.64
Totallyv
555
15.00
ValiRxv
746.14
Vectura Grp
+
Eurasia Miningv
30K –
3N
6.11
Europa Oil&Gasv
1W +
N
10.62
Catalyst Mediav
50K –
K 9.9
7,520.38
Evraz
516V +
44K 11.6 17.7
5.86
Catenaev
2,001.32
Ferrexpo
340
57W 3.9
32
1K 0.8 -2.7
14
3.0 46.7
3K 2.0
…
1,793.68
Future
1830
+
92
… 81.7
1.0 51.0
1,614.85
GlobalDatav
1365
525.54
Gocompare.com
124K –
4W 0.7 47.9
292.44
Hyve Group
110N –
2O 22.6 -0.5
576.80
IG Design Grpv‡
596
13K 1.7 27.5
21
… -0.9 …
…
Coats Grp
9,224.98
Croda
6612
+
108.45
Cropper (James)v
1135
+ 105
Mondi
23.34
Robinsonv
343.69
Scapav
30
1Y
… 15.2 …
…
…
1,260.57
Greatld Gldv
32K –
4W
…
…
27K 1.4
…
Andrews Sykesv
617K
…
204.80
Griffin Miningv
…
…
311.77
Gulf Keystone
148V +
25O 7.8
…
1,120.25
Hochschild
218
10V 0.7
…
16,503.15
Ashtead
32.31
Asimilar Groupv
61.74
AssetCov
30.94
Avisenv
120.98
Begbies Traynorv
171.57
Blancco Techv
8,441.82
Bunzl
19K 2.6 -2.5
653.57
Capita
39V
…
… -0.1
61.10
Carillion#
14V
…
35
…
4.34
CEPSv
25K
…
92K +
2
23
Horizonte Minrlsv
8O +
1K
…
…
32K –
O
…
5.0
61
+
1
3.5 19.0
400.14
Hunting
273K +
13
4.2 17.2
0.92
Hydrodecv#
332.63
Ilikav
+ 235
3673 30
…
…
472K +
61K
…
…
28
…
…
…
94K +
1K 2.9
… …
227
+
6
2505
+
62
0.6 22.0
…
… -7.5
5,446.43
DCC
3,226.86
ITM Powerv
586
+
343.25
De La Rue
24.53
Quarto
1K
…
3.6
61.82
JKX Oil & Gas
36
+
307.63
Dignity
45.07
Reabold Resourcesv
…
… -8.7
2,785.24
Diploma‡
638.18
Reach
656.61
Discoverie PLC‡
6.85
REACT Grpv
27.39
Driver Groupv
36,460.83
Relx
271.00
DWF
4,388.57
Electrocompnts‡
934
431.88
Equiniti Group
118V +
998.57
Essentra
331
26,399.34
Experian‡
2878
+ 101
21,284.72
Ferguson
9458
+ 574
17K 2.6 41.4 2K 1K
…
…
… 30.9
44Y 1.5
13
…
… -5.8 2.7 19.2
1O
…
… …
K 0.8 83.3 42K 5.0 O
+
X 204K +
60Y 1.1 14.3
…
1.7 12.6
3
60
O 2.8 19.9
…
… -8.9 2.4 23.7
5,542.45
Rightmove
1.51
SpaceandPeoplev
136.66
STV Group
1W 1887
… +
634O –
292K –
System1 Groupv
7,464.56
21st Cent Fox Inc A 2203N +
+
21st Cent Fox Inc B 2162V +
11.47
Vela Techv
156.29
Wilmington
10,155.55
WPP
1,167.49
YouGov PLCv
9.34
185
Zinc Mediav
… 178K + 828O + 1050
+
58K +
…
94K 2.4 28.7 16
0.4 41.2
7O +
23.42
5,574.62
…
W
… -0.8
10K 2.1 23.4 7K 0.5 61
…
1.6 10.7
…
… -1.3
19
2.8 33.9
28O 2.7 -4.4 5 6
0.3
…
… -0.8
Alumina
108W +
1.2 23.7
20.74
Aminex
K
+ 695
0.4
…
27.02
Amur Mins Corpv
712
+
12
1.1
…
19,106.07
Anglo Amer Plat
7201Y + 252
37
+
15V
…
…
38,480.82
Ang Am
2823
146.42
Anglo Asian Mngv
15,448.37
Antofagasta
55.62
Ariana Resv
5V
4.75
Arkle Resourcesv
1K +
W
19.07
Armadale Capv
4V +
75.19
Asiamet Rsrcsv
5
–
363.31
Atalaya Minev
263
+
4.21
Baron Oilv
4
…
…
19
…
0.9 17.2 1.3 11.5 …
+ 126
0.6
6K 0.9
… …
1
–
V
243
+
2K
…
…
584.18
On The Beach
371
–
1K 0.8
…
597.68
PPHE Hotels
1405
+
25
–
… -2.7
1.2 V
…
…
40.17
Beowulf Miningv
…
8.86
Bezant Resv
655.80
Rank Grp
+
O 5.9 56.0
112,356.58
BHP Group
404.89
Restaurant Gp
68X +
4W 3.0 -2.2
4.08
Border & Sthn Petv
12.02
Rotalav
24
3
71.17
Bougainville
50.59
Sportech
26O –
3.9 -4.4 X
… -2.1
4O 3.5 24.5
40
…
…
3
…
… -0.4
…
78W 12.9 -1.5
2N +
X
1,351.87
Wetherspoon JD
1123
+
7
6,226.55
Whitbread
3085
–
15
… 0.7
…
N 0.9 15.7
10
1.3
V
… -1.2
14.37 60,769.40
BowLevenv BP
23.32
Cadence Minv
7.45
Cadogan Petrol
1,218.20
Cairn Energy
164.82
Caledonia Miningv
… …
Media
45.94
Caspian Sunrisev
1,492.92
Centamin
480.55
Cent Asia Metalsv
3.35
Karel Diamd Resv
70 4O
13W + 6N
X …
706K +
8.9
…
…
…
3.8
… 14.4 … -6.2
3,338.59
Kaz Minerals
41.41
KEFI Gold and Copperv 1Y
402.73
Kenmare Res
202.99
Lamprell
59W +
9W
… -1.5
24.04
Landore Resv
26K –
1K
… -6.6
11.58
Lansdowne O&Gv
1N
…
…
…
9.35
Lexington Goldv
3K +
1
…
…
367
+
46K 1.3
7.9
…
… -3.3
54
1.8 14.6
G4S
25.83
Gattacav
3.04
Nostra Terrav
16.67
Nostrum O&G
9
0.95
Nu-Oil and Gasv#
…
5,079.12
Oil Search
3.20
Oilexv
8.77
Oriole Resourcesv
9.21
Ormonde Miningv
244W + …
… -0.9
9.45
Grafeniav
…
…
92.33
Hargeaves Servv
…
… -0.2
3,682.51
Homeserve‡
V
32
K +
V
1Y +
117.10
Impellam Grpv
… -0.9
33.59
Ince Gv
… -7.5
9,418.90
Intertek
3.1
…
V
…
…
…
… …
N
…
… -2.9
43.14
Orosur Miningv
23
–
2Y
…
4
…
…
9.73
Ovoca Biov
11
+
2
… -3.1
1
W
…
…
…
476.30
Pan African Resv
24X +
1V
…
…
…
247.90
Pantheon Resv
43
–
K
…
5.3
3W 6.2 41.6
40.28
Parkmead Grpv
37
–
1X
…
…
…
… -1.7
14.47
… -8.0
4.63
Petrel Resourcesv
2Y –
1.7 22.8
27.94
Petro Matadv
4
+ 398K 3.1 20.7
573.52
Petrofac
–
5.46
Petroneft Resv
X
1Y +
128 1567
N
3K 4.9
8.5
+ 126K 0.9 57.1
…
… -7.3
18.58
Plexus Holdingsv
18K +
O
…
8,353.54
Polymetal Intl
1770K +
N
… -8.3
…
…
…
… -2.7
…
2221K + 296K 3.7 17.4 …
… -4.0
1V
…
…
273
43Y 9.4 -3.6 1N
… -4.4
N
… -1.4 … -6.2 1.7 10.2
…
+
Porvair
197.97
Premier Oil
550
483.01
Proton Motor Power Sv 66
55.99
Providence Resv
27.25
Rambler Met&Minv
11.67
Red Rock Resv
+
21W + –
6N + N
N 5.3 -5.0 86
2.8 14.8
20
…
…
5W 6.2 12.9 33
2.3 14.2
Scirocco Energyv
57.90
Serabi Goldv
1 98
+
348.15
Serica Energyv
170.87
Shanta Goldv
16W –
19.23
Sound Energyv
1W
130
+
15 K
9.0
2.3
7.6
…
…
…
… -2.9
N
… -4.1
24.76
Sterling Energyv
1O
…
…
8N –
N
… -0.5
11.42
Sunrise Resourcesv
N
…
…
…
34.32
China Nonferr Goldv
8Y –
V
…
3.33
Clontarf Energyv
…
…
4.7
55.69
Condor Gldv
…
4.1
…
3.35
Corcelv
47 1V
–
2.16
Tertiary Mineralsv
N
14.02
Thor Miningv
Y +
3
…
…
88,448.02
Total SA
…
… -0.5
5.30
Tower Resourcesv
Dunelm
1.5 31.1
18.19
UK Oil & Gasv
2,386.90
Frasers Group
10.00
French Conn
+ 188
121.59
Kier Gp
184.08
Latham (J)v‡
196.35
Lok'n Storev‡
665
284.47
Lon Securityv
2320
269.21
LSL Prop Services
147.24
Macfarlane
45.24
Maintel Hldgsv
75
–
925 –
256
–
93N + 315
–
2.08
Malvern Intlv
177.34
Mears Group
160
+
202.34
Menzies (John)
240
–
V
42
+
2
5O 0.7 15.5 1
4.7 58.3
…
…
…
6
2.2
…
22K 2.5 -2.7 1
1.6 10.7
…
… 12.1
5.86
Newmark Secv
1N
…
…
5.2
7K 1.3 21.7 …
…
2K
… -4.7
+
3K
… -6.0
3N
…
…
K 7.4
…
9.35
Petardsv
16N +
1.98
PHSCv‡
13K –
314.30
PowerHouse Egyv
7.21
Prime Peoplev
96.24
Record
652.14
Redde Northgate‡
265
–
1
418.58
Renew Hldgsv
532
–
28
344.86
Renewi
43
+
10,117.24
Rentokil Itl
545K +
36
471.20
Restorev
375
–
38
210.92
Ricardo
339
–
6
–
13
8W – 59K – 48N +
1.30
Ridgecrest Plcv
1
350.03
Robert Walters
460
…
1N
…
…
2K 8.7 -3.0 V 4.7 15.7 4.9
…
2.1 18.1
…
… …
659K +
16
1.3
…
50.71
Zoo Digitalv
68
+
5K
…
…
10N
…
…
…
9V
… 43.7
1
…
…
10O 3.2
9.4
19.4 -1.9
11V –
V
672
+
3
+ –
… -1.5 …
…
0.7 29.9 …
12O – 435
…
N
…
… -3.3
18O 1.7 30.6 10
7.3 -0.4
17N 1.3 99 N
…
… -4.7 … -3.4
5
… 16.5
Ted Baker
113
3
5.6 -0.7
24,062.62
Tesco
115.51
Topps Tiles
498.73
Total Producev‡
4.68
Utd Carpetsv
–
Telecoms 55.32
AdEPT Technologyv
221
+
14,181.38
BT Group
143
+
1,396.25
Dixons Carphone
1,497.82
Gamma Commsv
245X +
14N 3.7 23.2
58O +
1V 5.7 46.3
128N +
5O 2.4 15.0
5O –
V 2.3 -7.6
Technology
92.84
MelodyVR Grp PLCv
2.82
Mobile Streamsv
V
…
… -0.8
18.80
Mobile Tornadov
4Y +
1
…
…
1,127.93
TalkTalk
W 2.5
7.4
1,146.03
Telecom Plus
34,465.64
Vodafone Gp‡
44.11
Air Partner
47.60
Braemar Ship
866.40
Clarkson
3,594.76
easyJet
974.95
FirstGroup
497.14
Fisher (James)
457.25
Go-Ahead
7,784.80
Intl Cons Air Irish Cont Uts Jet2v
130V –
1O
… 27.8
1,621.19
30N –
2N
…
Alfa Financial
73.26
Allied Minds
101.14
Amino Techsv
133
+
262.96
Aptitude Software
466
+
5,641.39
Avast
548K +
10,148.28
Aveva Gp‡
130.00
Bangov
410.48
152W –
K
+ 732
3X –
V
98W + 1448
+
128W +
… -8.5 …
14
3.9 30.7
7K 6.3 16.5
69W – 150
–
2850
4
2.5 10.5
5
3.3
5.9
+ 150
0.8
…
786K – 79O +
43W 5.5 -2.9 5O
… -2.9
987
+
40
1059
+
74K 6.7
156O – 405X +
1.1 20.1
3
6O 0.9 35.4
–
96
Natl Express
264
+
26K 1.9
300.59
Ocean Wilson
850
+
1.2 85.2
15,944.77
Ryanair
21
1.2 39.8
3,365.11
Signature Aviation
11
2.1 32.2
432.44
Stagecoach
3.4
1414V – 406
+
78K +
…
8.3 -0.6
1334
13
…
… -2.9
Transport
2,385.21
390.60
5.6
Helios Towers
758.64 +
…
0.6 40.4
Just Eat T'away 8992
…
90
3Y 75
1,524.00
…
Access Intellv
–
13,372.86
2
76.21
119X + 1570
3.6 17.5
286K –
0.2 -7.9 …
5
2.8
…
70N
…
…
1.0
…
19
4W 9.8 11.8
1.0
…
191.54
Stobart Gp Ord
30X +
4K
… -0.5
+
7K
…
…
23.19
Sutton Harbourv
20
–
1K
…
BATM Adv Coms
93V +
V
…
…
356.19
Wincanton‡
286
+
94.39
Berkeley Res
36K +
4
… -6.8
4,378.43
Wizz Air Hldgs
75.84
Blackbirdv
22K +
2Y
…
…
45.92
BSD Crown
35K –
4K
…
8.4
6.44
CloudCoCo Groupv
1N +
N
62.94
CML Micro
2,716.56
Computacenter
79.60
Concurrent Techv
48.25
Corerov
3531 174
+ 329
4252
+
27
1.0 49.4
2,930.61
Centrica
–
68
0.4 23.5
1,415.77
ContourGlobal
215
4K 2.3 28.7
1,560.24
Drax Group
393
22.25
IGas Energyv
N
– 312
…
…
Utilities
380
9O –
…
1.3 11.8
… -0.6
2380
108K –
30
…
…
50V +
+
17O +
3K 2.9 -4.3 …
5.7 20.4
18
4.0
3O
…
… -0.2
587.50
Cranewarev
– 110
1.2 43.7
162.39
Jersey Electricity
530
+
15.33
Crimson Tidev
3N
…
… 27.9
30,979.55
Natl Grid‡
880
+
15.78
CyanConn Hldgsv
8W +
1O
… -3.3
65.12
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uAIM company; # Price at suspension; † Ex dividend; ‡ Ex scrip; s Ex rights issue; t Ex all; § Ex capital distribution; * figures or report awaited; . . . No significant data. Companies in bold are constituents of the FTSE 100 Index. Investment Cos sector Nav Dis or Prm supplied by Morningstar. Data as shown is for information purposes only. No offer is made by Morningstar or this publication
the times | Monday January 11 2021
49
1GM
Journalist who pioneered the confessional column Katharine Whitehorn Page 50
Register
Obituaries
Michael Apted Cerebral British film director who made his name with the Up documentary series chronicling ordinary lives over six decades Long before there was reality TV, there was Michael Apted’s Up. Compelling entertainment and high-minded sociology in equal measure, Up has been a fixture on British television over six decades, updating viewers at sevenyear intervals on the lives of 14 individuals drawn from across the social spectrum whom Apted recruited to the project as seven-year-olds in 1964. Seven Up!, the first in the series, was the brainchild of Tim Hewat, an Australian producer working on Granada TV’s World in Action. It took its theme from the Jesuit motto, “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man”. Apted, a 23-year-old TV researcher, was told to find a set of children who reflected the class make-up of Britain. He was still chronicling their lives 55 years later in 63 Up, the most recent episode, broadcast in 2019. Back in 1964 viewers were gripped as the film explored the contrasting aspirations of the 14 children, from the privileged prep school trio of Andrew, Charles and John, who sang Waltzing Matilda in Latin and knew the names of the Oxbridge colleges they were destined to attend, to the East End urchin Tony, whose ambition was to be a jockey, Neil and Peter, middle-class lads from the Liverpool suburbs who dreamt of being astronauts, and Paul, who didn’t want to get married, fearing a wife who would feed him greens. Seven Up! made such an impact that it was decided to return to the group every seven years and track how class and education had affected their life chances, with Apted as producer, director and presenter of all subsequent episodes. The series was voted 26th in a British Film Institute poll of the 100 greatest television programmes and the format was widely copied, with similar projects launched in the US, the Soviet Union, Japan and South Africa. By the time of 49 Up in 2005, the series was competing with reality shows such as Big Brother. Yet, in the way Apted’s series held up a mirror to society and enriched our perspective on the human condition, it had as much in common with current affairs programming and the serious-minded social realism of Ken Loach (whose 1969 film Kes he cited as an inspiration) as it did with the aeseality TV. thetics of modern reality rs Up Over the years ginal tracked the original participants in careers as barristerss and taxi drivers, librarians and labourers. One became homeless and another lived on disability benefits. There were divorces, single nparenthood, redund a dancy, illness and u had bout of cancer. You haracter to wait years for character developments and plot changes but, as the critic Roger Ebert put it it, taken together the films penetrated “to the central mystery of life”. Tall, angular and rather craggy-featured, Apted came to regard the series as a salute to the quotidian “heroism” of human existence. “There aren’t many pieces of work, especially in film, that
Apted ranged from Seven Up, below, to The World is Not Enough, right
have the patience to honour the drama of ordinary life,” he said. “What we all go through — children, jobs, marriage, the things that touch us — is the big drama of life, far more so than the drama of movies and television.” His one regret was that he had not struck a better gender balance and that only four of the 14 children he selected in 1964 were girls. “The series was an attempt to do a long view of English society and the class system which needed a kick up the backside,” he said. But the bigg “But biggest social revolution in my life has been the change in the role of wom women in society. I mis missed the boat on tha that in the Up films.” Yet despite the im imbalance, all h human life was th there in its tumult of triumphs and tri trials. By the time of 63 Up, all but one of the original 14 were still alive. al Apted hoped tthat hat th the series would continue bu but it remains to be d etermined w determined whether another film-maker will make 70 Up in 2026, chronicling how Apted’s “children” respond to a deepening sense of mortality. Apted’s narrative documentary skills also transferred readily to drama. In between Seven Up! and its second series, 7 Plus Seven, in 1971, he directed a number of episodes of Coronation
Street. “Forget bloody movie stars,” he said. “Violet Carson and Pat Phoenix as Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner were the biggest divas in Britain. It was an incredible baptism. Everything I ever learnt about actors I learnt from Coronation Street.” He moved on to the big screen, starting in 1972 with The Triple Echo, which starred Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson in an HE Bates story about an army deserter who falls for a farmer’s wife. Apted turned down an invita-
On one film he had to endure Liz Hurley ‘telling me how to do my job’ tion to direct That’ll Be the Day (1973) starring Ringo Starr and David Essex, but when it was a hit he realised his mistake and directed the sequel Stardust. There was also a string of films giving prominence to strong women, which he regarded as making amends for the error of not having more women in the Up series. The first should have been Trick or Treat (1975), about a lesbian couple who want to have a baby. Apted cast Bianca Jagger but six weeks into the shoot she refused to do nude shots and the film was abandoned, leaving under 40 minutes of footage which Apted had spent £400,000 shooting. More successful was Agatha (1979),
an account off the h crime i writer riter Agatha Christie’s disappearance in 1926 in which Vanessa Redgrave gave a bravura performance in the title role. Even better was Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980), about the country singer Loretta Lynn’s rise from poverty to stardom in which he coaxed Sissy Spacek to an Oscar-winning turn. Gorillas in the Mist (1988), in which Sigourney Weaver played the zoologist Dian Fossey who was murdered in Rwanda in 1985, was another big success. Apted proudly boasted that he had cited his experience on Up as “a realistic documentary storyteller” to convince a sceptical studio to allow him to make the film with real gorillas. The film earned five Oscar nominations and won two Golden Globe awards. Other films to focus on the lives of extraordinary women included 1994’s Nell, which earned an Oscar nomination for Jodie Foster, and the Kate
Winslet drama Enigma (2001). “What I like about women at the centre of films is that a woman brings a lot of emotion to a story,” he said. “Whether it’s a woman with gorillas or a country music singer, a woman’s emotional life is more dramatic than a man’s.” Apted also had his share of commercial flops. A low point was directing Hugh Grant in the 1996 crime thriller Extreme Measures, of which Liz Hurley was the producer. He constantly had to tell the bickering couple to “shut up” and endure Hurley “telling me how to do my job”. He was pleased to accept the offer to direct the 1999 Bond movie The World is Not Enough as an opportunity to prove to studio bosses that he was still a bankable director. He upgraded the franchise’s regulation blonde bimbo to a nuclear physicist played by Denise Richards and insisted on a bigger role for Judi Dench’s M.The film was a commercial hit and was praised by critics. Michael David Apted was born in 1941 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and grew up in Essex, the son of Frances (née Thomas) and Ronald Apted, an insurance broker. He recalled being so timid that his mother had to walk him to primary school to stop other boys picking on him. His escape was an obsession with listening to the radio and he claimed to have learnt to read by studying the listings in Radio Times. Pushed hard by ambitious parents he won a scholarship to the City of London School. He opened the batting with Mike Brearley, the future England cricket captain, for the school’s first XI and once reccalled contributing three runs to aan opening stand of 120. Apted went up to Downing C College, Cambridge to study histo and then law, although he tory h already decided he wanted to had m make films after seeing Bergman’s W Strawberries at the age of 16. Wild On graduating in 1963 he joined G Granada. “My parents were mortifi They wanted me to be a solicified. to he recalled. “I pissed it away in tor,” th their eyes by doing Coronation S Street. It took them ten years to fi figure out I had a proper job.” He is survived by his third wife, P Paige Simpson, a film producer w whom he married in 2014. He is also surviv by his son John, from his marsurvived riage to the screenwriter Dana Stevens between 1998 and 2009, and his son Jim, from his first marriage to Jo Apted, an actress and producer. His oldest son, Paul, a sound editor who worked on his father’s films, died of cancer in 2014. He is also survived by a daughter, Lily, who was born in 2007 and lives in London with her mother, Tania Mellis. Despite his successes in Hollywood Apted recognised Up as “the most important thing I have ever done”. “Very few films really celebrate the heroism of what we all have to go through,” he said. “Not the drama of fiction films and Hollywood, but the dramas we face to get through the day. Those films celebrate that.” Michael Apted, CMG, film-maker, was born on February 10, 1941. He died of undisclosed causes on January 7, 2021, aged 79
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Register
Katharine Whitehorn Crusading journalist who pioneered the confessional column, covering anything from bedsit loneliness to being ‘a slut’ Katharine Whitehorn knew very well that she would be best remembered for one column among the thousands she wrote in almost six decades. It was published in The Observer in 1963 and in it she called herself a slut. She was not, of course, describing a Waynetta Slob style of slut, just one of those disorganised women who resort to inking their legs to disguise holes in black stockings, and who can be identified by the safety pins holding up their hems. If you have ever taken an item of clothing out of the laundry basket because it has become, relatively, the cleaner thing, she said, then you are one of us. Her candour clinched her fame and inspired dozens of confessional female columnists to admit to their fallibility: it was such a far cry from the prissy perfectionism of most postwar advice to women. What she wrote was exactly right for the time. A generation of women responded with amazed delight, and became her loyal readership for half a century, looking to her for wit and common sense about marriage, children, divorce, money troubles and old age. It was in the chic, sparky Spectator of the late Fifties (with Brian Inglis as editor and Bernard Levin a fellow contributor) that Whitehorn first became noted for writing on subjects that were unusually feminine for a serious political weekly. She made it clear that women were being pushed around — intelligent working women could not take out a mortgage without a male signatory — and this was not acceptable. David Astor poached her for The Observer in 1960, and she never looked for a different berth, though her quarrels with Astor, who disapproved of working mothers, were legendary. Loyalty, with wit, was one of her abiding qualities. Her skill was in making commonplace subjects interesting — iniquitous banks, life in the gynae ward, repulsive things about cats — which would be collected into an anthology called Only on Sundays in 1966. “The whole business of weddings is extraordinary”, “Why on earth do people have children?”, “The pleasures of buying a house are clouded” — brisk, clear thinking was her stock-intrade. This was one reason why she was appointed to the Latey Committee on the Age of Majority (1965-67). The Wilson government wanted to reduce the voting age, believing that young people would be more likely to vote Labour, and needed a readable report. Much of the Latey report is unmistakably Whitehorn. One section begins: “We have to confess that it would not actually keep us awake at night if people under 21 were to serve on a jury”; another, “In Roman law, young people were divided, like Gaul, into three parts”. The age of majority was duly reduced to 18. Katharine Elizabeth Whitehorn was born in 1928, the daughter of Edith and Alan Whitehorn. Her father, a distinguished teacher of classics and cricket at Marlborough, encouraged her to think of herself as clever; her aunt Margaret Gray became head mistress of Godolphin and Latymer School, “a beacon in girls’ lives”, Katharine wrote. Yet Kath was rebellious as a girl, moving from one school to another. Roedean left the most lasting mark on her voice and manner, but she cycled away from it in the middle of term and was much happier at Glasgow High School for Girls. Years later, when asked for a contribution to the Roedean development fund, she replied: “I must confess it is all one to me if the jolly old school, far from developing, falls off the Rottingdean cliffs into the sea.” She read English at Newnham
thing on electoral reform, then another night sleeper home — oh, I forgot to say I also did a TV short in Leeds. Then we packed Jake off to a history weekend (he had to be there at 8.15) and went to the Lords.” A motor cruiser on the Thames offered weekends of relaxation. As her reputation for being pragmatic and funny grew she was often invited on to the radio show Any Questions, despite believing that her voice, uppercrust and unfashionably drawling, counted against her. It was a welcome accolade when in 1982 St Andrews University students elected her their first female rector, after a series of male comedians such as John Cleese and Tim Brooke-Taylor. She said: “I am highly honoured and delighted, because the alternative is being appalled.” Extremely pretty and always well turned-out but without vanity, she was in person quite unlike the “slut” of her famous column. She avoided mixing with people who did not share her orthodox liberal views. Like all her family, she had a social conscience and thought everyone else should have one too. She wrote presciently about banks and the inflexible authority they imposed on helpless customers. She wrote
Cambridge was ‘gateway to heaven’ thanks to the men she met there
Whitehorn posed for photos for a feature called Lonely in London in 1956 W
College, Cambridge (“ (“gateway to heaven” thanks to the men she met there) and was mentored by the Yeats scholar TR Henn. She achieved a respectable 2:1 “without anyone ever having required me to read Scott or Proust or Henry James or Trollope”. On graduation she ran an Englishspeaking club in Finland and held a Fulbright scholarship at Cornell. Afterwards, living in a bedsitter in rationed London, she worked at Methuen, getting it to publish Dorothy Parker, inviting John Betjeman to edit a volume of advertising verse and commissioning a book on lip-reading for the deaf, as her mother by this time was hard of hearing. (This gave Whitehorn many anecdotes, such as the one about accompanying her mother to the GP. “And when did you last move your bowels?” asked the doctor. “Oooh . . . before the war, certainly,” replied Mrs Whitehorn.) Having decided to switch to journalism in 1955, she landed a job in 1956 as
a reporter on Picture Post, off F Fleet Street, under the editor Lio onel “Bobby” Birch, in whose o office she quickly made friends a and, in her words, “attracted a g good deal of male attention”. T job (“which I wanted more The th heaven” she telegraphed than h her parents) was hers after the g great photographer Bert H Hardy photographed her in an ic iconic pose: sitting in a circular sk skirt on the floor by a gas fire, su surrounded by milk bottles aand laundry, for a feature entitl d “L titled “Lonely in London”. At the magazine she met her husband, Gavin Lyall, a Cambridge graduate, witty and jazz-loving, who had been an RAF pilot, and later wrote successful thrillers and screenplays drawing on that experience. They married in 1958 before she joined The Observer and began writing on fashion: “I was filled with a crusading zeal to get the British woman out of that limp cardigan at all costs”. French journalists decided that she looked like Simone Signoret. To her delight after many miscarriages, the first of their two sons was born in 1964; she was thanked by readers for advising that a glass of gin at bath-time (not waiting till later) was a good idea. Bernard, the elder son, is a film editor and writer, and Jake lives in California where he works in IT. She was a devoted and supportive wife when Lyall’s spy stories went out of fashion and money was tight because of paying school fees. Luckily her Cooking in a Bedsitter was
an instant bestseller in 1961. The essence of its appeal was that it told a single girl how to rustle up something impressively delicious, presenting it with insouciance as “something I seem to have cooking in this pot”. Lyall supplied the chapter on booze. At times apologetic at home about her fame outside it, she would quote her husband’s jokes in her Observer column. Once she told how she had tried to bin a pair of his faded, ragged underpants, whereupon he snatched them back, protesting: “But they were my father’s!” To her friends’ surprise and her own slight embarrassment as a leftwinger, she took on a directorship at Nationwide Building Society and Nationwide Anglia estate agency. She also worked, without pay, for the Patients Association; in 1972 she joined the board of the British Airports Authority, where she could “put the questions that none of the men would demean themselves by putting”; she sat on the civil service selection board and the BBC’s committee on the social effects of television. In her 2007 autobiography, Selective Memory, she gave a flavour of her life as a working mother: “I did the column, got the pages away, went to Bush House to do a broadcast, finished my letters, met the others at the cinema, then boarded the night sleeper to Darlington to do an interview, then another train to Leeds to talk to someone else, then on to the Metropole where I was chairing a
tellingly about menial jobs and miserable lives. Visiting a biscuit factory with music going full-blast, she asked one woman: “Why do you go to work?” The woman yelled back: “To have someone to talk to!” Privately dismayed and sometimes reproving when her female friends’ marriages broke up, she nonetheless continued to point out in print that when a man left a marriage “his mates will not say ‘the louse’ but ‘I wonder what was wrong with her’.” Whitehorn was associate editor at The Observer from 1980 to 1988. The editorial team that dropped her column later realised their error and implored her to return, which she did. Her handbooks on subjects such as “surviving” children and money problems went out of date, but Cooking in a Bedsitter was being reprinted decades later and the advice she dispensed about how to manage a plate, a glass, a handbag and a cigarette remains unforgotten. In 1997 she became the agony aunt for Saga magazine, where she dispensed sound advice for two decades. People in old age are far from serene, she would say, so she never had to invent problems. Grandparents wondered how to keep in touch with grandchildren after divorce; singletons wrote about loneliness and companionship; people of every class comp p plained about ingrate childre expecting to be financialren ly supported for ever. She was fo fond of a Siegfried Sassoon p poem about ageing and loss, w which included the line “For d death has made me wise and b bitter and strong”. Widowh hood certainly made her wiser a glad to occupy her welland p berth at Saga. When Lyall paid died at 70 in 2003, the family gathered to scatter his ashes at his favourite mooring on the Thames, “where we were always happiest”. In 2017 Whitehorn returned to Newnham for a feature in the alumni magazine, Cam. Asked to define in three words her time there, she replied: “Free. Happy. And useful.” Katharine Whitehorn, CBE, journalist and agony aunt, was born on March 2, 1928. She died on January 8, 2021, aged 92
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Register Law Report
Births, Marriages and Deaths
Difficulties in making aggregate award of damages did not justify refusal to make collective proceedings order Supreme Court Published on January 11, 2021
Merricks v Mastercard Inc and others Before Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, Lord Briggs, Lord Sales, Lord Leggatt and Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd [2020] UKSC 51 Judgment December 4, 2020
The fact that the evidence available at a trial was likely to be incomplete and difficult to interpret, and that its assembly might involve expensive and burdensome processes of disclosure, was not a good reason for a court or tribunal to refuse a trial to an individual or to a large class who had a reasonable prospect of showing that they had suffered loss from an already established breach of statutory duty. The difficulties which might arise in making an aggregate award of damages did not justify a refusal to make a collective proceedings order. The general principle that when quantifying damages the court had to do what it could with the data available applied also in collective proceedings. The Supreme Court so held in dismissing the appeal of the defendants, Mastercard Inc, Mastercard International Inc and Mastercard Europe SPRL, from a decision of the Court of Appeal (Lord Justice Patten, Lord Justice Hamblen and Lord Justice Coulson) ([2019] Bus LR 3025), which allowed an appeal by Walter Hugh Merricks, CBE, the proposed representative claimant in collective proceedings brought on behalf of 46.2 million claimants, from a decision of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (Mr Justice Roth, Professor Colin Mayer, CBE, and Ms Clare Potter) ([2017] CAT 16), refusing an application for a collective proceedings order. Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore had presided at the hearing of the appeal, participated fully in the deliberations which followed the hearing and overseen the preparation and discussion of the judgments. He agreed that the appeal should be dismissed for reasons set out in his judgment prior to his retirement on September 30, 2020. There was a delay between the completion of the judgments and their being handed down to allow, in accordance with the court’s practice, the law
reporters and counsel an opportunity to check the judgments for typographical errors and minor inaccuracies, and to enable a press summary of the judgments to be prepared. The judgments were accordingly circulated in draft to the parties’ legal advisers, with Lord Kerr and Lord Thomas recorded as agreeing with the judgment of Lord Briggs, and a consequent majority of three to two in favour of dismissing the appeal. After those administrative steps had been completed and three days before judgment was due to be handed down, Lord Kerr sadly died. That would have left the four remaining justices evenly divided. Lord Reed as President of the Supreme Court then directed, under section 43(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, that the panel for the appeal be reconstituted as consisting of the remaining four justices. Lord Sales and Lord Leggatt agreed that the appeal should be dismissed notwithstanding their disagreement with the reasoning in the judgment of Lord Briggs. Mr Mark Hoskins, QC, Mr Matthew Cook, Mr Hugo Leith and Mr Jon Lawrence for the defendants; Mr Paul Harris, QC, Ms Marie Demetriou, QC, and Ms Victoria Wakefield, QC, for the representative claimant; Mr Tristan Jones for Which? magazine, intervening. Lord Briggs, with whom Lord Thomas agreed, said that the defendants were three members of the Mastercard group of companies. Mastercard operated a payment card scheme, by the use of which consumers with banking facilities were able to purchase goods and services from retailers otherwise than by the use of cash or cheques. The European Commission decided in December 2007 that the scheme amounted to a restriction of competition and was contrary to European Union competition law in regard to fees charged between banks when consumers paid for goods using the defendants’ cards. It was likely that merchants, to whom those fees were passed on, had in turn passed them on to consumers in the form of increased prices. Mr Merricks issued a collec-
tive proceedings claim form against the Mastercard companies, seeking to represent claims by all UK resident adult consumers of goods and services purchased in the UK during the relevant period. The represented class was estimated to be 46.2 million people. It was alleged that any price increases which merchants passed on was applied to all purchasers, not just those using cards. Mr Merricks needed the Competition Appeal Tribunal to certify his claim by making a collective proceedings order to enable him to proceed with the claim. The tribunal refused to make the order on two grounds: first that the claims were not suitable for an aggregate award of damages, and second that Mr Merricks’s proposal for distribution of any aggregate award did not respond in any way to the compensatory principle, which the tribunal regarded, on common law principles, as an essential requirement of any distributive scheme. Collective proceedings were a special form of UK civil procedure for the vindication of private rights, designed to provide access to justice for that purpose where the ordinary forms of individual civil claim had proved inadequate for the purpose. The claims could all, at least in theory, be individually pursued by ordinary claim in England and Wales under the Civil Procedure Rules. It followed that it should not lightly be assumed that the collective process imposed restrictions upon claimants as a class which the law and rules of procedure for individual claims would not impose. Mr Merricks and the class he sought to represent already had a finding of breach of statutory duty in their favour. All they would need as individual claimants to establish a cause of action would be to prove that the breach caused them some more than nominal damage. In order to be entitled to a trial of that claim they would (individually) need only to pass the strikeout and (if necessary) summary judgment test, that was, to show that the claim as pleaded raised a triable issue that they had suffered some more than nominal loss from the breach of duty. Where in ordinary civil pro-
ceedings a claimant established an entitlement to trial in that sense, the court did not deprive the claimant of a trial merely because of forensic difficulties in quantifying damages. His Lordship agreed with the submission made on behalf of Mr Merricks that the forensic difficulties which the tribunal considered made the class claim unsuitable for aggregate damages would not have been easier for any individual claimant to surmount. Why then should a forensic difficulty in quantifying a loss which would not stop an individual consumer’s claim going to trial stop a class claim at the certification stage? The phrases “suitable to be brought in collective proceedings” in section 47B of the Competition Act 1998 (as substituted by Schedule 8 to the Consumer Rights Act 2015) and “suitable for an aggregate award of damages” in rule 79(2)(f) of the Competition Appeal Tribunal Rules 2015 (SI 2015 No 355) meant suitable in a relative sense, that was, suitable to be brought in collective proceedings rather than individual proceedings, and suitable for an aggregate rather than individual damages. That was because collective proceedings had been made available as an alternative to individual claims, where their procedure might be supposed to deal adequately with, or replace, aspects of the individual claim procedure which had been shown to make it unsuitable for the obtaining of redress at the individual consumer level for unlawful anti-competitive behaviour. The pursuit of a multitude of individually assessed claims for damages, which was all that was possible in individual claims under the ordinary civil procedure, was both burdensome for the court and usually disproportionate for the parties. Individually assessed damages might also be pursued in collective proceedings, but the alternative aggregate basis radically dissolved those disadvantages, both for the court and for all parties. Another important element of the background against which the statutory scheme for collective proceedings and aggregate awards of damages had
to be understood was the compensatory principle for the determination of damages. In sharp contrast with the principle that justice required the court to do what it could with the evidence when quantifying damages, which was unaffected by the new structure, the compensatory principle was expressly and radically modified. Section 47C of the 1998 Act (as also substituted by the 2015 Act) removed the ordinary requirement for the separate assessment of each claimant’s loss. The only requirement implied, because distribution was judicially supervised, was that it should be just in the sense of being fair and reasonable. The Competition Appeal Tribunal had erred in its conclusion that the case was unsuitable for aggregate damages and in failing to give effect to the basic principle of civil justice that the tribunal had to do what it could with the available evidence when quantifying damages. Lord Sales and Lord Leggatt said that in their view the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s first reason for declining to certify the proceedings as a class action, namely that the claims were not suitable for an aggregate award of damages or to be brought in collective proceedings, was legitimate, and the Court of Appeal should not have interfered with it. Were the result of Lord Kerr’s death to be that the court was evenly divided, the case would have to be re-argued before a different constitution. As well as being hugely wasteful of resources, that would not be a just outcome. It would be the consequence simply of the happenstance of Lord Kerr’s death occurring during the interval between the completion of the judgments and the date when they were formally handed down; a circumstance which had no bearing on the just decision of the appeal. Their Lordships therefore agreed that the appeal should be dismissed. Solicitors: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP; Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan UK LLP; Hausfeld & Co LLP.
