Friday April 15 2022 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73758

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Russia’s Black
Sea flagship
sinks after
‘direct hits’
Charlie Parker, Larisa Brown

incredibly high,” Patel said. “Currently
we face a bill as a taxpayer of £1.5 billion
and that will just go up if we do nothing.”
Humanitarian groups condemned
the plan yesterday as “cruel and nasty”.
Critics also warned that it could allow
Rwanda to “have the UK over a barrel
when it comes to negotiating the price”.
The prime minister confirmed that
Britain would invest £50 million to put
the Royal Navy and army in charge of
tackling the small-boat crisis. In a
speech in Kent, Johnson insisted that
although Britain had a proud record of
accepting asylum seekers from countries

The flagship of the Russian Black Sea
Fleet has sunk in what western officials
have described as a “massive blow” to
the Kremlin.
Moskva, a Slava-class warship that
commanded about 30 vessels in the
region, is thought to be the first cruiser
lost in conflict since the sinking of the
General Belgrano in the Falklands war
in 1982 and the first such loss of a Russian vessel since the Second World War.
Kyiv said that the vessel took two
direct hits from Ukrainian long-range
Neptune anti-ship missiles and was left
burning on the water on Wednesday
night. Hours later the Kremlin said the
ship’s crew of 510 evacuated, though it
claimed that a fire on deck had caused
an “ammunition explosion”.
Bob Seely, a Tory MP and Russia
expert who visited the Odesa region
yesterday, said he was shown images
confirming the strike. “It was a Ukrainian attack, it’s just the Russians don’t
want to admit it,” he said. “Ukrainians
are convinced that they sunk it.”
Considered the most powerful warship on the Black Sea — with anti-ship
and anti-aircraft missiles, torpedos and
guns — Moskva sank yesterday as it
was being towed back to its home port
of Sevastopol, Crimea.
At a Ministry of Defence briefing, a
western official cast doubt on the Russian account of a fire having caused an
ammunition explosion, saying: “The
claim by Ukrainian forces is credible.
“One of Moskva’s key roles was to
provide the command and control
function across those vessels operating
in the Black Sea . . . they ought to have
capability to continue to provide air
defence [to] their maritime forces. The
loss of the Moskva is significant . . . it’s a
massive blow for Russian credibility.”
If the Ukrainian missile strike is confirmed, it will be a symbolic victory for
Kyiv. Moskva was one of two warships
that attacked Snake Island, west of
Crimea, on the first day of the war. After
the Russians ordered the tiny unit of
troops to surrender, they replied: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself”. The
words became a slogan of resistance,
appearing on T-shirts, postage stamps
and Facebook profile pictures.

Continued on page 2, col 3

War in Ukraine, pages 10-14

Giving alms The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall distributed Maundy money at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, yesterday. The Queen did not attend because of
mobility problems but she met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for the first time since 2020 when they visited on their way to the Invictus games in the Hague. Pages 26-27

PM wants first Rwanda
migrant flights in weeks
Scheme’s £30,000 cost per person is ‘drop in ocean’ compared with present asylum system
Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor
in Kigali
Oliver Wright, Henry Zeffman

Britain plans to start removing asylum
seekers to Rwanda in about six weeks’
time in an unprecedented attempt to
tackle the global migration crisis.
The Times understands that Boris
Johnson wants the first flight taking
Channel migrants to the central African
state to leave late next month. The
government wants tens of thousands of
people moved within the next few years.
Each migrant sent to Rwanda is
expected to cost British taxpayers

between £20,000 and £30,000. This
will cover accommodation before
departure, a seat on a chartered plane
and their first three months of
accommodation in Rwanda.
Priti Patel, the home secretary,
insisted that the expense of sending
migrants to Rwanda would be a “drop in
the ocean” compared with the present
£1.5 billion-per-year cost of the asylum
system, which she described as “unfair
on hard-pressed taxpayers”.
Britain will also provide the Rwandan
government with a set amount per
refugee, although the Home Office
refused to disclose how much. In

addition, the government will donate
£120 million a year to help to support
and integrate asylum seekers and to
resettle “a portion” of Rwanda’s most
vulnerable refugees.
Patel said she was working “assiduously” to persuade other countries to
sign a similar deal — part of what she
hopes will be a changed approach to
immigration worldwide.
She warned that the number of
migrants making the perilous Channel
crossing was likely to soar, with internal
forecasts suggesting a total above
65,000 — more than double last year.
“The projections for this summer are

IN THE NEWS
Ambulances delayed

Easter gridlock

Channel 4 accused

Black man shot in US

Musk’s Twitter bid

De Bruyne doubts

The average arrival time for
an ambulance responding to
suspected strokes and heart
attacks hit a record 61 minutes
last month in England. The
limit is 18 minutes. Page 8

The Easter getaway is likely to
leave Britain’s motorways
gridlocked, with the RAC
predicting a record 21.5 million
car journeys across the
four-day weekend. Page 9

Ten ethnic minority former
employees have accused
Channel 4 of a “toxic” culture
after a woman reached a
secret settlement over a racial
discrimination claim. Page 19

Protesters marched through
Michigan after video was
released showing a white
police officer shooting a black
man in the back of the head
during a traffic stop. Page 34

Elon Musk has admitted
that his $43 billion hostile bid
for Twitter might fail as
questions were raised about
how the tech billionaire might
fund the deal. Pages 3 & 37

Kevin De Bruyne is expected
to miss Manchester City’s FA
Cup semi-final against
Liverpool after injuring his
ankle in their 0-0 draw against
Atletico Madrid. Page 72

2

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Friday April 15 2022 | the times

News

Today’s highlights
7.20am Tom Pursglove, minister for tackling
illegal migration
11am
The documentary director Daniel Roher on
his search for those who poisoned the
Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny
2.45pm Dan Snow on the Titanic anniversary
6.15pm Kate Jayden, right, who ran
101 marathons in 101 days
10.30pm Henry Bonsu takes a look at the front pages
with the journalists Sian Elvin and Afua Hagan

DAB RADIO l ONLINE l SMART SPEAKER l APP

T O D AY ’ S E D I T I O N
NEWS

SPORT

TIMES2

TITANIC MOVE
The reputation of
the liner’s chief
has been restored

CLASSY TON
Ollie Pope found
his form again
at the Oval

ELEGANT SPACES
The great British
beauty awards
(for buildings)

PAGE 19

PAGE 63

PAGES 4-5

COMMENT

If more female students opted to study maths
and science the gender pay gap would be smaller
EMMA DUNCAN, PAGE 30

£3.2m payout
Bias in job ads
for injured artist for midwives

Biden approval
rating slumps

Manuel Mathieu, 35, a
Canadian painter, has
won £3.2 million in
damages at the High
Court after injuries he
suffered in 2015 when
he was hit by a stolen
moped left him unable
to work as fast. Page 21

President Biden’s
approval rating has
returned to its lowest
level of 33 per cent as
he struggles to contain
inflation, an ominous
sign for the Democrats
before the midterm
elections. Page 35

NHS bosses have
written to hospitals
telling them to stop
using language that
implies a bias against
caesarean sections
when advertising
positions in maternity
services. Page 23

COMMENT 29
LEADING ARTICLES 33
WORLD 34

BUSINESS 37
REGISTER 53
COURT CIRCULAR 55

SPORT 60
CROSSWORD 72
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A scattering of showers, especially
in the west. Sunny spells. Feeling
mild. Full forecast, page 59

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More Tories call for Johnson
to go over lockdown parties
Henry Zeffman
Associate Political Editor

Boris Johnson said that he would face
MPs next week to “set the record
straight” over the Downing Street
lockdown parties scandal as more
Conservatives called for his resignation.
Three MPs joined the growing group
of Tories who have called for Johnson’s
departure since he was fined by the
police on Tuesday for a birthday gathering thrown in his honour on June 19,
2020, in the cabinet room at No 10.
The fine has prompted allegations
that Johnson lied to MPs when he told
them that all coronavirus rules had
been followed in Downing Street. After
a speech on immigration in Kent yesterday, Johnson repeatedly refused to answer questions about the fine, saying
only: “You are going to have to wait until
I come to parliament, when of course I
will set the record straight in any way
that I can.”
Cabinet ministers and dozens of MPs
rallied to Johnson’s side after his fine but
more dissenting voices are emerging.
Karen Bradley, the former Northern
Ireland and culture secretary, said: “I
have been clear that those that make the

rules must not break them, whether intentionally or otherwise. The public are
right to expect the highest standards of
behaviour from their leaders.”
Bradley acknowledged that “Europe
is in a precarious position and that we all
need to act responsibly so as to not
make the situation worse”. However,
the MP said that “law-breaking in
Downing Street is unforgivable”, concluding: “I do wish to make it clear that
if I had been a minister found to have
broken the laws that I passed, I would be
tendering my resignation now.”
Neil Hudson, who became the MP for
Penrith and the Border in 2019, said he
would not “defend the indefensible”,
adding: “The fact that the prime minister and chancellor have been found in
breach of the Covid rules and issued
with fixed penalty notices is extremely
disappointing.
“The fact that the law-makers went
on to break those very laws they
brought in to keep us all safe is deeply
damaging for our democracy. That
situation is untenable.”
He said that Johnson should “show
the statesmanship he has been showing
with Ukraine, and outline a timetable
and process for an orderly transition to

a leadership election as soon as the
international situation permits”.
Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairman of
the Commons defence committee who
in February called for Johnson to quit
over the scandal, said the prime minister should trigger a confidence vote in
himself. “The prime minister has made
his intentions clear, he wants to stay, but
this is bigger than the prime minister,”
he said. “It’s about the reputation of the
party, which all colleagues must defend,
and I believe he owes it to the parliamentary party, once the reports have
concluded and the local elections have
allowed the public view to be factored
in, to agree to hold his own vote of confidence if those elections go badly.”
Ellwood, Hudson and Bradley follow
Nigel Mills and Craig Whittaker, both
Conservative MPs, in calling for
Johnson’s resignation over the fine. The
former Scottish Tory leader Baroness
Davidson of Lundin Links also said he
should go. On Wednesday Lord Wolfson
of Tredegar QC resigned as a justice minister over No 10’s response to the scandal.
BBC spurns Line of Duty spoof, page 28
Johnson’s fate is no longer in his hands,
James Forsyth, page 29
Parties scandal, letters, page 32

By-election in red wall seat Teachers need
after sex offender MP quits food banks and
Henry Zeffman

A Conservative MP who was found
guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage
boy is to step down, triggering a byelection.
Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, who was
elected for Wakefield in 2019, was convicted on Monday of assaulting the 15year old as he lay terrified on a bed.
He was immediately expelled from
the Conservative Party but gave no
indication that he would leave the
Commons, instead vowing to appeal
against the verdict.
Yesterday, however, he announced:
“Owing to long delays in the legal process, my constituents have already been
without visible parliamentary representation for a year. Even in the bestcase scenario, anticipated legal proceedings could last many more months.
“I have therefore regrettably come to
the conclusion that it is intolerable for
constituents to go years without an MP
who can amplify their voices in parliament. Representing them has been the
honour of my life, and they deserve

continued from page 1
Rwanda migrant scheme
such as Afghanistan and Ukraine, the
“quid pro quo for this generosity” was
that Britain could not sustain a “parallel
illegal system” of migration across the
Channel. “Those who try to jump the
queue or abuse our system . . . will be
swiftly and humanely removed to a safe
third country,” he said.
Patel signed a memorandum of
understanding yesterday with Vincent
Biruta, the Rwandan foreign minister,
after eight months of negotiation. The
Times first reported in June last year
that Britain was in discussion with
Rwanda over relocating migrants.
Speaking alongside Biruta, Patel said:
“We as two ministers stand here
absolutely committed to changing
some of the norms around the broken
global migration system because for too
long other countries and, by the way,

better than this. Consequently I am
resigning as MP for Wakefield and
withdrawing from political life.”
Khan said his decision meant he was
“now able to focus entirely on clearing
my name”. He apologised “to my family
and community for the humiliation this
has caused them.”
The by-election in Khan’s West Yorkshire constituency, a red wall seat, will
test how damaged Boris Johnson has
been by the Downing Street lockdown
parties saga.
It will also test whether Sir Keir
Starmer is winning back support in
traditional Labour areas that abandoned the party at the last election. If
recent national polling is correct, the
seat should be within Labour’s grasp.
Until Khan’s victory, securing a
majority of 3,358 votes, Wakefield had
been represented by Labour MPs
continuously since 1932, when it was
won in another by-election. However,
66 per cent of voters in the seat backed
Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum and
the Conservatives have not lost a seat to
Labour at a by-election since 2012.
naysayers, just sit on their hands and
have been watching people die.”
All adults who cross the Channel in
small boats will be eligible for removal
to Rwanda, which the British government hopes will deter crossings. More
than 5,000 migrants have arrived this
year, with hundreds crossing yesterday
after a daily record of more than 600 on
Wednesday.
Most of those sent to Rwanda will be
men, however, given that they made up
nine in ten of all crossings last year.
Migrants will be given five days’ notice
of their removal to Rwanda and will be
detained by Immigration Enforcement.
After arrival in Rwanda they will be
offered the chance to claim asylum
there and given free accommodation
for up to three months while their
application is processed. They will be
placed in hostel-style accommodation,
with rooms having two double beds and
access to a shared bathroom. They will

second jobs

Nicola Woolcock Education Editor

One in ten teachers have a second job
and some rely on food banks because
their pay is too low, a union says today.
More than half of teachers said they
had cut back their spending on food and
two fifths had reined in expenditure on
essential household items.
A survey of 10,000 teachers was conducted by NASUWT, the teachers’
union holding its annual conference in
Birmingham this weekend. It said the
profession’s recruitment and retention
crisis would worsen without a significant pay rise for teachers.
Nearly seven in ten teachers had considered leaving their job in the past year
and almost half said their pay had an impact on their intention to leave.
Salaries for qualified teachers start at
about £25,000 and can rise to £50,000
in London. The union will debate a
motion calling for possible industrial
action if the government is unwilling to
enter into talks over pay.
be served three meals a day at the
expense of British taxpayers.
Johnson said the partnership with
Rwanda would be “fully compliant with
our international legal obligations” but
accepted that it would be challenged.
He said “a formidable army of politically
motivated lawyers” had “made it their
business to thwart removals”, adding
that he was “prepared to explore any
and all further legal reforms”.
Zoë Abrams, executive director of
the British Red Cross, said she was
“profoundly concerned” about the
plans to “send traumatised people halfway round the world to Rwanda”.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of
the Refugee Council, urged ministers to
“immediately rethink” the “cruel and
nasty” plans, warning that they could
cost up to £1.4 billion a year.
Migrant plans, pages 4-7
Ministers are right to tackle illegal
immigration, leading article, page 33

the times | Friday April 15 2022

3

2GM

News

US jury convicts Isis Beatle of killing western hostages in Syria
David Charter Alexandria, Virginia

A self-confessed Islamic State member
from London was found guilty in a US
court yesterday of all eight charges over
the deaths of four American hostages in
Syria.
El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, who was born
in Sudan, was emotionless as he faced
the jury while a court officer read out its
unanimous verdict that he was part of a
hostage-taking gang who beheaded
three Americans, two British aid workers and two Japanese men in 2014-15.
Elsheikh’s defence was that he was “a
simple Isis fighter”, not in the gang.
Sitting yards away, the parents of
some of his victims wiped away tears as

the verdicts were delivered after a 12day trial. Bethany Haines, daughter of
David Haines, one of the British men
killed, appeared overcome with emotion.
The prosecution argued that Elsheikh was one of a trio of Isis jailers
who became known as the Beatles, a
nickname given to them by their hostages because of their British accents.
Most of the deaths were filmed for
Isis propaganda videos and showed the
gang leader, who became known as
Jihadi John and was later identified as
Mohammed Emwazi, a Briton from
Kuwait. He was killed aged 27 in a US
airstrike in Syria in 2015.
Elsheikh was captured by the Syrian

red
El Shafee Elsheikh tortured
the westerners in 2014-15
5

Democratic Forces in
2018 with another gang
member,
Alexanda
Kotey, 38, also from
London. At first they
pretended to be from
o
Yemen and to speak no
English but when US
investigators matched Elsheikh’s fingerprints hee conome of his Isis
fessed his identity and some
activities. Both were stripped of their
British citizenship in 2018.
Elsheikh will be sentenced on
August 12. Kotey admitted the same

charges and will be sentenced
A
on April
29. Neither will be
exe
executed
in line with a
UK agreement to transfe evidence to the US.
fer
The trial at the distr
trict
court in Alexandr Virginia, was told
dria,
th the Beatles tortured
that
cap
captives
and forced them
fi
to fight
each other. They
kept th
kept
their faces covered but
prosecuto built up a case that
prosecutors
Elsheikh was on
one of them.
The American journalists James
Foley, 40, and Steven Sotloff, 31, and the
aid worker Peter Kassig, 26, and the
British aid workers Haines, 44, and Alan

Henning, 47, were decapitated, as were
the Japanese citizens Kenji Goto, 47, a
journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, 42.
Kayla Mueller, an American human
rights worker kept as a sex slave for Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Isis leader, was
killed in 2015, aged 26. Baghdadi, 48,
was killed by the US in 2019.
Bethany Haines told ITV News: “At
first I wanted him [Elsheikh] hung from
a tree . . . but that would be revenge and
just sheer anger. I think the most suffering for him — he’s so obsessed with his
image — is having everyone know that
he’s guilty and he has to sit for 23 and a
half hours a day in a horrible cell and
think about what he’s done for the rest of
his life. So that is real justice.”

Musk: Civilisation is safe if I own Twitter
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Jack Malvern, Callum Jones

Billionaires used to buy a newspaper or
television station to boost their influence on the world stage. Now they have
moved on to something more ambitious: a social media takeover.
Elon Musk, the richest person in the
world, appears to have set his sights on
transforming the medium with an
attempt to buy Twitter for $43 billion —
a substantial part of his estimated
$265 billion fortune.
Last night Musk said he wanted to
make sure that the Silicon Valley tech
giant allowed for freedom of expression
as he believed it was “important to the
future of civilisation”.
Musk told the TED2022 Conference
in Vancouver: “This is not about the
economics. The civilisational risk is
decreased the more we can increase the
trust of Twitter as a public platform.”
Musk became the world’s richest
person after setting out a vision to prevent human extinction by colonising
Mars through his company SpaceX. He
also hopes to reduce emissions on
Earth by revolutionising transport
through his electric car company Tesla.
In recent years Musk has grown frustrated by a perceived lack of free speech
on Twitter, which he views as the
modern-day town square.
The tech titan’s recent tweets
set out his motives in trying to
take over the company. Musk
has been polling his 81.7 million
followers, asking whether they
believe Twitter “rigorously”
allows for freedom of expression. More than 70 per cent of
agreed
d
the two million respondents disagreed.
The platform has previously angered
followers of Donald Trump, and others
who have had their accounts suspended for violating rules about violence,
hate or harmful misinformation.
Musk has a history of his tweets causing legal problems. In 2019 he was unsuccessfully sued for defamation after
insulting a British caver who helped to
rescue Thai schoolboys trapped in a
cave by calling him “pedo guy” in a
tweet. In a recent post Musk challenged
President Putin to a duel.
Last weekend Musk asked whether
Twitter was “dying” because many of its
most-followed accounts, including
those belonging to Justin Bieber and
Taylor Swift, were not tweeting
frequently.
He has also proposed a reform of
Twitter’s premium subscription service. Musk suggested there should be
no ads on Twitter Blue because the
“power of corporations to dictate policy
is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends
on advertising money to survive”.
The SpaceX founder revealed that he
had become Twitter’s biggest shareholder on April 4 with a holding of more
than 9 per cent before launching an

Elon Musk speaking
last week to fans of
his Tesla electric cars.
He is unpredictable
in his use of Twitter

Manifesto by message
Elon Musk has run polls on Twitter
for his 81.7 million followers in
recent weeks since announcing his
stake in the company. Here are three
of his burning questions:
1. Free speech is essential to a
functioning democracy. Do you
believe Twitter rigorously adheres
to this principle?
Two million votes: 29.6 per cent
agreed, 70.4 per cent disagreed.
2. Convert Twitter [San
Francisco] HQ to homeless shelter
since no one shows up anyway.
More than 920,000 votes: 91.1 per
cent agreed, 8.9 per cent disagreed.
3. Delete the w in twitter?
More than 445,000 votes: 55.8
per cent for, 44.2 per cent against.

unsolicited takeover by offering fellow
shareholders $54.20 per share.
The digits “420” in the price are
thought to be a reference to the 420
movement, a subculture of cannabis
enthusiasts. Musk smoked a spliff on a
podcast with Joe Rogan, a friend and
fellow free-speech advocate who creates one of the world’s biggest podcasts.
The musician Neil Young unsuccessfully sought to have Rogan’s podcasts
removed from the streaming platform
Spotify after the show was accused of
spreading misinformation about the
coronavirus.
Details of Musk’s takeover attempt
emerged in a regulatory filing a matter
of days after he rejected a seat on the
company’s board — an appointment
that would have prohibited him from
taking it into private ownership.
Musk said in a letter to Bret Taylor, the
Twitter chairman: “I invested in Twitter

as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe,
and I believe free speech is a societal
imperative for a functioning democracy.
“However, since making my investment I now realise [that] the company
will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter needs to be transformed as a private
company.” He added: “My offer is my
best and final offer and if it is not accepted, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder.”
In 2018 Musk said he believed in
social media regulation to curb fake
news. “Whenever there’s something
that affects the public good, then there
does need to be some form of public
oversight,” he told CBS. “I think there
should be regulations on social media
. . . We can’t have like willy-nilly proliferation of fake news — that’s crazy.”
Last night Twitter shares closed

down 1.7 per cent, or $0.77, at $45.08,
valuing the company at nearly
$34.4 billion.
Twitter, based in San Francisco, was
set up in 2006 and makes most of its
money through advertising. The group
went public in November 2013.
Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s chief executive, had warned staff of “distractions
ahead” after Musk rejected his invitation to join the company’s board.
Twitter confirmed that it had received an “unsolicited, non-binding
proposal” from Musk to acquire the
company. “The Twitter board of directors will carefully review the proposal to
determine the course of action that it
believes is in the best interest of the
company and all Twitter stockholders,”
it said in a statement.
Musk an imperfect vehicle for freedom in
the public square, Gerard Baker, page 31
Musk says bid may fail, Business, page 37

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

4

News
News Channel migrants

Military takes over operation to
Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor
in Kigali
Oliver Wright

The British military will take charge of
attempts to control Channel migrant
crossings as part of the package to deter
and respond to the small boat crisis.
A joint task force drawn from the
navy, army and air force will set up a
headquarters in Kent with about 250 to
300 personnel deployed to intercept
crossings. It will bring together additional resources from the coastguard,
Border Force, immigration enforcement and Kent police to provide “wraparound” assistance.
A £50 million funding package has
been agreed for new equipment such as
a Wildcat helicopter and specialist
drones. In total, the equipment to be
deployed by the military for the takeover will include:
6HMS Tyne, an offshore a River-class
patrol vessel and several smaller 20metre inshore patrol vessels as eyes and
ears on the water to detect migrants.
Three Archer-class patrol vessels from
the Navy, commonly referred to as a
Fast Training Boat will be deployed.
6A Wildcat helicopter will conduct an
end-of-day sweep to ensure no boats
are left out at sea overnight.

Changing state of Rwanda
6 Plastic bags were banned in
Rwanda in 2008. Visitors are
searched at airports upon arrival
and plastic bags are confiscated.
6 Two-thirds of parliamentary seats
are held by women, according to
World Bank data, more than any
other country.
6 Rwanda is Africa’s most densely
populated state with nearly
275 people per square kilometre.
6 Cars are banned from its roads
one day a month and a compulsory
clean-up is held on the last Saturday
of every month.
6 Rwanda became the 54th nation
to join the Commonwealth in 2009.
6 Its official languages are French,
English, Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili.

6 Two types of drones will be deployed,
one to be used by the Coastguard, an
unmanned helicopter that flies backwards and forwards to spot early movements of boats. The second type will be
used by Border Force to look at boats in
more depth, assessing how seaworthy
they are, how many people are in them
and whether any are vulnerable.
Former rear admiral Chris Parry said
the navy would bring a “bit more
rigour” to the current arrangement as
well as ensuring there was a “single
central authority” for the operation.
But he added that technology would
be vital to ensure the more boats were
intercepted. “There are drones now
that can track boats from the moment
they leave the French coast,” he said. “It
is that kind of capability we will need
for this to be properly effective.”
Soldiers, sailors and airmen will provide generalist skills on land, helping
out with operational planning, logistic
and intelligence support.
But primarily the military will provide additional personnel and capacity
to speed the processing of the migrants,
allowing Border Force to carry out
tasks requiring law enforcement or access to classified Home Office systems.
Government sources insisted the
changes did not amount to a military
takeover but would allow additional
capacity to free up existing staff. “What
we’re not doing is taking over a system
and just displacing it with military primacy and setting our military rules,”
they said. “The aim of the military plan
is to set up a system that it can hand
back to Border Force in due course,
once it and the coastguard have some of
the additional assets in place, such as
extra patrol vessels.”
Migrants brought to Dover will
undergo initial processing and health
checks. They will then be moved to
Manston, a disused airfield site in Kent
for formal processing. Once their
details are taken, the military will hand
over responsibility to the asylum and
protection team, who find appropriate
accommodation for them.
This could either be in the community or at one of the planned new centres
the first of which is due to open in North
Yorkshire. It is at this point that refugees could be sent to Rwanda as part
of the deal agreed yesterday.

Quentin Letts
Parties are passé now
there’s a pact to ponder
Political Sketch

B

oris Johnson was in Kent,
Priti Patel was in Kigali
and Sky News was in a
bate. Just when we were
eagerly anticipating a
long weekend of TV specials on
partygate, suddenly the balloon
had gone up: Rwanda had agreed
to take in migrants caught crossing
the English Channel on smugglers’
rafts.
Sky’s presenter ground his
square jaw and dismissed the
announcement as “hasty”. The

home secretary, for her part, said
this deal had been in negotiation for
nine months, ackterly.
Interrupting his Easter break at
Chequers, the prime minister
zoomed down to Lydd airport to
make a morning speech to an
audience of military personnel. They
were sitting on what looked like
garden chairs. During the Battle of
Britain it would have been
deckchairs.
Johnson was fresh-shampooed and
unapologetic, purity puckering at
the edge of his mouth as he
regretted that he could not possibly
dilate on that fixed penalty fines
stuff because he would be making a
statement to the Commons next
week. Speaker Hoyle will be
delighted, if a little amazed, by this

Room with a view –
if you opt for Kigali

T

he first migrants
sent to Rwanda
will have a room
with two double

beds, a balcony with
scenic views of the capital
Kigali and three meals a
day (Matt Dathan writes).

new-found devotion to the
parliament-first doctrine.
“The British people voted several
times to control our borders,” he
declared. “This is the government
that makes the big calls. This is the
government that refuses to duck the
difficult decisions.” Nigglesome
questions about partygate might still
be swerved on two skidding wheels,
mind you.
So many unfortunates had
drowned in the Channel that the
Rwanda solution was “the morally
right thing to do”, argued the PM.
He knew there would be a political
and legal stink. One reason migrants
sought to settle in Britain was that
“we have such a formidable army of
politically motivated activists who
for years have made it their business
to thwart removals and frustrate the
government”. Was he flattering
those lawyers or teasing them? A
little of both maybe. It’s a pity he
didn’t describe our human-rights
QCs as “world-beating”. That would
have really been vinegar on the
anthill.
One lawyer, Sir Keir Starmer, was
certainly v. cross. The Labour Party
leader responded to the Rwanda deal
by doing his nasal scorn routine,

Those who claim
asylum in Rwanda will
stay in Hope Guest House
while their application is
processed — usually in
about three months.
The rooms are about
12ft by 12ft and migrants
will have the option of
getting a room to
themselves or sharing.

Priti Patel found
an ally in Vincent
Biruta in Kigali

affecting
laughter as he
attacked “a
desperate
announcement,
ti
te by a
unworkable, extortionate,
prime minister with no grip, no
answers and no shame”. The words
“darn it, wish we’d thought of this
first” went unuttered.
In Rwanda, Patel shared a stage
with that country’s eloquent foreign
minister, Vincent Biruta, who said
you could either “be indifferent” to
the miseries of people-trafficking or
you “could look for solutions”. Biruta
hoped Channel migrants would
make Rwanda their new home but if
they did not wish to stay, he would
be happy to “facilitate their return to
their home countries”. In Monopoly,
this is called “do not pass Go, do not
collect £200”.
With exquisite courtesy Biruta
kept calling Priti “madam”. She
looked rather sweetly pleased. At the
Home Office it’s “yes, Sergeant
Major”. As is her custom, Patel was
more brutally to the point than

The guesthouse has 50
rooms over four floors
that can accommodate a
maximum of 100 people.
Two more blocks will be
built that will provide a
maximum capacity for
300 migrants.
There are shared
bathrooms on each floor
of the block, containing

Jo
Johnson,
cu
curling
a lip
at “the
na
naysayers
w just sit
who
on their
ha
hands
and
w
watch
people
di in the
die”
C
Channel.
A
N
reporter (from Sky News!)
suggested that London was just
“passing the buck” to Kigali and
migrants might try to commit
suicide. Patel yanked her face to
one side, stretching her cheek until
it was tight as a drum, and gave the
bloke a leathery look. She was
certain that the plan was legal.
While the political-activist
lawyers set to work — bang goes
Jolyon Maugham’s hopes of a quiet
Easter in his wife’s silk kimono —
opposition MPs face a dilemma.
Kneejerk refusal to accept this
plan will raise the question “so
what would you do?” Kicking up a
fuss makes immigration more of
an issue, and that is not to Labour’s
benefit. And criticising Rwanda on
human rights sounds neo-colonial.
He’s irritatingly crafty, that
Johnson.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

5

2GM

News
News

stop small boats in the Channel
MATT DATHAN FOR THE TIMES ; FLORA THOMPSON/PA

UGANDA
D.R. CONGO

RWANDA
Kigali

BURUNDI
RWANDA

TANZANIA
50 miles

A healthy economy
but questions remain
about human rights
Jane Flanagan Dar es Salaam

three showers and three
lavatories each.
There is a shared living
area with TVs and kitchen
facilities, but staff at the
hostel will provide three
meals a day free of
charge. The site has
gardens and migrants will
be allowed to come and
go as they please as they

will not have conditions
that restrict their
movement while their
asylum claim is assessed.
The site is located in
the Gasabo District in the
northeast of Kigali, five
miles from the city centre.
The Rwandan
government is still in
negotiations with the

private owners of Hope
Guest House about longterm use of the
accommodation.
It is one of several sites
that are being considered
to accommodate migrants
sent from Britain.
Their asylum claims
will be processed on site
and a decision will be

returned in three months.
Successful applicants
will be moved to longerterm housing provided by
Rwanda’s government.
Those who are
unsuccessful will be
deported to their country
of origin, but it is unclear
what happens if that state
will not take them.

Rwandan police shot dead a dozen unarmed refugees protesting against cuts
to food rations in a case at odds with
Boris Johnson’s description of the state
as “welcoming and integrating”.
Humanitarian investigators found in
2018 that eight Congolese refugees died
when police used tear gas and live
rounds to break up a crowd outside a
United Nations office in western Rwanda. Human Rights Watch said three
other people were shot dead as they
tried to reach the wounded and a
woman died later of her injuries.
“Arbitrary detention, ill treatment
and torture in official and unofficial detention facilities is commonplace,” the
US-based watchdog said of the east
African country’s approach to refugees.
Officials in Kigali, the capital, justified the use of live rounds on refugees
from Kiziba camp as a last resort after
“peaceful and less harmful means” had
failed. People in the facility, which is
home to 17,000 refugees from the civil
war in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, marched to local UN offices
after monthly food allowances were cut
from $9 to $6 a head. In the months
after, at least 35 Kiziba residents were
jailed for up to 15 years on charges
ranging from taking part in illegal
protests to spreading false information
against the regime led by President
Kagame, 64.
Johnson’s depiction of Rwanda as
“one of the safest countries in the
world” was contradicted in a recent review by the US State Department.
Citing “significant human rights
issues” under Kagame’s rule, it listed
arbitrary killings, forced disappearance
and torture in a scathing summary.
Despite the human rights abuses,

Rwanda’s economy has steadily improved. GDP per capita is expected to
reach more than $1,000 a year by 2026,
up from little more than $200 about 20
years ago. The official rate of inflation is
less than 5 per cent, down from more
than 50 per cent in 1995, the year after
the genocide in which about 800,000
people were killed by Hutu extremists.
Literacy rates have also risen. Adult
literacy was almost 75 per cent in 2018,
up from less than 40 per cent in 1978.
Kagame, a child refugee in Uganda, is
proud of Rwanda’s record in taking in
refugees, which now number 140,000.
Yet his repressive one-party state has
driven many of his own people to flee.
Among them was Paul Rusesabagina, a hero of the 1994 civil war whose
bravery inspired the film Hotel Rwanda.
After becoming one of Kagame’s most
high-profile critics, Rusesabagina, 67,
moved abroad for his own safety. He
was recently jailed for 25 years in what
his family called a show trial.
Rusesabagina’s daughter, Carine
Kanimba, said there was “no hope” that
migrants from Britain would be spared
abuse. “The Rwandan regime deprives
its own citizens of basic human rights,”
she said. “This cannot be a humane
solution for those who are seeking a
safer way of life.”
Limited space in the landlocked state,
a little larger than Wales, is already
provoking tensions over land. Frank
Habineza, an MP with the Democratic
Green Party, said an influx of migrants
would make things worse.
“Taking in migrants from the UK will
increase the land burden,” he said.
“Rich countries . . . should not shift their
international obligation to receive refugees and transfer them to third countries, just because they have the money
to influence and enforce their will.”

‘We like Rwanda, there are opportunities’ Other countries followed a
Matt Dathan

A Yemeni couple who left their home
country amid civil war have told how
they have been given a new lease of life
in Rwanda.
Burhan Almerdas, 37, a planning consultant, left the war-torn nation in 2014
with his wife Sanaa, 39, a dentist, in
search of a better life.
The pair tried living in Kenya, Jordan,
Malaysia and Chad but said that they
came up against difficulties in setting
up home and satisfying immigration
requirements.
Eventually they settled in Rwanda,
where they have been able to launch a
business, the Mocha Cafe, in Kigali, the
capital.
Almerdas praised the welcoming nature of Rwandans and the ease with
which he and his wife were able to pursue their business plan and seek out opportunities. They now employ several
locals who, he said, earn monthly wages
of between $100 (£75) and $200, depending on their skills and experience.
Speaking to reporters from his coffee
shop yesterday, he said of Rwanda:
“They are welcoming. Most of the
places we have been before, they look at

Burhan Almerdas and his wife set up a
coffee shop and now employ locals

us like ‘you are from the war countries,
we don’t trust you’ so you don’t always
feel comfortable.
“But here I feel like if people are willing to work hard and do something,
they respect that. They don’t look at

your nationality, where you came from,
they just look at what you want to actually do.”
Asked about his thoughts on the British government’s plan to send asylum
seekers to Rwanda to rebuild their lives,
he said: “If they want to work hard, if
they want to get a chance, they will get
it here.”
On whether he would encourage
friends and others seeking to rebuild
their lives to move to the country, he
said: “Oh yes, there are opportunities.”
He described it as “super clean and
super safe” with “good weather”.
“Out of all the countries we have
been, we have a better life here,” he
added.
The couple said it had been “very
easy” to obtain a licence to set up their
business and arrange visas with the immigration authorities. The visas were
granted for two years, after an initial
temporary period of a few months, and
have since been renewed for a further
two years.
Almerdas said that he would like to
return to Yemen to visit his family one
day but was enjoying his new life in
Rwanda so much that he was considering living there indefinitely.

similar route with Africa
Jane Flanagan
Philip Willan Rome
Anshel Pfeffer Jerusalem

Britain’s deal with Rwanda to process
Channel migrants is similar to a deal
agreed in principle by Denmark last
year. However, the Danish agreement
is not yet binding.
Under the memorandum of understanding, Denmark would in theory fly
almost all asylum seekers who cross its
borders to a reception centre in Rwanda for processing. Those whose applications were accepted would remain as
refugees in the African country and
would not return to Denmark.
The Danish would, however, accept
other refugees from Rwanda. So far,
Denmark has taken in 200 and could
sign up to an annual quota. It has provided £2.4 million in funding for Rwanda’s camps and has held out the prospect of development cash, diplomatic
support and exchange programmes.
Denmark’s Social Democrat-led
government, which has some of the
strictest immigration policies in west-

ern Europe, has been trying to set up a
facility outside the European Union
since 2018. Libya and Morocco turned
its proposals down but Rwanda said it
was open to the idea. There were reports last year that Priti Patel, the home
secretary, was in talks with the Danish
authorities about partnering on the
initiative.
Israel deported about 4,000 asylum
seekers, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, to a “third safe country”, including
Rwanda, between 2013 and 2018. The
plan failed because of conditions in
those countries, legal challenges and
negative publicity.
After reports that the migrants’ “voluntary” decisions to leave Israel were
actually coerced, the High Court suspended the plan. In 2018 the government abandoned the policy.
The Conservative government is not
Britain’s first to imagine asylum camps
in Africa. In 2004 Tony Blair tried to
persuade Tanzania to consider processing asylum claims. Ghana was also considered by the present government as a
processing hub.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

6

News
News Channel migrants

Migrants ‘will race to
reach Britain’ before
Rwanda flights start
Chris Smyth Whitehall Editor
Jane Flanagan

Migrants may rush to cross the channel
before a Rwandan resettlement
scheme takes effect, critics warned
yesterday as they accused ministers of
ignoring their own concerns about the
human rights record of President
Kagame’s government.
Many Tory MPs have praised a
scheme that they argue will reduce the
number of migrant boats crossing the
channel, as well as drawing a politically
useful “dividing line” with Labour. But
there is unease among One Nation
Conservatives at the policy, which
some have privately condemned as
inhumane and unworkable.
The government is facing a battle
against the Lords to pass the Nationality and Borders Bill before parliament is
prorogued in little more than two
weeks. Although ministers believe the
policy is already lawful, the bill would
specifically hand them powers to send
asylum seekers offshore. Peers are attempting to remove these clauses. If the
Commons and Lords cannot agree in
time, the whole bill could fail. Opposition sources said that this would “stiffen
the resolve” of peers, who would take
the process “right down to the wire”.
Simon Hoare, the North Dorset MP
who was one of only three Conservatives to vote against the plans for offshore asylum processing, said the
Rwanda plan was “wrong and incredibly bad value for the taxpayer”. He told
The Times that the costs of the plan
would “go up and up and up” saying: “All
this will do is mean we’ll see a vast
amount of people trying [to cross] now
before this comes in”. People smugglers
would be encouraging people to cross
with a “must end soon” sale, he added.
Calling the plan “a bit of red meat to
throw to people because the elections
are coming up and the polls are looking
bad”, Hoare said that the policy “turns
people into commodities and the government is trying to wash its hands of
them — out of sight, out of mind”.
He added that “the Rwandan president has been accused of human rights
abuses. Even if we countenance this
[policy] as a principle we might have
found a better country.”
Boris Johnson insisted yesterday that
Rwanda was “one of the safest countries in the world, globally recognised
for its record of welcoming and integrating migrants”. However, the Foreign Office said last year that it was
“concerned” by civil rights restrictions
in Rwanda and reported Kagame’s government to the UN Human Rights
Council for ignoring UK pleas to investigate “allegations of human rights
violations including deaths in custody
and torture”.
Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of
Europe commissioner for human
rights, accused Britain of trying to “shift
the responsibility” for refugees and
urged MPs to reject the plans.
The Tory Reform Group branded the
plan “wrong and irresponsible” saying:
“Wrong because vulnerable individuals
should not be transported across the
globe to be processed. Irresponsible
because this hastily thought through
plan will cost taxpayers millions.”
Fresh scrutiny of Rwanda’s poor

human rights record is likely to cast a
shadow over a visit by the Prince of
Wales to the country in June for the
Commonwealth heads of government
meeting, which Johnson will also
attend.
Other Tory MPs said the plans would
shore up support in northern and Midlands constituencies. Lee Anderson,
the MP for Ashfield, said: “Many red
wall constituencies lent their vote to the
Tories in 2019 because we promised to
protect our borders from illegal economic migrants. This policy does just
that, whilst enabling us to continue to
expand the help we offer those in genuine need of asylum.”
Asylum challenge, letters, page 32
Rwanda is fraught with legal and
practical hurdles, leading article, page 33
Migrants helped build this country,
Harry Wallop, page 41

Guarding our borders
1 x HMS Tyne
Crew: 20

Length: 79.75m
Max speed: 20 knots
Range: 6,329 miles

3 x Archer class patrol boats
Crew: 12

Length: 20.8m
Max speed: 22 knots
Range: 633 miles

1 x Wildcat helicopter
Crew: 2

Length: 15.2m
Max speed: 181mph
Range: 483 miles

Measures at a glance
6 A deal with Rwanda to take UK
asylum seekers, who will be denied
the chance to settle in the UK. The
cost to the taxpayers is expected to
be between £20,000 and £30,000
per person and ministers want the
first flights to begin within months.
6 Handing the military control of
intercepting small boats with a
£50 million funding package. About
250 to 300 military personnel are
likely to be deployed.
6 Setting up a “closed” immigration
centre at an old RAF base in North
Yorkshire to accommodate some
asylum seekers. Ministers want to
build more centres and reduce the
number housed in the community
while their claim is processed.
6 All councils will be expected to
join a new scheme to disperse
asylum seekers around the country.

Schiebel camcopter drone
Operator: 1

Length: 3.1m
Max speed: 138mph
Range: 112 miles

A second type of drone will be used be
to examine seaworthiness of boats and
the number of migrants onboard

5 x Border Force cutter patrol boat*
Crew: 12

Length: 43m
Max speed: 26 knots
Range: 2,014 miles

*Already in service

Q&A

Will Rwanda take everyone?
No. It will reject people on criteria set
out in the deal with the UK, such
as those who have a criminal record.

How will the scheme work?
The migration and economic
development partnership will relocate
to Rwanda migrants who arrive in
the UK illegally. They will go on charter
flights paid for by the government and
will have the chance to seek asylum in
Rwanda. Those who go cannot claim
asylum in the UK. The scheme will be
uncapped and Boris Johnson expects
tens of thousands to be sent.

What happens once they arrive?
They will be placed in temporary
accommodation, such as hostels, while
their claim for asylum in Rwanda is
processed. Migrants can come and
go as they please as there are no
restrictions on their movement. The
rooms are about 12ft by 12ft and they
have the option of one to themselves
or sharing with one other person.

Will all illegal migrants go there?
No. Only those who arrive in the UK
illegally after passing through safe
countries such as France are eligible. It
will apply to migrants crossing the
Channel in small boats from northern
France or in the backs of lorries.
Will children be sent there?
No. Only adults. Families will not be
split up and will enter the UK system.
Given that nine in ten of the 28,526
crossing the Channel last year were
male, almost all those sent will be men.

How long are they in this
temporary accommodation?
For up to three months, the maximum
time allowed to process a claim.
What happens then?
If successful, they will be allowed to
stay for at least five years and will be
given training and financial support.
Those rejected will be offered other
visa routes and removed to their
country of origin if they do not qualify.
Is the UK responsible for them?
No. Rwandan laws apply.

Is new legislation needed?
No. Removal to a “safe” third country is
enabled through “inadmissibility” rules
introduced in January 2021. These bar
those who have travelled through safe
countries from claiming permanent
residence in the UK, limiting them to
temporary protection status. Rwanda
is deemed a “safe” third country.
What about the Refugee Convention?
The Home Office says nothing in the
UN convention precludes the transfers.
And the Nationality and Borders Bill?
The government does not need the bill
to enact the transfers. The legislation,
currently being blocked by the Lords,
does include a clause enabling asylum
claims to be processed offshore, but
this only applies to people already in
Britain’s asylum system.

given the right to legal representation in
the days before they are removed.
Where will asylum seekers stay
while they are in the UK?
New reception centres will be built to
house mainly male adults, providing
simple accommodation that replaces the
use of hotels. The first will be in Lintonon-Ouse, North Yorkshire.
Will they be detained?
No, they can come and go. The Home
Office accepts there is nothing they can
do to stop them from absconding.
After they have been served with
formal notices of removal, where will
they be detained?
In one of Britain’s eight immigration
removal centres, which can hold more
than 2,000 people at any one time.

When will a migrant be informed that
they are being removed to Rwanda?
They will be given five days’ notice and
will be detained in a removal centre
until their flight leaves.

How long can they be detained before
being removed?
Immigration laws do not set a maximum
time but state it must be for a “short
period”. In practice, less than 21 days.

Will there be legal challenges?
Almost certainly. Individuals will be

What are the costs?
Between £20,000 to £30,000 to remove

the times | Friday April 15 2022

7

News
News
DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES; MATT DUNHAM/AP

Several migrants
S
Se
in Dover
llanded
a
yesterday
as Boris
y
e
viewed a
JJohnson
o
drone
ssurveillance
u

65,000 are coming
to our shores this
year, warns Patel
Charlotte Wace

Migrant Channel crossings are set to
soar this year, with official forecasts
predicting that the annual total could
exceed 65,000 — more than double the
figure in 2021.
Priti Patel, the home secretary,
revealed the projections as hundreds of
migrants landed on British shores
yesterday, including young children.
In a sign of the escalating numbers
making the dangerous journey on
small boats, about 600 migrants arrived
on Wednesday — the highest daily tally
this year. Officials believe the numbers
could reach 1,000 a day within weeks.
People-trafficking gangs exploiting
the clear conditions sent dozens of
groups from France to the southeast
coast yesterday. Crowds were brought
ashore in Dover on Border Force
vessels and RNLI lifeboats after being
intercepted at sea.
Observers counted at least 450 landing yesterday, though the figure is not
yet confirmed.
The previous highest daily total for
this year was recorded on March 15
when 405 people made the crossing on
12 boats, Home Office data suggests.
Crossings to Kent resumed this week
after poor conditions stopped many
from attempting the journey in March.
Yesterday in Greatstone, near Lydd,
where Boris Johnson earlier gave a
speech on immigration, a dinghy filled
with about 20 migrants landed on the
beach, surprising Easter visitors.
The group, none of whom appeared
to speak English, appeared bewildered
as they waited for their transport. One
man was able to say that he was 27 and
from Iran. Another gestured that he
would like to use a phone. “My mother,
Afghanistan,” he tried to explain.
Police searched the migrants before
they were put on to a coach.
Since January 1 at least 4,617 people
had reached the UK after navigating
busy shipping lanes from France in
small boats as of Tuesday.
Last month 3,066 people made the
crossing. This is nearly four times the
number recorded for the same month
each asylum seeker to Rwanda. This
includes accommodation in the UK, a
charter flight and accommodation
while their claim is resolved. Britain
will also provide Rwanda with a set
sum per relocated person.
The government has not set out
how much it will cost, but anticipates
it will be comparable to processing
costs in the UK. It will pay for
caseworkers, legal advice, translators,
accommodation, food and healthcare
for every person relocated. For those
who successfully claim asylum in
Rwanda, it will fund an integration
package.
What happens when a migrant
lands in Kent?
They will be screened and processed
as normal to check for vulnerabilities
and safeguarding factors. They will be
assessed for their “suitability” for
transfer. If they cannot be removed to
Rwanda the Home Office will try to
return them to their home origin or to
another safe country willing to take
them. Those who cannot be removed
will be processed under the UK
asylum system but will be barred
from permanent residence.

last year (831) and more than 16 times
the number for 2020 (187). A total of
28,395 people made the crossing last
year, compared with 8,417 in 2020.
In Greatstone, along with surrounding areas along the coast, there has
been a mixed reaction from residents
over the number of migrant landings.
There have been some cases where
migrants have been harassed, whereas
some people hand out blankets and
provisions.
David Easton, 59, who was taking his
mother out when the migrants landed,
appeared supportive of the government’s Rwanda plans. “It will help this
country greatly”, he said, adding that
Britain appeared to be “a soft touch”
compared with other countries.
He did not believe the Rwanda plans
were the answer, however.
Elsewhere, in the small North Yorkshire village of Linton-on-Ouse, residents woke up to the news that the
nearby airbase would soon become a
key part of Patel’s overhaul of immigration policy. The village is home to a
former RAF site that closed in 2020 and
will now become a processing centre
for refugees.
Residents of the village, which has a
population of 1,200, said they were surprised by the plans and said they had
not been consulted.
While some welcomed the news and
said they were glad the government
had found a use for the airbase, which
opened in 1937 and was earmarked to be
sold off, others said they were angry at
the plans.
“I am furious,” Barry Morton, a retired resident of the village, said. “We
have only been living here a few
months. We came from Bradford for a
peaceful life, not this nonsense.”
Younger residents were more
enthusiastic about the plans, including
Mya Aston, 19, a shop assistant, who
said she was glad that the village could
assist migrants.
“It is a good idea,” she said. “It is not
as if the base is being used for anything
since it closed. So it might bring more
people to the area, help people and be
good for trade.”

Analysis

A plan aimed
at angry voters

W

hen Priti Patel said
yesterday that
“doing nothing is
not an option,” it
was a tacit
admission that the plans to fly
illegal migrants to Rwanda may fail
(Matt Dathan writes).
Boris Johnson followed this up in
his speech at Lydd airport in Kent
when he said there was “simply no
other option”. Their candid
comments reflect the fact that
numerous measures that have been
attempted to combat the record
numbers of migrants crossing the
Channel have had no impact on the
daily sight of migrants turning up
on the Kent coastline.
In his speech yesterday the prime
minister effectively abandoned
plans to “push back” migrant boats,
admitting they are “simply not

Number of migrants arriving to the UK by small boat in 2021
Albania
757
Algeria Libya
111
157

Turkey Syria Iraq
Iran
67
2,260 5,414 7,874
Afghanistan
1,323

Egypt
366

Occupied Palestinian
territories 89
Sudan
1,047
Eritrea
2,829
All others
Ethiopia
340
541
Not
recorded
2,266
RWANDA

practical in my view”. Attempts to
get the French to intercept more
migrant crossings have failed
despite more than £130 million
being paid to France to increase
patrols and buy new detection
equipment. The French have

Pakistan
154
Kuwait
527
Yemen
134
Somalia
317

Sri Lanka
80

Vietnam
1,401

Source: Home Office

refused to negotiate a bilateral
returns agreement, insisting that it
is only in the European Union’s
power to strike a deal.
New measures to criminalise
asylum seekers crossing in small
boats, new life sentences for

smugglers and countless other
proposals in the Nationality and
Borders Bill now face being
torpedoed by the House of Lords.
Instead of reducing the flow,
quite the reverse has happened,
with the numbers crossing the
Channel last year soaring to more
than three times as many that
crossed in 2020.
The hope with the Rwanda plan
is that by facing the threat of being
removed to a country more than
4,000 miles away, migrants will
stop paying people smugglers
thousands of pounds to reach the
UK. The reality on the ground in
Rwanda, however, will play a
significant limiting factor in how
many can feasibly arrive this year.
In truth, the timing of the deal is
more to do with politics than the
feasibility of the plan happening
any time soon. Johnson was
desperate to announce it before the
May local elections, owing to fears
that ever-growing numbers
crossing the Channel would
damage the Tory party at the polls.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

8

News
TERRY HARRIS

Quintagram® No 1290
Solve all five clues using each
letter underneath once only
1 Financial penalty (4)

---2 Godlike (6)

-----3 Option (6)

-----4 Available wealth (7)

------5 Providing a model for imitation (9)

--------A

A

A

C

C

C

D

E

E

E

E

F

H

I

E
I

I

I

I

L

L

M

N

N

O

P

P

R

T

V

X

Y

Solutions MindGames in Times2
Cryptic clues every day online

Alagiah back on screen

Mists of time Castle Rising, once home to Queen Isabella, widow (and alleged murderer) of Edward II, lives up to its name, emerging from the morning fog in Norfolk

is first
Heart attack patients wait NHS
in world to
an hour for an ambulance use sixth jab
Eleanor Hayward
Health Correspondent

Most stroke and heart attack patients
are having to wait more than an hour
for an ambulance, NHS figures reveal.
The average waiting time for an
emergency ambulance in England hit a
record 61 minutes last month, a serious
breach of the 18-minute limit for ambulance trusts to respond to category two
calls such as strokes and chest pain.
Ambulance waits for urgent, but not
emergency, calls such as labour, nonsevere burns and diabetes average
three and a half hours, another record.
More than 390,000 people who
called 999 last month with emergencies
including stroke waited more than an
hour for an ambulance, the figures
revealed.
Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the
stroke association, said this would have
“life-threatening consequences for
thousands of stroke patients”.
She added: “Stroke is a medical emergency and every minute is critical.
Ambulance delays have a domino
effect — resulting in delayed or missed
chances for treatment and can result in
severe disability or worse death.”
Sarah Scobie, from the Nuffield

Trust, said: “Waits of this scale create an
impossible situation for staff and are
the cause of frightening levels of suffering among patients.”
Only 72 per cent of patients were
seen within four hours of arriving at
main A & E units last month, the lowest
figure since records began in 2010.
Not a single hospital in England
achieved the NHS target of admitting,
transferring or discharging 95 per cent
of A&E patients within four hours.
Last month 22,500 patients spent
more than 12 hours stranded on trolleys
in A & E waiting for a bed, compared
with less than 700 a year before.
Tim Cooksley, president of the
society for acute medicine, said:
“Urgent and emergency care is struggling to cope and, in some cases, is
unable to deliver the safe and high quality clinical care every clinician wants to
be able to provide for their patients.
“There is not a chance of a recovery
of elective care until the systemic
problems beleaguering urgent and
emergency care are sorted effectively
and long-term.”
The number of patients on waiting
lists for routine hospital treatment such
as hip replacements rose to 6.2 million,
the highest figure since records began.

Before the pandemic, waiting lists had
stood at 4.4 million.
The NHS said some progress was
being made in bringing down the number of patients waiting more than a year
for treatment, which fell by 12,000 in
February, to 299,478 in total.
Health chiefs warned that rising
Covid cases in recent weeks meant
thousands of staff were off sick, with
admissions also rising.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of
NHS Providers, said: “We’ve got 70,000
staff off, 40 per cent of them with Covid,
and we’ve got 20,000 medically fit
patients that we can’t discharge
because of the massive increase in pressures on social care, again, significantly
driven by Covid-19.”
Danielle Jefferies, of the King’s Fund
think tank, said pressures had reached
unacceptable levels in all parts of the
health and care system: “The common
link between the unrelenting pressure
across all parts of the NHS and social
care is a chronic shortage of staff.”
Hugh Alderwick, director of policy at
the Health Foundation, said: “Today’s
figures should be a wake-up call for
government . . . [which] has no longterm strategy for securing the workforce of the future.”

Eleanor Hayward

A sixth coronavirus vaccine is now
available for NHS use after UK medical
regulators became the first in the world
to approve the Valneva jab.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the vaccine seven months after
the government scrapped a supply deal
with the French drugs company.
Valneva manufactures its jab in Livingston, West Lothian, but in September the government cancelled a deal to
buy 100 million doses before Valneva
had finished clinical trials, prompting
criticism.
The Valneva jab uses different technology to existing vaccines, which
means it could provide a more robust
defence against future variants.
Scientists believe it could evoke a
broader immune response than the
Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna jabs,
which are all aimed only at inducing an
antibody response against Covid’s distinctive spike protein. Yesterday the
MHRA also approved the Moderna
Covid-19 vaccine for children aged six
to 11. The Pfizer vaccine had already
been approved for this age group, who
are being invited to book their jabs.

Covid infections fall though one in 14 still have virus
Eleanor Hayward

Coronavirus infections fell by 10 per
cent last week and related hospital admissions finally appear to have peaked.
The weekly infection survey by the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that 4.4 million people in the
UK had the virus last week, down from
a record 4.9 million at the start of April.
However, with one in 14 people in
England infected, cases remain higher
than at any point during previous

waves. The number of over-70s with the
virus has not yet started to fall despite
efforts to provide spring booster jabs.
The ONS survey, based on random
swab testing of 100,000 people, is
regarded as the most reliable measure.
The fall in infections will be a relief to
overwhelmed hospitals, which are
struggling to cope with surging admissions and staff absences.
Latest data shows there are 19,770
patients with Covid-19 in NHS hospitals around the UK, down from a peak

of 20,490 last week. Ministers are confident that infections will continue to fall
in the coming weeks thanks to school
holidays and warmer weather.
This week Downing Street rejected a
plea from NHS leaders to introduce
new coronavirus restrictions including
greater mask-wearing. No 10 said it was
“alive to the pressures” facing the NHS
but added that there was no change to
the guidance.
Despite a surge in admissions for
patients with Covid-19 in recent weeks,

rates of serious illness and death
remain relatively low. Deaths are
averaging 143 a day and there are 385
patients in intensive care, compared
with more than 4,000 last January.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of
NHS Providers, said the surge in Covid19 since March had jeopardised the ability of hospitals to tackle the record
elective care backlog. “Trust leaders are
telling us this is the most sustained difficult and pressured period of time they
can remember in the NHS,” he said.

The newsreader George Alagiah
returned to the BBC’s News At Six
last night after several months of
treatment for cancer. Alagiah, 66,
was diagnosed with bowel cancer
in 2014 and announced that he
was taking a break from his
presenting duties in October last
year. His agent said at the time
that he was dealing with a
further spread of the disease.
Announcing his return, Alagiah
tweeted: “Pure coincidence — it’s
8 years to the day since I was told
I had stage 4 #bowelcancer.”

Dogs at risk in land row
Vets have warned that chocolate
is being deliberately scattered in
Curtis Fields, Dorset, to harm
dogs after campaigners lost a
court battle in 2014 to save the
area’s protected status. A property
company has since built on it and
chocolate, which is toxic to dogs,
has been found on paths. One
nurse said: “The volume dumped
was clearly done on purpose.”

Family kept 26 slaves
Four members of a Romanian
family who kept 26 slaves were
jailed yesterday. Vasile Dragoi, 62,
of Derbyshire, was jailed for six
years at Southwark crown court.
Three others were handed terms
of up to six years. The victims
were kept in properties in Forest
Gate and East Ham in east
London. The offences took place
from January to October 2017.

Sleeping pills for sex
A former football club doctor has
been struck off over an affair with
a singer 33 years his junior who
said she had sex in exchange for
sleeping pills. Goksel Celikkol,
formerly club doctor at
Blackpool, was found guilty of
professional misconduct by a
tribunal in Manchester. The
woman said Celikkol, 78, gave her
excess doses of Zopiclone.

