Times letters: Solar panels proposal for all new homes
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Government thinking on solar panels is flawed (“Solar panels on all new homes in net-zero push”, May 1). The most recent official data shows there were about 25.5 million dwellings in England in 2024 (source: gov.uk). Requiring new homes to be built with solar panels seems to be no more than a token gesture, akin to locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. A change in planning law to allow, by default, solar panel retrofitting, would have a much more significant impact. Making the cost of this deductible against future inheritance tax would encourage homeowners to install panels, and there would be no need to convert precious and attractive agricultural land into unwanted ugly solar panel farms.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 14:38 UTC
Russell Brand to Appear in Court on Rape and Sexual Assault Charges
The comedian and actor Russell Brand was scheduled on Friday to appear before a London court on multiple charges of sexual assault, including two counts of rape. His appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court will be the first, largely procedural, step in what are likely to be lengthy criminal proceedings. Brand with one count of rape, one of oral rape, two counts of sexual assault and another of indecent assault. Prosecutors said in a news release last month that the charges related to “reported nonrecent offenses between 1999 and 2005, involving four women.”Mr. Brand said that he had “never engaged in nonconsensual activity” and that he looked forward to defending himself in court.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 14:03 UTC
Prince Harry loses appeal over UK security, court says no unfair treatment
Prince Harry lost his appeal on Friday challenging the UK government’s decision to strip him of his publicly funded security after he stepped away from royal family duties and moved to the US.The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that a committee hadn't treated Harry unfairly when it decided to review his protection on a case-by-case basis each time he visits the UK.The ruling is likely to leave the Duke of Sussex with a large bill to pay the UK. government’s legal fees — in addition to his own lawyers’ costs.It wasn’t immediately clear if he would try to appeal to the UK supreme court, news agency AP reported.The ruling upheld a High Court judge’s decision last year that found that a “bespoke” plan for the Duke of Sussex’s security wasn’t unlawful, irrational or unjustified.Harry made a rare appearance for the two-day hearing last month as his lawyer argued that his life was in danger and the Royal and VIP Executive Committee had singled him out for inferior treatment.“There is a person sitting behind me who is being told he is getting a special bespoke process when he knows and has experienced a process that is manifestly inferior in every respect,” attorney Shaheed Fatima said. “His presence here and throughout this appeal is a potent illustration - were one needed - of how much this appeal means to him and his family.”A lawyer for the government said that Harry’s argument repeated his misconceived approach that failed in the lower court.“It involves a continued failure to see the wood for the trees, advancing propositions available only by reading small parts of the evidence, and now the judgment, out of context and ignoring the totality of the picture,” attorney James Eadie said.Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had stepped back from their official roles in the family in 2020, because they didn’t feel they were “being protected by the institution,” his lawyer said.After doing so, a Home Office committee ruled there was “no basis for publicly funded security support for the duke and duchess within Great Britain.”Harry claimed that he and his family are endangered when visiting his homeland because of hostility aimed at him and Meghan on social media and through relentless hounding by news media.Since he lost his government-sponsored protection, Harry faced at least two serious security threats, his lawyer said in court papers. Al-Qaida had published a document that said Harry’s assassination would please Muslims, and he and his wife were involved in a dangerous pursuit by paparazzi in New York.Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, has bucked royal family convention by taking the government and tabloid press to court, where he has a mixed record.He lost a related court case in which he sought permission to privately pay for a police detail when in the U.K. A judge denied that offer after a government lawyer argued officers shouldn’t be used as “private bodyguards for the wealthy.”But he won a significant victory at trial in 2023 against the publisher of the Daily Mirror when a judge found that phone hacking at the tabloid was “widespread and habitual.” He claimed a “monumental” victory in January when Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life for years, and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit.He has a similar case pending against the publisher of the Daily Mail.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 13:48 UTC