AGAIN I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9.11 (ESV)
Deaths FORRESTER Joanne of Boxgrove Vicarage, West Sussex, died peacefully in the early hours of New Year. Deeply mourned by Ian and Alex. Her funeral Mass at Boxgrove Priory will be livestreamed on the Priory’s Facebook page, where further details may be found. HILL Susan Jane (née Franklin) died peacefully in Bath on 4th January 2021, aged 76. Much-loved and greatly missed wife to Michael, mother to James and Edward, sister to David, and grandmother. Private funeral. Memorial service to be announced. JAMESON Audrey Caroline on 5th January 2021, aged 82, formerly of Abingdon, passed away peacefully at home in Devon. Donations in Audrey’s memory for Marie Curie and Hospiscare may be sent to Pring & Son Funeral Directors, 50 Fore Street, Cullompton, EX15 1LB.
In Memoriam — Private MOSSMAN TIM Always in our hearts
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Capable governor’s wife and plant hunter MARGARET MACLEHOSE, WHO DIED AGED 99, WAS FEATURED IN THE TIMES ON APRIL 4, 2020
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Weather Today Rain spreading southwards with snow over the Scottish Highlands, drier in the south. Max 11C (52F), min -8C (18F) Around Britain
Five days ahead
Key: b=bright, c=cloud, d=drizzle, pc=partly cloudy du=dull, f=fair, fg=fog, h=hail, m=mist, r=rain, sh=showers, sl=sleet, sn=snow, s=sun, t=thunder *=previous day **=data not available
A changeable week ahead with rain spreading eastwards followed by drier spells
Temp C
Rain mm Sun hr*
midday yesterday
24 hrs to 5pm yesterday
Aberdeen Aberporth Anglesey Aviemore Barnstaple Bedford Belfast Birmingham Bournemouth Bridlington Bristol Camborne Cardiff Edinburgh Eskdalemuir Glasgow Hereford Herstmonceux Ipswich Isle of Man Isle of Wight Jersey Keswick Kinloss Leeds Lerwick Leuchars Lincoln Liverpool London Lyneham Manchester Margate Milford Haven Newcastle Nottingham Orkney Oxford Plymouth Portland Scilly, St Mary’s Shoreham Shrewsbury Snowdonia Southend South Uist Stornoway Tiree Whitehaven Wick Yeovilton
3 6 6 3 1 3 4 3 1 5 4 5 5 6 3 7 -0 -2 1 7 -1 5 6 3 3 2 4 2 6 1 1 4 -1 6 5 3 4 1 2 4 7 -1 3 4 1 8 4 8 4 2 1
C DU D C M PC M DU M C B PC DU C FG C M FG M DU M B DU C M PC C PC M M PC M FG DU B PC SH DU M PC C M DU DU M D B D B SH B
0.8 0.2 0.2 6.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 2.0 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 2.2 2.4 1.6 2.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 9.0 0.0 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.0 4.2 3.4 3.4 4.2 2.8 0.0
0.0 6.7 2.5 0.0 ** ** 2.6 ** 0.0 ** 0.0 1.8 0.0 0.5 3.8 0.3 ** 1.7 7.0 4.3 ** 7.5 ** 0.0 ** 0.0 0.1 6.5 ** 2.1 0.0 3.8 2.1 ** ** 6.2 0.0 ** ** ** ** 0.7 5.2 ** 5.7 ** 0.0 0.1 0.4 ** 0.0
Tomorrow Rain will spread slowly across Ireland, Wales and southern and western England. Elsewhere Elsewhe wh here w will ill be largely dry with the bestt of of the the sun ssuns un nssh hine in the north and eaaast st . st Max 11C, min iin n -6 -66C -6C C
2
8
SH PC PC SH S S B PC S ** PC SN S M ** PC S PC B S S PC PC B S DU PC S B PC S B B PC R PC SN PC S PC PC B S B D PC PC
21
Slight
Temperature
Shetland Sh
2
15 15
Moderate Rough
28 (degrees C)
3
2
10 0
4
At 17:00 on Sunday there was one flood warning and nine flood alerts in England and one flood warning and sixx flood alerts in Scotland. There were noo flood warnings or alerts in Wales. For further information and updates in England visit flood-warninginformation.service.gov.uk, uk, for Wales naturalresources.wales/fl flooding and for Scotland SEPA.org.ukk
5 5
Aberdeen Ab
NORTH SEA 7
0
Edinburgh
Glasgow
9
33
Londonderry
ATLANTIC OCEAN Cloudy with rain across most of the British Isles, but drier spells at first in the east. Sno Snow ow will will fall over higher w ground in noorth rthe tthe thern he hern h ern ern nB Br Britain Britai Brita rrit ritain rita iitain it ita taiin n. Brighter with showers rs in rs in the the th he we wes wees est st lat later. Max 11C, min iin n -1C -11C -1 C
Belfast
Manchester
3
5
Cork
Swansea
CELTIC SEA
7
Bristol
Bright in the east at first, but otherwise cloudy with rain spreading in from the west, west st, heavy heeavy hea avy in places. Sleet or snoow on on the th h hee llea le lead leadin eead ea addiing edge of the rain andd ove oover ov vver veeerr higher h highe hiiighe ghe heerr gground. u Max 11C, min in --3 in -3C 33C C
3
9 4
10
The Times weather err page is provided by Weatherquestt
14
-15
5
General situation: Cloudy d with it rain spreading southeastwards, falling as snow over higher ground in Scotland. London, SE Eng, Cen S Eng, Midlands, SW Eng, E Anglia, Channel Is: Mostly dry with bright spells, but rather cloudy with an odd spot of rain, especially later. Moderate southwesterly winds, later winds fresh near the coast. Maximum 10C (50F), minimum 3C (37F). E Eng, Cen N Eng, NE Eng, Borders, Edinburgh and Dundee: Some drier spells at first, although mostly cloudy
CHANNEL
with patchyy rain becoming more widespread in the afternoon. Moderate to fresh westerly winds. Maximum 9C (48F), minimum -3C (27F). Wales, NW Eng, Lake District, IoM, SW Scotland, Glasgow, Argyll: Cloudy with patchy rain becoming heavier and more persistent into the afternoon. Moderate to fresh west to southwesterly winds. Maximum 10C (50F), minimum -3C (27F). Cen Highland, Aberdeen, Moray Firth, NW Scotland, NE Scotland, N Isles:
--:-17:47 21:50 17:37 16:19 21:52 22:26 15:48 23:06 22:21 21:05 16:41 12:56 21:58 --:-20:02 16:50 22:01 21:48 15:43 16:33 15:15 22:04 22:01 21:09 16:56 14:05 17:15
Ht -12.2 3.5 11.3 5.1 6.2 3.9 4.7 3.4 3.8 5.4 7.1 5.3 9.0 -2.4 6.5 8.9 6.3 6.6 3.7 5.1 4.4 5.9 4.2 8.8 5.0 1.8
21 1
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, heavy at times and falling as snow over higher ground. Becoming drier from the north later. Light increasing to moderate northwesterly winds. Maximum 7C (45F), minimum -8C (18F). Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: Bright spells in the south at first first, but otherwise cloudy with patchy rain spreading southwards, turning heavier later. Fresh southwesterly winds, strong near the coast. Maximum 11C (52F), minimum -1C (30F).
Noon today
Ht 4.1 11.9 3.4 11.1 5.1 6.3 3.9 4.7 3.3 3.7 5.4 7.0 5.2 8.9 6.7 2.5 6.4 8.8 6.3 6.5 3.6 5.1 4.6 6.0 4.4 8.6 5.0 1.9
London
Brighton
HIGH HIG HIGH IGH IG GH 1102 1024 024 0244
Tidal predictions. Heights in metres
Saturday
23
Southampton
Exeterr
Plymouth
Tides
9
32
8 8
11:46 05:20 09:26 05:09 03:51 09:21 09:56 03:22 10:53 09:46 08:38 04:13 00:30 09:31 11:59 07:20 04:22 09:34 09:16 03:16 04:11 02:48 09:33 09:29 08:44 04:31 01:35 04:48
0 -5 -10
6
Cardiff
14 14
Today Aberdeen Avonmouth Belfast Cardiff Devonport Dover Dublin Falmouth Greenock Harwich Holyhead Hull Leith Liverpool London Bridge Lowestoft Milford Haven Morecambe Newhaven Newquay Oban Penzance Portsmouth Shoreham Southampton Swansea Tees Weymouth
41
Cambridge
Oxford
23 3
6
50
5
26
Birmingham
10
7
59
10
i h Norwich 7
8
Channel Islands
4
68
15
Nottingham
Shrewsbury 32 2
Most places will be dry with sunny spells, but a few showers lingering in the east. Turnin Turning ng cl cloudy oudyy and windy in Ireland and west wes esttern est estern rn n Scot S Sco Scotl Scotland cotla cot tland with rain n spreading in n lat later. ateer. at ate errr.. Max 11C, min in -3 in --3C 33C C
77
20
Sheffield
8
LLlandudno
8
11
10
25
Hull
7
ooo Liverpool
IRISH SEA
Dublin
5
86
Yorkk
34 4
Cloudy with showery rain lingering in eastern areas, falling as snow over higher ground in n eastern easstern Scotland. Brighter speells lss and and nd showe showers sh show sh how ow wers in western n areas, and mainly main ainly ainl i ly ddry in in in th the sou s th. Max 10C, min iin n -4C -44C -4 C
30
7
7
Galway
Thursday
F 95
Carlisle
9
11
C 35
Newcastle
Wednesday
6
15 Madeira 5 Madrid 13 Mallorca 6 Malaga 20 Malta 30 Melbourne Mexico City 21 18 Miami 5 Milan ** Mombasa -3 Montreal -7 Moscow 33 Mumbai -5 Munich ** Nairobi 11 Naples New Orleans 9 3 New York 9 Nice 21 Nicosia -6 Oslo 2 Paris 27 Perth 0 Prague -8 Reykjavik -4 Riga Rio de Janeiro 31 18 Riyadh 9 Rome San Francisco 14 24 Santiago 26 São Paulo -6 Seoul 29 Seychelles 24 Singapore St Petersburg -15 -2 Stockholm 27 Sydney 22 Tel Aviv 19 Tenerife 6 Tokyo 5 Vancouver 5 Venice -1 Vienna 0 Warsaw Washington 6 -1 Zurich
Orkney ney
C l Calm
6
All readings local midday yesterday
PC B PC B PC PC PC R S S SN B SH S PC R M S M S S PC B B B S S M B R S PC B SN S PC R S PC PC B PC PC B S PC S
Sea S a state ae
(mph)
5
8
10 5 20 23 22 28 29 7 0 21 0 1 20 3 4 2 -2 26 20 28 30 23 2 1 20 11 22 3 8 5 3 0 9 -3 13 28 8 22 25 29 1 18 19 21 9 20 24
34
Flood alerts and warnings
The world Alicante Amsterdam Athens Auckland Bahrain Bangkok Barbados Barcelona Beijing Beirut Belgrade Berlin Bermuda Bordeaux Brussels Bucharest Budapest Buenos Aires Cairo Calcutta Canberra Cape Town Chicago Copenhagen Corfu Delhi Dubai Dublin Faro Florence Frankfurt Geneva Gibraltar Helsinki Hong Kong Honolulu Istanbul Jerusalem Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Kyiv Lanzarote Las Palmas Lima Lisbon Los Angeles Luxor
Wind W d speed p e
Weather Eye Paul Simons
LOW LO L OW OW
LOW LO L OW O W
HIGH HIG H IGH IG GH GH
1 0 1008
LOW OW OW
10 0 1000
1000 1100 10 0
LOW L OW 992 992 92
Synoptic situation Low pressure will move across northern Britain with high pressure situated to the south. This will produce a freshening westerly wind across most of the British Isles. It will be mainly dry in the south, but a cold front will spread rain from north to south across the rest of Britain and Ireland during the day. Snow is likely in the Scottish Highlands.
1008 100 110 0008 000088 LOW OW W
10016 1016 1101 0011166 10 1024 10 102
99 99 992
1016 0116 0016 16 1100 1008 008 00 008 08
1016 1016 00116 16
1000 10 1100 000 000 0000
100 6 11016
HIGH
10016 11016 01166
Cold front Warm front Occluded front Trough
Highs and lows
Hours of darkness
24hrs to 5pm yesterday
Aberdeen Belfast Birmingham Cardiff Exeter Glasgow Liverpool London Manchester Newcastle Norwich Penzance Sheffield
Warmest: Port Ellen, Argyll, 8.3C Coldest: Okehampton, -5.8C Wettest: Resallach, Sutherland, 11.8mm Sunniest: Jersey, 7.5hrs*
Sun and moon For Greenwich Sun rises: 08.01 Sun sets: 16.14 Moon rises: 06.34 Moon sets: 14.16 New Moon: Jan 13th
16:22-08:09 16:52-08:09 16:47-07:43 16:57-07:43 17:01-07:41 16:38-08:10 16:47-07:51 16:44-07:31 16:43-07:49 16:33-07:54 16:33-07:30 17:12-07:47 16:41-07:45
S
trange as it may seem, the Earth is spinning on its axis very slightly faster, raising the prospect that a second may eventually need to be deducted from clocks. This speeding up is unusual and has not happened since 1937, but it’s nothing to be alarmed about. The Earth’s rotation varies very slightly all the time, and over recent decades it has generally been slowing down. This is why “leap seconds” are occasionally added at the end of June or December, so that our clocks are synchronised to the Earth’s rotation speed as accurately as possible. Even though the change in time is minuscule it does make a difference to satellite measurements such as the global positioning system that measures the Earth’s rotation very precisely. Quite why the Earth’s spinning speed has slightly increased recently is not known, but it was detected last year and it is expected to carry on and at a slightly faster rate this year. Variations in the length of a day with the Earth’s rotation were first discovered in 1695 by the astronomer Edmond Halley. These changes can happen for all sorts of reasons, such as the movements of the molten core in the Earth, and earthquakes can also knock the spin of the planet. The colossal earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 knocked off 2.68 millionths of a second from the length of the day by changing the distribution of the Earth’s mass. Weather also plays a part and the Earth often slows down a fraction during winter in the northern hemisphere, when westerly winds are usually at their strongest and slow the spin by fractions of a second. Changes in winds during bouts of El Niño in the Pacific Ocean can also slow the Earth’s spin. Over millions of years the slowing spin of the Earth gradually accumulates into big changes. In the time of the dinosaurs 200 million years ago there were about 375 days in a year. But over the eons the spin of the Earth has slowed, caused by the gravity of the Moon pulling the tides over the oceans and effectively putting a brake on the rotation.
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Monday January 11 2021 | the times
Sport Seguin making Vendée Globe history – with only one hand
Ravens star Jackson ends wait for first play-off win
DAVID ADEMAS/PA
Sailing
American football
Ed Gorman
Charles Walford
When Damien Seguin set sail in the Vendée Globe solo non-stop roundthe-world race back in November, he said his goal was “to write a great story, in every sense of the word”. The 41-year-old Frenchman, who hails from Auray on the Brittany coast, has done that in a way that few people could have imagined was possible. Seguin was not just attempting one of the hardest feats in sailing, he was also attempting to become the first sailor — out of the 200 who have started the race since the first edition in 1989 — to complete the course with a disability. That is because Seguin was born without a left hand. The ever-cheerful father of two, who started sailing as a child in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, is now on course not just to complete his lap of the planet but to do so in phenomenal style. Yesterday he was holding third place on board Groupe Apicil, 276 miles behind the leader, his fellow Frenchman, Yannick Bestaven, on Maitre-Coq. With just over 5,000 miles left to sail to the finish off Les Sables d’Olonne on the French Biscay coast, Seguin is in contention for, at the very least, a podium place in a fleet of 33 starters. But whatever happens between now and the finish, he has already demonstrated to sailing fans in France and all over the world that, as he puts it, “a handicap is not a disability but an opportunity”. Seguin’s performance has been consistent throughout a race in which seven skippers have retired, including Britain’s Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss and Sam Davies on Initiatives-Coeur. Sequin was holding sixth position when the fleet passed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope, fifth place at Cape Leeuwin south of Australia and then fourth place when he passed Cape Horn. When he reached that milestone, having escaped the clutches of the bleak and wild Southern Ocean, Seguin beamed in his cockpit, his bearded features topped off by a woollen hat, holding a whiteboard on which he had written: “My 1st Cape Horn.” “Here we are my friends,” he said in a radio call that day. “First Cape Horn, fourth in the Vendée Globe, that’s something crazy. I can’t get over it.” Later he admitted that passing the most feared headland in world sailing and the graveyard of thousands of ships, had been intensely emotional for a man who had conquered far greater obstacles than anyone else to get there alone. “I cried all the tears I have,” said
At the third time of asking Lamar Jackson has a victory over the Tennessee Titans. More importantly, at the third time of asking, he has a play-off win. Given Jackson turned 24 only three days ago, perhaps too much has been made of his post-season failings of the past two years, but he stopped the grumblings as the Baltimore Ravens avenged last season’s play-off defeat by the Titans — who also beat them this regular season — with a 20-13 win in the Wild Card round to put the rest of the AFC on notice. As the Titans built a 10-0 firstquarter lead, it felt as though the opportunity of a post-season run may once again pass Jackson by. But as the clock ticked down on the first quarter, the Ravens quarterback — last season’s league MVP — connected with Mark Andrews, the tight end, for 17 yards, and the momentum shifted. With the Titans shutting down the Ravens’ running backs, Jackson took things further into his own hands with a 48-yard touchdown run to make it 10-10 at half-time. JK Dobbins’s thirdquarter touchdown run, and the extra point early in the second half, made it 17 unanswered points and gave the Ravens a lead they never relinquished. On the other side of the ball Baltimore were able to build a platform for Jackson by shutting down the Titans’ star running back, Derrick Henry. “The King” last week became only the eighth man to rush for 2,000 yards in a regular season; yesterday he managed a paltry 40 rushing yards from 18 attempts. When Marcus Peters picked off Ryan Tannehill with less than two minutes left, Jackson, who finished with 179 passing yards and 104 on the ground, could close out the game, and get the play-off monkey off his back. One man a little more experienced in the art of winning play-off games is Tom Brady. On Saturday he registered his 31st post-season victory as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Washington Football Team 31-23. In the time that Brady has been racking up those play-off victories, the Buffalo Bills had not managed a single one. Cue Josh Allen, who threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for a score, as the Bills picked up their first play-off win for 25 years, a 27-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Another streak came to an end in Seattle as the Seahawks’ 30-20 defeat by the LA Rams ended a run of ten home play-off wins going back to 2004.
Seguin is in contention for a podium place as he tries to become the first sailor with a disability to complete the race
foils. That is like running in the podium positions after 63 days in a racing car with a normally aspirated engine against rivals with turbos. Seguin’s boat has some modifications to enable him to work more efficiently — for example, a socket attached to the main winch pedestal in the cockpit into which he can place his left arm so that he can engage his full physical strength when trimming sails. But mostly he has learnt to adapt to his abilities through experience. Marcus Hutchinson, the British manager of the Frenchman Thomas Ruyant, who lies in fourth place on LinkedOut just behind Seguin, says the Groupe Apicil skipper is reaping the harvest of years of preparation. “His ability to achieve something like this is a consequence of decisions that were made many months, even years, ago that have helped him tackle this both mentally and physically,” Hutchinson said. While Bestaven — an outsider in a good boat — continues his way north towards the Equator, behind him the fleet is spread out over thousands of miles. The latest drama is the retirement of the Franco-German skipper
Isabelle Joschke on MACSF after her boat developed problems with its swing keel. A heartbroken Joschke had been running in or around eighth position but is now likely to head for a port of refuge on the South American coast. Back in the Southern Pacific Ocean, meanwhile, the Briton Pip Hare is battling towards Cape Horn on Medallia having replaced her damaged rudder with a spare, a difficult operation alone at sea. Hare is 17th and has less than 450 miles to go to the Horn. Behind her, back in 22nd place out of the 26 sailors still in the race, Hare’s fellow countrywoman, Miranda Merron, is approaching Point Nemo, the most remote place on the world’s oceans. “Here, in the middle of nowhere, 390 miles southwest of Point Nemo, there is a brief respite between lows [pressure systems],” Merron reported from Campagne de France yesterday. “There were times when being on top of a wave was like being on top of a hill, surveying the watery countryside around before sliding back down the valley.”
Wilson and Gilbert reach last eight of Masters
Slalom bronze for Ryding
Results
Snooker Kyren Wilson made two century breaks as he beat Gary Wilson 6-2 yesterday to seal a place in the quarter-finals of the Betfred Masters in Milton Keynes. Gary Wilson, who along with Joe Perry was called into the event at the last minute when Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski withdrew after testing positive for coronavirus, had led 2-1 before Kyren Wilson, the world No 5, levelled with a break of 108 and made a clearance of 136 on his way to a comfortable win.
Skiing Dave Ryding celebrated
Cricket
the sailor whose own charity, Head and Hands, campaigns for more access to water sports for people with disabilities. Seguin started competitive sailing in the early 2000s when he established himself as a prolific winner in inshore racing, going on to win three medals at the Paralympic Games, including two golds. When he first tried to branch out into competitive offshore racing, his entry was turned down for one prestigious event as race organisers worried about how he would fare without the use of one hand. But since then he has never looked back, completing three solo transatlantic races with top-ten finishes and then moving on to this Vendée Globe campaign with the backing of a French insurance company that specialises in policies for disabled people. Seguin’s boat was built in 2007, ancient by Vendée Globe standards, but he worked hard to improve its competitiveness before the start and the result has been spectacular. While the fact that, as he makes his way north off the Brazilian coast, he sits third is remarkable in itself, he is also enjoying the distinction of being the first boat in the race not equipped with
“I’m really pleased with that,” Kyren said. “My match play was strong. I’ve been playing John Higgins for the last four days [in the Championship League] so if that’s not going to improve your game I don’t know what is.” Wilson will play David Gilbert in the last eight after he beat Perry 6-2. “I’ve been bang out of form,” said Gilbert. “I knew I had [to play] Judd, so as much as I was looking forward to it, I couldn’t see past him but it has turned out all right for me now.”
winning the third World Cup medal of his career after taking bronze in the slalom at Adelboden in Switzerland yesterday. The three-time Winter Olympian, 34, finished 0.15secs behind Austrian winner Marco Schwarz, with Germany’s Linus Strasser in second. Ryding, from Chorley, was eighth after the first run but moved onto the podium after Clément Noël, who was top, put down a poor second run. It is Ryding’s first podium since 2019.
Sydney Australia v India: Third Test Sydney Cricket Ground (fourth day of five): India, with eight secondinnings wickets in hand, need 309 runs to beat Australia Australia: First Innings 338 (S Smith 131; M Labuschagne 91; W Pucovski 62; R A Jadeja 4 for 62) Second Innings (overnight 97-2) M Labuschagne c sub b Saini 73 S P D Smith lbw b Ashwin 81 M S Wade c sub b Saini 4 C D Green c sub b Bumrah 84 *†T D Paine not out 39 Extras (b 1, lb 4, nb 3) 8 Total (6 wkts dec, 87 overs) 312 Fall of wickets 1-16, 2-35, 3-138, 4-148, 5-208, 6-312.
Bowling Bumrah 21-4-68-1; Siraj 25-5-90-1; Saini 16-2-54-2; Ashwin 25-1-95-2. India: First Innings 244 (S Gill 50, C Pujara 50, R Pant 36; P Cummins 4 for 29) Second Innings R G Sharma c Starc b Cummins 52 S Gill c Paine b Hazlewood 31 C A Pujara not out 9 *A M Rahane not out 4 Extras (lb 1nb 1) 2 Total (2 wkts, 34 overs) 98 Fall of wickets 1-71, 2-92. Bowling Starc 6-0-27-0; Hazlewood 8-3-11-1; Cummins 9-1-25-1; Lyon 9-3-22-0; Green 2-0-12-0. Umpires P R Reiffel and P Wilson
Rugby union Gallagher Premiership Harlequins 27 London Irish 27 Harlequins: Tries Smith, Brown, Steele. Cons Smith 3. Pens Smith 2. London Irish: Tries Rona, Matu’u, Tuisue, Hoskins. Cons Jackson 2. Pen Jackson. HT 17-12.
Fixtures Snooker Milton Keynes The Masters
the times | Monday January 11 2021
57
2GM
Sport
Thomas apologises for homophobic slur
Froome commits to ISN for the long term Cycling Chris Froome plans to
Golf Rick Broadbent
Justin Thomas described his behaviour as “inexcusable” after using a homophobic slur against himself during the PGA Tour event in Hawaii yesterday. The world No 3 faces a fine after a microphone picked up him uttering the word “f***ot” after missing a short putt during his third round at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The PGA said in a statement: “As he expressed after his round, we agree that Justin’s comment was unacceptable.” It is likely that Thomas will be fined, but PGA Tour chiefs have long been accused of a lack of transparency for not disclosing sanctions given to players for on-course conduct. Thomas, 27, spoke about the incident on camera after finishing his round tied
Hereford 12.50 Bangers And Cash 2.50 Zamani 1.20 Le Tueur (nap) 3.20 Apple Rock 1.50 Milanford 3.50 Quietlyflowsthedon 2.20 Flagrant Delitiep Going: heavy Sky Sports Racing
12.50 Maiden Hurdle (£3,769: 2m 4f) (16) 523-2 BALLYBEGG 31 Kerry Lee 6-11-6 R Patrick 02 BANGERS AND CASH 29 B Pauling 5-11-6 Jonjo O’Neill Jr. 0 CURIO BAY 48 B Pauling 5-11-6 Jamie Moore 01/4 DANILO D’AIRY 39 Robert Bevis 8-11-6 J Nailor (5) 01 FLANN 44 G McPherson 6-11-6 Kielan Woods 50-64 GLANCE FROM CLOVER 30 A Ralph 6-11-6 Robert Dunne 03 HONORARY COLONEL 47 P Hobbs 5-11-6 T J O’Brien /24-6 KINGSPLACE 87 N Twiston-Davies 9-11-6 S Twiston-Davies 5 NICHE PLAYER 40 E Williams 5-11-6 A Wedge 2- PEBBLY NEW MOON 597 O Sherwood 6-11-6 H Beswick (5) 0-F SENDHERVICTORIA’S 66 Miss V Williams 6-11-6 11 C Deutsch Charlie Price (5) 12 P5- CANFORD STAR 611 (P) J Flint 8-10-13 P D’EDGE OF GLORY 16 R Potter 5-10-13 B Poste 13 6- GRACEFUL ABBIE 400 Sheila Lewis 7-10-13 14 Sean Houlihan (3) 3- LUCKY LARA 309 N Mitchell 6-10-13 T Scudamore 15 F SKATING AWAY 71 Mrs D Hamer 5-10-13 16 Mr Dylan Kitts (7) 9-4 Kingsplace, 9-2 Honorary Colonel, 5-1 Ballybegg, 7-1 Flann, 8-1 Pebbly New Moon, Bangers And Cash, 12-1 Lucky Lara, 14-1 others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Rob Wright’s choice: Bangers And Cash was a promising second at Southwell Dangers Ballybegg, Kingsplace
Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (£3,769: 3m 1f 119yd) (13)
633-P BIG TREE 92 (H) S Earle 8-11-13 Mr Z Baker (3) 6-020 SPIRIT OF WATERLOO 48 (P) Olly Murphy 7-11-12 A Coleman G Sheehan 3 34-32 SAMTARA 32 M Keighley 7-11-10 D Sansom (3) 4 3-43P SILVER NICKEL 23 J W Mullins 7-11-8 L Williams (3) 5 2-022 GIO’S GIRL 24 P Gundry 8-11-6 Mr Kieren Buckley (7) 6 1131P KENDELU 32 (B) N Hawke 6-11-5 T J O’Brien 7 /5055 HATCHET JACK 23 P Henderson 9-11-3 K Brogan (7) 8 24-1F JIMMY BELL 49 (P,CD) J G O’Shea 10-11-0 S Bowen 9 2-601 LE TUEUR 43 (P) P Bowen 6-10-13 Kielan Woods 10 -0053 FELTON BELLEVUE 1 B Case 6-10-12 S Twiston-Davies 11 -0030 BORO BABE 1 (P) N Williams 5-10-11 12 1-005 SING THE ANTHEM 25 Christian Williams 7-10-10 Jack Tudor (3) A Thorne (5) 13 -6004 EARCOMESALI 44 (H,T) P Pritchard 8-10-0 7-2 Le Tueur, 4-1 Samtara, 6-1 Gio’s Girl, 13-2 Jimmy Bell, 8-1 Kendelu, 10-1 Silver Nickel, 12-1 Spirit Of Waterloo, Boro Babe, 16-1 others. 1 2
Wright choice: Le Tueur appreciated a step up in trip at Ffos Las and is unexposed Dangers Samtara, Gio’s Girl
1.50
Beginners’ Chase (£4,289: 3m 1f) (4)
A Wedge 1 143/P CHOOSEYOURWEAPON 52 E Williams 8-11-2 T Scudamore 2 21-22 MILANFORD 30 N Mitchell 7-11-2 A Coleman 3 13-32 PORT OF MARS 28 (T) Olly Murphy 7-11-2 H Skelton 4 /1P-2 THE MULCAIR 47 D Skelton 7-11-2 10-11 Milanford, 3-1 The Mulcair, 9-2 Port Of Mars, 13-2 Chooseyourweapon.