Zoo loses elderly giant
He lived through two world wars,
20 prime ministers and four
monarchs but death comes for
everyone — as it finally has for
Darwin the giant tortoise at the
age of 105. He had been one of
the most popular animals at
Blackpool zoo. He had been
receiving treatment for a leg
injury but it proved incurable and
he was put to sleep this week.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

9

2GM

News
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE ; ALAMY

Jams and delays
ahead as holiday
Britons set off
on great escape
Ben Clatworthy
Transport Correspondent

The great Easter getaway is set to leave
motorways across Britain gridlocked,
with the RAC predicting a record
21.5 million car journeys across the
four-day weekend.
Today is expected to be the busiest
day on the roads since before the start of
the pandemic, with more than 2.6 million journeys expected, the AA says.
More than 2,400 flights are due to depart today against a backdrop of staff
shortages. There were long queues at
Manchester and Birmingham airports
yesterday with passengers complaining
of 90-minute delays for check-in and
security.
More than 9,200 flights with 1.6 million seats are scheduled to depart
between today and Easter Monday, according to Cirium, the aviation data
company.
Airports are urging passengers to arrive three hours before their flights to
try to limit the number of people missing flights because of the queues.
Motorists are being warned that the
busiest spots today are likely to be the
M6 northbound from J26 Liverpool to
J36 South Lakes between 11am and 1pm;
the M25 clockwise from J8 to J16 in the
late morning; and the A303 approaching Stonehenge this morning. They are
advised to travel after 7pm.
The RAC’s prediction of 21.5 million
car journeys is the highest figure for an
Easter bank holiday since 2014.
Rod Dennis, an RAC spokesman,
said: “After two years of relatively quiet
Easter bank holidays, our research suggests a return to traffic levels that are
much more typical of this time of year,
and it’s possible that this weekend could
turn out to be one of the busiest for
leisure journeys for many years.
“Add the impact of disruption on the
rail network and one of the biggest fix-

tures of the sporting calendar taking
place this weekend and you have all the
ingredients for problems on the roads.
“Traffic volumes will likely be even
higher if some warm spring sunshine
makes an appearance,” he added.
Long delays are expected in Kent as
freight and holidaymakers queue for
ferries out of Dover. Passengers with
P&O bookings are urged not to travel
unless they have secured a space on a
rival operator’s ship. The company had
hoped to restart services by today but
plans were thrown into chaos after
maritime inspectors took the Spirit of
Britain and the Pride of Kent out of service after inspections.
A spokesman said: “We apologise unreservedly to all customers whose
scheduled journeys with us between
Dover and Calais have been cancelled.
It is only fair and right that we make
alternative arrangements for those customers, which include transferring
them on to our Hull-Europoort service
to Rotterdam, or booking them on to
services with Brittany Ferries between
Portsmouth and Caen.”
DFDS has been taking P&O passengers since its services were suspended
last month, but it warned that its services were fully booked this weekend.
Rail passengers have been warned of
delays as Network Rail carries out 530
engineering projects costing a total of
£83 million over the long weekend.
They include the closure of the west
coast main line between London Euston and Milton Keynes for four days
from today, as well as HS2 work. Parts
of the line between Birmingham International and Coventry will also be
closed, as will sections around Crewe.
There were long queues for the Eurostar at St Pancras yesterday morning. A
West Ham United fan heading for his
side’s Europa League second leg tie
against Lyons said there was “carnage”
at the station, with waits of 90 minutes.

Bask in Easter sunshine
with temperatures of 22C
Ross Kaniuk

London will be hotter than parts of
Turkey today with temperatures set to
soar to 10C above average.
Forecasters are predicting the mercury could peak at 22C in London and
parts of the southeast, warmer than the
18C forecast for Istanbul, Ibiza, and
Crete. The average temperature for this
time of year in the UK is about 12C.
The temperatures would also set a
record for the hottest day of the year so
far if it beats 20.8C recorded in London
on March 23.
The Met Office described the
weather as “playing ball” for the first
Easter without any coronavirus
restrictions since 2019.
Richard Miles, from the Met Office,
said: “Largely it’s going to be pleasant
until Sunday for most areas across the
UK. The warmest will probably be on
Friday but it will stay well above

James Burke-Dunsmore
has played the crucifixion
scene for 24 years but he
will step down in June

average for most of Saturday and
Sunday too.”
Scotland is expected to be slightly
cooler at 15C, while temperatures in
Wales are set to reach about 17C.
Retailers anticipated that the miniheatwave would boost the sector. But it
would not be Britain without some
cloud. Areas in the northwest may have
the occasional shower, and a more
widespread change is expected on
Monday, bringing cooler weather.
Neil Armstrong, chief meteorologist
at the Met Office, said: “A low-pressure
system will affect the northwest of the
UK later Sunday, with some strong
winds and rain, but further south it will
be drier, especially in the southeast.
“There will be varying amounts of
cloud, but temperatures are likely to be
above average for the time of year,
although low cloud might keep temperatures lower in coastal areas.”
Full forecast, page 59

Jesus actor lays
down cross after
250 crucifixions

T

he first time
James BurkeDunsmore was
crucified was
during a
snowstorm in rural Wales
24 years ago (Patrick
Kidd writes).
Shivering in his
loincloth, the actor
wondered if he had lost
his mind. And then came
a moment of magical
beauty. With Jesus
having been placed in the
tomb and risen, the

Passion Play
ended with his
ascension.
“I walked off
wearing white
from head to foot,
up a white hill in a
flurry of snow and just
seemed to disappear,”
Burke-Dunsmore
recalls. “For the
audience, it was
stunning.”
There will be no snow
on Trafalgar Square
today as the

Wintershall Passion
returns but the 10,000
spectators at each of the
two performances may
feel a similar emotion
when his resurrected
Christ appears. It is a
scene that has provoked
wonder since the
production moved from
Surrey to central London
in 2010, continuing a
tradition of public
Passion plays going back
to the Middle Ages.
This will be BurkeDunsmore’s last Good
Friday performance,
having been crucified
more than 250 times.
Since 1998 he has played
Christ in 76 productions
for 22 companies in 45
towns and six countries.
After reprising the role
in June in a five-hour Life
of Christ on the
Wintershall estate near
Guildford, he will lay
down his cross.
Burke-Dunsmore is a
professional actor, but the
rest of the large cast are
amateur and have been
rehearsing since January.
“It’s a chance to work
with people without ego,
and that’s rare in
theatre,” he said.
At the dress rehearsal
Jill Thomas and Babs
Bennewith reassured
Sonia Williams, a
newcomer to Jerusalem.
“It’s a family,” Bennewith,
who has done it for 27
years, said. “It is hard
work but great fun.”
In a barn, Jesus and the
Romans went through
the crucifixion scene. “Be
careful not to catch the
crown of thorns in the
rope as you pull me up,”
Burke-Dunsmore
warned.
A moment or two
earlier his cry of
“Father, forgive them,
for they know not what
they do” seemed close to
home as a soldier almost
missed the nail with his
mallet.
In a previous year,
his ankle was broken
by a wild swing. “Oh
Christ,” the Roman
muttered.
6 The Wintershall
Passion is performed
in Trafalgar Square at
noon and 3.15pm and
l
livestreamed
on
Facebook at
www.facebook.com/
Wintershallplay.
Details of the other
Passions are at
onegoodfriday.com

10

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

2GM

News
News War in Ukraine

On-board explosion put cruiser
Charlie Parker

A “major explosion” severely damaged
the pride of Russia’s naval fleet late on
Wednesday, leaving it burning on the
Black Sea. The crippling of Moskva, the
flagship of the armada, was first
reported by a Ukrainian volunteer with
links to the military. The Kremlin has
since said the ship has sunk.
“The cruiser is on fire and there is a
storm at sea,” the volunteer said in a
Facebook post, adding that two Neptune anti-ship missiles had hit it. Naval
analysts and open-source intelligence
experts searched for more information
about the alleged attack on the Slavaclass warship. Unverified audio clips of
sailors using Morse code to call for help,
as well as radio chatter claiming the
ship was sinking, began circulating
online.
At 8.31pm the first official report of
the incident emerged, from Maksym
Marchenko, the regional governor of
Odesa. He said it was now confirmed
that anti-ship missiles, armed with
high-explosive fragmentation warheads, had made direct hits and caused
“very serious damage”.
A fierce information war followed as
the Kremlin tried to discredit embarrassing reports about its military prow-

Analysis

T

he loss of the most
powerful Russian
warship in the Black
Sea threatens to cripple
the fleet’s co-ordination
(Charlie Parker writes).
Ukrainian officials say the
Moskva, flagship of more than
30 vessels, was hit by two
Neptune anti-ship missiles while
hunting a Ukrainian drone.
The Slava-class cruiser was
commissioned in the 1980s and
renamed Moskva in 1995. It had
been the Black Sea fleet’s
flagship for the past 22 years.
During the invasion it has had
a command role in a number of
large amphibious operations
against the port city of Odesa.
The fleet can strike any target in
Ukraine with cruise missiles and
has aided the attack on Mariupol.
Though lacking significant
strategic value, Moskva’s primary
capability was long-range air
defence. Its S-300 anti-air
defence system, with similar
capabilities to US Patriot
missiles, could cover most of the
northern Black Sea as it
patrolled around its home port
of Sevastopol in Crimea.
However, its close-range
defences, which include six antiaircraft guns and anti-ship
missiles, are “looking
increasingly dated, even by
Russian navy standards”,
according to H I Sutton, a naval
analyst. “The attack will be
symbolic, and also militarily
significant,” Sutton said.
“The Russian navy may
rethink how it employs its
warships there. The cruise
missile launches are likely to
continue but we may not see as
bold a deployment of ships near
the Ukrainian coast.”
Sutton said that a landing near
Odesa “now appears even less
likely” but cautioned that wars
were fought “with calculated
risks and we shouldn’t assume
that the Russian navy will turn
tail. Time will tell.”

ess. It confirmed early yesterday that
Moskva, which had about 510 people on
board, had sustained damage and its
crew had been evacuated. Moscow
claimed that the vessel, armed with
anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, torpedoes and naval guns, had suffered an
“ammunition explosion” after a fire.
The official Russian line was cast into
doubt, however, when the Centre for
Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a Moscow-based think tank, purportedly agreed on the messaging app
Telegram with the Ukrainian assessment. In a post that was later deleted it
said a Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone
had distracted the ship before the missiles hit its port side.
It read: “The flagship of the Russian
Black Sea fleet, the Moskva cruiser, was
indeed attacked by the Neptune antiship missiles from the coastline
between Odesa and Nikolaev.”
The wounded vessel sank as it was
being towed back to its home port in
Sevastopol, Crimea, according to the
Kremlin.
A British official could not confirm Ukraine’s claim to have
attacked Moskva with Neptune missiles but described it as credible,
adding: “I am not aware previously
of a fire on board a capital warship
which would lead to the ammunition magazine exploding . . . Either
they’ve been vulnerable to an attack
by Ukrainians, and that questions
their competence, or they’ve had a
fire on board the capital ship, which
has then resulted in the detonation of
its magazine, and that is just another bit
of incompetence.”
Bob Seely, the Tory MP and Russia
expert who visited the Odesa region
yesterday, said he was shown images
confirming the strike. He said: “It was a
Ukrainian attack, it is just the Russians
don’t want to admit it. Ukrainians are
convinced that they sunk it. It may be
that because Neptune missiles are not
very big that poor Russian handling of
ammunition on the ship caused a large
explosion after the missiles struck.”
The Neptune anti-ship battery was
said to have been hidden in or around
Odesa, on Ukraine’s south coast, which
has previously been bombarded from
the sea by Russia. The Neptune is a
Ukrainian weapon, based on the Soviet
KH-35 cruise missile. It became operational in the Ukrainian forces only last
year. If confirmed, the strike would
mark the first time the weapon had
been used since the Russian invasion.
Stormy conditions apparently hindered Russian rescue boats from helping the ship. The weather also obscured
satellites from confirming damage. to
the 186-metre (611ft) Moskva.
The loss would throttle Russia’s naval
strength in the Black Sea, the Pentagon
said. “This is a big blow to the Black Sea
fleet, this is . . . a key part of their efforts
to execute some sort of naval dominance in the Black Sea,” John Kirby, the
Pentagon spokesman, told CNN.
Alessio Patalano, professor of war
and strategy at King’s College London,
said ships “are large floating pieces of
national territory and when you lose
one, a flagship no less, the political and
symbolic message — in addition to the
military loss — stands out precisely
because of it”.
The Russian fleet was spotted moving about half a dozen its vessels away
from key coastal areas last night in an
indication that it fears further strikes.
Moskva was involved in the infamous attack on Snake Island in the
Black Sea in February when the crew
threatened to bombard defending
Ukrainian soldiers but received the
reply: “Russian warship, go f***
yourself.”

Pride of the fleet
Guided missile cruiser Moskva, Slava class
186.4 metres

Length

12,490 tonnes

Displacement
Beam

20.8m

Speed

32 knots (37mph)

Range

10,000nmi (12,000miles)
at 16 knots (18mph)
510

Complement

Long-range
surface-to-air missiles
64 x S300F Fort
Heavyweight
torpedo tubes
2 x 5 x 533mm
Short-range
surface-to-air missiles
2 x 20 x OSA-MA

The Moskva near the
Crimean port of Sevastopol
on April 10 and, above, a
Ukrainian stamp celebrating
the soldiers on Snake Island,
in the Black Sea, who in
February famously rejected
a call from the cruiser’s crew
to surrender. President Putin
and President Sisi of Egypt
toured the flagship in 2014

Aircraft
1x Ka-27
Helix
helicopter

Bridge blast blew up Russian troops as
Charlie Parker

Ukrainian troops said yesterday that
they had destroyed a bridge in Kharkiv
while Russian troops were crossing it,
destroying an entire column of Russian
forces heading towards the city of
Izyum.
Pictures of the aftermath of the ambush showed a scene of devastation
after carefully positioned explosives
were detonated beneath the wheels of
Russian Tigr, Kamaz and Ural military
vehicles.
“Placing the explosive in a specific
place, operators of the Special Operations Forces waited for the enemy, who,
without suspecting anything, [were]
driving towards death,” the Ukrainian
military said on Facebook.
“The undermining of the bridge
along with Russian technology was
carried out according to the defined
plan, destroying the entire enemy column,” it added.
The post contained images captured
by a drone showing the wreckage of the
bridge, with smoke billowing from the
charred terrain.
They also revealed photographs of
the bombs planted under the bridge
before they were detonated.

The attack came as the Ministry of
Defence said that the cities of
Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka were
Russia’s next targets as Russia concentrates its forces on the east of Ukraine.
President Putin’s speech on Tuesday
highlighted his continued interest in
the Donbas, where Russia is striking
Ukrainian forces in preparation for a
renewed offensive, the MoD said.
“Urban centres have faced repeated
indiscriminate attacks from Russia
throughout the conflict,” an MoD
statement said. “The towns of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka are likely to
be Russian targets for similar levels of
violence.”
The combination of widespread missile and artillery strikes and efforts to
concentrate forces for an offensive represents a “reversion to traditional Russian military doctrine”, the statement
added.
“However, this will require significant force levels. Ukraine’s continued
defence of Mariupol is currently tying
down significant numbers of Russian
troops and equipment.”
This assessment was supported by
the United States Department of
Defense.
John Kirby, the spokesman for the

50 miles

RUSSIA
Kharkiv

UKRAINE

Intense
fighting

Izyum
Russian-held
territory/advances
Ukrainian
counter-offensive

Luhansk
Donetsk

Pentagon, said: “The fight has changed
as the geographic concentration has
changed for Russia, and they [the
Russians] are focusing more on the
Donbas.”
The
Biden
administration
announced this week that it was replenishing and restocking Ukrainian forces
for a new type of warfare within the
region.
As part of a new $800 million defence
package, it is delivering 155mm
Howitzers artillery pieces with 40,000
artillery rounds; AN/TPQ-36 counterartillery and AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air
surveillance radar systems.
The US is also giving Ukrainian
forces 100 armoured Humvee vehicles,

the times | Friday April 15 2022

11

2GM

News
News

out of action, Kremlin insists
Kyiv

UKRAINE

Neptune anti-ship cruise missile
Turbojet motor

Rocket booster
Length: 5.05 metres
Weight: 870kg

Control
system

Air intake

Mykolaiv
Warhead

Kherson

Odesa

Radar

Range: 280km
Warhead: High explosive
fragmentation

Modified MZKT-7930
Possible Ukrainian
launch vehicle of
Neptune missile

Snake
Island

Ukraine claims
to have hit the
Moskva with
two Neptune
missiles

BLACK SEA
50 miles

George Grylls Tapa
CRIMEA

Sevastopol
Moskva docked
last week

Anti-submarine
rockets
2 x RBU-6000
Anti-aircraft guns
AK-630

Anti-aircraft guns
AK-630

Supersonic
anti-ship missiles
16 x P-1000 Vulkan

Dual purpose gun
1 x twin AK-130
130mm/L70

they crossed Lieutenant colonel said to

be 40th dead senior officer
Tom Ball

Russian forces were killed as they
approached Izyum over a bridge

200 M113 armoured personnel carriers,
and 11 Mi-17 helicopters.
It comes after Russian forces also
blew up bridges as they retreated from
positions in the north of Ukraine this
month to regroup in the east.
“So, you’re looking at even more Russian troops applied to the Donbas region than they have right now,” Kirby
said. “And they will be resupplied.
“You’re looking at short supply route
lines for the Russians because the Donbas region borders right up alongside
Russia. So, part of the problems that
they had in the north was long and unsustainable lines of communication
[and] that won’t be the same problem
for them.”

Russia has lost its 40th high-ranking
officer according to social media, as its
casualties mount in Ukraine.
Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mezhuev,
commander of the 1st Guards Motor
Rifle Sevastopol Red Banner regiment,
is believed to have died in battle. Russia
has not confirmed his death but social
media users, including Andrey
Kovalev, a Russian poet and composer,
called for him to be honoured with the
Hero of Russia award posthumously.
Ukraine has claimed to have killed
seven generals since President Putin
invaded in February. Russia is also
believed to have lost 33 lieutenant colonels or colonels but has confirmed the
death of only one.
At least one Russian general who was
reported dead by Ukraine turned out to
be alive. Ukraine’s SBU security service
said Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev was killed by a strike on an airbase near Kherson, southern Ukraine.
He was later photographed with Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader.
Almost 20,000 Russian soldiers have

British soldiers get
ready for escalation

Lieutenant Colonel
Denis Mezhuev
may be awarded
the Hero of Russia
posthumously

lost their lives, according to Ukraine,
which also claims to have destroyed
more than 750 tanks and more than
300 aircraft. If confirmed, the death toll
in 50 days of fighting would be higher
than the country’s losses during a
decade of fighting in Afghanistan and
more than in its two wars in Chechnya.
The Kremlin has admitted “significant” losses but has not updated its casualty figures since March 25, when it
said that 1,351 soldiers had been killed.
Many who have died are non-ethnic
Russians from the regions of Buryatia,
Dagestan and Kalmykia.
Flawed Russian intelligence reports
are said to have convinced Putin that
his army would achieve a lightning
victory over Ukraine. More than 150
FSB intelligence officers are thought to
have been dismissed or arrested.

British troops training on the Russian
border are “100 per cent” prepared for
an escalation of conflict in eastern
Europe, their commanders claim.
Nato troops, tanks, combat aircraft
and light infantry combined for a large
military drill in Estonia under British
command 70 miles from the Russian
border, while the Kremlin was reacting
angrily to reports that Finland and
Sweden may soon join the alliance.
Codenamed Bold Dragon, the war
games at the Tapa military base featured British Challenger 2 tanks camouflaged with birch branches, soldiers
wearing gaiters to cope with the boggy
terrain and Typhoon multi-role
aircraft shuddering through the skies
above the Gulf of Finland at a time of
heightened tensions with Russia.
The 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh,
whose deployment to Estonia was fasttracked in response to Russian aggression, is the leading unit in the Nato battle group that also involves Danish and
French troops. About 800 British
troops — half of those deployed in
Estonia — were involved in Bold Dragon, a week-long exercise, culminating
in a full-out assault on a fortified position yesterday.
British troops armed with NLAW
(next generation light anti-tank weapons), which have proved so deadly in
Ukraine, attempted to storm an entrenched position defended by Estonian troops in a simulation of a potential
Russian invasion.
Lieutenant General Rupert Streatfeild, the commanding officer of the
Royal Welsh overseeing the exercise,
said the war in Ukraine had given his
troops a “razor-like focus”. He said his
soldiers were “100 per cent” prepared
for the conflict to escalate. Russia’s
invasion and threats against Nato had
given the British mission in Estonia “a
clear sense of purpose”.
“Soldiers want to do a job. They want
to put their tradecraft into practice. If
you go around and speak to soldiers
now, they’re buzzing. It doesn’t matter
what the weather is, it doesn’t matter
how hard we train, this is what we
joined the army to do,” he said.
The last time a drill this large was
held by Nato troops in Estonia was in
October, before the invasion of
Ukraine, which is now in its 50th day.
Since the start of the conflict Nato
has significantly boosted its presence
across eastern Europe, with the number of troops now deployed from the
Baltic to the Black Sea reaching some
40,000. Britain has about 1,650 troops
in Estonia, having doubled its presence
in the Baltics since the invasion.
However, Russian bases on the other
side of the 186-mile border with Estonia
have emptied as soldiers have been relocated to Ukraine, meaning the immediate threat of a direct Russian attack is
considered to be at its lowest for
decades. The Estonian defence ministry is said to be preparing for a potential
invasion no earlier than February 2024,
when intelligence suggests that the
Russian army will be in a position once
again to launch an all-out attack on one
of its close neighbours.
There are four Nato bases in eastern
Europe spanning Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, where troops from

Abramovich
pair penalised
Martyn Ziegler
Chief Sports Reporter

Two of Roman Abramovich’s
closest associates, including the
Chelsea director Eugene
Tenenbaum, have been sanctioned
by the government.
The Foreign Office announced
an estimated £10 billion asset
freeze against Tenenbaum, and
David Davidovich, two figures
who took control of Abramovich
companies on the day Russia
invaded Ukraine.
The move came on the day that
the four consortiums bidding to
buy Chelsea had to make their
final offers. Tenenbaum and
others on the board, as well as
Abramovich, are due to make the
final decision. Sources close to the
process said the sanctioning would
not affect his participation.
The Foreign Office said
Tenenbaum has described himself
as one of Abramovich’s closest
business associates, and that
corporate filings show that he took
control of Evrington Investments,
an Abramovich-linked investment
company, on February 24.
Davidovich then took over
Evrington Investments from
Tenenbaum in March, the Foreign
Office said, and he is now subject
to an asset freeze and travel ban.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary,
said: “We are tightening the
ratchet on Putin’s war machine.”

FINLAND
Tapa

Baltic
Sea

100 miles

St Petersburg

Tallinn
ESTONIA

RUSSIA

LATVIA

different members of the defensive alliance are rotated on a six-month basis.
Four more bases are planned for Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
Estonia wants Nato to double the
number of troops stationed in the country to about 3,000 to 4,000, and will
seek support from its allies at a meeting
of leaders in Madrid in June.
The lingua franca of Nato allies
working together in Estonia is English,
although commanders have admitted
that communications have provided
the sternest test of their capabilities.
“Each of the nations bring different
capabilities, different cultures, different
mindsets, but they really complement
each other well,” Streatfeild said.
“You may think that different
nations, different languages, different
capabilities, equals something weaker
— but I can tell you right now that it is
so much stronger.”

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

12

News
News War in Ukraine

Scholz criticised for
dragging feet over
weapons to Ukraine
Oliver Moody Berlin

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, is
under pressure from his coalition partners to send heavy weapons to Ukraine
amid warnings that his hesitation is
inflicting massive damage on his country’s international standing.
Days after the Russian invasion
began Scholz announced a Zeitenwende
(dawn of a new era) in Germany’s
defence policy, including shipments of
antitank and anti-aircraft missiles to
the Ukrainians and a €100 billion
investment in the German military.
Some of his more influential allies
are beginning to question whether this
revolution is living up to expectations,
however, as Berlin blocks plans for a
European Union embargo on Russian
oil and stalls on proposals to send tanks
and other armoured vehicles to
Ukraine.
Scholz has been urged to follow the
examples of the Czech Republic, which
sent more than a dozen T-72 tanks, and
the US, which said yesterday that it
would include armoured vehicles and
artillery in an additional $800 million
military aide package for Ukraine.
Germany has turned down an appeal
from Kyiv for 100 1970s-era Marder armoured personnel carriers. It has also
stalled on a proposal to send 100 selfpropelled Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers — tank-like armoured vehicles
whose main guns have a range of more
than 20 miles — which would be replaced by a German armaments company in a few years.
Rheinmetall, an arms conglomerate,
offered on Monday to deliver 50 oldfashioned Leopard 1 main battle tanks
within six weeks if the government
approved it. Scholz said this week that
Germany would send “correct and
reasonable” weapons but would not
take any step that would risk dragging
his country into the war.
Like Britain, Germany has drawn a
strong distinction between “defensive”
weapons such as anti-aircraft rockets,
which have been delivered by the thousand, and “offensive” ones such as
tanks, which Boris Johnson has said
would not be an “appropriate” contribution to the conflict.
German ministers have claimed that
their armed forces cannot spare any
heavy weaponry and questioned whe-

Oil countries’ bloody legacy
President Zelensky has accused
European countries that continue to
buy Russian oil of “earning their
money in other people’s blood”.
Zelensky told the BBC that
Germany and Hungary were
blocking efforts to embargo energy
sales, from which Russia will make
up to £250 billion this year.
Germany has backed some
European sanctions but has so far
resisted calls for tougher action.
Zelensky said: “The United States,
the United Kingdom, some
European countries — they are
trying to help and are helping. But
still we need it sooner and faster.
The key word is now.”
Evidence of atrocities by Russian
forces was limiting opportunities for
peace talks, he said.
Zelensky accused President Putin
and the Russian army of being “war
criminals”, and said tens of
thousands of people had died in
Mariupol, the besieged port city.

ther Ukraine could keep the vehicles in
good working order and train its soldiers in a short time to use them.
The chancellor’s reluctance to step
up arms deliveries has led to increasing
criticism, including from within his
ruling coalition. The Green party,
which props up Scholz’s government
and controls the foreign and economic
ministries, is particularly frustrated.
Anton Hofreiter, a senior Green MP
who was part of a group who visited
President Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday,
said he could not understand why
Scholz was “putting the brakes on”.
He told RTL, a private broadcaster: “I
don’t know any reasonable basis [for it].
But with his approach the chancellor is
not only damaging the situation in the
Ukraine, he is also doing pretty massive
damage to Germany’s reputation in
Europe and the world. At the end of the
day the geopolitical costs, the reputational costs and in the long run the economic costs are getting ever greater.”
Scholz has also been rebuked indirectly by Annalena Baerbock, the
Green foreign minister, who said
Ukraine needed heavy weapons “above

all”. She said: “Now isn’t the time for
excuses. Now is the time for creativity
and pragmatism.”
There are also signs of growing irritation in the liberal Free Democratic
Party (FDP), Scholz’s other coalition
partner. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the FDP head of the Bundestag
defence committee, who travelled to
Kyiv with Hofreiter, has toured broadcast studios accusing Scholz of having
no plan and delivering “little, verging
on nothing”.
She told a Bavarian radio station yesterday: “He lets things go and hopes
parliament will do it for him. With all
due respect, that’s not on.”
Markus Faber, another FDP MP,
claimed at first that Germany would
“soon” send heavy weapons to Ukraine,
only to issue a clarification a few hours
later. “Of course, it still has to be concluded and implemented,” he said.
“Where there’s a united will, there’s
always a way.”
Germany’s
relationship
with
Ukraine has deteriorated to the point
where President Steinmeier, who as
foreign minister took an accommodating approach towards Russia, felt
obliged to miss a meeting with Zelensky
in Kyiv this week.
Confusion reigns over whether
Ukraine withdrew its invitation to
Steinmeier but the episode has been
interpreted widely in Berlin as a snub to
Germany itself.
Scholz said the decision was “somewhat vexing” and announced that he
had no plan to go to Kyiv himself.
Adding fuel to the flames, Andrij
Melnyk, Ukraine’s plain-speaking ambassador to Germany, claimed that
Berlin bore a share of responsibility for
the war and Angela Merkel could have
prevented it if she had stood up for
Ukraine.
“We trusted Angela Merkel almost
blindly,” he told Süddeutsche Zeitung,
the liberal Munich newspaper. “No one
knew better than she did how tense the
relationship between Russia and
Ukraine was, and that Putin didn’t want
an agreement but the destruction of my
homeland. And yet Berlin decided for
Nord Stream 2 [the gas pipeline from
Russia] in 2015 and continues to decide
against arms deliveries to Ukraine.”
Germany must not falter in arming
Ukraine, leading article, page 33

Artist is
caged for
price tag
protest

A

n artist is
facing up to
ten years in
a prison
camp after
replacing price tags
with antiwar messages

(Tom Ball writes).
Alexandra
Skochilenko, 31, was
arrested after a
shopper reported her
in St Petersburg.
She was accused of
replacing the tags with
“knowingly false
information about the
use of the Russian
armed forces”.
Officials said her
protest was motivated
by “political hatred”.
One of the tags is
believed to have read:

“The Russian army
bombed a theatre in
Mariupol where about
400 people were
taking shelter.”
Dozens of people

Soldiers take aim with Czech howitzer Wife of Putin ally begs
Charlie Parker

A howitzer artillery cannon supplied by
the Czech Republic has been seen in
action in Ukraine for the first time.
The 77 Dana 152mm self-propelled
howitzer fired at Russian positions on
Wednesday. It is mounted to a wheeled
vehicle, giving it greater mobility and
making it cheaper to maintain.
This month the Czech Republic became the first Nato member to supply
Ukraine with tanks. It later emerged
that the country had been supplying
heavier weapons for weeks.
Its shipments of multiple rocket
launcher systems, infantry fighting vehicles, anti-aircraft missiles and howitzer artillery are said to be worth hun-

dreds of millions of dollars. Details of
the deliveries emerged as Ukraine
asked western allies for bigger guns and
better combat equipment to push Russians out of occupied eastern regions.
The Czech Republic has been one of
Ukraine’s strongest supporters since
the Russian invasion and has spare
equipment in storage that its forces are
familiar with. Its defence industry is also focused on upgrading and maintaining the Soviet-era weapons, which are
exactly what Ukraine has requested.
Defence sources confirmed to
Reuters that a shipment of five tanks
and five infantry fighting vehicles was
made last week. “For several weeks, we
have been supplying heavy ground
equipment,” a senior defence official

told the news organisation. The United
States has said it will also give Ukraine
more powerful weapons.
A new $800 million defence package
includes 18 howitzers with 40,000 artillery rounds and Sentinel surveillance
radar systems. Also being provided are
100 armoured Humvee vehicles,
200 armoured personnel carriers, and
11 helicopters.
Switchblade drones, Javelin missiles,
medical equipment, body armour and
helmets, laser rangefinders and claymore mines are also included.
“Some of [these] are reinforcing capabilities that we have already been
providing Ukraine and some of them
are new capabilities,” John Kirby, the
Pentagon press secretary, said.

Tom Ball

The wife of President Putin’s main political ally in Ukraine, who was captured
by Ukrainian forces, has demanded her
husband’s release after the Kremlin
washed its hands of him.
Viktor Medvedchuk, 67, a Ukrainian
parliamentarian and a close
confidant of Putin, was captured on the Moldovan border after he escaped from
house arrest in Kyiv.
Ukrainian intelligence, the SBU, released a photograph
of him on Tuesday in
handcuffs and army
fatigues. After ini-

tially labelling the picture a fake, the
Kremlin later refused to exchange him
in a prisoner swap, saying: “Medvedchuk is not a citizen of Russia. He has
nothing to do with the special military
operation,” a reference to the invasion.
His wife, Oksana Marchenko, 48, a
well-known television personality who
presented X Factor Ukraine, released a
video yesterday addressed to
President Zelensky asking for
his release.
“I, Oksana Marchenko, the
wife of Ukrainian parliament member Viktor
Medvedchuk,
request
Viktor Medvedchuk with
wife Oksana Marchenko

the times | Friday April 15 2022

13

News
News
Alexandra Skochilenko in
court in St Petersburg. She
replaced price tags with
anti-war messages, below

Russia’s nuclear warning as
Nato considers expansion
Tom Ball

Russia has warned that it will boost its
forces in the Baltic region, including
with nuclear missiles, if Finland and
Sweden join Nato.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former
president, said yesterday that Nato
membership for the two Nordic
countries would pose a direct threat to
Russia’s security. He suggested that
Moscow
would
respond
with
deployments of nuclear weapons to
Kaliningrad, its Baltic exclave between
Poland and Lithuania, both Nato
members.
“The land borders of the alliance with
the Russian Federation will more than
double,” Medvedev, who is the deputy
head of Russia’s national security
council, said of Sweden and Finland’s
potential accession. “In this event,
there can be no talk of the nuclear-free
status of the Baltic [region], the balance
must be restored.”
He also said that Moscow would “significantly” strengthen its naval forces
in the Gulf of Finland.
“Until today, Russia has not taken
such measures and was not going to,”
Medvedev, 56, said. “If our hand is
forced, well . . . take note it was not us
who proposed this.”
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, declined to comment on the
deployment of nuclear weapons to the
region. “This will be considered at a
separate meeting with the president,”
he said.
Sweden and Finland held neutral status throughout the Cold War, but
Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine
has triggered a spike in support for join-

LATVIA
LITHUANIA

Kaliningrad
Warsaw
POLAND

BELARUS

RUSSIA

Kiev

UKRAINE

200 miles

ing Nato. Both countries face Russia
across the Baltic Sea and Finland
shares an 830-mile land border. They
could join Nato as early as this summer,
officials say.
The idea of a nuclear weapon-free
zone in the Baltic states has been proposed for decades as a de-escalatory
measure between Russia and the West.
In theory it bans the deployment of any
warheads in Kaliningrad, as well as at
Nato bases in Germany. Kaliningrad,
which was known as Königsberg until
1946, was annexed by the Kremlin from
Germany at the end of the Second
World War.
Medvedev’s comments came after
video appeared to show Russian military hardware moving towards the
Finnish border in a show of strength.
President Putin put Russia’s nuclear
force on high alert in February, just
days after ordering troops into Ukraine.
He has also warned western countries
not to get involved in the conflict in
Ukraine or face “consequences they
have never seen”.
Russia is believed to have already
moved nuclear weapons to Kaliningrad. In 2018, Vladimir Shamanov, a
senior Russian MP, said that Moscow

had deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to the region. He did not
say how many or for how long, however. The Kremlin had said that previous deployments of Iskanders to Kaliningrad were temporary and a response
to the United States building up its
forces in the Baltic region.
The Iskander is a mobile ballistic missile system that is codenamed SS-26
Stone by Nato. It replaced the Soviet
Scud missile. Its two guided missiles
have a range of about 300 miles and can
carry either conventional or nuclear
warheads.
Ingrida Simonyte, Lithuania’s prime
minister, dismissed Moscow’s threats.
“Kaliningrad is a very militarised zone
and has been for many years,” she said.
“This is nothing new.”
“Nuclear weapons have always been
kept in Kaliningrad. The international
community, the countries in the region,
are perfectly aware of this. They use it
as a threat.”
Before his invasion of Ukraine, Putin,
69, demanded that Nato withdraw its
forces from central and eastern Europe
and pledge to cease its expansion
towards Russia’s borders. Nato membership for Finland and Sweden would
represent a “massive strategic blunder”
by the Kremlin, a senior American official said recently.
In response to Medvedev’s comments, Liz Truss, the foreign secretary,
said: “Russian threats towards the Nordic and Baltic states are not new and
only strengthen our unity.
“Sweden and Finland are free to
choose their future without interference — the UK will support whatever
they decide.”

Conductor on Covent Garden podium
Jack Malvern

supported
t d the artist at
her court hearing in
President Putin’s
home town.
“What I did was not
wrong,” she said from

a metal cage. “It was
important.”
At least two other
people have been
arrested for replacing
price tags in shops

w peace messages
with
in a campaign by the
Fe
Feminist
Anti-War
R
Resistance.
Skochilenko’s arrest
co
coincided
with
V
Vladimir
Kara-Murza,
40 a Kremlin critic,
40,
be
being
jailed for 15 days
on charges of resisting
po
police.
The former
C
Cambridge
student
was arrested after he
told CNN that Putin’s
“regime of murderers”
would lose power over
the war in Ukraine.

Zelensky for his release
President Zelensky to take all the
necessary measures for the immediate
release of my husband, who is being illegally detained by the SBU,” she said.
Medvedchuk, whose daughter has
Putin as a godfather, had been under
house arrest in Kyiv since May last year
after being charged with treason.
On February 27 this year, it became
known that he had escaped. His location was unknown until Tuesday when
President Zelensky and the SBU posted
photographs of him looking forlorn and
dishevelled in handcuffs.
Medvedchuk, who is estimated to be
worth almost £500 million, was accused of handing military secrets to
Moscow. When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Medvedchuk paid only

$40,000 for shares in a Russian oil refinery, Yug Energo, a deal that netted
him tens of millions of dollars in profits,
according to the Organised Crime and
Corruption Reporting Project.
On Wednesday Ukrainian prosecutors announced that 154 assets belonging to the tycoon and his wife had been
seized, including 26 cars, 30 plots of
land, 23 houses, 32 apartments, 17
parking spaces and a motor yacht.
Shares in 25 companies had also been
frozen.
For more than 20 years Medvedchuk
had served as a back door for the Kremlin into Ukrainian politics. It is thought
that he would have been installed as a
puppet leader of Ukraine had Russian
forces succeeded in toppling Zelensky.

While her brother builds barricades in
her home town in western Ukraine,
Oksana Lyniv will be helping her country by conducting musicians at the
Royal Opera House.
The conductor, the first woman to
become head of an Italian opera house,
spoke of her fears for her family and
countrymen as she prepared to lead a
concert for Ukraine in Covent Garden.
Lyniv, 44, was appointed music director of the Teatro Comunale opera
house in Bologna in January and is
returning to Covent Garden today for
the first time since conducting Tosca
there in December.
She said the concert, to raise money
for the Disasters Emergency Committee, would be an emotional test.
Most of her family remain in her
home town of Brody, although she was
able to get her mother out last week.
“Her health is not so good,” Lyniv told
The Times. “We thought it would be
better if she was not dealing every day
with sirens. She has to be hidden in the
cellar. It’s better that she can recover for
a few weeks.”
Her mother, father and brother had
been hiding in a bunker in their garden
that has survived since it was built
during the First World War by German
soldiers. In peacetime, the family used
it as a vegetable store.
“When they have the sirens a few
times during the day or night, she has
only a few minutes to go down to the
vegetable cellar,” Lyniv said. “It was a
bunker for German soldiers. As a child
I was always very proud of this. I would
tell children from my school, ‘Come
with me and I will show you the bunker

Oksana Lyniv is conducting today’s
concert at the Royal Opera House

in my garden.’ It is deep under the earth.
It’s always cold.”
She said that when the sirens sounded, everyone in the house, including
two visiting refugee families, took
shelter in the bunker. “Cats, dogs,
everybody is sitting there. My father

arranged [a heater] to make it a little bit
warmer.”
Her brother remains in Brody, operating a crane to build barricades to slow
the approach of Russian tanks.
Lyniv said her mother, who is living at
the conductor’s home in Dusseldorf
with other family members, wants to
return to Brody as soon as possible.
“She is very worried, but I want her to
stay a few weeks longer because [being
in Brody] is not so good for her health,”
she added.
Lyniv is also letting refugee families
from Kharkiv stay in her flat in Lviv.
She said that even when enjoying her
work in Bologna, Rome and London,
her thoughts were with her people.
“Every day I wake up and you read in
the news what has happened. It’s a
terrible situation. All the victims, all the
children. It makes me mad,” she said.
Covent Garden is hosting three concerts for Ukraine, each of which could
raise £200,000. Lyniv will co-host the
concert alongside Antonio Pappano,
music director of the Royal Opera.
They will conduct singers including the
Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov and
the Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk.
Asked whether it would be difficult to
perform, she said: “Yes, of course it will
be an emotional moment. It will be
difficult to be at this globally famous
opera house and see Ukrainian musicians. And also to hear the Ukrainian
language. But I’m very thankful to the
Royal Opera House and Antonio
Pappano for their solidarity with
Ukraine, with my home country.”
The Royal Opera — Concert for
Ukraine will take place at 4.30pm at the
Royal Opera House. It will also be
streamed online.

14

V2

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

News
News War in Ukraine

BA rejected Ukrainians who had right documents
Ross Kaniuk

British Airways has apologised for
refusing to let a Ukrainian family board
a flight to the UK despite them having
all the correct travel documents.
The family of three, including a 68year-old grandmother and an eightyear-old girl, had fled Kharkiv, a city in
the northeast that has faced some of
the most intense Russian bombing, and
waited more than two weeks to be
granted British visas.
They travelled 800 miles to Warsaw
airport in Poland, where they were due
to fly to London under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Vira Rybalchenko, the grandmother,
had lost her passport in the evacuation
but was assured by the British embassy
that she would still be allowed to travel
because she had a paper copy of the
document as well as a newly issued
British visa and a Ukrainian identity
card.
The family passed through airport
security but minutes before they were
due to board last Friday Rybalchenko
was told by BA staff that she could not
leave without her original passport.
BA has admitted that its staff were
mistaken and said: “We’re very sorry
for the genuine error made by our team
when trying to follow Home Office gui-

dance and we’ve put measures in place
to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
We’re making contact with the family
to apologise and will be providing a full
refund of their tickets.”
Hanna Zakhovaieva, Rybalchenko’s
daughter, said: “This was a horrible
experience and my mum was absolutely shocked. I couldn’t leave my mum in
Poland because she doesn’t understand
the language and doesn’t know anyone
or have anywhere to stay.”
Zakhovaieva, 37, said that her eightyear-old daughter, Sofia, was “very
traumatised” by the war and spoke to
her father, Konstantin, every day in
Kharkiv to make sure “he is still alive”.

The family had arrived at the airport at
6am with their belongings before the
8.25am flight to Heathrow. Zakhovaieva, an accountant, said they had been
left without explanation or apology by
BA staff. They eventually boarded an
8pm flight to London on LOT Polish
Airlines after an employee at the
Hungarian airline WizzAir created a
temporary travel document.
Zakhovaieva said she saw another
family being turned away by BA and
that it may have happened to many
more. She added: “When we spoke to
the visa centre at the airport they told
us that the majority of the families will
be in the same situation [regarding

incomplete documents] and they were
shocked that BA didn’t allow us to
board even though we had a visa. They
said this is a massive issue that a lot of
families will face.”
BA did not say how many Ukrainians
had been wrongly turned away.
Zakhovaieva, her daughter and
mother are now living in Surrey with
their host family.
Tatyana Moskalenko, a Ukrainian
living in Britain who helps to run the
group Farnham Homes for Ukraine,
said: “This is government guidance that
they don’t need to have a valid passport
to travel because they are refugees. It is
sufficient if they have a visa.”

Aiden Aslin
was paraded in
handcuffs on the
video recorded in
an unknown office

Captured Briton
is interrogated

A

British
h
fighterr in
ne
Ukraine
has
been seen
handcuffed
and bruised
two days after
he was
captured by
Russian
forces
(Charlie
Parker writes).
Aiden Aslin
hed
was photographed
and videoed in an
known
office in an unknown
location. In the clip,
ears
Aslin, who appears
exhausted, is asked if
he killed people and
replies: “I didn’t do
any fighting.”
Aslin, 28, from
Newark,
Nottinghamshire, has
dual British and
Ukrainian citizenship.
He was defending the
city of Mariupol in
the 36th Marine
Brigade of Ukraine
until his unit ran out
of food and
ammunition and
surrendered on
Tuesday.
In his last phone
call to a friend he said
he feared he would be
used for propaganda

purposes once
captured. His
apparent abuse has
prompted his family
and friends to accuse
Russia of committing
war crimes by
violating the Geneva
Convention, which
outlaws harming
prisoners of war or
using them for
propaganda material.
Supporters of
Russia on social
media have falsely
claimed that Aslin is a
foreign mercenary,
which would prevent
him from receiving
protection under the
convention. Nathan
Wood, Aslin’s brother,

said the British
government was
working to find out
where he is. “He’s got
a gun to his head. He
has to say this stuff
[on video] or he dies,”
Wood, 25, ttold The
Times.
Aslin gained a
social media
follo
following by
pos
posting
up
updates
ab
about
his
fi
fighting
in
U
Ukraine,
m
mocking
R
Russian
so
soldiers
in
ma of
many
them
them, which
will have
h
made
him a target
t
him
for
Russian abuse,
a
Russian
P
Brennan Phillips,
one
frien said.
of his friends,
Phillips a fformer
Phillips,
serviceman who
trained Aslin to fight
Islamic State in Syria,
said Russia had
“absolutely
committed a war
crime” and “it was
well documented that
he was healthy and
unmolested prior to
his capture”.
Aslin joined the
Ukrainian armed
forces in 2018 and
lives in the country
with his Ukrainian
fiancée, Diana. Ang
Wood, his mother,
said: “We are just
hoping that there can
be some sort of
prisoner exchange.”

the times | Friday April 15 2022

15

2GM

News
TAYFUN SALCI/ZUMA PRESS WIRE

Footballer
tackles DVLA
over offence

US musician
subjected to
racist attack

Kieran Gair

Ross Kaniuk

A Premier League footballer has
blamed the DVLA for being too slow to
process his licence after he was caught
at the wheel of his Porsche without a
licence or insurance.
Manuel Lanzini, 29, the Argentina
midfielder, has been accused of a series
of driving offences since joining West
Ham United in 2015, including speeding and driving without insurance.
He was banned from the road in
August 2020 after he incurred 12 points
on his licence for speeding.
Lanzini, who earns £3.5 million a
year, was stopped by police on January
27 in Aldgate, central London.
City of London magistrates’ court
heard that the father of one waved an
Argentine licence at officers before telling them he knew that he should not be
driving. He was fined £1,735 and given
six penalty points on his licence.
Lanzini said that he knew he should
not be on the road but blamed the
pandemic for his decision not to replace
his invalid licence with a British one.
He admitted having no licence or insurance in a written plea using Single
Justice Procedure, which allows people
accused of minor offences to enter
pleas remotely.
Mark Haslam, for Lanzini, told the
court: “The defendant has an Argentinian driving licence which is still a valid
document on the face of it. However, he
has to exchange that document with a
British licence if he has been in the UK
for a certain amount of time. He should,
as he freely admitted to the officer, have
taken steps to exchange his licence for a
British one. The court will be aware that
the DVLA has not covered itself in
glory during the pandemic and many
people put off their application for a
licence.”
Lynne Gailey, the magistrate, ordered Lanzini to pay a £1,500 fine, £85
court costs and a £150 victim surcharge.
Six points were added to his licence.

Morris “Mo” Pleasure, a former
member of the soul band Earth, Wind
and Fire, was slapped on the head and
subjected to racist slurs at a nightclub in
Aberystwyth.
Police issued CCTV video of a suspect physically abusing the American
keyboards and bass player, who moved
to the Welsh town with his wife, who
grew up there, 18 months ago. DyfedPowys police appealed for witnesses to
the attack: “Officers have carried out all
possible lines of inquiry, and are now
appealing for help from the public.
They would like to identify the person
in the CCTV image.”
Pleasure, 59, was attacked after
passing a man in a queue at the Pier
Pressure club, on the Royal Pier, on
April 3. He was out with two sisters of
his wife, Kedma Macias, when the
incident happened.
He said: “It was a deeply upsetting
experience and I hope the police are
able to identify who did this to me and
prevent this person from attacking
anyone else. Aberystwyth is a magical
place that has become home for my
family over the last year and a half.
“The people of Aber have been so
welcoming to me and the support I’ve
had since this incident happened has
been overwhelming.”
A spokesman for Pier Pressure said:
“We utterly condemn such behaviour
and any person who perpetrates a
criminal act of this kind is subject to an
indefinite exclusion.”

Meal to remember Muslims come together during the month of Ramadan for an Open Iftar event at the Royal Albert Hall in
London. Iftar is the name of the meal Muslims break their fast with, and the event seeks to promote community harmony

Brother wins £1m dispute against
lying sister in rare calumny case
Jonathan Ames Legal Editor

A retired atomic energy engineer has
won a £1 million legal battle against his
sister over their father’s will after she
was found to have committed “fraudulent calumny”.
In only the second case of its kind in
the past 15 years, David Whittle was
able to prove that his sibling had
wrongly influenced their dying father
by telling a series of lies, including that
he and his wife, Julie, were “psychopaths and criminals”.
A judge at the High Court in Bristol
described the behaviour of Whittle’s
sister, Sonia Whittle, as a “disgraceful”
and “appalling” attempt to cut a rightful
beneficiary out of a will.
The dispute arose around the estate
of Gerald Whittle, who died aged 92 in
2016, three weeks after drafting his last
will and testament. The former chemical engineer spent his retirement restoring and selling antiques.
His son, David, worked for the UK
Atomic Energy Authority and his
daughter, Sonia, had been a Saga holiday rep before leaving work and claiming disability benefits. The father suf-

fered from leukaemia, diabetes, hypothyroidism and chronic kidney disease
and had spent time in hospital.
However, just before his death, he returned to his Oxfordshire home where,
it was alleged, his daughter and her
partner, Ray Spicer, had moved in and
changed the locks.
It was said during the court hearing
that the siblings visited their father in
the care home before his death. The son
alleged that on one occasion he overheard his sister telling their father that
he had stolen money from his motherin-law and that he was a violent man
who assaulted women.
David Whittle said that when he confronted his sister she verbally abused
him. After his father’s death, he discovered that he had been left out of the will
and that the estate had gone to his sister. He challenged the will on the rarely
used grounds of fraudulent calumny, a
legal concept that means one person
has lied about another to gain a financial advantage.
In his ruling, District Judge Tony
Woodburn found that the sister had
knowingly “peddled falsehoods” about
her brother and his wife. The judge said

that Sonia Whittle and her partner had
unduly influenced her father to cut his
son out of his will.
The judge said that the sister had told
her father a string of lies, including that
David Whittle had stolen several of his
father’s antiques, such as a large, green
Chinese vase, and that he had stolen his

David Whittle proved his sister had
influenced their dying father, Gerald

father’s collection of classic cars. The
sister was also found to have told her
father that her brother’s wife was a
prostitute and the police had issued a
harassment order against the couple.
The judge said that none of those
statements was true. In fact, the court
found that the sister had instructed a
firm of auctioneers to sell the antiques,

while the car collection remained in the
father’s garage.
David Whittle and his wife obtained
disclosure and barring service certificates to prove that neither had ever had
a criminal conviction.
Speaking to The Times, he said that
the past five years had been “very traumatic” as it seemed that “the case
would go on and on”. He said he and his
sister “were never on fantastic terms”
and that they were now no longer
speaking at all.
Amanda Noyce, a lawyer at Royds
Withy King, which represented David
Whittle, said: “This has been a terrible
ordeal for David and Julie, who have
endured intense emotional trauma on
every level. They were very close to
Gerald, saw him regularly and were
central to his care in his later years.
“We were lucky we had more evidence than is usually available in these
sorts of cases. The fact remains that it is
often far too easy for malign individuals
unduly to influence elderly and vulnerable people and all too often they succeed in their intentions to take advantage . . . denying the true beneficiaries
their rightful inheritance.”

Spell in rehab
for a very
friendly seal
A female seal that has become too
friendly for her own good has been put
into a rehabilitation programme to
secure her future in the wild.
Spearmint has regularly sought out
the company of people in Devon and
Cornwall after growing accustomed to
being fed. Now she needs help to get
used to fending for herself.
The RSPCA said that the endangered North Atlantic grey seal had become “habituated to humans” in Plymouth Sound, Devon. It said it was
“working around the clock to get her fit
and healthy” as part of an effort to release her into a remote part of Scotland.
Jessica Collins, a volunteer at Cornwall Seal Group, said the seal interacted
with wild swimmers and climbed on to
paddleboards at crowded beaches.
This is the second time that organisations have tried to rewild Spearmint.
Collins said: “Although at a young age
she needed to be rehabilitated, her interest in humans grew once released, as
she was fed regularly by tourists. This
poor seal is an example of what happens when humans feed a wild animal.
The animal is the one who suffers.”

Spearmint has lost her self-reliance
after being fed regularly by tourists

the times | Friday April 15 2022

17

News

Students snub chapel
over Rustat memorial

TMS

diary@thetimes.co.uk | @timesdiary
Ashworth, the pensions spokesman,
sucked up by saying that Starmer was
“the first Labour Party leader in a
decade to look like a prime minister”.
A little awkwardly: he was sitting
next to Ed Miliband at the time.

Role that cost
Nighy his cool
Looking back on a varied career,
Bill Nighy speaks with pride of his
work with Richard Curtis, Stephen
Poliakoff and Kazuo Ishiguro, but
his tone shifts abruptly when
questions turn to Pirates of the
Caribbean. He played a Scottish
squid, and tells GQ that the key to
his performance was “to think of
the money all the time”. This was a
CGI role, and the necessary
“costume” rankled with one of
Britain’s 50 best-dressed men. He
wore “baggy, computer pyjamas
with fuzzy white dots all over them”,
and trainers, which were “social
death as far as I’m concerned”. On
less remunerative projects, his
costume can be a deal-breaker.
When asked why his CV lacks
classical work, he replies: “I can’t
operate in those kind of trousers.”
The novelist Kate Mosse hated the
costume in her first job. Aged 16, she
was a theatre usher, and wore an
“awful” synthetic uniform that was
both uncomfortable and dangerous
for patrons. “If someone touched you,
you gave them an electric shock,” she
tells The Stage. “Which was quite
handy in those days, quite frankly.”

bbc man’s precious time
Promotion could come at a cost for
the new BBC political editor, Chris
Mason. He may no longer have
time for his column in the
Yorkshire magazine The Dalesman.
He is greatly admired by fellow
writers who say he embodies a
Yorkshireman’s best traits, such as
charm, humour and, above all,
thrift. They particularly admire his
“cheap, black, plastic, Casio watch”
which he used for decades before
disaster struck. “Somehow, while he
was in the bath, the watch fell into
the lav,” reports the Daleswoman
Sylvia Crookes. However, he fished
it out and it is “still in service”.
Crookes assures TMS: “He’ll not
replace it, even with his vast salary.”
The shadow cabinet is showing more
unity these days, but there can still be
tension. An interview with Keir
Starmer in The House magazine says
that at a recent meeting Jon

tweet goes cheap
Non-fungible tokens increasingly
look like today’s answer to the
South Sea Bubble. Last year, Jack
Dorsey, a co-founder of Twitter,
sold his first tweet as an NFT,
which was snapped up by Sina
Estavi, a “crypto-entrepreneur”, for
$2.9 million. Last week, Estavi put it
up for sale with a price tag of
$48 million, which turned out to be
optimistic. The highest bid
undercut the asking price by a mere
$47,999,720.
tory recycling initiative
Whatever its merits, the Rwanda
asylum deal shows the government’s
commitment to recycling anything,
including 18-year-old policies.
Admittedly, it’s better thought out
now than when Oliver Letwin, as
shadow home secretary, proposed it
at 2003’s Tory conference. Having
said that a Conservative government
would process asylum seekers “far,
far away”, he was asked where
exactly. He replied: “I haven’t the
slightest idea.”
jack blackburn

James Beal Social Affairs Editor

Jesus College said a growing number of
students were boycotting its chapel
over the Tobias Rustat memorial as it
was confirmed that the failed effort to
remove the monument cost £120,000.
Sonita Alleyne, master of the Cambridge college, said undergraduates
were staying away because of Rustat’s
links to slavery.
A consistory court ruled last month
that the plaque should stay in the chapel. Alleyne said she felt more consideration had been given to the memorial
than to the 150,000 people trafficked by
one of the companies Rustat invested in.
In The Guardian yesterday she wrote:
“The presence of the memorial is
deeply offensive to many in the college
community. Teaching them more
about Rustat’s benevolence, as the consistory court judgment suggests, will
not bring them back into the chapel.
“Rustat’s personal generosity pales
against the mass rapes, torture and
murders that occurred as a result of the
transatlantic slave trade. An increasing
number of students refuse to enter the
chapel to pray, reflect, hear our wonderful choir, or take part in social and
cultural events due to the presence of
the memorial. For us it is vital that
every student feels welcome.”
Alleyne, the first black leader of an
Oxbridge college, repeated her criticism of the Church of England process
for settling the fate of artefacts of con-

tested heritage. She also confirmed the
£120,000 cost. The Times revealed on
Wednesday that this could rise to
£150,000 if the church court finds the
college liable for the costs of those who
opposed the marble monument’s
removal from the grade I listed chapel,
where it was installed in 1694. The college has a £203.6 million endowment.
Alleyne said yesterday: “After the
church’s decision to hold a consistory
court hearing, Jesus College was in an
impossible situation. There was no
question — we had to fight this case.
“In doing so, the college will have
spent about £120,000 on an antiquated
process that it had little choice but to
follow, dominated by lawyers, and
which is ill designed for resolving
sensitive matters of racial justice and
contested heritage. The church must
develop something better than this.”
Alleyne said she believed moving the
memorial to Rustat, a courtier to
Charles II who invested in two slaving
companies, to an exhibition space was
the “moral” thing to do. The plans were
opposed by 70 alumni, calling themselves the Rustat Memorial Group,
forcing the hearing in February.
Calling the process of confronting
the college’s past links to slavery a “walk
towards fairness”, Alleyne added: “It
matters to Jesus College, and it ought to
matter to the Church of England.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Most Rev Justin Welby, has said he
believes that the memorial should go.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

19

News
CBS/GETTY IMAGES ; AP

Author sinks
myth that
Titanic chief
was a coward

W

omen and
children
first was
the order
given as
the Titanic sank 110 years
ago, bringing shame on
the men who survived
(Jack Blackburn and Sara
Tor write). None more so
than the chairman of the
White Star Line shipping
company, J Bruce Ismay.
Ismay was known as

The feature film Titanic
reinforced a popular
misconception about
the actions of J Bruce
Ismay, chairman of
the White Star Line

the “coward of the
Titanic” after he made it
off the ship, which sank
on April 15, 1912, with
more than 1,500 dead.
Now, Clifford Ismay, a
distant cousin, has
written Understanding
J Bruce Ismay, which
claims that he was
traduced. In the James
Cameron film Titanic,
Ismay demands that the
ship go faster, then later
hops on to a lifeboat.
According to witness
testimonies, Ismay had
helped to launch at least
seven lifeboats. “All his
time was taken up with
preparing and lowering
[boats] as well as loading
women and children on

to them.” It was only
when there were no more
women in sight that he
boarded one.
However, Ismay must
carry responsibility for
the lack of lifeboats.
Ismay was the president
of the company which
ruled that there should
only be 20 lifeboats
because the ship was
“unsinkable”.
Ismay was exonerated
of the speed accusation
and of forcing his way on
to a lifeboat by the
British inquiry but the
press baron William
Randolph Hearst branded
him “J Brute Ismay”.
Ismay deserves justice,
leading article, page 33

Ex-staff accuse Channel 4 of toxic culture
Jake Kanter Media Correspondent
George Greenwood

Ten ethnic minority former employees
have accused Channel 4 of having a
“toxic” culture after a woman signed a
secret settlement deal over a racial
discrimination complaint.
The settlement deal, seen by The
Times, prevented the woman of colour
from commenting on a grievance about
the broadcaster’s management regime.
She made a series of allegations, all
related to race. She complained about
white colleagues being favoured for
promotion and claimed that Channel 4
had systemic cultural issues.
Former employees echoed her
complaint, claiming that they had
been proud to join Channel 4 but left
with a bitter taste. Sources claimed that
white executives ignored pleas to
ditch plans for a programme in which a

Gogglebox star lived with an African
tribe.
They said their experiences were not
unusual for the industry but Channel 4
should be held to a higher standard.
The claims have come to light as the
government continues with plans to
privatise the state-owned broadcaster.
Channel 4 vehemently defended its
record on diversity and said the claims,
some of which related to previous management regimes, did not reflect its
diverse and inclusive culture. It said the
concerns of former members of staff
were “unsubstantiated and false”.
The woman’s confidential settlement
agreement contained clauses that
allowed her to complain about serious
wrongdoing, including racial discrimination, but she chose not to, fearing
that it could harm her career.
Channel 4’s use of exit deals with
confidentiality clauses has been com-

Scarlett Moffatt
was in a reality
show that some at
the channel found
objectionable

mon since Alex Mahon became chief
executive in 2017. The company has
signed 61 such deals over the past five
years, with a high of 17 last year, a Freedom of Information request discloses.
It is understood that at least two
other people from diverse backgrounds
signed similar deals. One pre-dated
Mahon’s tenure. Channel 4 declined to
comment on individual settlement
agreements. The broadcaster said:
“Channel 4 does not use non-disclosure
agreements except in relation to commercial matters only and never in respect to staff. Our standard settlement

agreements . . . do not and should never
prevent individuals from raising issues
of serious wrongdoing.”
A former insider said: “On the face of
it, it’s cool . . . but at its core, it’s rotten.”
Former employees said internal concerns about programmes were ignored,
such as The British Tribe Next Door, in
which Scarlett Moffatt, a former
Gogglebox personality, lived in Namibia in a replica of her British house.
Ethnic minority staff said that the
premise was offensive but white colleagues overruled them. Insiders told of
their worries about the Black to Front
project last September, a day dedicated
to black programmes. London Hughes,
a black comedian, tweeted that the day
was “performative tokenism”.
Channel 4 acknowledged that concerns were raised about the programming but said the views of employees
were “fully discussed”. It added that

Black to Front was a success with
diverse audiences and The British Tribe
Next Door won an award.
The board members and top three
executives are white. The government
vetoed the reappointment last year of
Althea Efunshile and Uzma Hasan,
non-executive members from diverse
backgrounds.
In figures shared for the first time, the
company said 18 per cent of its workforce was from diverse backgrounds
and it expected to hit its target of 20 per
cent next year. It added: “We do not recognise these allegations made by
people who no longer work for the organisation. These unsubstantiated and
false claims of a ‘toxic culture’ do a serious disservice to the inclusive culture
that every member of staff contributes
to and which results in award-winning
programmes that represent and celebrate the rich diversity of the UK.”

the times | Friday April 15 2022

21

News

£3m for artist brain-damaged by moped thief
CHAMPION NEWS ; MANUEL MATHIEU

Jonathan Ames Legal Editor

In the 17th century, Johannes Vermeer
painted so slowly that he averaged
three works a year at his peak. But not
all artists have the luxury of a Dutch
master.
Manuel Mathieu, 35, a Canadian
painter, has won £3.2 million in damages after a road-traffic accident left him
with a brain injury and unable to work
as fast.
He was studying for a fine arts
master’s degree at Goldsmiths University, London, in 2015, when he was hit by
a rider on a stolen moped. He recovered
to continue a career in contemporary
art, winning Canada’s top award for
young artists in 2020, and his abstract
figurative works have been exhibited in
Canada and internationally, as well as
at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
in London.
Mathieu told the High Court in
London that if it had not been for the
injury, he would have been able to paint
more quickly and earn millions more
by producing an extra 14 paintings
annually over the past seven years.
Mathieu, whose work has been
likened to that of Francis Bacon, sued
Tony Hinds, the rider of the moped, and
the insurer, Aviva, for up to £33.6 million. Yesterday Mrs Justice Hill agreed
he was owed compensation but of the
much lower amount of £3,178,741.64.
She said that artists’ reputations and
market value routinely go into a
“tailspin” in later years, and so he could
not claim that he would be as successful
for his entire life.
In her ruling, the judge acknowl-

Climate crisis
‘like asteroid
hitting Earth’
Kaya Burgess Science Reporter

Manuel Mathieu, whose
abstract works have been
exhibited internationally,
was hit by a stolen moped

edged that the accident had caused “a
life-changing impact on the claimant
and his career” but said it was likely that
his popularity as an artist would “peter
out” with time.
Theo Huckle QC, representing Mathieu, accepted that Mathieu remained
a successful artist but told the court that
he had sued “on the basis that his productivity as an artist has been reduced
due to chronic cognitive fatigue and
headache caused by his agreed severe
brain injury”.