Interest rates are set to fall at their fastest since the financial crisis of 2008, experts say
Interest rates are set to decrease at their fastest rate since the 2008 financial crisis, economists have predicted. The decreases could result in rates falling by as much as one per cent over the next half a year. During the financial crisis, rates fell from 4.5 per cent in October 2008 to 0.5 per cent in March 2009. Barclays has reportedly said it anticipated rates to fall to 3.5 per cent by September. The bank, as well as HSBC and NatWest, have all cut mortgage rates this week by up to 0.25 percentage points.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 13:12 UTC
Watch: Why this UK man broke down after visiting his childhood home in India
Watch the video here:Some videos don’t need dramatic music or fancy editing to move people– just honesty. That’s exactly what happened when Ralph Leng , a man from the UK, shared a deeply personal moment on Instagram. After 16 years away, he returned to the home in India where he spent his childhood. His calm but touching reaction has now connected with people all over.In the video, Ralph is seen standing outside a house that clearly means a lot to him. Since then, he’s shared more updates from his trip– walking through familiar streets, joining local celebrations, and dancing in places he once knew.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 12:59 UTC
Early May Bank Holiday 2025 opening times LIVE: Tesco, Next, Asda, Aldi & other shops reveal opening hours
TROLLEY GOOD Early May Bank Holiday 2025 opening times LIVE: Tesco, Next, Asda, Aldi & other shops reveal opening hoursSHOPS across the country have started to reveal their opening hours ahead of the May Day Bank Holiday on Monday. Shoppers will need to check ahead before popping to the shops this bank holiday weekend. Some stores, including Asda will shut down to give their staff a break, while others will operate on reduced hours. While there's no mail on the Bank Holiday, Amazon packages might still be delivered. You can follow our live blog, below, for all all the latest updates ...
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 12:53 UTC
UK weather: hottest May 1 on record with temperature of 28C
The UK has had the hottest May 1 on record after temperatures climbed to 28C in Kew Gardens. Temperatures peaked at 29.3C at Kew Gardens in west London on Thursday, making it the hottest day of the year so far, according to the Met Office. Temperatures are expected to dip over the weekend, with much of the UK feeling noticeably cooler than in recent days. Petersfield Open Air Pool, Hampshire CHRIS GORMAN BIG LADDERWisteria Walk at RHS Wisley in Woking, Surrey ANDREW MATTHEWS/PACooling down in Greenwich Park, southeast London GEORGE CRACKNELL WRIGHTLast month was the sunniest April in the UK since records began in 1910. The month had 47 per cent more hours of
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 11:02 UTC
Local election 2025 results in maps and charts
The Reform party has taken control of many county councils and has made sweeping gains across England, adding to overnight wins in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election and the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty. Votes are still being counted in the race for 1,600 council seats throughout England in what is a very good set of results for the party — and bad news for Labour and the Conservatives. Reform has made huge gains across the country, while the Liberal Democrats have also performed well. Reform has taken control of seven county councils and the Liberal Democrats have been the only other party to win a council so far. Nine councils have been declared as having no overall control.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 09:28 UTC
Reform U.K. Wins Special Election in Runcorn by Just 6 Votes
Nigel Farage’s insurgent anti-immigration party, Reform U.K., scored a significant, if razor-thin, victory Friday in a parliamentary special election in the northwest of England. The result served notice that Mr. Farage, a populist fixture and close ally of President Trump, is again a rising force in British politics. Reform’s candidate, Sarah Pochin, won by just six votes over her Labour Party opponent, Karen Shore, in Runcorn and Helsby, seizing what had been a safe seat for Labour until the incumbent, Mike Amesbury, was forced to resign after being convicted of assault for punching one of his constituents. On a night of high drama, the outcome — the tightest in such an election in modern history — was so close that the vote had to be recounted, delaying the declaration of the result for hours. But the victory, by 12,645 votes to 12,639, was the start of what could be an impressive show of strength by Reform in mayoral and local council elections held Thursday across England.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 08:09 UTC
Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe ready to sell French club OGC Nice amid potential Saudi offers - Paper Talk
THE SUNSir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to sell French club OGC Nice with potential offers from Saudi Arabia, according to reports. Arsenal vowed to take the "strongest possible action" after a video emerged of a group of fans appearing to racially abuse Paris Saint-Germain players. DAILY MAILRiver Plate midfielder Franco Mastantuono has put Manchester United on notice after expressing his interest in joining Real Madrid. Spanish second division club Elche have banned the sale and consumption of sunflower seeds inside their stadium. DAILY TELEGRAPHNewcastle United hold a strong interest in signing Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo but are concerned about the asking price.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 07:33 UTC
Tom Cruise's secret to preparing for stunts: A massive breakfast
Picture Credit: FacebookHollywood action legend Tom Cruise shared his secret to preparing for thrilling aerial stunts - a "massive breakfast. "Los Angeles, May 2 (IANS) Hollywood action legend Tom Cruise shared his secret to preparing for thrilling aerial stunts - a "massive breakfast. "The star added: "I'll eat, like, sausage and almost a dozen eggs and bacon and toast and coffee and fluids. "Cruise tags the opening stunt to the 2015 flick as one of the least-safe stunts. "Luckily when you're flying jets you train for hypoxia and for carbon dioxide build-up.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 06:48 UTC
I'm 93 and I still work on the tills at Waitrose - they took me on when I was 80 and it stops me going bananas
He may be 93 but that's not stopping John Shipton from doing what he loves most: chatting to customers and keeping busy on the tills at Waitrose. After a career in electronics and later working for Exeter City Council, John didn't settle into retirement quietly. He said: 'They took me on when I was 80, which I thought was a bit remarkable.' When he broke his hip gardening, they paid him in full for the entire three months he took to recover. 'They're lovely people.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 05:57 UTC
Trans Women Banned From Competing in Women’s Soccer in England
Transgender women will be barred from playing for women’s soccer teams in England from June 1, the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in the country, said on Thursday. All public and private groups in Britain must now incorporate the ruling into their policies over separate spaces and services for different sexes, such as bathrooms. Its decision is part of a wider shift in global sports toward restricting trans women from taking part in women’s competitions, amid a fraught debate over gender, fairness and inclusiveness. In March, the World Athletics organization said it would require DNA sex tests for athletes competing in track and field, after banning trans athletes from women’s competitions in 2023. The world governing body for swimming, FINA, (now World Aquatics,) barred trans women from competing at the elite level in 2022.
Source:The Times
May 02, 2025 05:08 UTC
Interest rates ‘to fall at fastest rate since UK’s financial crisis’
Interest rates are on track to fall at their fastest rate since the financial crisis of 2008, economists have forecast, offering mortgage holders relief from years of high borrowing costs. The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates from 4.5 per cent to 4.25 per cent next week in the first of what is likely to be a series of back-to-back rate cuts, which could result in them falling by as much as one percentage point over the next six months. The rate cuts are set to bring the cost of borrowing down to below three per cent for the first time since October 2022. • Why the Bank of England’s interest rate cuts are at the mercy of TrumpHomeowners would benefit from cuts with lower monthly mortgage repayments ANTHONY DEVLIN/PAThe fall will
Source:The Times
May 01, 2025 23:58 UTC
100 years ago: Winston Churchill’s Budget
MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL’s Budget is, as he claims, a courageous attempt “to balance fairly the scales of social justice between one class and another”. The proposals for insurance and pensions are designed to give help where it is most needed, and assurance to the classes to whom uncertainty is the most insistent trouble. On the other hand, the income tax and super-tax relief are intended to release capital for investment, to stimulate industry and “thus incidentally to reduce unemployment”. It is not for us to enter into detailed criticism of the complicated proposals explained by Mr. Churchill with great lucidity in his Budget speech. Disraeli dished the Whigs, and, with his proposals for widows’ pensions and increased death duties, Mr. Churchill is, to some extent, dishing the Labour Party.
Source:The Times
May 01, 2025 23:35 UTC