Wright choice: Milanford drops in grade after a fine second to Hurricane Harvey at Doncaster Danger Port Of Mars
2.20
At the time Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, said: “My reaction was one of significant disappointment. That post does not convey the values that we have, and certainly doesn’t convey our interest in making certain that golf is inclusive for all.” Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, also apologised in 2014 for using homophobic language at a tournament in China. Golf has often been criticised for a lack of inclusivity. Mel Reid, the British player who came out in 2018, said she had kept her sexuality private because she felt it was necessary to gain sponsors. In the men’s professional game, the lack of openly gay players should be cause for thought at the governing bodies. Tadd Fujikawa, once the youngest player to qualify for the US Open, came out publicly in 2018 and said he hoped more players would follow.
2.50
0-050 DREAMSUNDERMYFEET 52 M Keighley 6-11-5 Lilly Pinchin 0-P06 LOOKING FOR CARL 41 M Loughnane 6-11-5 T Gillard 43-5F UISCE UR 14 (P,D) B Pauling 9-11-4 Luca Morgan (3) 23-03 FIRST ASSEMBLY 32 R Bandey 7-11-4 N F Houlihan 0-644 FRIARY LAND 56 (P,BF) Olly Murphy 7-11-0 L Stones (3) 02-PP ARDGLASS STAR 140 (T) Mrs R Dobbin 7-10-13 W Shanahan (5) 12 -06P5 BRIDEY’S LETTUCE 24 (P) Charles & Pogson 9-10-13 B Godfrey Lee Cosgrove (5) 13 -665P EURO FOU 15 (P) T Easterby 6-10-13 14 6-406 AVITHOS 25 (B,D) M Gillard 11-10-3 Mr B Ffrench Davis (3) J A Anderson (5) 15 5P-P4 DALKADAM 62 J R Jenkins 10-10-2 T Buckley 16 0-6P5 CONNIE WILDE 46 Mrs L Wadham 6-10-1 J Williamson 17 0-00P OUR CILLA 15 (B) A Crook 7-10-0 Alison Johnson (5) 18 600-6 LUDUAMF 12 M Chapman 7-10-0 5-1 Airton, 6-1 Friary Land, 13-2 First Assembly, 8-1 Compadre, Calarules, 10-1 Bitasweetsymphony, 12-1 Dalkadam, Uisce Ur, Mamoo, 16-1 others.
Handicap Hurdle (£3,769: 2m) (8)
1-22 THE MICK PRESTON 46 (D) N Twiston-Davies 5-11-12 S Twiston-Davies A Coleman 2 1-0P3 ENDLESSLY 30 (D) Olly Murphy 6-11-10 151-F SONG OF THE HUNTER 25 (D) Miss G Haywood 7-11-8 3 K Brogan (7) 4 3-002 CAWTHORNE LAD 25 (D) Jonjo O’Neill 5-11-7 Jonjo O’Neill Jr. M Bastyan (3) 5 -3U46 ZAMANI 31 (H) D Bridgwater 5-11-5 0-621 WINDS OF FIRE 20 E Williams 6-11-4 A Wedge 6 7 0-F06 ROOTLESS TREE 25 (D) Christian Williams 6-10-13 Jack Tudor (3) Robert Dunne 8 35-06 JAUNTY VIKING 26 B Eckley 6-10-11 2-1 The Mick Preston, 10-3 Winds Of Fire, 9-2 Song Of The Hunter, 11-2 Cawthorne Lad, 8-1 Endlessly, 10-1 Zamani, 25-1 Jaunty Viking, 33-1 Rootless Tree. 1
Rob Wright
1.20
for fifth place. “It’s inexcusable,” he said. “First off, I just apologise. I’m an adult. I’m a grown man; there’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that. It’s terrible. I’m extremely embarrassed. It’s not who I am; it’s not the kind of person that I am or anything that I do, but unfortunately I did it, and I have to own up to it and I’m very apologetic. “I’m speechless. It’s bad. There’s no other way to put it. I need to do better. It’s definitely a learning experience. I deeply apologise to everybody and anybody who I offended, and I’ll be better because of it.” In March the American Scott Piercy, a much lower-profile player, lost his sponsors after making social media posts mocking a gay politician and referencing QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory that the FBI has described as a potential source of domestic terrorism.
Handicap Chase (£7,018: 2m 5f) (9)
001-P KAPGARRY 23 N Twiston-Davies 8-11-12 S Twiston-Davies 220/2 DUSKY LARK 38 (P) R Walford 11-11-10 T J O’Brien 23-B4 ORRISDALE 37 Jonjo O’Neill 7-11-8 Jonjo O’Neill Jr. 2-421 FLAGRANT DELITIEP 27 R Walford 6-11-8 A Coleman /52-P ROSMUC RELAY 58 (V) K Bailey 9-11-7 T Scudamore 654/2 BRIANSTORM 1 Miss V Williams 9-11-5 C Deutsch 14-24 SUBCONTINENT 25 Miss V Williams 9-11-5 Miss L M Turner (7) B R Jones (3) 8 52311 VOLCANO 32 (P,T) Sheila Lewis 7-11-4 J Nailor (5) 9 -F3FP LAST ENCOUNTER 37 S-J Davies 11-10-13 11-4 Flagrant Delitiep, 3-1 Volcano, 6-1 Orrisdale, 13-2 Brianstorm, 8-1 Subcontinent, 10-1 Kapgarry, Dusky Lark, 12-1 Rosmuc Relay, 33-1 others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Wright choice: Flagrant Delitiep can defy a 9lb rise for his easy success at Wincanton Dangers Dusky Lark, Volcano
Wright choice: Zamani did not get a clear run when a good sixth at Cheltenham Dangers The Mick Peston, Endlessly
3.20
Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (£3,769: 2m 4f) (17)
6 7 8 9 10 11
1.05
Maiden Hurdle (£2,794: 2m 5f) (18)
J Nailor 1 2/P3- COAL STOCK 571 Sam Thomas 6-12-0 2 PP0-1 JUST SO COOL 67 (P,D) T Symonds 10-11-12 Charlie Price 3 /0U60 TINTERN THEATRE 1 N Twiston-Davies 10-11-12 J Savage (3) K Brogan (3) 4 3-146 APPLE ROCK 52 (D) B Pauling 7-11-12 M Kendrick 5 P5-00 THE KNOT IS TIED 50 N King 6-11-11 C Todd 6 2-3P0 VINNIE’S GETAWAY 46 Olly Murphy 7-11-10 0-322 RUFIO 43 (BF) H Fry 7-11-8 L Murtagh (3) 7 C Leonard (6) 8 5-440 GRIMM STAR 86 Dr R Newland 5-11-8 R Dingle 9 -2523 KERB LINE 38 (BF) J Scott 8-11-7 C Ring 10 2-660 TO BE SURE 54 E Williams 6-11-7 D Sansom 11 00-P6 NELSON’S TOUCH 16 J W Mullins 8-11-4 12 -3024 SAMSON’S REACH 54 (P,C) S Drinkwater 8-11-4 Jack Tudor A Bellamy (5) 13 000-6 UNBLINKING 39 Robert Bevis 8-11-0 F Gregory (3) 14 1-630 DUBAI GUEST 30 Olly Murphy 6-10-12 15 000-0 LIGHTONTHEWING 32 Mrs S Gardner 6-10-8 Sean Houlihan B R Jones 16 0335- JOUR A LA PLAGE 301 A Wintle 6-10-5 17 05-46 JUST GO FOR IT 12 (T) K Bishop 8-10-0 William Marshall (3) 4-1 Just So Cool, 9-2 Rufio, 6-1 Kerb Line, 8-1 Grimm Star, 10-1 Dubai Guest, Apple Rock, 12-1 Vinnie’s Getaway, 14-1 others.
0 ALFOSKI 47 G McPherson 6-11-6 Lilly Pinchin (5) 1 1/ BROKEN HALO 635 P Nicholls 6-11-6 H Cobden 2 3P-P3 CARLOW FARMER 47 (P,T) C Longsdon 8-11-6W T Kennedy 3 L Edwards 4 /31-0 DOUBLEUBEE 32 Dr R Newland 7-11-6 ERNESTO F46 (P) I Williams 6-11-6 Bryony Frost 5 B Hughes 6 411-6 ETOILE DU MATIN 60 Kevin Frost 8-11-6 F00 FIRST ILLUSION 23 P Kirby 5-11-6 T Dowson 7 1-2 HOI POLLOI 47 (BF) Emma Lavelle 6-11-6 Doubtful 8 6-0 NO PROMISES 185 Sam Allwood 7-11-6 A Johns 9 D Bass 10 30-06 NOT AT PRESENT 32 B Pauling 6-11-6 T Cannon 11 643 ROYAL PRETENDER 52 A King 5-11-6 J McGrath 12 24-0 SCARPIA 47 N Henderson 7-11-6 13 2011- THE GOLDEN REBEL 324 B Case 7-11-6 Mr J Andrews (7) VALSHEDA N Henderson 6-11-6 N De Boinville 14 B J Powell 15 P-36 WHAT A GLANCE 41 O Sherwood 6-11-6 L Harrison (7) 16 4-306 ASK THE LADY 26 F O’Brien 6-10-13 17 304-5 ISTHEBAROPEN 139 (T) G Hanmer 8-10-13 Sam Coltherd (3) Doubtful 18 42U/5 RAPAPORT 34 (H) Toby Bulgin 9-10-13 9-4 Royal Pretender, 7-2 Broken Halo, 5-1 Carlow Farmer, 7-1 Valsheda, 10-1 Ernesto, 12-1 Scarpia, The Golden Rebel, 14-1 others.
Wright choice: Apple Rock drops in trip after failing to stay three miles at Ascot Dangers Kerb Line, Vinnie’s Getaway
1.35
3.50
Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race (£2,274: 2m) (16)
212 BALLYBOUGH MARY 25 (BF) N Twiston-Davies 5-10-12 S Twiston-Davies CELESTIAL LIGHT S-J Davies 5-10-12 J Bargary 2 DOCTOR DOTTY P Gundry 6-10-12 L Williams (3) 3 EASTERLY Emma Lavelle 5-10-12 A Wedge 4 FERNY KNAP J W Mullins 6-10-12 D Sansom (3) 5 3-2 JAUNTY FREYJA 40 B Eckley 6-10-12 Robert Dunne 6 JEN’S GEORGIE S Drinkwater 6-10-12 Jack Tudor (3) 7 0 JET FANTASTIQUE 25 (H) Sam Thomas 5-10-12 J Nailor (5) 8 46 LILY GLITTERS 40 H Daly 5-10-12 R Patrick 9 MIDNIGHT AIR J Spearing 6-10-12 Jamie Moore 10 MISS FAIRFAX H Morrison 5-10-12 T J O’Brien 11 45 ORDERED LIVES 61 (BF) F O’Brien 6-10-12 C Brace (3) 12 QUIETLYFLOWSTHEDON Miss V Williams 6-10-12 C Deutsch 13 RHIAN DE SIVOLA (W) T Symonds 5-10-12 B Poste 14 15 0U/5 TALK OF A STORM 78 S Drinkwater 6-10-12 D Burton (5) 0 TRUE SPICE 92 Mrs S Gardner 6-10-12 Lucy Gardner 16 9-4 Ballybough Mary, 4-1 Jaunty Freyja, 9-2 Ordered Lives, 8-1 Miss Fairfax, 10-1 Easterly, Quietlyflowsthedon, 12-1 Lily Glitters, 16-1 others. 1
Wright choice: Quietlyflowsthedon, whose dam won a bumper, appeals Dangers Ballybough Mary, Jaunty Freyja
Doncaster
2.05
D Jacob B Hughes H Cobden
Novices’ Hurdle (£3,769: 2m 1f) (16)
1/1 L’INCORRIGIBLE 30 (CD) Tom Lacey 6-11-9 S Sheppard 1 Lilly Pinchin (5) 2 33/60 AJAY’S WAYS 30 G McPherson 7-11-2 P0 BLOOD EAGLE 47 D J Jeffreys 5-11-2 R McLernon 3 03 COSSACK DANCER 29 O Sherwood 5-11-2 B J Powell 4 5 DUKE OF CHALFONT 81 N Henderson 5-11-2 N De Boinville 5 4U6 EWOOD PARK 44 Olly Murphy 6-11-2 A P Heskin 6 60U FREETHINKER 13 (H) C Longsdon 5-11-2 Paul O’Brien (3) 7 P-U GETAFRIEND 26 M Sheppard 5-11-2 L Edwards 8 A Johns 9 260-0 JOSEPH HOBSON 70 T Vaughan 6-11-2 10 4P/06 O’GRADY’S BOY 104 G Hanmer 10-11-2 Sam Coltherd (3) D Jacob 11 02-0 ON SPRINGS 66 B Pauling 6-11-2 Bryony Frost 12 0-00 REGABY 29 (W) I Williams 6-11-2 2-1 SOLWARA ONE 58 N Mulholland 7-11-2 J Best 13 R Johnson 14 /22-2 TRUCKERS PASS 95 (BF) P Hobbs 7-11-2 50 ZAHRAANI 30 J R Jenkins 6-11-2 H Bannister 15 05 TAMANGO 22 Olly Murphy 5-10-9 D England 16 7-4 Truckers Pass, 15-8 L’Incorrigible, 11-2 Solwara One, 15-2 Duke Of Chalfont, 12-1 Ewood Park, Cossack Dancer, 16-1 On Springs, 25-1 others.
Novices’ Handicap Chase (£4,289: 3m 2f) (12)
12.30 Uisce Ur 2.40 Big Nasty 1.05 Royal Pretender 3.10 Runasimi River 1.35 Stratagem 3.40 Hillcrest 2.05 L’Incorrigible Going: soft, good to soft in places Sky Sports Racing
12.30 Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (£2,794: 3m) (18) 1 2 3 4 5
1 50-40 BALLYMOY 37 N Twiston-Davies 8-11-0 2 D4-35 MINELLA TRUMP 44 (P,BF) D McCain 7-11-0 3 1-62F STRATAGEM 35 (T,BF) P Nicholls 5-10-9 Evens Stratagem, 11-8 Ballymoy, 11-2 Minella Trump.
2.40
Rob Wright
Beginners’ Chase (£4,289: 2m 4f 115yd) (3)
50133 AIRTON 70 (T,V) D Pipe 8-12-0 F Gillard (3) -3105 COMPADRE 48 H Evans 10-11-12 P Armson (3) 05355 MAMOO 14 (P) Sam England 8-11-9 Tom Midgley (5) 50-44 BITASWEETSYMPHONY 58 Sam Allwood 6-11-8 L Harrison 365/4 CALARULES 46 (T) T Vaughan 8-11-7 Millie Wonnacott
P2P-3 BIG NASTY 37 M Keighley 8-11-10 J Best 3/6-5 POST WAR 26 N Henderson 10-11-9 N De Boinville P4-25 LYGON ROCK 60 (T,BF) H Daly 8-11-8 R Johnson 0-134 MONKEY PUZZLE 59 (P,D) O Sherwood 9-11-8 B J Powell F-331 SHANTY ALLEY 24 (P) B Case 7-11-7 B Carver (3) 152-3 WHATSDASTORY 41 Dr R Newland 8-11-7 C Hammond (3) 1/00P MINELLA BOBO 1 Miss R Curtis 8-11-6 J Bowen P-342 GARRANE 28 (T,V) J Scott 9-11-5 M Griffiths 336-5 DONNIE BRASCO 46 (P) K Bailey 8-11-3 D Bass 25-P3 GRAND TURINA 34 Miss V Williams 10-11-2 H Nugent (5) 3265P BUSTER EDWARDS 38 (T,V) D Pipe 8-11-0 D Noonan 4-133 SPEAK OF THE DEVIL 32 Miss L Russell 8-11-0 S Mulqueen (3) 3-1 Shanty Alley, 15-2 Garrane, 8-1 Big Nasty, Monkey Puzzle, 10-1 Grand Turina, Lygon Rock, Whatsdastory, Donnie Brasco, Speak Of The Devil.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
remain with the Israel Start-Up Nation team for the rest of his career and “potentially beyond”, the four-times Tour de France winner has said. Froome, 35, this winter ended an 11-year spell with what was Team Sky, more lately the Ineos Grenadiers. In a video posted by Israel Start-Up Nation, Froome said: “It didn’t take long for me to have the first conversation with the team owner Sylvan Adams and there was an immediate connection. His passion is clear to see. “We agreed that joining ISN, this is a commitment I’m not just going to make for a year or two. This is a commitment to the end of my career and potentially beyond that.”
Thomas said he was ‘embarrassed’ for the slur he used after missing a putt 3.10
Mares’ Handicap Hurdle
5.15
(£3,769: 2m 3f) (15)
Rossa Ryan 1 (8) 3554- MUAY THAI 33 R Hannon 9-9 D Probert 2 (9) 0235- MILLION REASONS 33 (P) M Botti 9-9 2230HOST 51 (BF) R Hannon 9-8 T Hammer Hansen (3) 3 (10) Hollie Doyle 4 (1) 062- AVIARY 29 R Charlton 9-7 R Kingscote 5 (5) 6502- LAXTON LADD 24 (V) T Dascombe 9-6 Josephine Gordon 6 (2) 3030- TASHBEEH 110 M Appleby 9-3 B Curtis 7 (4) 1203- LOVE OF ZOFFANY 11 (CD) M Johnston 9-3 W Cox (3) 8 (6) 030- SHIMLA ROLANN 24 C Cox 9-2 9 (3) 354- PASSTHECOURVOISIER 15 David Loughnane 9-2 H Shaw C Bishop 10 (7) 5500- SAY IT AS IT IS 24 P Evans 9-1 11-4 Aviary, 7-2 Laxton Ladd, 6-1 Million Reasons, Muay Thai, 15-2 Host, 8-1 Love Of Zoffany, 10-1 Passthecourvoisier, 14-1others.
P-614 AURORA THUNDER 29 Miss L Russell 7-11-12 B Campbell (3) 116-4 RUNASIMI RIVER 23 (D) N Mulholland 8-11-11 Millie Wonnacott (7) 3 -6P03 MISTY BLOOM 38 (D) Emma Lavelle 8-11-11 Lee Cosgrove (10) 4 1-003 HAWTHORN COTTAGE 35 (B,CD) Miss Amy Murphy 8-11-11 Lucy Barry (5) 5 0P-64 PRINTING DOLLARS 30 (P) W Greatrex 8-11-11 Mr Caoilin Quinn (10) D Bass 6 1/212 GETAWEAPON 26 K Bailey 6-11-8 J Best 7 -2F31 FOUND ON 39 (H) M Keighley 6-11-8 N De Boinville 8 01-50 GRANNY’S SECRET 26 B Pauling 7-11-7 Bryony Frost 9 125-6 EASTER GOLD 50 Mrs L Wadham 7-11-6 R Johnson 10 204/0 FESTIVAL DAWN 69 P Hobbs 9-11-0 11 2222/ LILY OF LEYSBOURNE 767 (H,BF) F O’Brien 8-11-0 P Brennan 12 13441 KESTREL VALLEY 27 (T) M Sheppard 7-10-11 S Sheppard J England 13 13F06 OKSANA 45 (T,D) Sam England 8-10-5 D Noonan 14 0-505 FLEURSALS 2 (P) T Symonds 5-10-5 15 100-0 BOOMTIME BANKER 66 D J Jeffreys 7-10-0 Lilly Pinchin (5) 10-3 Getaweapon, 9-2 Found On, 11-2 Kestrel Valley, 15-2 others. 1 2
3.40
Standard Open NH Flat Race (£2,274: 2m 1f) (16)
ANGE ENDORMI B Pauling 5-11-5 Luca Morgan (7) 1 0 BRICKLAGGER 60 Emma Lavelle 6-11-5 J Bowen 2 21 FLEMENSTIDE 1 (D) P Nicholls 6-11-12 H Cobden 3 U3 GALORE DESASSENCES 45 N Hawke 5-11-5 D Noonan 4 HILLCREST H Daly 6-11-5 R Johnson 5 30 LANDEN CALLING 1 F O’Brien 5-11-5 P Brennan 6 20 MEXICO 32 Stuart Edmunds 5-11-5 C Gethings 7 MORFEE J W Mullins 5-11-5 K Jones (3) 8 NED’S ESCAPE T Easterby 6-11-5 J Hamilton 9 4 NO WORD OF A LIE 1 Oliver Signy 5-11-5 H Bannister 10 N Moscrop (3) 11 426 SCHALKE 3 Rebecca Menzies 6-11-5 32 TOP OF THE BILL 1 N Twiston-Davies 5-11-5 M D Grant 12 WISEGUY N Henderson 5-11-5 N De Boinville 13 MISS BAMBY J Mackie 6-10-12 S Quinlan 14 D Hiskett (3) 15 F031- ROBIN DES SMOKE 400 R Phillips 6-10-12 ZIP PEARL Oliver Greenall 5-10-12 B Hughes 16 3-1 Flemenstide, 7-2 Top Of The Bill, 7-1 Wiseguy, 8-1 Landen Calling, 10-1 Hillcrest, 14-1 Galore Desassences, Ned’s Escape, Schalke, Mexico, 16-1 others.
Wolverhampton
5.45
6.15
6.15 Second Collection 6.45 Sinjaari 7.15 Visibility
Sky Sports Racing
Apprentice Handicap (£2,782: 7f) (12)
3302- BOLD DECISION 13 A Carroll 5-9-7 Elisha Whittington (3) 040-2 DAAFY 10 (V) D Shaw 4-9-6 Laura Pearson (5) 0000- RAADEA 57 M Appleby 4-9-6 D Keenan 2200- HEPTATHLETE 15 (P) K Foy 6-9-6 B Sayette (7) 204-1 SHARRABANG 6 (CD) Mrs Stella Barclay 5-9-6(5ex) F McManoman 6 (11) 6554- HABANERO STAR 22 Miss G Kelleway 4-9-5 Callum Hutchinson (7) W Cox 7 (5) 000-5 VIOLA PARK 5 (P,CD) R Harris 7-9-2 8 (7) 044-4 ONE ONE SEVEN 6 (C) A Brittain 5-8-12 H Russell (3) 0250BILLYOAKES 23 (P,CD) O Pears 9-8-12 Doubtful 9 (12) 10 (2) 0052- GONZAGA 12 (P) J Bennett 6-8-12 Laura Coughlan (5) 11 (1) 003-6 RED SKYE DELIGHT 6 M Hammond 5-8-12 A Brookes (7) D E Hogan 12 (4) 0344- LADY FATMA 12 (B) M Botti 4-8-12 5-2 Bold Decision, 7-2 Sharrabang, 9-2 Daafy, 8-1 Lady Fatma, 10-1 Raadea, 12-1 One One Seven, 14-1 Gonzaga, 16-1 others. (9) (8) (6) (3) (10)
4.45
Fillies’ Handicap (£3,429: 7f) (10)
4106- DANCING RAVE 24 (P,CD) D O’Meara 5-9-7 H Russell (5) 5233- THOWQ 12 M Botti 4-9-2 D Muscutt 3133- EPONINA 33 (D) M Appleby 7-8-12 T Ladd (3) 300-2 PERFECT ROSE 7 (P) Archie Watson 4-8-12 Hollie Doyle 0060- PENPAL 26 (T,D) J Fanshawe 4-8-10 D Keenan (3) 4000- QUARRY BEACH 35 H Dunlop 5-8-10 D Probert 000-0 ZAFARANAH 6 (CD) Mrs Stella Barclay 7-8-10 F McManoman (3) 8 (2) 6020- LADY ALAVESA 83 (D) M Herrington 6-8-9 Josephine Gordon H Shaw 9 (10) 3600- LITTLE RED SOCKS 12 (C) K Burke 4-8-6 C Hardie 10 (1) 4225- DUBAI ELEGANCE 21 (P,CD) D Shaw 7-8-4 5-2 Perfect Rose, 7-2 Thowq, 9-2 Dancing Rave, 6-1 Eponina, 8-1 others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(5) (3) (9) (8) (7) (4) (6)
Handicap (£5,208: 5f) (8)
C Shepherd 1 (4) 0113- JACK THE TRUTH 95 (T,D) G Scott 7-9-7 D Keenan (3) 2 (6) 4143- LIHOU 20 (BF,D) P Evans 5-9-7 3 (2) 2326- SECOND COLLECTION 12 (H,C) A Carroll 5-9-3 T Marquand H Russell (5) 4 (5) 5110- MUTABAAHY 14 (CD) A Brittain 6-9-2 N Mackay 5 (8) 606-2 VERNE CASTLE 7 (B,H,D) M Wigham 8-9-2 6 (7) 1503- THE DALEY EXPRESS 44 (CD) R Harris 7-9-1 R Kingscote C Hardie 7 (3) 264-6 DRAKEFELL 6 (V,BF,CD) A Brittain 6-8-10 D Probert 8 (1) 0600- RED ALERT 12 A Carroll 7-8-6 5-2 Verne Castle, 4-1 Lihou, 9-2 Jack The Truth, 6-1 The Daley Express, 7-1 Drakefell, 8-1 Mutabaahy, 10-1 Second Collection, 25-1 Red Alert.
6.45
Conditions Stakes (£11,972: 1m 1f 104yd) (4)
4.15 One One Seven 4.45 Zafaranah 5.15 Muay Thai (nb) 5.45 Night Narcissus Going: standard Draw: 5f-7f, low best
1 2 3 4 5
Fillies’ Novice Stakes (£3,429: 6f) (10)
1- STRAWBS 39 (D) Mike Murphy 5-10-6 Hollie Doyle (3) (10) 0/0- DIAMOND JILL 178 Sarah Hollinshead 4-9-13 R Kingscote 5 ISLAND MEMORY 5 (H) Grace Harris 4-9-13 Rossa Ryan (4) C Bishop (8) 600- JUNGLE BELLS 13 P Evans 4-9-13 4- LEAD STORY 24 K Burke 3-8-11 B Curtis (2) 2- MISS BELLA BRAND 16 N Littmoden 3-8-11 (6) Rhiain Ingram (5) L Keniry 7 (7) 3232- NIGHT NARCISSUS 27 (BF) C Cox 3-8-11 8 (9) 05- SHAQEEQA 83 David Loughnane 3-8-11 Laura Pearson (7) C Shepherd 9 (1) 00- TEQUILA TEQUILA 91 (H) G Scott 3-8-11 C Hardie 10 (5) 50- YADDLE 183 D O’Meara 3-8-11 9-4 Night Narcissus, 4-1 Strawbs, 5-1 Lead Story, 13-2 Miss Bella Brand, 8-1 Shaqeeqa, 10-1 Yaddle, 14-1 Island Memory, 16-1 others.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Rob Wright
4.15
Handicap (3-Y-O: £3,429: 7f) (10)
D Probert 1 (3) 5002- BANGKOK 23 (T) A Balding 5-9-4 Hollie Doyle 2 (4) /161- FELIX 313 (T,CD) M Botti 5-9-1 R Havlin 3 (2) 4110/ FOREST OF DEAN 478 (BF) J Gosden 5-9-1 T Marquand 4 (1) 1022- SINJAARI 40 (P,BF) W Haggas 5-9-1 11-10 Bangkok, 3-1 Sinjaari, Forest Of Dean, 8-1 Felix.
7.15
Handicap (£3,429: 1m 1f 104yd) (9)
0030- MY TARGET 27 (CD) M Wigham 10-9-12 J Fanning 4430- FIRST RESPONSE 38 (P) Mrs L Stubbs 6-9-9 Hollie Doyle 1125- HAMARON 37 P Evans 4-9-9 D Keenan (3) 244- BLOW YOUR HORN 27 C Fellowes 4-9-9 S Donohoe 1500- SIAVASH 13 (CD) P Evans 4-9-8 C Bishop 0030- RECTORY ROAD 28 R Harris 5-9-7 R Kingscote 505-0 DAAFR 5 (CD) A Brittain 5-9-5 H Russell (5) 3100- WHATWOULDYOUKNOW 12 (CD) R C Guest 6-9-3 Joanna Mason (5) K O’Neill 9 (8) 3500- VISIBILITY 63 S Dixon 4-8-10 9-4 Blow Your Horn, 9-2 Hamaron, 5-1 My Target, 7-1 First Response, 8-1 Rectory Road, 10-1 Whatwouldyouknow, 12-1 Daafr, 14-1 others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
(2) (4) (1) (9) (6) (5) (7) (3)
Blinkered first time: Doncaster 2.40 Garrane; Buster Edwards. 3.10 Hawthorn Cottage. Hereford 1.20 Kendelu. Wolverhampton 6.15 Drakefell.
Course specialists Doncaster: Trainers K Bailey, 7 from 21 runners, 33.3%; T Lacey, 5 from 18, 27.8%; A Murphy, 4 from 15, 26.7%; O Murphy, 3 from 12, 25.0%. Jockeys D Bass, 9 from 25 rides, 36.0%; H Cobden, 4 from 15, 26.7%. Hereford: Trainers Dr R Newland, 5 from 14, 35.7%; K Bailey, 10 from 35, 28.6%. Jockeys R Dingle, 4 from 11 rides, 36.4%; H Skelton, 11 from 33, 33.3%. Wolverhampton: Trainers W Haggas, 39 from 122, 32.0%; J Gosden, 46 from 168, 27.4%. Jockeys N Mackay, 10 from 52, 19.2%; R Havlin, 35 from 189, 18.5%; J Mason, 3 from 17, 17.6%; R Ryan, 39 from 230, 17.0%.
Yesterday’s racing results Exeter Going: soft (good to soft in places) 1.10 (2m 7f 25yd, hdle) 1, Sandymount Rose (Millie Wonnacott, 15-8 fav); 2, Storm Force Ben (7-2); 3, Flowing Cadenza (14-1). 11 ran. NR: Cul De Poule, Honest Exchange, On Call, The Big Yin. 1l, 11l. N P Mulholland. 1.40 (2m 175yd, hdle) 1, Martinhal (T Scudamore, 10-3); 2, Karl Philippe (Evens
fav); 3, Gladiateur Allen (9-4). 8 ran. NR: Bring The Action, Monarch O The Glen, Spotty Dog, Tip Top Mountain, Zafar. Kl, 2Kl. D Pipe. 2.10 (2m 2f 111yd, hdle) 1, Bear Ghylls (Matt Griffiths, 10-11 fav); 2, Stormy Flight (15-2); 3, Elysian Flame (9-2). 8 ran. NR: And The New, Song Of The Hunter. 5l, hd. Nicky Martin. 2.40 (2m 3f 48yd, ch) 1, Francky Du Berlais (S Bowen, 6-1); 2, Brianstorm (4-1); 3, Le Milos (20-1). 8 ran. NR: Lieutenant Rocco, Smarty Wild, Vinnie
The Hoddie, Welsh’s Castle. 1Kl, 2l. P Bowen. 3.10 (3m 54yd, ch) 1, Crossley Tender (T J O’Brien, 11-2); 2, Samuel Jackson (10-1); 3, Strictlyadancer (11-2). 12 ran. NR: Ask Me Early, Golden Sovereign, Hold That Taught. 6Kl, sh hd. P Henderson. 3.40 (2m 5f 135yd, hdle) 1, Chloe’s Court (Ben Godfrey, 8-1); 2, Neetside (10-1); 3, Felton Bellevue (8-1). 12 ran. Nk, 20l. R Walford. 4.10 (2m 175yd, flat) 1, Flemenstide (H Cobden,
4-5 fav); 2, Top Of The Bill (3-1); 3, The Plimsoll Line (20-1). 12 ran. 3Kl, 2Nl. P F Nicholls. Placepot: £41.80. Quadpot: £29.70.
Southwell Going: standard / slow 12.50 (7f 14yd) 1, Woke Media (Callum Shepherd, 5-1); 2, Nortonthorpe Boy (85-40 fav); 3, Desert Boots (10-3). 5 ran. Ol, 3Nl. D M Simcock.
1.20 (2m 102yd) 1, Ravenscar (B A Curtis, 13-8 fav); 2, Beach Break (6-1); 3, Gold Desert (2-1). 6 ran. Nk, 4l. P A Kirby. 1.50 (7f 14yd) 1, Al Suil Eile (Jason Hart, 9-2); 2, Bond Angel (14-1); 3, Liamba (7-2). 7 ran. NR: Equidae. Ol, 3l. J J Quinn. 2.20 (1m 4f 14yd) 1, Straight Ash (G Lee, 6-1); 2, Lion’s Vigil (5-1); 3, Drew Breeze (10-3 fav). 9 ran. 1Ol, sh hd. Rebecca Menzies. 2.50 (1m 13yd) 1, Maykir (Marco Ghiani, 11-2);
2, Castle Quarter (9-4 fav); 3, Palazzo (5-2). 7 ran. NR: Western Dawn. 2Ol, Kl. J R Jenkins. 3.20 (7f 14yd) 1, Action Hero (K Shoemark, 8-13 fav); 2, Legal Reform (12-1); 3, Tellmeyourstory (2-1). 9 ran. 5Kl, 2l. Archie Watson. 3.50 (6f 16yd) 1, Nick Vedder (K Shoemark, 6-4 fav); 2, Sir Rodneyredblood (5-1); 3, Archimedes (20-1). 7 ran. NR: Magnificia. 3l, 1Nl. R Brisland. Placepot: £58.20. Quadpot: £15.60.