The painter, who lives in Montreal,
also claimed that the head injuries
could eventually lead to dementia that
would hamper his ability to work into
his latter years.
Lawyers defending the claim did not
dispute liability but challenged the
amount being claimed for compensation, describing it as “inflated” and
“based on hypothetical guess work”.
Marcus Dignum QC, representing
Aviva, accepted that the accident
caused a brain injury resulting in “some

permanent deficits” — but he added
that the artist had made an “impressive
recovery”.
In her ruling, the judge said that
Mathieu’s claim was based “solely on
the basis that he will continue to paint
and create art to sell professionally for
the rest of his life”.
She added: “Predicting the evolution
of any artist’s work, its value and pricing
beyond the next two to three years involves speculation . . . artists going into
tailspin . . . is a recognised pattern”.

The damage humans are causing
through climate change is comparable
to the devastation caused by the
asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, a
palaeontologist has said.
Robert DePalma, who last week
revealed the discovery of a dinosaur
killed on the day the asteroid hit, and Sir
David Attenborough said humans must
learn from that cataclysm.
Extinctions usually take place over
thousands or millions of years, driven
by slow changes to the environment.
However, at a screening of a documentary about the asteroid impact,
DePalma said: “What’s going on in the
world today is terrifyingly close to the
scale and timeframe of the end-Cretaceous extinction.”
DePalma’s work in North Dakota has
uncovered a wealth of information
about the asteroid impact. He found a
dinosaur leg that was probably torn off
during a flash flood on the day it hit and
a fragment of the asteroid.
In Dinosaurs: The Final Day,
broadcast on BBC1 at 6.30pm today,
Attenborough says: “It’s possible that
humanity is having as big an impact on
the world as the asteroid that ended the
age of the dinosaurs. As human beings
we are unique in our ability to learn
from the distant past. Now we must use
that ability wisely and do our very best
to protect millions of species for whom,
alongside us, this planet is home.”

the times | Friday April 15 2022

23

News
ANGELA SLEET/SWNS

1

Backflip
to the
future for
Ben, 12

2

3

B

ackflips were
once the
preserve of
gymnasts,
divers and
BMX riders but a
12-year-old boy has
become the youngest
Briton to show they
can also be done in a
wheelchair (George
Sandeman writes).
Benjamin Sleet, who
was born with spina
bifida, first
experienced
wheelchair motocross
aged eight, after being
lent a skateboarding
wheelchair by Lily
Rice, the women’s
world champion. She
was the first female in
Europe to land a
backflip, which she did
four years ago, aged 13.
In wheelchair
motocross athletes

Benjamin Sleet, 12, is now the youngest Briton to perform a backflip in wheelchair motocross and hopes to progress further
B

perform flips and
tricks usually seen in
skateboarding and
BMX riding.
Benjamin got a chair
of his own, thanks to a
donation, and
practised the backflip
for months with the
help of a foam pit. “I
was shocked at first
and then I felt excited.
It wasn’t really scary,”
said Benjamin, from

Henley-on-Thames,
Oxfordshire. “I didn’t
know I was going to do
it, I just decided I was
going to have a go.”
He is the youngest
Briton and the first
male to perform the
feat, which he
accomplished on April
3. He is now looking
for sponsorship to help
him compete at the
next level of the sport.

End ‘natural birth’
bias in midwife job
ads, hospitals told
Kat Lay Health Editor

NHS bosses have written to hospitals
telling them to stop using language that
implies a bias against caesarean sections
when advertising jobs in maternity
services.
A recent report into an NHS
maternity scandal found that a focus on
“normal birth” had played a key role in
babies dying or being born disabled.
Women at the Shrewsbury and
Telford trust were forced to undergo
traumatic natural births when they
should have been offered surgical
intervention.
The Ockenden report into its
services found that “repeated failings”
had led to the deaths of 201 babies and
nine mothers, with many more left with
life-changing injuries.
However, even since its publication,
trusts have published job adverts
looking for a member of staff “to help us
promote normality” or saying that they
are “proud of our commitment to
normal birth”.
In a letter sent yesterday, Dr Matthew
Jolly, NHS clinical director for maternity, and Professor Jacqueline DunkleyBent, chief midwifery officer, ask
maternity services “to review the
language that they are using about
their services, in job adverts, and any
other information designed to support
decision-making on pregnancy and
birth choices”.
The letter continues: “There have
been a number of concerns raised
about the language used in some NHS
trust maternity service job adverts and
materials — phrases that suggest bias
toward one mode of birth.
“The NHS has a duty to provide safe
and personalised care to women and
families according to best practice
guidance informed by evidence and the
changes that are taking place in society,

midwifery, maternity, and neonatal
care services.
“It is a fundamental requirement of a
maternity multidisciplinary team to inform and listen to every woman,
respect their views and help them to try
and achieve the type of birth they aspire
to.”
At Torbay and South Devon hospital,
an advertisement for midwives read:
“We are proud of our commitment to
normal birth.” An advert for a midwife
at Northumbria Healthcare NHS
Foundation Trust sought someone
“committed to the philosophy of
normal birth”.
In another, the Airedale NHS
Foundation Trust in Keighley, West
Yorkshire, said that successful
candidates “will be able to demonstrate
their commitment and dedication to
women-centred care, promoting the
normal birth pathway and reducing
interventions”.
And Lewisham and Greenwich NHS
Trust in London said that it wanted to
recruit “an enthusiastic team member
to help us promote normality”.
When such adverts first appeared,
Kayleigh Griffiths, who spent six years
fighting for Shrewsbury and Telford
Hospital NHS Trust to be held
accountable for her daughter’s death,
told The Times that it looked as though
senior administrators were failing to
learn lessons from the Ockenden
report.
“As a society we need to move away
from the idea of normality in childbirth
because normal doesn’t really exist,”
she said. “Women need to be told the
full picture about childbirth and not
just the positive side of the process.
Hospital trusts are in danger of having
tunnel vision about normal births.”
Earlier this year maternity services
were told to stop using low caesarean
rates as a measure of quality.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

25

News
HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERS

Police officer guilty
of child sex offences
Mario Ledwith

A Metropolitan Police counterterrorism officer is facing jail after arranging
a sexual liaison with someone he
believed to be a 13-year-old girl while he
was working from home.
Detective
Constable
Francois
Olwage, of the Met’s specialist operations unit, was found guilty of three
child sex offences.
The police officer, 52, was caught in
an undercover sting after spending two
weeks carrying out sexually explicit
conversations with the individual on a
social media network.
He was in fact talking to a police officer using the alias Smile Bear, who then
began a conversation with Olwage on
WhatsApp under the name Caitlin.
Winchester crown court was told
that Olwage, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had arranged to meet the fictional girl in October last year.
Peter Shaw, for the prosecution, told
the jury that Olwage had been listed as
“on duty, working from home” on the
day of the arranged meeting in Basingstoke, Hampshire. He was arrested at a
McDonald’s by two undercover officers
as he was about to buy a McFlurry ice
cream to take to his meeting with
“Caitlin”.
The officers found in his bag two condoms, a bottle of lubricant and a packet
of Tadalafil erectile disfunction tablets.
There was also a box of Ferrero Rocher
chocolates, which Shaw suggested was

a present for the “girl”. Olwage told the
court that he had “never believed”
Smile Bear was a 13-year-old girl and
that he thought it was an adult “playing
out a fantasy”. He denied having any
sexual interest in children.
He was convicted of attempted
sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13
to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a girl under the age of
16 after grooming her. He also pleaded
guilty at the start of the trial to improperly exercising police powers to receive
the “benefit of sexual gratification”.
Judge Jane Miller QC ordered the
jury to find him not guilty of arranging
or facilitating the commission of a child
sex offence.
She adjourned the case for sentencing and Olwage was remanded in custody until April 27.
His case was referred by the Metropolitan Police to the Independent
Office for Police Conduct.
The force said that Olwage would
now face misconduct proceedings after
the investigation by Hampshire police.
Detective Chief Superintendent
Donna Smith, of the Met’s directorate
of professional standards, said: “These
are appalling crimes and the fact that
these crimes were committed by a
police officer makes them all the more
deplorable. It goes without saying that
officers who behave like Olwage have
no place in the Metropolitan Police
Service.”

Activists glue
themselves
to tanker in
M4 oil protest

C

limate change
protesters
blocked traffic to
a key motorway
in London yesterday
(Miranda Bryant writes).

Four demonstrators from
Just Stop Oil, an offshoot
of Extinction Rebellion,
glued themselves to the
top of an Eddie Stobart
fuel tanker at Chiswick
Roundabout, closing
access to the entrance of
the M4 for hours.
At 10am the
Metropolitan Police said
that road closures and
diversions were in place.
Three hours later the

Police officers used a cherry
picker to remove the four
protesters from the tanker

roads remained closed.
The group blocked the
tanker and draped it with
a Just Stop Oil flag. The
four protesters were
removed from the lorry
on a cherry picker and
carried into a police van.
The demonstration was
the latest by the coalition,

which has been
blockading fuel terminals
since April 1. They have
staged protests at 11 oil
distribution facilities,
which has led to petrol
and diesel shortages in
some areas. A
spokeswoman for the
organisation, which is
calling for a stop to all
new oil licences, said:
“What choice do the
young people have?”

26

26

News

News

2GM

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

Queen meets Harry
and Meghan for first
time in two years
Kieran Gair, Jack Malvern

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met
the Queen at Windsor Castle yesterday
for the first time since they stepped
down as senior members of the royal
family in 2020.
Reports said they the couple arrived
yesterday morning and used Frogmore
Cottage, the home used by Princess
Eugenie and her family, as a base.
The Sussexes are understood to have
attended the Maundy Thursday
service, which the Queen, 95, missed
for the first time since 1970, because of
mobility problems, prompting the
Prince of Wales and Duchess of
Cornwall to step in. A spokesman for

Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, confirmed their visit and said that they had
stopped off in the UK on their way to
The Hague in the Netherlands to attend the Invictus games. They visited
the Queen’s official residence for a
meeting with her and Prince Charles.
It is the first time that the Duchess of
Sussex has visited the UK for two years
after she and the duke quit as working
royals. The couple did not attend last
month’s memorial service for the Duke
of Edinburgh, citing security fears.
Harry is seeking a judicial review of a
Home Office decision not to provide
him with security when visiting from
the US, despite offering to pay for it
himself. The duke wants to bring his

Prince Charles and the Duchess

Coca-Cola boss spared prison
for taking £1.5m in sweeteners
Jonathan Ames Legal Editor

A senior Coca-Cola manager was
spared a jail sentence after taking more
than £1.5 million in bribes, including
Premier League tickets, in return for
awarding contracts.
Company bosses sent Noel Corry, 56,
kickbacks that ran to executive-level
season tickets for Manchester United
matches and sponsorship payments for
Droylsden football club, his local team.
Corry was employed as a senior engineering manager for the multinational
drinks company and was responsible
for identifying electrical contractors for
bottling plants across the UK.
Southwark crown court was told he
ensured that several contracts went to
three specific businesses, which in
some cases produced no actual work.
The prosecution said Corry’s corrupt
deals were struck over nine years until
2013, when the bribery was exposed
and he was sacked.
James Mulholland QC, for the prosecution, said: “Corry was the creator of
the dishonest scheme and was at the

heart of the offending” by ensuring that
large amounts of work were given to
companies including Boulting Group,
where he had worked, Tritec Systems
and Electron Systems. He awarded the
deals “in return for large sums of
money”.
Mulholland said that Corry had the
power to award general contracts directly or through a tender process and
chose what projects were required.
Corry ensured that companies were
awarded genuine contracts but at inflated rates, or raised contracts for
bogus work. They would invoice and
receive payment with the extra money
generated creating “a slush fund held
on behalf of Noel Corry”.
Corry was paid bribes through a network of shell companies and bogus
invoices were provided. However, in
2011 executives at Coca-Cola changed
the rules governing the awarding of
contracts for large projects and insisted
that they were all put to tender from
multiple bidders. Mulholland said that
Boulting Group was involved in many
of the competitions and “Corry was

involved with the technical aspects of
the tenders and was in a position to
steer them towards Boulting”.
Eventually executives suspected that
information regarding the tenders was
being leaked and told the police, who
arrested Corry at his £1 million home in
Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, in 2013. Officers found a spreadsheet
on his laptop labelled “slush” and
detailed Boulting’s income from CocaCola and how much was due to Corry.
Corry, of Lymm, Cheshire, pleaded
guilty to five charges of corruption and
was given a 20-month jail sentence,
suspended for 21 months. Peter Kinsella, 58, of Manchester, the former contract manager at Boulting, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment,
suspended for 21 months, and Gary
Haines, 61, of Market Drayton, Shropshire, a director of Tritec Systems and
Electron Systems, was sentenced to 20
months’ imprisonment, suspended for
21 months. Tritec and Electron Systems
were fined £70,000 each and WABGS,
formerly Boulting Group, was fined
£500,000.

Back to work Statues of Drummond Castle Gardens, Perthshire, are prepared for

the times | Friday April 15 2022

27

2GM

News
CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES ; SPLASH NEWS

of Cornwall stood in for the Queen at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited her at the castle

JANE BARLOW/PA WIRE

Pilot who killed British wife
‘suspected of having affair’
Anthee Carassava Athens

reopening after a winter break

A Greek helicopter pilot accused of
smothering his British wife to death as
she slept next to their 11-month-old
daughter was believed to be having an
affair, according to the victim’s therapist.
Eleni Mylonopoulou told a court in
Athens that Caroline Crouch, 20, had
had 12 therapy sessions over six months
before her visits stopped in a “sudden
break”.
“It was when Caroline started to
notice his frequent Sunday absences,”
Mylonopoulou said in evidence. “She
grew mad and she grew suspicious
because her husband, older by 13 years,
had a very active private life before they
got married.”
The therapist also said that Crouch,
who studied statistics at the University
of Piraeus, felt “controlled, suffocated
and trapped” by her husband.
Charalambos Anagnostopoulos, 33,
is accused of smothering Crouch at
their home in the Greek capital’s
northern suburbs in May last year
while their baby slept near by, killing
the family’s puppy, and then staging a
fake burglary in an attempt to cover up

the crimes. He later confessed to police
that he had killed his wife but denies
premeditated murder, which carries a
life sentence. Anagnostopoulos claims
that he acted in a fit of rage after his wife
threatened to leave him and take their
daughter.
He has also been charged over the
death of the dog, a first in Greek legal
history.
Yesterday Crouch’s lawyer said that
Anagnostopoulos,
who
married
Crouch in 2018, had been “actively pursuing a former relationship”. Mylonopoulou told the court that Crouch’s
suspicions of infidelity had come at “a
pivotal moment”.
“It was then,” she said, “when she was
becoming fearful of him. And rather
than press ahead with additional meetings, I got a terse message from her saying the sessions would be suspended,
and that the couple were planning to
move to a more reclusive location.
“All of this ties in with the dominating, controlling and manipulative behaviour of the defendant and the toxic
relationship he had nurtured with a girl
13 years younger than him.”
The trial continues.

two young childr
i i but
b he and
children tto visit
his family are “unable to return to his
home” because it is too dangerous, his
legal representative has said. It is not
known how the couple arrived or if they
flew privately or commercially.
One person visiting Windsor told
The Sun: “I couldn’t believe it when I
saw who it was. We waved and they
waved back. They looked happy and
relaxed and waved to everyone on the
bus. Charles and the Queen were at
Windsor Castle at the same time so
they must have met them both.”
The last time the Queen missed a

M
Maundy Thursday service Harold Wilso
son was prime minister, Paul McCartne
ney was about to announce his departu
ture from the Beatles and Britain
m
marked the first landing of a jumbo jet.
On that occasion, in 1970, Queen
El
Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, perfo
formed the duties because her daughte
ter was on a tour of New Zealand.
Charles, 73, who at the time of the
19
1970 service had recently joined the
Ro
Royal Navy, attended yesterday’s cerem
emony at St George’s Chapel in Windso
sor to distribute newly minted coins.
The tradition arises from the
iinstruction
nst
(or mandatum, from which
Maundy derives) of Christ to his followers to love one another, and falls on the
Thursday preceding Easter Sunday.
The Bishop of Worcester, Dr John
Inge, speaking in his role as Lord High
Almoner, said the Queen had a list of
Maundy money recipients and details
about them. He told the congregation:
“She’s close by and would want me to
extend to you her greetings.”
The Queen is expected to miss
another traditional event of the Easter
period, the Sunday service attended by
the royal family this weekend, also at
St George’s Chapel.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

28

News
ZACHARY CULPIN/BNPS

Butcher given chop
because of his age
is awarded £121,000
Jonathan Ames Legal Editor

Commanding attention A replica of the Duke of Marlborough’s uniform at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704 is readied for
display at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. An exhibition about the general runs to June 19, marking 300 years since his death

A butcher with more than 50 years of
experience has been awarded £121,000
after being replaced by a younger man.
Michael Bandura, 67, was ruled to
have suffered age discrimination when
he went on temporary sick leave and his
boss brought in the other butcher.
An employment tribunal was told
that Bandura had worked in the shop
for 19 years before needing time off for
a short stay in hospital.
It emerged during the hearing that he
was paid the equivalent of £4.17 an hour
by Michael Fernandez for working
about 50 hours over six days, roughly
£11,000 a year.
Bandura told the tribunal in Croydon, south London, that he was
“shocked and distressed” at effectively
being made to retire early because he
had intended to work until he was 70.
The tribunal made the award after
ruling that he had been treated less
favourably than the younger man
and had also suffered unlawful wage
deductions.
The butcher’s shop in West Sussex
sold meat from a farm owned by
Fernandez. Bandura told the hearing
that he was in sole charge of the outlet

and his duties included purchasing
“everything to run the shop”, all
butchery and sales and doing the books,
which were sent to accountant.
In 2019 Bandura became unwell and
contacted Fernandez to arrange shortterm cover. Two days later he phoned
his boss to tell him he was fully fit and
ready to return. However, Fernandez
said that he should remain at home to
recuperate.
Bandura took the week off then
found that Fernandez was “evasive”
when he asked about his return to work.
In the meantime the farmer had
hired the “much younger” man fulltime and later sent Bandura his P45 by
post.
The tribunal noted that Bandura’s
working life had been cut short by three
years. Fiona McLaren, a specialist
employment judge, said he had been
treated less favourably than a younger
man and that there had been no
“legitimate aim” in forcing him to retire.
She noted that Bandura had been a
butcher for more than 50 years and that
it was his sole skill. “We have found that
the reason for dismissal was retirement
and so linked inextricably to Mr
Bandura’s age,” she said in the ruling.
Bandura was awarded £121,462 in all.

BBC distances itself from
Line of Duty Johnson skit
Jake Kanter Media Correspondent

The BBC has said that it disapproves of
clips from Line of Duty being used in
viral social media videos mocking Boris
Johnson as a “bent” prime minister.
The corporation said it does not
support Led By Donkeys, a political
activism group, producing the clips.
On Wednesday Led By Donkeys
released a third video of Johnson being
grilled by anti-corruption police officers
from the fictional AC-12 unit in a parody
of the drama’s interrogation scenes.
The clip features Johnson being questioned about government scandals.
They included the lockdown parties —
for which Johnson was fined by police
this week — the Downing Street flat

renovations and Owen Paterson’s
breach of lobbying rules. Johnson is
told by Superintendent Ted Hastings,
played by Adrian Dunbar: “You’re as
bent as a nine-bob note.”
The BBC previously said it had nothing to do with the clips but dstopped
short of criticising them. This time it
said: “This sketch is entirely
independent of the BBC and we are not
involved with it in any way. We don’t
condone this or the use of any BBC programming for campaigning purposes.”
Led By Donkeys has neither
confirmed nor denied whether it has
collaborated with Line of Duty actors,
even though they appear to have
recorded audio for the films.
Johnson’s fate, James Forsyth, page 29

I N T H E T I M E S T O M O R ROW
SPORT
MATT
DICKINSON
How one egg
a day inspired a
Grand National win
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29

The titans of Twitter need
to be taken down
Gerard Baker
Page 31

Comment

Johnson’s survival is now out of his hands
He has been a lucky general over the parties scandal but if the cost-of-living crisis doesn’t ease, that luck will run out
MATT DUNHAM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

James
Forsyth

@jgforsyth

A

t the end of January, when
Boris Johnson was in
maximum danger, his Tory
opponents were split on
how best to proceed. One
group thought that they should go hell
for leather to get the letters to force a
no-confidence ballot. They worried
that if they waited, Johnson might
escape a police fine. He could then use
that as a shield against the criticisms
that the Gray report would contain.
The other faction, which contained
several former cabinet ministers,
argued that the danger in going early
was that Johnson could survive the
no-confidence ballot and so earn a
year’s grace. Better, they argued, to
wait for the police to fine him and
then move at a point when they
could be sure he would lose.
Both groups turned out to be
wrong. Johnson has been fined but
his position does not look in
imminent danger. Only one minister
has resigned and the number of Tory
MPs who have publicly changed
their minds on whether or not
Johnson should go or not can be
counted on two fingers.
So why hasn’t the fine elicited the
reaction Tory MPs thought it would
a few months ago? First, there are
no Covid restrictions and no
prospect of them returning. Having
been fined for breaking the rules,
Johnson clearly couldn’t credibly
urge others to follow them. But he is
not having to do so. This is how
some Tories square the rule-maker,
rule-breaker circle.

The second is the international
situation. Johnson’s strategic
judgment in sending lethal aid to
Ukraine before the Russians invaded
has been vindicated, and at a time of
international crisis the bar for
removing a leader rises.
Then there is the fact that the idea
of Johnson being fined has, to Tory
MPs if not the public, been
normalised by the extensive
speculation over whether or not he
would be. As one senior figure points
out, if anyone had said during the
pandemic or at the start of the year
that the prime minister would be
fined for breaking the rules, the
consensus would have been that this
made his position untenable. But
now Tory MPs are like frogs that
can’t quite decide at what
temperature to hop out of the water.
Johnson, meanwhile, is seeking to
create new dividing lines. There will
be a mighty political and legal fight
over the government’s plans to send

The right wing of the
parliamentary party
has been assuaged
Channel migrants to Rwanda. The
arguments over the principle will
obscure the fact that the biggest
question is whether the government
can actually deliver it. But Johnson
now has an answer to the question of
what he wants to do on small boats,
which is his biggest vulnerability on
the right — more than a third of
both Tory and Leave voters view
immigration and asylum as one of
the three most important issues
facing the country.
The fact that it will plunge him
into a fight with human rights
lawyers and the Labour Party is a
bonus for him. At the same time, the

right of the parliamentary party has
been assuaged by this move. “It’s his
insurance policy, it has made the
right quite like him again,” observes
one cabinet minister.
Johnson, lucky general that he is,
has benefited from the fact that he
has been fined while parliament is in
recess and for the event, a birthday
party, that generates the most
sympathy among Tory MPs. The fact
that the workaholic chancellor has
also been nabbed helps him. (Having
known Rishi Sunak for more than a
quarter of a century, I never
imagined that he — a teetotaller —
would be fined for attending a party.)
Things will become more difficult
for Johnson if there are more penalty
notices. One breach could be
considered unfortunate; anything
more becomes increasingly difficult to
brush away, particularly as Johnson
has been at pains to explain why he
believed the birthday gathering did
not break the rules. In a sign of the
uncertainty, one member of the
government payroll observes that
there is a breaking point for Tory
MPs, but he is “not sure what it is”.
One MP who knows the
parliamentary party best observes
that “it is all too quiet out there”,
pointing to how few backbenchers
have come out in support since the
fines were issued. Tory MPs do not
want a leadership contest right now
but they also aren’t sure of how to
credibly defend what happened. This
MP says: “There’s a lot of shell shock
at the moment. There are a lot of
people who don’t know what to do.”
The Tory fear is that their voters
might know what to do. If the local
election results are as bad for the
party as recent parliamentary
by-elections have been and the Gray
report is then scathing about how
No 10 is run, Johnson’s position
could become vulnerable again.

alarmingly close in the final round of
the French election. In the US, it is
why the Democrats are expected to
take a shellacking in the midterms.
The danger for Johnson’s
government is that the cost-of-living
crisis could lead to expenses-style
anger. Voters will rage about the fact
that ministers seem insulated from
the squeeze they are going through.
It could become the most potent
expression yet of the idea that there

There are reasons that
next year might not
be as bad as expected

Boris Johnson will relish a fight with
Labour over the Rwanda migrant plan

The relationship between him and
his parliamentary party has always
been highly transactional. They back
him because they think he gives
them a better chance of winning
than anyone else. For this reason,
Tory MPs have been prepared to put
up with behaviour from him that
they wouldn’t have tolerated in
others. “Things are bad but there is
no alternative,” is a frequent Tory
lament. One senior backbencher
muses: “We know what we’ve got,
and maybe we did from the outset.”
But the biggest danger comes if the
parties scandal fuses with the cost of
living crisis. Politics is fractious when
people are worse off every month.
Inflation is already roiling politics
across the West. Marine Le Pen’s
focus on “le pouvoir d’achat” is one
of the principal reasons why she is
expected to run Emmanuel Macron

is one rule for them and one rule for
the bulk of the population.
Johnson can throw red meat to his
base on issues such as small boats
but the precondition for any Tory
recovery is an economic turnaround.
The government needs inflation to
start coming down and people to
stop feeling their pay packets get
them less and less each month.
The bad news is that the
government cannot control this.
Inflation is largely down to global
factors, the price of energy and food
and supply chain constraints, rather
than domestic ones. There are,
though, reasons to think next year
might not be as bad as expected. The
co-ordinated release of global
reserves of oil does appear to be
limiting the price increase and, over
time, more and more US shale will
come online.
It might be that even an economic
upturn can’t restore the Johnson
government’s relationship with the
voters — trust could be too broken for
that. But without it, there is no chance.
James Forsyth is political editor of
The Spectator

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

30

Comment

Women’s lower salaries reflect career choices
If more female students opted to study maths and science the gender pay gap would be smaller
Emma
Duncan

A

s required by law,
companies have this month
been revealing the gap
between what they pay
men and women. The
exercise has produced some pretty
startling numbers. Snap, a social
media platform, for instance, pays the
average woman 53 per cent less than it
pays the average man. At Goldman
Sachs, the figure was 37 per cent.
According to analysis by Bloomberg,
the national gap is 9.8 per cent —
slightly higher than in 2017, when the
government first started requiring this
data to be published. Outrageous, no?
No, actually, I don’t think it is.
Behind those figures lie some
complex issues about the way work
has changed and what people want,
most of which do not reflect
especially badly on either the
companies or the people.
When I started work in the 1980s,
there was plenty of good oldfashioned sexism in the workplace,
which manifested itself in the
pinching of bottoms, the exclusion of
women from the boardroom and
discriminatory pay. It had been
illegal to pay women less than men
for doing “work of equal value” since
the passage of the Equal Pay Act in
1970, but the act was hard to enforce,
culture hard to change and women
reluctant to demand pay increases.

A lot has changed. These days, any
bottom-pincher would end up in the
corporate equivalent of the stocks,
possibly with a charge of sexual
assault to boot. Women get bodily
dragged into the boardroom by
chairmen desperate to fulfil voluntary
quotas so that they don’t get publicly
shamed. And recent research shows
that women are just as likely to
stomp into their boss’s office and
demand a pay rise as men are. That
may be in part why, according to
Korn Ferry, a recruitment firm,
about 1 per cent of the pay difference
in Britain is explained by unequal
pay for equal work.
You might argue that even if men
and women are paid the same for the

Bankers have plenty
of money but no time
to spend it and no life
same work these days, the fact that
they do different sorts of jobs proves
that discrimination persists. But the
difference in the jobs that people do
are largely a consequence of the
choices they make, which start long
before bosses have a chance of
favouring one sex over another.
First, there’s the choice of what to
study. Although, as we all know, girls
are grinding boys’ faces into the
playground when it comes to A-level
results, they’re much less likely to
study maths, further maths or
physics — the top three subjects that
correlate with high earnings among
24-year-olds. And when they get to
university, they’re much less likely to
study economics, computing and

engineering — three of the six
subjects that provide the highest
return on the cash they’re forking
out for their degrees. (Women are a
bit more likely to study law and
medicine, two other high-earners;
business is evenly divided.) Two
thirds of creative arts students are
female; two thirds of economics
students are male.
I have no data to prove it but I
promise you that not many of those
economics students chose the
subject because they thought their
degree would be fun. They did it
because they thought it would help
them get a well-paid, possibly
interesting, job. And they were right.
The returns on a degree in the
creative arts — what a graduate
earns compared with a non-graduate
— are 7.2 per cent; the returns on an
economics degree are ten times
higher. So if the economics students
sacrificed current fun for future
success, they deserve their extra pay.
As for choice of degree, I think
women’s decisions are regrettable.
When it comes to their choices at
work, I’m not so sure. Talking to my
daughters about possible careers, I
suggested banking. One of them shut
down that conversation before it
started. “Do you know the hours
those people work? I want a life.” I
kept shtum, which experience has
taught me is wise when I feel a
comment about my children’s values
hovering on the tip of my tongue.
A chat with a banker friend of
theirs made me glad I didn’t rush to
judgment. He works from 8am till
11pm on weekdays; if there’s a deal on,
he’ll work weekends as well. He has
plenty of money; he earns lots and has

no time to spend it, but no life. Two
thirds of his team is male, he says.
Conversations with others in
banking, law and consultancy
suggest to me that the hours these
people are required to work have
lengthened since my generation
started out in the workplace. It
makes sense — globalisation has
intensified competition between the
top firms, and competition forces the
pace of work — but it’s also bonkers.
And if women are unwilling to
participate in that particular form of
craziness, I’m on their side.
Motherhood forces another set of
choices on women. By the time
they’re in their thirties, women’s
earnings are falling behind men’s
because motherhood leads them to
take career breaks and work fewer
hours than men do. Statutory
paternity leave has shifted that a bit,
as the responsibilities of child care are
more evenly shared these days, but
the burden — or pleasure — is still
mostly the woman’s. The more even it
is, as far as I’m concerned, the better.
But I wouldn’t discourage parents of
either sex from taking lots of time off
to look after their children; and if
women are more inclined to than
men, well, that’s their choice.
Sheryl Sandberg, Meta’s chief
operating officer, famously instructed
women to “lean in”, meaning that in
meetings and in their working lives as
a whole they need to push themselves
forward in the way that men naturally
do. I’m with her, by and large. But if
there are times in their lives when
they want to lean back from work
and into home life, and if they’re less
inclined to sacrifice their lives to highpressure jobs, then good luck to them.

the Finns are big on exuberance. The
secret of their quiet contentment is
often attributed to the Finnish
concept of sisu.
There’s no direct translation but
this national characteristic is
associated with inner strength and
grit. Frankly, you wouldn’t be able to
exist this far north of the equator
without it. But it’s not simply a
question of getting on with it in
difficult circumstances, like the stiff
upper lip. It’s not just grinning
and bearing it — a fleeting kind
of toughness. To have the kind
of lasting stoicism the Finns
have takes effort, or rather
making the effort to rest
properly. They make time
to disconnect, have
plenty of time alone
and fully embrace
silence. They
recharge for
resilience —
which makes me
want to cancel all
my plans for the bank
holiday weekend.

cured the long-held grief that I was
not one of the lucky kids to get a
Chopper bike.
My electric Brompton is fun. And
now I hear that my bicycle — which
I thought yuppyish and profoundly
uncool — is more nickable than a
Rolex. Gangs are attacking
Brompton cyclists in broad daylight,
ordering them off their bikes,
roughing them up and riding off. At
the pace I pedal, even when battery
assisted, I feel like a very slowmoving target.

Lesley Thomas Notebook

You men are
tough to
beat at the
crying game

know a man we have to tippy-toe
around when their team have lost.
Men seem to take it so much to
heart. I certainly don’t think having
this feeling and showing it is a bad
thing: I like to think that we are
moving away from the idea that
being emotional (aka being human)
holds some kind of shame. Surely
some passion fuels performance.

A

H

(male) football manager
said this week: “Girls and
women are more
emotional than men, so
they take a goal going in
not very well.” Kenny Shiels,
Northern Ireland’s women’s
manager, made the comment after
his team lost 5-0 to England.
“When we were 1-0 down we tried to
slow it down to give them time to get
that emotional imbalance out of
their heads.”
Women more emotional than
men? About football? What I know
about the beautiful game can be
written on the back of a stamp but
images of Italia ’90 and a sobbing
Paul Gascoigne came floating
through my mind immediately. As
the former Arsenal star Ian Wright
pointed out on Twitter: “Didn’t that
man see how many times I was
crying on the pitch?”
Has that man ever been to a pub
during a big tournament? We all

Cold comfort
ow to be happy when
things feel a bit terrible? I
was in Lapland recently:
freezing cold, brutally
inhospitable and beautifully
bleak. How are the Finns —
even now, while possibly
feeling a bit nervy
about joining Nato
— the happiest
people on the
planet? They
are regularly
named the
happiest nation.
Last month they
came out at the top of
the happiness rankings of
146 countries for the fifth
year running (Britain was
number 17, just behind the
United States and a few
places ahead of France).
I didn’t see any noisy
displays of joy on my
short trip. I don’t think

Easy target

I

am one of the vast
legion of midlifers
whose significant
pandemic acquisition was
an electric bike, and it’s one
of those aspects of Covid
life that’s a keeper. It has

Backyard Buddha

G

arden gnomes are going out of
fashion because older
generations think they are
tacky. But there is no need to lament
their demise, as my colleague Janice
Turner did yesterday. The small,
slightly naff garden statue lives on. I
say this with no irreverence, but the
natural heir to the gnome appears to
be the little Buddha statue,
purchased by today’s midlifer some
time after a trip to Thailand in the
1990s. How many Gen-Xers do you
know with these small stone figures
in their gardens? I am guilty — I
have two. We will always need a
small-scale icon to keep an eye on
the backyard borders.
Lesley Thomas is Weekend editor
Ann Treneman is away

Inverted snobbery
made the elite fall
for Jimmy Savile
Libby Purves

T

en years on from the dark
revelations about Jimmy
Savile’s half-century as a
predator, TV and the
nation are beating
themselves up about the way Britain
collectively treated him as a laugh, a
heroic fundraiser, almost a saint (a
Papal knight, God help us!).
While the horrors must be
remembered, the educative part of
the Netflix documentary about him
is the first episode, looking at his rise.
Every famous face from the 1970s to
the millennium is there, cooing and
giggling at his sleaziest remarks, Mrs
Thatcher defying her advisers to
make him a knight, Selina Scott
cringing to watch herself on populist
TV having to flirt and giggle at his
innuendoes even while most grownup women found him as creepy as
any flasher.
James Marriott wrote yesterday
about the power of eccentricity, and
he’s right. But closer to the heart of
the great delusion was the cringe of
inverted snobbery. Here’s Prince
Charles, poor devil, writing “’Perhaps I
am wrong, but you are the bloke who
knows what’s going on”. When he
wistfully says “I so want to get to parts
of the country that others don’t get
to reach” we know what he means:
the plebby bits, common bits, where
they say “bloke” rather than “chap”.
His prime patron, the BBC, was
almost equally royal as it emerged
cautiously from a period of formal
broadcasting, with no one edgier
than Cliff Michelmore. Its uppermiddle graduate managers heard the
Merseybeat, saw Terence Donovan
and David Bailey lionised and felt
the social waters rising. Savile was
their liferaft, an unthreatening link
to the (often imaginary) common
man. “He was a miner! Northern! A
wrestler!”
The Yorkshire accent always
reassures the stiffer south and Savile
played the patter well. “Now then,
guys and gals, as it ’appens. . .” The
corporation felt reassured, closer to
the alarming, alien species beyond its
walls. The posher you were, the more
important to give him his head and
forgive the lecherous sexist remarks
and lunges at “the ladies”.
Like aristocrats claiming kinship
with their gamekeepers, they loved
having him as proof they weren’t
snobs. There is a parallel in the
present media reluctance to condemn
repellent misogynistic gangsta-rap:
gotta be down with the rough kidz,
it’s certainly easier than actually
befriending, educating, employing
and properly housing them.
Out in the real middling world,
many, if not most of us, found Savile
repulsive and did not want our
children near him. Nurses warned
against him in the hospitals, but got
slapped down by senior managers,
dazzled by his fundraising talents and
his grand “friends” — the gullible
sorts who thought him down-toearth and thus ignored the dirt.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

31

Comment

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The titans of Twitter need to be taken down
Elon Musk is an imperfect champion in a battle for free speech but it’s time someone challenged the progressive hegemony
Gerard
Baker

@gerardtbaker

C

omment is free but facts are
sacred, a newspaper editor
once famously said. It was
a dubious claim even a
century ago. But in our
contemporary media age, when you
can be expensively shamed for making
the wrong kind of comment and
abruptly cancelled for publishing facts
that blaspheme against the prevailing
dogma, it seems more like a quaint
aspiration than a depiction of reality.
As that editor knew well, if you
want your views to break through
the thicket of censorship and
disapprobation, it has always helped
to have a lot of money. Now we
might be about to learn the true price
of free speech — about $41 billion.
That’s the value Elon Musk placed
on Twitter yesterday when he
announced a surprise takeover bid
for the internet company that drives
much of our public discourse.
Musk, the founder of Tesla and
SpaceX, and by most measures the
wealthiest man on the planet with
assets of at least a quarter of a trillion
dollars, has long had ambitions to play

a larger role in history than merely
remaking the car industry and
sending humans into space. In recent
months he has emerged as among the
most fearsome critics of powerful
internet and media companies for
their “content moderation” practices
— a nice euphemism for the method
by which the little Maoists who run
these companies actively silence
many of those who don’t share their
opinions on politics, gender, race,
Covid or anything.
His campaign has made him a
champion of conservatives and other
dissidents tired of having their views
and those who propagate them
deprived of the electronic oxygen
needed to achieve wide circulation in
a modern democracy.

The list of people
banned or blocked
from tweeting grows
Last month Musk revealed he had
acquired 9 per cent of the stock of
the publicly owned Twitter and
demanded changes to the platform
to make it more genuinely
representative of a range of opinion.
Now he’s going for the whole thing.
“I invested in Twitter as I believe in
its potential to be the platform for free
speech around the globe, and I believe
free speech is a societal imperative for

a functioning democracy,” he said in
his filing with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC).
“However, since making my
investment I now realise the company
will neither thrive nor serve this
societal imperative in its current form.”
Twitter occupies an absurdly
outsized role in the minds of media
people. It has only a fraction of the
regular users of Facebook and has
never made much money — before
Thursday’s news the company had a
valuation less than a quarter of that
of Netflix, for example. But soon
after its launch 16 years ago it
became the primary medium for the
dissemination of stories, comment
and rumour by and between people
who obsess about news — a tiny
subset of the overall population —
and there’s no denying its influence.
In the past few years it has been an
enthusiastic combatant in the
progressive hegemons’ war on
heretical comment and inconvenient
facts. The list of people and
organisations that have been banned
or blocked from tweeting keeps
growing. Its most famous offender,
still formally frozen from the platform,
is Donald Trump, whose account was
suspended soon after the January 6
riot on Capitol Hill last year.
Its most notorious (and possibly
consequential) exercise in censorship
was its decision to suspend the
account of The New York Post in the

run-up to the 2020 US election, for
publishing a damaging story about
foreign influence-peddling by
Hunter Biden, son of the then
Democratic presidential candidate.
The story was true — even if it took
the rest of the media until safely after
the election to acknowledge it. But
Twitter (and Facebook) blocked the
Post’s account, dramatically reducing
the saliency of the revelations only
days before the election.
Last month Twitter suspended the

This siege of one of
Big Tech’s citadels
is a great spectacle
Babylon Bee, that rare bird in the
modern culture, a conservativeleaning satirical publication. Its
motto is “Fake News You Can Trust”
and while it got away with parodies
such as “CDC: People With Dirt on
Clintons Have 843 per cent Greater
Suicide Risk”, when it awarded the
transgendered Biden cabinet
secretary Rachel Levine its “Man of
The Year” title, it was the final straw.
Meanwhile, of course, Twitter has
allowed all kinds of offensive bile, as
long as it’s from approved (progressive)
users, and it never applies the same
standards to left-wing tweeters that it
does to those on the right.
So what, some say? It’s a private

company that’s not obliged to play
the role of public moderator of the
world’s debates. Right-wing voices
can still get a hearing elsewhere.
Musk, in making a bid to take the
company private, is cleverly exploiting
that same logic. In any case, as he
says, its vast influence in the media
imposes on it greater responsibilities.
If we don’t want to see news evolve
into a binary activity, where right and
left have their own platforms for their
own “truths”, turning one of the
primary channels for the distribution
of news into a more widely trusted
source cannot be wrong.
Musk himself is an imperfect
vehicle for the restoration of true
freedom to the public square. If he’s
successful we shall have to see how
long what he describes as his “free
speech absolutism” survives contact
with, say, a sustained Twitter
campaign against electric vehicles.
It’s not clear either whether his bid
will succeed. His filing with the SEC
was short on financial details.
Wealthy as he is, if he really intends
to buy the company he will almost
certainly need some financial allies.
But his siege of one of Big Tech’s
most prominent citadels is a great
spectacle. The titans of Silicon Valley
have become monstrous in their
power, their self-righteousness and
their monolithic enforcement of the
culture. How delicious that one of
their own is trying to make them pay.

32

2GM

Letters to the Editor should be sent to
letters@thetimes.co.uk or by post to
1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

Letters to the Editor

PM’s police fine
Sir, The honourable resignation of
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (“Justice
minister quits as Johnson faces more
lockdown party fines”, Apr 14) was the
first and only sign of integrity in the
cabinet, let alone No 10, but it has
shown a pathway for Boris Johnson to
follow if he has one ounce of integrity
in his body. I am not asking him to
resign, I am demanding he do so, and
immediately.
Stuart Wilkie
Clenchwarton, Norfolk
Sir, Those calling for our prime
minister’s resignation are naive. We
would be the laughing stock of the
world if we discharged our prime
minister for this misdemeanour
(which in any case should have been
prevented by his chief of staff).
Granted, it is not an ideal situation,
but we are dealing with a despot and
warmonger in Russia and we need a
strong leader in Downing Street to
look after Britain’s interests right now.
Deborah Emerson
London SW6
Sir, The defence of the PM et al, as
imagined by Michael Fabricant MP,
that during the lockdown nurses
“after a very, very long shift would
tend to go back to the staff room and
have a quiet drink”, falls down on
both points. First, nurses, as with all
NHS professionals, do not drink at
work. Second, on my intensive care
unit (and many in the UK) all
available space was given over to
patient care. Hence there were no
staff rooms either. Given that Mr
Fabricant similarly decried teachers
with his assertions (“Teachers want
apology for drink remarks”, Apr 14),
perhaps he might ask them to mark
his misinformed homework.
Dr Mark Luscombe
Consultant in intensive care,
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Sir, I would go further than Sue
Lamoon (letter, Apr 14) and would
suggest that Boris Johnson be
charged with wasting police time.
Andy Wiggins
Tenterden, Kent
Letters to The Times must be exclusive
and may be edited. Please include a full
address and daytime telephone number.

Corrections and
clarifications
6 We wrongly reported that British
Army officers in Kenya denied their
soldiers had caused a fire (news, April
14). In fact the army does not deny
causing the fire. We apologise for the
mistake.
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
feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to
Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge
Street, London SE1 9GF

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

Plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda

Maternity care plan

Sir, The timing of the government’s
plan to fly cross-Channel asylum
seekers to Rwanda for their cases to be
heard is clearly intended to distract
attention from “partygate”. Even so,
these proposals should be carefully
examined as public concern has been
ignored for too long. The number of
migrants crossing the Channel this
year could be 60,000, which poses
huge practical problems. About 70 per
cent are males of working age and all
are coming via a country (France or
Belgium) where they are already safe
from persecution. Nearly all destroy
their documents to impede removal
but very few are removed if their cases
fail, despite annual expenditure on the
asylum system of about £1.6 billion. No
wonder the public feel frustrated.
Close and effective co-operation
with the French would be best but if
that is judged not to be achievable the
only alternative is deterrence. Sending
migrants to Rwanda for their cases to
be heard would destroy the market for
the people smugglers but it could only
be acceptable if cases found to be
genuine were sent back to the UK.
Lord Green of Deddington
President, Migration Watch UK

Sir, It was nice to see an article by my
daughter, Natasha Pearlman (“Why
must so many women have a terrible
birth, as I did?”, Times2, Apr 12), but
more importantly there needs to be a
committee set up to investigate the
failings of the system and to propose
improvements. Such a committee
could do worse than be led by the
British-born and educated Professor
Ben Sachs of Harvard University.
Twenty years ago, in response to a
catastrophic stillbirth at the Boston
hospital where he was chief of
obstetrics, he introduced a policy of
prompt apology and quick financial
settlement. He then led the
introduction of the aviation industry’s
“crew resource management” (CRM),
which is credited with reducing
crashes and improving survival rates
when accidents occur. In a clinical
setting this involves a core team that
treats patients, and a co-ordinating
team that supervises the clinical
decisions. Sachs was one of the
earliest proponents of CRM in
hospitals, and there have been
numerous studies since then as to its
implementation and efficacy.
Joseph Pearlman
Professor of economics,
City, University of London

Sir, It is to be hoped that the public

Backing Ukraine
Sir, The debate over whether the
Ukrainian war ends in a “shabby deal”
or a Russian humiliation exposes our
ambiguous attitude over what is at
stake (“Ukraine needs support not
defeatist rhetoric”, Apr 14). Putin’s
military objectives have contracted, to
the extent that we might now urge
Kiev to accept some loss of territory to
end the fighting. But Putin’s war
rhetoric becomes ever more deranged.
Ukraine, he says, is only the spear tip
for European Nazis, manipulated by
US imperialists, bent on the total
destruction of Russia itself. Kremlin
media pedal the notion that this is the
first phase of the “Great Patriotic War
2.0”, possibly as a prelude to some sort
of national mobilisation. Putin’s Russia
has become an undeniable threat to
western security and most of the rest
of the world is standing off to see what
happens. Hence this is no longer a
crisis that we have to “manage” but a
confrontation sought by Moscow in
which the West must be seen
manifestly, not shabbily, to prevail.
Professor Michael Clarke
Former director, Royal United Services
Institute; visiting professor, KCL

TEST FLIGHT
CRASH AT
BROOKLANDS
from the times april 15, 1922
It is with deep regret that we record
that Sir Ross Smith and Lieutenant J
W Bennett were killed while flying
at Brooklands on Thursday. The
airmen were making a trial flight in
the machine with which the flight
round the world was to have been
attempted. When at an altitude of
about 1,500ft the machine went into
a spin from which Sir Ross Smith
failed to extricate it. It dashed to the
ground with terrific force, striking
some trees in its fall and narrowly
missing the concrete motor track.
Lieutenant Bennett was killed
outright, but Sir Ross Smith for an

will welcome the government’s
decision to utilise the Royal Navy in
co-ordinating a comprehensive
solution to the problem of crossChannel penetration of the UK’s
maritime border. The initiative should
bring command and control, a
common maritime intelligence picture
and a joined-up approach to the
surveillance, detection and
interception of migrant boats, ensuring
a safe and secure maritime border.
There are two critical requirements:
first, a cost-effective unmanned air
platform that can remain on task for
over a day at a time and combine
sophisticated radar and electro-optic,
communications intercept capabilities.
This would enable migrant boats to be
detected even before they have left
France. Second, the provision of
immediate relief and screening in the
Channel, perhaps in a warship or
converted ferry or liner, would also
seem necessary.
Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry
Portsmouth
Sir, The government’s plan to deport
asylum seekers to Rwanda is so crass
that one barely knows where to start.
Moreover, the home secretary would
potentially become accountable for
Sir, It is clear that no ceasefire deal
will end the war. After Russia’s defeat
in the battle of Kyiv it might be
expedient for Putin to focus on
Donbas but his intention of
eliminating Ukraine and incorporating
it into the Russian empire remains.
Thereafter it will be the turn of other
former Soviet republics. Before the
battle in the east there is a window of
opportunity, which if seized could give
the Ukrainians another resounding
victory. To achieve this Ukraine needs
the means to target Russian armoured
formations: attack aircraft, long-range
precision systems (artillery and
missiles), anti-aircraft missile systems,
as well as the tanks and other armour
for offensive land manoeuvres.
Nato should cast aside irrelevant
distinctions between “offensive” and
“defensive” lethal aid, recall that the
best form of defence is attack and
provide that support immediately. In
parallel, Nato must be prepared for
the worst case: war with Russia. This
requires a fundamental mindset
change and a commitment to credible
immediate and long-term deterrence,
which we have yet to see from Nato.
General Sir Richard Shirreff
Former deputy supreme allied
commander Europe
instant after the crash showed a faint
sign of life. The disaster was seen by
Sir Keith Smith, the directors of
Messrs Vickers, Captain Cockerell
and Captain Broome who piloted
The Times machine through Africa
two years ago, Mr Pearson, the
designer, and hundreds of Messrs
Vickers’s workpeople. On Thursday
the amphibian machine was brought
out for test flights and Captain
Cockerell took it up with Sir Ross
Smith and Lieutenant Bennett as
passengers for half an hour. He
landed easily. Sir Ross Smith then
took the pilot’s place and Lieutenant
Bennett remained with him. A
perfect taking-off was made, and he
flew to about 2,000ft, circling the
aerodrome and Messrs Vickers’s
works. They had been up just a few
minutes when the hundreds of
watchers observed such evolutions
that they thought Sir Ross Smith
was stunt flying, but the notion was
discarded in a few seconds, and it

the safety and welfare of thousands of
refugees, located far from the
oversight of her officials. The Hola
Camp scandal of 1959, when the
British government was accused of
complicity in the deaths of Mau Mau
detainees, helped to persuade Harold
Macmillan that having British
ministers at the end of such a long
and poorly scrutinised chain of
command constituted an unacceptable
political risk. The Home Office seems
to have forgotten that lesson.
Professor Philip Murphy
Institute of Historical Research,
University of London
Sir, I find it hard to believe that a
British government would even
consider a policy of “processing
refugees” by sending them to Rwanda.
The word “processing” was used by the
Nazis when referring to “the Jewish
problem” and by Stalin when referring
to dissidents. The idea is reminiscent of
the interbellum years when there was
talk of sending Jews to Madagascar.
The very mention of this plan brings
shame on us, and I sincerely hope that
it will be opposed in parliament, by the
churches and by public protest.
The Rev Dr Andrew Sangster
Norwich

Battle royal
Sir, You state that Port Meadow was
given to the freemen of Oxford by
Alfred the Great as a reward for their
resistance to “the marauding Danes”
(“Alfred the Great’s stream to receive
swim safety check”, Apr 12). There is
no evidence to support these claims.
Port Meadow first appears in history
in the Domesday Book of 1086, nearly
200 years after Alfred’s death, as “the
pasture outside the walls’”, which “all
the burgesses of Oxford” hold in
common. King Alfred did many
wonderful things but the donation of
Port Meadow was not among them.
Dr John Maddicott
Emeritus fellow in medieval history,
Exeter College, Oxford

Leaking calories
Sir, I completely agree with Professor
Keith Frayn (letter, Apr 13) about
calorie counting. If you have a bucket
with a leak in it, and if you pour in
more than leaks from the hole, the
bucket fills. It’s as simple as that.
Tony Wright
UCL Ear Institute
was seen that he was in difficulties. It
was the first time he had flown this
machine and it is apparent that he
was regaining control when the
machine struck the ground. With
more room he might have saved
himself. If Sir Keith Smith had
arrived at Brooklands a few minutes
earlier he, and not Lieutenant
Bennett, would have been with his
brother. He hastened to his brother’s
side. Doctors and an ambulance
were swiftly secured, but nothing
could be done. The bodies were
carried to the mortuary, and an
inquest will be held today.
One of the last things that Sir Ross
Smith said to his brother was to the
effect that if anything were to go
wrong during the world flight there
should be no complaints, and no
blame should be cast on anybody —
“Australians never squeal.”
thetimes.co.uk/archive

Mentoring children
Sir, Alice Thomson (“It takes a
country to raise a thriving child”,
Apr 13) raises some good points about
bringing up children in this
increasingly complicated world. The
young need someone to talk to against
whom they can check out their ideas
in confidence and who they know has
their best interests at heart. It sounds
as if it’s time for a revival of that
old-fashioned person, a godparent.
Katharine Minchin
Easebourne, W Sussex

Top egg-tapper
Sir, The figures in your illustration of
the egg-tapping custom are Russian
(“Revival of lost Easter games
promises a cracking time”, Apr 14):
egg-tapping is a tradition of Orthodox
countries. In Nicosia in the early
1970s it was a great public festival. On
Easter Sunday Archbishop Makarios
would preside in the open air at the
top of the archbishopric steps. On
either side was posted a deacon in
vestments, each holding a large basket
full of brightly coloured hard-boiled
eggs. Hundreds of people queued up.
As the queue narrowed at the top of
the steps you took an egg and held it
up towards the archbishop, who
would be standing there with a
sphinx-like smile. The two eggs would
crash together. Somehow, it was
always the archbishop’s egg that won.
David Beattie
Colchester, Essex

Spooky gnome
Sir, Nobody has told our friend Debbie
that the over-65s should steer clear of
gnomes (“Gnomes are a no-no for
new generation of over-65s’’, Apr 13).
She has a treasured collection of them.
We even caught her repainting them
one day in a loving attempt to spruce
them up. And although we do not
share our friend’s affection for gnomes,
it did not deter her from giving us a
“zombie” gnome (her husband is a fan
of The Walking Dead TV series). It lives
in our back garden, hidden now from
view as it was making our cats jump
every time they passed it.
Joyce Gendall
Sutton, Surrey

the times | Friday April 15 2022

33

Leading articles
Daily Universal Register
France: President Macron visits the site of
Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, three years
to the day since a catastrophic fire there.
Vatican City: Good Friday liturgy.

