Spectator Briefings
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How ExpressVPN can protect you from identity theft
Identity theft is a serious and growing problem in the UK, with more than 118,000 cases reported in the first six months of this year alone. Last year, the National Fraud Database logged the highest number of fraud cases on record, and identity theft made up the single biggest category – due in part to AI
We’re delivering a smoke-free future, today
At Philip Morris International, our mission is clear: to reduce smoking by replacing cigarettes with better smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. Learn more at PMI.com/Progress
How you could save money with ExpressVPN
Since the Online Safety Act came into force in the UK, there has been a surge in the popularity of VPNs, or virtual private networks. These offer a simple and legal way to browse the internet privately, safely and anonymously. But VPNs come with a host of surprising other advantages, too – from cheaper holidays
Backing British energy skills and jobs key to unlocking growth
What workforce is needed to deliver UK economic growth while meeting energy transition goals? A new training facility focuses on welding, engineering and other practical skills as part of a public and private sector joint investment in the UK energy workforce In Aberdeen, a state-of-the-art facility – which has just opened its doors to students
An education designed around the individual
Nestled in the heart of Dorset, Clayesmore has spent more than 130 years helping young people uncover what success means to them. Academic excellence is just one part of a wider educational journey that supports personal growth, confidence and self-belief. This is a school where everyone is known – not just by name, but for
An Elstree childhood
Set in 150 acres of idyllic West Berkshire countryside, Elstree is also home to childhood fun and adventure. The school nurtures a strong belief in ‘children remaining children’ for as long as they can. The school aims high for pupils and is proud of both outstanding Common Entrance results and an excellent Scholarship record. Pupils
How to browse privately in the age of the Online Safety Act with ExpressVPN
Browsing the internet just got a lot more complicated. On 25 July, the Online Safety Act came into force across the UK, requiring a range of websites to verify the age of their visitors. To do this, users are being asked to hand over valuable personal data – such as ID documents, credit card details
British innovation leads the charge against global plastic crisis
The numbers speak volumes: Around 400 million tons of plastic is produced annually, of which roughly a quarter goes into packaging. At the end of its life, 14 per cent of plastic packaging waste is collected for recycling, another 14 per cent gets incinerated and 40 per cent is landfilled. This leaves a stubborn 32
5 of the best wineries on the Gran Canaria Wine Route
Gran Canaria might not be the first place you think of when it comes to wine, but vines have been growing here since the Spanish colonised the island in the 15th century. Due to the island’s distinctive microclimate and volcanic soils, grapes grow incredibly well, and the Canarian archipelago lays claim to 18 unique grape varieties,
The hidden inefficiency of hydraulics: why we need a revolution
Hydraulics is one of the world’s unsung heroes. It’s everywhere, hidden in plain sight. From the brakes in your car to the planes in the sky and the cranes that built your office, hydraulics is the muscle behind modern life. Yet, despite its ubiquity, it has remained technologically stagnant for 70 years, operating at astonishingly
The importance of happiness in academic success
As Year 11 and Year 13 students across the country are readying themselves for this year’s public exams season, it is the ideal time to remind ourselves what education is about. I am very clear that a good education is partly judged around exam results, but is also about developing students’ character and skills, largely
Rooted in tradition, prepared for the future
For over a century, St Anthony’s School has been a cornerstone of Catholic preparatory education. Founded by Richard Patton in Eastbourne in 1892, the school relocated to its current site in Hampstead in the 1950s. Today, it continues to offer an exceptional educational journey, from its co-educational nursery (ages 2.5–4) to its academically rigorous preparatory
The Sherborne Difference
Last year, Sherborne Boys, Sherborne Girls, Sherborne Prep and Hanford Prep came together as the Sherborne Schools Group (SSG). It was a courageous move to secure the financial future of the schools and deliver an even better educational experience. For many years Sherborne Boys and Sherborne Girls have benefitted from a close relationship, underpinned by
Pioneering innovation: launching the world’s first graphene-enriched carbon fibre facility to advance vision 2030 and global innovation
As I reflect on the monumental achievement that we’ve reached with GIM GrapheneFibre, I am both humbled and energised by the possibilities this milestone brings. Together with our partners in Saudi Arabia, Organized Chaos, we have officially launched the world’s first commercial production of graphene-enriched carbon fibre – a groundbreaking leap that firmly places Saudi
How can we unlock longer working lives?
How do we get Britain back to work? Tackling our high rates of economic inactivity has been described by Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, as ‘the greatest employment challenge in a generation’. The challenge is indeed a serious one. Since the pandemic, the proportion of workers who are economically inactive
A perfectly modern education
Walking through Sherborne’s streets, it is clear there is something special about this gorgeous Dorset town. Routinely named in lists of the UK’s most beautiful places to live, it has a tangible air of history, with a glorious abbey standing at its heart. But it’s the two full-boarding senior schools and two local prep schools
Securing Britain’s energy on the pathway to net zero
There is no projection of the UK’s journey to net zero that does not include a role for gas for decades to come – and with a focus on clean power by 2030, there is a need to accelerate our transition to low-carbon gases. Today, gas accounts for almost half of the UK’s energy consumption
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The OBR on the Budget leak & why they’re always wrong
30 min listen
Tim Shipman sits down with Professor David Miles of the Office for Budget Responsibility the day after a Budget overshadowed by an extraordinary leak. David sets out what the OBR now believes about growth, headroom and productivity — and why the UK’s long-term prospects look weaker than hoped. He discusses the political choices behind back-loaded
Young people are fleeing Britain
Net migration has fallen to its lowest level in four years. Figures released this morning show that 204,000 more people arrived in the UK than left in the 12 months to June – a drop of more than two-thirds compared with the year before. The real story, though, is that inward migration remains close to
Reeves’s tax raid rocks Gibraltar
The Chancellor’s Budget may have gone down well with Labour backbenchers, but its ‘smorgasbord’ approach has managed to rather annoy a rather lot of people – including, it appears, those resident in Gibraltar. The gambling tax reforms announced by Rachel Reeves have sparked concerns about the impact these will have on the overseas territory. A
OBR chief offers to quit over Budget chaos
As if the Labour lot hadn’t leaked enough ahead of Rachel Reeves’s big Budget announcement, a slip-up at the OBR meant that the report the Chancellor was set to unveil became readily available, er, before she had made her speech. The OBR was quick to apologise over the leak and confirmed it had launched a
Why the ‘Gaza family’ weren’t entitled to asylum in Britain
The Court of Appeal has delivered a judgment on the so-called ‘Gaza family’ claim, which sparked such outrage at Prime Minister’s Questions back in February. The row related to a decision of the Upper Tribunal to allow a Palestinian family from Gaza, who had a relative living in the UK, to enter the country. The family had
Zack Polanski’s insane economics
When the ubiquitous Green party leader Zack Polanksi was on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show singing the praises of wealth taxes last month, he said something that got my spider-sense tingling: ‘This isn’t about creating public investment, we can do that anyway, we don’t need to tax the wealthy to do that.’ On