558
1GM
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
Sport Cricket
Root facing his greatest tests in congested year Mike Atherton Chief Cricket Correspondent
The blink of an eye. It seems only yesterday that the “Milky Bar Kid” — feet dancing, arms whirring, ever so eager — skipped out for his Test debut at Nagpur. Now Joe Root has played a lifetime’s worth of Tests, 97 of them, and although he looks almost as fresh-faced as he did then, he has just turned 30 years of age, always a marker that gives a professional sportsman pause for thought. A potentially dramatic, career-defining year lies ahead. It was after that first innings — 73 on a deathly slow and turgid pitch — that a comrade in the commentary box listened to me say that we were looking at someone who would play 100 Tests. In an established middle order consisting of Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, he did not look out of place at all. To recall that now is not to trumpet my judgment, as it should have seemed obvious to anyone who watched both his demeanour and play. He looked made for it. He was the prototype of a new generation of England batsmen, one raised in an era of centralised management, where young and promising players would be removed for periods from the care of their counties to be given broader experiences. So although this was Root’s debut, he did not look like a novice in the sub-continent. He had been primed for it. Still, you never quite know. Injuries, illness, events can all make fools of the sanest predictions but what you always get an indication of, right from the outset, is a player’s character and aptitude for the bigger stage. Does he look overawed? Uncertain of himself? Root is in the middle of his prime years
Burn out or fade out? Five of the eight most prolific Test batsmen scored more runs after 30 than before. Joe Root, who turned 30 in December, has 7,823 Test runs, the 31st most in history Runs before 30 Runs after 30 Total Sachin Tendulkar 8,811 7,110 15,921 (India) Ricky Ponting 6,377 7,001 13,378 (Australia) Jacques Kallis 7,420 5,869 13,289 (South Africa) Rahul Dravid 5,614 7,674 13,288 (India) Alastair Cook 8,423 4,049 12,472 (England) Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) Brian Lara (West Indies) Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI)
5,492
6,908
12,400
5,406
6,547
11,953
5,146
6,721
11,867
Wary? Some do and eventually find their way; others never overcome the initial hurdle. Some, like Root, take to it immediately. Only James Anderson remains from that team Root joined, so he is very much elder statesman as well as captain now. By the end of the year, depending on how the evergreen Anderson manages his workload and advancing years, Root may be the lone survivor of that Nagpur Test. In sport, the wheel turns remorselessly and generations pass on. The next 12 months may hasten that process. As a result of the Covid-inspired backlog, and the ECB’s desire to recoup some lost revenue, Root must countenance 17 Tests this calendar year. Sri Lanka first of all (2); then India (4); then, in all likelihood, New Zealand (2); India again (5) and Australia to finish (4 Ashes Tests before the year is finished, with the
finale immediately upon the new year). And that’s without an (albeit unlikely) tilt at the World Test Championship final, should it come to pass and should England find themselves in the top two. It’s a glut of Test cricket, but one not without precedent. England had a similarly crammed schedule in 2016, played 16 Tests in 1998 and 15 in 1984, 1986 and 2012. (Nothing to compare with the 18 that India played in 1983, when they won precisely none, in what must have felt like the longest year of all.) There are some dubious precedents among the most modern of those years: yours truly resigned the England captaincy in 1998; Andrew Strauss retired in 2012 and 2016 did for Alastair Cook’s reign, weariness a factor in each. Root took on the role only four years ago, and for most of that time the narrative generally held, mainly because of his outwardly diffident manner, is of a captain “growing into the job” — as if he has been on a lengthy Youth Training Scheme. Yet that is unfair: he stands now only three Test victories from equalling Michael Vaughan’s England record of 26 wins and if he lasts until the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne will have passed Cook as England’s most-capped captain. Without ever quite stamping his character or authority on the job, it has been a very good run.
Ungrateful, distasteful, disgusting behaviour – India team deserve better Gideon Haigh
T
here are many pleasing and vivid images in India’s 71Year Test, a pictorial history of India’s cricket tours of Australia, launched during
the Sydney Test. But none is quite so happy as those capturing Indian cricketers on the touring parts of their tours, being welcomed, heralded and embraced. Images of Indian supporters down under date back, perhaps surprisingly, to the 1960s. But the enthusiasm takes off in this most recent generation: we see disembodied hands stretching to touch Cheteshwar Pujara, fans posing for selfies with a beaming Virat Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar on his famous pilgrimage
to the home of Sir Donald Bradman. If the book is ever updated, sad to say, there will be few such images of the summer of 2020-21. Is it possible to tour a country without actually visiting it? For that has been the fate of this admirable Indian team, pinned down and penned up since their first fortnight’s quarantine, far from home, cut off from their families, and a plaything of overmighty bureaucrats, absurdly execrated for a minuscule quarantine breach in a country that has long
Two of the engagements in the near future are the most difficult in cricket. To beat India and Australia away in the same year would be a remarkable achievement and will take very different requirements, some of which, such as match-winning spinners, England do not yet appear to possess. If it happens, Root would rightly take his place at the top table. If not — well, few England captains have survived two series defeats in Australia. Tied inextricably to these fortunes will be his form with the bat, as he remains, at his best, the team’s classiest player. For the first time, though, he has just concluded a year without a Test hundred. He has not been playing badly, but nor has he been at his very best, neither making big scores nor batting with the impish fluency that characterises his best form. He has tinkered with his technique while finding rhythm mostly elusive. Returning to something that feels “natural” becomes less easy the farther you travel from a starting point. He feels he has some ground to make up. Speaking at the end of the South Africa tour, he said: “I think I have a point to prove. I’ve not performed as well as I would have liked in Test cricket in the last two years. You pride yourself on making big runs consistently.” Still, not far shy of 8,000 Test runs is an outstanding achievement and if the next stage of his career brings a return to his best form, more of Cook’s records — England appearances and Test runs — could find themselves under threat. Turning 30 is a strange time for a sportsman; not old, but not in the first flush of youth either, with the horizon in sight. A batsman’s prime years vary from player to player, according to physical fitness and miles on the clock, but somewhere between 28 and 33 is a general rule of thumb. Root should be smack in the middle of it, but leading is burdensome and it is ambition and energy that matters. Of this time of life, Henry David Thoreau remarked: “The boy gathers materials for a temple and, when he is 30, concludes to build a woodshed.” In this of all years, it is to be hoped Root’s sights remain firmly on the temple. since lost any sense of proportion in dealing with Covid-19. In the foreword to India’s 71-Year Test, India’s coach Ravi Shastri, a visitor to these shores for 35 years, calls Australia his favourite touring destination: “The patronage of the crowds and the big grounds contributed to the ambience. The women are wonderful, the men are sporting and the beer is great.” One wonders whether he’ll now be able to convince Mohammed Siraj of this wholehearted endorsement. It was Siraj who brought yesterday’s Test match to a standstill at 2.55pm, coming in from fine leg and with a wave of his arms signifying his weariness of hometown heckling from the Brewongle Stand. Was this heckling racist? Prepare for it to be
Sri Lanka v England First Test Galle Live on Sky Sports Cricket, from 4am on Thursday
Root hones his bowling skills but greater focus will be on his batting
minimised as “friendly banter”, and for jokes about lip-reading through masks. A certain proportion of cricket’s followers will defend to the death their right to abuse players from other countries in whatever terms they wish. Bear in mind, however, that yesterday’s events came on top of crowd behaviours of which the Indian team complained after play on Saturday, whose reported content sounds more serious. In any event, what we should be prepared to say is that it’s at least ungrateful, certainly distasteful and arguably disgusting to jeer or harangue this Indian team given what they have experienced in the summer of 2020-21 so that we comparatively fortunate Australians might have something to watch. Siraj is on his first tour.
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England’s hectic schedule January 14-18 Sri Lanka v England First Test Galle January 22-26 Sri Lanka v England Second Test Galle February 5-9 India v England First Test Chennai February 13-17 India v England Second Test Chennai February 24-28 India v England Third Test Ahmedabad March 4-8 India v England Fourth Test Ahmedabad June (tbc) England v New Zealand Two Tests August 4-8 England v India First Test Trent Bridge August 12-16 England v India Second Test Lord’s August 25-29 England v India Third Test Headingley September 2-6 England v India Fourth Test Oval September 10-14 England v India Fifth Test Old Trafford November - January 2022 The Ashes in Australia Five Tests
He is the son of an auto-rickshaw driver from Hyderabad. His father died six weeks ago; he remained on the tour rather than return for the funeral. As India’s national anthem played before play on Thursday, a single tear was observed descending from his eye. Otherwise, of course, we hardly know him; we cannot get close enough to him to do so, nor he to us. What we have seen, though, speaks well of him: he has toiled manfully on flat wickets in Melbourne and Sydney; he dropped his bat and hastened to the aid of Cameron Green when the 21-year-old all-rounder suffered his concussion in the tour match at Drummoyne Oval. Siraj is also a Muslim, an increasingly problematic identity in his own nation, where chauvinism and sectarianism has a tightening grip. The scope for misunderstanding is huge. The Indian team, we are told, are fed up. They glimpse life going round them that looks close to normal — huge crowds in shopping plazas, on beaches, in pubs and restaurants,
Police speak to spectators in the Brewongle Stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday after India’s Mohammed Siraj stopped play to make a formal complaint to umpire Paul Reiffel, left, that he had been subjected to racist abuse while fielding at fine leg. Six people were subsequenlty ejected from the ground
even as they’re confined to hotel rooms, whose walls must by now be closing in. They’re confused. Hell, I’m confused and I live here. Restrictions change every day, as governments make it up as they go along, playing
politics with public safety, treating their own people as pawns and our cricket visitors barely as draughts. Tensions in this series were “starting to boil”, Tim Paine admitted on the eve of the Test. Not even he, the home captain enjoying nothing
One of Anderson and Broad to miss first Test in Galle Elizabeth Ammon
Chris Silverwood has indicated that James Anderson and Stuart Broad are unlikely to bowl together in Sri Lanka as England search for a balanced attack that can thrive on a flat pitch at Galle. England begin their two-Test series — both matches will be played at Galle — on Thursday. They are likely to field Jack Leach as a second frontline spinner alongside Dominic Bess, and with no Ben Stokes, the all-rounder who is rested, balancing the seamers becomes more difficult. To counter the challenges of the surface at Galle, Silverwood, the head coach, believes his side will need a leftarm option, a raw pace bowler and a more traditional seam or swing bowler, as well as the two spinners. In 2018, England won the Test series in Sri Lanka 3-0 playing three slow bowlers in Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Ali is unavailable after a positive test for Covid-19 and Rashid has not played a Test since January 2019. Silverwood is also mindful of the need to rest and rotate given the schedule for this year, which includes 17 Test matches. “Last time we were here [Sri Lanka] we did the same,” he said. “You’re looking at who can swing it, who can contain, left-arm, right-arm, pace. You want different options in there so that at any given point, the captain can turn around and say, ‘Right, we are going to have a go at this one then,’ and he has as many options up his sleeve. Having Sam [Curran] here, a left-arm who can swing it, Jimmy swings it, [Stuart] Broad is accurate, he’s relentless.” “We’ve got to be realistic in our expectations that people won’t play in every Test match and we’ll be resting and rotating players.” Curran provides a strong option as the third seam bowler because of the change of angle provided by a leftarmer and would strengthen the batting. Chris Woakes is unlikely to feature in the first match; he was a close contact of Ali and has had limited preparation after a period of self-isolation. The Warwickshire all-rounder only emerged from quarantine on Saturday. but support, has been immune — witness his uncharacteristic remonstration with umpire Blocker Wilson on Saturday. And nobody’s calling him anything but “Skipper”. In Adelaide and Melbourne, there were pockets of exuberant Indian support in the crowd. Here, probably thanks to the hotspot status of Sydney’s west, those voices have been fewer. Australian fans have had the ground largely to themselves, and perhaps have mistaken this for licence. There has been nothing to leaven the visitors’ sense of isolation either, although Paine, to his credit, kept the Indian team company during their representations to the on-field officials, and while security was consulted. The shame was that the incident overshadowed another spirited and well-contested day of Test cricket, Green growing in stature with each passing over — not bad for a figure already standing 6ft 6in. For one so tall, he keeps solid contact with terra firma, taking a long stride and getting his nose over the
The toughest year In 1983, India played 18 Tests, the most in a calendar year, and did not win a single match. This year, England will play 17 Tests Tests India (1983)
Record W0 L7 D11
India (1979)
W4 L1 D12
England (2016)
W6 L8 D3
Australia (1993)
W7 L4 D5
England (1998)
W4 L7 D5
India (2002)
W6 L5 D5
18 17 17 16 16 16
With Silverwood’s hint that England will need a variety of bowlers in their line-up as they look to stay in contention for the final of the World Test Championship — and realistically only a 2-0 series win will keep them in the hunt — there may not be room for both Anderson and Broad in the XI. Mark Wood or Olly Stone will provide the raw pace option, with Curran in an allrounder role, leaving one spot for Broad or Anderson. In the spin department, Silverwood provided a strong hint that Leach would be part of the final XI despite having played only two first-class matches in more than a year. Bess was England’s frontline spinner throughout last summer. Leach, the Somerset slow left-armer, was part of England’s bubble but did not play a match. But Silverwood suggested that Leach would partner his old friend and Somerset team-mate. “We’ve got Bess and Leach in the front line and [Joe] Root can be effective as a spinner,” he added. “ We’ve not seen the pitch at Galle yet but we can play plenty of spin if required. “Jack [Leach] has looked good on tour so far. It’s just a case of making sure he feels confident on Thursday in that final XI. I imagine there are going to be a few nerves around because he hasn’t played for a while. He’ll be fine. Get him into the attack and let him go.” ball, punching strongly in the V but quick to reprove error of length with a full-blooded pull. He deferred only to Jasprit Bumrah, who somehow went wicketless despite repeatedly beating the outside edge, and somehow also kept smiling throughout. But against everyone else, he stayed busy and even bold. He used his feet to bomb Ravichandran Ashwin over wide-mid on, and with a 360-degree swing thrice deposited Siraj beyond the long-on boundary. I dare say that this also contributed to Siraj’s disenchantment; the irony was that the ten-minute break in proceedings probably thwarted Green’s ambitions for a maiden century. As time ran short with the declaration imminent, Green v Bumrah climaxed: a straight drive to the rope, a pump-action pull on to the terraces, and a nick to the keeper. The crowd united in appreciation — all save those who had already been ejected. 6 Gideon Haigh is a columnist for The Australian. Scoreboard, page 56
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Sport Tennis
Britons fall at first hurdle in qualifying The Australian Open qualifying event began yesterday in the Middle East, thousands of miles from Melbourne, but the change of location did not bring about better fortunes for British players (Stuart Fraser writes). For the first time, qualifying is not being held on Australian soil to reduce the number of players and coaches entering the country. The men’s draw is taking place in Doha, Qatar, while the women’s draw is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Three matches must be won to earn a seat on the charter flights heading to Melbourne this weekend. Jay Clarke, the British No 5, who is ranked No 191 in the world, will not be Australia-bound after suffering a disappointing 6-2, 6-4 defeat by Wu Tung-lin, the world No 247 from Chinese Taipei. Naiktha Bains, the world No 218, also lost in straight sets to a lowerranked opponent,
Australian Open Melbourne Park
JORGE FERRARI/TENNIS AUSTRALIA
The women’s qualifying for the Australian Open is being held in Dubai
Starts February 8
tamely going down 6-1, 6-2 to No 254 Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, of France. Liam Broady, Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones open their campaigns today in a bid to join the British contingent of six in the main draw in Melbourne. Kyle Edmund, the world No 48, will not be one of them, though, having pulled out because of a persistent knee injury. Edmund, who turned 26 on Friday, reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open three years ago but has failed to reach those heights again. Since the end of 2018, he has regularly complained of pain in his left knee and he underwent exploratory keyhole surgery last month to try to find the exact cause. “Unfortunately, my knee is not quite ready to compete in the upcoming Australia swing,” Edmund said. “I hope to be back competing soon.”
Melbourne jittery before players fly in Strict Covid protocols in place as influx for Australian Open causes anxiety in host city, reports Stuart Fraser They call the Australian Open the “Happy Slam”. But as the residents of Melbourne prepare for an influx of 1,270 people over the course of 48 hours this weekend, there appears to be little excitement after all that the city has done to contain successfully the spread of Covid-19. It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most significant moments for Australia since a pandemic was declared by the World Health Organisation last March. It is one thing allowing the India cricket team entry to the country for a Test series, but another of potentially grave consequences opening the borders for so many tennis players, coaches and staff from more than 100 countries. Anxiety over the possible risks has been evident in recent weeks. Whether it be letters of concern to national newspapers or angry replies to posts on the Australian Open’s Twitter account, several members of the public have made abundantly clear their feelings that the tournament should not be taking place. Bear in mind that the discipline and patience of the general population in the state of Victoria to follow a strict three-month lockdown Querrey fled Russia after testing positive for Covid
resulted in a subsequent 61-day period without community transmission of the virus. This, then, makes it all the more impressive that organisers have somehow persuaded the necessary national and local authorities to grant permission for the event to go ahead, albeit delayed by three weeks to a start date of February 8 to allow more time for the many complex logistical issues to be solved. A series of strict health protocols is in place, including a 14-day period of quarantine for all who arrive this weekend, but the sudden changeable nature of the pandemic has already threatened to derail the plans on several occasions. “One thing that we have all learnt is that every single day you wake up there is a different set of issues,” Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director, told The Tennis Channel. Sources have told The Times that one particularly difficult problem was the behaviour of several male players last year. The scenes from Novak Djokovic’s now infamous Adria Tour in June, when players were filmed dancing topless in a Belgrade cabaret club, and the decision by Sam Querrey to flee Russia by private jet after testing positive did not exactly instil confidence during negotiations with Australian government officials that the rules would be followed by all. By the skin of their teeth, though, the hardworking organising team at Tennis Australia have worked round the clock to put together a detailed
The behaviour of Djokovic, at his Adria event in June, has created some worries
proposal that authorities could sign off. Replies at 4am Melbourne time to recent queries from The Times give an indication of the lack of sleep for some members of staff. To deter any breaches of Covid-19 protocols, the potential punishments are fierce. Anyone who leaves quarantine without permission could be liable for a fine of up to £11,500 and additional criminal sanctions. Rule-breakers could also face disqualification, forfeiture of prize money, extended quarantine, arrest and even deportation, which could potentially affect an individual’s ability to re-enter Australia in future years. Crucially, players have also been told that “any breach by your team will be considered as a breach by you”. This zero tolerance approach will begin when players board one of the 18 charter flights leaving from seven different cities — Abu Dhabi, Antalya, Doha, Dubai, Los Angeles, Miami and Singapore — later this week. The arrival into Melbourne will be under police
guard, with shuttle buses travelling directly to the designated hotels. For 14 days, players will be allowed out of their room for no more than five hours a day to train at Melbourne Park — something that was not of any appeal to Roger Federer, who pulled out two weeks ago citing this as a key factor. The complex biosecure operation is understood to be costing Tennis Australia more than £20 million. A financial hit in ticket revenue will also be suffered, with spectator capacity reduced to somewhere between 50 and 75 per cent at a site that will be split into three zones to limit contact and help tracing efforts should a positive case be recorded. “We’re running a multimillion-dollar operational loss to make this work for the players,” Tiley said. “We are going to go into debt as an organisation, but we are doing that because we think it is the right thing for momentum, the right thing for the sport, and we are confident about what we can do in the future
to correct that.” Despite the remarkable efforts by Tennis Australia, some players still remain unhappy. The decision to allow six top players, including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, to quarantine in Adelaide and play an exhibition event on January 29, has not been well received by some of the rank and file. Organisers say this was necessary because the limit of people in quarantine in Melbourne had been reached, but it has not gone unnoticed that the restrictions in Adelaide are not quite as strict. “They will be able to benefit from a gym at the hotel and will be able to do their exercises, which will not count towards the five-hour quota,” Jeremy Chardy, the world No 72 from France, told L’Equipe. “Already they [top players] have a lot of privileges. If they can do more than you, it will not be the same preparation. And that’s weird for a sport where we’re all supposed to be on the same footing.” One notable absence will be Rod Laver, the 11-times grand-slam champion, who, at the age of 82, has decided to remain in California rather than take up his usual front-row seat in the arena that bears his name. Like many, he will watch from home next month, intrigued to see if organisers can pull off what some figures within the sport, as recently as a few weeks ago, privately thought to be the impossible. “The bottom line is that we are going to do the best we can to deliver an Australian Open that is close to what it was in 2020,” Tiley said. “We hope that folks around the world will get to watch some great tennis. We all feel buoyed and confident about what we can pull off during a pandemic. I think we’re going to be turning the corner on this thing, but unfortunately we’re right in the sweet spot just now.”
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Earl has eclipsed Willis – but not Underhill . . . yet Stuart Barnes
B
en Earl’s bandwagon is on some roll. If the Six Nations navigates its way through this year of chaos and crisis, a growing number of voices are calling on the Bristol Bear to start at No 7. The muscular mayhem of the hour he played against Exeter Chiefs — the English and European champions — will have fuelled a bandwagon that certainly has some set of wheels. The man can shift. He does not so much plot as power his way around the field. In a Bristol defence that chopped Exeter down at every opportunity the on-loan Saracens man stood out with his speed to the breakdown. He was penalised on a couple of occasions — something he needs to eradicate — but making tackles and hitting tackle zones at his intensity leaves him open to the referee’s whistle. The England head coach Eddie Jones, watching in a state of exemplary isolation, knows the positives of this athletic performance far outweigh the negatives. This was Earl, 23, at his destructive best. There is another side to him too — a broken-field ball player with a winger’s speed. Jones is well aware of his qualities. He is an England squad member but yet to seriously threaten the established starting order of Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Billy Vunipola. England have an incredible depth of back-row talent. Throughout the tailend of last season the threat of the new came from Jack Willis. Here was a bandwagon of deafening noise. Willis
was the only name emanating from pubs, clubs, newspaper headlines and TV studios. A monster at the breakdown, his presence overshadowed all others as Wasps surged to the Gallagher Premiership final. Yet even as the cries for Earl are amplified throughout the land, so the case for the Wasp appears to diminish. Jones was also in the West Country on Friday night, where Willis had one of his worst games of the season, despite Wasps’ win over Bath. It was highlighted with a sloppy pass to no one in particular in the first half. Bath snaffled the bouncing ball near Wasps’ own 22 and — just to magnify the man’s misery — Underhill picked a perfect line to burst beyond any semblance of cover and touch down. These things should not happen, but they do. Of more concern to Jones would have been the manner in which Willis was pinged at the breakdown for technique that had the English rugby world in thrall last campaign. He has the ability to wrap up man and ball. The lawmakers are keen to focus only on the targeting of the ball to make the breakdown area more of a contest than it was last season, when Willis reigned supreme. Yet his very strength is his potential weakness. There is so much tinkering at the tackle zone at the moment that Willis could find his career one in which he is forever having to adapt. The 24-year-old can play across the back row but if his speciality is blurred by the whistle, his Test career cannot be taken for granted. Underhill did not have it all his own way either on Friday night. Paolo Odogwu broke through his tackle and it cost Bath seven points. Underhill, 24, is one of the England vice-captains. Jones may very well forgive the missed tackle. I would. His display in defeat against New Zealand the last time the teams met at Twickenham back in 2018 was one
My England Back Row
Sam Underhill Bath
You will have gathered I am with Eddie Jones (to date) in my support of Sam Underhill at open side. Tom Curry — like his Bath mate — has done nothing wrong and a great deal right at Test level. He stays in my team at blind side. The major concern is Billy Vunipola at No 8, out of form and match practice. Is his trust fund emptied?
I expect the England head coach to retain him. My personal preference would be for a No 8 who combines carrying with offloading skills. Alex Dombrandt will not be picked. But he’s my selection. Curry at No 8 with Ben Earl and Underhill ass flankers is my alternative, and far likelier, option
Tom Curry Sale Sharks
Ben Earl Bristol Bears
of the finest all-round displays of the open-side art I have witnessed. He was adjudged man of the match when England beat the same opponents in the World Cup semi-final. The Bath man has immense credit in the bank. Selection is not a matter of science. It is as much about trust and loyalty as form. A question metamorphoses into a problem when a player uses up his supply of trust. This is the issue with an out-of-form Vunipola at No 8. That’s when the selector earns his corn. By understanding when trust and loyalty are eclipsed by poor form and fading talent. It is a fine balancing act. Taking the cold-blooded evidence of immediate form, Earl would be
How Willis’s turnovers slowed Turnovers won 2019-20* Jack Willis (Wasps)
46 Blair Cowan (London Irish) 19 Turnovers won 2020-21* Will Evans (Harlequins) 8 Thomas Young (Wasps) 5 Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins) 5 Perry Humphreys (Worcester Warriors) 5 Willis 4 *In the Gallagher Premiership
earmarked as the England No 7. Willis has been eclipsed. The cacophony of support for him has become more a babble of the many. As for Underhill, he will make a million more tackles than he misses. And when he does miss the odd one, it will probably not be as obvious as the one that cost his team a try. Were he playing for a revved-up Bristol and not a struggling Bath unit, the odds are that his performance levels would rise a little, just as Earl’s may dip in the blue, black and white of Bath. Selection is a case of so many imponderables. A weekend when some outstanding flankers performed at a variety of levels was a classic case in the art of selection.
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Sport Rugby union
French urged not to make continued from back
Rugby’s crowded calendar
team either having to travel to the British mainland or hosting a British team. The Six Nations will press its case for any such decisions on its own tournament to be withheld. Its argument is that the Six Nations does not start for nearly a month, and even then, France’s first two games are away against Italy and Ireland and they will not have to face a team from the British mainland until February 28, when they host Scotland in the Stade de France. The coronavirus pandemic is evolving so fast that administrators believe it is impossible, at this point, to estimate the level of risk seven weeks away. They will therefore lobby for the French government not to make any hasty decisions on the Six Nations. They will also make the case that, in the Six Nations, there is only one French team that has to play against foreign opposition whereas in European club competition, there are 14. It is, clearly, more straightforward to limit the exposure of one single international team that spends almost the entire tournament in a bubble than 14 club teams, where players are living at home. Already, the Championship’s administrators are considering the various contingencies that they may be forced to resort to. They do not want to move to the summer because the BBC and ITV, two of the Six Nations’ main broadcasters, already have so many other sporting commitments in that window and have no desire to budge. The best solution may therefore be to slide the Six Nations back in the calendar by a few weeks. This would not iron out any risk, but it would probably make the tournament far safer. However, the moment that the Six Nations has to move, rugby gets into a position where three tournaments and six different countries have to agree — and, when it comes to mediation and meeting in the middle, rugby has an infamously poor record of reaching satisfactory conclusions. We still await confirmation from France; however, it appears clear that the first shift that needs to take place is over the next fortnight with a switch
January 15-17 Champions Cup & Challenge Cup pool stage Round 3 January 22-24 Champions Cup & Challenge Cup pool stage Round 4 February 6 (Six Nations): Italy v France; England v Scotland February 7 (Six Nations): Wales v Ireland February 13 (Six Nations): England v Italy; Scotland v Wales February 14 (Six Nations): Ireland v France February 27 (Six Nations): Italy v Ireland; Wales v England February 28 (Six Nations): France v Scotland March 13 (Six Nations): Italy v Wales; England v France March 14 (Six Nations): Scotland v Ireland March 20 (Six Nations): Scotland v Italy; Ireland v England; France v Wales April 2-4 Champions Cup & Challenge Cup quarter-finals (1st leg) April 9-11 Champions Cup & Challenge Cup quarter-finals (2nd leg) April 30 - May 2 Champions Cup & Challenge Cup semi-finals May 21 Challenge Cup final May 22 Champions Cup final June 18-19 Premiership semi-finals June 26 Premiership final; British & Irish Lions v Japan (Edinburgh) July 24 South Africa v British & Irish Lions (Johannesburg) July 31 South Africa v British & Irish Lions (Cape Town) August 7 South Africa v British & Irish Lions (Johannesburg)
between domestic and European fixtures. If European games cannot go ahead, it seems clear that the three domestic leagues, the Premiership, the Pro14 and the Top14, must bring
forward two rounds of games to play in the next fortnight and thus vacate two weeks later in the season. This should not be overly complicated, largely because it requires the clubs to sort it out between themselves. If the Six Nations needs to shift, that becomes harder because it requires the clubs to come to an agreement with the unions. While all this negotiation goes ahead, there remains the further looming issue of the Lions tour in the summer. This is a harder problem to solve. With a variant of the virus thriving in South Africa and a vaccination programme still only in the planning stage, it looks increasingly unlikely that the tour can go ahead as planned. The optimum solution, for the Lions and South Africa, would be to shift it into the same window a year later. However, the ripple effect of that change would affect the home nations’ 2022 summer tours and would not be popular with their hosting countries. Australia, for instance, do not want to host a second-rate England team in 2022. And what becomes of the Wales tour to South Africa in 2022 if the Lions are there instead? This is just a taste of the problems ahead. That is why, it appears, the home nations prefer a solution that would involve the same dates but a different venue: just move the Lions tour to the UK and Ireland. This version of the tour would bring Japan in for a warm-up game, as already planned, at Murrayfield. The other five opposition teams for the five games before the Test series would be roughly the same: five big South African franchises would be imported into the northern hemisphere and the tour could then make its progress around Britain and Ireland before three Tests at Cardiff, Dublin and Twickenham. This would be a rugby festival of a very different kind, and it would certainly have huge appeal. It also seems to be the way the wind is blowing in the north. However, it would utterly change the tradition and ethos of the Lions. They are a touring team who thrive on their underdog status in the three big southern hemisphere nations. They also bring a phenomenal boost to the economies of their host nations. South Africa would be desperate to keep the tour on its home soil.
Anger and alarm over ‘English variant’ View from France Adam Sage, Paris
It was bad enough when plain old coronavirus swept through France last spring. Now the “English variant” has arrived and the level of alarm has gone up several notches. In Marseilles, for instance, Benoît Payan, the mayor, described the situation as “worrying” yesterday after eight cases of the UK strain were detected in the Mediterranean city, all linked to a French family who had returned for Christmas from their home in Britain. “Every minute counts to stop the spread of the English variant,” Payan said as doctors warned that France, which has been recording about 20,000 infections a day recently, could soon be in the same boat as Britain, which has been recording at least three times as many new daily cases this month. In such circumstances, it came as no surprise when the sports ministry advised French rugby clubs to withdraw from Champions Cup and Challenge Cup matches with UK-based teams this month, and summoned officials for talks over the Six Nations too. The Frexit, as it has been dubbed, is
Nine Aviron Bayonnais players tested positive after the game with Leicester
likely to hit other sports as well, with Roxana Maracineanu, the sports minister, demanding a list of all events pitting the French against UK competitors in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, it is rugby in the eye of the storm amid claims that British clubs have adopted protocols less strict than those implemented in France. The controversy began when Aviron Bayonnais, a club from southwest France, played a home Challenge Cup match against Leicester Tigers on December 19. In the following days, nine of Aviron Bayonnais’ players and one member of staff went down with
the UK strain to cause one of the first known clusters of the variant in France. The club were shut down for 12 days, and Philippe Tayeb, the chairman, laid the blame squarely on what he said were the lax health protocols adopted by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) at the behest of the British. “We are very angry,” he said. Benjamin Laffourcade, the club doctor, said: “In France, the protocol involves obligatory PCR tests three days before matches. In England, they are tested six days before and not always with PCR tests.” He said all the French Top 14 club doctors had joined him in writing to the EPCR to demand the adoption of French health protocols. Although the EPCR has reportedly bowed to French demands, Mr Laffourcade said: “I would not be at ease with the idea of sending my players to a country where 50,000 cases are registered a day.” He is not the only French team doctor to voice such opinions, prompting the sports ministry to note it had acted in line with the wishes of many of the clubs. No one in France expects the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup to resume in the foreseeable future.
Parton lifts Irish to Harlequins London Irish
27 0 2 27 1
Owen Slot
This was the draw that London Irish won. They won it because they scored four tries to three and took one more point in the league table. And they won it because of the manner in which they came back from behind, the kind of comeback that made this feel like a victory of the spirit, at least, for them and another day of not being quite good enough for Quins. Indeed it was a further triumph for Irish because they have been the most Covid-hit team in the Premiership. They hadn’t played a league game for 35 days and they have had long periods in isolation, training from home and never really knowing how fluent it would all look when they finally got out on the pitch. The answer was that if the rugby didn’t look exceptional, their attitude did. “Tough” and “frustrating” was how
Les Kiss, the head coach, described their recent weeks. “A nice reward,” was how he then described yesterday’s draw. How Quins wish they could fall back on such virtues of the spirit. They are fed up with leaking too many points late on and, for all the work on their defence, it is still too porous. With 15 minutes to go, they had a well-earned 12-point lead. They just didn’t have the control or the belief to see it out. “I’m pretty disappointed,” were the words of Paul Gustard, the head of rugby, afterwards. “We make too many simple errors and are the architects of our own downfall. It’s the same thing happening week on week, the team is hurting.” For all their issues, Quins nevertheless staged another showcase for Marcus Smith. He leads this team with ever more authority and must be starting to wonder if he might have a better chance of success elsewhere. He scored one good try himself, his kicking from hand was varied and accurate and his contributions in broken play are increasingly a feature of his game. London Irish were not so much about individual stars. Even if they did have
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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a hasty decision TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
Harlequins prop Wilco Louw carries into the solid Irish defence
‘Rugby without any scrums is still better than no rugby at all’ Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter
When John Inverdale agreed to become chairman of National League rugby union last summer, overseeing the semi-professional clubs that have been the bedrock of the sport in England for many years, he did not anticipate the scale of the crisis that it would be facing. It is eight months now since there has been any rugby played at the 48 clubs that make up National One and National Two South and North. By contrast, semi-professional football clubs have been playing since September — apart from during lockdowns — and in many cases have been permitted to have spectators back too. Inverdale, 63, has gone from presenting rugby coverage for the BBC and ITV — while he was still turning out for Esher — to being the man at the helm of the semi-pro game as chairman of the National Clubs Association. His plans to promote the game at that level to a wider audience flew out of the window early on in his tenure: now the focus is whether it can be played at all this season. “I was hoping I would be talking about rugby and promoting the game at level three and four because the quality of the games you can see are really high — you don’t have to go to Premiership rugby to see good games,” Inverdale says with something of a resigned sigh. “Of course, I have not done any of that, I’ve just been having endless ‘what if’ conversations via a million Zoom calls, talking about a scenario and working it through. In a sense we’re still doing that.” National League rugby was due to resume this coming Saturday in a cup competition involving 44 of the 48 clubs, but under the adapted rules with no scrums or mauls. That would not have gone down well with some diehards, but they were not even given a chance to complain as once again Covid-19 intervened. “In our head we had the idea the
get the better of dramatic draw How they stand P Bristol 6 Newcastle 6 Exeter 6 Sale 6 Wasps 6 Harlequins 6 Bath 6 London Irish 6 Leicester 5 Northampton 5 Worcester 6 Gloucester 6
W 5 5 4 4 4 2 2 1 2 2 2 1
D 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
L 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 3 3 4 5
F 144 100 148 131 176 132 123 72 96 98 64 128
A 96 81 93 109 159 140 164 68 103 109 122 168
B 4 0 4 3 3 2 4 2 1 3 1 2
Pts 24 20 20 19 19 14 12 12 11 11 9 6
some 400 international caps on the bench, the man to grab the eye was their 22-year-old full back, the former England age-grade player, Tom Parton. Quins had a spirited start in attack but will have hated the fact that they failed their first real test in defence. Irish’s opening try, from Curtis Rona, was too straightforward and they seemed to have doubled the pain with another score — which was then disallowed — with their next visit.