Nature notes
The sun came out
and the white-tailed
bumblebee queen
emerged from her
nest in a vole hole
on a south-facing
bank. With her
characteristic low buzz, she flew off to forage
among the willows growing in the nearby
mire. The pollen and nectar will be brought
back to feed the larvae, which in a few days’
time will spin themselves into a cocoon,
emerging a fortnight or so later as adults.
The life of a bumblebee colony is constantly
precarious. It may well survive April snows,
hungry rodents and badgers but a new
threat will soon begin to arrive — the
cuckoo bees. These are parasites that take
over nests for the good of their own
offspring. jonathan tulloch

Birthdays today
Emma Watson, pictured,
actress, the Harry Potter
films, 32; Lord (Jeffrey)
Archer of Westonsuper-Mare, novelist,
Not a Penny More, Not a
Penny Less (1976), 82;
Lt-Gen Sir Ben Bathurst,
UK military representative to Nato, 58; King
Philippe of Belgium, 62; Susanne Bier, film
director, Bird Box (2018), 62; Sir Kenneth
Bloomfield, head of the Northern Ireland
Civil Service (1984-91), 91; Sir Martin
Broughton, chairman, British Airways
(2004-14), 75; Claudia Cardinale, actress,
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), 84;
Cressida Cowell, author, How to Train Your
Dragon (2003), and children’s laureate, 56;
Mark Damazer, chairman, Booker Prizes,
67; Tom Delay, chief executive, Carbon
Trust, 63; Eliza Doolittle, singer-songwriter,
In Your Hands (2013), 34; Stephen Doughty,
Labour (Co-op) MP for Cardiff South &
Penarth, shadow foreign minister, 42; Vigdis
Finnbogadottir, president of Iceland
(1980-96), the first woman elected president
of a country, 92; Samantha Fox, singer and
model, 56; Steve Hare, chief executive, Sage
(software group), 61; Marsha Hunt, actress,
Hair musical (1968), 76; John Lamont, Tory
MP for Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire,
46; Sir Tim Lankester, economist, 80; Bruno
Le Maire, French economy, finance and
recovery minister, 53; Baroness (Veronica)
Linklater of Butterstone, social reform
campaigner, 79; Brian Muir, film industry
sculptor, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and
James Bond films, 70; Laxman Narasimhan,
chief executive, Reckitt Benckiser, 55; Sir
Roderick Newton, High Court judge, 64;
Jane Owen, UK ambassador to Switzerland
and Liechtenstein, 59; Seth Rogen, actor,
The Interview (2014), 40; Dame Emma
Thompson, actress, Saving Mr Banks (2013),
63; Karl Turner, Labour MP for Kingston
upon Hull East, 51; Maj-Gen Nick Vaux,
DSO, commanded 42 Commando during
Falklands conflict, 86; Sam Waley-Cohen,
jockey, 2022 Grand National winner, 40;
Steve Williams, two Olympic rowing golds
(2004, 2008), 46; Prof Benjamin Zephaniah,
poet and writer, 64.

On this day
In 1755 Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the
English Language was published. It took him
eight years to complete, with six helpers.

The last word
“I never desire to converse with a man who
has written more than he has read.” Samuel
Johnson, in Johnsonian Miscellanies (1897)

From Kent to Kigali
The government is right to tackle ever-growing illegal immigration.
But using Rwanda is fraught with legal and practical hurdles
Within a few months, the first plane is due to leave
Britain for Rwanda taking young male asylum
seekers to the small central African country, 4,000
miles from the Channel coast where they arrived
in flimsy boats. Thousands are expected to follow.
Announcing this novel way of dealing with the
growing daily influx of migrants, Boris Johnson
said taxpayers could no longer be asked to write a
blank cheque to anyone wanting to come to Britain. Crossing in small boats will be a crime, with
the smugglers piloting them facing imprisonment.
The Royal Navy will take charge of the Border
Force, using additional helicopters and drones.
Some of those migrants not sent to Rwanda will be
held in a new secure reception centre in Yorkshire.
The plan, signed yesterday in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, by Priti Patel, the home secretary, is
the most drastic attempt to date to curb illegal migration. The numbers have certainly been rising
fast. Some 297 crossed the Channel in 2018. Last
year the figure was 28,526, of whom the vast
majority were young, single men, most of whom
were economic migrants. The asylum system is
costing Britain £1.5 billion a year, with £3.5 million
a day to accommodate 25,000 migrants in hotels.
The government believes the costs and numbers
are infuriating voters and undermining post-

Brexit claims that Britain has taken back control of
its borders.
Outsourcing illegal immigration is clearly
meant to deter, as it has done in Australia, which
has sent illegal migrants to remote Pacific islands
and cut the inflow to the mainland to virtually
zero. Noting this, the government has been exploring other alternatives, including using Ghana,
Albania or even Ascension Island. In each case
local or legal opposition scuppered preliminary
talks, and thus the Home Office settled on Rwanda, which welcomes economic migrants along
with the extra cash.
Certainly people are attracted to Britain
because of language, family ties, opportunity and
the promise of benefits. Most, probably, have little
idea of Rwanda and no intention of settling there.
But there are further significant problems. The
announcement may well lead to a stampede
across the Channel before the measures are introduced. And the move is certain to provoke more
opposition from Labour and from many peers to
the Nationalities and Borders Bill, which would
make the scheme legal. There are also certain to be
challenges in the courts. Yet the government believes it has sufficient legislation to proceed even
before the bill becomes law. One other conse-

quence is that smugglers may resort to even more
dangerous means of getting people into Britain
undetected. That method led to the tragic deaths
of 39 Vietnamese migrants asphyxiated in a lorry
in 2019. And while the scheme is expensive, costing an initial £120 million, the government says it
should be cheaper than housing them in Britain.
The danger is that the proposal could founder
on as yet unknown factors. Could lawyers effectively block it, despite the government’s confidence that it is legally watertight? Will migrants
have to be brutally forced on to planes? Will they
face hardship or worse in Rwanda?
Britain has a proud history of welcoming asylum seekers and victims of war, with only hamfisted bureaucracy slowing Ukrainians. But democratic governments have a duty to prevent illegal
migration and block criminals exploiting the
system, putting lives at risk. The proper criteria for
judging the scheme are pragmatic: will it work,
and are there safeguards to prevent ill treatment of
those in Rwanda? Success can be measured by
convicting cross-Channel people smugglers and
putting them out of business, deterring the vulnerable from making the perilous journey and encouraging them to seek to enter Britain by legal
means. That outcome remains to be seen.

Scholz’s Strategy
Germany must not falter in spending more on defence and arming Ukraine
Russia’s war against Ukraine overturns the principles of the postwar international order. The western response has been swift and generally firm in
providing Kyiv with military aid and imposing
sanctions on the Putin regime. An indication of
this toughness was an address by Olaf Scholz, the
chancellor, to the German parliament on February 27, setting out a new national course.
Declaring the response to the invasion as an
“epochal change”, Mr Scholz pledged to support
Ukraine, increase military spending and reduce
German reliance on energy imports from Russia.
The speech signalled a radical shift in German priorities. Yet six weeks later, as evidence of Russian
atrocities against Ukrainian civilians has accumulated, the reality of Germany’s change of course is
lagging the fine words. It is essential, not only for
Ukraine but for the West, that Germany isolates
President Putin and does not balk at the costs.
Mr Scholz has committed to increase German
defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP, amounting
to about €70 billion annually, and establish a
€100 billion fund to replenish the country’s depleted military hardware. His coalition government

had no such plans on taking office in December. It
is the right response, as Germany could easily
afford to bolster Nato deployments. The notion
that its military strength might be seen as a threat
by other European nations is not credible almost
70 years after West Germany joined Nato.
Yet even these commitments will not make up
for decades of underspending. Though Germany
is buying advanced fighter jets from the US, its
forces lack basic equipment and even ammunition. Moreover there is substantial public pressure
to use some of the proposed new security funding
not for military equipment but for wider goals,
such as combating climate change.
The messaging is inconsistent, and this is not
lost on the government of Ukraine. Though Berlin
has suspended the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, it
resists the notion of an oil and gas embargo on
Russia. The links between German economic
growth, especially in the price competitiveness of
manufactured goods, and imports of Russian
energy are close and longstanding. German industry and consumers need to be prepared for
long-term higher energy costs in the interests of

containing Russian expansionism. Mr Scholz is
not being forthright in stating this harsh truth.
The task in isolating Russia is not only military
and economic, but also cultural. Though democratic politicians have been firm in anchoring Germany in Nato, they have also consistently sought
to normalise relations with Moscow. This was evident in the policies of Angela Merkel, chancellor
from 2005 to 2021, and blatant in those of her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, who shamelessly
continues to hold lucrative posts with the Russian
energy companies Rosneft and Gazprom. FrankWalter Steinmeier, the German president and a
former foreign minister, is so closely associated
with a policy of détente with Russia that he this
week abandoned a visit to Kyiv as President Zelensky declined to meet him.
Mr Scholz did not anticipate the Ukrainian
crisis. His efforts to align Germany with a
common western strategy to deter and isolate
Russia are right and necessary. Yet a shift in his
country’s priorities needs to have public consent
and be continually argued for. Germany’s allies require confidence that Berlin will stay the course.

Salvage Job
J Bruce Ismay did not deserve obloquy after the Titanic disaster
Seven hundred and five souls survived the sinking
of the RMS Titanic, 110 years ago today. One of
them was Joseph Bruce Ismay, chairman and
managing director of the White Star Line. Ismay
was instantly cast as the villain, becoming one of
the most reviled figures of the early 20th century,
living out his days as a depressed recluse.
The many subsequent television and film depictions of the disaster, including James Cameron’s
epic in 1997, did nothing to rescue Ismay’s reputation. Only one in five male passengers and crew
members made it into a lifeboat. Those who did
were frequently branded cowards.

That charge was unfair, especially so, it
emerges, in the case of Ismay. Some diligent research by a descendant, Clifford Ismay, reveals
that his forebear assisted with the loading of seven
lifeboats and when he boarded the penultimate
one to leave the stricken liner, there were no
women and children visible on deck. Thus Ismay
did not take someone else’s place, but merely occupied a seat that would otherwise have remained
empty. In those circumstances, who can say they
would have acted differently?
Clifford Ismay also concludes that there is no
evidence his ancestor endangered the ship by

ordering the captain to go faster. Ismay must be
held partially responsible, however, for a lack of
sufficient lifeboats, an aesthetic decision made in
order to declutter the view from the promenade
deck for first-class passengers. Ismay was no saint,
but neither was he the sly calculating poltroon of
popular legend.
Official inquiries on both sides of the Atlantic in
1912 cleared him of wrongdoing, yet owing to the
vituperation of the popular press and later Hollywood’s simplistic need for a bad guy, the stain on
his good name has remained. It should now,
finally, be removed.

34

2GM

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

World
Protests erupt over
police shooting of
unarmed refugee
United States

Killings that shocked US

Keiran Southern Los Angeles

Hundreds of protesters marched
through Michigan after video clips
were released showing a white police
officer shooting a black man in the back
of the head during a traffic stop.
Patrick Lyoya, 26, a refugee from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, was
killed in the front garden of a house in
Grand Rapids after a brief chase
followed by a struggle with the officer,
who has not been named.
Eric Winstrom, appointed as the
city’s police chief barely a month ago,
released four videos of the April 4
shooting on Wednesday, including a
clip taken by a passenger in Lyoya’s car.
Winstrom said the officer, who has
been with the force for seven years and
is suspended on full pay, would not be
publicly identified unless criminal
charges were filed. Michigan state
police are conducting an investigation.
Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights
lawyer speaking on behalf of Lyoya’s
family, called for the officer to be sacked
and prosecuted. “The video clearly
shows that this was an unnecessary,
excessive and fatal use of force against
an unarmed black man who was confused by the encounter,” Crump said.
Lyoya’s parents appeared last night at
a press conference organised by
Crump. His mother, Dorcas, speaking
through a translater, sobbed and said it
was “astonishing” that she found herself having to bury her son. “I need justice for my son,” she said, describing
herself as “deeply hurt and wounded”.
Dorcas added: “I thought that I came
to a safe land and a safe place. I am surprised to see that my son has been killed
with a bullet.”
Lyoya’s father, Peter, said he had
never known his son to be violent.
Watching a police officer shooting his

6 In 2014 Eric Garner, 43, was held
in a prohibited chokehold by a white
officer in Staten Island, New York
after being accused of illegally
selling cigarettes. He uttered “I can’t
breathe” 11 times. The officer was
sacked but not prosecuted.
6 Protests followed the fatal
shooting of Michael Brown, 18, by
Darren Wilson, an officer in Missouri,
also in 2014. A Department of
Justice report cleared Wilson of
wrongdoing.
6 The killing that year of Tamir Rice,
12, led to more outrage. The boy was
playing with a replica gun in Ohio
when an officer shot him.
6 In May 2020 in Minneapolis Derek
Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s
neck for nine minutes. Video of the
incident led to protests worldwide.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a
half years for murder.
6 Daunte Wright, 20, was stopped in
Minnesota last year. When he
resisted, Kim Potter mistook her gun
for a Taser and shot him dead.

son had left him heartbroken. “I am
asking for justice for Patrick,” he said.
He added that his son was executed by
police and shot “like an animal”.
The father said his son was killed “for
a small mistake”. He added: “My life has
come to the end, my life was Patrick.”
Crump said the officer should be
identified so the family could learn of
his policing history, adding he was sure
officials would be trying to “assassinate” the dead man’s character. The

lawyer added that the family urged
protesters to remain peaceful.
Several demonstrations were staged
soon after the incident but public anger
was fuelled anew by the police chief’s
decision to release the videos, apparently in the interest of transparency.
Video was gathered from the officer’s
body camera and his patrol car, as well
as from Lyoya’s passenger’s phone and a
nearby doorbell camera.
Hundreds of people gathered outside
the police headquarters chanting “justice for Patrick”. Businesses closed early
and some boarded their windows but
the protests remained non-violent.
Chris Becker, the prosecutor who will
decide whether charges should be
brought, said the public should not
expect a quick decision.
Police said Lyoya’s vehicle was
stopped at 8am on April 4 because the
registration plate did not match official
records. Lyoya, who was driving, is seen
on the videos stepping out of the car to
speak to the officer, who asks if he has
a licence. Lyoya asks: “For what?”
The officer demands repeatedly to
see a driving licence, also asking if he
speaks English. Lyoya begins walking
to the front of the vehicle. The officer
tries to stop him and Lyoya runs off but
is tackled and a struggle ensues.
The officer draws his Taser and fires
but misses. Lyoya grabs the weapon.
“Let go of the Taser,” the officer is heard
to say as the pair wrestle for more than
two minutes — before the officer pulls
out his gun and shoots Lyoya.
Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic
governor of Michigan, told reporters
Lyoya had two daughters and five siblings. “He arrived in the United States
as a refugee . . . fleeing violence,” she
said. “He had his life ahead of him.”
There have been 255 police shootings
across the US this year, according to
The Washington Post.

Patrick Lyoya is
pulled over by
traffic police and
appears confused

A struggle ensues
during which an
officer attempts
to use a Taser

The men struggled for more than two minutes before the officer pulled his gun and

Subway terror attack suspect ‘had weapons stockpile’ Four held over
Will Pavia New York

The man suspected of shooting ten
people on a subway train in Brooklyn
kept a stockpile of weapons, broadcast
instructions on how to make a petrol
bomb and expressed a desire “to kill
and shoot people” in videos he posted
online, prosecutors said yesterday.
Frank James, 62, has been charged
with a federal terrorism offence. He
spoke only to answer “yes” to a procedural question at an initial court
appearance, where a judge ordered that
he be held in custody.
Sara Winik, for the prosecution, told
the court: “The defendant terrifyingly
opened fire on passengers on a crowded
subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way the city hasn’t

seen in more than 20 years. The defendant’s attack was premeditated, was
carefully planned, and it caused terror
among the victims and our entire city.”
James is accused of detonating
smoke grenades and firing 33 shots at
passengers in the carriage.
His court-appointed lawyers asked
that he be given a psychiatric evaluation and magnesium tablets to treat leg
cramps. Outside the court Mia EisnerGrynberg, one of his lawyers, said that
“initial reports in a case like this are
often inaccurate”, and that there should
not be a “rush to judgment”. She said
James had called the police himself to
give them his whereabouts. Once he
knew he was wanted, “he called Crime
Stoppers to help”, she said.
In court filings, prosecutors say the

police who searched his rented van, a
storage locker and the flat where he was
staying in Philadelphia recovered a
propane tank, a Taser, ammunition for
a Glock handgun and an assault rifle,
Frank James has a
history of posting
violent videos on
social media, say
prosecutors

and a threaded pistol barrel that could
allow a silencer to be attached.
“In addition, the defendant has a
history of recording and posting violent
videos on social media,” they said.
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York,

has said social media companies should
have warned officials of James’s videos.
“I cannot play a song on a social
media channel that belongs to someone else without them identifying that,”
Adams told CNN. “Why aren’t we identifying these dangerous threats?”
The Facebook page James appeared
to have used has been taken down.
Representatives from the company,
and from Alphabet, YouTube’s parent
company, did not respond to requests
for comment. James’s defence lawyer
did not respond to an inquiry yesterday.
Prosecutors said the attack on a subway carriage on Tuesday morning left
ten people with bullet wounds and
about 20 injured in other ways.
“Numerous passengers could have
been killed,” they said.

Germany
George Sandeman

Four far-right activists in Germany
have been arrested after allegedly plotting to kidnap a government minister
and destroy energy facilities.
The suspects are from a group called
United Patriots, which is opposed to the
country’s Covid-19 restrictions and
hopes to subvert German democracy
by creating the conditions for a civil
war.
Police raids led to the seizure of
€8,900 in cash, foreign currency worth
more than €10,000, gold bars, silver
coins, ammunition and about two
dozen guns, including a Kalashnikov.
One of the group’s intended kidnapping targets was Karl Lauterbach, the

the times | Friday April 15 2022

35

2GM

Le Pen’s energy policy is an
aberration, says Macron
Page 36

GRAND RAPIDS POLICE/REUTERS; DANIEL SHULAR/AP

Biden rating sinks
to new low amid
cost-of-living crisis
David Charter Washington

President Biden’s approval rating has
returned to its lowest of 33 per cent as
he struggles to overcome soaring inflation.
The poll put approval for “the way Joe
Biden is handling his job” at 26 per cent
among key independent voters, an ominous sign for the Democrats, who are
bracing themselves for heavy losses in
the midterm elections. Approval
among Democrats was 76 per cent and
Republicans 3 per cent, showing the
persistence of deep polarisation that
Biden had hoped to reverse.
The president, 79, also hit this low
point in polling by Quinnipiac Univer-

Lyoya runs into
a nearby garden
pursued by an
armed officer

Out of favour
Biden’s approval rating
Approve

Undecided

Disapprove

13
33

54

%

Source: Quinnipiac University

sity in January, although his “disapproval” rating is one percentage point
higher now, at 54 per cent.
The Quinnipiac survey is an outlier
because Biden’s average approval rating
across all polls is 41.5 per cent, slightly
above Donald Trump’s at this stage of
his presidency. He was on 40.6 per cent,
the lowest of any postwar president,
according to the FiveThirtyEight polling aggregator website.
Biden’s ratings have never recovered
from the chaotic withdrawal of US
troops from Afghanistan last August,
when his popularity took a nosedive.
No sooner was that crisis over than
inflation began to rise, hitting 8.5 per
cent in March, the highest since 1981.
Although the headline rate of increase may fall, the higher cost of

Saudis mock
Sleepy Joe
Saudi comedians have lampooned
President Biden and Boris Johnson
in what is seen as a response to
western insults (Anchal Vohra
writes). The state-owned MBC
showed a sketch in which Biden
falls asleep while sending a
message to President Putin. He
confuses Russia with China and
Africa and is corrected by a
comedian playing Kamala Harris,
the vice-president, whom he
mistakes for the first lady. In
another sketch Johnson spars with
a US official for a woman’s
attention until she
introduces her
husband. In
the election
campaign
Biden called
Saudi Arabia
a pariah state.
everyday items may not
not, meaning that
voters are likely to punish the Democrats at the ballot box. To add to consumer misery, mortgage rates have hit
an 11-year high of 5 per cent.
Biden has tried to shift the spotlight
on to his domestic agenda. On a visit to
Iowa he promoted biofuels at an ethanol plant. “I’m here to talk about the
work we’re doing to lower costs for
American families,” he said.
The creation of ethanol from corn
was a growing industry that provided
jobs, helped farmers and was good for
the environment, he said. His environmental agenda has been upended, however, by the release of US oil to combat
rising petrol prices. Voters’ sympathy
for Ukraine has not translated into tolerance for paying more at the pumps.

Arrive at the bar sober and
far-right plot to kidnap health minister be rewarded with free drink
shot Lyoya in the back of the head. After video of the killing emerged, protesters marched in Grand Rapids to demand justice

health minister. He said later he was
“appalled” by their actions.
“The whole thing shows that coronavirus protests have not just become
more radical, but that it is now about
more than coronavirus; that there is an
attempt here to destabilise the state,”
Lauterbach, 59, told reporters. “This is a
small minority in our society, but highly
dangerous. This will not influence my
own work.”
He said he would continue trying to
balance the interests of people who
want looser measures in combating
Covid-19 with those of Germans demanding stricter ones. Protests against
the restrictions have drawn tens of
thousands of people, from antivaxers to
neo-Nazis.
Prosecutors in Koblenz and police in

Rhineland-Palatinate issued a joint
statement yesterday in which they said
the four United Patriots members arrested had been “preparing explosive
attacks and other acts of violence”.
They said the group was plotting the
“kidnapping of well-known public
figures” and that its main aim was to
“destroy power supply facilities to
cause a prolonged nationwide blackout
intended to cause civil war-like conditions and ultimately overthrow the
democratic system in Germany”.
Police started their investigation in
October and had identified five suspects, all German citizens aged 41-55,
before searching 20 properties.
The four people arrested were members of the same chat group on the messaging app Telegram. Investigators said

they were associated with the Reich
Citizens movement, which disputes the
legitimacy of the postwar German constitution and, by extension, the government. The authorities said that 12
people in total were being investigated.
Olaf Scholz, the Social Democratic
chancellor, took office in December
pledging a renewed fight against farright militants after criticism that the
previous administration had been slow
to tackle the problem.
Last week police arrested four people
in raids on suspected militant neo-Nazi
cells across Germany. Der Spiegel called
it “the biggest blow against the militant
neo-Nazi scene in the recent past”.
A suspected neo-Nazi was charged
this week with attempting to set off a
“race war” in Germany.

Belgium
Jack Parrock Brussels

A Belgian town is taking a novel
approach to “pre-drinking” to reduce
alcoholism among young people.
From this weekend, venues in the
town of Balen, in Antwerp, will offer
people “sobercoins” if they pass a
breathalyser test on entry before 11pm.
The local council will then reimburse
the bars for sobercoins taken at the tills.
“We’re encouraging people not to
drink too much before they go out,”
Wim Wouters, a council member in
Balen, told De Standaard newspaper.
“Young people have become accustomed to drinking at home because
there were no parties or cafés to go to
[during lockdown],” he said. “It is also
becoming more and more normal to

drink a lot.” A sober person arriving at
a venue will receive three sobercoins,
each worth the equivalent of a half pint
of beer or a small glass of wine.
The municipality also hopes it will
support venues that are trying to
bounce back from pandemic closures.
According to a study conducted by
Drugpunt, a regional charity in Flanders, 80 per cent of teenagers who drink
alcohol, drink before they go out.
Wouter Beke, the Flemish welfare
minister, told De Standaard: “Why don’t
we give extra sobercoins to the young
people who leave the party sober?”
Not everyone is convinced. “It’s a
crazy idea,” Professor Guido Van Hal,
who researches the effects of alcohol
on society at the University of Antwerp,
told the newspaper. “The reward for not
drinking at home is . . . alcohol.”

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

36

World
JOY SAHA/EYEPIX GROUP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Japan arrests 5,000 men
as phone voyeurism soars
Japan
David Blair Tokyo

A record number of arrests were
made in Japan last year for illicit
filming or photography, predominantly cases of men using smartphones to take images of women.
Known in Japanese as tousatsu,
literally stolen images, arrests for
the crime were up by 20 per cent to
5,019, according to the National
Police Agency. Cases have doubled
over the past decade as smartphones
have become ubiquitous.
Japan was an early pioneer in
camera phones. The domestic manufacturer Kyocera lays claim to the
world’s first camera-equipped
phone released in 1999, long before
the days of the smartphone. In an effort to deter surreptitious filming,
makers agreed a year later that all
such products sold in Japan would
make shutter noises or beeping
sounds that cannot be silenced
when photos or videos are taken.
However, the voluntary code has
done little to deter voyeurism in the
years that have followed. On Tuesday a 22-year-old student at Kyoto

University was arrested on suspicion of illicit filming of more than 20
female friends and other women.
Some of the videos were recorded
using a camera he had set up in the
lavatory of his own home. During a
search police found more than 400
clips belonging to the suspect.
A traffic officer in Saitama, just
north of Tokyo, was dismissed on
March 31 and referred to the prosecution service for allegedly breaking
into the homes of two female colleagues and installing hidden
cameras. He is alleged to have targeted two policewomen in their
twenties between October and January. One of them found one of the
cameras on January 6 and her colleague is alleged to have confessed.
“I was interested in women’s
underwear, and wanted to see them
naked,” he told officers, according to
the Mainichi Shimbun.
Britain introduced a Voyeurism
Act in 2019 to prevent upskirting, an
offence that had previously fallen
under common law on public indecency. In the year that followed, 16
men were convicted of 48 offences
under the new act.

Three colours red Hindu men and boys obey the dress code at the Lal Kach (Red Glass) festival in Munshiganj, Bangladesh

Macron hits out
at Le Pen plan to
ban wind farms
France
Charles Bremner Paris

Marine Le Pen’s energy policies,
including a ban on wind farms, are
an aberration, President Macron
has said, and are an example of his
right-wing challenger’s “extremist
promises”.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and
the risk it poses to oil and gas supplies to Europe has put the energy
policies of both candidates under
renewed scrutiny.
On a trip to Normandy, Macron
ridiculed Le Pen’s energy policies
after forcing her on to the defensive
this week over her pledges on immigration, Europe and Russia. Her
ultra nationalist stance on these
issues had attracted little attention
before Sunday’s first-round vote as
she focused heavily on boosting
incomes for the lower paid.
Le Pen is opposed to all sanctions
against Russia and efforts to diminish dependence on its gas and oil.
After finishing four points ahead
of Le Pen on Sunday, the president is
holding a steady but not unassailable
lead over her before the run-off on
April 24. A poll yesterday put n
him on 53 per cent and Le Pen
on 47 per cent.
Le Pen wants to scrap
wind farms, which are unpopular in France, as a
“stain on the landscape”,
while building more nuclear power stations and
boosting the use
of hydro and
thermal
energy.
“Exiting
Macron has
mocked
rival policy

renewables today would be a complete aberration [and] we would be
the only country in the world doing
that,” he said. Le Pen’s scheme would
involve spending hundreds of millions of euros dismantling turbines,
and the nuclear reactors she wants
would take 15 years to come on line,
he added.
Macron’s view was backed by the
French trade association for renewal energy, which called Le Pen’s
plans “a major step backwards for
our country and the climate . . . at the
expense of taxpayers and the consumers most at risk”.
Macron aims to wean France, the
most nuclear-dependent state in
Europe, off carbon energy by building at least six nuclear power stations and doubling solar generation,
as well as building 50 offshore wind
parks — at present France has none
in operation.
Le Pen hit back at Macron’s efforts
to tar her as a right-wing extremist.
“This makes me smile because we
have never had a president who
showed more signs of extremism
than Emmanuel Macron,” she said
on France 2 television, citing the
heavy-handed methods of the riot
police against anti-Macron protesters in 2018-19.
Without the shield provided by Éric Zemmour, the
defeated anti-Islam candidate, Le Pen’s plans are more
exposed as she and Macron
woo the working class and young
voters who backed JeanLuc Mélenchon, the
left-wing candidate.
About a third of
Mélenchon’s voters
say they will vote
for Macron and a
third plan to back
Le Pen.

Two pregnant after sex
with trans prisoners
United States Two prisoners in
New Jersey have become
pregnant after having consensual
sex with transgender inmates.
They were being held at the Edna
Mahan Correctional Facility in
Clinton, which houses 800
women and 27 transgender
women. Last year the state’s
governor said that the prison
would be closed following reports
of abuse and systematic failures.
It was unclear whether the
women had sex with the same
transgender inmate and whether
they planned to continue with
their pregnancies. An
investigation has been launched.

TV drama in racism row
after actress ‘browns up’
Hong Kong A television drama
has been accused of racism after
an actress darkened her face to
play a Filipina domestic helper. A
colleague posted a clip of
Franchesca Wong putting on
make-up. “I am suntanning now,”
Wong says in a Filipino accent as
she prepares for her role in
Barrack O’Karma 2 on TVB.

Thousands displaced
after lethal flooding
South Africa Residents of the
coastal province of KwaZuluNatal were picking up the pieces
after flooding left more than
300 people dead, with thousands
of others displaced. “A total of
40,723 people have been affected.
Sadly, 341 fatalities have been
recorded,” Sihle Zikalala, the
region’s premier, said.

Golf cart thief is given
two years in the hole
United States A man who tried to

keep his failing business afloat by
stealing a total of 63 motorised
golf carts worth $283,000 in a
three-year, seven-state spree has
been jailed for two years. Nathan
Rodney Nelson took the buggies,
always at night, from golf clubs in
rural areas across the American
Midwest, prosecutors said. (AP)

the times | Friday April 15 2022

37

2GM

Business
commodities

world markets (Change on the day)
Dow Jones
34,451.23 (-113.36)

FTSE 100
7,616.38 (+35.58)

24

Apr 1

11

$

Brent crude (6pm)
$109.79 (+2.20)

$

£/$
$1.3052 (-0.0019)

$

£/€
€1.2088 (+0.0065)

¤

8,000

38,000

2,200

140

1.400

1.225

7,500

36,000

2,000

120

1.350

1.200

7,000

34,000

1,800

100

1.300

1.175

6,500
Mar 16

currencies

Gold
$1,969.04 (-9.86)

1,600

32,000
Mar 16

24

Apr 1

11

Mar 16

24

Apr 1

11

1.250

80
Mar 16

24

Apr 1

11

Mar 16

24

Apr 1

11

JIM CHAPIN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

1.150
Mar 16

24

Apr 1

11

Bear Grylls
adds a little
bit of magic
to Merlin
Dominic Walsh

Key change Steinway, the 169-year-old piano builder, whose instruments are used by the likes of Lady Gaga, is to go public again. It was taken private by Paulson in 2013

Musk admits $43bn bid
for Twitter might fail
Questions mount over how billionaire would fund deal
Callum Jones

Elon Musk admitted last night that his
unsolicited $43 billion hostile bid for
Twitter might fail as questions were
raised about how the billionaire might
fund the deal.
The world’s richest man stressed he
had “sufficient assets” to buy the business, while Twitter’s board pledged to
evaluate what Musk insisted was his
“best and final” offer.
“I’m not sure I will actually be able to
acquire it,” Musk, 50, conceded at an
event in Vancouver. Industry leaders
speculated that Twitter would seek a
“white knight” to avoid the prospect of
falling into his hands.
A top Twitter shareholder rejected
Musk’s offer. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal,
of Saudi Arabia, said he did not believe
it “comes close” to the company’s
“intrinsic value”.
In response, Musk asked how much

Saudi Arabia owns of Twitter “directly
and indirectly”, adding: “What are the
kingdom’s views on journalistic freedom of speech?”
Analysts said a deal would require
the Tesla boss to sell a sizeable portion
of his stake in the electric carmaker, or
take out a “massive loan” against it.
Musk, who has an estimated paper
fortune of $265 billion, said he did not
“care about the economics at all”.
When news of the bid emerged,
shares in Twitter rose about 3 per cent
in pre-trading on Wall Street. However,
the stock retreated and closed down
1.7 per cent, or 77 cents, at $45.08, shy of
Musk’s $54.20 per share bid. Tesla
shares fell 3.7 per cent, or $37.37, to $985.
Twitter, based in San Francisco, owns
one of the world’s largest social networks. It was set up in 2006 and makes
most of its money through advertising.
It went public in November 2013.
Having rejected a seat on Twitter’s

board last week after filings revealed he
had become its biggest shareholder,
Musk moved to take the company
private.
“Twitter has extraordinary potential,” he wrote in a letter to its chairman,
Bret Taylor. “I will unlock it.”
His offer of $54.20 amounted to a
54 per cent premium on where Twitter
was trading in January, when Musk
started buying shares. Twitter’s stock
last traded at this level in November,
but hit a record of $77.63 last March.
The non-binding proposal is contingent in part on the “completion of
anticipated financing”, according to a
securities filing, which did not provide
any indication of where Musk planned
to source tens of billions of dollars.
Musk, who has recruited investment
bankers at Morgan Stanley to advise
him, has previously described himself
as cash poor. The lion’s share of his
fortune is derived from huge stakes in

Tesla and SpaceX, his space exploration
business. Reducing these would curtail
his control and have tax implications.
He could use the investments as collateral to borrow billions of dollars.
Speaking at a TED conference, Musk
outlined a plan to involve other investors. “The intent is to retain as many
shareholders as is allowed by the law in
a private company, which I think is
around 2,000, or so,” he said.
In 2018 the US Securities and Exchange Commission charged him with
fraud after he claimed he had secured
funding to take Tesla private. Musk settled the charges, paying $20 million
and standing down as Tesla chairman.
Twitter said its board would “carefully review” Musk’s proposal “to determine the course of action that it
believes is in the best interest of the
company and all Twitter stockholders”.
Musk’s ideas for Twitter underwhelm
the critics, pages 38-39

A cast of characters from Bear Grylls
to Peppa Pig combined to help kickstart
the recovery at the world’s secondbiggest visitor attractions operator.
Merlin Entertainments reported that
in the year to December 25, the number
of visitors across its global operations
rose from 22.1 million to 35.2 million,
still some way short of the 67 million
recorded in 2019.
Revenues doubled to £1.26 billion but
fell short of a pre-pandemic £1.74 billion
as the company warned of “continued
challenges, uneven global recovery and
unpredictable restrictions”.
At a pre-tax level, Merlin remained in
the red, albeit sharply reducing losses
from £965 million to £94 million, and
still some way short of its 2019 pre-tax
profit of £234 million.
On underlying earnings, Merlin
bounced back into the black, swinging
from a loss of £124 million to a positive
out-turn of £376 million. At the operating line, it moved from a loss of
£743 million to a profit of £130 million.
While most of the 24 countries in
which it operates have lifted most if not
all of their Covid restrictions, Nick
Varney, Merlin’s chief executive, said
that in China site closures remained “a
bit of a constant theme”, with its venues
in Shanghai among those closed.
Merlin, which was founded in 1999,
runs 140 attractions, 22 hotels and six
holiday villages under brands such as
Madame Tussauds, Sea Life and Legoland. It was floated in London in 2013
and briefly made it into the FTSE 100.
In November 2019 it underwent a
£6 billion buyout led by Kirkbi, which
owns the Lego toy empire, working
with Blackstone and the Canada
Pension Plan Investment Board.
Merlin derives 70 per cent of its
business from domestic visitors and the
rest from international travellers. Varney, 59, said he expected domestic business to return to 2019 levels this year,
but its international business would
probably take until the end of next year.
Despite the pandemic, Merlin continued to invest in expansion, using IP
partnerships with famous consumer
brands or names to add features such as
Gangsta Granny and Mythica to existing theme parks or developing standalone concepts such as Legoland New
York and the Bear Grylls Adventure at
Birmingham’s NEC.
Varney said the Bear Grylls concept,
which includes shark diving, high ropes
and axe-throwing, was working well,
and Merlin was “looking where we can
develop further sites around the world
given his popularity in locations such as
Australia, the US and even China”.

38

2GM

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

Business

Need to know

1

Elon Musk seems to have set
his sights on transforming
social media with an attempt
to buy Twitter for $43 billion,
part of his estimated $273 billion
fortune. Pages 3, 37

2

A cast of characters from Bear
Grylls to Peppa Pig combined
to help kickstart the recovery
at the world’s second-biggest
visitor attractions operator. Merlin
Entertainments reported that in
the year to December 25, the
number of visitors across its global
operations rose from 22.1 million
to 35.2 million, still some way short
of the 67 million recorded in 2019.

Page 37

3

The chief financial officer of
Asda has quit less than a year
after he was promoted by the
supermarket’s owners, The Times
has learnt. John Fallon, who
succeeded Rob McWilliam in June
2021, is to be replaced by Michael
Gleeson, the former Morrisons
chief financial officer.

4

Shares in Alphawave IP fell
by almost 20 per cent after
the chip company delayed
its maiden results as a public
company, saying that its auditor
KPMG needed “additional time to
finalise their procedures” because
of Covid-related staff absences.

5

The European Central Bank is
set to create a new crisis tool
to contain government bond
spreads as it repeated its promise
to end mass bond purchases.
Christine Lagarde, the bank’s
president, said that it was ready to
launch a new “flexibility” tool at
short notice to combat rising
borrowing costs that could result
from its moves to tighten
monetary policy in the face of
record inflation in the eurozone.

Page 40

6

The Financial Reporting
Council, the accounting
watchdog, confirmed plans to
beef up its regulation of auditors
with new powers that could allow
it to punish poor performance by
stripping firms of their licences.

Page 41

7

Goldman Sachs, the Wall
Street bank, has reported a
sharp drop in first-quarter
profit after what its chief executive
David Solomon called a
“turbulent” three months
dominated by Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. Page 42

8

National Grid said it expected
to deliver higher profits in UK
electricity operations for the
year to the end of March because
of rising inflation.The prices
charged by the FTSE 100 utility
company, which supplies
electricity to households and
businesses, are regulated by
Ofgem and linked to inflation,
which reached a 30-year high of
7 per cent last month. Page 43

9

The crisis engulfing
Petropavlovsk has intensified
after the London-listed
Russian gold miner warned
investors it was contemplating a
sale of all its assets that might
leave them with nothing. Page 44

10

Wizz Air cheered investors
as it forecast widening
full-year losses but a
recovery in demand over the peak
summer holiday season. Page 45

Musk’s ideas
for Twitter
underwhelm
the critics
Billionaire is sure he
can sort out the social
media group. Wall Street
seems unconvinced,
writes Callum Jones
Elon Musk’s posts on Twitter have
moved markets, angered regulators,
triggered fines worth tens of millions
of dollars and even drawn the world’s
richest man to court. Now he wants to
buy the platform outright.
The social media group “needs to be
transformed as a private company”,
Musk declared in a letter to its chairman, presenting an unsolicited $43 billion takeover bid and arguing that
changes “need to be made”.
After stepping forward as Twitter’s
largest shareholder last week and
rejecting an invitation to join its board,
the company did not expect the billionaire to walk away quietly. “There will be
distractions ahead,” Parag Agrawal, the
chief executive, presciently warned
staff at the weekend.
Musk’s cash offer certainly ruffled
feathers, but yesterday’s filing did not
specify the changes he believes are
required, how he intends to make them,
or why he reckons they are impossible
to implement while Twitter trades on
the New York Stock Exchange.
The billionaire has, however, shared
a string of ideas for the company on its
own platform. “Free speech is essential
to a functioning democracy,” he wrote
on March 25, launching a vote on
whether users believe the service
“rigorously adheres” to this principle.
“The consequences of this poll will be
important. Please vote carefully,” he
added. More than 70 per cent of about
two million votes were cast for “no”.
What Musk’s followers did not know
at the time was that, by this stage, he
had already purchased nearly 60 million shares in Twitter for about $2.1 bil-

lion, according to analysis of his stock
market disclosures. His stake was
revealed ten days later.
Much of Musk’s concern appears
closely tied with his frustration about
the microblogging platform’s algorithm, which dictates what its base of
217 million daily users see in their feeds.
A “de facto bias” is having a significant
impact on public discourse, he has
alleged, proposing that the algorithm
be made freely available for all to see.
Twitter amounts to a digital town
square, in his view, where those speaking should not face significant restrictions. The argument is music to the ears
of those who claim it has been policing
users and content too rigorously,
including supporters of Donald Trump,
who was removed from Twitter last
year. The platform has sought to tackle
harmful content and misinformation in
recent years amid rising concern over
such issues on social media.
Musk might be one of Twitter’s most
followed users, but he has been frustrated by the fallout from some of his most
controversial posts. A 2018 tweet claiming that he had secured funding to take
Tesla private prompted the US Securities and Exchange Commission to
order Musk to pay $20 million, step
down as the carmaker’s chairman and
obtain pre-approval from lawyers for
some of his posts on the service.
The billionaire was also dragged to
court in 2019 after referring to Vernon
Unsworth, a British cave diver involved
in the rescue of 12 boys and their football coach in Thailand, as a “pedo guy”.
Unsworth sought $190 million in damages, but a US jury found Musk had not
defamed him.
As he prepared to table his bid, Musk
suggested Twitter should wean itself off
the source of 89 per cent of its revenue:
advertising. “The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive,” he tweeted this
weekend. This post, and others, were
later deleted. He instead proposed an

On message

Apr 2014 Fears of
stalling growth
mount as it reveals
drop in activity
Elon Musk’s buyout offer
Jun 2015 Dick
Costolo resigns as
chief executive. He
is succeeded by
Jack Dorsey,
co-founder, below

Nov 2013 Twitter
goes public

Sep 2016 Takeover
rumours swirl, with Google,
Salesforce and Disney
linked with potential bids
Source: Refinitiv

2014

2015

expansion of Twitter Blue, the fledgling
paid-for service, by cutting the price of
a subscription and removing ads for
those who sign up. This is one of the few
tangible ideas Musk has put forward.
Staff at Twitter were quick to point
out that they had also been working for
months on another of his proposals.
After Musk launched a vote on whether
users should be able to edit tweets after
they had been posted, the company said
it had been developing such a feature
“since last year” and added that its team
“didn’t get the idea from a poll”.
Twitter, facing competition from
rivals such as Facebook and Instagram,
not to mention rapidly growing competitors such as TikTok, is under pressure. By the end of next year, the company has pledged to boost its key user
base by 45 per cent and increase annual
revenue by 48 per cent to $7.5 billion.
While many on Wall Street are quick

2016

2017

to highlight its various struggles, from
lacklustre growth to slow innovation,
some are dubious that Musk is the man
to turn things around.
“I think the core problem is we still
don’t actually know what does Elon
Musk want Twitter to do,” Rich Greenfield, a partner at LightShed Partners,
told CNBC, the financial news network.
“I don’t think anyone would disagree
that Twitter could be better managed . . .
Clearly investors have wanted Twitter
to move faster, iterate faster, drive revenue faster.”
Greenfield cautioned that Musk’s
proposals would risk “creating chaos”
on the platform by adopting an “anything goes” approach to free speech and
moving it away from advertising, its primary source of cash. “There’s just parts
of this that just don’t make sense.”
The titans of Twitter need to be taken
down, Gerard Baker, page 31

Asda finance chief resigns after less than a year
Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor

The finance chief of Asda has quit less
than a year after he was promoted by
the supermarket’s new owners, The
Times has learnt.
John Fallon succeeded Rob McWilliam as chief financial officer in June
2021 after he decided not to extend his
fixed-term contract.
Sources said Fallon handed in his
notice two weeks ago. It is understood
that senior staff who agreed to stay with
the business shortly after Walmart’s
£6.8 billion sale received their retention
pay packages in March.
Fallon is to be replaced by Michael
Gleeson, the former chief financial
officer at Morrisons. Fallon is the latest
senior staff member to quit after the

highly leveraged takeover by the Issa
brothers and TDR Capital, although he
is the first of their appointments to
leave. Roger Burnley, chief executive,
departed last August. Anthony Hemmerdinger, chief operating officer, and
Preyash Thakrar, strategy chief, who
were both contenders for the top role,
also stepped down.
The Times reported in January that
Asda had suspended its drawn-out
search for a new chief executive after
Mohsin Issa, 50, became heavily
involved in the day-to-day running of
the supermarket.
The decision came despite Lord Rose
of Monewden, chairman of Asda and of
the Issa brothers’ EG Group petrol
empire, saying that hiring a new chief
executive was a “priority for the board”.

Sources said that it had become the job
“no one wanted” after candidates
including Jo Whitfield, food boss at the
Co-op; Jason Tarry, Tesco’s UK and
Ireland boss; Trevor Strain, chief operating officer at Morrisons; and Peter
Pritchard, the boss of Pets at Home,
turned it down. Stuart Machin also
declined and has since been made chief
executive of Marks & Spencer.
Last month Mohsin Issa told store
managers that his aim was to overtake
J Sainsbury as the second largest supermarket after losing the spot in 2015.
However, industry analysts say that
the amount of leverage on Asda’s balance sheet will make it even harder for
the supermarket to engage in a grocery
price war and it risks losing more shoppers to the discounters after becoming

less competitive on fuel. One source
said that part of the reason for Fallon’s
departure was a culture-shock about
how the business was being run and
that the job was becoming more
difficult because of inflation.
The Issas and TDR are bidding for
Boots, the health and beauty chain,
with the ambition of putting pharmacies and beauty departments in Asda
stores. Since the takeover the grocer
has been focused on signing partnerships and plans to integrate its newer
acquisitions Leon, the fast-food chain,
and Cooplands, a bakery chain, into its
stores to give shoppers another reason
to visit. The supermarket also plans to
roll out its convenience chain on to 300
EG petrol forecourts as part of its Asda
On The Move concept.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

39

Business

Serious limits to
Elon’s ambitions

Apr 2021 Earnings fail to
meet expectations,
reigniting questions on
Wall Street over growth

Apr 2022 Musk
discloses stake, rejects
board seat and makes
unsolicited takeover bid

$80

business commentary Alistair Osborne
70

60

Jul 2020 Twitter reveals
surge in usage during
pandemic. Valuations of
tech stocks rise across
the board

50

40

Nov 2021 Dorsey
resigns. He is
succeeded by Parag
Agrawal, below

30
Jan 2022 Elon
Musk starts
quietly buying
shares
Feb 2020 Activist Elliott
Management buys stake
and pushes for Dorsey's
exit. Twitter strikes
co-operation deal with
Elliott and takes $1bn
investment from Silver
Lake, a private equity firm

20

10

0
2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Profile

P

arag Agrawal,
the Twitter chief
executive, had
initially been
“excited” about
Elon Musk joining the
board (Russell Hotten
writes). It was, he said in
a message to staff on
Sunday, “in the best
interests of the company”.
Now, rather than
having the combative
Tesla boss inside the
tent, Agrawal has him
on the outside. Musk is,
among other things, a
celebrity chief executive.
Agrawal is the opposite.

As the immigrant from
India prepares for a
$43 billion bid battle with
Musk, shareholders will
want to know if he has
the mettle to compete
with a man who seems to
enjoy a fight.
Agrawal, 37, was a
relative unknown outside
Twitter when he moved
from being its chief
technology officer to
replace Jack Dorsey in the
top role last November.
Inside Twitter, he seemed
to accept he might have
been low-profile, saying in
his first memo to staff: “I

recognise that some of
you know me well, some
just a little and some not
at all.”
One tech expert,
Angelo Zino, from CFRA,
the investment research
firm, thought him a
“safe” choice to lead
Twitter in its next stage
of development.
Agrawal’s road to the
top took him from the
Indian Institute of
Technology in Bombay,
a PhD at Stanford
University, an internship
at Microsoft and then a
research job at Yahoo. He

joined Twitter in 2011 and
became technology chief
in 2017.
Married with two
children, Agrawal took a
couple of weeks’
paternity leave this year
on the birth of his second
child, a move lauded by
fathers because of its
rarity among US bosses.
Dorsey described his
successor as “curious,
probing, rational,
creative, demanding, selfaware and humble”. In the
coming weeks he might
need to be thick-skinned,
tough and resilient.

Alphawave delay scares off investors
Ashley Armstrong

Investors in Alphawave IP took fright
yesterday after the chip company
delayed its maiden results as a public
company.
Shares in the company fell by 36p,
almost 20 per cent, to close at 149¾p,
valuing the company at £999.6 million,
after the business said that its auditor
KPMG had “requested additional time
to finalise their procedures” because of
Covid-related staff absences.
Alphawave was founded in Canada
in 2017 but has moved its head office to
Cambridge. It does not make chips but
develops the technology used to transmit data rapidly for use in artificial
intelligence and driverless cars.
Alphawave is not the first company

to delay its results because of Covid.
Randox, the private diagnostics company, delayed the results of its audited
accounts by two months as PWC, its
auditor, and its own finance team were
hit by Covid. JD Sports pushed back its
results in February and is yet to give a
new date, saying KPMG needed time to
complete its global audit procedures
and allow the group to have greater
clarity on the disposal of its Footasylum
business.
However, Alphawave shareholders
have reacted negatively as the company had faced questions over whether
it had properly disclosed related-party
transactions, prompting its shares to
halve in value in September. In particular focus was a $54 million multi-year
subscription deal with VeriSilicon, the

Chinese firm, whose chairman Wayne
Dai is the brother-in-law of Alphawave’s executive director, Sehat Sutardja.
The level of scrutiny prompted
Alphawave to say yesterday: “KPMG
LLP is not a related party of Alphawave
IP. All related parties in this press release have been previously disclosed.”
The company floated in May last
year at 410p a share, valuing the company at £3.1 billion. It raised £360 million of new money and existing shareholders sold £856 million of shares at
the listing price.
The flotation crystallised a £71.5 million fortune for Tony Pialis, Rajeevan
Mahadevan and Jonathan Rogers, the
company’s founders, but Alphawave’s
shares lost a tenth of their value on their
first day in a global technology sell-off.

P

ublicity stunt? Pump and
dump? Proper bid? The
human yo-yo Elon Musk
probably hasn’t even made
up his own mind yet: one
reason he’s so keen on a Twitter edit
button.
Still, at least he’s put a figure on
his “best and final offer” for the
microblogging site: $43 billion, or
$54.20 a share. Why the extra .20?
For the weed gag, of course. It’s the
same joke that was behind 2018’s
Tesla take-private tweet: the one
that landed him a US Securities and
Exchange Commission lawsuit.
As the regulator relayed, Musk
had initially come up with a 20 per
cent premium for his fantasy Tesla
bid. But that only came to $419 a
share. So, “he rounded the price up
to $420 because he had recently
learned about the number’s
significance in marijuana culture
and thought his girlfriend ‘would
find it funny’.” The cultural nod? To
the “Waldos”, of course: five
students from San Rafael High
(what else?) who, in 1971, met by a
wall at precisely 4.20pm each day to
swot up on the spliff-smoking front.
How could any Twitter bidder not
have 420 in a mooted offer price?
Who knows if Musk’s serious? But
the share price reaction was telling:
barely budging from around $46.
Yes, Musk’s hostile offer may be at a
54 per cent premium to March 14’s
price: the day he started buying his
9.2 per cent stake. Or 38 per cent
above April 4’s when his holding
became public: too late too, given he
broke the SEC’s ten-day filing rules
and now faces an investor lawsuit.
But the market clearly has doubts
that Musk’s bid for Twitter will fly.
The four conditions to his
“non-binding proposal”, including
government approvals and legal,
regulatory, accounting and tax due
diligence, make you wonder, too.
And not least the fourth one:
“completion of anticipated
financing”. True, that seems daft for
a bloke worth $260 billion on
Bloomberg’s billionaire index. But
his wealth is tied up in Tesla shares.
And as Mirabaud analyst Neil
Campling noted, any takeover will
“cost a serious amount of cash”, so
he “will have to sell a decent piece
of Tesla stock” or take out “a
massive loan against it”. That may
prove tricky, too, because the
carmaker has limits over what he
can borrow against the shares. And
who can forget his claims to have
“funding secured” for his Tesla take
private? Complete baloney, as it
turned out. Besides, Tesla investors
will hate the distraction: another
reason its shares fell 3 per cent. And,
despite Musk’s claims that his
Twitter tilt is “a high price” that the
“shareholders will love”, the shares
peaked at $77 in February last year.
So, maybe it’s too early to picture
media mogul Musk — even freer to
make his vile “pedo guy” slurs over
a British cave diver who risked his
life to rescue a Thai kids’ football
team (watch the brilliant The
Rescue doc) or to manipulate the
price of bitcoin with his hilarious
emoji tweets. It’s what Musk, with
81.6 million Twitter followers,
self-servingly calls “free speech”.
To boot, after his flip-flopping
over a Twitter board seat, he’s given

himself a get-out. His missive to
Twitter chairman Bret Taylor states
that, if his offer is not accepted, “I
would need to reconsider my
position as a shareholder”. So, could
he yet sell out at a profit after
successfully ramping the Twitter
share price? If that’s his endgame,
you do hope the SEC hasn’t been
smoking too much to notice.

Miner in a hole

P

roof you can overdo the
Russian roulette. The specialist
in internecine warfare with a
sideline in gold mining, otherwise
known as Petropavlovsk, has finally
blown its brains out. Or those of its
investors, at least (report, page 44).
It’s hired AlixPartners for a spot
of strategic option exploration. A
key one? Selling the Russia-focused
miner’s “entire interests in its
operating subsidiaries”, with no idea
“what return, if any” may accrue to
shareholders or debt holders. The
shares, already down nine-tenths in
a year, fell 17 per cent to 2½p,
valuing the equity at £98 million.
How’s it got into this mess?
Reaping what it’s sown from the
tyrant in the Kremlin. The miner,
set up by Peter Hambro and Pavel
Maslovskiy in 1994, has degenerated
into an oligarchs’ plaything, with a
revolving door of directors. The
’orrible olis have included the
sanctioned Viktor Vekselberg, of
TNK-BP fame, who brought in
Bruce Buck, Abramovich’s Chelski
chairman. And, lately, Konstantin
Strukov, behind 2020’s putsch to
oust Hambro. Since December that
year, Maslovskiy’s been slung in a
Moscow jail on trumped-up charges.
Anyway, thanks to Putin’s war on
Ukraine, Petropavlovsk can no
longer service its debt with the
lender it owes $287 million: the
sanctioned Gazprombank, that also
acts as “an off-taker of 100 per cent
of the group’s gold production”. And,
with “limited cash reserves outside
Russia” it won’t be able to repay
$304 million to its noteholders, due
in November. The upshot? A
meltdown. Ask Hambro what he
thinks and he says he’s “terribly sad
that a great company has been
screwed up by a bunch of idiots”.
That’s a polite way of putting it.

Could do beta

A

nother case of the Sir Martin
Sorrells: a company unable to
get its accounts out on time,
just like the ad man’s S4 Capital.
This time its Alphawave, a “global
leader in high-speed connectivity”,
except it seems when connecting up
the full-year figures. It’s blaming
“Covid-related staff absences” at
auditor KPMG for a week’s delay.
Crucially, though, there was no
boilerplate line about results being
in line with expectations. So, no
shock the shares dived 19 per cent to
149¾p. And not least at an outfit
that’s had an iffy start to public life
after Barclays, JP Morgan and BMO
brought it to market last May at
410p. Whatever wave Alpha’s meant
to be riding, it keeps falling off.

alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

40

Business

Lagarde plans crisis tool to stop
bond spreads growing too wide
Mehreen Khan Economics Editor

The European Central Bank is set to
create a new crisis tool to contain
government bond spreads as it repeated its promise to end mass bond
purchases.
Christine Lagarde, the bank’s president, said that it was ready to launch a
new “flexibility” tool at short notice to
combat rising borrowing costs that
could result from its moves to tighten
monetary policy in the face of record
inflation in the eurozone.
“If and when it becomes necessary,
we will know what to do and [the tool]
will be operational promptly,” Lagarde
said yesterday after a meeting of the
bank’s governing council.
“We can design and deploy new
instruments to secure monetary policy
transmission,” she added without
giving details on how the instrument
would work or providing a launch date.
The euro weakened against the
dollar, falling by 0.57 percentage points
to $1.087 and bond spreads between
Italy and Germany tightened.
The central bank kept all its main
interest rates unchanged and confirmed its intention to end the era of
mass quantitative easing in the third
quarter. The confirmation comes as
eurozone inflation hit 7.5 per cent in
March, the highest since the creation of
the single currency area.
Lagarde said the central bank would
consider revised growth and inflation
projections at its June meeting before
deciding when to end bond purchases
that amount to nearly €5 trillion and
began during the depths of the bloc’s
sovereign debt crisis.
The eurozone’s economy is heavily
exposed to the war in Ukraine given the
dependence on Russian energy imports
in large member states such as
Germany and Italy. Unlike America
and Britain, the bloc’s growth was
subdued before the start of the conflict
and it could fall into recession this year
as a result of the conflict. Unemployment levels and wage growth have also
lagged behind the US and UK.
The uncertain outlook means the
ECB is behind its peers in the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England
who have started raising rates to combat surging inflation caused by higher
commodity, energy and food prices.
Lagarde said the short-term outlook
for eurozone inflation had “intensified”

Playing catch-up
Eurozone economy is not yet at
pre-pandemic levels

Central banks are fighting
record inflation
Annual CPI (%)
Central
banks’ target

6

Annual GDP change %

4

2.1 1.7

UK

5.3

Eurozone unemployment remains
above record lows

Arthi Nachiappan
Economics Correspondent

Rate %

Banks and building societies began to
pull back on mortgage lending for the
first time in nearly two years as they
warned the Bank of England the number of borrowers defaulting on their
loans could rise in the coming months.
The availability of mortgage credit
fell in the first three months of this year,
the first drop since summer 2020,
according to the Bank of England’s
credit conditions survey. The headline
balance dropped from a net positive
23.1 per cent between October and
December last year to a negative 2.7 per
cent in the first quarter and is expected
to deteriorate to -22.3 per cent in the
next three months, the survey of banks
and building societies found.
Banks said that mortgage availability
will continue to fall as higher interest
rates are passed on by lenders through
higher borrowing rates.
The Bank of England has raised
interest rates three consecutive times
in the past five months, taking interest
rates from a historic low at 0.1 per cent
back to pre-pandemic levels at 0.75 per
cent. Many forecasters have predicted
another rise of 0.25 points next month
as inflation continues to rise.
Inflation reached 7 per cent in March,
which is the highest level on record
since 1992, driven up by the cost of fuel,
which spiked after Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine at the end of February. The
consumer prices index is expected to
have risen further in April because of
the 54 per cent rise in energy bills.
Andrew Wishart, senior property
economist at the Capital Economics
consultancy, said: “The credit conditions survey points to credit availability
being restricted by higher market
interest rates which will be priced into
mortgage rates in [the second quarter].
Despite other lending criteria remaining stable or even loosened somewhat,
that should weigh on buyer demand
and bring down house price growth
sharply in the second half of the year.”
Mortgage borrowing reached a
record high in March last year as house
buyers rushed to make the most of the
stamp duty holiday in place during the
pandemic. The number of mortgages
taken out fell sharply after the removal
of the tax break last September.

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6

2.6
1.8 1.6
1.4 2 1.9
-0.2
-0.9

2
0
Eurozone
2012 14

16

18

20

-6.4

-2
22

Source: Refinitiv

2010

12

14

16

18

20

Source: Eurostat

06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Source: Eurostat

Christine Lagarde,
president of the
European Central
Bank

since the bank’s last meeting in February and longer-term market inflation
expectations were also edging above
the ECB’s 2 per cent target.
Investors are pricing in at least two
interest rate rises by the ECB this year,
marking the first tightening of monetary policy in over a decade. Lagarde
has said the central bank will normalise
policy in a sequence where rate rises
will follow “some time after” bond purchases are halted this year.
“This could be a week or several

months [after], and that remains true.
We will deal with interest rates when
we get there,” Lagarde said.
She hinted that the end of bond
buying could be complemented with a
tool that mirrored previous measures
where money from maturing bonds
was reinvested to help contain borrowing costs for the most vulnerable eurozone economies.
Frederik Ducrozet, of Pictet Asset
Management, said Lagarde was deliberately vague over the crisis tool, “hop-

Mortgage
lenders warn
of spike in
loan defaults

ing that such a facility will never be
needed”. He said that the bank could
reinvest €35 billion per month into the
sovereign bond market if needed over
12 months to contain rising bond yields.
“In a scenario of acute stress in
peripheral bond markets, €35 billion of
ECB purchases could be redirected
towards the most vulnerable parts of
the market. If the ECB wants to secure
a path to a more neutral stance, they
need to make sure that peripheral
spreads do not widen too much.”