In between, Quins scored their own try. That was a cute piece of work down the left, with Smith picking the offload from No 8 Alex Dombrandt and using his speed to get in the corner. Dombrandt was the key man in Quins’ next try, finished by Mike Brown. However, the story of this game then became Quins’ subsequent struggle to break free of the clutches of their visitors. Irish went over with a driving lineout before the break but then, whenever Quins went ahead, London Irish pegged them back. Smith extended Quins’ lead with a penalty after half-time but from the restart, Irish were able to get three points back. Quins then muscled their way back into a period of dominance on the hour with a series of scrums on the London Irish line and finally scored through Scott Steele and, at that point, with the lead up to 12, it looked as though they had done enough. However, the never-say-die of the Exiles’ spirit shone through. It took them only four minutes to start working again into the deficit, with No 8
Albert Tuisue, a huge physical presence throughout, rewarded with a try. This gave Irish a real scent of the prize and then they got further joy with another driving lineout, two minutes from time, as Oli Hoskins went over. The drama was by no means done. Paddy Jackson then had to convert from the touchline, to tie the scores, but still both sides kept pushing. Quins tried running from their own 22 and Jackson tried a penalty from halfway. Neither worked and the draw seemed a just conclusion. Harlequins M Brown; L Lynagh (A Morris, 41min), J Marchant, J Lang (B Tapuai, 47), C Murley; M Smith, S Steele (M Landajo, 75); J Marler (J Els, 70), S Baldwin (E Elia, 51), W Louw (S Kerrod, 70), M Symons, G Young, T Lawday, W Evans (A White, 57), A Dombrandt. Scorers: Tries Smith (17), Brown (31), Steele (62). Cons Smith 3 Pens Smith 2 (6, 47). London Irish T Parton; J Stokes, C Rona, T Brophy-Clews (B Meakes, 46), O Hassell-Collins; P Jackson, B Meehan (N Phipps, 46); H Elrington (W Goodrick-Clarke, 55), M Matu’u (A Creevy, 47), O Hoskins, A Mahu (B Donnell, 32), S Mafi (R Simmons, 55), M Rogerson, B Cowan (S O’Brien, 60), A Tuisue. Scorers: Tries Rona (11), Matu’u (37), Tuisue (69), Hoskins (78). Cons Jackson 2 Pen Jackson (49). Referee Tom Foley.
competition would start under adapted rules but playing full contact by the end of the season,” Inverdale says. “If that is still viable I don’t think anybody knows, or if they think they do they’re living in a fantasy world. “Getting the semi-professional game back under adapted laws with no scrums or mauls is a much better option than having no rugby. Half a loaf is better than no loaf at all, especially if it meant that some crowds would be allowed back with some revenue coming from the bars and the burger sales. “But we have been pushing it back and pushing it back and the goalposts just keep being moved by the virus.” The clubs should be in line for a payout from the government’s rescue package for rugby, but Inverdale says beyond a few teams who have players on fixed contracts most now operate on a pay-as-you-play basis. Inverdale chairs the National Clubs Association
The greater challenge, he believes, will be in persuading all those who planned their weekends around watching their local club to get back into the habit of it again. “I would still say to anyone who may be wavering, keep the faith,” Inverdale says. “It is a great way to spend an afternoon in a friendly and welcoming environment. People cannot wait to get back to see their mates, have a pint and moan about the referee’s decision. One of the biggest issues is people may have formed different habits and will decide to go cycling or play golf instead.” Like everyone, Inverdale is pinning his hopes on the arrival of the vaccine meaning the leagues can return next September, but adds: “Of course, there is still no guarantee everything will be normal by then.”
TMO (the monday overview) Player of the week Mark Wilson (Newcastle) Carries 13 Metres gained 11 Tackles 16 (100%) Passes 3 Turnovers 1 Lineouts won 2
Newcastle Falcons, newly-promoted this season, continue to defy expectations in the Gallagher Premiership and at their heart is Mark Wilson. The 31-year-old was immense on Saturday in his side’s 22-10 victory over Gloucester. Including a cancellation for Covid-19, it was a fifth win from six for Falcons, which is a sign both of the quality provided by Wilson and the ever shrewd coaching of Dean Richards, the director of rugby.
Stat of the week
144
Metres gained by the London Irish full back Tom Parton against Harlequins, more than any other player in round six.
Words by Angus Oliver
Team of the week 1
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B Obano Bath
T Cruse Wasps
O Hoskins London Irish
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J Launchbury M Symons Wasps 8 Harlequins 7 6 M Wilson Newcastle
J Beaumont Sale
B Earl Bristol
9 F de Klerk 10 Sale R Priestland 12 Bath C Redpath 13 Bath S Radradra 11 15 Bristol 14 P Odogwu A Radwan T Parton Wasps Newcastle London Irish
367
Metres made by Wasps’ Paolo Odogwu, the most in the Premiership this season. He has also made the most clean breaks (12) and scored twice in a 52-44 victory over Bath on Friday night.
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
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The Game All the magic of the FA Cup in 16 pages of pure football Inside Times2 ROB NEWELL/CAMERASPORT/GETTY IMAGES
Six Nations to resist French move for delay Owen Slot Chief Rugby Correspondent
ened the case for football to be suspended while Professor James Calder, the orthopaedic surgeon who is the independent chairman of the government’s committee on the return of elite sport, said players should refrain from “any type of celebration”. Calder told The Times: “Just because you have a negative test one day doesn’t mean you won’t have Covid the next day and be infectious. You need to keep your guard up and that is not just the players but all staff, outside the clubs and training grounds as well.” Bernstein added: “The pictures of players celebrating and hugging on the
pitch in these unique circumstances undercut the message of social distancing, which is extremely dangerous. That adds to the reasons why I believe that football should be suspended.” Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, insisted that the club would follow the enhanced protocols but defended players hugging on the grounds that all involved had been tested. He said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen but a guy scores a goal and has the joy to celebrate, I don’t know if he’s going to think, ‘I can’t hug my teammates for two or three seconds.’ ”
The Six Nations will push as far as possible for this year’s Championship to remain in its present position in the calendar, starting on February 6, despite the French government seeking to prevent its sporting teams from playing outside their national boundaries because of the pandemic. If the Six Nations has to be moved, the best hope for the competition to go ahead would be to shift it to the spring. The other alternative is to shift the Six Nations into the summer slot occupied by the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. However, the home unions’ administrators have never considered this a possibility and have no desire to push for it because it would not work for their broadcasters. Speculation grew yesterday that the women’s Six Nations would be the first victim of the latest wave of Covid-19, with the tournament set to be pushed back to April. Confirmation is expected this week. However, Bernard Laporte, the president of the French rugby federation, said yesterday that he was “not worried” and that “we shouldn’t be alarmed” about the men’s Six Nations. Nevertheless, it appears that this latest round of chaos reaped by the Covid virus will require some hasty negotiating and fast adjusting by rugby administrators who have been waiting for details from the French sports ministry. It is France that is calling the shots; domestic, European and international rugby will then attempt to adjust to prevent their increasingly fragile competitions from being completely derailed. Confirmation is expected today from France that French club teams will not be permitted to travel for at least the next two weeks. This decision will block the next two rounds of the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup, where 11 fixtures involve a French
The Game, page 5
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Prize solution 27,864
1 What is true about English I love, America being flippant? (9) 6 Place for Jacob’s ladder, not hotel plant (5) 9 Survive in the open before bad turns (7) 10 A broadcaster in Ireland, female, almost a goddess (7) 11 Set against warrant officer, everyone appears insignificant? (5) 13 Covering church fellows provided with time for memorial slab (9) 14 Seek changes in accommodation for minister and be reasonable (4,5) 16 Holy circle in church a lot (4) 18 Continue to be someone foolish (4) 19 Lousy rent — raise various amounts paid in advance (9) 22 One making a song and dance, these days, always going on (9) 24 Swimmer finished poetically, clinching races (5) 25 Protester did wrong breaking into vehicle behind back of school (7) 26 Flats maybe by trail in Cornish town (7) 28 Spaniard to make departure twice? (5) 29 Something edgy about sport bringing bit of bad language (9)
1 Wet rubbish? Female in the morning collects a great deal (7) 2 Nursery item’s function (3) 3 Competitor making mistake, not quite among the top people (8) 4 Honour a husband, showing a sort of charm (5) 5 Most hare-brained guy meeting restrictions on entering street (9) 6 Bishop getting uncomfortable becomes spiteful (6) 7 Agency worker taking time signified outspoken attitude (11) 8 The foreign boozer, little house in the country (7) 12 Recognise legend, wacko in peculiar guise (11) 15 Feeble or calm and collected? (9) 17 Hell, with a group of religious folk creating chaos (8) 18 Gulped, giving brief account of what happened when tooth came out? (7) 20 Fixed a strip of wood or metal around front of window (7) 21 Boy in love is in clover (6) 23 Regret when school subject is squeezed — money found (5) 27 Number in company excessively audible (3)
Crawley’s heroes knock out Leeds Crawley Town will be in the hat for the first FA Cup double draw tonight — when the line-ups for the fourth and fifth rounds will be made — after the League Two side’s 3-0 victory over Premier League Leeds United who are 62 places above them in the league pyramid. Celebrating above from left, scorers Ashley Nadesan, Jordan Tunnicliffe and Nick Tsaroulla
Tunnicliffe is overjoyed after scoring the third goal against Leeds
Celebrations ‘risk shutdown’ Ministers and medics concerned by footballers ignoring Covid protocols Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter
Ministers fear football’s failure to follow social distancing rules could jeopardise efforts to keep elite sport going during the growing Covid crisis. In FA Cup matches this weekend players ignored official guidelines by hugging each other during goal celebrations while the video clip of Chorley players singing in a packed dressing room after the non-League side’s victory over Derby County did not go down well in Whitehall. A senior government source told The Times that while there were no plans to
cancel elite sport, the sight of the Chorley celebrations and other breaches are not helping ministers make the case to Downing Street that football should be permitted to continue. There has also been controversy over the Crystal Palace player Eberechi Eze attending his former club QPR’s match against Fulham without the permission of the FA, and not wearing a face mask in the stand. The FA is investigating and will remind clubs of their responsibilities. David Bernstein, the former FA chairman, is among those who believe the weekend’s events have strength-
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Check today’s answers by ringing 0905 757 0141 by midnight. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge. SP: Spoke 0333 202 3390. The winners of Prize Crossword No 27,864 are M Beaton, Corby Glen, Lincolnshire R Crawley, Old Buckenham, Norfolk B McGlynn, Warrington, Cheshire K Thomas, Maidenhead, Berkshire M Wainwright, Wetherden, Suffolk
Newspapers support recycling The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2019 was 63.2%
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thegame MONDAY JANUARY 11 2021
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Bielsa and Leeds are foiled by rejects and a reality TV star
Ian Hawkey: Curious tale of Pep, Catalonia and a WhatsApp group
All the action from the weekend
Day Spurs came to play in our back garden Their eighth-tier team may have lost 5-0 but for Marine fans it is an evening they will never forget PAGES 2-3
Fans toast the Marine boys and a cardboard Klopp watches the team take on Tottenham GETTY IMAGES
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WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
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Premier League clubs knocked out this weekend: Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, West Brom, Newcastle and Leeds United
Marine Tottenham
05
Crawley Town’s 3-0 win over Leeds United is only the second time a top-flight side have lost by three or more goals to fourth-tier opponents in the FA Cup. Oxford lost 3-0 to Aldershot in January 1987.
Long time coming Carlos Vinícius scored a first-half hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur won 5-0 away to Marine. It was the first time a player has scored a hat-trick in an FA Cup tie for a team managed by José Mourinho since Frank Lampard for Chelsea, against Macclesfield in January 2007.
FA CUP FOURTH AND FIFTH ROUND DRAW The draws for both the fourth and fifth rounds of the FA Cup will be made tonight to help with fixture scheduling. The fourth-round draw will take place at 7.10pm, with the fifth-round draw following at 7.25pm. These are the ball numbers for the fourth-round draw. Ball numbers for the fifth round will be generated after the fourth round has been drawn. 1 Plymouth Argyle 2 Southampton or Shrewsbury Town 3 Chorley 4 Tottenham Hotspur 5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 6 Stockport County or West Ham United 7 Bournemouth 8 Manchester United 9 Swansea City 10 Everton 11 Nottingham Forest 12 Arsenal 13 Barnsley 14 Sheffield United 15 Millwall 16 Doncaster Rovers 17 Leicester City 18 Wycombe Wanderers 19 Crawley Town 20 Burnley 21 Bristol City 22 Fulham 23 Liverpool 24 Brentford 25 Manchester City 26 Luton Town 27 Chelsea 28 Sheffield Wednesday 29 Norwich City 30 Blackpool 31 Brighton & Hove Albion 32 Cheltenham Town TV & Radio: BT Sport 1, talkSPORT
RATINGS Marine (5-3-2): B Passant 7 — J Solomon-Davies 6, D Raven 7 (D Shaw 81min), A Miley 6, A Hughes 6 (M Howard 45, 6), J Joyce 7 — J Hmami 6 (A Doyle 57, 6), J Devine 6 (K Strickland 75), J Barrigan 6 — N Kengni 7, N Cummins 6 (R Wignall 75). Booked Joyce. Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): J Hart 6 — M Doherty 6, T Alderweireld 6 (J Tanganga 45, 6), J Rodon 6, B Davies 6 (S Reguilón 71) — M Sissoko 6 (A Devine 45, 7), H White 6 — G Fernandes 7, D Alli 7 (G Bale 65, 6), L Moura 6 (J Clarke 65, 6) — C Vinícius 8.
Vinicius 24, 30, 37 Moura 32 Devine 60
POSSESSION
25%
1991
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
Slick Spurs dazzle
History for Crawley
Chorley are the first sixth-tier team since Woking in 1991 to reach the FA Cup fourth round. Woking were knocked out by Everton in the fourth round.
KR
Referee M Oliver.
DEVINE INTERVENTION At 16 years and 162 days old, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine became the youngest player to feature in a senior match for the club. He needed only 15 minutes to become Spurs’ youngest
goalscorer when he made it 5-0. “A kid of great potential. He is not a stranger around the first team,” said José Mourinho of the former Liverpool trainee. “I like him and today is special for him.”
75% SHOTS ON TARGET
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8 FOULS
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HENRY WINTER Chief Football writer
Marine had dared to dream for 24 minutes. Only when Dele Alli began weaving around and creating goals did the gulf in class begin to show. Only when Carlos Vinícius, the Brazilian on loan from Benfica, began building his first-half hat-trick, leading to a brace of poacher’s finishes and a clever strike from the edge of the area, did Marine look all at sea. The odds were always stacked against the Crosby side but it was very clear how much the FA Cup still matters. José Mourinho took it seriously. Dele took it very seriously. Vinícius defied anyone at the end to prevent him from taking the match ball home. Marine took it incredibly seriously. Whoops of joy emanated from residents viewing from their back gardens, the shed ends, when Neil Kengni, a trainee plumber at Trafford College, struck Joe Hart’s bar after 20 minutes, showing the love of the cup. The throng outside the ground highlighted that. Hundreds of locals had gathered by the entrance to the Marine Travel Arena, spilling off the pavement outside Dace Tea Rooms, Moose Coffee and The Edinburgh pub (“The Bug”) on College Road, craning necks for a glimpse of Marine players and celebrated visitors such as Dele, Gareth Bale and Son Heungmin and Mourinho, their head coach. They did well to spot Mourinho, given how heavily wrapped up he was. If it was reassuring to see that interest in the cup remains healthy, there was obviously also understandable disquiet at the absence of social distancing. Few Marine players got close to Dele in a magnificent 65-minute performance full of energy and invention. He seemed almost on a mission to make a point to Mourinho, to remind the head coach of his qualities and also fight his way back into the England squad. Marine are hardly Milan but the opportunity was there, and Dele was Vinícius started the rout before scoring a hat-trick
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International caps in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI that faced Marine last night
determined to seize it. He floated across the turf, too quick for Marine tackles, moving between the lines, from flank to flank, almost scoring early on with a shot saved by Bayleigh Passant. Another Dele run brought the first of Spurs’ four first-half goals. He exchanged passes with Gedson Fernandes before freeing Vinícius. Passant, who works in a supermarket, saved, but Vinícius simply regathered possession, dribbled around the goalkeeper and rammed the ball savagely in. Dele created the second, crossing to Matt Doherty. Passant saved, but there was Vinícius again. Marine’s defiance faded. Some residents of Rossett Road congregated at their shed ends, peering through the fencing into the ground, greeting the sight of Spurs’ Welsh contingent, Bale and Ben Davies, with a blast of “Football’s Coming Home”. Those at No 11 received an early souvenir when a ball looped into their garden. Those at No 9 (Rossett Road, not Bale) occasionally put down their flasks and picked up airhorns, which were particularly used when Spurs took set pieces. Just before Lucas Moura connected with a free kick, the airhorn let rip, and the ball cannoned into the Marine wall, followed by a cackle of glee from No 9. Football’s food chain had asserted itself, romance given the elbow, but all the focus on the tie, the presence of the BBC, who even brought in their own floodlights, reflected the cup’s enduring appeal, its endearing nature. Such was the intense interest that the side sixth in Northern Premier League Division One North West received requests for interviews with Neil Young and his squad from all over, from Russia and Estonia as well as Germany, Italy and Spain. Such was the obsession that Young took a week’s leave from his role as a manager with Merseyrail to deal with all the questions about life as Marine manager. Fascination with the cup clearly persists, with the 161 places between a team in the eighth tier of English football and opponents who appeared in a Champions League final 19 months ago, the biggest gap in thirdround history. Marine’s weekly wage bill is
Mourinho, left, is wrapped up against the cold of a chilly evening as Marine’s neighbours enjoy free access to Spurs’ visit last night
‘FOUR GOALS WERE POOR... BUT I SAVED A BALE FREE KICK!’ Marine goalkeeper Bayleigh Passant’s match-day diary I am a little disappointed, to be honest. We gave away four crap goals and, at times, we showed them too much respect. When Gareth Bale came on he had a free kick within two minutes, just outside the penalty area. I saw his
stance and realised it was going to be his “knuckleball” shot. I was thinking, “Oh no, don’t bring any more misery to the game.” But I watched it all the way and kept my body behind it. I can say I saved his knuckleball. I had a nice chat with Joe Hart at the final whistle. He was asking how I was,
£1,750 and their team is made up of teachers and students, bin-men and plumbers. Spurs had a four-times Champions League winner on the bench. Yet for all the frustration of defeat, and not being able to have fans in their 3,000-capacity ground, Marine will have made more than £400,000 from the tie, including £300,000 from the 30,000 virtual tickets sold at £10 apiece. Some buyers made additional donations to Marine in the Community. So many people have benefited from the FA Cup’s visit to Crosby. It was a fleeting visit. Spurs, slick
how I found it. For Covid reasons we were not allowed to swap shirts, but I heard Tottenham have replicas with them so I hope I can get one. As a young player and as a club, we can learn from this. We don’t know when we are next going to play because of lockdown but it has been a proud day.
and professional, quickly added to their two-goal lead. Moura curled in a free kick after 32 minutes, confirming Spurs’ superiority, but there was still yelps of joy in the gardens of Rossett Road when James Joyce, Marine’s full back, had a shot athletically blocked by Joe Rodon. Marine were not sinking without trace. Yet Vinícius then completed his hat-trick with an elegant left-footed lobbed finish. Mourinho had left the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Hugo Lloris at home but again took the cup seriously.
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those in the shed ends TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER BRADLEY ORMESHER; CLIVE BRUNSKILL/GETTY IMAGES
Moura beats Passant with his free kick for the third Spurs goal against Marine
Even if full of second-string players, this was a Spurs side boasting international talent and prospects like the confident 19-year-old midfield player Harvey White, making only his second appearance for Spurs. Mourinho was not taking any risks. He wants to win the cup again. Only when the tie was clearly settled, by half-time, did he remove Toby Alderweireld and Moussa Sissoko, his two first choices among his starting XI, for Japhet Tanganga and Alfie Devine, Spurs’ youngest ever first-team player at 16 years and 162 days. Devine promptly celebrated his arrival with an exceptional finish, tricking his way past Josh Solomon-Davies before sliding the ball past Passant. The cup now showcased Spurs’ vibrant youthful elements. Marine’s fans in their gardens continued to support their side loudly. The residents of 21 Rossett Road even waved a cardboard cutout of Jürgen Klopp behind Mourinho as he made Spurs’ final substitutions, Bale for Dele and Jack Clarke for Moura, followed by Davies for Sergio Reguilón. The tie was over but there was still the memory of Passant saving a Bale free kick, a story to have them dancing in the aisles when he returns to his job at Sainsbury’s in Liverpool. Down the other end, Hart was so unemployed that he kept his concentration sharp with a stretching session, pausing only to sit briefly on the wall behind his goal. But he was professional, talking constantly, keeping his team-mates on their toes. Marine’s fans remained defiant with strains of We Are the Champions drowning out the final whistle.
‘We got a video of Dele coming straight for us!’ Marine supporters seek any vantage point as famous guests come to town, writes Paul Joyce Draped from a window at the back of No 27 Rossett Road was a black-andgold flag and, at the end of the garden, Alex McKillop found himself with the perfect vantage point. Being perched on the roof of a shed, however, brought its own hazards when Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli crashed into the fence below after rescuing a wayward pass, shortly before Marine’s Neil Kengni thumped a howitzer of a shot from 40 yards on to the crossbar at 0-0. “When he hit the bar, that was the best part of the game for me,” said Alex, a Marine supporter, who was in position alongside his brothers Peter and Ed and only a few yards to the right of the home dugout. “It was a shame that didn’t go in. My brother got a video of Dele Alli coming straight for us and a ball landed a couple of doors down.” Perhaps the greatest “if only” moment in FA Cup history had brought squeals of expectation, and then anguish, from the privileged few who took advantage of their houses backing onto this tiny ground and can truthfully say they were there when José Mourinho and the Premier League’s elite arrived in Crosby.
Whenever Tottenham reached the vicinity of Bayleigh Passant’s penalty area, there was a screech of a horn to try to put the elite off, while “Come on Marine, these are s****” was a colourful shout. That the glitterati did not live down to their description hardly spoiled matters. Carlos Vinícius opening the scoring in the 24th minute for the first of his treble emphasised how this was never going to be about the result but the magic and romance so often lacking in this competition. From lunchtime about 1,000 people — few observing social distancing — had started lining College Road, mobile phones at the ready, waiting to catch a glimpse of footballing royalty. In a window above the artisan florist, Karena, was a message: “Good luck, Marine. Rebecca believes in you.” The first sighting of a bus brought frustration — the No 63 headed for Fazakerley — before Marine’s plush, doubledecker team coach arrived followed at 3.45pm by the visitors. There were boos for Mourinho as he disembarked before the background noise from the throng, kept in check by stewards borrowed from Liverpool, increased in pitch as first Joe Hart was spotted. Then Dele and, finally, Gareth Bale. George Cockburn, 68, lives next to Marine’s ground but supports Spurs
Back gardens were the hot ticket for fans wanting to watch the live action
Bale’s introduction at 5-0 was not Mourinho rubbing non-League noses in it, but another highlight Neil Young’s spirited side could take away from the occasion. “I was happy when they brought Bale on,” James Joyce, who was Marine’s man of the match, said. “I wanted to be on the same pitch as him and I had a couple of words with him. I saw he was blowing a little bit and asked him if he was done in. He said he was starving. I just said, ‘Don’t worry about that, the club has provided you with a Tesco meal deal for after the game’.” However, this was not only a day for fans of the club from football’s eighth tier, who must now wait to see when they are next in action, with all Northern Premier League Division
One North West matches cancelled due to lockdown. Earlier the Marine chairman Paul Leary had posed for a photograph with a cardboard cut-out of the FA Cup and a familiar face wearing a Spurs jersey. George Cockburn used to work in the bar in the function room at the Marine Travel Arena, but did not have divided loyalties. “When I was a kid at school my hero was Jimmy Greaves,” he said. “I would pretend to be him on the field and from that point on in the 1960s I have been a Spurs supporter. “I have a season ticket at the new stadium and would go down there before the virus. I am made up for Marine that they got this game for the simple reason that Paul Leary is a great chairman. “But I like Mourinho. He needs time to get his own players in. We were going nowhere under [Mauricio] Pochettino. He hasn’t got the killer instinct like Mourinho.” The 68-year-old had asked about watching from one of the gardens, but when he realised he would need his own step ladder to peer over the fence he decided to watch from his house nearby. “As the goals went in I would have been tumbling down,” he said. He was not the only one of a Tottenham persuasion present. “I’ve supported them since I was seven — 59 years of torment!” said Crosby resident Frank Lynch, who had his wedding reception here in 1987. After that early scare, even he could at least enjoy this occasion.
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Steele saves edge Brighton through KIERAN MCMANUS/BPI/REX
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aet; 1-1 after 90min; Brighton win 4-3 on penalties RATINGS Newport County (4-3-2-1): T King 9 — L Shephard 7, D Longe-King 7, M Dolan 6 (K Ellison 90+5), M Demetriou 6 — S Bennett 7, J Sheehan 7, R Haynes 7; J Devitt 7 (Collins 62min, 7, J Proctor 90+5), R Wilmott 7 (Labadie 39, 7) — P Amond 7 (R Taylor 62, 6).
Steele makes one of his four penalty saves in the shootout, main, to make up for his error that led to Webster’s own goal, below right, which cancelled out March’s opener
HOW THE SHOOT-OUT UNFOLDED Newport
Brighton
Sheehan
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Demetriou
Maupay
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Brighton & Hove Albion (3-4-3): J Steele 7 — B White 6, A Webster 6, L Dunk 8 — Y Bissouma 7, A Mac Allister 6 (I Trossard 63, 6), P Gross 6, S March 6 (Bernardo 90+5) — A Zeqiri 7 (D Propper 62, 6), A Jahanbakhsh 6 (P Tau 70, 6), N Maupay 6.
Shephard
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Referee L Mason.
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GRAHAM THOMAS The goalkeeper Jason Steele went from villain to hero as Brighton & Hove Albion survived a major scare to see off League Two side Newport County on penalties. Steele’s calamitous error right at the end of normal time, flapping at a cross that cannoned into Adam Webster for an unfortunate own goal, had forced the game into extra time. But in the shoot-out Steele saved four Newport penalties in dramatic fashion before, fittingly, Webster rolled in the winning kick in sudden death. Earlier, both goalkeepers — Tom King for Newport and Steele — had produced some superb saves, both in the 120 minutes and the penalty shoot-out, to provide rich entertainment and another chapter in Newport’s famous recent cup history. “Traumatic as well as dramatic is what I’d call it,” Graham Potter, the Brighton manager. said. “Newport showed all their battling qualities and full credit to them for that. We knew it was going to be a difficult tie and they didn’t disappoint us. We should have won it and seen it out at the end of 90 minutes, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. “I am pleased for the players. But we need to recover as we have got Manchester City on Wednesday. “It’s not what we really needed, 120 minutes tonight, but that’s life. We just have to make sure we recover.” Potter had made five changes to his team, giving some young players their opportunity, while also wisely retaining the experience of players like captain Lewis Dunk. They found the bumpy Rodney Parade surface as challenging as their opponents’ shrewd counterattacks, but were also thankful for the form of their own goalkeeper. Steele was only playing his fourth game of the season but his four saves in the penalty shoot-out gave Potter enough evidence to suggest he could play an important role in trying to keep the club in the Premier League, should he be called upon.
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His saves were of the highest quality and although his team-mates seemed intent on not seizing the advantage — missing three penalties out of their first five — Webster eventually closed the door. “I hold my hands up for my role in the goal with the last kick of the game,” Steele said. “It was a mistake from myself but I’d like to think I’ve dug myself out a little bit. You want to redeem yourself a little bit but the lads scored the penalties when they needed to as well.” Newport will look back on other opportunities earlier in the game, particularly two that fell to striker Padraig Amond in the first half. The Irishman, who has scored against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and
Middlesbrough in this tournament in recent years, failed to take advantage of two Brighton errors at the start and end of the first half. Brighton — with only one victory in their previous 16 matches — forced openings of their own but found King in superb form as he denied both Pascal Gross and Neal Maupay before making a world-class save to prevent Andi Zeqiri from scoring in the firsthalf. Any cursory examination of recent felled giants in this competition would have confirmed to Brighton that Newport County carry a sharpened axe, particularly on the killing field of Rodney Parade. Leicester, Leeds United and Middlesbrough had all fallen here in the past three years, while Tottenham were held to a draw and even
Manchester City were given a sizeable fright. For a team nervously perched just above the Premier League relegation zone, and with more draws than anyone else in the division, a visit to this part of south Wales would not have been high on Brighton’s list of favoured destinations. Solly March eventually scored only his third goal of the season, when he made space for himself on the edge of Newport’s penalty area to drill a low, dipping shot past King. But six minutes later, a cross by Newport full back Liam Shephard forced Steele into a mistake and the ball struck Webster before nestling in the Brighton net. Brighton may have failed to subdue Newport until two hours of this contest had come and gone, but when
it finally came down to staying calm in the decisive moments of the shootout, Potter’s side proved they had just enough. Newport manager Michael Flynn, whose team have led the League Two table for most of the season, said: “I’m really proud, the work rate was exceptional. “They stuck together and we’ve taken another Premier League team to penalties. “We practise penalties and we didn’t miss one. It’s a little frustrating but we’ve got to give their goalkeeper some credit as well. Two of those penalty saves were unbelievable, they were of the highest class. “We’ve got 26 games left, 26 cup finals, and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got something at the end of it after the promise we’ve shown.”
FA CUP ROUND-UP Chris Martin’s late winner helped Sky Bet Championship Bristol City beat a spirited Portsmouth 2-1, but it was their goalkeeper Daniel Bentley who prevented an upset by the League One side. Bristol were rewarded for their early pressure with a fine Famara Diedhiou strike after 19 minutes, but the sides went into the break level after Portsmouth equalised through Callum Johnson on the brink of half-time.
For all of Bristol’s possession, it was Portsmouth who looked the most dangerous in the second half and Bentley was forced into making a series of fine saves, most notably from Tom Naylor and Michael Jacobs. Bristol’s lead was restored with seven minutes remaining via Martin’s 20-yard strike, but the game would have gone to extra time had Bentley not saved Jordy Hiwula’s last-gasp shot.
Bristol goalkeeper Bentley made a series of fine saves
Will Boyle’s extra-time header, meanwhile, secured Cheltenham Town’s 2-1 win against fellow League Two side Mansfield Town, and a place in the fourth round. Josh Griffiths spilled Stephen McLaughlin’s rifled shot from the edge of the area to give Mansfield the lead after only three minutes, and the visitors led for the majority of the game despite having to withstand wave after wave of Cheltenham pressure.
Mansfield defended admirably, but Alfie May finally curled in Cheltenham’s equaliser on 73 minutes to force extra time, before Boyle converted to seal the comeback. Barnsley advanced to the fourth round after beating a Covid-19-depleted Tranmere Rovers 2-0 at Oakwell. Valérien Ismaël’s side took the lead on the hour mark thanks to a Michal Helik header before a stoppage-
time penalty from Cauley Woodrow sealed the result. Keith Hill, the Tranmere manager, was proud of how his players performed against a side two leagues above them, in the Championship. “I thought the players showed magnificent bravery,” he said. “We went with a depleted squad but our mindset was always to play the game and I thought the effort was outstanding.”
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Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva fail to socially distance after the Portugal star’s super strike, 1, while Kurt Zouma and Mason Mount do the same for Chelsea, 2, and Bristol City players mob the goalscorer Chris Martin, 3
PM should tell players to stop hugging Hugging your team-mate after scoring a goal is one of the most instinctive things in football. Everyone gets caught up in the emotion of the moment and before you know it, you are mobbed by two or three players. You don’t have to think about it — it happens naturally.
Unfortunately, these are not natural times and players are going to have to think a bit more carefully about their actions. Coronavirus cases are rising in the country as a whole and in football. Last week, the first round of testing in the EFL produced 112 positives from 3,507 tests: an average of one in 31. With a highly contagious new variant of the virus, guidance has been issued warning players to stop embracing when celebrating goals. On the evidence of this weekend, very little attention has been paid to that advice. Scoring in the FA Cup — especially when it is for a lower-
Clinical Crawley caught out Bielsa
Young Gunners are exposing Willian
Crawley Town devised the perfect game plan to beat Leeds United: get the ball up the pitch quickly, then be ruthless with the chances they created. What impressed me most was their quality in the final third. Nick Tsaroulla, who scored Crawley’s first goal, had plenty to do but a combination of quick feet and skill completely fooled the Leeds defenders. Marcelo Bielsa did make changes and Kiko Casilla in goal could have done better for the second and third goals but take nothing away from the swashbuckling approach of John Yems’s players. They fully deserved it.
Willian may be 32 but he is making all the mistakes of a raw youngster. Whether it is giving the ball away in good positions or taking a touch when he should be shooting, the forward has been getting the basics wrong since leaving Chelsea for Arsenal. It is the promising younger players such as Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe who are playing with composure at the Emirates. Willian is a two-times Premier League winner who has played 70 times for Brazil. Unfortunately for Arsenal, they have seen little of this experience so far.
TONY CASCARINO Weekend talking points
league side against a big team — is a special moment. If these players want to have more of these moments in the fourth round and beyond, they need to start sticking to the rules. Over the past year, we have all had to adapt the way we live our lives. Like in many families, I have not been able to hug my own mother. I do not think it would be too much to ask footballers to refrain from cuddling when they put the ball in the back of the net. At Premier League grounds there have even been designated celebration cameras installed so players can make a socially distanced statement.
TEAM OF THE WEEK 4-4-2 D Barden Norwich T Craig T Anderson Crawley Doncaster C Azpilicueta J Justin Chelsea Leicester Y Tielemans W Tomlinson Leicester Chorley P Foden Man City
H Ziyech Chelsea
A Nadesan Crawley
C Vinicius Tottenham
It is not only the rules on celebrating that need tightening. When I have covered matches at grounds this season I have seen substitutes not wearing masks, players swapping shirts and opponents high-fiving and chatting in close quarters. You may think I am being harsh, or a killjoy, but I am concerned that football may not be allowed to continue. If regulations are not being followed or enforced, then the government must intervene. Politicians have been criticised for the way they have treated footballers during this pandemic but it is time
for someone to show some leadership. Last week Nicola Sturgeon said in no uncertain terms that “all bets were off” if clubs did not respect their privileged status of being allowed to play. I believe it is time for Boris Johnson to reiterate that message in England. Our game is teetering on the brink. There remains no appetite at government level to put the elite game back into lockdown, especially given that everyone is stuck at home, but with every breach or failure to stick to the rules the case to keep playing becomes weaker.
West Brom’s squad is not good enough – and Allardyce knows it After watching his side lose on penalties to League One side Blackpool on Saturday, Sam Allardyce outlined his desire for new players at West Bromwich Albion. It is not the first time that he has questioned the quality of his squad since replacing Slaven Bilic last month. Should Allardyce be putting more faith in the players who got West Brom out of the Championship? Not if he harbours desires of staying in the Premier League.
Very few, if any, of the players at the Hawthorns will be knocking on Allardyce’s door saying that they have been lined up for a big-money move elsewhere this month. Allardyce knows their form has been poor and by not naming names, he is essentially calling on his existing players to raise their game. We talk about player power in dressing rooms, but at West Brom it is Allardyce who holds all the aces. The players he has inherited have just not been good enough.
Eze’s QPR visit brings FA investigation Testing won’t stop spread of virus TOM RODDY The FA opened an investigation last night after Eberechi Eze accepted an invitation from Queens Park Rangers to attend their FA Cup defeat against Fulham. Eze, 22, who joined Crystal Palace from QPR last summer, was a guest of his former club in the directors’ box at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium for Saturday’s third-round tie. The FA protocols permit only ten guests, usually executives or directors, as well as six scouts, in addition to employees who are essential to the running of the game. The FA is understood to be looking
Eze, left, appeared at QPR without a mask and in close proximity to others
into the matter after confirming reports that QPR had been given permission to invite Eze were false. The Palace forward was pictured without a mask and failing to socially distance. The Times has contacted Crystal Palace for comment but it remains unclear whether Eze had been granted permission to attend. Government guidelines state that people in England must stay at home and only go out for essential reasons. The UK recorded 1,065 deaths as a result of Covid-19 on Saturday. It came after Eze’s Palace teammate Luka Milivojevic was believed to have been fined by the club after breaching coronavirus restrictions to attend a New Year’s Eve party.
PROFESSOR JAMES CALDER INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE ON THE RETURN OF ELITE SPORT
I think everything should be done to make sure there is as much compliance as possible with the protocols and social distancing. Every time people don’t maintain social distancing they are increasing their risk of transmission, so unnecessary incursions within two metres is unfortunately increasing the risk of the disease spreading. The risk of Covid transmission between players during a match actually appears low, with less than 90 seconds spent within two metres of a player during a 90-minute match.
When players are not on the field participating in the game then social distancing should be maintained and that includes any type of celebration. Otherwise they run the risk of transmission especially now the prevalence of the disease in the community is so high. We have already seen outbreaks in clubs, which has made it difficult for the Premier League to play matches, so it is up to individual clubs and all staff to do everything they can to stop the spread. We must also not rely on testing to avoid the spread of disease. Just because you have a negative test one day doesn’t mean you won’t have Covid the next day and be infectious.
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Silva’s goals make light of City crisis Man City
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Silva 8, 15 Foden 33 RATINGS
Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Z Steffen 6 — J Cancelo 6 (T Harwood-Bellis 45min, 6), R Dias 7 (J Stones 45, 6), K Walker 6, B Mendy 6 — Rodri 7 (Fernandinho 66, 6) — R Mahrez 7, K De Bruyne 8 (F Nmecha 45, 6), B Silva 8, P Foden 9 — G Jesus 7 (L Delap 75). Booked Walker. Birmingham City (4-2-3-1): A Prieto 7 — M Colin 6, J Clarke-Salter 5, M San José 5, G Friend 6 — M Kieftenbeld 6, I Sunjic 5 (J Bela 67, 5) — J Toral 5 (A Clayton 45, 4), J Leko 6 (L Jutkiewicz 67, 5), I Sánchez 6 — S Hogan 5 (M Roberts 45, 5). Booked Sunjic, Clarke-Salter. Referee R Jones.
IAN WHITTELL Pep Guardiola and Manchester City march on relentlessly on four trophy fronts after barely being required to break sweat in an FA Cup thirdround victory all the more impressive given their Covid troubles. Sergio Agüero is the latest City player to have been rendered unavailable, having been forced into isolation after coming into contact with a positive case. But given that seven City players have tested positive for the virus that forced the club to close their training ground over the holiday period, their recent improvements have been all the more ominous for their rivals. After a moving pre-match tribute to Colin Bell, who died last week at the age of 74, Bernardo Silva showed the kind of midfield attacking talent that the City legend would have been proud of, scoring twice inside the opening 15 minutes. It extended their unbeaten run, since the Premier League defeat away
to Tottenham Hotspur in November, to 13 games, ten of them victories, and means Guardiola maintains his interest in three cup competitions, as well as the Premier League title race on which his team have imposed themselves in recent weeks. The new streak of ruthlessness that City have demonstrated at both ends of the field was evident almost directly from kick-off. It resulted in those two goals for Silva and the end of the tie resembling any kind of contest, the game thereafter becoming a training ground exercise and, for struggling Sky Bet Championship side Birmingham City, a matter of damage limitation. Aitor Karanka, their manager, had been in charge of a Middlesbrough team that upset City, who were managed then by Manuel Pellegrini, at the Etihad in the fourth round in 2015 but there was no inkling of a similar outcome six years on. Silva saw to that. Eight minutes had gone when Rodri’s hopeful punt into the penalty area was headed by George Friend, Phil Foden managed a faint touch on the ball and Silva deposited it into the Birmingham goal with an acrobatic high kick from 16 yards. The build-up to the second was equally eye-catching as Riyad Mahrez slipped the ball to the byline, Kevin De Bruyne chased and crossed and Silva tapped into an unguarded net. It was an impressive statement from Silva, a Nations League winner with Portugal in 2019 but who has struggled for form for many months now and, after scoring two goals in his previous 40 City appearances, an indication that he, in keeping with so many of his team-mates, is rediscovering his best. Foden, a player whose form has rarely dipped during his integration
Still too soon to talk about United winning title, insists Solskjaer PAUL HIRST Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played down the suggestion that Manchester United should be regarded as serious title contenders if they move to the top of the Premier League tomorrow. For the first time since August 10, 2018, United will occupy first place in the table if they avoid defeat to Burnley. They could end the week six points clear of Liverpool if they go on to win at Anfield five days later. Solskjaer seemed irked when it was put to him on Saturday, after his side’s FA Cup win over Watford, that this week would be a crucial test of his team’s title ambitions. “We’re not even halfway through the season,” he said,
sharply. “And every game in the Premier League is a challenge. “Watford gave us a test, Burnley is a test, Liverpool is another, then you go to Fulham, which is a different test again. No one will remember how the table looked on January 12, 2021.” His discomfort is understandable. Only a couple of weeks ago Solskjaer said his squad were still learning how to deal with praise after criticism in the first quarter of the season. But some United supporters are starting to believe a title challenge is on. “I think it’s great that our fans are excited, and they’re happy with where we are at,” Solskjaer said. “But we’re not even halfway. Of course every game, against Burnley, against Liverpool, matters a lot and for me,
Silva opens the scoring with the first of his two goals as Foden looks on in a comfortable victory for City at the Etihad
Agüero forced to isolate after contact with coronavirus carrier Sergio Agüero has been forced into isolation after coming into contact with a case of Covid-19, his manager Pep Guardiola confirmed last night. The Argentina striker was scheduled to play a significant role in the third-round FA Cup tie with Birmingham City only to be withdrawn on the morning of the game,
although he has not tested positive himself. “Unfortunately he was in contact, more than usual, with one person who is positive,” the City manager said. Agüero will almost certainly be forced to observe the Premier League’s ten-day isolation guidelines, ruling him out of
into Guardiola’s first team, made it 3-0 just after the half-hour in a move prompted, in his own half, by Rodri. Mahrez took on the ball, advanced and found Foden in a pocket of space just outside the Birmingham area. One touch and a left-footed shot from 18 yards resulted in the ball nestling in the bottom right-hand corner of the goal. The City goalkeeper Zack Steffen was finally called into his first piece of real action, comfortably smothering a deflected shot from Friend, but City were rampant.
Manchester United McTominay 5
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RATINGS Manchester United (4-2-3-1): D Henderson 7 — B Williams 6, E Bailly 7 (H Maguire 45+5min, 7), A Tuanzebe 7, A Telles 7 — S McTominay 7, D van de Beek 7 — J Mata 6, J Lingard 7 (N Matic 80), D James 6 (M Rashford 68, 7) — M Greenwood 6 (A Martial 69, 6). Booked Telles, Tuanzebe. Watford (4-4-1-1): D Bachmann 6 — A Masina 6 (J Ngakia 58, 6), W Troost-Ekong 6 (B Wilmot 76), F Sierralta 6, M Navarro 6 — I Sarr 7 (K Sema 58, 7), W Hughes 7, N Chalobah 6 (D Phillips 84), P Zinckernagel 7 (J Hungbo 76) — J Pedro 6 — A Gray 6. Booked Sarr. Referee A Madley.
my eyes are on Tuesday. Then let’s see where we’re at after that one.” Until now United have remained relatively injury-free, but Solskjaer may have to do without Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba and Victor Lindelof for the upcoming double header. When asked whether the trio, who missed Saturday’s match, would be available this week, Solskjaer said: “I hope so, for Liverpool definitely, but I’m not sure if they’ll make Burnley.”
Wednesday’s league game at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, although Guardiola would not be drawn. “I don’t know exactly because he has been tested, like all of us, six times in the last 10 or 15 days and he is negative today,” Guardiola said. “But protocols say in some cases, isolate.”
Gabriel Jesus was desperately unlucky after 35 minutes when he was played through and lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper Andrés Prieto, only for Maikel Kieftenbeld to make a clearance off the line. Silva might also have claimed his hat-trick before the interval, after a neat chest-down by Foden cushioned the ball into his path, but the Portuguese lashed a shot into the side-netting. Not surprisingly, the second half failed to live up to anywhere near that quality, with Guardiola making three Eric Bailly is also a doubt. He hobbled off after a collision with the goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who kneed the defender in the neck as he attempted to punch away the ball. Bailly, 26, has been in great form of late. Axel Tuanzebe, the 23-year-old academy graduate, would probably play tomorrow if Bailly and Lindelof are unavailable. The centre back will be examined by the club’s medical staff before Solskjaer decides whether to include him for the match at Turf Moor. “There was no concussion,” Solskjaer said. “Apparently it was his neck — a sore neck. But he couldn’t carry on, so let’s check on him.” Scott McTominay, the 24-year-old midfielder, rounded off an excellent performance by heading in an early winner on his first Injuries have come at the wrong time for Solskjaer
half-time substitutes, including the introduction of the midfielder Felix Nmecha, 20, and the centre back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, 18. Jesus, in action for the first time since before Christmas, continued to be frustrated when he narrowly failed to lob the ball over Prieto and, from the corner that followed, Silva’s sixyard effort was scrambled away. The Portugal forward’s quest for a hat-trick continued, and should have been completed after 58 minutes when he slid in to meet a Kyle Walker cross but instead he steered the ball wide, at full stretch. Mahrez did have the ball in the Birmingham goal for the fourth time, on the hour, but his far-post volley was ruled out for offside. But Silva continued to squander chances to claim what would have been only his second hat-trick for the club. The latest came after 67 minutes when a Foden free kick struck the wall and Silva stabbed the rebound into the ground, well wide of the target. Another City substitute, Liam Delap, sent a towering header over while Jérémie Bela clipped the City crossbar in the closing minutes as Birmingham rallied late on. appearance as captain. “I need to score more from set pieces,” McTominay, who has four goals this season, said. “It’s something I have spoken about with the coaches, and my dad. I’m 6ft 3in — I should be scoring more headers.” Donny van de Beek’s agent, meanwhile, has said his client has not started as many games as expected after his £35 million move from Ajax. Saturday’s match was only the ninth time Van de Beek, 23, has started for United and he has only made Solskjaer’s XI on two occasions in the league. “One start in every week with three games. That was what he had in mind for this season,” Guido Albers told Algemeen Dagblad. “That hasn’t happened. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say that [the move] has been a completely wrong decision. That would be too simple. Donny is very calm and determined, as usual.”
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Werner ends 827-minute dry spell MATT DUNHAM/AP
Chelsea
Morecambe
4
0
Mount 18 , Werner 44 Hudson-Odoi 49, Havertz 85
15%
Morecambe were restricted to only 15 per cent possession, the lowest of any team in the round
RATINGS Chelsea (4-3-3): K Arrizabalaga 6 — C Azpilicueta 7, K Zouma 6 (F Tomori 80min), A Rüdiger 6, Emerson 6 — K Havertz 7, B Gilmour 6, M Mount 7 (T Abraham 74) — H Ziyech 8 (C Pulisic 68, 5), T Werner 6 (O Giroud 68, 5), C Hudson-Odoi 6 (T Anjorin 80). Morecambe (4-5-1): M Halstead 6 — R Cooney 6 (K Mellor 62, 5), H Davis 7, N Knight-Percival 6, S Hendrie 5 (L Gibson 62, 5) — J Slew 5 (J O’Sullivan 62, 5), A Phillips 6, A Wildig 6, Y Songo’o 6, C Mendes Gomes 5 (B Lyons 74) — C Stockton 6 (L McAlinden 86). Booked Gibson. Referee D England.
GARY JACOB Anyone thinking that Frank Lampard has not felt the heat after a worrying run needed only to look at his side, which has 185 international caps across six different nationalities. They proved too strong for Morecambe, 66 league places below them, although only after Chelsea survived a fright when it was goalless and Kepa Arrizabalaga scrambled to grab a cross on his goalline. Lampard enjoyed a dose of cup therapy provided by Morecambe — who had not played in more than two weeks because of a Covid-19 outbreak — which also sparked his misfiring forwards into life. After Mason Mount opened the scoring on his 22nd birthday, Timo Werner stabbed home from a yard on the stroke of half-time to end his goal drought of 12 matches. Kai Havertz, who has also been suffering a lack of confidence and gone 15 matches without a goal, set up Werner and got his name on the scoresheet near the end, rising to head home a cross. Hakim Ziyech was the outstanding player and had a hand in two goals, splitting the defence with a brilliant chip for Callum Hudson-Odoi to score Chelsea’s third after the restart. Werner has nine goals and Havertz five since their expensive summer moves. Lampard was relieved for both and said Havertz has been slow to recover after he contracted Covid-19 in November. The midfielder missed
After 12 matches without a goal, Werner leaves the opposition defenders looking on as he scores Chelsea’s second in their 4-0 win against League Two Morecambe
two decent chances, heading a corner wide when unmarked and later his flick from a few yards was saved. Lampard said his attacking players are young and will take time to develop. Of those who started, Hudson-Odoi is 20, Havertz, 21 and Werner, 24. “What we can’t ask the youth of this squad sometimes is to be absolutely consistent and be killers like other players in the league are, in terms of the numbers they produce and consistently produce,” Lampard said. “I mean killers in the best possible terms. The players at the top of the league are scoring week on week and winning year on year, at the ages of 27, 28, and are very established and they produce week on week, with big numbers. “I’m pleased for Timo because strikers want to score goals to get confidence, and he’s had a lot of near misses in that time. It’s a small step for Kai in the big picture, but a good
step. There are levels for Kai to go up, but again we have to remain patient.” Lampard’s side included only four players who do not feature regularly, reflecting his need for a fast upturn in results. Respite will be short — after playing Fulham on Friday they meet Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur in little more than three weeks. Morecambe made their first appearance in the third round since 2003 and placed a photo of Christian Mbulu in their dugout to remember the defender, who died aged 23 in May. He had joined the club only four months earlier. No official cause of death was given and nearly £29,000 has been raised online for his family. They finished second from bottom of League Two last season and near the bottom in three of the past five seasons. But things had turned around and they had won five of six matches to move them into the play-off places.
Morecambe were beaten 7-0 at home by Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup the last time they met a Premier League opponent, and set up to ensure Chelsea could not run away with things at the start. They kept the hosts at arm’s length, with Harry Davis clearing several dangerous crosses, and provided a couple of scares too. Aaron Wildig charged down Mount’s shot from range and Emerson screwed wide. Morecambe ventured forward and Adam Phillips spotted Arrizabalaga off his line, expecting a high cross. Phillips drilled a low ball towards goal, forcing the goalkeeper to plunge to his left and clutch the ball. They were quick to block space but Morecambe probably should not have been surprised about Mount’s ability to shoot. He received a pass and struck low past Mark Halstead, who did not move, for only his second goal of the season and fourth from outside
the area since the start of last season. Ziyech started to pull the strings and his dangerous corner ought to have been converted by Antonio Rüdiger, who volleyed over the bar from six yards. Emerson had plenty of space to maraud forward and went close to extending the lead. His drive from distance was saved by Halstead, who plunged to his left to keep it out. Havertz has been short of confidence and a lack of communication with Arrizabalaga led to the goalkeeper having to save his header. Approaching the break he pulled away at the far post and headed Ziyech’s cross across the goal for Werner to put in. Hudson-Odoi ended all hopes early after the restart, and it was a matter then of how many Chelsea may get. They nearly worked a nice fourth as Mount released César Azpilicueta and Havertz was denied by Halstead. But when they combined again, Havertz rose to finish.
Others may dazzle but Marí gives Arsenal a solid centre Arsenal
Smith Rowe 109, Aubameyang 117
Newcastle Utd
2 0
After extra time RATINGS Arsenal (4-2-3-1): B Leno 7 — C Soares 6 (A MaitlandNiles 120+1min), D Luiz 7, P Marí 8, K Tierney 9 — M Elneny 6, J Willock 6 (G Xhaka 66, 8) — N Pépé 7 (A Lacazette 105), Willian 5 (B Saka 66 8), R Nelson 5 (E Smith Rowe 56, 8); P-E Aubameyang 6. Booked Soares, Smith Rowe. Newcastle United (5-4-1): M Dubravka 8 — E Krafth 6 (J Murphy 68, 6), I Hayden 6, J Lascelles 5 (M Ritchie 45, 6), C Clark 6, P Dummett 6 — M Almirón 7 (D Yedlin 81, 6), S Longstaff 6, J Hendrick 6, Joelinton 6 (E Anderson 81, 6) — A Carroll 6 (D Gayle 105). Booked Lascelles, Carroll, Clark, Hayden. Referee C Kavanagh.
JAMES GHEERBRANT Amid the emergence of Emile Smith Rowe, the dazzling improvement of Bukayo Saka, the excellence of Kieran Tierney, and the struggles of several
others, it has been easy to forget the player who was the first signing of the Mikel Arteta era. Pablo Marí, the Spanish centre back, arrived — initially on loan — from Flamengo a month after Arteta’s appointment, but started only three games last season: a 2-0 win over Portsmouth in the fifth round of the FA Cup, a 1-0 win against West Ham in the Premier League and — the other side of lockdown — the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. That game was goalless when Marí went off with a serious ankle injury in the first half; it was six months before he returned to the first team, as a permanent Arsenal player. His impact since regaining his place has been impressive. Arsenal have won all six games he has played this season, and aside from a sketchy 4-2 win over Dundalk in the Europa League, their defensive performances have been solid: a 4-1 win over Rapid Vienna and a 3-1 Premier League victory over Chelsea, followed by
Marí’s return from injury coincided with improvement in Arsenal’s form
three consecutive clean sheets, against Brighton, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United. “We had to throw him in because we had some injuries, suspensions and probably that wasn’t even fair on him, because he’s missed a lot of
football in the last year,” Arteta, the manager, said after this win secured Arsenal’s place in the fourth round. “But he’s a leader, someone who trains professionally; he’s a great communicator on the pitch, and he gives you some security, some stability. “He’s always trying to help everybody, really professional, really eager to improve, to give his best all the time in any capacity. He’s getting rewarded for his attitude.” Arsenal are unusual in having two left-footed centre backs in the squad, with Gabriel, their first-choice leftsided central defender, also being leftfooted. The angles that Gabriel and Marí naturally favour with their passing open up more passing lanes, allowing Arsenal to build up from the back more quickly and directly — something Arteta, who places a heavy emphasis on playing the ball out from Arsenal’s own half, values highly. “Marí balances what I want to do from the back line,” he said last
season. “He gives more options, more solutions, he opens the pitch more.” There were a couple of moments in this game where that was particularly visible, with Marí able to punch the ball through Newcastle’s lines rather than play the sort of sideways pass that would have slowed Arsenal’s attack down. He completed 73 of his 78 passes, including 18 in the attacking half, and set up two chances. Marí spent three years on the books of Manchester City — when Arteta was there as an assistant coach — but never played for them, instead spending three loan spells at Girona, NAC Breda and Deportivo La Coruña. He then moved to Flamengo before joining Arsenal. He is 27, but this is arguably the first time in his career that he has really been settled. Smith Rowe and Saka might have grabbed the attention here, but the solidity of Marí gives Arsenal depth in a crucial position.
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WINTER’S WEEKEND WONDERS Chief Football Writer on cup heroes proving it is right for show to go on Barry scored for a young Villa side against Liverpool
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
Bielsa blitzed by r Crawley Town
Leeds United
3
0
Tsaroulla 50 Nadesan 53 Tunnicliffe 70
Tunnicliffe runs away to celebrate after scoring Crawley’s third goal
RATINGS Crawley Town (4-4-2): G Morris — G Francomb 6, T Craig 6, J Tunnicliffe 6, T Dallison 7 (M Wright 90min) — S Matthews 6 (A Davies 72), J Hessenthaler 6 (J Doherty 90) J Powell 6, N Tsaroulla 7 (M Watters 72) — T Nichols 6, A Nadesan 8 (J Wright 72). Booked Hessenthaler. Leeds United (3-3-1-3): K Casilla 6 — K Phillips 6, L Davis 5 (Raphinha 58, 5), L Cooper 5 (O Casey 45, 5) — J Shackleton 6, P Struijk 5 (J Jenkins 45, 5), E Alioski 6 — P Hernández 6 — I Poveda 7 (S Greenwood 58, 5), R Moreno 5 (J Harrison 45, 5) H Costa 6. Booked Phillips. Referee P Bankes.
GREGOR ROBERTSON
Fearless Barry shines light on darker times Louie Barry. Teenage kicks, opportunity knocks: the joy of the FA Cup. The 17-yearold goalscorer’s fearlessness against Liverpool, and the pure delight in his interview afterwards, showed the character at Aston Villa, the importance of the cup and why football is right to keep playing on during the
pandemic. Barry’s words and feats on Friday evening were particularly uplifting because they spoke of resilience. Playing on is not simply about providing entertainment for those locked down, and honouring lucrative broadcast deals, it is also about hope for the future. Barry’s display was a shaft of light piercing the darkness.
Shoot-out saviour a credit to Blackpool
Cup showcases story of hope for Tsaroulla
Chris Maxwell. During a measured interview with his club’s in-house media after defeating West Bromwich Albion, Blackpool’s calm captain and shoot-out saviour reflected on his time out suffering from Covid-19. Maxwell missed ten days’ training and two games, and was bed-bound for three days over Christmas. “We’ve all got to look out for each other,” he said of the pandemic. Such togetherness has defined Blackpool in recent times, whether it’s the fans saving their club from the wretched Oystons or Maxwell saving them on the field.
Nick Tsaroulla. If anybody’s story embodied the importance and power of the FA Cup at the weekend it was the Crawley Town player’s. Four years ago Tsaroulla was in a rehab clinic, recovering from a serious car accident, the full back’s dream of playing on hold. He was let go by Tottenham Hotspur, then Brentford. So scoring in their win over Leeds United in the FA Cup, and with a fantastic strike too, was reward for all Tsaroulla’s hard work during the dark hours. The cup offered him the perfect showcase.
Chorley hero still has time on his side at 22
Leno’s saving grace repays Arteta’s faith
Willem Tomlinson. The FA Cup can launch, and relaunch, players into the public eye. When Tomlinson made his debut as a teenager for Blackburn Rovers in the cup against Manchester United in 2017, coming on against Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford at Ewood Park, the pathway to prominence looked clear. But he slid down the pyramid. The midfield player’s contract was “mutually terminated” at Blackburn in 2019, he spent 18 months with Mansfield Town, then signed for Chorley as a free agent. His performance against the Ramlets of Derby County showcased his abilities, whether set pieces, passing, volleying or tackling, as on Bartosz Cybulski. And Tomlinson is still only 22.
Bernd Leno. When Arsenal needed him most, deep into stoppage time of normal time, the Germany goalkeeper threw himself to his right to stop Andy Carroll’s shot, which would have won the FA Cup tie for Newcastle United. It was testament to his positioning and anticipation. His follow-up save was arguably better, pushing out his left hand again, to flick the ball away as Carroll followed up. Leno completed his match-saving triptych by pouncing on the loose ball. Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the goals in extra time but it was Leno who kept the holders in the cup. Arsenal fans debate the wisdom of allowing Emi Martínez to leave, understandably, but Mikel Arteta’s judgment looked vindicated here.
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Crawley Town delivered the shock of the FA Cup third round with a devastating second-half display in a 3-0 rout of Leeds United. The Sky Bet League Two club were outstanding and deserving winners, after a first half in which they showed grit and resolve and a second in which they scored two goals in three minutes to leave the heads of their Premier League opponents spinning. It was a crying shame that there were no supporters inside the People’s Pension Stadium to witness this historic occasion. Ten years ago a Crawley team managed by Steve Evans ran Manchester United mightily close at Old Trafford in the fifth round, but this was the biggest home game in the club’s history and one that will live long in the memory. “To beat Leeds United in the way we beat them — don’t take nothing away from them, they’re a good side — but we had a plan, we stuck to it and it’s all down to the players. They absolutely deserved it,” John Yems, the Crawley manager, said. Sixty-two league places separate the clubs but the fourth-tier side looked hungrier, better organised and, crucially, more clinical in front of goal. When the breakthrough arrived, in the 50th minute, it came from a fine solo effort by Nick Tsaroulla, who has already endured plenty of trials in his nascent career and showed that the oft-maligned FA Cup can still prove transformative. The left back-cum-midfielder collected the ball 40 yards from goal, twisted away from two opponents, skipped past Kalvin Phillips into the box and uncorked a fierce left-footed strike low into the far corner. It was a huge moment for Tsaroulla, 21, a former Tottenham Hotspur academy player who missed a year of football after a car crash. He joined Crawley in October after a year in Brentford’s B-team and this was his first professional goal in only his sixth start in first-team football. Only three minutes later Crawley’s advantage was doubled. The striker Ashley Nadesan was released down the right channel and, after showing a clean pair of heels to young Oliver Casey, a half-time Leeds substitute, fired home at the near post from an acute angle, although Kiko Casilla will not enjoy the replays. Marcelo Bielsa, the Leeds head coach, threw on Raphinha and Sam Greenwood in a bid to catalyse a comeback but Crawley’s resolve held and they were always a threat on the break. Twenty minutes from time, however, the tie was put out of sight
WRIGHT BROTHERS’ FLYING START Crawley finished with The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright and his brother Josh on the pitch. These were their touches Mark Wright
Josh Wright
and the tireless Nadesan played a pivotal role once again. When Leeds failed to deal with Sam Matthews’s inswinging free kick
from the right, Nadesan’s sweetly struck volley was blocked by Casilla. The rebound fell at the feet of Jordan Tunnicliffe, the Crawley centre half, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Leeds had made seven changes from the side who lost 3-0 to Tottenham last week, with Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas among those rested completely, but they started brightly, with Ian Poveda, the sprightly winger, appearing most likely to make the breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes. Poveda was a constant menace, twice nutmegging George Francomb, the Crawley right back, the second with an outrageous flip flap in the penalty box, but Leeds could not apply the telling touch. Poveda perhaps had Leeds’s best chance after the 20-year-old exchanged passes with Alioski down the left, but Glenn Morris, the Crawley goalkeeper, was Mark Wright came on for Crawley
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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ejects and a reality star PETER CZIBORRA/REUTERS
Allardyce ready to buy as Blackpool exploit flaws Blackpool Yates 40, Madine 66
WBA
Ajayi 52, Pereira 80 (pen)
2 2
aet; Blackpool win 3-2 on penalties RATINGS Blackpool (4-2-3-1): C Maxwell 8 — O Turton 7, D Ballard 7 (M Ekpiteta 91min), D Gretarsson 6 (D Mitchell 99, 7), J Husband 7 — K Dougall 7, G Ward 8 (E Robson 115) — D Kemp 7 (M Virtue 81, 7), J Yates 8, B Lubala 6, (S Kaikai 75, 7) — G Madine 8 Booked Ballard, Madine. West Bromwich Albion (4-1-4-1): D Button 6 — L Peltier 6 (D O’Shea 95), K Bartley 6 (R Sawyers 61, 6), B Ivanovic 6 (C Kipré 72, 6), K Gibbs 5 (D Furlong 46, 6) — S Ajayi 6 — F Krovinovic 5, J Livermore 7, C Gallagher 6 (K Edwards, 61, 7), K Grosicki 7 — M Pereira 6. Booked Ajayi, Gallagher. Referee J Brooks.
JOHN WESTERBY
JOURNEYMEN SCORERS WHO STUNNED LEEDS Nick Tsaroulla Spent seven years in the Tottenham Hotspur academy having signed at 12, but the left back suffered a car crash in 2017 which sidelined him for a year. Released in 2018, Tsaroulla then moved to Brentford and debuted for Cyprus U21 in 2019, before signing for Crawley Town aged 21 in October.
Ashley Nadesan Scored 99 goals in two seasons at Horley Town before Fleetwood Town signed him in 2016. There were suggestions at the time that his speed, agility and finishing could make him the next Jamie Vardy, but the 26-year-old striker was loaned twice to Carlisle United before signing for Crawley in 2019.
equal to the former Manchester City winger’s low drive. Leeds, though, grew increasingly frustrated as the game wore on and it was the home side who had the best chance of the half, when Tom Nichols’s towering header from Jack Powell’s corner was brilliantly saved by Casilla. Bielsa’s decision to remove Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk and Rodrigo at the break undoubtedly tilted the game in Crawley’s favour. The home side’s highly coveted top goalscorer, Max Watters, who had missed the past three games with a hamstring injury and was only fit enough for a late cameo off the
Jordan Tunnicliffe Spent eight years in the West Bromwich Albion academy before a short spell at Barnsley, but the centre back was capped by England C in 2017 after winning the Kidderminster Harriers players’ player of the season award. The 27year-old moved to AFC Fylde before joining Crawley in July 2019.
bench, could have made it four when he skipped around Casilla in the final throes, but his goalbound effort was blocked. There was even room for a stoppage-time appearance from Mark Wright, of ITV’s The Only Way Is Essex fame, who rejoined the club in December, 14 years after making nine appearances for Crawley, with Yems as caretaker manager, in 2006-07. Wright, 33, whose brother Josh was another late substitute after rejoining Crawley on Friday from Leyton Orient, is the subject of a BBC documentary about his return to football. Leeds fans may prefer not to watch.
Crawley’s aim to survive year so this is icing on cake – Yems GREGOR ROBERTSON John Yems, the Crawley Town manager, has become an unlikely YouTube sensation this season with his cutting post-match interviews but after witnessing his Sky Bet League Two side tear apart Leeds United the 61-year-old was beaming with pride. “We went to church this morning, and lit a few candles,” Yems joked when asked about his game plan. “We knew we had to make it as difficult as we can: don’t get caught chasing the ball, don’t get mixed up in their game. We did that. We let them have it in front of us. The rest is history, so to speak. “It’s the FA Cup and a lot of the lads in our side were brought up on the traditions of it and they want to do well. “In the current climate, with no one coming in, and the finances . . . our job is to survive this year as a club. If we do that, we’ve done well. To have games like this is the icing on the cake.”
Two goals in three second-half minutes from Nick Tsaroulla and Ashley Nadesan, and a third from Jordan Tunnicliffe, sealed a place in the fourth round. “I honestly thought second half we’d be under the cosh, and whatever we got on the break . . .” Yems said. “We’ve a lot of players in the side who’ve been released [by other clubs], we’ve taken a punt on a lot of them, like Max [Watters, Crawley’s leading goalscorer] and Nick [Tsaroulla], and they deserve everything.” Tsaroulla, a former Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford left back who missed a year of football through injury after a car crash and was without a club until October, cut an emotional figure after the game, having scored his first goal in senior professional football. “I’m buzzing,” Tsaroulla, 21, said. “What a team performance that was. I kind of just lost myself in the moment. It’s been a long, hard road for me. This was a great moment — I’m really proud. It’s been a tough road. It means a lot.”
The first few weeks in his new job, Sam Allardyce said, have been largely about sitting in judgment on the West Bromwich Albion squad he has inherited, with the transfer window offering potential respite. On this trip back to Bloomfield Road, one of his old managerial haunts, Allardyce learnt plenty about a number of fringe players who were deservedly beaten by a spirited Blackpool side who sit mid-table in Sky Bet League One. If Allardyce was already questioning some of his side, having equalised twice in normal time, his opinions were hardened when three out of five penalties were saved by Chris Maxwell, the Blackpool goalkeeper, who was returning after a bout of Covid-19. At least Allardyce no longer has the FA Cup to distract from his primary task: resuscitating a team who have won only one of their first 17 Premier League games, and who face neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday. “I’ll make the judgment on the players as quickly as possible now,” Allardyce said. “Then it’ll be off and into the market to find players who make the squad better. Unfortunately for us, I think we’ve got a smaller squad than anyone else. Hopefully we can relieve that situation and bring three or four players in.” After recruiting Robert Snodgrass, the midfielder, from West Ham United last week, the priority for West Brom now is to bring in a new striker. Charlie Austin has been allowed to return to Queens Park Rangers on loan and Allardyce would be keen to sign Josh King, the Bournemouth forward, although he faces competition from Everton and West Ham, among others. “If the price is within our range, then I think we’d be interested,” Allardyce said. On Saturday his thin forward options persuaded Allardyce to rest Callum Robinson, instead employing Matheus Pereira, the Brazilian winger, in an unfamiliar central role. Pereira struck the 80th-minute penalty that took the game into extra time, but then became the third player, after Kyle Edwards and Darnell Furlong, to have his spot kick saved by Maxwell. This was a notable victory for Neil Critchley, the former Liverpool Under-23 coach, who joined Blackpool as manager last summer. His preferred opponents in the next round? “We’re just delighted to be in the hat,” he said. “Liverpool, maybe? That sounds nice.”
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Monday January 11 2021 | the times
thegame
Chorley’s upset not all it seems PAUL CURRIE/BPI/REX
Chorley Hall 10, Calveley 84
Derby County
2 0
RATINGS Chorley (4-4-2): M Urwin 7 — A Birch 6, S Leather 8, A Halls 6 (A Henley 71min), L Baines 8 — E Newby 7, W Tomlinson 9, M Calveley 7 O Shenton 6 (H Smith 78) — C Hall 7 (L Reilly 80), H Cardwell 6. Derby County (3-4-2-1): M Yates 6 — H Jinkinson 6, J Bateman 6, H Solomon 7 — M Bardell 6 (B Cybulski 73), L Thompson 7 (O Ibrahim 84), O Aghatise 5 (F Ebosele 64, 6), D Williams 6 — I Hutchinson 5 — C Cresswell 6, B Duncan 5. Booked Creswell. Referee K Friend.