US consumers shrug off oil price shock Inflation may soon hit 9%,
Mehreen Khan

Consumer confidence in the United
States rebounded from historic lows
this month and retail sales edged up in
tentative signs that the world’s largest
economy is beginning to recover from
the impact of a Russia-induced oil price
shock.
A monthly measure of consumer
confidence from the University of Michigan recovered in April after falling
to historic lows following the outbreak
of the war in Ukraine. The gauge hit
65.7 this month, up from 59.4 in March
and better than forecast by economists
polled by Reuters. The numbers were
complemented by a small rise in March
retail sales of 0.5 per cent, just below
expectations of 0.6 per cent.
The US economy is battling high
inflation with consumer prices hitting
a 40-year record of 8.5 per cent last
month. The consumer prices are being

driven by record food, commodity and
energy costs caused by supply disruption from the war in Ukraine and
higher demand after the lifting of
pandemic restrictions.
April’s consumer confidence survey
was boosted by falls in the oil price after

65.7

Level of US consumer confidence
in April, up from 59.4 in March
Source: University of Michigan

the cost of crude oil surged to $130 a
barrel in March. Consumers were also
more buoyant over economic expectations in the three months after March.
However, economists warned that
the true test of US spending power in
the face of rising living costs had yet to
be seen. Ian Shepherdson, chief econo-

mist at Pantheon Macroeconomics,
said household sentiment was largely
driven by a recovery in the stock market
this month. Overall, he said monthly
surveys of spenders “have been much
less reliable guides to the path of
consumers’ spending in recent years”.
Michael Pearce at Capital Economics said overall consumer sentiment
levels “remain close to recessionary
levels and we suspect confidence will
remain subdued until inflation begins
to fall back more markedly in the
second half of the year”.
The Federal Reserve embarked on an
aggressive interest rate tightening last
month and has suggested another six
rate rises will follow this year. Investors
expect a half a percentage point rise at
the Fed’s next meeting next month.
Tighter monetary policy raises the cost
of credit, with the aim of putting a lid on
spending and helping bring inflation
closer to the Fed’s 2 per cent target.

claims leading City analyst
Dominic O’Connell

One of the City’s top economists has
predicted inflation will peak at 9 per
cent this year, but warned it could reach
double digits and that there was a “high
probability” of a recession.
Keith Wade, chief economist at
Schroders, the fund manager, told
Times Radio he expected this month’s
rise in energy bills to take inflation to
9 per cent, where it should level off.
Another spike in energy prices,
however, would lead to it going higher
in October when energy bills are reset
again by Ofgem, the energy regulator.
Britain is experiencing its highest
rate of inflation in 30 years, with the
post-pandemic economic recovery,
supply chain disruptions and the war in
Ukraine combining to push up prices.

On Tuesday the Office for National
Statistics said the annual consumer
prices index (CPI) inflation measure
had hit 7 per cent in March. The Bank of
England has forecast that inflation will
reach 8 per cent this spring, but publication of the March number has forced
many economists to change their assumptions about how high it could go.
Wade said inflation could be pushed
up by further supply chain disruption.
“There has now been a big outbreak of
Covid in China that means they are
closing factories and ports,” he said.
“We expect these disruptions to continue for quite a while, right into 2023.”
High inflation, and higher interest
rates as the Bank of England raises borrowing costs to try to damp down rising
prices, would lead to a tough squeeze on
consumer spending.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

41

Business

Harry Wallop

Watchdog to
get powers
over audit
firm licences

From corner shops to chain stores,
migrants helped build this country

‘‘

When Sergio Costa
started out in
business, delivering
coffee to hotels and
cafés around
London, he would drop off sacks of
beans wearing overalls, before rushing
back to his van and changing into a
suit (which he kept hanging up in the
vehicle) to meet the client.
Such streetwise ingenuity maybe
came easily to Sergio, who was born
in Italy but arrived in London as a
child with his two siblings and
parents, part of the wave of postwar
Italian migration to Britain: a
generation fleeing poverty and a
poverty of prospects. For a time, the
family shared one room in Vauxhall,
south London. The parents worked
around the clock as kitchen porters,
waiters and bar staff before they had
saved enough to open a small café,
where Sergio learnt his trade before
striking out on his own.
Costa Coffee — yes, that was his
business — now has more than 2,600
outlets in the UK, making it Britain’s
biggest food and drink chain bar
none. Greggs, McDonald’s and
Starbucks don’t come anywhere close.
Sergio died last month, aged 72,
and his story was told this week in a
fine obituary in this paper, but also in
an exhibition in an unusual museum
in south London. You find it in a
shopping centre in Lewisham,
sandwiched between a TK Maxx and
a Poundland: the Migration Museum.
Housed in a former H&M — even
the changing rooms have been
repurposed as listening booths — the
museum attempts to tell the story of
how people arriving at (and leaving)
these shores have shaped the country.
It has no permanent collection but
each year it mounts a new exhibition.
Last week its latest was launched:
Taking Care of Business, the story of
migrant entrepreneurs.
Some of these stories are well
known: Michael Marks, a Polish Jew
who moved to Leeds in 1882 and
opened a market stall that we now
know as Marks & Spencer; Eugène
Rimmel, who arrived in London from
France in 1834 and set up a perfume
shop selling soaps and bath essences
to Queen Victoria, his business
ultimately becoming Britain’s leading
cosmetics brand; Oscar Deutsch, the
son of Hungarian and Polish Jews
who opened his first cinema in
Birmingham in 1930 — by the time
he died 11 years later there were 258

of his Odeons across the UK. And
there, in a far corner, I found a stylish
jacket and a few photographs of a
balding chap: Meshe Osinsky, who
arrived as a penniless Jewish teenager
from tsarist Russia in 1900.
By the outbreak of the Second
World War, Montague Burton (as he
was then known) had a knighthood,
595 shops, was Britain’s sixth biggest
employer and owned the largest
clothing factory in the world, which
provided its 8,000 workers not only
with a canteen able to serve fish and
chips with fruit pie and custard to
follow in a single sitting, but also a
gym, a ladies’ cricket club, free dental
check-ups and a bank deposit scheme
offering 5 per cent interest.
He was my great-grandfather. And
I’m very proud of him. Not just
because of his literal rags to riches

tale, but because seeing him in this
museum, surrounded by all the other
stories, reminded me that
immigration is not always clichéd
tales of hard-working folk who scrimp
and save, and then take evening
classes and third jobs before
eventually hitting the big time.
When I last wrote about Montague
in these pages, along with the other
Jews who started leading chains such
as Tesco, M&S, Dixons and Vidal
Sassoon, there were the usual
comments under the article. A mix of
appreciation — but also plenty of
snarkiness that one shouldn’t use
Burton, Marks or Sassoon as poster
boys for immigration. For every one
of these pioneers there were a
thousand unskilled immigrants who
didn’t make it and were, and continue
to be, a drain on the British taxpayer.

It’s true that it’s easy to romanticise
these immigrants, the sepia-toned
photos softening the edges of a
miserable early life. And, yes, some
might argue that the hundreds of
thousands of jobs created by these
successes don’t quite counter those
taken by new arrivals. Though there’s
also plenty of evidence, not least from
an Oxford University study, that
immigrants have made a net fiscal
contribution to the British economy,
paying more taxes than they have
taken as benefits.
It depends on how you cut the cake,
or divide up the chow mein. But
arguments over migration shouldn’t
be a simple cost-benefit analysis.
What I like about the Migration
Museum’s exhibition is that alongside
the famous names, the Jimmy Choos
and Toni & Guys, there are lots of
tales of ordinary Bangladeshis setting
up curry houses, Gujaratis opening
corner shops and Poles starting
plumbing companies. These are not
historical artefacts; they are recent
case studies.
Angela Hui, one of the curators,
has lovingly recreated her parent’s
Chinese takeaway from the Welsh
Valleys, Lucky Star, complete with
waving golden cat and 85p cans of
Vimto behind the counter.
“For my parents, like many others,
working in a takeaway wasn’t about
expressing a love for hospitality or
cooking — it was about survival,” she
writes in the guide.
The point about immigrant
entrepreneurs isn’t so much that they
created vast clothing or coffee chains,
though a handful did. It’s that
millions came looking for a better life
— and are still coming. Some will fail.
But plenty have ended up with a
barber shop, a chippie, an upholstery
firm or construction company, a
business that pays taxes and employs
a few people.
Of course, most aren’t an M&S, a
Costa or a Burton, but these family
businesses are just as much a part of
the fabric of this country. And we
need to cherish them, not just
because they make up so much of our
high street, but
because without
them we would be a
poorer country. In
every sense.

’’

Harry Wallop is a consumer
journalist and broadcaster. Follow
him on Twitter @hwallop

Louisa Clarence-Smith

The accounting watchdog confirmed
plans to beef up its regulation of
auditors with new powers that could
allow it to punish poor performance by
stripping firms of their licences.
The Financial Reporting Council
(FRC) has begun a consultation on
taking control of licences of auditors of
listed and large private companies.
More than 30 audit firms that audit at
least one so-called “public interest entity” would be subject to new oversight
by the watchdog. At present licensing
is delegated to four industry bodies,
including the Institute of Chartered
Accountants in England and Wales.
The new powers would allow the regulator to temporarily restrict an audit
firm or individual auditor from working
on accounts for a specific sector, such
as pharmaceuticals or construction, if
found to have conducted poor audit
work in that area. The regulator would
also have the power to strip a firm or
individual of their licence. Sarah
How The Times
first reported the
story

Rapson, executive director of supervision, said the measures would allow
the watchdog to “act more quickly and
effectively when systemic issues are
identified in these audits”.
These measures were recommended
by Sir John Kingman, Legal & General’s
chairman, in a government-commissioned review of the sector in 2018.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, backed the plans in a white paper
on audit reform last year. The government’s response to the white paper consultation, which closed last July, has
been hit by delays but ministers have
said they are committed to an overhaul
of audit rules after a series of scandals.
Last year the regulator’s annual
inspection of audits by the seven biggest accounting firms found that nearly
a third of big company audits required
improvements.
Louise Aumann, an accountancy
expert at Reed Smith, the law firm, said:
“Voices have grown pretty hoarse calling for the [regulator] to be entrusted
with extra powers, so presumably the
move has the support of political
lobbies and business groups who have
been calling for action for some time.”

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

42

Business

Business
briefing
Stock markets across the world
remain volatile following
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Oil
and gas prices have been
spiralling, while British
companies are scrambling to
cope with the effects of soaring

costs. With the situation
changing by the hour, keeping
up to date is essential. Get the
latest news and market reaction
by 8am, and analysis at 12.30pm,
direct by email from the
Business Editor, Richard
Fletcher, and the
Business News Editor,
Martyn Strydom
Subscribers only

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.co.uk/myNews

Goldman profit
tumbles as war
in Ukraine adds
to turbulence
Russell Hotten

Goldman Sachs has reported a sharp
drop in first-quarter profit after what its
chief executive David Solomon called a
“turbulent” three months dominated
by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Wall Street bank reported
stronger activity on its trading desk and
in wealth management, but that failed
to offset a big fall in global dealmaking.
Profit for the period fell to $3.94 billion,
down from $6.84 billion a year ago,
which was better than expected, as
was the 27 per cent fall in revenues to
$12.93 billion.
Earnings at the investment banking
division fell 36 per cent to $2.41 billion
as few companies went public amid
worries about Ukraine, rising inflation
and global economic growth.
The market volatility that held back
investment banking, however, helped
Goldman’s trading desk to beat analysts’ expectations. Trading revenue
rose by 4 per cent to $7.87 billion during
the quarter.
The end of the investment banking
boom meant that Goldman recorded
a cut in the cost of pay and benefits.
During the three months operating
expenses fell by 18 per cent, mainly
because of lower spending on compensation. Goldman set aside just over
$4 billion to compensate its 44,000 staff
in the first three months of the year.
Goldman also saw a strong performance from its consumer and wealth
management division, which includes
the Marcus retail bank. Revenues rose
21 per cent to $2.2 billion.
Solomon has been trying to diversify
Goldman’s earnings stream with more
predictable sources of revenue such as
consumer banking and wealth and
asset management. He said he was
“encouraged that our more resilient
and diversified franchise can generate
solid returns in uncertain markets”.
With the Federal Reserve starting to
wind down coronavirus pandemic economic stimulus measures, Wall Street
was braced for a slowdown in banking
activity.
However, Solomon, 60, said the general uncertainty had been heightened
by the war in Ukraine. Goldman was
one of the first major American investment banks to retreat from Russia.
He added: “It was a turbulent quarter
dominated by the devastating invasion
of Ukraine. The rapidly evolving
market environment had a significant
effect on client activity as risk intermediation came to the fore and equity
issuance came to a near standstill.”
Events in Ukraine had cut revenues
in the first quarter by about $300 million, he said, but added that the investment banking backlog remained
“robust”. Market volatility would “die
down” during the year and Goldman
was “well positioned to achieve its
growth targets”, Solomon said.
JP Morgan, its rival, posted a 32 per
cent fall in investment banking income
on Wednesday. Jamie Dimon, chief executive, also blamed the war in Ukraine
for the fall in earnings and warned
there could be “significant geopolitical
and economic challenges ahead”.
Despite the better-than-expected

Lenders count the cost
Citigroup reported a 46 per cent fall
in first-quarter profit on hits from
provisions for Russia-related losses,
a drop in underwriting fees and
higher expenses.
The bank set aside $1.9 billion in
reserves to prepare for losses from
direct exposures in Russia and the
economic impact of the Ukraine war.
Citi is the most global of the big
US banks with operations in more
than 100 countries, so it is seen as
the most exposed to the fallout from
the Ukraine conflict. Profits for the
first three months of this year fell to
$4.31 billion, but were better than
Wall Street analysts had forecast.
Jane Fraser, chief executive,
warned about the heightened
geopolitical worries but was bullish
on “the health and resilience of the
US consumer” and prospects for the
rest of the year.
Morgan Stanley’s profits for the
quarter beat forecasts by a wide
margin as its mergers and
acquisitions and trading arms
offset slowdowns in other areas.
Income fell 11 per cent to
$3.5 billion, well ahead of average
estimates of $3 billion. Revenue fell
6 per cent to $14.8 billion, beating
forecasts of $14.3 billion.
Morgan Stanley’s dealmakers
brought in $944 million in advisory
revenues in the quarter, compared
with $480 million a year ago. Much
of the income came from the
completion of deals initiated last
year. The wealth and investment
management arm, a big revenue
driver, fared poorly. Revenue was
$5.9 billion, flat on last year and
missing forecasts of $6.2 billion.
Wells Fargo narrowly missed
revenue estimates after a 33 per
cent decline in mortgage lending,
with a rise in interest rates cutting
demand. The financial services
firm pushed group revenues for the
first quarter to $17.6 billion, below
the expected $17.8 billion. Profits
fell 21 per cent from last year to
$3.67 billion.

results, Solomon echoed Dimon’s sentiments about economic headwinds. He
said he was watching inflation, stresses
on the global supply chain, commodity
prices and the resilience of the US
consumer to rising costs.
“We’ve also seen an increased risk
of stagflation and mixed signals on
consumer confidence,” he said. “These
cross currents will certainly create
ongoing complexity in the economic
outlook.”
The bank also reported a jump in
provisions for bad loans in the quarter
to $561 million, citing consumer credit
issues and the impact of geopolitical
concerns. The rise was from $344 million in the last three months of 2021.
Shares in Goldman closed down 24
cents, or 0.1 per cent, at $321.73 in New
York last night.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

43

Business
GRAHAM HUNT/ALAMY

New electric
Mercedes go
the distance
Business Staff

The electricity infrastructure company makes money from an inflation-linked charge on consumers’ bills, which will boost its profits by as much as 5 per cent

National Grid’s coffers swell on
the back of bill-payers’ ‘distress’
Louisa Clarence-Smith
Chief Business Correspondent

National Grid said it expected to deliver
higher profits in UK electricity operations for the year to the end of March
because of rising inflation.
The prices charged by the FTSE 100
utility company, which supplies electricity to households and businesses, are
regulated by Ofgem and linked to
inflation, which reached a 30-year high
of 7 per cent last month. It is understood
that inflation will have lifted the
company’s prices by between 4 per cent
and 5 per cent over the last financial
year. The increase in average customer
bills resulting from the price rises is
expected to be less than £5.
However, the utility company is
facing scrutiny for taking increased
profits when households are struggling

to pay higher energy bills. Siobhain
McDonagh, a Labour MP and member
of the Treasury select committee, said:
“People can’t pay their bills now, let
alone what’s going to happen later this
year. These companies shouldn’t be
benefiting from the distress and
anxiety of British consumers.”
She said the announcement should put additional
pressure on the government
to consider a windfall tax on
energy companies to help
consumers after the energy
price cap was increased
this month by 54 per
cent.
National Grid said
that customers pay an
Siobhan McDonagh
wants a windfall tax

average of £20 a year, about 3.3 per cent
of their total bill, to the company as part
of an electricity transmission charge.
They pay a further £100 towards electricity distribution costs.
A source close to the company said
that the price controls set by Ofgem
meant customers would be protected
from significant price rises, while
also enabling National Grid to
invest billions of pounds a year in
Britain’s energy transition and
supply security.
National Grid was privatised in 1990. It was listed
on the London Stock Exchange five years later
and has a market capitalisation of £43 billion. The company
makes its money via
charges on energy

bills, regulated through price controls
set by Ofgem, which also monitors its
proposed investment plans.
National Grid owns almost 6,000
miles of electricity lines and cables and
5,000 miles of high-pressure gas pipes
in the UK. Last month it struck a
£4.2 billion deal to sell a controlling
interest in its UK gas transmission and
metering business to a consortium led
by Macquarie, the Australian infrastructure investor. It also owns large
networks in America. The company
said that while it expects profits from its
UK electricity businesses to be higher
than anticipated, returns from its other
divisions will be in line with forecasts.
Overall earnings per share will be
“modestly higher” than the guidance
given on November 18, it said.
The shares fell 1½p, or 0.1 per cent, to
close at £11.84 yesterday.

Ofgem could ring-fence customers’ cash to stop misuse
James Hurley

The energy regulator has said it will
consider ring-fencing customer funds
in response to concerns that misuse of
this money contributed to the recent
spate of supplier failures.
Surging wholesale gas prices precipitated a run of supplier insolvencies and
Ofgem said one of the “root causes of
the failures of many of those suppliers
is related to the way that they have
managed the money paid to them by
customers”.
Jonathan Brearley, the chief executive
of Ofgem, said suppliers had been using
funds intended to pay for energy or to

support the development of renewable
energy “to prop up their finances,
enabling them to follow more risky business models with reduced financial resilience and higher likelihood of failure”.
“We are considering options to ringfence credit balances and renewables
payments in such a way that they would
be protected if a supplier fails,” Brearley
wrote in a message on Ofgem’s website
yesterday.
Ofgem has vowed to tighten up regulation after 28 suppliers failed since last
September, leaving behind more than
£2 billion in costs that will be paid for by
households. That is expected to include
more than £200 million to reimburse

customers of failed suppliers for their
credit balances, cash they had paid in
advance.
Centrica, which owns Britain’s biggest supplier, British Gas, has led calls
for ringfencing. It said in February it
had transferred customers’ £294 million cash deposits to a separate bank
account. However, other suppliers are
likely to object to the plans, with some
arguing they cannot easily afford to
ring-fence the hundreds of millions of
pounds that customers have paid. Some
use this cash as a cheap source of working capital to help fund their operations, a practice Ofgem has allowed.
Ofgem said it would consider “appro-

priate transition arrangements to allow
companies to make this adjustment
whilst preserving financial stability”.
The regulator will launch a broader
review of suppliers’ handling of customers’ direct debits, credit balances and
customer service levels, including treatment of vulnerable customers amid
concerns that standards are worsening.
Ofgem said there were a “series of
issues which we find concerning and
are investigating further” amid disruption to the market, with more than
4.3 million customers having moved
automatically with their credit balances to alternative energy suppliers
when their supplier failed.

Mercedes-Benz is celebrating the
successful test drive of its EQXX prototype electric vehicle, which travelled
1,008km (626 miles) from Sindelfingen
in southwest Germany to the Côte
d’Azur in France on a single charge,
throwing down a challenge to Tesla.
All the big carmakers are locked in
an expensive race to produce higherrange cars that dispel consumer anxiety over the lack of widespread charging
infrastructure for electric vehicles.
Markus Schäfer, chief technology
officer, said that the German carmaker
aimed to produce electric cars consuming as little as 10 kilowatt hours of
energy per 100km, a third more
efficient than the current average for
electric cars.
“First we optimise efficiency, and
then we can see how many battery
modules we put in the car,” Schäfer said,
adding that customers should be able to
decide the size of the battery they want
based on their needs.
The Mercedes prototype spent 8.7
kilowatt hours of energy per 100km on
its 11½ hour drive, about twice as
efficient as Mercedes models on the
market and Tesla’s longest-range car on
offer, the Model S 60, the company said.
When it reached the Mediterranean
the EQXX’s battery still had enough
charge to travel more than 140km.
Mercedes’ EQS has the highest range
on the market as of yet, according to the
car comparison portal Carwow, with
768km, followed by Tesla’s Model S
Long Range with up to 652km.
“There’ll be a further increase for
some time before a fall, which will
happen once charging infrastructure is
as available as petrol stations,” Schäfer
said, although he declined to state what
range Mercedes was targeting.

Bank makes
moves out
of Africa
Ben Martin Banking Editor

Standard Chartered is pulling out of
seven countries in Africa and the
Middle East as the emerging marketsfocused bank seeks to tilt itself towards
bigger and faster-growing economies.
The FTSE 100 lender said yesterday
that it would exit Angola, Cameroon,
Gambia, Jordan, Lebanon, Sierra
Leone and Zimbabwe, shrinking the
number of markets in the region where
it has operations from 25 to 18.
It will also cut back its presence in
Tanzania and Ivory Coast by exiting
its consumer, private and business
banking there to focus on corporate,
commercial and institutional banking.
The businesses from which Standard
Chartered is withdrawing are small,
accounting for 1 per cent of its annual
income, which amounted to $14.7 billion last year, and a similar share of its
pre-tax profits, which totalled $3.9 billion in 2021 on an underlying basis.
Yet the move is significant because
the bank has a long history in the
region. It had almost 9,400 employees
across Africa and the Middle East as of
the end of last year, out of about 82,000
across the group. It is thought Standard
Chartered will seek to sell the businesses, which could limit any job losses.
Shares in the bank rose 6p, or 1.2 per
cent, to close at 508½p.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

44

Business

Russian gold miner may
have to sell all its assets
The crisis engulfing Petropavlovsk
has intensified after the London-listed
Russian gold miner warned investors it
was contemplating a sale of all its assets
that might leave them with nothing.
Petropavlovsk has been crippled in
recent weeks by the fallout of the West’s
sanctions on Russia, which have effectively blocked the company from selling gold and paying interest on its debt.
It revealed yesterday that it had
appointed AlixPartners, the restructuring specialists, to help it find a way
forward but cautioned that this could
hit its equity and debt investors.
“These options include the sale of the
company’s entire interests in its operating subsidiaries as soon as practically
possible,” Petropavlovsk said. “It is not
currently clear what return, if any, may
be secured for shareholders or the holders of the bonds or notes as a result of
this process.”
The warning sent the miner’s shares
down ½p, or 17.2 per cent, to 2½p. The
shares have collapsed since Moscow
started its attack on Ukraine in February, reducing Petropavlovsk to a penny
stock. The company was part of
London’s FTSE 250 index before the
slump in its market value — now only
about £92 million — but was demoted
from the index last month.
The business was set up 28 years ago

In a hole
share price

30p
25
20

Source: Refinitiv

Ben Martin

15
10
2021

5

22
Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

0

by Peter Hambro, the City of London
veteran, and Pavel Maslovskiy and its
mining operations are focused on
Russia’s Far East. It listed in London in
2002 on the junior Aim market before
transferring to the main market and its
history has been marred by shareholder feuds. Both of its founders have been
pushed out of the company.
Western sanctions in response to the
attack on Ukraine have threatened the
miner’s future because Britain has hit
Gazprombank, the state-controlled
Russian bank that is Petropavlovsk’s
main lender, with an asset freeze.
The miner disclosed late last month
that the UK’s sanctions had stopped it
from paying $10 million of interest to
Gazprombank on two credit facilities.
Under the terms of the loans, the
Kremlin-backed lender is also the sole
buyer of Petropavlovsk’s gold produc-

tion and the sanctions have barred any
further sales to the bank. The miner is
seeking alternative buyers but it would
need waivers from Gazprombank.
Adding to the strain on Petropavlovsk’s finances is $304 million of debt
in the form of notes. The company said
yesterday that it was mindful that a
£12.36 million interest payment on the
notes was due on May 14 but that it also
faced a cash crunch.
“The group has limited cash reserves
outside Russia,” it warned. “There are
legal restrictions in place in Russia
which limit the group’s ability to transfer cash out of Russia.”
The debt is due to mature in November, when Petropavlovsk will be
required to repay the principal and
interest in full. “In the present circumstances the board considers that it will
be very challenging to refinance the
notes,” it said. The company also has
bonds due in 2024.
Low Russian gold prices could complicate any asset sales by Petropavlovsk, Peter Mallin-Jones, an analyst at
Peel Hunt, the stockbroker, said.
The price paid by the central bank for
gold, which effectively sets the price for
the wider Russian market, is currently
at a “heavy discount” that is “far greater
than we expected”, he said.
The analyst added: “This is likely to
limit the price paid in any transaction
for the Petropavlovsk assets.”

A successful children’s range developed with the Natural History Museum helped

the times | Friday April 15 2022

45

Business
DUNELM

Successful children’s range
gives Dunelm extra bounce
Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor

Dunelm to achieve strong sales in the first three months of this year. The retailer has been described as a pandemic winner

Homeowners sprucing up their gardens for spring and a successful children’s range developed with the National
History Museum helped drive sales
more than two thirds higher at Dunelm
in the first three months of the year.
The home furnishings retailer said
that despite industry-wide inflationary
pressures it expected to deliver fullyear profits in line with its upgraded
guidance after sales grew by 69 per cent
in its third quarter to March 26. That
rate was more than six times that of the
previous quarter, when growth was
10.6 per cent.
In the year to date its sales are 25 per
cent higher at £1.19 billion, or 37 per cent
higher than two years ago when the
first lockdown hit and forced its shops
to shut. Online sales now account for
more than a third of revenues.
Analysts forecast that Dunelm will
report a full-year profit of £198 million
to £218 million. Shares in the retailer
rose 5p, or 0.47 per cent, to £10.65.
Dunelm started out in 1979 as a
market stall in Leicester run by Bill and
Jean Adderley, who sold factory seconds of curtains and soft furnishings. It
now has 176 shops and 10,000 employees, with the Adderley family holding a
45 per cent stake.
Dunelm has been one of the pandemic’s success stories, as its ranges of
affordable furnishings have been in demand as people have spent longer than
ever in their homes because of coronavirus restrictions. While some analysts

Wizz Air gears up for recovery in
bookings after a turbulent year
Dominic Walsh

Wizz Air cheered investors as it forecast
widening full-year losses but a recovery
in demand over the peak summer
holiday season.
Shares of the Hungarian budget
airline rose by 251p, or 8.7 per cent, to
close at £31.43 as Jozsef Varadi, the chief
executive, allayed fears over the impact
of the war in Ukraine.
He said that while the carrier’s flights
to Ukraine, Moldova and Russia were
still suspended, it had successfully reallocated the affected capacity to other
parts of its network, including Luton
and Romania.
While accepting that the war had
“dented demand for air travel and
destabilised commodity prices across
the globe”, Varadi said: “We are starting
to see recovery take shape as we move
closer to the summer of 2022.” He

argued that the strength of Wizz Air’s
diversified and expanded network, and
what he claimed was the most efficient
fleet of aircraft, “will allow the preCovid cost structure to be achieved —
and, in this industry, lowest cost
prevails”.
Wizz Air, which took to the air in
2003, is the third largest discount
carrier behind Ryanair and easyJet,
having expanded out of its Hungarian
base to become a pan-European operator. It operates a fleet of 153 Airbus
A320 and A321 aircraft, carrying
10.2 million passengers in the year to
March 2021, down from 40 million the
year before.
For the financial year to March 31,
which has just ended, Wizz is forecasting it will post a net loss of between
€632 million and €652 million, compared with a loss of €576 million the
year before. In its final quarter it is pre-

dicting an operating loss of €190 million to €210 million, ahead of the
guidance provided at its third-quarter
update at the end of January and better
than market consensus of €240 million.
On top of a stronger trading environment, it said its liquidity was solid, with
total cash of €1.38 billion.
Despite operating a no-hedging
policy, it said it had reduced its exposure to cost volatility by hedging more
than a third of its planned jet fuel
consumption until August.
Wizz Air said that it was starting the
new financial year on track to ramp up
operations and crewing in preparation
for “a busy summer flying programme”,
more than 30 per cent ahead of 2019 in
the current quarter and 40 per cent
ahead in the second quarter.
It added: “We have been encouraged
by demand trends in recent weeks and
given the shorter booking horizon

expect the bookings for this summer to
build significantly after Easter.”
The airline said its focus would be on
“maximising revenue and returning to
productivity levels seen during the
pre-Covid years, that should result in
improved profitability”. It said the Omicron variant of Covid-19 had proved to
be of a “benign nature”, leading to
quicker easing of restrictions.
Carolina Dores, analyst at Morgan
Stanley, pointed out that the improved
trading environment mirrored comments from Ryanair last week. The
Irish airline upgraded its full-year guidance for losses after a strong recovery
in traffic, albeit still short of 2019 levels.
Dores, who has a price target of £28
on Wizz’s stock, said the comments
from Wizz and Ryanair pointed to “a
strong demand for intra-Europe travel”.
Wizz Air’s audited annual results will
be released on June 8.

Hays on record run despite hit from leaving Moscow
Poppy Koronka

Hays reported a record performance
at the start of this year thanks to a
thriving jobs market but noted a one-off
hit of £5 million from pulling out of
Russia.
The specialist recruitment firm
posted a 32 per cent rise in like-for-like
fees over its third quarter to the end of
March, with record results in 19 of the
33 countries it operates in and its
highest ever monthly fees last month.
Fees in the UK and Ireland rose 29 per
cent, with a strong performance in

the technology sector, which grew by
52 per cent.
Hays said that it closed its offices in
Russia early last month because of the
country’s invasion of Ukraine. The sites
in Moscow and St Petersburg, which
employed 245 staff, accounted in halfyear results for about £5.9 million in
group fees and 1 per cent, or £800,000,
of company earnings.
Full-year guidance remains for fullyear operating profits of £210 million to
£215 million, excluding the Russia hit.
Despite the uncertainty in the region
Hays’s eastern European business also

had large growth with a 39 per cent
increase in net fees in Poland.
In the UK the strongest regional net
fee growth was in the northwest and
the southeast, which grew by 49 per
cent and 41 per cent respectively.
In 2021 Hays’s pre-tax profit was
£88.1 million up from £86.3 million the
previous year.
The company’s net cash position was
about £240 million at the end of March,
in line with its expectations.
Alistair Cox, chief executive, said:
“While we are mindful of increased
macroeconomic and geopolitical un-

certainties, client and candidate confidence remains strong, with continued
skill shortages and rising wage inflation
globally.”
Paul Venables, finance director, said
the technology market had been protected in the pandemic because clients
knew how vital it was in the hybrid
work environment. “It’s also the area
where we’re seeing the largest wage
inflation. Most of our clients are
increasing their own pricing,” he said.
Shares in Hays closed up 1p, or
0.9 per cent, at 121p.
Just the job for Hays, Tempus, page 46

believe the homewares boom will tail
off as spending shifts back to leisure
pursuits, the rise of flexible working has
continued to provide an incentive for
people to invest in their home offices.
Dunelm said that its winter sale had
been popular, while it would be extending its collaboration with the Natural
History Museum after “pleasing” numbers and customer enthusiasm.
Nick Wilkinson, chief executive, said
the retailer’s Summer Living range of
outdoor furniture had already had
strong sales.
Despite rising inflationary pressures,

£1.19bn

Sales at Dunelm in the year to date,
up 25 per cent on a year earlier
Source: Dunelm

Dunelm said that its gross margins
improved in the third quarter thanks to
a lower proportion of discounted sales,
and it was continuing to work closely
with suppliers to mitigate rising freight
and raw material costs. About 80 per
cent of what Dunelm sells is own-brand
products, which means it has more
control over its prices.
Wilkinson said: “The resilience of the
Dunelm business model and the ability
of our colleagues to adapt quickly to
changing circumstances give us confidence in our plans, and we remain well
placed to continue to grow market
share.”

T

Enterprise
Network
Cost crunch
Addressing rising costs
is the number-one
priority for private
companies in virtually
every region of the UK,
according to KPMG.
Walking the walk
Ground Control
director Kim Morrish
explains why being a B
corp means businesses
can show that they are
not just paying lip
service to corporate
social responsibility.
Sign up now for The
Times Enterprise
Network’s weekly
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insight from Britain’s
leading entrepreneurs
thetimes.co.uk/ten

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

46

Business Markets
news in brief

Emma Powell Tempus
Buy, sell or hold: today’s best share tips

Ashmore’s $9bn cut
Turmoil in financial markets after
Russia invaded Ukraine has cut
assets under management at
Ashmore by $9 billion. The
London-based investment group,
focused on emerging markets,
said its total assets had fallen to
$78.3 billion at the end of March
from $87.3 billion three months
earlier. Unfavourable market
movements dealt a $5 billion
blow and clients pulling their
money from its funds resulted in
net outflows of $3.7 billion.
Shares in the FTSE 250 fund
manager rose 1¼p to 228½p,
giving it a value of £1.62 billion.

Reduced valuation is just the job
Hire and lower

hays
Market cap
£1.98bn

Third-quarter fee
growth 29%

Total returns
Hays
FTSE 250

Net fee growth
20% Like-for-like

E

law debenture
Market cap
£1bn

Dividend yield
3.6%

T

he FTSE 250 constituent
Law Debenture is an odd sort
of equity income fund. The
investment trust, which is managed
by Janus Henderson Investors,
doesn’t just shoot for income growth
by targeting high dividend payers
but invests in stocks that don’t have a
hope of making cash returns any
time soon, such as the fuel cell
specialist Ceres Power, alongside
the usual high yielding stocks.
Why? A professional services
business, whose activities include

Q3 2022

Australia and New Zealand
10

-13%
24%

0

Germany
-5%
32%

-10

UK and Republic of Ireland
-14%

Source: Refinitiv

mployers are hiring and
wages rising but investors
are no longer buying into
this as a halcyon moment
for recruiters such as Hays.
A forward price/earnings ratio of
just 12 leaves the shares priced at
lockdown-levels of pessimism, a far
cry from a multiple of 30 this time
last year, as the market braces for the
hit to economic growth and business
confidence from soaring inflation
and geopolitical turmoil. Not even a
consensus-beating 32 per cent
underlying increase in net fee
income, a profit measure, over the
third quarter could prompt warmer
feelings from investors.
The stock is linked to the fortunes
of the broader economy and
employer sentiment. That served it
well as vaccine success stoked hopes
of an emergence from the growthstifling pandemic. But the outlook
now seems dimmer and the shares
outperformance has switched to an
underperformance of the FTSE 250
index since the start of this year.
Hays can point to record fees in
March, with continental Europe the
strongest performer, as evidence
that hiring growth shows no sign of
abating despite the war in Ukraine.
But expectations this year have been
revised down by forecasters in the
EU and UK as inflation bites.
Revenue visibility is also inherently

Q3 2021

29%

-20
Rest of world
2021
Jul

2022
Oct

Jan

-8%

-30

36%

Apr

low; changes in hiring activity are
generally only apparent around three
to five weeks out.
The wind has been at Hays’ back
for the past 12 months, as whitecollar staff shortages push up wages.
Promoted staff typically receive a 20
per cent wage rise, says Hays, while
underlying pay inflation is running at

about 5 per cent. Recruiters are
natural beneficiaries of rising wages,
with Hays taking a percentage of a
permanent hire’s first-year salary and
a cut of a contract worker’s overall
pay. Management is betting on rising
wages plus a rise in staff numbers to
keep strong fee growth coming.
Rising headcount is a sign of
confidence from recruiters, which for
Hays translated into a 27 per cent
increase in staff numbers since this
time last year. That hiring should
drive a 5-10 per cent increase in net
fees next year, as less experienced
hires are brought up to par.
Hays is still more highly valued
than its UK-listed rivals PageGroup
and Robert Walters. Scale should

providing trustee services to
pension schemes and acting as an
intermediary between corporate
bond issuers and holders, which
generates enough repeating revenue
to give greater flexibility in the
companies the trust invests in.
Cash generated by the professional
services business, which accounted
for 21 per cent of net asset value
(NAV) last year, has funded roughly
36 per cent of dividends over the past
ten years.
It is a formula that seems to be
doing the trick in delivering both
income and capital growth for
investors. Last year the trust
benefited from a recovery in both,
generating a total return of 25 per

cent, which beat the 6.8 per cent
delivered by the FTSE All-Share
Index, the benchmark. Even in
2020 Law Debenture increased its
payment by almost 6 per cent.
But the longer-term record is
encouraging too. The trust has
increased its dividend over the past
12 consecutive years and at least
maintained that payment over the
last 43. The dividend has grown at a
compound annual growth rate of
almost 12 per cent over the past five
years. Even if this year’s payment
was kept flat on the prior year, it
would still translate to a dividend
yield of 3.6 per cent at the current
share price.
But NAV returns have also been

ADVICE Hold
WHY Lower valuation reflects
a more uncertain outlook but
the shares should offer a
generous dividend yield

command a higher price and Hays
has that over its rivals. But so too
does it have a higher bias towards
temporary rather than permanent
recruitment, which has made it less
attractive to investors seeking to play
the post-pandemic recovery.
Temporary recruitment, the
preferred option for companies in
times of economic uncertainty, fell
less dramatically in the downturn
and has naturally lagged the
dramatic bounceback in permanent
hiring among bullish employers. But
the same could also be true if
corporate and worker sentiment
weakens and more employers revert
back to taking on temporary staff.
There is more immediate succour
for investors contemplating whether
to hang on to the shares. Recruiters
are capital-light businesses, so a
recovery in fees translates into
strong free cashflow and ebullient
shareholder returns.
Hays’ policy is to distribute any
cash over £100 million on its balance
sheet, which stood at a net
£240 million at the end of March. So
shareholders can expect a sizeable
special dividend this year, with
analysts at UBS forecasting a special
return of 5.5p. In addition to the
ordinary dividend, UBS reckons
shareholders could be in line for a
total dividend of 8.3p this year, which
would equate to a yield of 7 per cent
at the current share price.
That, and a cut price valuation, is
enough to merit retaining the shares
even against more uncertain growth
prospects.

War hits 143 economies
The war in Ukraine is leading the
International Monetary Fund to
cut global growth estimates for
2022 and 2023 as higher food and
energy prices squeeze fragile
economies. Speaking before next
week’s IMF and World Bank
spring meetings, Kristalina
Georgieva, the fund’s head, said it
would cut its growth outlook for
143 economies representing 86 per
cent of global economic output,
but added most countries would
maintain positive growth. “We are
facing a crisis on top of a crisis.”

Pricing pain for VW
Volkswagen said it had started to
feel the impact of the Ukraine war
on supply chains and materials
prices in the first quarter. It
reported an €8.5 billion operating
profit for the first three months of
the year, but said €3.5 billion of
the total was attributable to
commodity hedges amid soaring
raw material prices. Group
deliveries were down 21.9 per cent
between January and March,
totalling 1.89 million vehicles.
Deliveries of all-electric vehicles
grew by 65 per cent to 99,100.

robust, outperforming the
benchmark on a three, five and
ten-year basis, notching up a return
of 188 per cent over the past decade.
The shares, which have increased
in price by 52 per cent over the past
two years, trade at a 1.9 per cent
premium to NAV.
But that looks an undemanding
price given the twin dividend and
capital returns generated over the
longer term.

Boss’s bribe conviction
A former Coca-Cola Enterprises
manager has avoided jail after
admitting taking over £1.5 million
in bribes to help companies win
contracts. Noel Corry, 56, of
Lymm, Cheshire, provided
Boulting Group — now named
WABGS Ltd — Tritec Systems,
and Electron Systems with
information that gave them an
advantage when bidding for
contracts. At Southwark crown
court he was given a 20-month
suspended sentence and ordered
to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

ADVICE Buy
WHY Good record of
outperforming the index

PRICES
Major indices

London Financial Futures

New York
Dow Jones
Nasdaq Composite
S&P 500

34451.23 (-113.36)
13351.08 (-292.51)
4392.59 (-54.00)

Tokyo
Nikkei 225

27172.00 (+328.51)

Hong Kong
Hang Seng
Amsterdam
AEX Index
Sydney
AO

21518.08 (+143.71)

719.70 (+1.63)

7822.20 (+50.20)

Frankfurt
DAX

14163.85 (+87.41)

Singapore
Straits

3335.85 (-6.37)

Brussels
BEL20
Paris
CAC-40

4216.29 (+24.16)

6589.35 (+47.21)

Zurich
SMI Index
DJ Euro Stoxx 50

12475.08 (+96.40)
3848.68 (+20.72)

London
FTSE 100
7616.38 (+35.58)
FTSE 250
21121.61 (+137.16)
FTSE 350
4263.64 (+21.14)
FTSE Eurotop 100
3477.29 (+21.09)
FTSE All-Shares
4232.12 (+20.22)
FTSE Non Financials
5173.48 (+22.08)
techMARK 100
6098.22 (+24.73)
Bargains
n/a
US$
1.3077 (-0.0041)
Euro
1.2081 (+0.0042)
£:SDR
0.98 (+0.00)
Exchange Index
81.70 (+0.15)
Bank of England official close (4pm)
CPI
117.09 Mar (2015 = 100)
RPI
323.50 Mar (Jan 1987 = 100)
RPIX
290.10 Jun (Jan 1987 = 100)
Morningstar Long Commodity
677.16 (+5.72)
Morningstar Long/Short Commod 4703.45 (+27.75)

Long Gilt
3-Mth Sterling

3-Mth Euribor

3-Mth Euroswiss

FTSE100
FTSEurofirst 80

Period
Jun 22
Sep 22
Jun 22
Sep 22
Dec 22
Mar 23
Jun 23
Jun 22
Sep 22
Dec 22
Mar 23
Jun 23
Jun 22
Sep 22
Dec 22
Mar 23
Jun 22
Sep 22
Jun 22
Sep 22

Commodities

Open
119.21
124.10
99.025
98.885
98.820
98.785

High
119.67
124.10
99.045
98.890
98.825
98.795

Low
118.54
124.10
99.015
98.860
98.790
98.755

Sett
118.78
117.96
99.026
98.866
98.806
98.771

Vol
189904
2
10377
3885
7310
8310

Open Int
683152
2
232459
301735
347378
229855

100.30
99.980
99.600
99.145
98.705
100.71
100.68
100.61

100.36
100.07
99.685
99.235
98.830
100.72
100.68
100.62

100.28
99.960
99.565
99.105
98.695
100.70
100.67
100.59

100.33
100.03
99.635
99.175
98.770
100.71
100.68
100.62

257131
171077
149706
110760
124393
925
710
488

498447
486633
521288
474932
408025
29152
31355
22748

7527.0
7569.5

7584.0
7569.5

7512.0
7569.5

7575.0
7491.5
5321.0
5309.5

88676
1

591940
565

© 2022 Tradeweb Markets LLC. All rights reserved.
The Tradeweb FTSE Gilt Closing Prices information contained
herein is proprietary to Tradeweb; may not be copied or
re-distributed; is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely; and does not constitute
investment advice. Tradeweb is not responsible for any loss or damage that might result
from the use of this information.

ICIS pricing (London 7.30pm)

Brent (9.00pm)

Crude Oils ($/barrel FOB)

Jun
July
Aug

Brent Physical
BFOE(Apr)
BFOE(May)
WTI(Apr)
WTI(May)

111.12
111.87
110.97
106.38
105.44

+2.06
+2.92
+2.72
+2.59
+2.55

Products ($/MT)
Spot CIF NW Europe (prompt delivery)
Premium Unld
Gasoil EEC
3.5 Fuel Oil
Naphtha

1036.00
1108.50
564.00
942.00

1037.00
1110.50
572.00
944.00

+9.00
+63.50
-1.00
+9.00

ICE Futures

Sep
Oct

105.00-102.50
104.00-103.22
Volume: 1601641

1777-1770
1811-1810
1819-1817
1820-1817
1819-1791
1829-1721

Jul
Sep
Dec

1814-1755
1812-1705
1799-1750

LIFFE
Cocoa
May
Jul
Sep
Dec
Mar
May

RobustaCoffee
May
Jul
Sep
Nov

2087-2080
2099-2095
2109-2085
2120-2101

Reuters
1119.00-1118.00
1072.50-1071.75
1028.50-1027.75

Volume: 60303

Jan
Mar

2280-2040
2091-1995
Volume: 17444

White Sugar (FOB)

Gas Oil
May
Jun
Jul

108.17-108.14
107.35-107.31
106.20-106.06

Aug
Sep

993.25-989.75
969.75-965.00
Volume: 584343

Aug
Oct
Dec

550.70-549.70
545.60-541.80
543.40-528.50

Mar
May
Aug
Oct

534.00-533.60
524.40-523.60
523.30-512.80
545.60-541.80
Volume: 56303

the times | Friday April 15 2022

47

Markets Business
RENT THE RUNWAY

Sales and
losses rise
at Rent
the Runway

Ray of sunshine emerges
at end of a gloomy week

R

Jessica Newman Market report

ent the
Runway, the
recently
listed rental
fashion
website, has posted
widening losses despite
a jump in sales and
users (Ashley
Armstrong writes).
The company, which
went public in a
$1.7 billion listing last
October, recorded a
91 per cent rise in sales
to $64.1 million in the
fourth quarter
compared with
$33.5 million a year
earlier. Annual sales
rose by 29 per cent to
$203.3 million
compared with
$157.5 million in 2020,
however, the business
reported a bigger
$211.8 million net loss
compared with
$171.1 million in 2021.
The losses included
$51.1 million of charges
associated with its
flotation. Rent the
Runway ended the year
with 115,240 active
subscribers, a 110 per
cent increase on the
previous year.
Renting clothes has
become more popular
with consumers who
are environmentally
aware about the
impact of fast-fashion
and online sites have
made it easier. Rental
fashion is seen as a
cheaper way to have a
new wardrobe but the
market is not growing
as fast as the resale
market.
In the UK rental

P

ersistent fears about rapidly
rising inflation and
uncertainty about interest
rate rises have chipped away
at investors’ confidence this
week, leading London’s premier index
to end five straight weeks of gains.
Even though the FTSE 100 rose
35.58 points, or 0.5 per cent, to
7,616.38 yesterday thanks to a rally in
travel stocks, over the shorter trading
week the index lost 58.23 points, or
0.8 per cent. The more UK-focused
FTSE 250 improved 137.16 points, or
0.7 per cent, to 21,121.61, but it was not
enough to save it from a weekly loss
of 72.93 points, or 0.3 per cent.
Traders snapped up travel and
leisure stocks after those businesses
hit hardest by the pandemic finally
look set to enjoy their day in the sun.

firms such as Hurr,
Mywardrobe.com, By
Rotation and
Hirestreet have sprung
up in recent years.
Jennifer Hyman,
chief executive and cofounder, said the
company aimed to
cash in on “one of the
strongest potential
macro environments
for rental we’ve seen in
recent years” with

London Grain Futures
LIFFE Wheat (close £/t)
Jul
Mar

unq
unq

Nov
291.00
Volume: 783

London Metal Exchange
(Official)
Cash

3mth

Dec 22

Copper Gde A ($/tonne)
10276.0-10277.0

10308.0-10310.0

10265.0-10275.0

Lead ($/tonne)
2470.0-2471.0

2443.0-2445.0

2377.0-2382.0

Zinc Spec Hi Gde ($/tonne)
4471.0-4472.0

4430.0-4432.0

3668.0-3673.0

Alum Hi Gde ($/tonne)
3237.0-3237.5

3265.0-3266.0

3130.0-3135.0

Nickel ($/tonne)
33200.0-33250.0

33200.0-33225.0

Tin ($/tonne)
43300.0-43325.0

33055.0-33105.0
15mth

43150.0-43200.0

T

he board of
Just Eat
Takeaway.com
has come under fresh
pressure as a US
shareholder said it
was planning a protest
vote over the food
delivery company’s
financial performance
(Dominic Walsh
writes).
Lucerne Capital
Management, which
holds a stake worth
£15 million, said its
voting at next month’s
annual meeting was
“intended to send a
clear message to the
board expressing our
disappointment in [the
company’s] financial
performance”.
Pieter Taselaar,

Indices drifted lower over concerns
about the potential for aggressive
policy tightening by the US Federal
Reserve and the prospect of at least
six rate rises this year. The Dow
Jones industrial average fell 113.36
points, or 0.3 per cent, to 34,451.23.
weddings and social
events crowding into
the year along with a
return to offices.
The business said it
expected sales this year
of $295 million to
$305 million, compared
with analyst forecasts
of $305 million.
Rent the Runway’s
shares closed
unchanged at $5.72 on
Nasdaq, in New York.

Change

Company
Wizz Air Holdings Expects bookings to improve after Easter
SSP Prospects positive in travel sector
discoverIE Group Positive trading update
Capricorn Energy Oil prices edge up
Dr Martens Recovers some losses after Wednesday’s sharp fall
Hochschild Mining Weaker gold prices
Baltic Classifieds Group Profit-taking
Vesuvius Positive sentiment evaporates
Dechra Pharmaceuticals Shares continue to slide
Darktrace Extends losses after warning of imminent share sale

321.00
unq

Stand and deliver, Just Eat told

Wall Street report

The day’s biggest movers

May
Jan

technology

42275.0-42325.0

7.8%
7.2%
5.9%
5.9%
4.7%
-3.9%
-5.2%
-6.1%
-6.4%
-8.7%

EasyJet, the low-cost carrier, which
earlier this week hailed a “strong and
sustained recovery” in trading since
the relaxation of travel restrictions,
rose 18p, or 3.2 per cent, to 574¼p
after Wizz Air said that summer
bookings were likely to improve
significantly after Easter. Shares in
the Hungarian airline jumped 224p,
or 7.8 per cent, to £31.16.
IAG continued to fly high near the
top of the City leaderboard, up 5¼p,
or 3.7 per cent, to 145½p; while the
hotel groups IHG and Whitbread
added 206p, or 4.1 per cent, to £51.92
and 103p, or 3.7 per cent, to £29.15
respectively. Rolls-Royce, the engine
maker, advanced 3½p, or 3.8 per cent,
to 93½p.
Halma’s shares notched up 49p,
or 2 per cent, to £25.21 after the
FTSE 100 safety and medical
products group said it had snapped
up an underwater robot maker in a
£36 million deal. Ontario-based Deep
Trekker makes remotely operational
underwater robots, which Halma said

Money rates %

Because of a technical issue, the gold fix
prices are from Wednesday.

Halifax Mortgage Rate 3.59

Bullion: Open $1977.46
Close $1968.98-1969.10 High $1980.21
Low $1961.52
AM $1975.25 PM $1976.75
Krugerrand $1948.00-2054.00 (£1491.21-1572.36)
Platinum $992.00 (£759.39)
Silver $25.44 (£19.48)
Palladium $2366.00 (£1811.19)

Treasury Bills (Dis) Buy: 1 mth 0.400; 3 mth 0.716. Sell: 1 mth 0.200; 3 mth 0.300

European money
deposits %
Currency
1mth
Dollar
0.13
Sterling
0.81
Euro
0.10

3mth

6mth

12mth

0.20

0.29

0.55

1.11

1.53

0.81

0.15

0.20

0.50

management had fallen by 3.9 per
cent during the third quarter of the
year to £16.7 billion amid “weaker
global outcomes”. In turn, the shares
fell 55p or 2.2 per cent, to £24.30.
The industrial components supplier
Renold was one of the star
performers among London’s smaller
stocks after it boasted that annual
profits would come in “significantly
higher” than market expectations.
The Manchester-based group, which
makes chains and gears for power
transmission and other appliances
around the world, reported an 18 per
cent jump in revenue to £195 million
last year thanks to record orders and
successful price increases. The shares
closed 6¾p, or 33.1 per cent, higher at
26¾p.
Also on Aim, Totally, a healthcare
services group, jumped 2p, or 5.3 per
cent, to 40p as it said that, based on
its unaudited numbers, its financial
performance for the year ended
March 31 should be ahead of City
forecasts.

Dollar rates

Clearing Banks 0.75

ECB Refi -0.50

1 mth

2 mth

US Fed Fd 0.00-0.25

3 mth

6 mth

12 mth

Interbank Rates

0.8050

0.0000

1.1108

1.5299

0.0000

Eurodollar Deps

0.72-0.97

0.92-1.17

1.13-1.38

1.52-1.77

2.05-2.30

Sterling spot and forward rates
Mkt Rates for

founding partner of
Lucerne, said: “There
is a clear need for
significant change to
propel the company to
. . . its full potential.”
Last July, Lucerne
came out in support of
another disgruntled
shareholder, Cat Rock

will “offer new opportunities for
growth in a number of markets”.
It was a different session for ITV,
which shed 2p, or 2.6 per cent, to 77p
as it went ex-dividend. Ocado
extended its losses for a fourth
session, down 15p, or 1.3 per cent, to
£11.38½ as investors failed to shake off
their nerves about higher costs and
the idea of a slowdown in spending.
Darktrace was under continued
heavy selling pressure, falling a
further 35p, or 8.7 per cent, to
365p after warning shareholders of
an impending share sale by its
employees.
Investors took a liking to
DiscoverIE Group as the electronic
component maker said results for the
year to the end of March would be
ahead of the board’s expectations
thanks to strong trading in the final
two months of the year. The shares
closed up 45p, or 5.9 per cent, to 805p.
Shares in Brooks Mcdonald were
lower after the wealth manager
reported that funds under

Gold/Precious
metals (US dollars per ounce)

Base Rates

Just Eat Takeaway.com
faces a protest vote
at its annual meeting

Australia
Canada
Denmark
Euro
Hong Kong
Japan
Malaysia
Norway
Singapore
Sweden
Switzerland

Exchange rates
1.3486-1.3487
1.2615-1.2616
6.8723-6.8728
0.9238-0.9239
7.8423-7.8427
125.88-125.88
4.2290-4.2320
8.7923-8.7943
1.3569-1.3570
9.5184-9.5214
0.9416-0.9418

Other Sterling

Range

Close

1 month

3 month

Copenhagen

8.9457-9.0153

8.9769-8.9782

113ds

375ds

Euro

1.2120-1.2029

1.2069-1.2067

10pr

35pr

Montreal

1.6399-1.6502

1.6479-1.6481

0pr

5pr

New York

1.3034-1.3146

1.3063-1.3063

2ds

0pr

Oslo

11.438-11.519

11.485-11.488

0pr

14ds

Stockholm

12.373-12.484

12.433-12.438

99ds

326ds

Tokyo

164.02-164.78

164.42-164.43

15ds

54ds

Zurich

1.2249-1.2309

1.2301-1.2302

17ds

58ds

Premium = pr

Discount = ds

Argentina peso
Australia dollar
Bahrain dinar
Brazil real
Euro
Hong Kong dollar
India rupee
Indonesia rupiah
Kuwait dinar KD
Malaysia ringgit
New Zealand dollar
Singapore dollar
S Africa rand
U A E dirham

Capital Management,
which has a 6.9 per
cent stake in Just Eat
and has criticised its
performance and
communication.
Cat Rock has
urged the group to
consider “strategic
alternatives” to
address its failings.
Just Eat
Takeaway.com was
formed in 2020 via
the £10 billion merger
of Just Eat and
Takeaway.com, its
Dutch rival.
Lucerne said it
intended to vote
against the re-election
of Brent Wissink, the
chief financial officer,
plus the six-member
supervisory board.

147.48-147.49
1.7616-1.7618
0.4889-0.4962
6.1412-6.1451
1.2067-1.2069
10.244-10.245
99.576-99.649
18776-18781
0.3973-0.3997
5.5150-5.5189
1.9263-1.9265
1.7725-1.7728
19.139-19.151
4.7896-4.7899

Bid
Australia $
Canada $
Denmark Kr
Euro ¤
Hong Kong $
Hungary
Indonesia
Israel Shk
Japan Yen
New Zealand $
Norway Kr
Poland
Russia
S Africa Rd
Sweden Kr
Switzerland Fr
Turkey Lira
USA $

1.760
1.646
9.005
1.211
10.231
455.450
18712.413
4.202
164.249
1.923
11.504
5.609
107.495
19.143
12.468
1.230
19.083
1.305

Change

+0.07
+0.01
+0.01
+2.11
-14.77
+0.32
-0.01
+0.03
+0.32
+0.17
+0.05
+0.01
+0.06

Rates supplied by Morningstar

Data as shown is
for information
purposes only. No offer is made by
Morningstar or this publication

the times | Friday April 15 2022

49

Business
The Times unit trust information service
Sell

Buy

+/-

Yld
%

ALLIANZ GLOBAL INVESTORS
Inv Serv: 020 7065 1400 Helpline: 0800 317 573
Gilt Yield A ‡@
Strategic Bond Fund ‡@
UK Corp Bond C ‡@
UK Eqty C ‡@
UK Eqty Inc A ‡@
UK Gwth A ‡@
UK Index A Inc ‡@
UK Mid Cap A ‡@

206.01
175.80
104.79
6317.26
337.96
8304.97
1423.81
4938.24

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+0.27
+0.89
-0.78
-14.91
-0.86
+4.09
-5.83
+32.10

1.05
0.01
3.87
3.28
3.90
1.48
…
0.06

ARTEMIS FUND MGRS LTD
0800 092 2051
Authorised Inv Funds
Capital R Acc ‡@
2051.89
Euro Opps R Acc ‡@
91.26
Euro Opps R Inc ‡@
85.36
European Growth R Acc ‡@363.21
Global Energy R Acc ‡@ 38.62
Global Growth R Acc ‡@ 350.58
Global Income R Acc ‡@ 159.12
Global Income R Inc ‡@ 104.47
Global Select R Acc ‡@ 158.11
High Income R Inc ‡@
68.78
Income R Acc ‡@
504.76
Income R Inc ‡@
230.52
Monthly Dist R Inc ‡@
70.72
Strategic Assets R Acc ‡ 76.26
Strategic Bond R M Acc ‡@101.09
Strategic Bond R M Inc ‡@ 54.61
Strategic Bond R Q Acc ‡@100.90
Strategic Bond R Q Inc ‡@ 54.68
UK Growth R Acc ‡@
686.36
UK Smaller Cos R Acc ‡@1936.12
UK Special Sits R Acc ‡@ 671.63

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

-10.24
-0.48
-0.46
+0.06
-0.03
-0.01
-0.23
-0.15
…
-0.01
+1.82
+0.83
-0.14
-0.11
+0.04
+0.02
+0.03
+0.02
+4.70
+6.64
+5.08

2.19
1.29
1.30
1.90
1.47
…
2.48
2.56
…
4.95
3.54
3.64
…
…
2.03
2.05
2.12
2.15
1.15
0.84
1.05

Sell

Buy

+/-

Yld
%

HALIFAX INVESTMENT FUND MGRS LTD
01296 386 386
Authorised Inv Funds
Share Class `C
Corporate Bond ‡@
Ethical ‡@
European ‡@
Far Eastern ‡
Fund of Inv Tst ‡@
Intl Gwth ‡
Japanese ‡
North Amer ‡
Smaller Cos ‡@
Special Sits ‡@
UK Equity Inc ‡@
UK FTSE 100 IT ‡@
UK FTSE All-S IT ‡@
UK Growth ‡@

36.74
115.20
105.20
119.20
141.00
126.00
65.68
148.80
116.80
47.12
90.05
67.93
77.97
82.43

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

-0.02
+0.10
…
-1.30
…
…
+0.37
…
+0.80
+0.36
-0.10
-0.05
+0.02
-0.10

…
…
…
…
…
0.63
…
0.28
0.46
1.45
…
…
…
…

HSBC GLOBAL ASSET MGMT (UK) LTD
Enq: 0845 745 6123 Dlg: 0845 745 6126 Mon-Fri 8-6
HSBC Index Tracker Investment Funds (OEIC)
Amer Ind Acc ‡@
Amer Ind Inc ‡@
Euro Ind Acc ‡@
Euro Ind Inc ‡@
FTSE 100 Ind Acc ‡@
FTSE 100 Ind Inc ‡@
FTSE 250 Ind Acc ‡@
FTSE 250 Ind Inc ‡@
FTSE All-S Acc ‡@
FTSE All-S Inc ‡@
Jap Ind Acc ‡@
Jap Ind Inc ‡@
Pac Ind Acc ‡@
Pac Ind Inc ‡@

924.75
750.43
1100.68
721.09
266.96
125.33
304.84
192.67
690.89
360.93
133.49
106.46
518.62
335.08

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+2.68
+2.18
+2.11
+1.39
-0.51
-0.24
+2.08
+1.30
-0.10
-0.05
+0.97
+0.77
-4.11
-2.65

0.90
0.87
1.77
1.72
…
…
1.53
…
…
2.88
1.54
1.53
1.99
…

HSBC Investment Funds (OEIC) - Retail Share Class
AXA FRAMLINGTON UNIT MGMT LTD
Dling: 0845 602 1952 Priv Clients: 0845 777 5511
Equity Inc ‡@
572.40
Gilt Acc @
201.30
Gilt Inc @
74.35
Health Acc ‡@
2969.00
Jap Smlr Co Ac @
62.56
Managed Inc ‡@
138.30
Monthly Inc Inc ‡@
254.40
UK Growth Inc ‡@
233.70
UK Select Opps Inc ‡@ 2054.00
UK Sml Cos Inc ‡@
342.70

…
211.80
78.24
…
66.09
…
…
…
…
…

-2.70
+0.10
-0.39
-3.00
-0.19
…
…
+1.20
+1.00
+1.40

4.43
1.08
1.09
…
0.30
4.20
4.25
0.47
0.66
…

AXA FUND MANAGERS LTD
Admin & Enq 0117 989 0808
AXA Trusts
Gen Acc ‡@
Gen Inc ‡@

2101.00
1079.00

234.70
86.74
292.10
156.90
526.20

+6.00
-2.00

2.64
…

…
…
…
…
…

…
+0.24
+0.40
+0.90
-2.50

1.18
…
0.46
…
…

CIS UNIT MANAGERS LTD
08457 46 46 46
European Gwth ‡@
Sus Leaders ‡@
UK Growth ‡@
UK Income ‡@

196.10
783.70
640.50
221.30

…
…
…
…

+1.00
+2.40
+1.60
-0.50

…
0.76
1.54
4.23

CLOSE FUND MANAGEMENT LTD
0870 606 6402
Beacon Inv ‡

84.88

…

+0.35

0.01

…

-35.38

0.28

Dealing: 020 7426 6232
Winchester ‡

3666.04

300.90
328.80
96.21
233.90
132.20
300.20

American Index Retail Acc ‡@924.75
American Index Retail Inc ‡@750.43
Asian Gth Acc ‡@
147.77
Asian Gth Inc ‡@
130.99
Chinese Eq Acc ‡@
513.81
Chinese Eq Inc ‡@
434.76
Euro Gth Acc ‡@
973.97
Euro Gth Inc ‡@
817.05

-0.58
-0.14
-0.06
-0.02
+1.62
+0.24
-0.64
-0.28
+0.77
-0.21
-0.22
-0.10
-0.22
-0.10

0.53
…
2.68
2.72
1.19
1.58
…
…
…
…
3.34
3.43
3.34
3.43

+/-

Yld
%

Global Special Situations A Acc ‡@288.01
Global Special Situations A Inc ‡@222.78
Managed Growth A Acc ‡@280.45
Monthly High Income A Acc ‡@243.45
Monthly High Income A Inc ‡@63.17
Multi-Asset Protector A Acc ‡@169.94
Strategic Bond A Acc ‡@ 244.54
Strategic Bond A Inc ‡@ 119.47
Target Return A Acc ‡@ 102.03
Target Return A Inc ‡@ 87.63
UK Alpha A Acc ‡@
2637.93
UK Blue Chip A Acc ‡@ 770.11
UK Smaller Companies A Acc ‡@6045.08
UK Smaller Companies A Inc ‡@5422.07
UK Special Situations A Acc ‡@1239.31
UK Special Situations A Inc ‡@453.39

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+0.80
+0.62
+1.48
+0.43
+0.01
+0.15
+0.19
+0.09
+0.44
+0.01
+4.81
+3.15
+29.40
+26.37
+6.47
+2.36

…
…
…
3.54
5.01
…
1.96
3.32
0.82
0.87
1.21
…
…
…
0.35
0.35

…
…
…
…
…
…

+0.60
+0.50
-0.03
+1.10
-0.20
+1.40

1.42
0.07
3.39
0.88
4.48
0.78

F & C FUND MANAGEMENT LTD (OEICS)
Enqs: 0870 601 6183 Dealing: 0870 601 6083
Share Class 1 - Retail
…
…
…
…
…
…
12.49
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

-0.01
-0.30
+9.00
-0.01
-0.10
+0.40
-0.03
-0.02
…
…
-0.20
-0.20
+0.10
+7.00
…
…
+2.00

1.65
…
…
1.71
…
…
5.38
2.46
3.18
3.37
…
…
0.64
…
…
…
…

FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL
Private Clnts 0800 414161 Broker Dlgs 0800 414181
Amer Spec Sits ‡@
American ‡@
Euro Opps ‡@
European ‡@
Extra Income ‡@
Glob Spec Sits ‡@
Global Focus ‡@
International ‡@
Japan ‡@
Moneybldr Bal ‡@
Moneybldr Glob
Moneybldr Gwth ‡@
Moneybldr Inc ‡@
Moneybldr UK Ind ‡@
Special Sits ‡@
Wealthbuilder

2338.00
5359.00
552.00
3132.00
25.91
5565.00
2884.00
149.50
503.50
46.97
327.60
76.12
34.15
126.42
4346.00
69.75

Buy

+/-

Yld
%

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+0.02
-0.05
-31.23
+6.26
+34.36
+3.12
-2.60
+0.28
+1.09
-0.12
+1.09
+0.79
-0.95

…
…
4.19
…
…
0.44
3.66
1.87
…
2.28
…
…
1.45

JUPITER UT MGRS LTD
020 7581 3020
Absolute Return ‡@
38.19
Distribution and Growth ‡@99.27
Emg Euro Opps ‡@
145.34
Euro Special Sits ‡@
449.97
European ‡@
2835.40
Financial Opps ‡@
748.62
Income Trust ‡@
498.23
Merlin Bal (Acc) ‡@
228.78
Merlin Gwth (Acc) ‡
532.31
Merlin Inc (Acc) ‡
348.69
Merlin Wwide (Inc) ‡
379.32
UK Growth ‡@
251.23
UK Special Sits (Inc) ‡@ 196.71

LEGAL & GENERAL (UT MGRS) LTD
Enquiries: 0870 050 0955 Dealing: 0870 050 0956

For ISIS Asset Mgmt see F&C Fd Mgmt Ltd (OEICS)
JANUS HENDERSON INVESTORS
Investors Serv: 0800 832 832 Dlng: 0845 946 4646
All Stks Credit A Inc ‡@ 128.90
Asian Div Inc U Trst Inc ‡@90.25
Cautious Man Fd A Acc ‡@293.00
Cautious Man Fd A Inc ‡@148.70
China Opp Fund A Acc ‡@1306.00
Emg Mkts Opps Fd A Acc ‡@208.10
Erpn Grth Fund A Acc ‡@ 275.10
Erpn Sel Opps Fd A Acc ‡@2057.00
Fix Int Mnthly Inc Fd Acc ‡@31.65
Global Equity Fund Acc ‡@4477.00
Global Equity Income A Inc ‡@64.87
Global Tech A Acc ‡@ 3013.00
Instl UK Idx Opps A Acc ‡@112.08
M-Asset Abs Ret A Acc ‡@164.70
M-Man Active Fd A Acc ‡@264.30
M-Man Inc Grth A Inc ‡@ 155.30
M-Man Inc Grth Fd A Acc ‡@194.40
Sterling Bond U Trst Acc ‡@227.90
Sterling Bond U Trst Inc ‡@63.24
Strategic Bond A Inc ‡@ 116.70
UK Abs Ret Fd A Acc ‡@ 164.00

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

…
-0.55
+0.20
+0.10
+3.00
-1.20
+1.10
+7.00
+0.03
+7.00
-0.27
+20.00
…
+0.10
+0.70
…
…
…
…
+0.20
+0.10

1.54
7.01
…
…
…
…
…
0.29
4.09
…
2.97
…
2.55
…
…
…
…
1.18
1.19
3.15
…

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+2.68
+2.18
-0.07
-0.06
+0.27
+0.22
+4.05
+3.39

0.90
0.87
…
…
0.40
0.34
…
…

Equity Acc @
Equity Dist @
Euro Ind Acc ‡@
Euro Ind Inc ‡@
Fixed Int Acc ‡@
Fixed Int Dist ‡@
Glob Gwth Acc @
Glob Health Acc ‡@
Glob Tech Acc ‡@
Gwth Tst Acc @
High Inc Acc ‡@
Japan Ind Acc ‡@
Pacific Ind Acc ‡@
UK 100 Ind Acc @
UK Active Opps Acc @
UK Index Acc ‡@
UK Index Dist ‡@
US Ind Acc ‡@
Worldwide Acc ‡@

2616.00
893.80
486.60
326.60
146.00
69.70
243.90
108.10
91.93
106.00
131.90
65.46
207.60
180.90
249.90
339.40
166.80
817.20
347.90

2639.00
902.00
…
…
…
…
243.90
…
…
106.50
…
…
…
180.90
252.90
…
…
…
…

-8.00
-2.70
+1.50
+1.00
…
-0.01
-1.30
-0.70
-1.27
-1.00
+0.10
+0.41
-1.40
+0.90
-0.10
…
…
-9.90
+0.10

…
…
1.35
1.37
1.60
1.62
1.15
0.69
0.08
0.17
5.06
1.41
2.22
…
…
2.69
2.75
0.61
0.49

M & G SECURITIES
Enq: 0800 390 390 Dealing Line: 0800 328 3196
Authorised Inv Funds
Charifund Inc ‡

1584.90

…

-6.51

…

-3.39

…

525.29

…

American Gth Inc @
Balanced Growth @
Balanced Growth Acc @
Corporate Bond ‡@
European Growth @
European Growth Acc @
Glob Gwth @
Higher Yield @
Higher Yield Acc @
Japan @
Managed @
Managed Trust @
Mngd Pfolio Inc @
Pacific Grth @
Smaller Comp @
Smaller Cos @

322.55
262.17
393.13
99.69
403.88
475.71
331.53
83.98
275.04
49.06
130.89
71.96
95.54
498.71
756.24
628.94

340.42
276.69
414.92
…
426.26
502.07
349.90
88.64
290.28
51.78
138.15
76.96
100.84
526.34
798.14
663.79

-3.34
-0.93
-1.40
-0.89
-3.57
-4.21
-3.09
-0.29
-0.92
-0.03
-0.06
+0.17
-0.11
-2.81
+1.64
+1.36

…
1.52
…
4.77
…
2.24
0.12
4.43
4.32
…
0.66
…
0.58
1.34
0.15
0.21

…
…

-0.32
-0.36

323.57

…

-0.12

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
327.60
…
…
…
…
72.18

-13.00
+12.00
+3.60
+18.00
…
-10.00
-5.00
+0.20
+3.50
-0.08
-0.10
-0.95
…
-0.03
-4.00
+0.53

…
…
…
0.33
4.31
…
…
0.08
0.52
3.42
0.21
…
3.70
2.91
1.29
0.44

Childrens Acc ‡@
474.16
Corp Bond Acc ‡@
212.30
High Income Inc ‡@
323.10
Income & Grth Inc ‡@
426.23
Income Inc ‡@
1262.70
Money Acc ‡@
90.82
Monthly Inc Plus Inc ‡@ 101.22
UK Aggressive Inc ‡@
154.28
UK Growth Acc ‡@
868.53
UK Sml Cos Eqty Acc ‡@ 1624.38
UK Sml Cos Gwth ‡@
82.54

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+1.29
…
+0.14
+0.83
+1.13
+0.01
-0.11
-0.24
-3.74
+7.13
+0.04

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

-0.82
-1.83
-3.81
+0.20
+0.13
+0.45
+0.48
-0.47
-0.10
-0.52
+0.20
-0.32
-1.42
-1.81
-0.75
-0.05
-1.25
+4.03
+3.00
+29.78
-0.61
-1.14
-0.95
-0.29
-0.38
+2.15

Glob Bal Inc F I Acc ‡@ 960.35
Glob Bal Inc F I Inc ‡@ 926.59
Glob Bal Sust F F Acc ‡@ 951.32
Glob Bal Sust F F Inc ‡@ 945.36
Glob Bal Sust F I Acc ‡@ 950.68
Glob Bal Sust F I Inc ‡@ 945.27
Glob Br Eq Inc Fund F Inc ‡@1321.85
Glob Br Eq Inc Fund I Acc ‡@1772.30
Glob Br Eq Inc Fund I Inc ‡@1418.85
Glob Br Fund I Acc (PH) ‡@13273.63
Glob Br Fund I Acc (PH) ‡@1633.57
Glob Br Fund I Inc (PH) ‡@3660.54
Glob Br Fund I Inc (PH) ‡@1570.54
Glob Ins Fund F Acc ‡@ 661.27
Glob Ins Fund F Inc ‡@ 661.27
Glob Ins Fund I Acc ‡@ 659.70
Glob Ins Fund I Inc ‡@ 659.71
Glob Sust Fund F Acc (PH) ‡@1234.63
Glob Sust Fund F Inc ‡@ 1250.24
Glob Sust Fund I Acc ‡@ 1261.36
Glob Sust Fund I Acc (PH) ‡@1235.73
Glob Sustain Fund F Acc ‡@1266.42
Stg Corp Bond F F Acc ‡@ 130.94
Stg Corp Bond F F Inc ‡@ 106.23
Stg Corp Bond F I Acc ‡@2788.34
Stg Corp Bond F I Inc ‡@1499.66
Sust Fixed Inc Opps F F Acc ‡@955.54
Sust Fixed Inc Opps F F Inc ‡@935.73
Sust Fixed Inc Opps F I Acc ‡@952.98
Sust Fixed Inc Opps F I Inc ‡@935.61
US Adv F F Acc ‡@
1832.73
US Adv F F Acc (PH) ‡@ 1135.19
US Adv F I Acc ‡@
1954.92
US Adv F I Acc (PH) ‡@ 1191.61

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

-0.85
-0.82
-0.76
-0.77
-0.77
-0.77
-1.45
-1.97
-1.57
-14.27
+11.14
-3.93
+10.72
+7.68
+7.68
+7.65
+7.66
+7.87
-1.50
-1.52
+7.91
-1.52
+0.01
+0.01
+0.26
+0.14
+0.73
+0.71
+0.72
+0.71
+29.06
+28.30
+30.99
+29.70

…
…
…
…
…
…
3.75
3.74
3.83
0.82
0.85
…
0.85
…
…
…
…
0.56
0.54
0.36
0.38
0.54
2.53
2.57
…
3.01
1.68
1.70
1.48
1.50
…
…
…
…

…
…
…
…
252.40
…
…

+0.40
+0.20
…
+0.10
-0.90
-0.40
-0.20

2.41
1.35
…
3.09
…
3.15
3.22

SANTANDER UNIT TST MGRS
08457 413002
Bal Pfolio Inc ‡@
Bal Port Gwth Acc ‡@
Equity Inc Inc ‡@
N&P UK Gwth Inc ‡@
Stkmkt 100 Tkr @
UK Growth Acc ‡@
UK Growth Inc ‡@

110.50
237.20
224.00
182.80
252.40
489.30
270.10

European Inc
Far Eastern Inc
Intl Growth Inc
Japanese Inc
Mutual European
Mutual Far Eastern
Mutual North Am
Mutual UK Eq
Nth American Inc
UK Equity Inc

1777.00
584.69
380.56
41.85
2762.93
962.37
1983.00
1383.85
1227.65
589.41

1873.48
617.09
400.59
41.85
2908.99
1015.69
2092.88
1460.53
1295.67
622.07

+4.40
-0.73
+0.02
+0.43
-21.63
-4.66
+6.23
-1.47
-7.28
-0.62

0.78
1.42
0.75
0.56
1.11
0.58
0.24
2.64
…
2.70

237.60
207.10
152.00
280.20
266.60

…
…
…
…
…

+0.80
+0.30
+0.30
+1.30
+1.10

…
0.43
0.60
…
…

Eur Sel Gth A Acc ‡@

3350.00

…

-2.00

…

Tracker and Specialist Investment Funds
UK Trkr A Acc ‡@
UK Trkr A Inc ‡@

370.90
189.80

…
…

+0.20
+0.10

…
2.58

+1.70
+0.60
-0.80
…
…
+0.20
…
…
-1.00
-0.48
-1.20
-4.00

1.31
1.32
1.34
4.24
4.33
3.65
3.74
…
…
2.21
…
2.33

UK and Income Investment Funds
Corp Bond A Acc ‡@
323.40
Corp Bond A Inc ‡@
122.30
Envir Invtr A Acc ‡
374.60
Hi Inc Bond A Ac ‡@
243.50
Hi Inc Bond A Inc ‡@
75.69
Hi Res A Acc ‡@
387.40
Hi Res A Inc ‡@
124.80
Safety Plus A Acc ‡@
40.49
Strat Inc A Acc ‡@
208.90
Strat Inc A Inc ‡@
94.51
UK Gwth A Acc ‡@
195.90
UK Sel Gwth A Acc ‡@ 2179.00

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

OEIC B Class
Tracker and Specialist Investment Funds

7.05

…
2.22
2.45
1.26
2.75
…
4.76
…
…
…
…

INVESTEC FUND MGRS
Broker Support and Dealing: 020 7597 1900
OEIC Series i,ii,iii, & iv
American A Acc ‡@
638.85
Asia ex Japan A Acc ‡@ 743.68
Capital Accumulator A Acc ‡@231.48
Cautious Managed A Acc ‡@398.46
Cautious Managed A Inc ‡@254.56
Diversified Growth A Acc ‡@132.41
Diversified Growth A Inc ‡@141.06
Diversified Income A Acc ‡@327.58
Diversified Income A Inc ‡@72.34
Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Acc ‡@114.33
Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Acc Gross ‡@125.82
Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Inc ‡@69.77
Emerging Mkts Equity A Acc ‡@164.08
Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt A Acc ‡@172.99
Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt A Inc ‡@71.60
Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt Gross I Acc ‡@220.49
Enhanced Natural Resources A Acc ‡@134.24
Global Bond A Acc ‡@
139.30
Global Bond A Inc ‡@
109.33
Global Bond I Gross Inc ‡@1167.00
Global Dynamic A Acc ‡@ 201.15
Global Energy A Acc ‡@ 170.97
Global Equity A Acc ‡@ 228.09
Global Franchise A Acc ‡@305.18
Global Free Enterprise A Acc ‡@1229.70
Global Gold A Acc ‡@
234.47

Yld
%

Overseas Growth Investment Funds

…
…

INVESCO FUND MGRS LTD
Dling: 0800 085 8571 Inv Serv: 0800 085 8677
Brkr Serv: 0800 028 2121
INVESCO Funds
UK Str Inc N/Trl ‡@

+/-

Bal Port A Acc ‡@
Caut Port A Acc ‡@
Caut Port A Inc ‡@
Opps Port A Acc ‡@
Prog Port A Acc ‡@

INSIGHT INVESTMENT FDS MANAGEMENT LTD
Client Servs: 0207 163 4000
Insight Investment Multi-Manager Funds
96.05
93.79

Buy

SCOTTISH MUTUAL INV MNGRS LTD
0141 248 6100

Sterling Class A Investment Funds 1
Euro Smlr Cos Acc ‡

Sell

SCOTTISH WIDOWS UNIT TRUST MGRS
0845 300 2244
Authorised Inv Funds (OEICs)
OEIC A Class
Managed Investment Funds

UK Alpha Fund A Acc ‡@ 152.60
UK Irsh Sm Co Fd A Acc ‡@742.50
UK Property A Acc @
264.47
UK Property A Inc @
105.61
US Growth Fund A Acc ‡@1811.00

…
…
277.64
110.86
…

+1.00
-1.70
+0.01
+0.01
+13.00

0.31
…
2.63
2.68
…

INVESCO PERPETUAL Funds

Corporate Bd ‡@
55.20
Emerging Mkts ‡@
126.60
Euro Gwth & Inc 1 ‡@ 1139.00
Extra Inc Bond ‡@
46.47
FTSE All-Shr Track ‡@ 432.80
Global Gwth SC1 ‡@
304.20
High Inc Trst @
11.86
Max Inc Bond ‡@
46.11
Multi Man Caut ‡@
70.41
Multi Man Distr ‡@
60.44
North Amer ‡@
838.60
Pacific Gwth ‡@
490.20
Strategic Bd ‡@
202.30
UK Equity ‡@
3329.00
UK Gwth & Inc Acc 1 ‡@ 658.50
UK Gwth & Inc Dist ‡@ 234.70
UK Smaller Cos ‡@
1124.00

Sell

IGNIS ASSET MGMT
Dlg: 0141 222 8282

Well Bldr Bal Acc ‡@
Well Bldr Gwth Acc ‡@

EDENTREE INV MGMT LTD
0800 358 3010
Amity European A ‡
Amity International A ‡
Amity Sterling Bond A ‡
Amity UK A Inc ‡
Higher Income A ‡
UK Equity Growth A ‡

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

Buy

HSBC Specialist Investment Funds (OEIC)
…
…

UK/Global Investment Companies
Euro Acc A ‡@
Extra Inc Inc B ‡@
Global Gwth Acc R ‡@
Japan Acc A ‡@
Pac Gwth Acc A ‡@

Balanced Acc ‡@
250.05
Balanced Inc ‡@
151.95
Corp Bd Acc ‡@
292.94
Corp Bd Inc ‡@
117.27
Gilt & Fd Int Acc ‡@
497.78
Gilt & Fd Int Inc ‡@
74.17
Income Acc ‡@
684.61
Income Inc ‡@
293.59
Monthly Inc Acc ‡@
313.41
Monthly Inc Inc ‡@
133.70
UK Grth & Inc Ret B Acc ‡@140.21
UK Grth & Inc Ret B Inc ‡@64.62
UK Gth & Inc Acc ‡@
140.21
UK Gth & Inc Inc ‡@
64.62

Sell

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
3.85
…
5.77
0.22
4.35
6.31
5.42
…
0.82
0.82
1.25
0.41
…
0.42
…
…
0.42

JP MORGAN ASSET MGMT

Euro Smlr Cos Inc ‡

462.50

…

-3.00

…

-2.05
+0.03
-0.35
+0.08
-0.01
…
+8.70

…
0.85
4.85
…
…
1.19
2.11

Sterling Class A Investment Funds 2
Extra Income Inc ‡
741.22
Gilt & Fxd Int Inc ‡
91.51
Gl Hi Yd Bd Inc ‡
43.18
Index Linked Bd Inc ‡
155.28
Index Trckr Inc ‡
77.43
Short Dated Corp Bd Inc ‡ 25.41
UK Select A Inc ‡
2991.99

…
…
…
…
…
…
…

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

-2.10
-0.50
+0.80
+6.40
+5.00
+0.20
+0.04
+0.30
+0.30
+1.00
+11.00
-0.50
+2.00
+2.00
+5.30
+12.00
+0.50
…
…
-2.20
+0.30
+0.20
+0.60
+0.07
-0.20
-0.48
+7.00
+2.00
+4.90
-0.40
-0.20
+25.00
+10.70

…
…
0.45
…
1.27
4.52
4.66
…
…
1.03
…
…
0.53
0.54
2.43
2.11
1.07
1.13
1.11
…
1.64
1.59
3.45
…
3.41
3.50
…
…
0.28
2.49
2.46
…
…

37.38
55.92
116.51
392.16

…
…
…
…

+0.01
-0.23
+0.43
+1.87

2.64
4.51
2.01
1.86

-0.14

…

…
…
-2.00
-0.90
+1.50
+3.30
-4.80
-2.80

4.28
…
…
2.98
2.61
…
…
0.80

Sterling Class A Investment Funds 4
Episode Allocation A Inc ‡@139.50

…

MARKS & SPENCER UNIT TRUST LTD
0808 005 5555
High Income
High Income Acc
UK 100 Comp Acc @
UK 100 Cos @
UK Select Pflo @
UK Selection Port Acc @
Worldwide Mgd Acc @
Wwide Mgd @

98.60
264.50
440.60
223.30
336.90
674.80
966.80
573.20

98.60
264.50
440.60
223.30
336.90
674.80
966.80
573.20

MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MGMT LTD
Enquires: 0800 0961 962
The Morgan Stanley Funds (UK)
Class A Shares
Equity
Dev Opp Fund F Acc ‡@
Dev Opp Fund I Acc ‡@
Glob Bal Inc F F Acc ‡@
Glob Bal Inc F F Inc ‡@

775.90
773.25
960.98
927.26

…
…
…
…

Corp Bond B Acc ‡@
370.70
Corp Bond B Inc ‡@
136.30
UK Gwth B Acc ‡@
205.60
UK Sel Gwth B Acc ‡@ 2481.00

…
…

+0.30
+0.10

…
2.92

+0.22
+0.21
-0.85
-0.82

…
…
…
…

…
…
…
…

+0.90
+0.30
-0.30
…

…
…
1.79
1.09

OEIC C Class
UK and Income Investment Funds
UK Gth C Inc ‡@
130.10
UK Sel Gwth C Acc ‡@ 2598.00

Sterling Class A Investment Funds 3
Corp Bd A Inc ‡
Dividend Inc ‡
Recovery A Inc ‡
Sml Cos Inc ‡

409.20
188.70

UK and Income Investment Funds

OEIC
Asia A Acc ‡@
258.20
Emerging Mkts ‡@
255.60
Eur Dyn (ex-UK) A Acc ‡@271.40
Euro Smllr Cos ‡@
919.50
Europe A Acc ‡@
1751.00
Gbl Hi Yld Bd A Acc ‡@ 123.20
Gbl Hi Yld Bd A Inc ‡@
33.33
Gl ex-UK Bd A Acc ‡@ 269.20
Gl ex-UK Bd A Inc ‡@
206.10
Glb Fins A Acc ‡@
1077.00
Global A Acc ‡@
2036.00
Japan A Acc ‡@
526.60
Multi-Man Tst A Acc ‡@ 1346.00
Multi-Man Tst A Inc ‡@ 1196.00
Nat Resources ‡@
992.70
New Europe A ‡@
155.70
Portfolio ‡@
318.30
Stg Corp Bd A Acc ‡@
95.42
Stg Corp Bd A Inc ‡@
54.11
UK Act 350 A Acc ‡@
199.00
UK Dynamic Acc ‡@
216.90
UK Dynamic Inc ‡@
157.30
UK Equity A Acc ‡@
401.90
UK Equity A Inc ‡@
46.44
UK Eqy & Bd Inc Acc ‡@ 167.10
UK Eqy & Bd Inc Inc ‡@ 90.29
UK Higher Inc A Acc ‡@ 1132.00
UK Higher Inc A Inc ‡
531.30
UK Sm Cos A Acc ‡@
667.50
UK Str Eq Inc A Acc ‡@ 205.40
UK Str Eq Inc A Inc ‡@ 106.30
US A Acc ‡@
1036.00
US Sm Cos A Acc ‡@
951.80

UK Trkr B Acc ‡@
UK Trkr B Inc ‡@

…
…

-0.80
…

3.71
1.29

STANDARD LIFE INVESTMENTS
0845 279 3003
Investment Funds (OEIC) - Retail Shares
AAA Inc CAT Acc ‡@
AAA Inc CAT Inc ‡@
AAA Income Acc ‡@
Amer Eq Gth Acc ‡@
Corp Bond Acc ‡@
Corp Bond Inc ‡@
Euro Eq Gth Acc ‡@
Glb Advtg CAT Acc ‡@
Glob Advtg Acc ‡@
Glob Eq Uncstrd Acc ‡@
Higher Inc Acc ‡@
Higher Inc Inc ‡@
Japan Eq Gth Acc ‡@
Managed Acc ‡@
Select Inc Acc ‡@
Select Inc Inc ‡@
UK Eq Gth Acc ‡@
UK Eq Hi Alpha ‡@
UK Eq Hi Inc Acc ‡@
UK Eq Hi Inc Inc ‡@
UK Ethical Acc ‡@
UK Opps Acc ‡@
UK Opps Inc ‡@
UK Smlr Cos Acc ‡@

94.87
53.93
102.90
216.20
173.10
59.32
236.30
154.00
203.40
154.30
148.00
47.73
127.40
352.50
94.62
53.56
365.00
225.20
270.00
76.51
206.80
279.00
253.50
979.30

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+0.06
+0.03
…
+1.20
…
-0.03
+1.60
+0.20
+0.20
+0.20
-0.20
-0.06
…
-1.90
+0.01
…
-0.10
-0.10
-1.00
-0.25
+1.10
+1.90
+1.70
+8.90

0.97
0.97
1.38
…
2.69
2.71
0.27
0.68
0.65
…
4.04
…
…
0.29
2.16
2.16
1.88
3.03
…
…
1.32
0.05
0.05
…

SVS BROWN SHIPLEY FUNDS
Enquiries: 0141 222 1151
Balanced A Acc ‡@
Balanced A Inc ‡@

142.54
128.27

…
…

-0.42
-0.39

0.84
0.84

Cautious A Acc ‡@
Cautious A Inc ‡@
Dynamic A Acc ‡@
Dynamic A Inc ‡@
Growth A Acc ‡@
Income A Acc ‡@
Sterling Bond Acc ‡@
Sterling Bond Inc ‡@

Sell

Buy

+/-

Yld
%

117.29
102.73
346.32
313.56
356.79
260.80
242.37
97.00

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

+0.02
+0.02
-1.88
-1.71
-1.62
-0.24
-0.28
-0.11

1.34
1.35
…
…
0.72
…
3.52
3.61

THREADNEEDLE INVESTMENTS
Client Serv: 0800 0683000
Intermediary Serv: 0800 0684000
Institutional Shares (Class 2) (163500,000 min)
UK Oseas Earns ‡@

121.35

…

+0.08

…

128.00
179.90
77.80

128.00
179.90
77.80

+0.10
+0.50
+0.13

…
…
…

…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

-0.06
-0.15
-0.01
-0.01
-0.03
-0.03
-0.12
…
+0.17
-0.16
+0.69
+4.62

3.70
3.08
…
1.41
0.73
2.22
3.15
2.46
1.32
3.69
…
…

884.70
219.40

+4.70
+1.00

…
…

Managed Funds
Def Eqty & Bd Acc @
Eqty & Bd Acc @
Mgd Income @

Retail Shares (Class 1)
Threadneedle HY Bd Rtl Inc ‡@39.29
Threadneedle Mthly Etr Inc Rtl Inc ‡@81.54
Threadneedle SterlingCorpBd Ins Inc ‡@60.24
Threadneedle SterlingCorpBd Rtl Inc ‡@60.14
Threadneedle Stg Bd Ret Inc ‡@54.38
Threadneedle Strat Bd Ret ‡@44.99
Threadneedle UK Eq Inc Rtl Inc ‡@97.72
Threadneedle UK Growth & Inc Rtl Inc ‡@91.71
Threadneedle UK Insti Rtl ‡@178.20
Threadneedle UK Mthly Inc Rtl Inc ‡@69.51
Threadneedle UK Rtl Inc ‡@131.28
Threadneedle UK Smaller Coms Rtl Inc ‡@417.96

For Resolution see Ignis
TU FUND MANAGERS LIMITED
British
European

884.70
210.70

* Yield expressed as CAR (Compound Annual Return);
† Ex dividend; ‡Middle price; . . . No significant data. #
Periodic charge deducted from capital; @ Exit charge

British funds
12 month
High
Low

Stock

Price
(£)

+/–

Index-linked
109.44 106.12
378.51 354.43
111.98 107.52
120.56 112.54
135.63 124.91
130.64 119.90
132.52 121.15
141.65 127.39
402.06 366.57
161.90 143.77
160.29 140.71
324.74 285.49
161.43 138.70
186.89 159.41
169.23 142.44
186.19 155.27
180.53 147.94
199.86 162.82
188.86 151.14
196.96 154.89
229.64 178.79
209.00 159.84
232.71 176.91
231.36 172.09
306.14 225.47
248.27 176.38
256.47 179.57
297.03 201.75
309.47 200.85
335.00 212.37
395.45 237.19

Tr IL 1Y% 22
Tr IL 2K% 24 *
Tr IL 0V% 24
Tr IL 0V% 26
Tr IL 1N% 27
Tr IL 0V% 28
Tr IL 0V% 29
Tr IL 0V% 31
Tr IL 4V% 30 *
Tr IL 1N% 32
Tr IL 0O% 34
Tr IL 2% 35 *
Tr IL 0V% 36
Tr IL 1V% 37
Tr IL 0V% 39
Tr IL 0X% 40
Tr IL 0V% 41
Tr IL 0X% 42
Tr IL 0V% 44
Tr IL 0V% 46
Tr IL 0O% 47
Tr IL 0V% 48
Tr IL 0K% 50
Tr IL 0N% 52
Tr IL 1N% 55
Tr IL 0V% 56
Tr IL 0V% 58
Tr IL 0W% 62
Tr IL 0V% 65
Tr IL 0V% 68
Tr IL 0V% 73

Int Yld Grs rd
%
yld

107.28
371.93
109.71
113.93
125.52
120.16
121.15
127.39
375.90
143.77
140.71
291.88
138.70
159.41
142.44
155.27
147.94
162.82
151.14
154.89
178.79
159.84
176.91
172.09
225.47
176.38
179.57
201.75
200.85
212.37
237.19

– .19
– .66
– .25
– .50
– .73
– .81
– .86
–1.16
–2.58
–1.41
–1.50
–2.96
–1.78
–2.05
–2.01
–2.22
–2.35
–2.62
–2.67
–2.94
–3.45
–3.27
–3.74
–3.91
–5.34
–4.70
–4.93
–5.98
–6.64
–7.34
–8.98

1.80
1.46
…
…
1.09
…
…
…
1.72
0.87
…
0.83
…
0.74
…
…
…
0.38
…
…
0.43
…
…
…
0.61
…
…
…
…
…
…

–9.78
–3.54
–4.64
–3.18
–2.92
–2.77
–2.64
–2.47
–2.38
–2.36
–2.21
–2.05
–2.12
–2.08
–1.97
–1.94
–1.91
–1.86
–1.77
–1.72
–1.70
–1.68
–1.66
–1.61
–1.57
–1.54
–1.53
–1.48
–1.50
–1.55
–1.61

Longs (Over 15 years)
147.98 126.45 Tr 4N% 36
113.52
95.49 Tr 1O% 37
163.31 137.84 Tr 4O% 38
103.54
86.13 Tr 1V% 39
156.78 131.64 Tr 4N% 39
159.73 133.28 Tr 4N% 40
106.42
86.42 Tr 1N% 41
147.71 120.10 Tr 3N% 44
169.96 140.29 Tr 4K% 42
154.93 125.50 Tr 3K% 45
175.82 141.47 Tr 4N% 46
99.79
77.48 Tr 0Y% 46
114.76
88.94 Tr 1K% 47
122.26
93.92 Tr 1O% 49
185.65 146.05 Tr 4N% 49
95.59
70.09 Tr 0X% 50
220.50 165.02 Tr 0V% 51
111.21
82.72 Tr 1N% 51
180.27 138.88 Tr 3O% 52
120.44
88.63 Tr 1K% 53
124.61
91.24 Tr 1X% 54
205.69 155.67 Tr 4N% 55
132.79
94.70 Tr 1O% 57
213.01 155.60 Tr 4% 60
96.16
61.46 Tr 0K% 61
173.16 118.21 Tr 2K% 65
219.03 149.73 Tr 3K% 68
149.85
93.37 Tr 1X% 71

126.45
95.49
137.84
86.13
131.64
133.28
86.42
120.10
140.29
125.50
141.47
77.48
88.94
93.92
146.05
70.09
165.02
82.72
138.88
88.63
91.24
155.67
94.70
155.60
61.46
118.21
149.73
93.37

–1.18
–1.08
–1.50
–1.10
–1.45
–1.57
–1.22
–1.70
–1.74
–1.85
–2.14
–1.41
–1.59
–1.72
–2.36
–1.54
–3.64
–1.72
–2.42
–1.88
–2.02
–3.04
–2.36
–3.51
–2.05
–3.22
–3.99
–3.08

3.36
…
3.45
…
3.23
…
…
…
3.21
…
3.00
…
…
…
2.91
…
…
…
…
…
…
2.73
…
…
…
…
…
…

2.05
2.09
2.05
2.11
2.07
2.09
2.10
2.09
2.09
2.09
2.09
2.08
2.06
2.05
2.06
2.01
–1.63
2.04
2.03
1.99
1.99
1.98
1.96
1.92
1.89
1.88
1.88
1.83

Mediums (5-15 years)
101.63
99.08 Tr 0O% 23
105.30 101.02 Tr 2N% 23
100.03
97.31 Tr 0V% 24
102.71
98.91 Tr 1% 24
108.87 102.75 Tr 2O% 24
118.70 109.38 Tr 5% 25
101.82
97.11 Tr 0X% 25
107.77 101.42 Tr 2% 25
99.56
94.67 Tr 0V% 26
106.30
99.64 Tr 1K% 26
105.60
98.21 Tr 1N% 27
124.77 113.87 Tr 4N% 27
98.46
91.60 Tr 0V% 28
108.94
99.87 Tr 1X% 28
140.50 127.02 Tr 6% 28
99.77
92.13 Tr 0K% 29
103.32
94.01 Tr 0Y% 29
98.50
89.00 Tr 0W% 30
138.58 123.89 Tr 4O% 30
96.58
86.33 Tr 0N% 31
102.46
91.94 Tr 1% 32
138.01 121.83 Tr 4N% 32
101.40
89.21 Tr 0Y% 33
147.21 127.37 Tr 4K% 34
97.55
83.27 Tr 0X% 35

99.16
101.02
97.46
98.95
102.75
109.38
97.13
101.42
94.70
99.64
98.21
113.87
91.60
99.87
127.02
92.13
94.01
89.00
123.89
86.33
91.94
121.83
89.21
127.37
83.27

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

.05
.08
.07
.08
.13
.19
.14
.18
.17
.22
.27
.35
.31
.39
.51
.39
.44
.50
.67
.54
.58
.76
.74
.98
.83

…
…
…
…
…
4.57
…
…
…
…
…
3.73
…
…
4.72
…
…
…
3.83
…
…
3.49
…
3.53
…

1.43
1.50
1.58
1.53
1.57
1.65
1.57
1.57
1.58
1.59
1.61
1.66
1.65
1.65
1.68
1.73
1.73
1.77
1.76
1.86
1.91
1.87
1.94
1.99
2.07

Shorts (under 5 years)
117.13 108.58 Tr 3O% 21
142.92 135.65 Tr 8% 21
100.66
99.88 Tr 0K% 22
102.45 100.33 Tr 1O% 22
100.19
98.87 Tr 0V% 23
100.26
96.17 Tr 0N% 25
100.41
94.46 Tr 0W% 26

115.83
141.44
99.91
100.33
99.11
96.20
94.47

–
–
+
–
–
–
–

.08
.10
…
.01
.03
.11
.21

…
5.66
…
…
…
…
…

1.24
1.19
0.86
0.87
1.26
1.65
1.65

* maturities having an eight-month indexation lag.

This is a paid for information service. For
further details on a particular fund, readers
should contact their fund manager.
Data as shown is
for information
purposes only. No offer is made by Morningstar
or this publication

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

550

Business Equity prices
Dividend yields Please note dividend yields are
supplied by Morningstar. The yield is the sum of a
company’s trailing 12-month dividend payments
divided by the last month’s ending share price
12 month high and low Please note the 12 month high
and low figures for shares supplied by Morningstar are
based on intra-day figures, not closing prices.
12 month
High Low Company

Price
(p) +/- Yld% P/E

12 month
High Low Company

12 month
High Low Company

37K
8388

Price
(p) +/- Yld% P/E

Automobiles & parts
2201

758V Aston Martin Lag

827O +

20O

O

… -2.7

Banking & finance
302N
3688
88K
470
25367W
43V
1175
26K
21
418
1689V
458V
300K
1670
217
K
359
80K
517
569
94
317
76
560
1645
538
769
1207X
316W

179 abrdn‡
197X +
2439 Admiral
2493 –
28 ADVFNv
55
285W AJ Bell
296 –
25367W +
17356X Aon Corpn
21K Appreciate Groupv
23K
1000
820 Arbuthnot Bkgv
14 Arden Partnersv
15K
14 Argo Groupv
14
221V Ashmore Gp
228W +
1419O Aus New Z
1558V –
370Y Aviva
434N +
214K Banco Santander
265O +
986 Bank of Georgia
1230 –
143N Barclays
145O +
… Blue Star Capitalv
N
289
278 BP Marsh&Ptnrsv
11O Braveheart Invv
15K
266 Brewin Dolphin
512 +
266K Bridgepoint
328W +
53 Cenkos Secsv
74
256K Chesnara‡
291 –
46K City of Lon Gpv
58K
400 City Lon Inv Gp
475 –
1072 Close Bros‡
1191 –
219K CMC Markets
287K +
401Y Commerzbk
534V +
742O Deutsche Bk
906X +
250Y Direct Line Ins‡
259 –

N
5
…
3
63K
…
…
…
…
1V
3Y
4X
7K
16
1K
…
…
…
1
6O
…
2
…
5
2
2
1O
6K
2

7.3
4.7
2.7
2.4
0.5
4.2
…
…
…
7.4
3.6
4.9
2.4
…
2.0
…
0.8
…
2.8
…
4.7
7.5
…
6.9
4.8
10.6
…
…
8.5

4.3
11.1
9.6
27.7
61.9
10.2
57.4
3.8
6.4
7.7
14.1
57.1
7.2
3.8
3.5
7.2
7.9
0.4
27.9
…
15.1
9.5
-4.0
11.1
8.9
8.7
-2.9
12.4
9.8

168N

53 Downing ONE VCT

58K

W Drumzv
98O EFG-Hermes Hldg

…

4.2

7.9

K

…

… -7.1

153N –

15N

…

9.8

435

251 EPE Special Oppsv

253

–

2

…

1.0

897X

581V FBD

840K +

2

…

3.7

90

67K Fiskev

72K

…

… 12.9

83K

45K Frenkel Toppingv

72K +

1

1.8 42.1

725

458K Georgia Capital

617

+

2

995

765 Gresham Housev

995

+

5

0.6 39.9

346

244 H&T Groupv

345

+

1

2.4 11.0

65

45K Hansard Global‡

1772

…

0.9

47K –

K 9.3 16.4

–

5O 3.9 17.2

968 Hargreaves L

968

182K

142K Helios Underv

177K +

5

567V

359O HSBC‡

522W +

4V 3.0 11.4

952K

717 IG Group

833

+

6

5.1

896

+

9

1.1 29.5

1482
2379
155W
174O

745 Impaxv
1385 Intermed Cap
90 IPF‡
156 Intl Public Pntshp

1.6

…

8.5

1691K +

21K 3.3

9.7

93O –

2K 2.3

6.5

163O +

O 4.4 50.7

526

228X Investec

486

–

1K 2.6 12.2

316

281 Investment Co

312

+

3

155V

79 IP Group

89K –

365

213K Jarvis Securitiesv

225

299K

178V Jupiter Fund Mgmt

209O +

111W

75K Just Group

0.3 11.2

N 1.1
…

92V –

K

9.1

… -6.4

725

346K Lancashire Hdgs

418V +

1O 2.6 16.9

307O

238Y Legal & Gen

274W +

4V 6.4

55773X
2485

502X Liberty Group
1090 Liontrust

502X –
1242

+

62

42 Livermore Invsv

48X

55V

41N Lloyds Bkg Gp‡

44Y +

2X

35N
+

248K

178N M&G‡

209O +

243K

159K Man‡

238

+

12 month
High Low Company

Price
(p) +/- Yld% P/E

…

2.5 15.3

5352W 3670 Berkeley

3968

+

25

0.2 10.3

1418

0.9 75.1

1724

1147 Big Yellow Group

1517

+

13

2.2

1450

N 8.6 87.4

342

196 Billington Hldgsv

227

…

1.8 18.4

7K

333

258 Boot (Henry)

332

5

1.6 17.7

1436K

1W 3.5

9.5

+

9.9

9N

7N Manx Finv

8N –

K

…

6.5

556W

463 Br Land

521

4K

1V Marechale Capv

3V +

V

…

1.5

152K

110 Caledonian Tstv

137K +

2K

… 35.2

34K 1.1 28.8

186N

149O Cap & Count Prop

163N +

K

… -3.7

13308V 9553W Marsh McLn

13057W +

8.1

… 26.7

12

3.7 15.5

…

7.2

3.1

O 2.7

6.0

12 month
High Low Company

34

+

3V 2.8 71.3

63K

690 Mattioli Woodsv

760

133

19X

–

5

2.7

…

54 Cap & Regnl

60

…

… -0.5

…

…

4.6

2130

91N

1850 Cardiff Prop

2130

…

0.8 23.1

79V Metro Bank

94

1866O 1456Y Nat Aust Bk

–

… -0.8

40

22O Carecapitalv

…

… -2.8

1866O –

K

12K 2.5 18.5

183

111K Clarke T

23O
165

–

2O 2.6 18.5

253K

189N NWG‡

219

+

1K 2.7

9.5

262

185V CLS Hldgs‡

206K +

1

398

238 Numisv

268

–

2

5.4

571K

247K Countryside Prop

247K –

2K

584
N
741

418O Onesavings Bank‡

24

8N PCF Groupv#
581O Phoenix Gp‡

583

210K Provident

–

1069

+

249
124

5.5 18.2

3802

2883 Derwent London

3254

+

50

2.2 70.6

176O

3V
6
…

… -6.3
1.0 14.8
…

…

52K
67
206V

32K Fletcher Kingv
31 Foxtons Group
120K Galliford Try

3K

…
…

52K

…

…

45K +
173

… -2.4
1.3

–

X
1

…

…

114K Quilter PLC

147K +

1W 3.1 40.9

801

452 Genuit Group

463

–

188

141 Randall & Quilterv

155

1518 Rathbone Grp

…

900

…

3.3 26.7

1412

–

2140

N 2.5

576 Gleeson (MJ)
965 Grafton Gp Uts‡

640

+

1001

…

20

2.3 10.0

…

3.5 11.6

1 RiverFort Global Oppsv 1V

…

1.7

3.3

335

269O Grainger

303O +

4V 1.8 18.8

…

…

…

741

629 Gr Portland

721

+

7K 1.7 -9.0

29K Hammerson‡

32O +

O 1.2 -1.8

191

126 Harworth Gp

162K –

6K 1.1

3N

2480

1X Sancus Lending Grpv

–

1X

5

3.6 11.7

…

… -0.4

44N

6.0

1477
366K
104K
1622O
1084Y
543X
260
1118
506
171
1120
269V
257
150K
4540
1484
140N
140
732
200
453
212
2230N
1046
794
31O
341
118O
175V
520
96
101
108
408
1535
1135
4075
200
425O
123K
525W
653K
369
313N
152
891
945K
510
446
947
384N
268W
312
928
140N
62K
158K
248
238
2860
168O
189K
1378
2670
445
183K
286
1300
584K

1069 3I Group
1332K
248O 3i Infrastructure
366K
93V Abrdn Div I&G
101O
1134 Aberforth Smlr
1394
867O Alliance
978
403N Asia Dragon Tr
438
210 Athelney Trust
230
169 AVI Global Trust
198
257K Baillie Gifford Ch Gr 290
90 Baillie Gifford Eu Gr 102V
756 Baillie Gifford Jpn Tr 780
154K Baillie Gifford SN
158V
161Y Baillie Gifford UK Gr 184
96 Bankers
107W
3200 BH Macro
4370
852 Biotech Growth
927
85 BlckRck Com Inc
137K
112O BlckRck Fro Inv
133K
436N BlckRck Grt Euro
530
160 BlckRck Inc & Gwth 187
310 BlckRck Latin Am
432
177 BlckRck Sustain Amer 204
1412N BlckRck Smlr
1666
621O BlckRck Throgmorton 737
492 BlckRck Wld Min
792
12N Blue Plan Int Fn#
15K
269K BMO Cap&Inc
317
76 BMO Comm Prop
115K
138W BMO Glbl Smaller
157K
372 BMO Priv Eq Ord
467
68V BMO Real Estate
94
77 BMO UK HIT
88O
79 BMO UK HIT B
91N
310N BMO UK HIT UNIT
348
1090 Brown Advsr US Smlr1247K
904V Brunner
1030
2863 Caledonia Inv
3655
157 Invesco BondInc
184K
363N City of Lon IT
422K
97 Crystal Amber Fd
120K
336 Dunedin Entp
515
547 Edinburgh IT
649
187X Edin Wwide
210
271 EP Global Opp
290K
94V European Assets
107O
594 European Opp Tr
737
549 F&C Investment Tr
841
406V Fidlty Asian Val
454
211K Fidelity China Sp
256
610 Fdlty Emer Mkts
676
256K Fidlty Euro Val
303K
154K Fidlty Jap Tru
171K
247 Fidlty Spec Val
296
746 Fins Gwth & Inc
829
94K GCP Infrastructure
116V
37K Gldn Prosp Prc Mtl
51K
126W Greencoat UK Wind 157
184 Hansa Investment
202
186 Hansa Inv Co 'A'
200K
1972 Hbrvest Glbl Pt Eq 2575
120O Hend Euro Foc
145
149K Hend High Inc
177K
868 Hend Smlr
995
1634 Herald
1846
320 HgCapital Trust
439
160K HICL Infra
183
228 Highbridge Tactical 255
1016 ICG Ent Tr
1160
370Y Impax Env Mkts
452

+
+
+
+
+
–
–
+
–
+
+
–
+
+
+
+
+
–
+
–
+
+
+
–
–
+
+

+
–
+
+

+
+
–
–
+
–
–
–
+
–
+
+
+
+
–
–
–
–
+
+
+
+
–
+
+

19
3K
O
14
6
2
5
W
4K
V
8
1K
2V
1W
90
4
2K
…
2
…
2
2
22
7
27
…
5
K
1K
1
…
…
…
…
2K
…
5
3K
1K
…
…
5
2
4K
N
5
…
1
1
1
2
1K
2
6
3V
…
1Y
…
3
20
4
K
12
12
7
3
5
18
1K

3.2
3.5
4.6
2.2
1.7
1.2
3.5
1.5
2.2
0.3
0.7
…
1.2
1.9
…
…
3.2
3.6
1.1
3.5
4.2
4.6
1.8
1.4
5.6
2.5
3.6
3.3
1.0
2.9
3.2
5.6
…
4.1
…
1.7
1.2
5.9
4.7
8.3
5.6
4.2
…
1.8
6.8
0.2
1.3
1.7
1.6
1.7
2.0
…
2.3
2.8
6.6
…
6.0
1.0
1.0
…
2.0
5.6
2.1
…
2.3
5.3
…
1.2
0.6

6.3
26.9
-16.0
-13.2
-6.9
-10.2
-11.6
-8.5
-2.8
-7.2
-4.4
-3.1
-9.9
-6.6
11.9
-7.4
1.7
-9.8
0.5
-9.7
-6.4
-6.1
-12.0
-1.5
-3.0
-15.1
0.3
-7.9
-9.9
-26.1
-22.4
-5.6
-2.9
-7.5
-10.8
-10.7
-27.2
-1.4
2.2
-19.9
-6.8
-6.7
-14.7
-11.7
-2.7
-13.0
-10.4
-8.6
-2.4
-11.8
-7.7
-5.2
1.0
-6.3
5.1
-17.6
15.8
-35.4
-35.0
-23.6
-8.3
1.4
-12.4
-20.8
-1.2
15.6
7.1
-30.1
2.0

–
+
–
+
–
+
–
+
+

–
–
+
–
+
–
–
+
+
+
–
–
–
+
–
–
+
–
+
–
+
+
+
–
+
–
+
–
+
+
+
–
+
–
+
–
+
–
+
–
–
+
+
–
+
–
–
–
+
+
+

2
3K
…
2
…
K
2
6
6K
4
6
…
…
K
1V
5
1K
3
2
9
2K
11
1
5
4
5
7
O
…
1
…
1
3
4
15
W
12
2
K
1
1K
25
50
…
3
O
30
6
4K
1
K
O
3
O
…
3
5
2
3
14
1
…
3
N
1
2
…
7
1
10

4.3
5.9
…
2.8
0.9
3.3
…
0.8
4.5
5.9
4.1
0.2
1.6
4.3
1.0
1.2
3.3
3.5
…
5.4
0.9
2.4
4.7
108.3
1.5
3.1
3.6
5.4
4.5
1.2
5.1
2.7
4.8
0.8
0.1
0.5
3.7
4.2
4.9
0.6
…
0.7
1.1
…
3.3
5.7
…
…
1.5
1.6
4.0
1.9
2.1
…
2.5
2.5
0.3
2.4
6.3
3.3
2.1
…
2.9
1.8
2.1
3.1
…
…
2.2
0.6

-7.9
-1.4
-5.6
-5.7
-7.2
-7.3
-12.2
-2.8
-8.0
-3.0
-1.0
-0.9
-2.5
-2.9
-7.5
-15.2
-11.4
2.1
-19.2
-3.8
-6.1
-12.5
-2.9
151.9
-12.3
-8.7
1.8
-4.1
-19.7
-0.8
-34.7
-11.8
1.5
1.6
-6.7
-3.9
-5.5
-2.9
-4.2
-10.5
-24.8
-31.1
1.4
-11.9
-10.2
14.9
-4.9
-29.9
-0.9
-11.0
-2.9
-10.4
-15.9
-36.0
1.6
-2.7
-3.0
1.0
-0.3
-4.6
-12.7
38.8
-4.9
-1.0
-36.2
-12.9
1.2
-19.3
-8.7
-5.0

310K +
889K +

132 Warehouse REITv

167

255 Dialight

1W
1550

+

2.2

9.4

V 3.7

3.9

2.4

…

5

3.1

4.8

Consumer goods
4N Agriterrav

3500

+ 115

2217 Halma

2521

+

1902

1214 Hill & Smith

1438

121K

8640

41K Holders Techv

80K

1O Image Scanv
1277 IMI‡
… Inspirit Energyv
5740 Judges Scientificv
57K LPAv

5.1

1006

25

6.6

–

4K 1.8 19.2

–

3

25 Aireav

… 25.1

28

…

… 12.4

282

145 MS Intlv

282

…

1.2 40.2

+

1631K +

1X Bidstack Groupv

3N

70 Brand Architektsv

73K

2512K Brit Amer Tob‡ 3262

2

…

8.2

190

…

1.2

…

2680

27K 0.3 26.9

741 Britvic
1551K Burberry Grp
178N C&C Grp
7 Capital Metalsv

–

1K 6.6 11.0

829K +

K 3.3 21.4

1615K +

19K 2.6 13.9

197K +

6K

8W +

V

167K

130K Carr's Grp

152K –

705

460 Character Grpv

607

2025

1325 Churchill Chinav

1325

2784

…

… -2.2

K 3.1 18.8
…

–

…

1.4 10.8

15

…

96 Northbrdg Indv
1760 Oxford Inst

4244X 2252N Philips El nv
36K

34
147W

5X PipeHawkv
63K Pressure Techv
3704 Renishaw

1460K Coca Cola HBC

1583

–

16K

705

445 Colefaxv‡

595

…

228K

3182 Cranswick
179W Devro

4103K 3155K Diageo
3
1085

1V Distilv
672 Evans (M.P.)v

102

66K Finsbury Foodv‡

12220

6365 Games Workshop‡

1273K

855Y Glanbia‡

3616

–

213
3963K +

73K
7640

–

883Y +

19K Renoldv

26O +

6X

…

9.5

87 Rolls-Royce

93W +

3W

…

2.0

…

… -3.6

K

… 27.5

130

+

2K

… 22.6

63

+

82K
16K

62O Severfield
8O Six Hundredv

6K
1656
30N
31O
1500
58K
36K

2W Tavistock Invv
901 TBC Bank Group
9Y Ternv
20 Time Financev
1090 Volverev
44K WH Irelandv
27K Walker Crips Grp

5O
1220

+

15

+

21K
1090

…

0.8

0.9

6

2.9

4.0

105

…

…

K
…

+

44K –
33

20
K
…

… 13.1
…

2.2 94.2

3596X – 124V 1.2

1541

1370V –

31X

1153V Westpac

37804X 29095X Zurich Fincl

9.8

10V 3.4 18.5

26X Worsley Investors Ltd 27W –

V

… 85.6

37392W + 764N 4.3 14.6

182K Alumascv

1

4.6 10.3

14V Aseana Props

14V –

O

79O

59K Assura Grp

68X +

X 4.2 13.7

1W Aukett Swankev

1W

…

322O

215K Balfour Beatty

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96 IPST Managed
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338 JPM Jap Sml Co
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76 JPM Russian
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267 JPM Smllr Co
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303 M Currie Port
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105 Marwyn Val In
117
185V Mercantile IT
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485 Merchants
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969 Monks Inv Tst
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129 Montanaro Eur Sml 160
738 Murray Income Trust 896
1038 Murray Int
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82O Nb Global Floating
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253 Pantheon Int
312K
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the times | Friday April 15 2022

51

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or report awaited; . . . No significant data.
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the times | Friday April 15 2022

53

Athlete who beat Roger
Bannister in the 800m
John Parlett
Page 54

Register

Obituaries

Colonel Alan Jenkins
Gurkha officer who won the Military Cross in the Borneo confrontation and was the last living westerner to travel to independent Tibet
ROGER MOULAND
MO

In 2013 half a dozen so-called old Tibet
hands gathered for the BBC radio programme Tibet Remembered to share
memories of “the forgotten land”,
before it was annexed by China in 1950
and the Dalai Lama went into exile.
One of them was Colonel Alan Jenkins, who is believed to have been the
last living westerner to enter independent Tibet. As a young Gurkha officer he
had travelled some 2,000 miles from
Waziristan to the “roof of the world”. It
was, he said, his “most important and
lasting memory”.
In 1947, he and Lieutenant Hugh Bailey were stationed at Razmak Fort on
the northwest frontier of what is now
Pakistan. They were due leave, and
their commanding officer said they
could have two weeks in India, or if they
wanted to do something adventurous
they could have as long as they wanted.
In his 1906 book Tibet the Mysterious,
the geographer Thomas Holdich wrote:
“No country in the world has exercised
a more potent influence on the imagination of men . . . as Tibet; and this influence has been active amongst all generations which have exploited the byways
of the earth from the days of Herodotus
to those of Younghusband.”
Jenkins and Bailey duly conceived
the idea of retracing the steps of the
1904 British military venture into Tibet
led by Colonel Francis Younghusband,
head of the Tibet Frontier Commission.
The Tibetans generally discouraged
visitors, though. It took several months’
lobbying before the political officer in
Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim state,
the issuing authority for the frontier,
granted permits for a month’s travel as
far as Gyantse, where Younghusband
had set up his headquarters halfway to
the capital, Lhasa, to meet representatives of the Dalai Lama.
In early April, with a copy of Touring
in Sikkim and Tibet by David Macdonald, a Scottish-Sikkimese who had
been the interpreter on the 1904 mission, they travelled the 1,500 miles to
Calcutta by train, and then another 400
north to Sikkim. Here they put up for a
few nights at the celebrated Himalayan
Hotel in Kalimpong owned by Macdonald and still owned by the Macdonald
family today, an obligatory way stage
for Everest-bound mountaineers and
travellers to the Tibetan plateau. Mallory, Irvine, Hillary and Tenzing all
stayed there at one time or another.
The Nathu La pass into Tibet, some
30 miles from Kalimpong, was best
tackled early, so Jenkins and Bailey set
off at dawn with four porters and a
sackful of dried yak dung as fuel for
cooking and warmth. Wearing only
issue khaki, with balaclavas and goggles to shield against the dust clouds,
they had first to negotiate the 14,120ft
pass before trekking 120 miles on what
passed for roads to the hill-fort city of
Gyantse, bedding down each night in
colonial-era “dak” (postal) bungalows.
They were lucky to travel when they
did, for formal British presence would
end precipitately on August 15, when
control of the agencies passed to the
newly independent India. Three years
later China invaded and the last British
officials left. Tibet was closed again, the
Dalai Lama permanently exiled, the
country no longer independent.
Alan Middleton Jenkins was born in

Jenkins in Nagpur in 1946 and, below, awarded his Military Cross in 1967. He and his wife, Julia, met the Dalai Lama in 2008

1927 in Meliden, near Prestatyn, north
Wales, to Harriet Middleton and William Jenkins, a tailor who had been
wounded in the First World War. He
won a scholarship to the county school
in Rhyl and in 1944, at 17, applied for
pilot training. There was an excess of
volunteers, however, and he was invited
instead to join the Indian army, although his only connection with India
was a paternal aunt who had been governess to the maharajah of Jaipur’s
children.
Although by this stage of the war
Germany was facing defeat, war with
Japan was expected to continue well
into 1946. After basic training in Kent,
in May 1945 Jenkins embarked for
Bombay. By the time he arrived at Ban-

galore Officer Training School the Japanese had surrendered, and the focus of
training switched to internal security.
The following April he was commissioned into the 1st King George V’s
Own Gurkha Rifles at the urging of his
fellow cadet and friend, Hugh Bailey,
who had family connections. After a
year learning Gurkhali at Dharamsala
in the Himalayan foothills, where the
Dalai Lama would later find refuge in
exile, he joined his battalion, just back
from Burma, at Razmak.
On return from the Tibetan expedition Jenkins applied for a regular commission and was sent to Bangalore
again for assessment, witnessing en
route the inter-communal violence
that accompanied the partition of
India. He recalled how at one point,
“my rickshaw driver every hundred
yards had to jiggle around bodies”.
With the postwar contraction of the
army, competition for regular commissions was unusually strong. He was
accepted, but with independence came
also a dividing of the ten Gurkha regiments between India and Britain. The
1st Gurkhas were one of the six that
went to the Indian army, and so Jenkins
transferred to the 7th Gurkha Rifles
(7GR), and saw the lowering of the
Union Jack at the British residency in
Rangoon when Burma, previously in
effect part of British India, became
independent in January 1948.
Six months later, 7GR found themselves in Malaya during the “emergency”, when the communist insurgen-

cy began. Jenkins was a battalion intelligence officer initially, and then
commanded a company. During one
jungle patrol, his batman, Budhiman
Tamang, was killed at his side, shot in
the head. Five years later, when recruiting and making compensation payments in Nepal, the first widow Jenkins
found himself paying was Tamang’s.
In 1953 Jenkins was the regimental
representative in the Brigade of Gurkhas’ 160-strong marching contingent
for the Coronation. Aboard the troop-

He trekked through the
rainforest to capture a
notorious enemy leader
ship returning east he met Julia Inkpen,
an aero-medical evacuation nurse who
had been grounded after an accident in
Korea. He proposed by letter. They
were married in 1955 and moved to the
Gurkha recruiting centre in Darjeeling,
where they settled easily into life in the
hills. “Julia got used to our metal bath
tub and the ‘thunderbox’ for essentials”,
and Jenkins himself embraced the
world of mountaineering, befriending
the sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who with
Edmund Hillary had reached the summit of Everest days before the Coronation.
Julia died in 2017, and he is survived
by three children: Mark, a reinsurance
broker, Nina, a veterinary nurse, and
Andrew, a construction manager.