JONATHAN NORTHCROFT Every story can be told two ways and Chorley’s adventure to the further reaches of the FA Cup is a fairytale or entirely logical scenario, depending on how you look at it. At Victory Park, Derby County, of the Sky Bet Championship, were defeated by part-time triers from the sixth tier. In Chorley’s ranks were a lift engineer, a personal trainer and a lad who helps out at the family butcher’s shop. Their manager is a primary school head teacher. The club from a Lancashire town have got further in the FA Cup than in the FA Trophy, where they were dumped out by Guiseley. When you present the narrative that way, all the clichés about magic, miracles and the killing of giants roll out. And for journalists that is tempting, not least the d ti radio reporter who, when updating his station as Chorley led 2-0 going into the final minutes, bellowed “and we have one of the great shocks on our hands” but then turned around in Victory Park’s little press box once he was off air and said, “Not such a surprise, is it?” For another way to portray Chorley would be that their starting XI on Saturday comprised entirely players who had either played in the Football League or come through in the youth set-up of a significant League team. Their scorers were Mike Calveley,
H Hall, a former Bolton player, celebrates his goal as local youngsters claim a precarious vantage point, right y
Triumphant Chorley reach into the Adele songbook after their success
who played for Port Vale in League Two and Connor Hall, who played in League One for Bolton Wanderers, where he was the club’s young player of the year after scoring 22 goals for their under-23s when they were a Championship side in 2017-18. Outstanding performers included Arlen Birch, developed by Everton and a former England Under-18 player, the former Preston North End defender Scott Leather and Will
T Tomlinson, a dominant m midfielder who had actually p played against Derby before – fo Blackburn Rovers in the for C Championship. Meanwhile, the assistant a the butcher’s shop was at v vaguely familiar. He was O Shenton, who once Ollie appeared for Stoke City in the Premier League and was billed as a winger with considerable promise before turning to steaks, chops and sausages. Even the Chorley groundsman, Ben Kay, who added to the apparent romance by sleeping out on the pitch surrounded by heaters, to beat the frost and ensure the tie went ahead, came from the professional game. He is a former Wigan Athletic trainee, and the point is that the difference in elevation between all the steps on football’s pyramid is a lot smaller than commonly imagined.
The difference between the top and lower reaches can be a fine margin and it could be that Covid-19 ends up levelling those steps to an unprecedented degree. David Raven, the former Liverpool defender who took on Tottenham Hotspur with Marine, who play two tiers below National League North Chorley, said before the weekend that this could be an FA Cup like no other. Raven predicted that the absence of fans at games, and the depletion of bigger clubs’ squads through injuries and players isolating, would lead to shocks. “If there was ever a time when there was going to be an upset, it will be now,” Raven said. That makes sense. You throw in other details, such as teams having to
change in Portakabins and bar areas, and the reduction in training and analysis time thanks to the incessant schedule, and to some extent all clubs, no matter how grand, are having a little professionalism sapped from them thanks to the pandemic. In the Premier League, there will be no 100-point season for an uberteam which blows the little guys away — instead, we are experiencing a campaign more like those from the 1980s and 1990s, when the champions would win with 70-odd points and anyone could beat anyone on a given day. The bookmakers called it at Victory Park. Chorley were the favourites. The hard truth of sport is that men usually do beat boys and, well coached by Jamie Vermiglio — himself assisted by a former Premier League footballer in Andy Preece — Chorley’s mature footballers of decent pedigree had far too much for the gauche under-18 and under-23 players Derby sent to fulfil the tie. The Covid outbreak that closed their training ground meant Derby’s first team and best fringe youngsters had to stay at home; likewise Wayne Rooney, their interim manager. The youngsters did not shy away from Chorley’s piledriver tackles and aerial barrage. But, without being unkind, the football odds say that in four or five years the majority of those Derby kids will be playing in the nonLeague too. So, in some senses, Chorley only had to beat younger, more naive, skinnier versions of themselves. That is not to take anything away from their triumph in reaching round four for the first time in the 138-year history of the club. Vermiglio usually plays more football but applied direct and physical tactics that were spot on. A turn by Elliot Newby and the volley from Tomlinson that struck the bar were as good, technically, as anything the kids from the Championship managed. Hall’s early header after a corner-kick routine, and Calveley’s late close-range finish, were wellworked goals. In the next round, Vermiglio wants Liverpool.
Coleman keeps faith in Everton ending trophy drought IAN WHITTELL
Everton
Tosun 9, Doucouré 93
For the Everton captain Seamus Coleman time may be slowly running down on an illustrious career, but the veteran still refuses to look further than one day ahead in his quest to end his playing days with silverware. Coleman’s club have a wellpublicised 26-year trophy drought hanging over them, one that dates back to Joe Royle lifting the FA Cup as manager in 1995. The 32-year-old defender has been at Goodison Park for 11 of those years and, to date, his only winner’s medal is the one he collected while on loan at Blackpool, for earning promotion to the Premier League in the 2010 play-offs. And while Everton marched on in this season’s FA Cup, an unconvincing extra-time win over struggling Sky Bet Championship opposition in Rotherham United was
Rotherham Olosunde 56
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After extra time RATINGS Everton (4–2-3-1): R Olsen 7 — S Coleman 7, B Godfrey 6, M Keane 6, L Digne 5 (Y Mina 66min, 6) — T Davies 5 (G Sigurdsson 66, 7), A Gomes 7 — A Iwobi 6 (A Doucouré 61, 6), J Rodriguez 6 (N Nkounkou 95, 6), A Gordon 6 (Bernard 61, 6) — C Tosun 8. Rotherham United (5-3-1-1) J Blackman 7 — M Olosunde 9 (B Jones 91), M Ihiekwe 7, R Wood 7, A MacDonald 6, W Harding 6 (T Clarke 83) — J Lindsay 6 (F Jozefzoon 76), D Barlaser 6, B Wiles 6 — M Crooks 7 (K Vassell 67, 6) — M Smith 7 (G Hirst 77). Booked Hirst. Referee S Attwell.
not a statement of intent by Carlo Ancelotti’s improving side — only one reason why Coleman refuses to look too far ahead. “Yeah, listen, I make people aware of the 26 years thing,” he said. “I’ve
been here 11 years as well. We had a talk at the start of the season when we discussed what we wanted, but I think the conclusion we came to was you can’t really think that far ahead. “We need to be the best that we can be every single day, be so competitive in every single game and just take one step a time. Because if you put all your energy into winning a cup from the start of the season and keep emphasising it, then you can take your eye off other things. “So I think we came to the conclusion of, every day, be the best that we can be in training, do things properly around the training ground. That is the bigger goal and that is what this club needs. “And that’s what this club will get — whether it’s with or without this current group of players. If it takes some time, I don’t know, but it will happen and we’ve all got to believe that. So ultimately, I know it may be boring, but we’ve just got to
Anthony Gordon of Everton cannot stop Rotherham goalscorer Olosunde
be the best we can be every day, we’ve got a manager who’s won things, and we’ve just got to believe in the process.” An extra-time goal from Abdoulaye Doucouré was required for Everton to advance into the fourth round after the former Manchester United youngster Matthew Olosunde had
deservedly cancelled out Cenk Tosun’s opener in the 90 minutes. It continued Everton’s involvement in the competition, although whether the football season will be able to proceed as normal, given the Covid-19 pandemic, is another issue. “From a player’s point of view, I want to do what’s right at all times,” Coleman said. “But I do know that so many — and you know if you’re involved in football, and you know football and have supported football all your life — so many people need it. “It’s been a tough, tough time for lots of people in the world right now and I’m sure the numbers on mental health have gone through the roof as well, because you’re being told what you can and can’t do until we get rid of this virus. “So I think football has to go on, to give people, the supporters of clubs, something to do, and something to look forward to.”
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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thegame Eze and Pardew see Fulham rule in west London
From villain to hero – with help of VAR
Fans may not have been able to watch Fulham defeat their London rivals Queens Park Rangers 2-0 but there were two familiar faces at Loftus Road. The former Premier League manager Alan Pardew, now the technical director at Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia, watched on, perhaps leaving the QPR manager Mark Warburton looking over his shoulder. Eberechi Eze, the former QPR winger who joined
Emile Smith Rowe became the first player to be given a red card before scoring in an FA Cup match. The 20-year-old was sent off by the referee Chris Kavanagh for a challenge on Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff, but after VAR recommended that the official review his decision on the pitchside monitor, it was downgraded to a yellow card.
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Chorley h groundsman slept on pitch to get game on
Shearer praise puts icing on cake for Hall
The unsung hero of Chorley’s 2-0 win over a Covidhit Derby County was the groundsman, Ben Kay. Jamie Vermiglio, the Chorley manager, revealed the game was in doubt on Friday night after one of the pitch heaters had blown. “I phoned groundsman Ben Kay, who said it was 50-50,” Vermiglio said. “I FaceTimed him again at
Saturday was a day to remember for Chorley’s Connor Hall. He scored a third FA Cup goal in three games as his side upset Derby County, and, to top it all off, he got a tweet from the Newcastle United legend Alan
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6am and someone else answered the phone and showed him fast asleep in the middle of the pitch. He’d slept here to make sure we got it on — it’s incredible really.”
12 For much of their FA Cup tie against Liverpool, Aston Villa’s youth players performed well beyond
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Air turns blue as minnows fall to Millwall There may have been no fans at Boreham Wood’s loss to Millwall but that did not stop bad language being a feature, much of it directed at the referee Benjamin
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Crystal Palace last summer, also watched the match from the directors’ box. It is understood Eze was a guest of QPR but his trip is to be investigated by the FA for possibly breaking Covid-19 rules.
Bournemouth beat Oldham Athletic 4-1, with Rodrigo Riquelme, below, on the scoresheet, making good use of an unexpected home advantage. The tie was originally scheduled for Boundary Park, but a frozen pitch meant the match was moved to the Vitality Stadium to avoid further fixture congestion. Coronavirus also made a big impact on Brentford’s win over Middlesbrough as the reserve-team coach Neil MacFarlane took charge for the London club after Thomas Frank tested positive for Covid, while Neil Warnock said his Middlesbrough squad were without half their players.
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Smith S ith Rowe then broke the deadlock with a 109thminute strike before PierreEmerick Aubameyang added another late on. VAR was used at nine of the 32 ties this weekend — those played at Premier League grounds.
Shearer. In his post-match interview, Hall, a lifelong Newcastle fan, expressed his desire to be drawn against the Tyneside club in the fourth round before tweeting Shearer. Newcastle lost 2-0 to Arsenal later in the day Shearer still but She responded: resp “Well done “W Connor. Co Brilliant B to today. Good luck lu in the next ne round and keep up the th good work.” wo
Cup stories you may have missed Bailly blocked from carrying on after taking knee to head
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Kids are all right for Villa – but it’s still just a minibus home
B Bournemouth seize bonus s b bestowed by ffrozen pitch
Eric Bailly is a determined type. Shortly after being
Wycombe enjoy break from league struggles
Maxwell makes heroic return for Blackpool Chris Maxwell missed the festive period after testing positive for coronavirus but the goalkeeper was the shootout hero in his first game back as Sky Bet League One side Blackpool upset
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Wycombe Wanderers sit bottom of the Sky Bet Championship having won only three league games this season but they upset Preston North End, who are 12th in the same division, with a 4-1 thrashing at Adams Park. Wycombe raced into a 3-0 lead after 25 minutes through Fred Onyedinma, Joe Jacobson and Josh Knight, before Alex Samuel sealed the win on 82 minutes.
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21 games, 183 days – at llast United win A glimmer of hope for Sheffield United after a torrid six months. They suffered 21 winless games in all competitions since beating Chelsea 3-0 in July, but 183 days later United were finally victorious again with Bristol Rovers on the end of a 3-2 defeat on Saturday. Jayden Bogle, above, rounded off a slick team
goal to secure Chris Wilder’s 100th win as United manager. His side sit bottom of the Premier League but he will be hoping the win kickstarts a return to their form from last season.
West Bromwich Albion. Maxwell saved penalties from Kyle Edwards, Darnell Furlong and Matheus Pereira to win the shoot-out 3-2. The game finished 2-2 after extra time. Maxwell said: “It was awful. I was lying in bed for three days and felt really lethargic. It was tough but it’s nice to be back and to contribute like I did.”
American dream almost gets off to a nightmare start
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their tender years before eventually succumbing to a 4-1 defeat. But after the match they looked like any other group of teenagers, as Villa tweeted an image of some of the squad outside their minibus, clutching their boots, Liverpool shirts and boxes of Domino’s pizza.
Speedie, who soaked it up like a sponge. The worst offenders were the Boreham Wood players, who violently protested almost every decision. Observers in the tiny press box at Meadow Park were informed that BT Sport’s commentators had stopped apologising for the foul language, given it was so incessant.
ushered off by Manchester United’s medical staff after being accidentally kneed in the head by Dean Henderson, the centre back tried to return to the pitch. United’s doctors pointed him towards the tunnel instead and Harry Maguire came on in his place.
Burnley required a 94th-minute equaliser and a penalty shoot-out to squeeze past League One’s Milton Keynes Dons in their first game since the American businessman
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Alan Pace’s takeover. Pace was unable to attend the game after a member of his household tested positive for coronavirus but he watched from home as Matej Vydra stabbed home to force extra time. Vydra then missed his kick in the shoot-out before the debutant goalkeeper, Will Norris, saved two penalties, from Lasse Sorensen and Ben Gladwin.
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Monday January 11 2021 | the times
thegame ACTION IMAGES/REUTERS
‘Mr Stockport County’ hopes history will repeat itself ADAM LANIGAN Jim Gannon is Mr Stockport County, representing the past, present and future of this famous club. And it is fitting that he will be there as manager as they are back in the big time tonight, welcoming Premier League West Ham United to Edgeley Park in the last of the FA Cup third-round ties. Gannon was a player the previous time the two clubs met, in a League Cup fifth-round replay in December 1996, as Stockport belied their status in what was then Division Two to upset Harry Redknapp’s West Ham side, with a little help from a spectacular Iain Dowie own goal. That was all part of a glorious decade in Gannon and Stockport’s fortunes, which involved four Wembley appearances, two promotions, a League Cup semi-final and finishing eighth in what is now the Championship in their first year at that level in 1998. Somehow it was only fitting that Gannon, born in London to Irish parents, would end up back at Stockport as manager. And last Saturday he celebrated his 500th game in charge — spread across three spells — in the 2-2 National League draw with Altrincham. Those spells have encompassed highs and major lows. He got them promoted to League One in 2008 but
when he returned in 2011, the rot had set in, and the club had fallen out of the Football League. When he was sacked in January 2013 they were heading out of the Conference. Gannon came back to “his club” three years later, with Stockport stuck in National League North. Other former EFL regulars such as Chester City, York City and Darlington joined them, but none of those teams had beaten Manchester City three times in the league in the space of five years, as Stockport had done. Promotion was secured two years ago, but perhaps more importantly new ownership came in last January. All debts were cleared by Mark Stott and the club went full-time again. Now fourth in the National League, the ambition is an immediate return to the EFL. And Gannon is determined to be the man at the helm to deliver it. “I can tell the players that I’ve lived the vision there is now,” he says. “I came in League Two when we were mid-table and Gannon’s in his third reign at Stockport
Stockport upset West Ham in a fifth-round League Cup replay back in 1996 courtesy of an unfortunate Dowie own goal
I got to play regularly in the Championship. Half of my games were against top sides in the Championship. “I wasn’t shocked to see where the club was when I came back. They had their problems and they found it very difficult to compete effectively in a very competitive environment. “The lament was that we had dropped so far, we had gone part-time and we were [parttime] until last year. “I was very fortunate that Mark Stott and the new owners
GAME IN NUMBERS
Bill Edgar on inconsistent Leeds and Chorley’s mirroring of Spurs Results on Paper In FA Cup and league matches this season eighth-tier Cray Valley Paper Mills beat Maidenhead United, who beat Dagenham & Redbridge, who beat Grimsby Town, who beat Crawley Town, who yesterday beat Leeds United, who beat Aston Villa, who won 7-2 against Liverpool, the club world champions. In Leeds’s past two games they have scored none and conceded six goals to six different players (lost 3-0 to Crawley and Tottenham Hotspur); in their previous two matches they had conceded none and scored six goals via six different players (beat West Bromwich Albion 5-0 and Burnley 1-0). In FA Cup third-round ties 11 years apart Leeds have beaten Red Devils two divisions above them (Manchester United) and lost to Red Devils three levels below them (Crawley). Crawley are the first fourth-tier
team to beat top-flight opponents by three goals in the FA Cup since 1987; in the first round this season they became the first to win in the FA Cup proper rounds despite conceding five when they won 6-5 away to Torquay United.
Chorley spurred on Chorley’s FA Cup campaign this season has matched Tottenham’s path to the Carabao Cup final in that they both received a bye before knocking out two former winners of that competition: Chorley have beaten Wigan Athletic and Derby County while Tottenham defeated Chelsea and Stoke City. Chairmen named Kenwright and Ken Wright progressed to the fourth round on Saturday lunchtime: Everton’s Bill Kenwright and Chorley’s Ken Wright. The sixth-tier Magpies (Chorley) have advanced farther in the FA Cup than the Premier
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RODGERS A FANTASTIC FOX
came in and they are gearing us up for what we need to be successful at this and many other levels. Everyone is seeing the signs of progress. “We’ve gone full-time, we’ve signed quality players and we’re making changes to the stadium. We’re starting to look like a Football League club. “What we need to do now is make sure we get the results that will bring that. Where we are in the league and what we’re doing in this cup run is a sign of the potential this group has to be successful.” Gannon moved to Stockport from Sheffield United in 1990, and has lived in the area ever since. Located only a few miles from Manchester, it often feels like a feeder town for its much larger neighbour. But what gives Stockport a real identity is its football club, and that has suffered during its fall from grace over the past decade. Gannon understands all this intimately and it is why he takes his
KICK OFF: 8.00PM TV: BT Sport 1
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Mersey maulings
Leicester City’s 4-0 win away to Stoke City consolidated Brendan Rodgers’ remarkable record as manager Leicester managers with most points per game:* Top flight Cups Brendan Rodgers (2019-) Craig Levein (2004-06) 1.71 2.20 Claudio Ranieri (2015-17) Brendan Rodgers (2019-) 1.62 2.11 Brian Little (1991-94) Craig Shakespeare (2017) 1.49 2.00 Willie Orr (1926-32) Martin O’Neill (1995-2000) 1.48 1.96 Craig Shakespeare (2017) Bryan Hamilton (1986-87) 1.38 1.90 Matt Gillies (1958-68) Mark McGhee (1994-95) 1.35 1.86 Johnny Duncan (1946-49) *Assumes 3pts for win throughout. Managed at least 4 cup matches. Penalty shoot-out win/defeat counts as win/defeat, 1.83 not a draw
League Magpies (Newcastle United). Newcastle have failed in their past 157 attempts to win a major trophy since their Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
role as custodian of the team’s fortunes so seriously. “Since I came and bought a house in Edgeley, I’ve lived in and around here for most of my adult life,” he says. “You can’t help but be affected by the town and the people. “They love Stockport County and you can’t help but fall in love with the club. Then, as you work, you make friends and connections that are so strong. “As a leader, you have a strong responsibility for the emotion and the success of the club. I’ve always taken that responsibility heavily. “I’ve always tried to do my best to make it a healthy, vibrant and successful football club, and one that represents the town. “I’m very proud to be responsible for the direction the club is going in and to represent them through matches like this one.”
triumph in 1969: 39 top-flight seasons, 52 FA Cup and League Cup campaigns and 14 European campaigns.
For the second time in the past three FA Cup third rounds Tottenham scored four goals in less than 20 minutes on Merseyside — away to Tranmere Rovers in 2019 and Marine yesterday. After one match Tottenham’s goal difference is already better in the FA Cup than the Carabao Cup this season, despite reaching the final of the latter.
Pulling up Gabriel Martinelli became the fifth Arsenal player in the past 13 months to be replaced after suffering injury in the warm-up. West Bromwich Albion, beaten by Blackpool in a shoot-out, are the first top-flight team to be knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup by lowerdivision teams on penalties in the same season – they lost to Brentford in the Carabao Cup.
the times | Monday January 11 2021
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Is there light at the end of Sunderland’s long tunnel? God knows, they need it ALEX DODD/CAMERASPORT/GETTY IMAGES
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’s impending takeover is cause for optimism, writes Martin Hardy It did not feel momentous as Lee Johnson, the Sunderland manager, stood pitchside at about 10pm on Saturday. “It’s time to show our might,” he said, but he was talking about the disappointment of a draw with Hull City that left the club in tenth place in Sky Bet League One. It was not mentioned that it is likely to be the final league game at the Stadium of Light of Stewart Donald’s tenure. That a sixth owner in the past five decades, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, should have completed a £30 million takeover of the club by the time they next take the field felt like a significant moment for the club. It is thought the 23-year-old could have purchased a 59 per cent shareholding by this weekend’s game against AFC Wimbledon. Darkness before the dawn and all of that, for this is a football club in desperate need of a change of direction. It will give Louis-Dreyfus enough of a holding for control, something he was encouraged to do once the seriousness of his interest became clear. For Donald and Charlie Methven, the sands of time on their sojourn into the North East will not quite run through, as they will retain a shareholding of about 20 per cent between them, but the spotlight, at least, will pass. Their chapter, another chaotic and unsuccessful one in the history of the club, is done. Donald was at Sunderland’s game away to Northampton Town on January 2, a dreary affair that finished goalless, a sharp contrast to the drama of the two Wembley defeats during their regime, a sure-fire sign that the party was over. If there is a positive to take from their legacy it is in the visual spectacle of updating the muchmocked sun-washed pink seats inside the Stadium of Light, but even that was ultimately done by the club’s supporters. Ha’way the Lads, the Wearside spelling of the region’s phrase, is emblazoned in huge white letters on seats at the North Stand of the stadium. On Saturday half-covering the “L” was a flag with an old Sunderland badge, used until the club left Roker Park. It shows a ship fording the River Wear, a nod to the city’s past reliance on the shipyards. A football club’s geography and history will always matter and before kick-off both teams stood around the centre circle and bowed their heads for a solemn minute’s silence, a moving, annual tradition at Sunderland at the start of each year, to honour those fans who died during the previous 12 months. There was no match programme, so no list of those whose lives had come to an end after providing the heartbeat for a football club while they were alive. The absence of supporters has given each football ground in the country a dejected and ghostly feel, but the sight of the Colliery Tavern,
Sunderland drew 1-1 with Hull City on Saturday to put them tenth in the League One table, three points off the play-offs S
23-year-old Louis-Dreyfus’s father, Robert, used to own Marseilles
the public house at the roundabout that leads to the ground — and one in which Methven and Donald would drink with supporters in happier times — with every window boarded up felt representative of the closure the club has felt. It was sobering. Beside that is Black Cat House, the one-time epicentre of a vibrant, money-turning Premier League football club. Netflix took over a floor there during the second series of Sunderland ’Til I Die, but there is not a third season under way yet, nothing to follow Martin Bain’s obliviousness to the disaster unfolding on his watch or Methven’s pitchside rants about getting the exact attendances for a Boxing Day fixture. Watching in France was the young son of Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the former majority shareholder of Marseilles. In an interview with L’Equipe at the end of December, Dreyfus namechecked the figures that Methven pushed. Sunderland, in their
s second season in the third tier of E English football (the first was in 11987), kept an average attendance o more than 30,000. For someone of w who spent his youth in the passion o of the Stade Vélodrome, a chord w was struck. “The fervour of the p people is reminiscent of that of M Marseilles,” Dreyfus said in that in interview. “In division three [L [League One], before the health ccrisis, there were more spectators o on average [nearly 32,000] than in h half of the Premier League clubs. “You can’t buy this! In cities li like Zurich, Monaco, nobody is in interested in football, it limits the p possibilities of expansion.” It is thanks to Monaco, however, that Sunderland can begin to believe their direction of travel may change. Juan Sartori, a Uruguayan politician and businessman, took a 20 per cent shareholding in Sunderland after Donald had taken control in 2018. It would later emerge he had paid only £1 for a fifth of the club, but its importance will only be realised through what happens next. Sartori’s father-in-law, Dmitry Rybolovlev, owns Monaco. Kyril’s mother, Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, is also Russian, and became chairwoman of the Louis Dreyfus Group in 2009 after the death of her husband from leukaemia. (LDC, formed in 1851, is one of the world’s biggest traders of agricultural commodities with sales of $33.6 billion, about £24 billion, in 2019). It is said that Sartori and Louis-Dreyfus know each other well. Margarita’s son Kyril, who has a twin brother, Maurice, took to football in his youth. He did work experience at Marseilles’ training ground and in 2017 began a degree in football at the Leeds Beckett Headingley Campus.
When his mother sold Marseilles in 2016 to Frank McCourt, a 5 per cent holding was retained for Kyril. “Following the sale of Marseilles, I stuck to one idea: we don’t do anything in football anymore, it’s a rotten business,” he said in L’Equipe. “But Sunderland is a special project, really. The potential is in England. At Marseilles, we didn’t have the Vélodrome, which caused us a lot of problems; Sunderland owns its stadium, with the country’s seventhbiggest capacity.”
‘The fervour of the people is reminiscent of that of Marseilles’ It is still hard not to be impressed by the grand entrance to the Stadium of Light on a night game, as on Saturday. Premier Passions was Sunderland’s first foray into the world of fly-on-the-wall television in the 1996-97 season and it showed Sir Bob Murray, the owner at the time, agonising over every detail of the new ground as it was being built. That vision to leave something tangible will always offer potentially better days for the club. The stadium and training ground both need some TLC, but they are of Premier League standard, and a club with many staff still furloughed will need the Donald bought the club from Ellis Short in 2018
injection of ideas, enthusiasm and ultimately finance that the young Louis-Dreyfus — with trust funds said to be worth more than £2 billion — can offer. The Times understands that the total valuation of the club in his purchase will be about £30 million, with an £11 million loan repaid to FPP Sunderland Limited. The EFL owners’ and directors’ test is expected to be passed this week. It is unknown precisely how much Donald will make from a club he has sought buyers and investors for pretty much from the moment he took over. It was interesting to see LouisDreyfus rail against excessive spending at Marseilles. As Johnson quietly admitted after a fourth draw in six games, the £2.5 million annual salary cap in League One limits the options open to a new owner. It is instructive to note that the point gained came from the head of Aiden McGeady, who is 34, is paid about £20,000 a week and was only recently recalled from the wilderness. The appointment of Kristjaan Speakman — previously head of Birmingham City’s academy — as sporting director offers the first suggestion of a plan. Addressing the talent drain from the academy will be high up on his to-do list. The excitement was misplaced when Donald arrived. If they are weary on Wearside, it is understandable. But a fresh wind could be heading for the club’s sails, and it has never been more needed.
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Monday January 11 2021 | the times
MOLLY HUDSON Premier League The expert eye on the women’s game A week to remember for all the wrong reasons There should have been a full fixture list for the Women’s Super League this weekend after the winter break, but instead only one game was played; Reading v Chelsea. The week’s events were almost comical, players posting pictures of themselves holidaying in Dubai — some had travelled for “business” purposes — before several returned positive coronavirus results upon their arrival back in England. Manchester City and Arsenal’s games were cancelled as a result. To compound a miserable week for the FA, it was accused of double standards after Everton were able to postpone their match against Manchester United with five players now testing negative for coronavirus, but not fit enough to play, which, combined with other injuries, meant they only had 13 players. Birmingham City had only ten players after one positive test and a host of injuries, but were forced to announce they were unable to fulfil their fixture against Tottenham Hotspur after the FA rejected their request to postpone. An independent tribunal will now decide whether it can be rescheduled or if Tottenham will be awarded the points. Brighton & Hove Albion also postponed their match after an outbreak. Phil Neville is on the verge of leaving the FA without a Team GB women’s coach for this summer’s Olympics after being approached by David Beckham’s Inter Miami, and the next two rounds of the Women’s FA Cup could be decided by a coin toss, with only 23 teams classed as “elite” during lockdown. Perhaps it wasn’t a week to forget, but one to remember and learn from. Kirby shows class amid chaos In a week of such turbulence it was refreshing to see one of the world’s best players produce a display of clinical finishing as Fran Kirby scored four goals, including a perfect hat-trick, before Ji So-yun’s late finish, in Chelsea’s comfortable 5-0 victory away to Reading. The difficulties of the pandemic were not lost on Emma Hayes, the Chelsea manager, after her side were hit by a substantial outbreak of the virus shortly before Christmas, with the majority of the squad either testing positive or forced into isolation in mid-tolate December. Chelsea have had a number of fixtures postponed, which, combined with fighting in all competitions including the Champions League, will mean a congested fixture calendar, and Hayes urged teams to play where at all possible. “For teams that need to make sure they have more players on their squads — do your job, we’re a professional league, this is an elite status. If you don’t want the government to Kirby scored four goals in win over Reading
W
Chelsea boss Hayes has called on clubs to live up to their elite status
take that away from us then behave properly. Every single one of us, [Chelsea] included. “I’ve worked in women’s football a long time and my message to the clubs and to the FA is let’s not go through another week like we’ve just been through, let’s support each other and make sure that provisions are in place to make sure this league finishes, and if it means that we have to play with the academies, then so be it . . . we do whatever we can, because women’s football comes above every single one of us.” Harder aims higher at West Ham West Ham United’s new globetrotting manager Olli Harder is aiming high in his new role. The 34-year-old was seen as an outside-of-the-box hire as Matt Beard’s successor, having most recently been assistant manager at Sandnes Ulf, who play in the Norwegian men’s second division. “My mother and father are German so I’m first generation, essentially living in a German family and a New Zealand body,” Harder explained. “I’ve been in China, I’ve been in the US, I’ve been in Norway [and coached] men, women, college.” It is that experience and perspective that he identifies as his biggest strength, and which could prove key for a West Ham side who have underperformed given their talent, a mix of 13 nationalities who have struggled to gel together. “Sympathy, empathy, understanding and some experience of how it is to be a foreigner,” Harder described as his biggest strengths. “I understand how some of these players feel, I understand how it is to speak a different language.” West Ham at present sit tenth in the WSL, and were due to play Manchester City at the weekend before it was postponed. City would have been clear favourites, but Harder believes his team can compete with anyone in the league. “I think every club has to think like that if we’re going to push and progress the game forward, the women’s game as a whole. “It’s still young enough — there isn’t what you might call an established top three [or four]. “If we set ourselves with a low standard or a low bar, I think that’s doing a disservice to the women’s game,” he added.
1 W 2 W 3 Y 4 Y 5 Y 6 Z 7 Z 8 Z 9 W 10 Y 11 Z 12 Z 13 Y 14 Z 15 W 16 W 17 W 18 W 19 W 20
P
W
D
Liverpool................................................17 Man United............................................16 Leicester.................................................17 Tottenham.............................................16
7 4 3 4
1 2 1 2
Man City.................................................15 Southampton........................................17 Everton 16 Aston Villa..............................................15 Chelsea....................................................17 West Ham...............................................17 Arsenal....................................................17 Leeds........................................................17 Wolves.....................................................17 Crystal Palace.......................................17 Newcastle..............................................16 Burnley....................................................15 Brighton..................................................17 Fulham....................................................15 West Brom.............................................17 Sheffield United...................................17
4 5 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 0 1 1 0
2 1 1 1 3 3 1 2 3 3 2 1 5 3 2 1
HOME L
A
W
D
F
A
GD
Pts
0 3 4 2
21 12 11 13
8 13 12 8
2 6 7 4
5 1 1 3
2 0 1 1
16 21 20 16
13 11 9 7
16 9 10 14
33 33 32 29
1 3 3 3 2 2 4 3 2 3 4 3 4 4 6 7
14 14 15 15 19 12 9 13 9 11 10 5 10 6 5 4
7 9 12 11 11 10 11 13 8 15 15 7 15 12 24 12
4 3 5 5 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 1 2 1 0 0
3 4 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 1 2 3 3 2 3 1
1 1 2 2 3 3 4 5 5 4 3 4 3 4 5 8
10 12 11 14 13 12 11 17 9 11 8 4 11 7 6 4
6 10 8 5 10 11 8 20 16 14 11 13 13 11 15 17
11 7 6 13 11 3 1 -3 -6 -7 -8 -11 -7 -10 -28 -21
29 29 29 26 26 26 23 23 22 22 19 16 14 11 8 2
FA Cup third round Arsenal
2
Newcastle
0
Smith Rowe 109 Aubameyang 117 (aet; 0-0 after 90min)
Barnsley
Blackburn
2
Tranmere
0
0
1
Doncaster
2
West Brom
0
4
Brooks 43 Riquelme 49 King 74, 86
2
2
2
2
Millwall
1
Middlesbrough
1
Portsmouth
1
Sheffield United
MK Dons
4
Morecambe
2
Mansfield Town
1
1
0
2
Swansea Routledge 7 Gyökeres 50
0
4
Leicester Justin 34 Albrighton 59 Pérez 79 Barnes 81
Wycombe
4
Onyedinma 3 Jacobson 9 (pen) Knight 25 Samuel 82
1
Preston Riis Jakobsen 43 (pen)
THURSDAY Arsenal v Crystal Palace, Premier League, 8pm, Radio: talkSPORT, TV: Sky Sports Main Event Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who have won their past four in all competitions, host Roy Hodgson’s Palace, who can climb above their hosts with a win
Non-League, Scotland and Europe Hartlepool
3
King’s Lynn Town Sutton United
Derby
0
3
Leeds United
0
2
Rotherham
1
Sheffield Wed
2
Reach 27 Paterson 90
2
Crichlow 4 Rowe 32
Plymouth
3
Hardie 24 Pereira Camará 42 Edwards 70
1
Reading
0
3
Birmingham
0
Watford
0
Tottenham
5
Moncur 30 B Silva 8, 15 Foden 33
1
McTominay 5
0
Vinicius 24, 30, 37 Moura 32 Devine 60
FC Halifax Town
1
Mansell 51
2
Ajiboye 33 Olaofe 40
Altrincham
2
Mullarkey 16 Hampson 90+4
P W Torquay ...................... 17 12 Hartlepool..................17 9 Sutton United ........... 14 8 Stockport County....14 7 Altrincham.................18 6 FC Halifax...................17 6 Notts County.............14 7 Maidenhead .............14 7 Bromley......................14 6 Solihull Moors...........13 7 Boreham Wood........13 6 Woking........................16 6 Aldershot....................16 6 Wealdstone...............16 6 Eastleigh.....................13 5 Wrexham....................14 6 Chesterfield...............15 6 Dag & Red..................14 5 Yeovil...........................15 4 King’s Lynn Town...14 4 Weymouth.................16 2 Barnet..........................14 2 Dover Athletic..........10 2
D 2 3 3 3 6 5 2 2 4 1 3 3 3 3 5 2 1 3 5 3 3 3 0
L 3 5 3 4 6 6 5 5 4 5 4 7 7 7 3 6 8 6 6 7 11 9 8
F 38 26 25 22 20 28 19 21 23 18 16 20 22 23 21 17 26 11 20 18 17 11 6
A 17 19 16 16 21 21 13 21 17 13 10 18 22 33 15 16 20 14 24 31 31 35 25
GD 21 7 9 6 -1 7 6 0 6 5 6 2 0 -10 6 1 6 -3 -4 -13 -14 -24 -19
Pts 38 30 27 24 24 23 23 23 22 22 21 21 21 21 20 20 19 18 17 15 9 9 6
National League North AFC Telford United 0
Manchester United 1
1
Wealdstone Mendy 75
Kiwomya 38
2
Exeter
Marine
2
National League 0
McLaughlin 3
Olosunde 56
Manchester City
Fulham
0
Armstrong 34 Oates 54 Featherstone 58
Tosun 9 Doucouré 93 (aet; 1-1 after 90min)
Luton
0
3
Tsaroulla 50 Nadesan 53 Tunnicliffe 70
Huddersfield
Cardiff
1
Oldham
Hall 10 Calveley 84
Everton
1
Jerome 29
May 73 Boyle 110 (aet; 1-1 after 90min)
Crawley Town
QPR
Stoke
Mount 18, Werner 44, Hudson-Odoi 49, Havertz 85
Chorley
Nottingham Forest
Stevenage
(aet; 1-1 after 90min; Burnley won 4-3 on penalties)
Cheltenham
0
2
Day (og) 6 Burke 59 Bogle 63
Vydra 90+4
Chelsea
Coventry
TODAY Stockport v West Ham, FA Cup third round, 8pm, Radio: talkSPORT, TV: BT Sport 1 Stockport, who sit fourth in the fifth tier of English football, host West Ham in the final tie of the FA Cup third round. David Moyes was runner-up in this competition with Everton in 2009; tonight is Jim Gannon’s fourth attempt at thirdround success.