In 1966, the
n
now
Major
J
Jenkins
was
b
back
in the jung commandgle,
in a company
ing
in Borneo durin the “coning
fr
frontation”.
T
The
Indones
sians
were app
plying
increasin
ing
military
p
pressure
on
S
Sarawak
and
S
Sabah
to try to
n
break
up
the
nascent
federation of Malaysia. Cross-border operations by both sides were arduous and
bloody. Towards the end, 7GR undertook a month-long operation to neutralise a particularly aggressive raiding
party, led by the notorious Lieutenant
Sumbi of 600 Raider Battalion, intent
on destabilising the peace negotiations.
Jenkins’s company found their tracks.
“In appallingly savage terrain and
weather,” said his commanding officer’s
recommendation for an award, “movement at any pace was hazardous, but
because the company had to move as
fast as possible in order to catch up with
the enemy, movement was even more
dangerous and on many occasions men
slipped and were nearly killed by the
flooded rivers or stark, treacherous
cliffs.” Sumbi, ironically, had been
trained at the British jungle warfare
school in Malaya: “Major Jenkins,
knowing that the capture of the enemy
leader would provide extremely valuable information, was determined to
take him alive. This he did at considerable risk to himself and his men. The
subsequent interrogations proved the
very great value of the captured enemy
leader.” Jenkins, lean and always
superbly fit, “showed gallantry and
leadership of a very high order . . . an
inspiration to everyone.”
Gallantry awards were scarce during
the confrontation, however, not least
because London could not admit to
cross-border operations. Jenkins was
initially earmarked for an MBE (Military), but at the insistence of the Far
East Land Forces Commander, Lieutenant-General (later Field Marshal
Lord) Carver, he received the Military
Cross.
Three years later, in 1969, Jenkins
was appointed commanding officer of
7GR in Hong Kong at a particularly
tense time with China during Mao’s
“cultural revolution”. He played down
his duties as “stopping tourists” at the
border. Subsequently he held various
technical staff jobs, culminating in
senior military officer at what was then
the Defence Nuclear, Biological and
Chemical School at Porton Down.
After leaving the army in 1979 he
worked for a private military training
company and was appeals officer for
two charities providing work for the
disabled. He was a regimental trustee of
the Gurkha Museum at Winchester,
maintaining to the end that “the Gurkha is the finest soldier and the finest
there ever will be”.
Colonel Alan Jenkins, MC, Gurkha officer,
was born on June 14, 1927. He died in his
sleep on March 14, 2022, aged 94

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

554

Register

Robert Bly
Poet whose controversial work Iron John made him the guru of a ‘wild men’ movement that swept America in the 1990s
In 1996, a brand of Scotch whisky put
up adverts across New York City that
read: “Becoming a man doesn’t have to
involve beating drums or hugging a
tree.” To New Yorkers in the 1990s, the
butt of its joke was obvious: the socalled mythopoetic men’s movement
and its figurehead, the poet Robert Bly.
That same year, the Christian Science
Monitor claimed that there were perhaps 10,000 “men’s groups” functioning
in America. In an effort to purge themselves of the supposedly emasculating
influence of modern
society, these groups
would partake in a melange of new age and Native American practices.
They would sit in sweat
lodges, retreat into the
woods, dance to the beat
of deerskin drums and
adorn their midlife crises
with a primeval mystique.
The men’s movement
drew inspiration from
Bly’s Iron John: A Book
About Men, which spent
ten weeks at the top of the
New York Times bestseller
list in 1990. The book is an exegesis of a
folk tale recorded by the brothers
Grimm, about a wild man suspected of
killing hunters in the forests surrounding a king’s domain. The king’s men
capture him and lock him in a cage,
where he is visited by the king’s son.
The boy unlocks the cage, flees into the
forest on the wild man’s back and learns
from him how to be a great warrior and
a king in his own right.
Bly said that the story of Iron John
could be “ten or twenty thousand years
old”, and saw it as an archetype of the
journey that men have always under-

gone, that of learning from older men
how to live responsibly, but which he felt
American youths were no longer undergoing. He believed that in an industrial
society, where fathers spent most of the
day away from their families and divorce
was common, their sons were growing
up without male role models. “There is a
tremendous mourning,” he said, “and
sons have what could be called father
hunger.”
Bly thought that the first step men had
to take to heal this psychological wound
was to acknowle
edge
it. His
m
masculine
c
creed
was not
th of the stiff
that
u
upper
lip. He
d not long for
did
a return to the
d
days
when the
“
“Fifties
man”
w “supposed
was
t like football,
to
b aggressive,
be
s
stick
up for the
U
United
States,
n
never
cry and
provide” Instead,
Inst d he
h wanted men
always provide”.
to admit that they longed for male connections more meaningful than those
available in “contemporary business
life”, in which “the major emotions are
anxiety, tension, loneliness, rivalry and
fear”. The way for men to transcend
those negative emotions was, he
thought, to accept Iron John’s invitation
to the woods and become “wild men”,
creating a “positive patriarchy” of men
in touch with their emotions. Attending
male-only workshops across America,
he advised his listeners to tap into their
“Zeus energy”.
America’s feminists were not all im-

pressed. Suzanne Gordon wrote in the
Los Angeles Times that Bly “seems unwilling to come to grips with what patriarchy means for women . . . The search
for a ‘positive patriarchy’ is as insulting
and threatening to women as a nostalgic celebration of life in the Jim Crow
south would be to blacks.”
Whether or not America’s men were
swept up in an epidemic of “father hunger”, Bly certainly had reason to feel
that hunger himself. His father, he later
said, preferred the bottle to him. He was
born in Lac qui Parle County in western
Minnesota in 1926, the son of Norwegian grain farmers, Jacob and Alice.
After going to school in Madison, Minnesota, he joined the navy.
He did not see combat, instead being
allocated to a special unit developing
radar and sonar technology. Although
he had some exposure to poetry at
school, it was in the navy that his literary ambitions became clear. He conspired to get chucked out on the
grounds that men of letters had no business in military science. In this he was
unsuccessful, and after the war he enrolled at St Olaf’s, a small Lutheran liberal college close to home.
After two years he transferred to
Harvard where, while studying a poem
by WB Yeats, he decided “to write
poetry the rest of my life. I recognised
that a single short poem has room for
history, music, psychology, religious
thought, mood, occult speculation,
character and events of one’s own life.”
Through the literary magazine The
Advocate he fell in with future luminaries of American poetry including John
Ashbery, Adrienne Rich, Kenneth
Koch, Donald Hall and Frank O’Hara.
He believed that since so many of them
were veterans, they were less starry-

Bly inspired men facing a midlife crisis
to try retreating into the woods, left

eyed and acquiescent than usual undergraduates. He recalled that one professor, the poet Archibald MacLeish,
had to call him into his office one day
for a dressing-down. MacLeish said:
“Either you change your behaviour in
class, or I’ll have to jump out the
window.” Bly said coolly, “Well, jump.”
After graduating, Bly moved to New
York, where he challenged himself to
write for 12 hours a day and survive on
the proceeds of temp work. His places
of residence were almost wholly solitary and always insalubrious — a borrowed studio, a squalid bedsit, and
even, some nights, the floor of Grand
Central Station.
In 1954 he began an MA at Iowa University, and a year later married Carol
McLean, a fellow writer. They had four
children, Mary, Micah, Bridget and Noah, but divorced in 1979. In 1980 he married Ruth Jay, a Jungian therapist, who
survives him along with his children.

Bly was awarded, in 1956, a coveted
Guggenheim fellowship that enabled
him to travel to Norway to work on
some translations and to connect with
his ancestry. The trip was a turning
point because it introduced him to
foreign-language poets such as the
Chilean Pablo Neruda. Returning in
1958, he co-founded a literary magazine called The Fifties, which later became The Sixties and The Seventies.
With his first wife, Carol, he moved to
a farm in Minnesota that his father had
set aside for him. On that farm, with its
open spaces and unperturbed wilderness, he wrote his first collection of
poems, Silence in the Snowy Fields (1962),
which was well received. The Light
Around the Body, a book of poetry about
the Vietnam War published five years
later, won him a National Book Award.
At the ceremony in New York, Bly raged
against the pointlessness of war and
handed the $1,000 prize money, in front
of the audience, to the anti-war group
the Resistance. He retained that fiery
conviction into old age, with a 2004 collection called The Insanity of Empire: A
Book of Poems Against the Iraq War.
Bly, who would play a Greek string instrument called a bouzouki while reading his poetry, did not like being seen as
a guru of the men’s movement, and later
opened up his workshops to women. He
claimed to have remained an adolescent
for “I don’t know, 45 or 50 years. I was 50
years old at least before I could talk to
men in a way they felt was the true way.
There was a certain moment when I
realised men, and to a certain extent
women, trusted me when I talked.”
Robert Bly, poet, was born on December
23, 1926. He died on November 21, 2021,
aged 94

John Parlett
Athlete who competed in the 1948 Olympics and later beat Roger Bannister in the 800m at the European Championships
ALAMY

Residents of Dorking, in Surrey, rose
early on February 7, 1950, anxious to
learn from the 7am news bulletin the
fate of their adopted son in the
880 yards race at the British Empire
Games in Auckland. A few days earlier
John Parlett had won his heat in 1 min
52.1 secs, a faster time than any Englishman had completed this distance outside the country.
In the final he covered the first
440 yards in 54 seconds and was still
leading at the bell. He then slowed his
pace slightly, allowing his two main
opponents, both Canadians, to think he
was tiring and pass him. Once in the
final strait he launched into a devastating sprint. As the crowd roared and the
tape came into sight, Parlett shot past
his rivals, beating them with a clear lead
of three or four yards, albeit in a slightly
slower time than in his heat.
Six months later he took gold in the
800m at the European Championships
in Brussels, again deploying his magnificently timed finishing burst on the
track. This time he had the satisfaction
of beating Roger Bannister, four years
before he broke the four-minute mile,
into third place with a record time of
1 min 50.5 secs, his personal best.
These two triumphs were perhaps
some consolation for Parlett’s disappointment two years earlier in the
800m at the 1948 Olympic Games in
London. Having sailed through his
heats, he finished eighth in the final
after being drawn in the outside lane.
He recalled that Marcel Hansenne of
France was next to him and said something in French: “I later realised he was
saying that [his fellow Frenchman]
Robert Chef d’Hôtel was on the inside

Parlett leading Roger Bannister, right, and Marcel Hansenne of France in 1950

and we should tuck in behind. As I
didn’t understand this helpful comment I got lost in the rush for the corner, and Hansenne got the bronze.”
Harold John Parlett was born in
Bromley in 1925, the son of Conrad Parlett, who worked in property, and his
wife Lilian (née Cooper). The family
moved around, eventually settling in
Surrey, and in 1942 he took part in a
couple of races for schoolboys organised by Dorking St Paul’s Athletic

Club. The next day he wrote to the club
secretary: “As I live only a few miles
from Dorking I should like to join your
club.” Over the next two years he
showed his potential and was soon appearing as a club junior record holder.
Before long he had been called up by
the RAF, serving until 1947. Until then
his athletics training had consisted of
just a couple of sessions a week with a
race at weekends, but while in uniform
he was able to do more because the

forces were keen to keep people occupied with sport as they waited to be
demobbed. “I probably did two or three
sessions a week of about an hour,” he
recalled. “It was very light training. I
didn’t do it with any thoughts of making
the Olympic team, never gave that a
thought. I didn’t train at all in winter. I
hibernated.”
On demobilisation he studied art in
Woking, Surrey, and at the Sir John
Cass College in London, remaining a
student until almost the time he
stopped running competitively. “Athletics was something I did as recreation,
a social thing,” he said.
After capturing the Surrey and
Southern counties titles he won his first
England international vest against
France in 1947 and finished third in the
Amateur
Athletic
Association’s
880 yards that year before winning the
title in 1948. None of these events was
paid, nor did he expect to be rewarded.
“There were brown envelopes put
around at some meetings,” he recalled.
“I was offered one once and told the
chap what he could do with it. We were
given travel vouchers and the like to
cover our expenses. That was enough. I
used to judge a good meeting by whether they laid on a nice meal after it.” He
continued to oppose the professionalisation of athletics.
During the 1948 Olympic Games he
was based in a refurbished barrack block
at RAF Uxbridge. “Oddly, it was where I
had been stationed until the previous
year, so it was home from home,” he said.
On one occasion he was seated at the
same dinner table as Dorothy Manley,
who became the first British woman to
win a sprint medal at the Olympics

when she took silver in the 100m. He was
not there to see her race, something he
later regretted. They got to know each
other better during the long sea journey
to New Zealand in 1950, though by then
she was married.
A calf injury forced Parlett to withdraw from the 1952 Olympic Games in
Helsinki, though he continued running
at the top level for a couple more years.
He became a graphic designer and in
1953 married Mary Randall. From 1960
to 1964 they lived in New Zealand,
where he worked for Glaxo.
The marriage was later dissolved and
in 1976, having learnt that Manley was
a widow, he got in touch. They were
married in 1979 and lived in Woodford,
east London, not far from Victoria Park,
where she had trained for the 1948
Olympics, and now close to the site of
the 2012 Games. She predeceased him
(obituary, November 10, 2021) and he is
survived by a daughter, Liz, and a son,
Tim, from his first marriage.
In 2003, when London was bidding to
host the 2012 Games, Parlett described
his mixed feelings about the presentday Olympics and their emphasis on
elite athletics rather than society as a
whole. “The expense seems tremendous,” he told The Times. “The problem
is at the grass roots. Where do youngsters go and run nowadays with all
these playing fields being sold? I think
the government should put more
money into facilities.”
John Parlett, athlete, was born on April 19,
1925. He died on March 6, 2022, aged 96

Email: obituaries@thetimes.co.uk

the times | Friday April 15 2022

55

Register
Lives remembered
Sir Allan Ramsay
Dr Dudley
Ankerson
CMG writes:
May I add a
comment on
Sir
Allan
Ramsay’s
practice of
his Christian
faith (obituary, April 1).
During his posting to Mexico
City in 1985 my wife and I invited
Allan and Pauline to stay the
weekend in the countryside at a
former hacienda owned by
friends.
On the Saturday evening we
went for a walk and passed by an
impoverished smallholding. A
lady emerged from the basic
dwelling with a baby in her arms.
She explained that he was very
ill and asked if we had any medi-

Births, Marriages and Deaths
cal knowledge. The baby was
indeed extremely frail. We were
all moved but felt helpless.
However, Allan and Pauline
returned to the family early the
next morning, collected the
mother and child and took them
to a clinic in the nearest town,
where Allan paid for them to be
admitted and medicines provided. The doctor told Allan that
the baby would have died within
two days. He recovered.
Ten years later, on a return
visit, I called and met a healthy
young man who owed his life to
Allan and Pauline.
you would like to add
@ aIf personal
view or recollection to
a published obituary, you can send your
contribution by post to Times
Obituaries, 1 London Bridge Street,
London SE1 9GF, or by email to
tributes@thetimes.co.uk

Sir Christopher Mallaby

Alastair Lack

Anne Johnson-Rooks
writes:
I
worked for
Sir Christopher Mallaby (obituary,
March 7) as
his PA at the
London investment bank where
he was an adviser.
He was the kindest boss, including me in family events and
allowing me to stay with my
family at his beautiful house in
France. One of my favourite of
his anecdotes was when, as
ambassador, he and a colleague
were invited to a food fair and,
unable to eat all the samples
pressed upon them, they resorted to stuffing them in their pockets. It proved extremely messy.

John Goodbody writes:
Alastair
Lack (obituary, April 6)
and I were in
the
same
dormitory at
Westminster
School in 1959. We used to have
competitions at night on who
could hold their breath longest.
On one occasion, after nearly
four minutes, his legs started
kicking involuntarily and he
then lost consciousness. I swiftly
removed the nose clip, shook
Alastair and doused him with
water. He fortunately recovered.
I am sure he did not recommend such a practice to his
patients during his subsequent
distinguished medical career.

Court Circular

Windsor Castle
14th April, 2022
The Prince of Wales,
representing The Queen,
accompanied by The Duchess
of Cornwall, this morning
attended the Maundy Service
in St George’s Chapel, Windsor
Castle, at which His Royal

Highness, on behalf of Her
Majesty, distributed the Royal
Maundy.
The Prince of Wales and
The Duchess of Cornwall were
received at the North Door of
the Chapel by the Dean of
Windsor (the Right Reverend
David Conner).
The Right Reverend Dr John
Inge (Lord High Almoner) and
the Reverend Canon Paul
Wright (Sub-Almoner) were
present.
The Queen’s Body Guard of

Readers’
Lives
Britain’s
first nuclear
submarine
engineer
known to
all as Spam
PETER HAMMERSLEY, WHO DIED
AGED 91, WAS FEATURED IN THE
TIMES ON MARCH 28, 2020

Commemorate the life
of a friend or relative in
Readers’ Lives, a service
in contracted tributes

the Yeomen of the Guard and
the Military Knights of
Windsor were on duty.
Their Royal Highnesses this
afternoon joined
representatives of the Chapel
and the Royal Almonry at a
Reception in the Deanery.
St James’s Palace
14th April, 2022
The Princess Royal,
accompanied by Vice Admiral
Sir Tim Laurence, this
morning arrived at Heathrow

Airport, London, from Papua
New Guinea.
Mr Charles Davies was in
attendance.
Kensington Palace
14th April, 2022
The Duchess of Gloucester,
Honorary President, the Lawn
Tennis Association, this
morning attended the Junior
National Tennis
Championships at the National
Tennis Centre, 100 Priory Lane,
Roehampton, London SW15.

FINALLY, brothers and sisters, whatever
is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable — if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy — think about
such things. Philippians 4.8 (NIV)
Bible verses are provided by the
Bible Society

Deaths
BRASSEY Thomas Ian (Tom) died
peacefully on 7th April 2022 at home.
Much-loved and loving husband of V,
adored by Miranda, Louise, Davina and
Hugh and his eight grandchildren. Family
cremation. Thanksgiving service at Preston
Capes Church, NN11 3TE, on May 25th at
2.30pm.
BURRIDGE Simon St Paul died peacefully
on 12th April 2022, aged 66. Devoted
husband of Camilla, loving father of
Felicity, Laura and Katie, Gramps to Poppy,
Jack and Artie, and beloved brother to
Richard, Johnnie, Hugo and Frances.
Private family funeral, with a service of
celebration to be arranged at a later date.

DEWÉ Walter John died suddenly on 6th
April, aged 71, in Melbourne, Australia.
Loving father to Tamsin, Trumble,
Trelawney and Tarleton, devoted
grandfather of four, big brother to Sue and
friend to many. We miss him.
DUFFIELD Nick on 11th April 2022, aged
59. Adored husband of Clare, immensely
proud and much-loved father of Tom and
James. Brother, uncle, son-in-law, godson
and friend. Private family funeral;
thanksgiving service planned for late
summer. No flowers please but donations
welcome to Myeloma UK.
GEORGE Dr Michael passed away

peacefully on 4th April 2022. Beloved
husband of Dora, loving father, grandfather
and great-grandfather who will be greatly
missed. Private family funeral. A
celebration of Michael’s life will be held at a
later date.

LORD Christopher Clive Anthony on 5th
April 2022, aged 86. Beloved husband of
Elizabeth, loving father of Andrew,
Caroline, Lucy and Nick, devoted
grandfather of Angus, Clara and Frederica.
Funeral service at Chelsea Old Church on
21st April at 2.30pm.
MACKINTOSH Euan passed away on
24th March 2022, aged 85. A loving and
much-loved husband, father and
grandfather. Euan’s funeral service will be
held at All Saints Church, Cuddesdon, OX44
9HB, on Tuesday 19th April at 11am. Family
flowers only please, donations welcomed
for DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and
Mencap via
https://euanmackintosh.muchloved.com/
Inquiries to Sandra Homewood Funerals,
tel: 01865 570000.

020 7782 7553

newsukadvertising.co.uk

MEREDITH Nicholas Sandes passed
away peacefully on 14th March 2022. He
was at home in the Cotswolds, surrounded
by family. A much-loved husband, father
and grandfather, he’ll be missed by all.
MOYLE William Dennis (Bill) died
peacefully after a long illness, aged 84. The
most loved husband for 59 years of Jane,
beloved father of Charles, Philip, Emma and
Elizabeth and adored grandfather of 11
grandchildren. His Holy Trinity was
Schubert, WB Yeats and leg-spin bowling.
Service of thanksgiving at All Saints
Church, All Saints Road, Pittville,
Cheltenham, on 17th May at 2pm. No black
to be worn. No flowers please, but
donations, if wished, to the Born Free
Foundation c/o https://
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/emmalogan11 Inquiries to Selim Smith & Co. Tel:
01242 525383.
NICHOLS Cicely Jean (née Gould) died

peacefully on 29th March 2022 at Queen’s
Hospital, Burton upon Trent. Much-loved
mother to Mark and Rupert and
grandmother to Emma, George and Patrick.
Funeral to be held at St Laurence Church,
Frodsham, on 29th April at 11am. No
flowers. Donations to British Heart
Foundation or Marie Curie.

RIGGS Judith Ann (née Frazer) on 5th
April 2022. Loving and loved wife, mother,
grandmother and great-grandmother.
Thanksgiving service at St Mary’s,
Woodbridge, on Friday 29th April at
2.30pm. Donations, if wished, to the
Ipswich Hospital Chaplaincy c/o EB Button,
funeral directors, 01394 382160.
RINK
Timothy James, MA, MD, SCD, died
suddenly on 4th April 2022, aged 76.
Tim will be greatly missed by his
loving wife Norma, children James,
Charles and Alice, and seven
grandchildren. Funeral service to take
place at St Andrew’s Church, Toft, on
Wednesday 27th April at 11.30am.
Donations, if desired, to
centrepoint.org.uk
All inquiries to Peasgood & Skeates.
Tel: 01223 415255.

THORNE Peggy died peacefully on 8th
April 2022, aged 95. A wonderful woman
with a terrific sense of humour who will be
hugely missed by friends and family. Peggy
requested a private funeral with no flowers.
Donations can be made in her memory to
the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry: fany.org.uk

Memorial Services
PERY The Hon Michael at St Winifred’s

Church, Manaton, TQ13 9UJ, on 19th May
2022 at 3pm, followed by tea in the village
hall. All welcome. j.pery@btinternet.com

In Memoriam - Private
CHARLESWORTH: RICHARD ‘DICK’
Always missed and lovingly remembered.

DEL MAR Pauline Elizabeth LRAM, ARCM

(née Arthur) died peacefully on 7th April
2022, aged 95. Deeply loved mother of
Toni, Granary (Gran) to Pippa, Michael,
Kate, Peter, Morwenna and William, and
Great-Granary to Tristan, Barnaby, Eliza,
Sebastian and Felix. Her dearest husband
and friend Ronnie and much-loved son
Christopher predeceased her. Funeral
service at St Mary Abbots Church,
Kensington, on Thursday 28th April at 1pm,
followed by cremation at West London
Crematorium. Flowers welcome, or
donations if desired to Help Musicians
https://paulinedelmar.muchloved.com
John Nodes Funeral Service, W10 6HH.
Tel: 020 8969 1819.

Join us for breakfast
Listen to Aasmah Mir and
Stig Abell on Times Radio,
Monday to Thursday at 6am

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the times | Friday April 15 2022

59

Weather
Weather Eye
Paul Simons

Today A scattering of showers, especially in the west. Sunny spells. Feeling mild. Max 22C (72F), min 5C (41F)
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 continuing mix of
sunshine and showers.
Turning cooler

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

9
12
11
10
15
15
13
14
13
13
14
14
13
10
9
13
13
16
16
11
13
17
14
12
13
8
8
14
13
17
14
14
16
13
14
15
9
15
14
11
13
16
13
11
17
11
10
10
13
8
15

DU
PC
PC
PC
C
S
PC
PC
C
S
PC
PC
C
S
DU
R
PC
S
S
PC
PC
S
PC
PC
S
PC
PC
PC
PC
S
PC
PC
S
C
PC
S
S
PC
PC
PC
PC
S
PC
PC
S
PC
R
R
C
PC
PC

0.0
0.2
0.0
0.2
0.2
1.4
0.0
0.2
0.2
0.0
3.6
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.2
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.4
0.0
0.2
0.2
0.0
0.0
3.2
0.8
5.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

0.1
4.5
5.5
0.0
**
**
1.7
**
3.6
**
4.5
0.0
1.6
2.4
0.6
1.8
**
3.6
4.7
5.3
**
5.8
**
0.0
**
1.0
0.9
4.8
**
2.2
0.5
3.2
0.0
**
**
1.7
0.0
**
**
**
**
2.2
1.1
**
3.8
**
2.5
0.4
1.5
**
1.6

Most places will have a dry day
with spells of sunshine. Cloud and
outbreaks of rain will move into
western Ireland later.
Max 20C, min 5C

15

PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
SH
PC
S
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
C
PC
PC
S
PC
PC
PC
PC
DU
PC
PC
PC
DU
SH
PC
PC
R
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC

9

Slight

Temperature

14

13

Moderate
Rough

11

9

13

16
14
16

Aberdeen

NORTH
SEA
13

15

12

16

Edinburgh

Glasgow

14

13
17

Londonderry

ATLANTIC
OCEAN

Easter Sunday
Much of England will stay dry. Ireland
and western Scotland will be cloudier
with some rain, while Wales will have
a few showers.
Max 19C, min 0C

Belfast

Dublin

16

LLlandudno

Cork

1
21

Bristol

10
13

14

The Times weather
page is provided
by Weatherquest

14

-15

5

General situation: A mixture of sunny
spells and a few showers. Misty along
some southern and western coasts.
Channel Is, Cen S and SE Eng,
Midlands, E Anglia, E Eng: Most places
will have a dry day with sunny spells.
Patchy mist and fog may affect parts
of the Channel coast. Light and variable
winds. Maximum 22C (72F),
minimum 5C (41F).
SW Eng, Wales, NW Eng, IoM, Lake
District, SW Scotland, Glasgow, Argyll:
Some bright or sunny spells but also

London

Brighton

CHANNEL

showers Sea fog
the risk of a few showers.
patches may linger close to the coast.
Mainly light south or southeasterly
winds. Maximum 18C (64F),
minimum 6C (43F).
Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: A cloudy
and in places misty start with some
showery outbreaks of rain. Becoming
brighter and drier for the afternoon
but still with a few showers. Light and
variable winds. Maximum 16C (61F),
minimum 5C (41F).
Cen N and NE Eng, Borders, Edinburgh

4

and Dundee, Aberdeen: Much of the
day will be dry with some sunshine
but developing cloud may bring a
few showers later. Light to moderate
southeasterly winds. Maximum
17C (63F), minimum 5C (41F).
NW and NE Scotland, Cen Highland,
Moray Firth, N Isles: Mainly dry with
areas of cloud but also some bright
or sunny spells. Isolated showers in
the north. Light to moderate south or
southeasterly winds. Maximum
16C (61F), minimum 5C (41F).

Noon today

Tidal predictions.
Heights in metres

Wednesday

23

Southampton

Exeterr

Plymouth

Tides

Another spell of rain will move into
Ireland from the Atlantic. Remaining
areas will be brighter but with isolated
showers.
Max 16C, min 1C

32

18

7

13

0
-5
-10

18

Cardiff

3
13

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

16

12

50

5

17

Birmingham

Swansea

7

9

59

10

i h
Norwich

CELTIC
SEA

Channel Islands

11

68

15

Nottingham

15

12

A few showers are likely, especially
close to western coasts, but there will
be some sunny spells as well.
Max 14C, min -2C

Tuesday

77

20

Sheffield

18

Shrewsbury
16

A day of sunshine and scattered
showers for many places. Ireland
will be cloudier and cooler with some
longer spells of rain.
Max 15C, min -2C

25

Hull

19

ooo
Liverpool

IRISH
SEA

15

12

12

86

Yorkk

8

11

30

15

14

Manchester

Monday

F
95

Carlisle

13

15

15

C
35

Newcastle

Galway

13

19
Madeira
18
Madrid
20
Malaga
18
Mallorca
17
Malta
23
Melbourne
Mexico City 27
28
Miami
22
Milan
29
Mombasa
11
Montreal
9
Moscow
32
Mumbai
21
Munich
28
Nairobi
20
Naples
New Orleans 28
18
New York
20
Nice
22
Nicosia
4
Oslo
19
Paris
22
Perth
17
Prague
10
Reykjavik
13
Riga
Rio de Janeiro 32
29
Riyadh
23
Rome
San Francisco 15
24
Santiago
25
São Paulo
14
Seoul
31
Seychelles
31
Singapore
St Petersburg 8
6
Stockholm
21
Sydney
21
Tel Aviv
23
Tenerife
12
Tokyo
8
Vancouver
19
Venice
21
Vienna
19
Warsaw
Washington 28
20
Zurich

Orkney
ney

Calm

At 17:00 on Thursday there were
no flood alerts or warnings in
England, Wales or Scotland. For
further information and updates
in England visit flood-warninginformation.service.gov.uk, for Wales
naturalresources.wales/flooding and
for Scotland SEPA.org.uk

All readings local midday yesterday

PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
S
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
S
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
R
PC
PC
PC
PC
PC
SH
**
PC
PC
DU
PC
PC
PC

Sea state

(mph)

Flood alerts and warnings

11

20
17
18
19
32
35
30
20
19
18
18
16
22
21
18
18
19
19
22
34
18
20
22
12
21
36
41
13
21
24
17
20
21
3
26
29
13
21
22
32
**
23
22
17
20
18
34

34

28 (degrees C)

Tomorrow

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 speed

1016
01:22
07:10
11:02
06:56
05:40
11:04
11:22
05:05
12:21
11:55
10:20
06:19
02:34
11:08
01:38
09:45
06:11
11:19
11:06
05:04
05:51
04:35
11:27
11:11
01:13
06:14
03:38
06:44

Ht
3.9
12.4
3.4
11.5
5.2
6.3
3.9
4.9
3.3
3.8
5.4
6.9
5.2
8.9
6.5
2.3
6.6
8.9
6.3
6.5
3.8
5.2
4.4
5.9
4.0
9.0
5.1
1.9

13:28
19:36
23:28
19:22
18:08
23:20
23:53
17:30
--:-00:08
22:44
18:24
14:49
23:31
13:57
21:35
18:33
23:42
23:29
17:25
18:16
16:56
23:51
23:34
10:36
18:38
15:44
19:26

Ht
4.0
12.7
3.2
11.7
5.1
6.6
3.9
4.8
-3.7
5.4
7.1
5.3
9.0
6.8
2.4
6.7
9.0
6.6
6.6
3.7
5.3
4.6
6.1
4.2
9.1
5.3
1.9

LOW
HIGH
1032
LOW
984
992
1000

HIGH

1008
1008
1016

Synoptic situation
Low pressure centred south
of Greenland will attempt
to push a set of fronts into
Britain from the west but any
rain will weaken as it moves in
against high pressure centred
close to Norway. The same
high pressure should maintain
fine weather across much of
northern and central Europe but
low pressure over Russia will
keep eastern Europe cloudier.

1024

1016

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: Northolt, 20.0C
Coldest: Wick,
Caithness, 1.0C
Wettest: Tiree, 5.0mm
Sunniest: Aberdaron,
Gwynedd, 7.7hrs*

Sun and moon
For Greenwich
Sun rises: 06.04
Sun sets: 19.56
Moon rises: 18.22
Moon sets: 06.12 Sat
Full Moon: April 16

20:47-05:26
20:56-05:48
20:35-05:37
20:38-05:44
20:38-05:47
20:52-05:38
20:42-05:39
20:26-05:32
20:39-05:36
20:39-05:30
20:23-05:24
20:45-05:56
20:35-05:33

G

ood news for the start of
the Easter holiday: today
and tomorrow are largely
fine, dry, settled and
reasonably warm as the
sunshine works its magic. It’s all
thanks to high pressure in control,
and the best of the warmth over the
holiday will be today, possibly
reaching 22C in London and the
southeast, although western areas
may have cloud and a few showers.
Good Fridays that fall around midApril are not always so pleasant,
with some atrocious weather in the
past. George Bernard Shaw
described this scene from Dorking,
Surrey, in a letter to his good friend
Ellen Terry on April 16, 1897: “What
a Good Friday we’re having! Rain,
wind, cold, skating on all the ponds,
icicles hanging from the eaves.”
The weather report in The Times
for that day added more depressing
details: “The weather which had
promised so well all over the
kingdom yesterday was marred by a
strong and searching wind, frequent
showers of rain, thunder and
lightning over some parts of our
northeastern counties. The clouds
were at times exceedingly heavy.”
Some Easter holidays have even
been struck by snow. In fact, snow
falls more often at Easter than
Christmas, although the snowfalls
have tended to turn to slush and
melt away fairly quickly. Yet there
have been times when it has been
cold enough for deep snow to settle
on the ground and on Good Friday
in 2010, on April 2, there was snow
36cm deep at Strathdearn in the
Highlands.
This Easter there is a gradual slide
in temperatures over the holiday,
with the threat of rain. The high
pressure that has largely brought
fine, warm conditions is slipping
away, edged out by low pressure
moving in from Ireland. Easter Day
will be mostly dry but become
increasingly cloudy and turn wet in
western Scotland. By Easter Monday
a weather front will bring a band of
showery rain from the west, and it
will feel fresher and cooler from an
Atlantic airflow. The rest of next
week looks like a mixed bag of
sunshine, clouds and spells of rain.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

60

Sport
How booed
Hatton Jr is
being lifted
by Benn’s son
Boxing
Ron Lewis

A famous surname will give any career
a kickstart, but it also puts a target on
your back. In just a year as a professional boxer, Campbell Hatton has experienced both sides of that, getting to fight
on high-profile shows, but being pilloried if he failed to perform. It is yet
to dent his enthusiasm.
Tomorrow, Hatton, 21,
goes for win No 7 against
Argentinian Ezequiel
Benn v
Gregores at the
Van
Heerden
Manchester Arena, a
Tomorrow, main event
venue that became
from 10pm.
the centre of the
Live on DAZN
boxing world when his
(Hatton expected to
father, Ricky, was in his
fight about 7pm)
Campbell Hatton was criticised after winning his fourth fight and, inset, with his father and former champion, Ricky
heyday.
But if he is looking to
It was in Hatton’s fourth fight, against kept away from [social media] for a
some guidance for his career,
of big things. “He is the blueprint of
as much as his father, it is the man top- how I need to go about things,” Hatton Spain’s Sonni Martinez, on the under- while,” he said. “Fights like that can be
ping the bill tomorrow, Conor Benn, said. “He stayed in the gym, ignored his card of the Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr the making of you because we realised it
whom he has looked to for advice. Like critics and worked hard to prove them Usyk world heavyweight title bout at was a bit too much, too soon. So we went
the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last away to Spain, away from the spotlight,
Hatton, Benn, who boxes the South wrong. That is what I have to do.
African Chris van Heerden, is the son of
“I’ve spent time with him training. He September that he got a cold dose of worked hard, and put in two career-best
a legend — Nigel, the former world has given me advice about criticism and reality. He received a gift of a decision, performances on smaller shows since.”
Fortunately, his trainer is someone
middleweight and super-middleweight he has told me how he overcame it. He which the crowd booed. His career
champion — and his career was written did it away from the cameras, too, prospects were written off on social who knows what he is going through,
media. “I just deleted everything and being his uncle, Matthew. By any
off as a gimmick. Now he is on the verge which shows how genuine he is.”

measure, Matthew had a great career.
He was European welterweight champion and went the full 12 rounds with
Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez for a world title.
But he never escaped Ricky’s shadow,
the accusations that he only got breaks
because of his name and that he would
never be as good as the two-weight
world champion. “Matt has been in the
same position as me,” Hatton said. “He
is a good person to have in my corner.”
Hatton never saw his father box live
and the first time it dawned on him
what a star he was came in his final
fight, when he was stopped by Vyacheslav Senchenko. “They just let me find
my path and I was drawn to it,” he said.
Despite being a trainer himself,
Ricky never goes into Campbell’s corner. “He gets nervous,” Hatton added.
The name will not become a millstone, though. “I think I can get to the
same levels as my dad,” he said. “Look at
Conor Benn. Early on in his career, if he
would have said he would get to fight
world-level operators, people would
have laughed. I will get there.”

Fury not asked only question that matters
Matt Lawton
Chief Sports
Correspondent

If Tyson Fury was expecting a difficult
encounter with the media yesterday, it
proved about as taxing as climbing into
the ring with a random punter from the
Wembley crowd.
Nearly 100 journalists from around
the world were given access to a Zoom
press conference that was also broadcast
live on YouTube, with many ready to ask
Fury about his long association with
Daniel Kinahan. In a week when Kinahan has been described by the authorities as the head of a “murderous organisation involved in the international
trafficking of drugs and firearms”,
someone, the US authorities say, with

whom anyone involved in boxing
should sever all ties, it was essential.
But nobody invited by the host to put
a question to the heavyweight world
champion so much as mentioned
Kinahan’s name, never mind suggest to
Fury that he might have played a big
part in legitimising a man who now has
a $5 million bounty on his head.
Fury’s promoters at Top Rank, who
organised a media call that also
involved Dillian Whyte, Frank Warren
live from a car and Bob Arum in his
office, insisted last night that there was
“no censoring of the media”.
If that’s the case, Top Rank boxing
reporter Crystina Poncher somehow
managed to pick out a selection of
raised hands without finding a single
person who would inquire about the
relationship Fury now enjoys with
Kinahan, someone he was photographed with as recently as February
— who has acted as his personal adviser
— when, let’s remember, it was back in

Fury’s relationship with Kinahan, right,
was not mentioned during a media call

2018 that the High Court in Dublin first
claimed that Kinahan was the head of a
£1 billion organised crime cartel.
Poncher claimed afterwards that she
was being instructed by Top Rank
whom to invite to ask a question, even
if she actually had the opportunity to
bring up the subject of Kinahan herself.
She asked more questions than anyone,
but instead kicked off by inviting
Warren to talk about the record-

breaking 94,000 sell-out at Wembley
and describe 33-year-old Fury as a
fighter who had “transcended the sport”.
When Fury then appeared, seemingly from his North West home, he spoke
of how “overwhelmed” he was by all the
support and how, because he was
fighting Whyte on St George’s Day, he
rather fancied himself as the new
patron saint of England.
It transpired that some of his biggest
fans were on the call, with a few among
the nine reporters — or in certain cases
YouTubers — given the opportunity to
ask a question being embarrassingly
matey. “Tyson, what’s going on, buddy?”
inquired a journalist from Las Vegas.
The opening question came from a
prominent American boxing writer,
who was clearly more interested in
what it meant to Fury to be fighting on
UK soil rather than the astonishing
media conference hosted by the US
Treasury Department on Tuesday.
“Absolutely fantastic,” said Fury.

One chap asked Fury what it would
mean to him to have his father at the
fight, when John Fury has been unable
to attend his bouts in the US because of
a conviction for gouging a man’s eye out
in a brawl. How lovely, then, that Fury
Sr can be at this one.
The majority of the questions focused
purely on the £30 million bout with
Whyte, while the one question that did
come from a British newspaper concerned how much Fury enjoys the
build-up. When the same reporter was
given the opportunity to ask a second
question, it was about fighting on
St George’s Day. Fury responded by saying he was at his happiest when inside
the ring being “punched in the face”.
The Times did make a direct request
on the Zoom “chat” tab for a question
regarding Kinahan to be asked. It was
seconded and thirded, and yet it
was ignored, enabling Fury to prepare
for another huge pay day unruffled
and unchallenged.

Yesterday’s racing results

Bath
Going: good to soft
4.20 (5f 160yd) 1, Go Razzmatazz (K Shoemark,
16-1); 2, Fristel (16-5 fav); 3, Jackmeister Rudi
(11-1). 13 ran. NR: Ard Up. 1Ol, sh hd. R Brisland.
4.55 (5f 10yd) 1, Whistle And Flute (Charles
Bishop, 7-2); 2, Global Effort (10-11 fav); 3, On
The Pulse (14-1). 9 ran. NR: Hot In Havana,
Mintana. 2Kl, 3Kl. Eve Johnson Houghton.
5.30 (5f 10yd) 1, White Lavender (C Lee, 12-1);
2, Hellomydarlin (16-1); 3, Get Ahead (9-1). 15
ran. NR: Al Simmo. 1Kl, ns. K R Burke.
6.00 (1m) 1, Granary Queen (Charles Bishop,
14-1); 2, Covert Mission (15-8 fav); 3, My
Brother Mike (15-2). 10 ran. NR: Gertcha, Helluvaboy, Kendergarten Kop, Libby Ami. Nk, Kl.
Eve Johnson Houghton.
6.30 (1m) 1, Bella Veneta (Callum Shepherd,
15-2); 2, Aguaplano (9-4 fav); 3, Silverdale
(16-5). 10 ran. 3l, 1Nl. Rae Guest.
7.00 (1m 6f) 1, Kalamity Kitty (T E Whelan, 3-1
fav); 2, Tibbie Dunbar (4-1); 3, Lady Elysia
(14-1). 13 ran. Kl, 4Kl. E De Giles.

7.30 (1m 3f 137yd) 1, Militry Decoration (N Callan, 4-1); 2, Urban Forest (6-1); 3, Uther Pendragon (17-2). 10 ran. 2l, 1Kl. C Poulton.
Jackpot: Not won. Pool of £6,100.18 carried forward to Newcastle today.
Placepot: £65.40.
Quadpot: £19.90.

Cheltenham
Going: good
1.30 (2m 4f 56yd, hdle) 1, Theatre Glory (J Bowen, 4-9 fav); 2, Lady Rita (17-2); 3, On My Command (11-4). 5 ran. 6Kl, 2Kl. N J Henderson.
2.05 (2m 4f 127yd, ch) 1, Precious Eleanor (R
Patrick, 9-4 jt-fav); 2, Little River Bay (7-2); 3,
Well Briefed (250-1). 5 ran. NR: Crossgalesfamegame, Fontaine Collonges, Found On. 15l, hd.
H D Daly.
2.40 (2m 4f 56yd, hdle) 1, Panic Attack (T Scudamore, 9-4 fav); 2, Eglantine Du Seuil (25-1); 3,
Her Indoors (11-1). 9 ran. NR: Bellatrixsa. Kl,
13l. D Pipe.
3.15 (3m 2f, ch) 1, Madera Mist (Alan Johns,
11-4); 2, Barden Bella (6-5 fav); 3, Jubilympics
(4-1). 6 ran. 12l, 16l. Tim Vaughan.

3.50 (2m 179yd, hdle) 1, Malakahna (C J Todd,
7-2 fav); 2, La Renommee (15-2); 3, Addosh
(4-1). 10 ran. 1Ol, 2Kl. Ian Williams.
4.25 (2m 62yd, ch) 1, The Glancing Queen (Tom
Cannon, 8-13 fav); 2, Cut The Mustard (12-1); 3,
Alice Avril (11-4). 4 ran. 6l, 8Kl. A King.
5.00 (2m 179yd, flat) 1, Queens Gamble (J J
Burke, 16-1); 2, Mullenbeg (10-11 fav); 3, Sedge
Wren (14-1). 16 ran. NR: Coin Basket. 10l, 3l. O
Sherwood.
Placepot: £41.50.
Quadpot: £10.70.

Exeter
Going: good
4.40 (2m 161yd, hdle) 1, Kalma (D A Jacob,
10-1); 2, Lady Gwen (9-1); 3, Runwiththetide
(Evens fav). 13 ran. 2Nl, 6l. A King.
5.10 (3m 54yd, ch) 1, Dr Oakley (J M Davies,
13-2); 2, Baily Gorse (11-1); 3, Carrigready
(4-1). 9 ran. 5l, 3l. Henry Oliver.
5.40 (2m 2f 111yd, hdle) 1, Kolisi (F Gillard, 13-8
fav); 2, Exmoor Express (11-2); 3, Samatian
(12-1). 14 ran. NR: Fama Et Gloria, Grandee,
Start Point, Vinnie’s Icon. 3l, 2Nl. D Pipe.

6.10 (2m 3f 48yd, ch) 1, Red Happy (Phillip Armson, 9-4); 2, Kauto The King (15-2); 3, Destin
D’Ajonc (12-1). 5 ran. 7l, 57l. D Pipe.
6.40 (2m 7f 25yd, hdle) 1, Lake Shore Drive
(Brendan Powell, 8-1); 2, Miss Harriett (10-1);
3, Novus Aditus (14-1). ; 4, Lakeside Lad (15-2).
18 ran. NR: Patient Owner. 5Kl, hd. R G Hawker.
7.10 (3m 54yd, ch) 1, Port O’clock (D Edwards,
12-1); 2, Hadmeathello (5-1); 3, Knockmoylan
(Evens fav). 6 ran. NR: Hotel Du Nord, Lagonda,
Party Tunes. Ol, 41l. D Summersby.
7.40 (2m 161yd, flat) 1, Park This One
(G Sheehan, 6-1); 2, Waterloo Quay (15-2); 3,
Knockanore (3-1 fav). 13 ran. NR: Benville
Bridge, Keepitunderyourhat, Razzo Italiano.
2Kl, 4Ol. Jamie Snowden.
Placepot: £397.50.
Quadpot: £74.00.

Newmarket
Going: good
1.15 (7f) 1, Out From Under (R Kingscote, 8-11
fav); 2, Wodeton (9-2); 3, Morning Sun (13-2).
6 ran. 2Kl, nk. R Charlton.

1.50 (5f) 1, Tajalla (Andrea Atzeni, 11-8 fav); 2,
Fragrance (8-1); 3, Cheeky Maxi (10-3). 6 ran.
2Ol, 1Ol. R Varian.
2.25 (7f) 1, Tuscan (W Buick, 11-2); 2, Audience
(8-13 fav); 3, Anthem National (9-2). 6 ran. Ol,
1l. C Hills.
3.00 (1m) 1, Coase (Marco Ghiani, 9-2); 2, Intellogent (14-1); 3, Enigmatic (40-1). 10 ran. Sh hd,
Ol. M Wigham.
3.35 (1m 1f) 1, Eydon (David Egan, 22-1); 2,
Masekela (2-1 fav); 3, Austrian Theory (25-1). 6
ran. 3Nl, Ol. R Varian.
4.10 (7f) 1, Accidental Agent (Georgia Dobie,
13-2); 2, Above (9-1); 3, Dance Fever (9-4 fav).
6 ran. 2l, Kl. Eve Johnson Houghton.
4.45 (5f) 1, Twilight Calls (David Probert, 6-5
fav); 2, Look Out Louis (15-2); 3, Night On Earth
(9-1). 10 ran. 1l, Kl. H Candy.
Placepot: £521.80.
Quadpot: £295.60.

Ripon
Going: soft
1.00 (5f) 1, Star Of Lady M (D Tudhope, 10-11

fav); 2, Teatime Tipple (4-1); 3, Beach Breeze
(11-4). 5 ran. NR: Hour By Hour. 3Kl, 6Kl. D
O’Meara.
1.40 (6f) 1, Bay Breeze (D Allan, 7-2 fav); 2,
Moon Bay (17-2); 3, Emperor Caradoc (9-2). 10
ran. NR: Sterling Knight. 5l, 4l. T D Easterby.
2.15 (6f) 1, Fortamour (A Mullen, 5-2 fav); 2,
Shark Two One (6-1); 3, Golden Apollo (9-2). 9
ran. NR: Follow Your Heart. 2Nl, 2Kl. B Haslam.
2.50 (1m 1f 170yd) 1, Skycutter (Ryan Sexton,
11-8 jt-fav); 2, Wots The Wifi Code (11-8 jtfav); 3, Fairmac (9-2). 4 ran. NR: Fast Medicine.
2Nl, 2Nl. P A Kirby.
3.25 (1m) 1, Blenheim Boy (T Hamilton, 15-2);
2, Chief’s Will (14-1); 3, Government (5-1). 7
ran. 6Kl, hd. R A Fahey.
4.00 (1m 4f 10yd) 1, Trojan Horse (F Norton,
15-8); 2, Kincade (9-1); 3, Polyphonic (7-2). 5
ran. Ol, sh hd. M Johnston.
4.35 (1m) 1, Empirestateofmind (Ryan Sexton,
9-4 fav); 2, Challet (10-3); 3, Wizard D’Amour
(3-1). 9 ran. Ol, 3l. J J Quinn.
Placepot: £254.00.
Quadpot: £93.60.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

61

Racing Sport

Todd cleared to resume career
as a trainer after BHA hearing
Rob Wright Racing Editor

Sir Mark Todd has been cleared to
resume his training career after a
British Horseracing Authority (BHA)
disciplinary hearing held behind closed
doors in London yesterday.
Todd, 66, had his licence suspended
in February when a video emerged on
social media of him hitting a horse with
a branch to encourage it to enter a water
jump on a three-day event course.
While he has now turned his attention
to horse racing, with a small string at his
stables in Wiltshire, he is best-known as
an event rider, having won two
Olympic gold medals representing
New Zealand before retiring in 2019.
The disciplinary was chaired by
Brian Barker, who said: “The appropriate sentence is one of four months
suspension, with two months of that
deferred for two months. That means
that the eight weeks he has already
served is sufficient and that Sir Mark is
able to operate under his licence
immediately.”

Barker made it clear that while the
incident occurred on a premises that
was not under the jurisdiction of
racing, at a cross-country training
event in Scotland, Todd’s behaviour
still merited a ban.
“Sir Mark has held a trainers’
licence since 2019 so at the time
of his actions in August 2020, he
was bound by the Rules off
Racing,” Barker said. “While the
matter concerned the sport
of eventing, as a consequence of Sir Mark
being licensed by
the
BHA,
his
actions are capable of giving
rise to a breach of Rule J19
[conduct prejudicial to the
good reputation of racing].
“In the view of the
panel, the actions of Sir
Mark could not be condoned in any form.”
Todd is best-known as a dual gold
medal winner at the Olympics

T Marquand v113
8
(9) 453-16 MY OBERON 20 (P,T,D) W Haggas 5-9-5
108
D McMonagle
9 (11) 33-431 SAN ANDREAS 35 (D) J P O'Brien (Ire) 6-9-5
101
H Doyle
10 (8) 60/162 TEMPUS 20 (CD) A Watson 6-9-5
99
K Shoemark
11 (5) 3114-3 YOU'RE HIRED 49 (D) A Perrett 9-9-5
9-4 My Oberon, 6-1 La Tihaty, 7-1 San Andreas, 15-2 Amilcar, 8-1 Fort Payne, 10-1 Bless Him,
Tempus, 12-1 Imperial Sands, Freescape.