Johnson 45+1
Kilgour 21 Ehmer 62
Burnley
2
De Cordova-Reid 104 Kebano 105+3 (aet; 0-0 after 90min)
Folarin 48
Diedhiou 19 Martin 83
Bristol Rovers
Norwich
Bahamboula 45+1 (pen)
Dervisoglu 35 Ghoddos 64
Bristol City
March 90+1
Ajayi 52 Costa Pereira 80 (pen)
Zohore 31 Hutchinson 74
Brentford
1
Brighton
Taylor 3
(aet; 2-2 after 90min; Blackpool won 3-2 on penalties)
Bournemouth
1
McLean 6 Hugill 7
Yates 40 Madine 66
Boreham Wood
Newport County
(aet; 1-1 after 90min; Brighton win 4-3 on penalties)
Richards 42
Blackpool
TV AND RADIO HIGHLIGHTS Webster (og) 90+6
Helik 59, Woodrow 90+5 (pen)
AWAY L
F
AFC Fylde
2
Hulme 28 Sampson 77
Gloucester City Marsh-Brown 29 McClure 64 Young 75
3
K’minster Harriers Freemantle 5 Austin 12
2
P W Gloucester City.........17 10 Chester FC ................. 16 8 AFC Fylde...................14 8 Kidderminster .......... 15 7 Brackley Town.........14 6 Boston United...........12 6 York..............................12 6 Spennymoor Town.13 5 Leamington...............14 4 Chorley........................14 5 Gateshead..................13 5 Farsley Celtic ............ 15 4 AFC Telford United.16 5 Hereford FC...............12 4 Southport...................14 4 Bradford (Park Av).14 4 Curzon Ashton.........16 4 Kettering Town........14 3 Darlington ................. 10 4 Guiseley......................14 3 Alfreton Town .......... 15 2 Blyth Spartans..........14 1
D L 4 3 3 5 3 3 4 4 6 2 4 2 4 2 5 3 7 3 4 5 3 5 6 5 3 8 5 3 4 6 4 6 4 8 6 5 1 5 3 8 6 7 3 10
F 35 29 23 24 20 19 21 18 20 15 16 18 16 18 16 22 17 21 17 17 15 10
A GD Pts 21 14 34 21 8 27 15 8 27 17 7 25 16 4 24 9 10 22 14 7 22 14 4 20 19 1 19 18 -3 19 15 1 18 23 -5 18 22 -6 18 16 2 17 19 -3 16 26 -4 16 25 -8 16 23 -2 15 10 7 13 21 -4 12 27 -12 12 36 -26 6
D 3 2 1 3 2 2 5 5 4 4 4 4 1 3 4 1 2 1 1 3 5
F 31 20 24 17 18 22 20 23 21 15 14 13 21 17 14 12 17 14 14 13 12
A GD Pts 16 15 30 13 7 29 20 4 28 7 10 27 13 5 23 13 9 20 12 8 20 17 6 20 14 7 16 15 0 16 15 -1 16 18 -5 16 29 -8 16 17 0 15 21 -7 13 20 -8 13 23 -6 11 22 -8 10 29 -15 10 20 -7 9 18 -6 8
National League South P W Dorking Wanderers 15 9 15 9 Dartford Hungerford Town...16 9 St Albans City............12 8 H’ton & Richmond...14 7 Havant & W’ville......10 6 Oxford City................13 5 Eastbourne Boro......13 5 Maidstone United.....11 4 Dulwich Hamlet ....... 12 4 Ebbsfleet United......12 4 Chippenham Town.13 4 Hemel Hempstead .14 5 Chelmsford City.......13 4 Concord Rangers.....12 3 Tonbridge Angels....12 4 Billericay Town.........12 3 Bath City.....................12 3 Braintree.....................13 3 Slough Town ............ 10 2 Welling........................10 1
Braintree Town Kiangebeni 27 Olomowewe 60
2
L 3 4 6 1 5 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 8 6 5 7 7 8 9 5 4
Dartford Dickson 83 (pen) Sent off: Barnum-Bobb
1
the times | Monday January 11 2021
1GG
15
KR
Sky Bet Championship P W D 4 Y 2 Swansea.....................23 7 4 Y 3 Bournemouth..........22 7 2 Z 4 Brentford...................22 5 5 Y 5 Reading......................23 7 0 Z 6 Watford......................22 8 2 Y 7 Middlesbrough ....... 22 7 2 Z 8 Stoke...........................23 5 3 Z 9 Barnsley.....................23 6 2 W10Bristol City................22 5 2 Y 11 Blackburn..................23 5 3 Z 12Preston.......................23 4 1 Z 13Huddersfield............23 7 1 Z 14Luton Town..............22 5 4 W 15Cardiff ........................ 22 4 2 Y 16Coventry....................23 4 5 Z 17Millwall ....................... 21 1 7 W 18Birmingham.............23 2 2 Y 19Nottingham Forest 23 3 4 Z20QPR ............................. 22 3 4 Y 21Sheffield Wed* ........ 23 4 5 Z22Derby..........................22 1 4 W23Rotherham...............20 3 2 W24Wycombe..................23 2 4 *Deducted six points
W 1 Norwich.....................23 7
HOME L F 1 15 1 15 1 20 1 18 4 16 1 20 1 15 4 17 3 14 4 10 3 18 7 10 4 17 2 15 5 18 2 12 3 9 8 8 4 10 4 11 3 9 6 5 5 12 6 8
A 8 5 8 11 12 9 4 17 11 10 12 13 11 11 14 13 12 21 11 13 8 14 12 14
W 7 5 4 6 5 2 3 4 4 5 4 6 2 3 4 2 4 3 2 1 2 3 1 1
D 1 3 6 3 4 5 4 5 2 1 2 1 3 2 3 3 3 6 3 5 2 3 2 2
AWAY L F 3 16 3 12 2 17 2 18 3 18 4 5 5 13 2 9 6 13 5 13 6 20 4 20 6 11 6 5 4 11 7 10 3 9 2 9 7 6 5 9 7 6 5 9 7 7 8 8
Sky Bet League One A 12 8 10 10 16 8 14 5 18 14 15 18 21 13 11 18 8 8 15 17 15 10 17 21
GD Pts 11 47 14 43 19 41 15 41 6 40 8 37 10 36 4 35 -2 34 -1 33 11 32 -1 32 -4 31 -4 30 4 29 -9 26 -2 25 -12 23 -10 22 -10 21 -8 19 -10 19 -10 16 -19 15
TOP SCORERS
HOME L F 4 17 3 10 3 14 2 19 1 20 1 9 3 14 4 14 3 17 3 10 2 16 3 14 3 11 6 10 3 19 2 14 3 11 5 10 6 8 5 14 4 10 6 13 5 12 7 17
P W 6 6 4 6 6 Y 6 Accrington Stanley.17 5 Z 7 Charlton....................20 4 Z 8 Ipswich.......................19 7 W 9 Crewe..........................21 6 Y10Sunderland ............... 19 3 Z 11 Fleetwood Town....20 5 W 12Oxford United.........20 4 W 13Blackpool..................20 5 W 14Gillingham.................21 4 W 15Plymouth...................21 7 W 16MK Dons.....................21 3 W 17Shrewsbury ............. 20 1 W 18Bristol Rovers .......... 18 3 W 19Northampton............21 3 W20AFC Wimbledon.....20 2 W 21Rochdale....................19 1 Y22Swindon ..................... 21 4 Z23Wigan.........................20 2 W24Burton Albion..........23 2
D 1 0 3 2 1 2 2 0 2 4 3 2 1 1 2 5 5 1 3 2 5 1 3 2
Gillingham 0 Burton Alb
1
W 1 Lincoln City...............21 W 2 Hull..............................20 W 3 Portsmouth..............19 W 4 Doncaster..................18 W 5 Peterborough..........19
Carter 33
2 Swindon
Ipswich
3
Jaiyesimi 16, 74, Twine 67
A 13 6 8 11 8 6 12 12 10 11 7 10 10 14 16 11 13 15 17 18 18 18 19 27
W 7 6 6 4 4 5 5 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 0 3 4 3 3 3 4 2 3 1
D 2 2 2 1 2 1 3 2 2 5 2 2 2 1 3 2 4 3 1 4 0 1 1 5
Rochdale Morley 47, Lund 60, 84
Sky Bet League Two
AWAY L F 1 15 3 22 1 18 3 13 5 10 3 16 3 15 3 11 5 11 0 14 5 12 5 16 6 9 5 13 6 9 6 12 3 10 3 10 5 11 4 11 5 16 7 15 6 9 6 12
A 5 13 7 9 12 11 12 10 14 4 11 17 13 13 21 14 12 12 19 15 15 25 16 23
GD Pts 14 42 13 38 17 35 12 33 10 33 8 33 5 32 3 32 4 31 9 30 10 29 3 28 -3 27 -4 26 -9 26 1 25 -4 24 -7 22 -17 22 -8 21 -7 20 -15 20 -14 19 -21 16
3 Crewe
3
Dale 23, Finney 6, 35
Sunderland 1 Hull City
P W D 1 1 Y 3 Cambridge United.22 7 3 Z 4 Forest Grn Rovers.. 21 5 3 Z 5 Cheltenham .............. 21 5 3 W 6 Crawley Town.........22 5 3 W 7 Morecambe.............20 5 3 W 8 Salford City ............... 21 5 6 W 9 Leyton Orient..........22 6 2 W10Exeter City.................19 6 1 W 11 Walsall........................22 5 3 W 12Colchester ................. 21 6 3 Y 13Port Vale....................23 4 3 Z 14Tranmere..................20 4 0 Z 15Oldham.......................21 2 1 Y 16Mansfield Town......22 2 6 Z 17Bolton..........................21 3 2 Z 18Harrogate Town......21 1 3 Z 19Bradford.....................21 3 4 W20Scunthorpe................21 3 2 W 21Barrow ....................... 22 2 7 W22Stevenage................20 4 2 W23Grimsby Town.........23 2 3 W24Southend....................21 4 1
W 1 Carlisle........................21 8 W 2 Newport County....20 7
Cambridge 2 Harrogate Ironside 71, Hoolahan 81
1
Port Vale
3 Grimsby
Norwood 62, Judge 87
TOP SCORERS
TOP SCORERS
TOP ASSISTS
12 Clarke-Harris, right (P’boro) 12 Jephcott (Plymouth) 10 Pigott (AFC Wimbledon) 9 Marquis (Portsmouth) 9 Taylor (Oxford) 8 Camps (Fleetwood) 8 Hemmings (Burton A)
18 Mullin, right (Cambridge) 14 Johnson (Leyton Orient) 13 Watters (Crawley) 10 Jack Muldoon (Harrogate) 10 Vaughan (Tranmere) 9 Worrall (Port Vale)
Lincoln City 1 P’borough Scully 49
8 Olise (Reading) 6 Buendía (Norwich) 6 Elliott (Blackburn) 6 Mbeumo (Brentford) 5 Brooks (Bournemouth) 5 Campbell (Stoke City) 5 Jensen (Brentford) 5 Martin (Bristol C) 5 Mbenza (Huddersfield) 5 Ojo (Cardiff) 5 Toffolo (Huddersfield)
Burke 13
1
Eyoma 10 (og)
72 Allsop (Wycombe) 65 Begovic (Bournemouth) 65 Samba (Notts For) 61 Dieng (Queens Park Rangers) 60 Bentley (Bristol C) 57 Etheridge (Birmingham) 57 Smithies (Cardiff)
W 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 4 4 2 2 1 4 4 6 3 4 6 3 4 2 0 3 1
Southend
D 2 4 1 4 2 4 1 0 1 6 6 5 1 4 2 5 3 1 2 0 1 6 2 3
AWAY L F 5 9 3 16 5 16 2 14 3 13 4 15 4 14 6 10 6 13 1 18 2 14 5 10 6 17 3 12 2 19 2 12 3 14 5 15 5 10 7 12 8 11 4 6 7 11 6 3
A 9 11 10 9 9 17 17 10 15 16 16 19 19 16 17 11 17 13 14 15 16 14 22 17
1 Barrow
GD Pts 12 39 10 38 14 37 9 37 9 35 6 34 -3 34 11 33 6 33 14 31 -3 30 -2 29 -1 28 -2 28 -4 27 0 26 -8 26 -4 25 -5 24 -10 23 -3 20 -6 20 -21 20 -19 19
0
Hackett-Fairchild 3
0
Rodney 15, Waterfall 60 (og), Brisley 8
7 Bahamboula (Oldham) 7 Guy (Carlisle) 7 Twine (Newport C) 5 Charsley (Mansfield) 5 Harriott (Colchester) 5 Hoolahan (Cambridge) 5 Knoyle (Cambridge) 5 Martin (Harrogate Town)
8 Honeyman (Hull City) 6 Sims (Doncaster) 6 Ward (P’boro) 5 Elder (Hull City) 5 Grant (Lincoln) 5 Grant (Plymouth) 5 Powell (Burton A)
69 Lawlor (Oldham)
TOP SAVES
TOP SAVES
77 Jones (Wigan) 62 Amos (Charlton) 62 Michael Cooper (Plymouth) 57 Bonham (Gillingham) 57 Palmer (Lincoln)
16
A 11 10 11 9 12 11 13 7 11 10 14 10 14 9 20 17 16 13 11 17 16 8 18 16
TOP ASSISTS
TOP ASSISTS
TOP SAVES
1
Muldoon 10
16 Armstrong (Blackburn) 16 Toney, right (Brentford) 13 Lucas João (Reading) 11 Pukki (Norwich) 9 Solanke (Bournemouth) 8 André Ayew (Swansea) 8 Lowe (Swansea) 8 Moore (Cardiff) 8 Woodrow (Barnsley)
McGeady 21
HOME L F 1 23 1 15 2 19 2 13 3 17 2 19 2 13 0 18 3 19 3 22 4 13 1 17 5 15 5 11 8 14 4 16 6 11 5 7 4 10 5 10 2 18 4 10 6 8 6 11
12
68 Gerken (Colchester) 66 Morris (Crawley) 64 O’Donnell (Bradford City) 63 Hladky (Salford City) 63 Stech (Mansfield)
18
Fixtures Dorking Wanderers 2
Hemel Hempstead
Kennedy 42 (pen) Rutherford 53
Lacey 41
Hungerford Town
2
Lewington 15 (og) Evans 57
Maidstone United
1
German Bundesliga 1
Rendell 74
Oxford City
0
Welling United
0
St Albans City
0
Chelmsford City
2
Sheringham 33 Morgan 42
Scottish Premiership 1 Rangers Aberdeen Kennedy 67
Kilmarnock
2
Morelos 32, 50 2
Hamilton Ac
0
Ross County
1
Kiltie 36, 63
Livingston
Lakin 28
1
McGrath 79 (pen) P Rangers......................23 Celtic............................19 Aberdeen....................21 Hibernian...................22 Livingston..................21 Dundee United.........22 Kilmarnock ............... 22 St. Mirren...................20 St. Johnstone............22 Motherwell.................21 Hamilton Ac..............22 Ross County..............23
Union Berlin 2 Wolfsburg 2; FSV Mainz 0 Eintracht Frankfurt 2; Bayer Leverkusen 1 Werder Bremen 1; Arminia Bielefeld 1 Hertha Berlin 0; Augsburg 1 Stuttgart 4; FC Schalke 4 Hoffenheim 0; RB Leipzig 1 Borussia Dortmund 3; Freiburg 5 FC Koln 0. Top half
W
D
L
F
Bayern Munich.........15 10 RB Leipzig..................15 9 Bayer Leverkusen...15 8 Borussia Dortmund 15 9 15 6 Union Berlin Wolfsburg .................. 15 6 Borussia M’bach ...... 15 6 Freiburg......................15 6 Eintracht Frankfurt.15 5
P
3 4 5 1 7 7 6 5 8
2 2 2 5 2 2 3 4 2
46 26 30 31 31 22 28 28 25
A GD Pts
24 12 15 19 20 17 24 24 23
22 14 15 12 11 5 4 4 2
33 31 29 28 25 25 24 23 23
Italian Serie A 3
Forrest 81, Robinson 9, Hamilton 90+1
St. Mirren
Saint-Germain 3 Brest 0; Reims 3 St Etienne 1; Rennes 2 Lyons 2.
Motherwell
1
Cole 27 W 21 13 11 10 9 6 7 6 4 4 5 4
D L F A GD Pts 2 0 59 6 53 65 4 2 45 15 30 43 6 4 28 20 8 39 6 6 30 23 7 36 3 9 28 27 1 30 8 8 17 27 -10 26 3 12 24 26 -2 24 5 9 16 23 -7 23 7 11 19 31 -12 19 6 11 18 32 -14 18 3 14 21 47 -26 18 5 14 14 42 -28 17
Dutch Eredivisie
Ajax 2 PSV 2; FC Emmen 1 FC Twente 4; FC Utrecht 2 FC Groningen 2; Heracles Almelo 0 Vitesse 2; PEC Zwolle 1 AZ 1; RKC Waalwijk 0 ADO Den Haag 1; Sparta Rotterdam 0 Feyenoord 2; VVV-Venlo 2 Willem II 1; Heerenveen 1 Fortuna Sittard 3.
French Ligue 1 Bordeaux 2 Lorient 1; Dijon 0 Marseille 0; Lens 0 Strasbourg 1; Metz 1 Nice 1; Monaco 3 Angers 0; Montpellier 1 Nantes 1; Nîmes 0 Lille 1; Paris
Benevento 1 Atalanta 4; Fiorentina 1 Cagliari 0; Genoa 2 Bologna 0; Juventus 3 Sassuolo 1; AC Milan 2 Torino 0; Parma 0 Lazio 2; Roma 2 Inter Milan 2; Udinese 1 Napoli 2; Verona 2 Crotone 1. Top half
W
D
L
F
A GD Pts
AC Milan......................17 12 Inter Milan .................17 11 Roma............................17 10 Juventus.....................16 9 Atalanta......................16 9 Napoli..........................16 10 Sassuolo......................17 8 Lazio.............................17 8 Verona.........................17 7 Benevento..................17 6
P
4 4 4 6 4 1 5 4 6 3
1 2 3 1 3 5 4 5 4 8
37 43 37 35 40 34 30 27 22 20
19 18 40 23 20 37 26 11 34 16 19 33 22 18 31 16 18 31 26 4 29 25 2 28 16 6 27 30 -10 21
Spanish La Liga
Atletico Madrid P Athletic Bilbao P; Cadiz 3 Alaves 1; Granada 0 Barcelona 4; Levante 2 Eibar 1; Osasuna 0 Real Madrid 0; Real Valladolid 0 Valencia 1; Seville 3 Real Sociedad 2. Top half
W
D
L
F
A GD Pts
Atletico Madrid........15 12 Real Madrid...............18 11 Barcelona...................18 10 Villarreal.....................18 8 Real Sociedad...........19 8 Seville..........................16 9 Granada .....................17 7 Celta Vigo...................18 6 Cadiz............................18 6 Levante.......................17 5
P
2 4 4 8 6 3 3 5 5 6
1 3 4 2 5 4 7 7 7 6
29 30 37 26 29 21 19 22 15 23
6 23 38 15 15 37 17 20 34 17 9 32 16 13 30 13 8 30 29 -10 24 28 -6 23 22 -7 23 24 -1 21
Today FA Cup third round Stockport County v West Ham United (8.0) Scottish Premiership Celtic v Hibernian (7.45) National League North Bradford (Park Avenue) v Boston United (7.45) Tomorrow Premier League Sheffield United v Newcastle United (6.0); Burnley v Manchester United (8.15); Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton (8.15). Scottish Premiership Dundee United v St Johnstone (6.30). Sky Bet Championship Luton Town v Queens Park Rangers (7.0); AFC Bournemouth v Millwall (7.45) Sky Bet League One Charlton Athletic v Rochdale (7.0) Sky Bet League Two Exeter City v Bolton Wanderers (7.0); Harrogate Town v Carlisle United (7.0); Scunthorpe United v Salford City (7.0). Vanarama National League Altrincham v King’s Lynn Town (7.0); FC Halifax Town v Hartlepool United (7.0); Torquay United v Solihull Moors (7.0); Barnet v Yeovil Town (7.45); Dover Athletic v Boreham Wood (7.45). National League North York City v AFC Fylde (7.0); Chorley v Leamington (7.45); Farsley Celtic v Darlington (7.45). National League South Braintree Town v Oxford City (7.45); Dartford v Billericay (7.45); Eastbourne Borough v Maidstone United (7.45); Ebbsfleet v Concord Rangers (7.45); Tonbridge Angels v Chippenham (7.45); Welling United v St Albans City (7.45).
Scottish Cup Arbroath v Falkirk (7.45); Dumbarton v Huntly (7.45); Elgin City v Ayr United (7.45); Formartine United v Annan Athletic (7.45); Keith v Clyde (7.45); Greenock Morton v Dunfermline (7.45); Partick Thistle v Cowdenbeath (7.45); Peterhead v Stenhousemuir (7.45); Stirling Albion v Raith Rovers (7.45); Buckie Thistle v Inverness Caledonian Thistle (8.0). Wednesday Premier League Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion (6.0); Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (8.15). Scottish Premiership Livingston v Aberdeen (7.45). Sky Bet Championship Brentford v Bristol City (7.0) Sky Bet League Two Oldham Athletic v Mansfield Town (7.45). Thursday Premier League Arsenal v Crystal Palace (8.0). Friday Premier League Fulham v Chelsea (8.0) Scottish Premiership Greenock Morton v Dunfermline (7.45). Saturday Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Bromwich Albion (12.30); Leeds United v Brighton & Hove Albion (3.0); West Ham United v Burnley (3.0); Aston Villa v Everton (5.30); Leicester City v Southampton (8.0) Scottish Premiership Celtic v Livingston (3.0); Hamilton Academical v Dundee United (3.0); Hibernian v Kilmarnock
(3.0); Ross County v Aberdeen (3.0); St Johnstone v St Mirren (3.0). Sky Bet Championship Middlesbrough v Birmingham City (12.30); Blackburn Rovers v Stoke City (3.0); AFC Bournemouth v Luton Town (3.0); Bristol City v Preston North End (3.0); Cardiff City v Norwich City (3.0); Coventry City v Sheffield Wednesday (3.0); Derby County v Rotherham United (3.0); Nottingham Forest v Millwall (3.0); Queens Park Rangers v Wycombe Wanderers (3.0); Reading v Brentford (3.0); Watford v Huddersfield Town (3.0); Barnsley v Swansea City (7.45). Sky Bet League One AFC Wimbledon v Sunderland (1.0); Accrington Stanley v Gillingham (3.0); Bristol Rovers v Charlton Athletic (3.0); Burton Albion v Ipswich Town (3.0); Fleetwood Town v Portsmouth (3.0); Hull City v Blackpool (3.0); Northampton Town v Oxford United (3.0); Peterborough United v Milton Keynes Dons (3.0); Plymouth Argyle v Crewe Alexandra (3.0); Rochdale v Wigan Athletic (3.0); Shrewsbury Town v Lincoln City (3.0); Swindon Town v Doncaster Rovers (3.0). Sky Bet League Two (all 3.0) Barrow v Scunthorpe United; Bolton Wanderers v Cheltenham Town; Bradford City v Crawley Town; Colchester United v Cambridge United; Forest Green Rovers v Port Vale; Grimsby Town v Southend United; Harrogate Town v Exeter City; Leyton Orient v Morecambe; Mansfield Town v Carlisle United; Newport County v Salford City; Stevenage v Tranmere Rovers; Walsall v Oldham Athletic.
FUNNY OLD GAME Comedian George Lewis reflects on the week’s action It looks like Phil Neville is going to become the new manager of David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Over there, they like showmanship. So, to endear himself to the locals, Phil should think about arriving with a bang, by performing a cover of Will Smith’s 1997 hit Welcome to Miami. Picture the scene: we’re on Miami beach, the beat kicks in and we hear: “Miami, uh, uh. Big P, bringin’ the heat”, but in a Mancunian accent. Neville walks into shot wearing board shorts, a waistcoat, and one of his England caps on backwards. He starts to rap: “Here I am in the place where I’ve come to show/ Miami how to play like this Neville bro/ Every day on the training ground, everybody working all day/ I’ll make them play OK/ So, we do a little jogging, then we sprint until/ You see us by the beach, runnin’ up a high hill/ It’s a standard drill and I think it’s brill/ Every time the players pass, they be like, “Hi Phil!”/ Can y’all feel me? All tie up your laces/ Let’s do some races. Put you through your paces/ Crosses, corners, workin’ on mistakes an’/ Cut out those burgers and shakes, man/ I only came to see how they’re playin’/ But when I saw the salary I wound up stayin’/ It’s the type of team I could spend a few years at/ Miami, the side’s alright, but where the beers at?/ Managing a team when the heat is on/ I learnt stuff from playing under Ferguson/ Welcome to Miami/ Bienvenidos a Miami/ It’s harder than it seems with a team like this/ Valencia? No, that was our kid / Welcome to Miami/ I’m going to Miami/ Yo, I heard the MLS ain’t nothin’ to mess with/ But I can’t see a thing on the wing, like Ryan Giggs/ Ladies half-dressed, he’d like this place/ And they be screamin’ out, “Phil, we love your win rate!”/ So, I’m thinkin’ I’ll recruit me somethin’ hot/ I can’t win anythin’ with the team I got/ Gonna teach them how to play like United do/ Not now, the way we did in ‘92/ My old mates are jealous, I’m the envy of Terry/ It’s better than Villa and warmer than Bury/ Yo, ain’t no city in the world this good/ And if you ask how I got the job, I smile and shrug. Miami.” Something like that should do the trick.
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THE LAST WORD Former referee Peter Walton tackles a talking point from the weekend’s action
European Football
Pep and the strange tale behind his absence from a WhatsApp group Back in the days when Europe had proper winter breaks, parts of Spain used the festive season to celebrate, through football, regional pride. In recent years the post-Christmas fixture list has conjured up all sorts of exotica: Andalucia against Zambia, the Basque Country versus Bolivia, or Catalonia taking on Argentina — friendlies that gathered as many of the best professionals native to their region as possible. The pandemic all but prohibited such fixtures this year — designed for flag-waving audiences, they are not made for empty stadiums — and besides, some of these state-of-origin matches have come to be regarded with suspicion from the seat of government in Madrid as alarming vehicles for pro-independence initiatives, especially in Catalonia. With stadiums empty, all the antisecessionists needed to worry about were inflammatory sports documentaries being watched during lockdown. Or so you may suppose, given the controversy generated by a brief segment in the hour-long retrospective about the playing career of Pep Guardiola broadcast last week on Spain’s Movistar+. Tócala Otra Vez, Pep — “Play it Again, Pep” — traces the rise of a driven, analytical footballer through interviews with the Manchester City manager and some pure-gold footage (highlights include 21-year-old Guardiola throwing some shapes on a dancefloor after his Barcelona had won the 1992 European Cup final). Most of the film, naturally, concerns Barça, where Guardiola, a Catalan, enrolled as a schoolboy and spent 11 years running the midfield, before what he describes as educative, post-peak spells in Italy, Qatar and Mexico. The story snags, slightly, on his greatest triumph as an international, at the Barcelona Olympics of 1992, when, in the jersey of Spain, he won the gold medal in the men’s tournament. That squad, which under Olympic rules was limited to under-23s, included a number of players set for stardom. Luis Enrique, now the national team’s head coach, was in it, as was the striker Alfonso Pérez, both later team-mates of Guardiola’s for Barcelona and the senior Spain team. Santi Cañizares, the extroverted former goalkeeper, was at those Games. He is now a ubiquitous television and radio pundit, whom Guardiola, with a smile, directly addresses in the documentary. “In those Olympics, we formed a really special group,” Guardiola recalls to camera, “and I know they get together via WhatsApp. Cañizares, I’m sorry, but you didn’t invite me! And it’s not that I don’t want to be involved.” Guardiola wonders if he has been excluded for political reasons, for very conspicuously voicing his support for Catalonia’s right to vote on independence from Spain. “The great Alfonso and Cañizares, who were friends in that time, are
Monday January 11 2021 | the times
BOB THOMAS
Guardiola shoots during the 1992 Olympic final against Poland, which hi h Spain S i won 3-2 32 to take gold — but the City manager said he had been shunned by his old team-mates
very critical that I played in the Spain national team,” Guardiola says in the documentary, taking the opportunity to add, for the record: “I love Catalonia, my country, but I have a huge affection for Spain. I’m much closer to Spain than anywhere else in the world.” It is a straightforward remark, but this being Guardiola, and this being the fractious overlap of Catalonia and Spain, it generated headlines. Cañizares was on air within hours, to answer back. Yes, he agreed, he had criticised Guardiola when, in the aftermath of a 2017 referendum on Catalan independence declared illegal by the Spanish government, several political leaders from Catalonia were imprisoned, and Guardiola took up a very public platform to describe Spain’s “drift towards authoritarianism”. “When he said Spain was an oppressive state, Alfonso and I reminded him he had worn the jersey of the ‘oppressive state,’ ” Cañizares told COPE radio. “That offends me, as a Spaniard, and I said so.” Others have spoken with sharper tongue. One COPE colleague of Cañizares, the journalist Paco González, called Guardiola a “lickspittle for sheikhs”, comparing Guardiola’s relationship with Qatar — where he played, and whose bid to host the 2022 World Cup he backed in spite of widespread evidence of abuses of workers’ rights — with his descriptions of authoritarian Spain. Guardiola has not been shunned by his Olympic cohort, insists Cañizares. “I noticed he wasn’t in the WhatsApp group, and that’s a pity but I assumed that being manager of Manchester City, he’s got more important things to do,”
Cañizares said. “Anyway, I couldn’t invite him because I’m not the administrator of the group, and I don’t have his mobile number.” More importantly, Cañizares continued, he has no grudge. “Nobody should read into this WhatsApp group anything political. But unfortunately, we’re in a society where everything gets radicalised, and told back-to-front.” To which end, Cañizares cast his mind back to the 1992 Olympics to tell everything in its proper order. He recalled a summer when unity trumped division across the capital of Catalonia and a group of young athletes had plenty of time to learn about their differences, and did so in a convivial spirit. “We spent 40 days together as a squad and we could all sit down with one another, at ease, and express our political theories. It was a time when Catalonia was full of Spanish flags, and the whole of Spain was proud of the Barcelona Olympics.” And yes, remembers Cañizares, “Guardiola had the same idea of the state that he does now. There’s no issue with his saying he loves Catalonia, that it’s his country. But what makes me happy now is to hear him say he feels affection for Spain.” He looks forward to telling that to Guardiola. “I’m sure if I met up with Pep, we’d talk in just the way we did in 1992.” Perhaps they will, face to face, next year. A number of reunions are planned around the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Olympics. Nobody imagines the capital of Catalonia filling up with Spain flags, but the men’s football gold medallists may just expand their WhatsApp group, in the name of rapprochement.
Should referees be able to punish players for hugs after scoring? There have been calls for football to tighten its coronavirus protocols, with cases rising quickly across the country, and fixtures being postponed because of outbreaks at clubs. Players have been warned not to hug each other when celebrating goals, but this particular guideline is proving tricky to police. Should on-field referees get involved in stopping these celebrations? At the moment there is nothing in the laws of the game that provides referees with the power to discipline goal celebrations unless they are deemed “excessive”. When a player removes their shirt to reveal a message, for example, that is considered excessive and the individual is shown a yellow card. The Premier League, as a competition, could define “excessive” to include hugging. They would need to get clearance from Ifab, football’s lawmakers, as they have already done with the handball law this season. While referees could warn or advise players about their celebrations, I would not want to see them start brandishing yellow cards. Adopting this approach would place a great deal of pressure on the match officials and would leave it open to the interpretation of only one person. We would have endless debates about what constitutes a hug. When football returned in June after the first lockdown, I was asked whether referees should police the regulations. Spitting was banned and I argued that it would be impossible and unrealistic for the referees and VAR to pick up every incident. To provide a more consistent approach, any sanctions for hugging should be decided by the Football Association, and not during the matches.
Timo Werner hugs Mason Mount after scoring for Chelsea
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