Newcastle
Rob Wright
1.30 Checkandchallenge
2.00 La Tihaty
2.35 Spycatcher
3.10 Tiber Flow
Going: standard
Draw: no advantage

1.30

3.45 Highfield Princess
4.15 Marshall Plan
4.45 Al Zaraqaan
Sky Sports Racing

Rob Wright’s choice: Checkandchallenge did well to overcome inexperience
to win on his debut at Wolverhampton
Danger Imperial Fighter

(2)
(10)
(3)
(7)
(6)
(4)
(1)

All-Weather Mile Championships
Conditions Stakes (£77,310: 1m) (11)
2131-4
62-336
206351
421-61
115-40
023-12
11-110

AMILCAR 34 (T) A G Botti (FR) 6-9-5
AYR HARBOUR 34 (C,D) M Appleby 5-9-5
BLESS HIM 18 (H,CD) D M Simcock 8-9-5
FORT PAYNE 45 (B,D) N Caullery (FR) 4-9-5
FREESCAPE 41 (D) D Marnane (Ire) 7-9-5
IMPERIAL SANDS 48 (BF,D) A Watson 4-9-5
LA TIHATY 34 (BF,D) R Varian 4-9-5

Rob Wright
2.10 Mountbatten
4.30 I’m Mable
2.45 Bobby On The Beat 5.00 Flintstone (nb)
3.20 Pips Tune
5.30 Merlin’s Beard
3.55 Trawlerman
Going: standard
Racing TV
Draw: 5f-1m, low numbers best

2.10

Maiden Stakes (£4,995: 7f) (11)

L Catton (7)
(4) 6/0 DWYFRAN 30 S C Williams 5-9-7
0 FLAG HIGH 14 (H) A Balding 3-9-0
C Hutchinson (5)
(3)
D MOUNTBATTEN 90 A Watson 3-9-0 Adam J McNamara
(6)
(9) 03- SECRET ARMY 137 (W) D Menuisier 3-9-0 S De Sousa
3 SONAIRT 37 H Spiller 3-8-12
S Donohoe
(11)
0- THE MOUSE KING 177 J Feilden 3-8-12
D E Hogan
(2)
TOOMEVARA Patrick Owens 3-8-12
L Steward
(8)
C Shepherd
(1) 232- MIZZEN YOU 141 R Guest 3-8-9
00 WHERESTHEBARBIL 17 A Watson 3-8-9
(10)
Laura Pearson (3)
0- INDIEANGELINA 156 Alice Haynes 3-8-7
10 (7)
T Hammer Hansen
11 (5) 042-0 STREAKY BAY 34 (H) J Chapple-Hyam 3-8-7 L Williams (7)
15-8 Mountbatten, 5-2 Mizzen You, 11-2 Secret Army, 8-1 Sonairt, 12-1 The
Mouse King, 14-1 Streaky Bay, 16-1 Indieangelina, Flag High.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

2.45

Handicap (£10,800: 7f) (8)

R L Moore
(5) 6400- RED MIRAGE 195 (CD) A Balding 4-9-7
P Cosgrave
(7) 0222- HIERONYMUS 223 (P,D) G Baker 6-9-7
(4) 26606 REVOLUTIONISE 16 (T,CD) S C Williams 6-9-5L Catton (7)
A Kirby
(6) 4310- SPANISH STAR 175 (BF,D) P Chamings 7-9-5
S De Sousa
(8) 15000 OSTILIO 3 (T,D) P McEntee 7-9-5
C Shepherd
(3) -3341 ARAMIS GREY 20 (C,D) R Guest 5-9-0
S Gray
(1) 0221- HELLO ZABEEL 219 (D) K Ryan 4-8-11
(2) 12042 BOBBY ON THE BEAT 30 (CD) P McEntee 4-8-2
Josephine Gordon
5-2 Hello Zabeel, 3-1 Aramis Grey, 4-1 Hieronymus, 7-1 Bobby On The Beat,
8-1 Spanish Star, 10-1 Red Mirage, 14-1 Revolutionise, 25-1 Ostilio.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

3.20

Handicap (£5,616: 1m 2f) (14)

5-020 KING'S CASTLE 19 (D) J Tuite 5-9-10
James Doyle
0-021 BOASTY 15 (V,CD) I Furtado 5-9-7
S Donohoe
-0100 IT'S A LOVE THING 17 J Butler 4-9-7
G Wood
11-55 PILLARS OF EARTH 16 (CD) W Stone 5-9-5
Laura Pearson (3)
5 (11) 5-415 SMOKEY MALONE 46 (B,CD) J Feilden 4-9-5 D E Hogan
R L Moore
6 (7) 132-0 CELESTIAL POINT 37 (D) G L Moore 4-9-5
A Kirby
7 (10) 36110 SAMMY SUNSHINE 8 R Menzies 4-9-5
1
2
3
4

(13)
(12)
(8)
(2)

ITV4

A Atzeni
A Rawlinson
J P Spencer
G Benoist
Oisin Orr
P Mulrennan
David Egan

Chelmsford

Betway All-Weather Sprint
ITV4
Championships Conditions Stakes
(£77,310: 6f) (14)

(Listed: 3-Y-O: £60,963: 1m) (6 runners)
1- CHECKANDCHALLENGE 141 W Knight 9-2
106
D Tudhope
1
(4)
K Stott v109
2
(1) 0123-1 DARK MOON RISING 15 (D) K Ryan 9-2
4135107
DUBAI
POET
174
R
Varian
9-2
A
Atzeni
3
(3)
103
T Marquand
4
(6) 612U- FLASH THE DASH 179 (C) J Camacho 9-2
105
D Probert
5
(5) 1225- IMPERIAL FIGHTER 174 A Balding 9-2
103
G Benoist
6
(2) 35-12 IMPLEMENTATION 38 (D) P & J Brandt (FR) 9-2
7-4 Imperial Fighter, 3-1 Dubai Poet, Dark Moon Rising, 6-1 Implementation, 12-1
Checkandchallenge, 25-1 Flash The Dash.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Wright choice: La Tihaty should be forgiven a poor run at Wolverhampton
as he was forced wide from a bad draw Dangers My Oberon, Bless Him

2.35

Coral Burradon Stakes

2.00

Having viewed the unedited version
of the video that appeared on social
media, Barker explained the
reasoning behind the panel’s ruling:
“The horse showed no sign of fear or
distress at any time; the welfare of
the horse in the footage does not
appear to have been compromised; Sir Mark is calm and
attempts to encourage the horse
to drop into the water having first
satisfied himself that the horse
was capable of doing so.
“The use of a light branch,
rather than a manufactured
whip, was not appropriate,
particularly
given
the
perception its use has
generated in some quarters.
That perception will have
d
damaged
the good reputation
of racing.”
Todd attended the hearing but
made no comment. He could
have runners as early as
Wednesday, when he has made
two entries at Lingfield Park.

105
106
103
99
94
102
109

G Benoist
1 (10) 1532-1 BOUTTEMONT 38 (T,D) Y Barberot (FR) 4-9-5
T Marquand
2
(9) 451-33 EDRAAK 80 (CD) M Appleby 6-9-5
David Egan
3 (12) 3-5531 EJTILAAB 20 (CD) C Fellowes 6-9-5
D Probert
4
(8) 24-640 EXALTED ANGEL 34 (D) K Burke 6-9-5
R Dawson
5
(6) 1-3320 GOOD EFFORT 20 (P,C,D) I Mohammed 7-9-5
R Whelan
6
(7) -00001 HARRY'S BAR 23 (P,T,D) A McGuinness (Ire) 7-9-5
P Mulrennan
7 (14) 1325-2 JUDICIAL 45 (BF,CD) J Camacho 10-9-5
P-L Jamin
8
(3) 12-120 LORD OF THE LODGE 41 (CD) K Burke 5-9-5
K Shoemark
9
(4) 422-34 MAY SONIC 27 (D) C Hills 6-9-5
1-2523
MONDAMMEJ
20
(H,CD)
A
Brittain
5-9-5
C Hardie
10 (1)
J Fanning
11 (5) 31-441 SOLDIER'S MINUTE 48 (H,D) K Dalgleish 7-9-5
C Lee
12 (13) 0123-1 SPYCATCHER 69 (D) K Burke 4-9-5
C Beasley
13 (11) 005-11 VENTUROUS 45 (CD) D & N Barron 9-9-5
C Rodriguez
14 (15) 55-101 VOLATILE ANALYST 20 (H,D) K Dalgleish 5-9-5
9-2 Ejtilaab, 6-1 Spycatcher, 7-1 Volatile Analyst, 8-1 Harry's Bar, 10-1 others.

Wright choice: Spycatcher landed a listed race at Lingfield Park last time;
he remains unexposed over this trip
Dangers Ejtilaab, Edraak
The following horses are blinkered for the first time today: Chelmsford
City 3.55 Nao Da Mais; 5.00 They Don’t Know, Mizmar. Lingfield 3.30 One
Last Dance. Newcastle 2.00 Fort Payne.

W Cox (3)
8 (6) -5436 BAYSTON HILL 34 (P,CD) M Usher 8-9-4
S De Sousa
9 (14) 00-30 ALAFDHAL 36 (H) P McEntee 4-9-4
10 (5) 1230- FLOWER OF THUNDER 178 (D) C Dunnett 5-9-1R Kingscote
H Crouch
11 (3) -6612 NO SUCH LUCK 44 (H,T,D) R Ingram 5-9-1
C Hutchinson (5)
12 (1) -1121 PIPS TUNE 8 (CD) J G O'Shea 4-9-1
R Havlin
13 (4) 23-03 ZEFFERINO 13 (T,C) M Bosley 8-8-13
T Heard (5)
14 (9) 0000- GRAFFA 172 C Dunnett 4-8-3
10-3 Pips Tune, 4-1 Boasty, 13-2 No Such Luck, 10-1 Zefferino, Smokey
Malone, Pillars Of Earth, Sammy Sunshine, 12-1 Flower Of Thunder.

3.55

Handicap (£15,462: 1m 2f) (8)

D E Hogan
1 (1) 0035- NAO DA MAIS 132 (B) M Botti 6-9-7
R L Moore
2 (6) 1303- INIGO JONES 237 (CD) Sir M Stoute 4-9-6
James Doyle
3 (7) /316- TRAWLERMAN 357 J & T Gosden 4-9-5
A Kirby
4 (8) 403/2 U S S MICHIGAN 70 J Ferguson 6-9-5
5 (2) 5311- FOREST FALCON 211 (D) C & M Johnston 4-9-2R Kingscote
J F Egan
6 (4) 22-06 ALBA ROSE 59 (H) C & M Johnston 4-9-1
7 (5) 3305- GROUP ONE POWER 216 A Balding 5-8-12 S De Sousa
C Shepherd
8 (3) 0-421 PREJUDICE 18 (P,D) D M Simcock 6-8-10
7-2 Trawlerman, 4-1 U S S Michigan, 9-2 Prejudice, Inigo Jones, 11-2 Forest
Falcon, 7-1 Group One Power, 14-1 Nao Da Mais, 25-1 Alba Rose.

4.30

Handicap (£5,616: 5f) (8)

1 (7) -2633 STORM MELODY 15 (B,CD) A Stronge 9-9-10 R Havlin
R L Moore
2 (2) 1414- I'M MABLE 114 (CD) Darryll Holland 4-9-7
Molly Presland (7)
3 (8) 00364 PORFIN 7 (P,D) P McEntee 4-9-6
26535
SHAMSHON
15
(CD)
S
C
Williams
11-9-3
L
Atzori (7)
4 (4)
S De Sousa
5 (1) 01333 AMASOVA 34 (D) Alice Haynes 4-9-0
S Gray
6 (6) 0-200 EEH BAH GUM 52 (W,D) K Ryan 7-9-0
7 (5) 51103 BLACKCURRENT 14 (P,BF,D) A Brown 6-8-11Paula Muir (3)
8 (3) 36140 YOU'RE COOL 35 (T,V,CD) D Shaw 10-8-11Laura Pearson (3)
10-3 Blackcurrent, 7-2 I'm Mable, 4-1 Amasova, 5-1 Storm Melody, 15-2
Porfin, 10-1 You're Cool, 12-1 Eeh Bah Gum, 14-1 Shamshon.

5.00

107
108
v117
103
107
112
107
110
103
104
107
110
106
103

Handicap (3-Y-O: £6,696: 1m) (11)

R Havlin
1 (2) 4-425 MIZMAR 35 (B) J & T Gosden 9-10
2 (10) 633- COURT OF SESSION 162 S & E Crisford 9-9 James Doyle
3 (8) 622-2 THEY DON'T KNOW 15 (B,E,T) Darryll Holland 9-9T Heard (5)
C Shepherd
4 (11) 050- CHEQUER SQUARE 109 S C Williams 9-7
5 (5) 4323- MACKENZIE ROSE 213 C & M Johnston 9-6 R Kingscote
P Dobbs
6 (1) 6300- SANDY PARADISE 179 R Hannon 9-6
A Kirby
7 (4) 003-0 OCTOPUS 11 K P De Foy 9-6
D E Hogan
8 (3) 644- QUEEN'S COMPANY 142 J Feilden 9-5
Laura Pearson (3)
9 (9) 5-05 ISLE OF HOPE 74 D P Quinn 9-2
R L Moore
10 (6) 006-2 FLINTSTONE 9 R Hannon 9-2
S De Sousa
11 (7) 30164 SHORTS ON 36 P McEntee 9-1
10-3 Flintstone, 4-1 Court Of Session, 9-2 Mizmar, 6-1 Mackenzie Rose, They
Don't Know, 12-1 Queen's Company, 16-1 Chequer Square, Octopus, Shorts On.

5.30

3.10

There is over £1 million in prize money
on offer at Newcastle for all-weather
finals day and Al Zaraqaan can claim
the featured Easter Classic (4.45).
This gelding boasts a fine record on
the all-weather, winning four of his
seven starts in this sphere, and he was a
little unlucky not to land a listed race at
Kempton Park last time.
He stumbled coming out of the stalls
there, which meant that he was unable
to take up his usual front-running role,
and he then pulled harder than ideal as
a result. In the circumstances he did
really well to be beaten just a nose by
Living Legend in a driving finish.
Likely to revert to more prominent
tactics here, he can reverse that form
with Living Legend. At around 10-1,
Al Zaraqaan rates better value than hot
favourite Tyrrhenian Sea, who was
desperately unlucky in a handicap at
Kempton but steps up in class here.
Tiber Flow can maintain his unbeaten record in the Coral Conditions
Stakes (3.10). He gave My Dubawi 6lb
and a beating at Southwell last month,

Coral 3 Year Old All-Weather
ITV4
Championships Conditions Stakes

4.15

Wright choice: Tiber Flow easily beat My Dubawi at Southwell and this
drop in distance should not be a problem Dangers Super Khali, El Caballo

3.45

so should have little to fear from that
rival on level terms here, while the way
that Tiber Flow travels suggests that
this return to six furlongs will not be a
problem.
The Betway Conditions Stakes (2.35)
can go to Spycatcher. He appreciated a
drop to this trip when winning a listed
race at Lingfield last time and he is less
exposed than most of his rivals here.
Al Ameen should offer some value in
the Coral All-Weather Vase Handicap
(2.55) at Lingfield Park. A winner at
Southwell in January, he then ran a
cracker when second to War In Heaven
over this course and distance, especially considering that the slow early pace
would not have suited him.
That form has worked out well, with
the winner following up on his next
start, while a drop to five furlongs was
too sharp for Al Ameen when he was
second at Wolverhampton last time.
Back up in distance and with several
front-runners in opposition to ensure a
true test, Al Ameen can make the most
of what looks a lenient handicap mark.
He rates the best bet of the day at the
12-1 generally on offer.
Betway All-Weather Marathon
ITV4
Championships Conditions Stakes
(£77,310: 2m) (12)

121 ANNAF 28 (CD) M Appleby 9-5
89
T Ladd
1
(1)
C Lee v101
2
(8) 211-11 EL CABALLO 41 (CD) K Burke 9-5
94
N Callan
3
(4) 012-13 GOLDEN WARRIOR 37 (D) M Botti 9-5
95
D Tudhope
4
(7) 011-14 KABOO 37 (BF,C,D) K Burke 9-5
98
J Fanning
5
(9) 61-121 MY DUBAWI 20 C & M Johnston 9-5
77
R Dawson
6
(5) 6-211 SHOW MAKER 18 (P,T,CD) I Mohammed 9-5
011- SPACE COWBOY 178 (CD) R Spencer 9-5
91
H Doyle
7
(6)
93
A Atzeni
8 (10) 134-11 SUPER KHALI 15 (P,D) A G Botti (FR) 9-5
1-11 TIBER FLOW 41 (CD) W Haggas 9-5
96
T Marquand
9
(2)
90
M Ghiani
10 (3) 6-2161 WYVERN 29 (D) S C Williams 9-5
13-8 El Caballo, 3-1 Tiber Flow, 5-1 Space Cowboy, 8-1 Kaboo, 14-1 My Dubawi, 16-1 Golden Warrior,
Super Khali, 20-1 Wyvern.

Coral All-Weather Fillies' And
ITV4
Mares' Championships Conditions
Stakes (£77,310: 7f) (7)

102
1 (12) 2311 EARLOFTHECOTSWOLDS 34 (D) N Twiston-Davies 8-9-5 L Keniry
103
2
(4) 002-02 GRANDMASTER FLASH 53 (T,D) J P O'Brien (Ire) 6-9-5 D McMonagle
95
H Burns
3
(7) -42361 HALIMI 6 (P) S & E Crisford 6-9-5
81
C Beasley
4
(9) 15-211 KHILWAFY 51 (CD) D Thompson 6-9-5
42-231
98
NATE THE GREAT 43 (CD) A Balding 6-9-5
D Probert
5
(2)
H Doyle v105
6
(1) 402-10 RAINBOW DREAMER 69 (P,D) A King 9-9-5
95
P Mulrennan
7
(6) 1-3313 SIR CHAUVELIN 20 (C) J Goldie 10-9-5
103
K Shoemark
8 (11) 0623-1 SLEEPING LION 69 (D) H & R Charlton 7-9-5
92
G Lee
9 (10) 21-415 WISE EAGLE 31 (P,BF,CD) A Nicol 5-9-5
99
L Dettori
10 (5) 20422- MARSHALL PLAN 120 (P,T) J & T Gosden 4-9-3
91
N Callan
11 (8) 014-14 MOLIWOOD 20 (B,C,D) M Botti 4-9-3
92
12 (3) 21-222 ONESMOOTHOPERATOR 43 (BF,C) B Ellison 4-9-3 B Robinson
3-1 Sleeping Lion, 9-2 Earlofthecotswolds, 5-1 Rainbow Dreamer, Marshall Plan, 10-1 Nate The
Great, Grandmaster Flash, 16-1 Halimi, Sir Chauvelin, Onesmoothoperator, Moliwood.

Wright choice: Marshall Plan was beaten a nose at Chelmsford in December;
this longer trip could suit
Dangers Onesmoothoperator, Sleeping Lion

4.45

Betway Easter Classic All-Weather ITV4
Middle Distance Championships
Conditions Stakes (£103,080: 1m 2f) (6)

102
T Marquand
1
(3) 13-210 AROUSING 30 (BF) W Haggas 4-9-0
85
J P Spencer
2
(2) 1-203 DUBAI LADY 13 (H,C) G Boughey 4-9-0
87
D Probert
3
(5) 41-410 FAUVETTE 34 (D) R Guest 5-9-0
J Hart v104
4
(1) 36-352 HIGHFIELD PRINCESS 27 (D) J J Quinn 5-9-0
104
5
(6) 111-10 INTERNATIONALANGEL 34 (CD) J Chapple-Hyam 5-9-0 H Doyle
97
L Dettori
6
(4) 311164 KHATWAH 27 (H,T,D) M Appleby 4-9-0
93
N Callan
7
(7) 305-51 RISING STAR 36 (C,D) M Botti 4-9-0
15-8 Highfield Princess, 9-4 Internationalangel, 6-1 Arousing, Rising Star, 7-1 Fauvette, 20-1
Khatwah, 33-1 Dubai Lady.

106
H Doyle
1
(3) 4-1462 AL ZARAQAAN 20 (B,CD) A Watson 5-9-5
105
G Benoist
2
(5) 63-531 CHARLESQUINT 24 Y Barberot (FR) 5-9-5
N Callan v111
3
(2) 633-50 FELIX 20 (P,T,D) M Botti 6-9-5
106
J Fanning
4
(4) 13-331 LIVING LEGEND 20 (D) C & M Johnston 6-9-5
109
A Atzeni
5
(1) 1-114 TYRRHENIAN SEA 44 (BF,C) R Varian 4-9-5
107
T Marquand
6
(6) 0-3230 UNITED FRONT 20 (C,D) M Appleby 5-9-5
4-5 Tyrrhenian Sea, 5-1 Living Legend, 7-1 United Front, 8-1 Al Zaraqaan, 10-1 Felix, 12-1
Charlesquint.

Wright choice: Highfield Princess should have been sharpened up by a
recent run over five furlongs at Wolverhampton
Danger Arousing

Wright choice: Al Zaraqaan missed the break when as close second at
Kempton and is capable of better
Danger Tyrrhenian Sea

Handicap (£9,396: 2m) (7)

Lingfield Park
Rob Wright
1.15 Obsidian Knight
3.30 Sayifyouwill
1.45 Honor And Pleasure 4.00 Invincibly
2.20 Crimson Sand
4.35 Menai Bridge
2.55 Al Ameen (nap)
Going: standard
Sky Sports Racing
Draw: 5f-1m, low numbers best

Handicap (£23,399: 1m 4f) (16)

G Rooke
1 (12) 6-000 BUGLE MAJOR 39 (P) R Hughes 7-9-12
2 (1) 53-54 NAPPER TANDY 31 (D) A Balding 4-9-12Harry Davies (7)
3 (6) 11-22 PALLAS DANCER 30 (P,BF,D) B Ellison 5-9-12 H Russell
R Clutterbuck
4 (14) 4-326 JUST IN TIME 30 (P,D) A King 8-9-12
Joanna Mason
5 (9) 11440 ATHMAD 13 R Carr 6-9-11
C Noble
6 (10) 0-243 AFFWONN 31 Alexandra Dunn 5-9-11
7 (5) 1-130 NO TROUBLE 21 (T,D) J McConnell (Ire) 6-9-10O Stammers
G Bass (3)
8 (11) 32421 KOEMAN 8 (CD) M Channon 8-9-10(4ex)
S Osborne
9 (15) 2-112 RED FLYER 17 (CD) J Best & K Jewell 4-9-8
10 (4) -3224 THREE PLATOON 13 (T) R Menzies 4-9-8Ryan Sexton (5)
Grace McEntee
11 (8) -2215 BAKERSBOY 8 (C) P McEntee 4-9-8
12 (3) 25-15 OBSIDIAN KNIGHT 41 (BF,CD) T Kent 4-9-7 L Kent (7)
13 (7) -2143 CRIMSON KING 57 (V,CD) M Appleby 6-9-6 B Sayette (5)
Georgia Dobie
14(16) -3135 RAZDAN 23 (H,T,D) C D Timmons 4-9-5
C Murtagh
15(13) 32-13 WHITE WILLOW 3 R Fahey 4-9-5
J Fisher (3)
16 (2) 55000 STARRY EYES 9 (C) A Carson 6-8-13
9-2 Koeman, 6-1 Pallas Dancer, Red Flyer, 10-1 Razdan, 12-1 others

1.45

Rob Wright

(3-Y-O: £77,310: 6f) (10)

James Doyle
1 (4) 356-2 ORIN SWIFT 63 J Portman 8-9-11
2 (7) 4544- REVEREND HUBERT 175 (B) R Hannon 4-9-10 P Dobbs
R L Moore
3 (1) 1111- MERLIN'S BEARD 209 R Hughes 4-9-9
4 (6) 3-311 MAN OF RIDDLES 13 (D) D M Simcock 4-9-8 C Shepherd
D E Hogan
5 (2) 21132 PRINCE ABU 41 (H,D) D Shaw 5-9-2
S De Sousa
6 (3) 0-333 SECOND KINGDOM 15 P McEntee 4-9-1
J F Egan
7 (5) 13-22 LOVE POEMS 15 (P,C) Dr J Scargill 5-8-10
5-2 Man Of Riddles, 3-1 Merlin's Beard, 10-3 Prince Abu, 13-2 Love Poems,
10-1 Orin Swift, 12-1 Second Kingdom, Reverend Hubert.

1.15

Al Zaraqaan could be tough
to pass in Easter Classic

Handicap (£33,501: 2m) (9)

1 (1) 14-11 HONOR AND PLEASURE 32 (T) A G Botti (FR) 5-9-10
W Buick
2 (4) 13213 PROTECTED GUEST 9 (BF,C) G Margarson 7-9-9T P Queally
3 (8) -4255 KING'S ADVICE 6 (V,BF,C) C & M Johnston 8-9-8F Norton
4 (2) 1-310 AUTHOR'S DREAM 30 (V,CD) W Knight 9-9-7 D Muscutt
B Curtis
5 (7) 6-632 FAIR STAR 31 B Ellison 6-9-5
6 (3) -3124 PROGRESSIVE 32 N Henderson 5-8-12 O Stammers (3)

G Downing
7 (9) -4335 WINKLEVI 13 P Evans 7-8-11
L Morris
8 (6) -3512 CATBIRD SEAT 7 (BF) A King 5-8-5
G Rooke (3)
9 (5) 6-243 SEA OF CHARM 34 (C) H Dunlop 4-8-3
11-4 Honor And Pleasure, 9-2 Protected Guest, Fair Star, 8-1 others.

2.20

Betway All-Weather Vase ITV4
Sprint Handicap (£33,501: 6f) (12)

Rossa Ryan
1 (12) /1-12 TOMMY DE VITO 20 (D) C Hills 5-9-7
F Norton
2 (4) 43-13 IF YOU DARE 48 (D) C & M Johnston 4-9-5
L Morris
3 (8) 45-00 MIGHTY GURKHA 14 (B,CD) A Watson 4-9-5
D Muscutt
4 (11) 6-061 MULZIM 50 M Murphy 8-9-4
5 (10) 21152 WHITTLE LE WOODS 14 (P,BF,D) M Appleby 4-9-4
Harry Davies (7)
W Buick
6 (5) 4-242 CRIMSON SAND 41 (P,CD) R Hughes 4-9-3
06-21
JACK'S
POINT
42
(CD)
A
Carroll
6-9-3
G Downing
7 (6)
S James
8 (7) 52432 SHALLOW HAL 6 (V,D) K Burke 6-9-3
J Watson
9 (9) -0636 MUSCIKA 14 (V,CD) D O'Meara 8-9-3
10 (2) 11535 ASADJUMEIRAH 14 (T,D) A Brittain 4-9-2 H Russell (3)
11 (1) 02022 INFLECTION POINT 14 (V,D) A McGuinness (Ire) 6-9-1
C J MacRedmond (5)
J Crowley
12 (3) -0003 COUNT OTTO 30 (B,CD) A Perrett 7-9-0
5-1 Tommy de Vito, 11-2 Whittle Le Woods, 6-1 If You Dare, Crimson Sand,
8-1 Jack's Point, 10-1 Asadjumeirah, Shallow Hal, 12-1 Mighty Gurkha.

Wright choice: Crimson Sand was forced wide on the home
turn here last time Dangers Asadjumeirah, Count Otto

2.55

Coral All-Weather Vase
ITV4
Three-Year-Old Handicap
(3-Y-O: £23,399: 6f) (12)

L Morris
1 (9) 113 FLY TO GLORY 13 (BF,D) A Watson 9-7
G Downing
2 (3) 02-46 NEPTUNE LEGEND 89 (H) A Carroll 9-5
A Mullen
3 (7) 25511 RESILIENCE 44 (D) A Carroll 9-5
R Coakley
4 (10) 3-121 VESPASIAN 55 (C,D) S & E Crisford 9-5
J Mitchell
5 (6) 3-21 ZAMEKA 83 R Varian 9-3
S James
6 (4) 221- AASSER 109 (D) K Burke 9-2
7 (11) 21-35 AMANDA HUG'N'KISS 34 (BF) S C Williams 9-0D Muscutt
C Bennett
8 (5) 42-12 RED SHOWGIRL 39 (P,C,D) A Watson 9-0
B Curtis
9 (12) 6-122 AL AMEEN 67 (BF) G Boughey 8-13
10 (8) 25221 FORM OF PRAISE 23 (P,D) A McGuinness (Ire) 8-13
C J MacRedmond (5)
11 (2) 221-2 LEAP ABROAD 96 (T,BF,D) P & O Cole 8-11 M Tabti (7)
12 (1) 0133 CLASE AZUL ULTRA 15 (BF) R Hannon 8-11 Rossa Ryan
7-2 Zameka, 5-1 Vespasian, 7-1 Aasser, 8-1 Form Of Praise, 10-1 Al Ameen,
Fly To Glory, Leap Abroad, 12-1 Clase Azul Ultra, Resilience, Red Showgirl.

Wright choice: Al Ameen can swoop late off what is likely
to be a strong pace Dangers Clase Azul Ultra, Form Of Praise

3.30

Handicap (£23,399: 7f) (12)

1 (5) -5312 AMBER ISLAND 27 (CD) D Loughnane 5-9-7 Rossa Ryan

0-111 EPSOM FAITHFULL 44 (CD) P Phelan 5-9-6R Clutterbuck (3)
21-23 ISOLA ROSSA 74 (CD) J Fanshawe 4-9-3
D Muscutt
2-14 EX GRATIA 45 J Chapple-Hyam 4-9-2
L Morris
-4353 CRY HAVOC 27 (D) R Guest 5-9-1
B Curtis
0-111 SAYIFYOUWILL 13 (CD) A Perrett 4-9-1
R Hornby
1-544 VERREAUX EAGLE 13 (D) E Dunlop 4-8-13
W Buick
2-320 ALGHEED 83 (CD) M Loughnane 4-8-12
J Mitchell
600-5 SEPARATE 27 (W,V,D) J Camacho 5-8-7
F Norton
2264- ONE LAST DANCE 116 (B) R Hughes 4-8-7 G Rooke (3)
3-351 MISS BELLA BRAND 16 (CD) Mrs I G-Leveque 4-8-2
Georgia Dobie (3)
12 (9) 4-304 GYPSY WHISPER 71 (P,D) S Dixon 5-8-2 K Schofield (5)
3-1 Isola Rossa, 9-2 Epsom Faithfull, 5-1 Amber Island, 11-2 others.

2 (11)
3 (6)
4 (12)
5 (8)
6 (1)
7 (4)
8 (2)
9 (10)
10 (3)
11 (7)

4.00

All-Weather Vase Mile
Handicap (£33,501: 1m) (12)

ITV4

W Buick
1 (4) 2-500 KARIBANA 44 (P) R Hughes 5-9-7
D Muscutt
2 (11) 131-5 MOBASHR 83 (H,CD) M Botti 4-9-7
Rossa Ryan
3 (3) 40-63 ON A SESSION 68 D & N Barron 6-9-6
S M Levey
4 (9) 0-123 DINGLE 29 (C,D) R Hannon 4-9-5
5 (5) 1-123 TOTALLY CHARMING 83 (BF,D) G Boughey 4-9-4B Curtis
D Keenan
6 (8) 1-135 SHOOT TO KILL 48 (CD) R Brisland 5-9-2
A Mullen
7 (2) 1-402 LEQUINTO 38 (D) A Carroll 5-9-1
J Watson
8 (7) -1336 STAR SHIELD 20 (P,D) D O'Meara 7-9-1
9 (6) 0-111 PROCLAIMER 9 (D) J Camacho 5-9-0(5ex)O McSweeney (5)
S James
10 (1) 130-4 INVINCIBLY 20 (D) K Burke 4-8-12
R Hornby
11(10) -4040 LORD NEIDIN 9 (T,D) S C Williams 5-8-12
12(12) 13640 MYKONOS ST JOHN 19 (P,CD) S Dixon 5-8-11J Fisher (5)
5-1 Proclaimer, 6-1 Karibana, 7-1 On A Session, Mobashr, 8-1 Shoot To Kill,
Dingle, Totally Charming, 10-1 Star Shield.

Wright choice: Invincibly needed the run at Doncaster after
a four-month break
Dangers Dingle, Totally Charming

4.35

Handicap (£33,501: 1m 2f) (14)

D Keenan
1 (1) 00501 PISTOLETTO 9 (P,C,D) J Ryan 5-9-9(5ex)
2 (12) -2130 BOWERMAN 20 A McGuinness (Ire) 8-9-7C J MacRedmond (5)
J Watson
3 (10) 2-212 BALDOMERO 34 (D) M Appleby 4-9-3
W Buick
4 (4) 221-3 PRETTY SWEET 83 G Boughey 4-9-2
J Crowley
5 (8) 12-13 SUMMIT STAR 49 (BF) S Lavery (Ire) 4-9-2
B Sayette (7)
6 (13) 10412 LAMMAS 13 D Loughnane 5-9-1
Harry Davies (7)
7 (14) 0-121 CIVIL LAW 38 (T,D) R Teal 5-9-1
8 (11) -0555 ANYTHINGTODAY 19 (P,CD) G Boughey 8-8-12 B Curtis
Rossa Ryan
9 (7) -2211 FOUNTAIN CROSS 29 A King 4-8-10
10 (3) 32113 ENFRANCHISE 51 (CD) C & M Johnston 4-8-10A Breslin (3)
C Fallon
11 (9) 1-310 MENAI BRIDGE 13 (BF,CD) C Hills 4-8-10
12 (6) -4226 PRECISION STORM 20 M Loughnane 5-8-7 S Cherchi (3)
R Tart
13 (2) -5111 DEMBE 37 (C) B Johnson 4-8-7
L Morris
14 (5) 1-410 HATHLOOL 19 (D) M Appleby 4-8-4
11-2 Baldomero, 6-1 Pretty Sweet, 15-2 Fountain Cross, 8-1 others.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

62

Sport Tennis
JOHN G. MABANGLO/EPA

How Briton will have to adapt
Serve
Raducanu used her serve
to great effect at last year’s
US Open but she has
struggled for speed on it
this season. This is not so
important on the slower
clay surface as the serve is
less dominant, but
placement is still crucial.
Some kick on the second
serve can help to spin the
ball up high.
Return
This is a particular
stren
strength of
Rad
Raducanu’s game,
tho
though she will
ha
have to adjust to
th
the increased
h
height at which
th
the serve will
co
come at her,
so
sometimes up
at her shoulders.
Win
Winners off the
retur
return will be
h
arde to come by
harder
a
nd she will have to
and
tthink
hink more about where
sshe
he places th
the ball.

The slowest surface

Forehand
Normally this is a powerful
and instinctive strike that
sends the ball on a flat
trajectory over the net. This
will not be so effective on a
clay court, so Raducanu will
have to consider using
more top spin and angles to
change the pace and build
the point. The occasional
moonball — a shot hit high
like a lob — can help her in
defence.

How the four grand slams compared
last year. The court pace index is a
measure of the difference in the
speed of the ball before impact with
the court and the speed at which it
leaves the surface.
Australian Open (hard)
37.4
French Open (clay)
27.4
Wimbledon (grass)
37.8

Backhand
Similar adjustments to the
forehand are required.
Raducanu likes to dictate

US Open (hard)
43.5

play with her two-handed
backhand but will also have
to consider mixing it up
with some slice and a drop
shot when opponents are
well behind the baseline.
Movement
This is an area that players
with little experience of a
clay court initially find
challenging. Raducanu
prefers to play her shots
from around the baseline
but she will often be taken
out of her comfort zone
when the high bounce
pushes her back several
metres. Sliding into the shot
is also a skill that she has
not used on hard or grass
courts.
Fitness
Raducanu’s stamina has
been an issue recently after
a bout of Covid-19
disrupted her pre-season
training block. This is rather
ominous considering that
clay is regarded as the most
gruelling of the tennis
surfaces. The rallies are
often long and three-set
matches regularly last more
than three hours.
Mentality
Patience is key. It will
perhaps be frustrating for
Raducanu when shots that
would be winners on other
surfaces are being
returned. She must think
ahead and build the point
to create the opportunity
for a winner five shots into
the rally. She is a quick
learner, though, and a
reduction in expectation
during the next two months
will also help.

The 19-year-old has enjoyed success on hard courts, most notably at the 2021 US Open, above, but has been practising on the slower surface for two weeks, inset, in preparation for the Billie Jean King Cup

Raducanu finding her feet on clay
Stuart Fraser
Tennis
Correspondent,
Prague

Sliding around a clay court for the first
time in four years has already taken its
toll on Emma Raducanu. “I have no
toenails,” the US Open champion
said yesterday after a punishing
two weeks of practice on the red
stuff.
“I think we’re all scarred by
Emma’s toes,” Anne Keothavong, the Great Britain
Billie Jean King Cup
captain,
interjected
lightheartedly. The
smile on her face
indicated that there
is thankfully no
concern that the
issue will have any
impact on the participation of her
leading player in
this
weekend’s
qualifier away to
the Czech
Republic.
This side effect off
Dart joins a team who
are all 25 and under

playing tennis on the clay is another
new experience for Raducanu, 19, as she
prepares to compete in her first professional match on the surface. With a layer of red brick dust on top, players can
slide at full force across the court to play
a shot, resulting in friction between the
shoe and the toenails.
It will be intriguing to see how Raducanu performs against Tereza Martincova, the world No 50, today. Not only is
this the first time she has contested a
match on clay since a first-round
defeat in the 2018 junior French
Open, it also marks a first appearance for her country in the
largest annual women’s international team sports competition. A place in November’s
finals is at stake.
The slow and gruelling nature of clay does not naturally suit Raducanu’s attacking
game, though there is some
early encouragement in the
way she has talked up her
ffuture prospects on the surface. Inspiration should be taken
from Maria Sharapova, who
once famously described herself
as a “cow on ice” at the French
Open before eventually going
on to win the tournament twice
in 2012 and 2014. Johanna Konta
also memorably turned around
her fortunes on clay in 2019
when she reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

Billie Jean King Cup schedule
Today
from 11:30am
Marketa Vondrousova (world No 32)
v Harriet Dart (No 101)
Tereza Martincova (No 50)
v Emma Raducanu (No 12)
Tomorrow
from 10:30am
Vondrousova v Raducanu
Martincova v Dart
Marie Bouzkova (No 78) and Linda
Fruhvirtova (No 170) v Katie Swan
(No 221) and Sonay Kartal (No 370)
Television
Live on BBC red button/online

“Of course it’s early days right now,”
Raducanu said. “I’m definitely learning
and I feel this could be one of my
strongest surfaces.
“I like the moving aspect and I do
enjoy sliding. I feel like I have got a lot
more potential physically. After spending more time on this surface, I’m sure
I’ll time it better and learn more about
the surface. I am looking forward to
spending more time on clay.”
To get to grips with the surface,
Raducanu travelled to northern Italy
two weeks ago and has spent several
days training at the academy owned by
Sharapova’s former coach, Riccardo
Piatti. It prompted speculation that
Raducanu might be considering replac-

ing her present coach, Torben Beltz,
after only four months together, but
she quickly played down that suggestion.
“Torben had been travelling for
weeks and weeks and he went on holiday with his kids,” Raducanu said. “Of
course he needed that family time. So I
thought I might as well take the opportunity to go to Italy and spend some
more time on the dirt. The team [at the
Piatti academy] have a good set-up. It
was just a good experience really to see
how other places operate.”
At least Raducanu seems in better
spirits than the last time we saw her.
After a second-round defeat at the
Miami Open last month, she appeared
distraught in the post-match press conference and could barely look the questioners in the eye.
Spending time with her compatriots
in recent days has had a reinvigorating
effect, as has a game called Murder in
which each member of the team has to
trick someone else into holding an object in a particular location. For example, Sonay Kartal, the world No 370, was
eliminated by the team’s security guard
when she was coerced into picking up a
dartboard in the hotel.
“It’s very nice because tennis is such
an individual sport,” Raducanu said. “I
just love being in this team environment and we have these games that
keep going throughout the day. Everything just amounts to a really nice
atmosphere.”

Despite Raducanu’s status as the
highest-ranked player in action at the
Cesky Lawn Tennis Klub — a unique
venue located on a small island in the
Vltava River, which flows through the
centre of Prague — Britain are the
underdogs in this best-of-five-match
tie.
The Czechs are missing their best
three players in Barbora Krejcikova, the
reigning French Open champion,
Karolina Pliskova, the former world
No 1, and Petra Kvitova, the two-times
Wimbledon winner, but have an abundance of depth with eight players in the
world’s top 100 to Britain’s one. Marketa
Vondrousova, the world No 32 who finished runner-up at Roland Garros in
2019, leads the hosts.
As the names were pulled out of the
hat at yesterday’s draw — touchingly
performed by a six-year-old Ukrainian
refugee who is now living with his
family in makeshift accommodation at
a local tennis centre — there was the
sense that the British team are entering
a new era in this competition. With
Konta retired and Heather Watson
absent to focus on individual tournaments, Raducanu, Kartal, Harriet Dart
and Katie Swan make up a foursome
that are all aged 25 and under.
“This is a young team,” Keothavong
said. “It feels like a fresh start in some
ways for me as captain. I hope the four
players you see in front of you are part
of this Billie Jean King Cup team in the
years to come.”

the times | Friday April 15 2022

63

LV= County Championship Sport

Classy Pope ton
sends England
timely reminder
Surrey v Hampshire
Kia Oval (first day of four; Hampshire
won toss): Surrey have scored 312 for
three wickets
Mark Baldwin

Back on his beloved Oval turf, Ollie
Pope yesterday put a miserable Ashes
winter behind him with a brilliant
unbeaten 113 while also helping Surrey
to make Hampshire pay dearly for opting to bowl first in summer-like temperatures.
Pope began the match boasting a
Donald Bradman-esque first-class
average of 99.94 at Surrey’s headquarters — an extraordinary statistic across
17 previous appearances and 23 innings
on the ground — and more than lived
up to that billing.
At 24, he remains one of England’s
brightest batting prospects, despite his
travails at international level — in 23
Tests he averages only 28.66 and, in
Australia last winter, he scored only 67
runs in six Test innings.
Yesterday’s poised and purposeful
knock, however, came after making 58
at Warwickshire in last week’s seasonopening draw and Pope, who also averages above 50 in all first-class cricket,
knows a prolific April and May may
well earn him a recall to the Test team
after being dropped for the 1-0 series

defeat against the West Indies last
month.
Here there were drives, clips and late
cuts galore after Pope arrived in the
38th over, Ryan Patel having pulled
James Fuller’s second ball straight to
long leg after some fine strokes of his
own in an impressive 58. Rory Burns,
another dropped by England after the
Ashes debacle, had earlier made 21
before edging an expansive drive to
second slip.
Pope added 114 for the third wicket
with Hashim Amla, who scored 73 and,
at 39, is still clearly a class act. The
South African great did, though, need
to survive two close early appeals for
leg-before — the first, against Ian Holland’s medium pace, to the second ball
he faced — and a drop at second slip off
Mohammad Abbas on 20.
Spooked no doubt by what had happened to them almost 12 months before
on this ground, when Jordan Clark’s six
for 21 whistled them out for 92 soon
after lunch on day one on what was
another Oval pitch tinged with green,
Hampshire yesterday did what Surrey
had done in April 2021 and asked their
opponents to bat.
The difference, a year on, was warm
sunshine and a comparative lack of
swing. Clark’s career-best haul had fully
exploited murkier atmospheric conditions and Surrey, who then replied with
560 for seven declared — with Amla

JORDAN MANSFIELD/GETTY IMAGES

Pope’s
incredible
Oval record

24
6
1,912
106.22
First-class innings

Not out

Runs

Average

After scoring 67 runs in six miserable Ashes innings, Pope made Hampshire pay for electing to field with an unbeaten 113

scoring 215 and Pope 131 — ran out winners by a crushing innings and 289
runs.
Then, as now, Hampshire had started
the season well, so you could perhaps

understand their caution, but this was a
deflating day for James Vince’s side
given that last week, with an innings
victory against Somerset, they had
been Division One’s only winners.

Surrey, however, and particularly Pope,
for whom this was a ninth first-class
hundred at the Oval, and 13th overall,
have now got their own season truly up
and running.

Fisher shines as Yorkshire put turbulent winter behind them
Gloucestershire v
Yorkshire
Bristol (first day of four; Yorkshire won
toss): Yorkshire, with all first-innings
wickets in hand, are 190 runs behind
Geoffrey Dean

After one of the most difficult offseasons in the county’s history, the
Yorkshire players’ relief at getting out
into the middle for their first match of
the campaign was palpable. It was a
good toss to win on what was a Bristol
green top and, but for a magnificent 136

from 231 balls from the Australia Test
opener Marcus Harris on his debut,
Yorkshire would have bowled Gloucestershire out for much fewer than 227.
Haris Rauf, the Pakistan fast bowler
also making his debut, impressed with
some fiery and rapid fare even if he
bowled too short at times. He had Harris dropped on 18 at the wicket, but the
Australian won the duel with a watertight defence and some superb strokeplay all round the wicket that brought
him 12 fours off Rauf and 22 in total. He
also struck a six off Steve Patterson.
Matthew Fisher, in his first outing
since his Test debut in Barbados,

bowled with excellent control to claim
four for 19 from his 14 overs. It was Fisher who made the initial breakthrough
in the 25th over with the wicket of Ben
Charlesworth; he then had James
Bracey well taken at second slip.
Later, just when Gloucestershire
were prospering at 152 for three, Fisher
persuaded Miles Hammond to topedge a pull to long leg. A collapse ensued
as five wickets fell in 11 overs, with Rauf
taking three in a fine spell. Harris counterattacked gamely, scoring 33 off his
last 31 balls before top-edging a pull.
Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s interim
managing director of cricket, admitted

that it had been a “long” three months
since his appointment.
“I’ve been looking forward to the
cricket starting so I can concentrate on
that, and just to be here is fantastic,” he
said. “I was shellshocked myself when I
took over. I have never seen players as
down. They had seen their friends
sacked. They were upset. But I think we
have all been educated in the past
12 months. They still have a lot of questions; I still have a lot of questions. But
it is important that we make cricket in
general more understanding of what it
has been through in the past few years.
“I care about the club. It was in a situ-

ation that needed someone the players
knew and could relate to.
“For the members it was important it
was someone they knew [but] it was difficult for me because I knew all the
people who lost their jobs. I have huge
empathy for them because some of
them were friends. But I’ve not had a
chance to think about anything other
than trying to recruit the right people
who would fit into the environment
we’ve got at Yorkshire.”
Meanwhile, Gloucestershire announced last night that David Lawrence, the former England fast bowler,
is to become their new president.

LV= County Championship scoreboards
Division One
Gloucestershire v Yorkshire
Bristol (first day of four, Yorkshire won toss):
Yorkshire, with all first-innings wickets in
hand, are 190 runs behind Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire: First Innings
B G Charlesworth c Duke b Fisher
15
M S Harris c Duke b Patterson
136
†J R Bracey c Lyth b Fisher
5
*G L van Buuren c Lyth b Patterson
21
M A H Hammond c Rauf b Fisher
20
R F Higgins c Fisher b Rauf
6
T C Lace lbw b Rauf
0
Z G Khan st Duke b Bess
0
M D Taylor c Hill b Rauf
4
J Shaw not out
11
A Singh-Dale c Malan b Fisher
0
Extras (b 4, lb 1, nb 4)
9
Total (78.1 overs)
227
Fall of wickets 1-50, 2-58, 3-99, 4-152, 5-167,
6-167, 7-178, 8-183, 9-226.
Bowling Fisher 14.1-6-19-4; Thompson
15-4-38-0; Rauf 16-2-81-3; Patterson 16-8-43-2;
Hill 4-1-16-0; Bess 13-5-25-1.
Yorkshire: First Innings
A Lyth not out
24
G C H Hill not out
3
Extras (b 4, lb 2, nb 4)
10
Total (no wkt, 15 overs)
37
D J Malan, H C Brook, J H Wharton, J A Thompson, D M Bess, †H G Duke, Haris Rauf,
M D Fisher and *S A Patterson to bat.
Bowling Higgins 6-3-4-0; Taylor 4-2-23-0;

Shaw 4-3-4-0; Khan 1-1-0-0.
Umpires: I D Blackwell and A G Wharf

Kent v Lancashire
Canterbury (first day of four, Lancashire won
toss): Lancashire have scored 344 for four
wickets against Kent
Lancashire: First Innings
G P Balderson c Robinson b Gilchrist
7
L W P Wells c Robinson b Gilchrist
39
J J Bohannon lbw b Milnes
19
S J Croft not out
113
*D J Vilas c Compton b Milnes
124
†P D Salt not out
33
Extras (lb 5nb 4)
9
Total (4 wkts, 96 overs)
344
L Wood, D J Lamb, T E Bailey, H Ali and M W
Parkinson to bat.
Fall of wickets 1-36, 2-51, 3-80, 4-295.
Bowling Bird 20-2-66-0; Milnes 19-1-68-2;
Gilchrist 17-3-66-2; Stevens 20-4-66-0; Qadri
20-1-73-0.
Kent: B Compton, D Bell-Drummond, Z Crawley, T Muyeye, J M Cox, *†O G Robinson, D I
Stevens, M Milnes, H Qadri, J Bird, N Gilchrist.
Umpires: N L Bainton and M J Saggers.

Somerset v Essex
Taunton (first day of four, Essex won toss):
Essex, with eight first-innings wickets in
hand, are level with Somerset
Somerset: First Innings
B G F Green c Wheater b Steketee
15
T A Lammonby c A N Cook b Harmer
48
M T Renshaw b S J Cook
7

J C Hildreth c Wheater b Steketee
5
*T B Abell c Lawrence b S J Cook
11
L P Goldsworthy c A N Cook b S J Cook 0
†S M Davies c Wheater b Snater
3
L Gregory c A N Cook b Harmer
4
C Overton b Steketee
8
P M Siddle c A N Cook b Harmer
3
M J Leach not out
0
Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 2)
5
Total (45.4 overs)
109
Fall of wickets 1-15, 2-22, 3-32, 4-49, 5-49, 6-70,
7-79, 8-102, 9-106.
Bowling Cook 15-9-17-3; Steketee 13-1-47-3;
Snater 13-5-28-1; Harmer 4.4-2-14-3.
Essex: First Innings
N L J Browne c Abell b Overton
25
A N Cook not out
59
*T Westley c Davies b Overton
13
S J Cook not out
3
Extras (b 4, lb 1, nb 4)
9
Total (2 wkts, 48 overs)
109
D W Lawrence, A M Rossington, M J J Critchley, †A J A Wheater, S R Harmer, S Snater and
M T Steketee to bat.
Fall of wickets 1-64, 2-103.
Bowling Gregory 13-3-33-0; Siddle 12-5-19-0;
Overton 14-2-29-2; Green 6-5-8-0; Abell 3-015-0.
Umpires: M Burns and R J Warren.

Surrey v Hampshire
Kia Oval (first day of four, Hampshire won
toss): Surrey have scored 213 for three
wickets against Hampshire

Surrey: First Innings
*R J Burns c Dawson b Holland
21
R S Patel c Abbas b Fuller
58
H M Amla c Brown b Holland
73
O J D Pope not out
113
†B T Foakes not out
32
Extras (b 5, lb 1, w 1, nb 8)
15
Total (3 wkts, 96 overs)
312
J L Smith, W G Jacks, J Overton, J Clark, J P A
Taylor and K A J Roach to bat.
Fall of wickets 1-39, 2-119, 3-233.
Bowling Barker 18-6-60-0; Abbas 20-5-44-0;
Abbott 19-2-72-0; Holland 16-3-49-2; Dawson
11-2-21-0; Fuller 12-1-60-1.
Hampshire: J J Weatherley, I G Holland, N R T
Gubbins, *J M Vince, L A Dawson, †B C Brown,
F S Organ, K H D Barker, J K Fuller, K J Abbott,
M Abbas.
Umpires: D J Millns and R T Robinson.

Division Two
Derbyshire v Sussex
Derby (first day of four, Derbyshire won
toss): Derbyshire have scored 327 for two
wickets against Sussex
Derbyshire: First Innings
S M Khan not out
201
*B A Godleman c Rizwan b Crocombe
12
†B D Guest c Rizwan b Atkins
12
W L Madsen not out
88
Extras (b 7, lb 6, w 1)
14
Total (2 wkts, 95.4 overs)
327
J L du Plooy, L M Reece, A Dal, A T Thomson,
R A S Lakmal, S Conners and N J Potts to bat.
Fall of wickets 1-55, 2-91.

Bowling Finn 18-4-45-0; Crocombe 18-1-73-1;
Atkins 11-0-49-1; Clark 11.4-0-42-0; Coles 23-083-0; Haines 14-3-22-0.
Sussex: A G H Orr, *T J Haines, T P Alsop, C A
Pujara, †M Rizwan, T G R Clark, O J Carter, J M
Coles, S T Finn, H T Crocombe, J A Atkins.
Umpires: P K Baldwin and P J Hartley.

Durham v Leicestershire
Emirates Durham (first day of four,
Leicestershire won toss): Durham have
scored 356 for six wickets against Leicestershire
Durham: First Innings
M A Jones lbw b Wright
5
S R Dickson lbw b Barnes
120
K D Petersen b Davis
3
*S G Borthwick c Ackermann b Barnes
2
D G Bedingham not out
184
†E J H Eckersley lbw b Davis
12
L Trevaskis c Swindells b Barnes
2
B A Raine not out
12
Extras (lb 2nb 14)
16
Total (6 wkts, 96 overs)
356
M J Potts, C Rushworth and O J Gibson to bat.
Fall of wickets 1-12, 2-17, 3-34, 4-265, 5-292,
6-333.
Bowling Wright 9.2-1-21-1; Hendricks 20-285-0; Davis 20-5-86-2; Barnes 22.4-4-85-3;
Ackermann 20-2-63-0; Rhodes 4-0-14-0.
Leicestershire: M H Azad, S T Evans, G H
Rhodes, *C N Ackermann, L Kimber, N R
Welch, †H J Swindells, E Barnes, C J C Wright,
B E Hendricks, W S Davis.
Umpires: B J Debenham and S J
O’Shaughnessy.

Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan
Trent Bridge (first day of four, Glamorgan
won toss): Glamorgan, with all first-innings
wickets in hand, are 269 runs behind
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire: First Innings
B T Slater c Northeast b Neser
17
H Hameed run out
34
B M Duckett c and b Labuschagne
122
J M Clarke b van der Gugten
35
J D M Evison lbw b van der Gugten
0
*S J Mullaney c Northeast b Hogan
44
†T J Moores c Cooke b Labuschagne
4
L Patterson-White lbw b Hogan
0
J L Pattinson c and b Neser
20
B A Hutton b Neser
8
D Paterson not out
4
Extras (b 4, lb 5, w 1, nb 4)
14
Total (88.1 overs)
302
Fall of wickets 1-26, 2-69, 3-136, 4-142, 5-258,
6-263, 7-264, 8-270, 9-283.
Bowling Neser 17.1-3-56-3; Hogan 18-3-44-2;
Weighell 14-1-59-0; van der Gugten 19-1-64-2;
Lloyd 10-2-39-0; Salter 5-0-20-0; Labuschagne 5-0-11-2.
Glamorgan: First Innings
*D L Lloyd not out
13
A G Salter not out
15
Extras (lb 3nb 2)
5
Total (no wkt, 5 overs)
33
M Labuschagne, S A Northeast, K S Carlson,
†C B Cooke, C Z Taylor, W J Weighell, T van der
Gugten, M G Neser and M G Hogan to bat.
Bowling Pattinson 3-0-23-0; Hutton 2-0-7-0.
Umpires: R K Illingworth and C M Watts.

64

2GM

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

Sport Rugby union

Naive error should teach Smith not to
Stuart Barnes

N

ever mind the fact that
Harlequins found
themselves behind 34-0
after 48 minutes of their
European Champions Cup
round-of-16 first leg in the south of
France. Never mind the unsurprising
comeback of England’s champions. As
the match ticked into its final minute,
the 11-point deficit, at 37-26,
represented a victory of sorts.
There is still a full 50 per cent of
the tie with Montpellier remaining in
southwest London, where one side
will be more confident and the other
less so tomorrow. At 34-0, if someone
had offered Harlequins such a
manageable full-time deficit, they
would have taken it without a
moment’s hesitation.
Yet Harlequins didn’t accept the
scoreline. In a panicky finale
Harlequins had possession, near their
own tryline, nowhere near that of the
French league leaders. The home side
defended with great tenacity;
Harlequins sought to break out with a
sequence of high-risk passes as they
were driven backwards. Eventually
Montpellier’s pressure forced a
penalty and what could prove three
critical late points from Handré
Pollard’s boot.
Harlequins were left needing 14
points at the Stoop just to level the
tie. Sitting on my sofa watching that
final minute, I found it hard to believe
the naivety of a team for whom
English neutrals have developed no
little affection, thanks to their
swashbuckling style.
But there is bravery and then there
is stupidity, and if Harlequins win the
second leg by 13 points yet lose the tie
by one, they will be haunted by those
idiotic dying moments when their
brains deserted them. Above all
others, Marcus Smith has to shoulder
the blame. The England fly half had
the opportunity to boot the ball off
the park. Instead he sought a miracle.
Miracles do not exist. Solid game
management does. Here was an
example of game management at its

Steward took option Smith should have

very worst. Harlequins were losing
but had the momentum. It was a time
for damage limitation. The previous
evening I watched the eventual
winner of this year’s Masters, Scottie
Scheffler, drive his third-round 18th
tee shot into the trees, offering
possible hope for his pursuers.
He had options: seek that “miracle”
shot to save his par or “take his
medicine”, as the golf commentators
love to phrase it. The Texan chose the
latter. Dropping one shot kept the
tournament in his control. Pushing
the boundaries risked — who knows?
— the double or triple bogeys that
scarred his rivals’ cards.
This was game management at its
pragmatic finest. There is a place for
the pragmatic alongside the
flamboyant. When they merge
seamlessly you have the art of game
management — on a golf course or a
rugby pitch.
Golfers have caddies who offer
advice. Rugby has coaches sending
myriad messages on to the field at
every opportunity. It hasn’t helped
England in recent years, where the
interpretation of “game management”
equates with rigidly following prematch plans, but Harlequins are a
club with a broader game plan that
allows tactical room for manoeuvre.
It suits Smith. He is a player who
looks comfortable running the show.
Yet the lights went out on Sunday.
The No 10 has the prime
responsibility for deciding where to

play and at what pace. By not booting
the ball into the stands, speculating
and conceding a penalty, the 23-yearold hinted at a sizeable flaw in his
developing game.
That’s the bad news. The good news
is that there isn’t a player to have
played the game who didn’t have a
howler and go to pieces. We’ve all
been there. Now Smith has a
wonderful opportunity to learn an
invaluable lesson. The memory will
be an indelible one if his team lose by
13 points.
Whereas Harlequins failed to
manage the game in that last minute,
Leicester Tigers were in control of
affairs throughout against Clermont
Auvergne. Unlike Harlequins, they
didn’t have to chase the game. Unlike
Harlequins, they refused to allow
their French hosts a way back into the
two-legged tie.
Cast your mind back to the 67th
minute. Despite their red card,
Leicester had taken complete control
of the match, putting themselves 19
points ahead with a rematch awaiting
the French in the East Midlands
tomorrow.
Leicester were at their most
rampant as the ball was passed to
Freddie Steward, the England full
back. There was a possibility of a try
on the wide outside. But there was
also the fact that Harry Potter, the
right wing, had been sent off, and the
alternative possibility of Clermont
going for the intercept and finding
their way back to 29-17. Not enough
to rip favouritism from Leicester, but
enough to give their opponents hope.
Steward looked up, saw the space
behind the defence and drilled a kick
into Clermont’s corner. As if to say,
“Come on then, play your way out of
here.” Mean-eyed Leicester managed
the match magnificently. The art is
about more than tempo and territory
— it is about the scoreboard too.
Yes, had Leicester scored another
try, to make the lead 26 points, it
would have killed the game. But they
believed the opposition were already
beaten with the deficit at 19. George
Ford and friends managed the game
on the field and on the scoreboard.
Their game management was as good
as Harlequins’ madness was bad.
Smith and his mates made a mess
of their first leg. Has a lesson been
learnt, or is another accident waiting
to happen?

2

Defeats from two home
knockout matches in the
Heineken Champions Cup
for Harlequins (6-5 v
Leinster in 2008-09;
18-12 v Munster in
2012-13)

32

Passes thrown by
Marcus Smith in defeat by
Montpellier last weekend,
compared with six by
Paolo Garbisi, the
Montpellier
No 10

After Quins had mounted an impressive fightback, Smith opted against kicking to

the times | Friday April 15 2022

65

2GM

Sport

hope bomb squad tactic
chase miracles Bristol
will revive their fading fortunes
SYLVAIN THOMAS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Alex Lowe Rugby Correspondent

touch to finish the first leg, and his side conceded a penalty, which Pollard kicked

Round of 16, second legs

The spectre of last year’s Gallagher
Leinster (26) v Connacht (21)
Premiership semi-final defeat by
Today, 5.30pm
Harlequins still hangs over Bristol
Bears; the memories of throwing away
Bristol Bears (10) v Sale Sharks (9)
a 28-point lead in the most recent
Today, 8pm
knockout game played at Ashton Gate
a hangover from which the club have
Harlequins (26) v Montpellier (40)
been trying to escape during a season of
Tomorrow, 12.30pm
toil.
Pat Lam, Bristol’s director of rugby,
La Rochelle (31) v Bordeaux Bègles (13)
has been working to find a remedy as
Tomorrow, 3pm
the Bears have repeatedly faded in
matches, exposing a lack of fight that
Munster (8) v Exeter Chiefs (13)
has let the club slip to tenth in the GalTomorrow, 3pm
lagher Premiership and led to talk of
disharmony in the ranks.
Leicester Tigers (29) v
The formula Lam has hit upon is to
Clermont Auvergne (10)
field his strongest XV in the final 20
Tomorrow, 5.30pm
minutes of the game, which means
naming Semi Radradra, Charles
Ulster (26) v Toulouse (20)
Piutau, Steven Luatua, Fitz Harding
Tomorrow, 8pm
and Harry Thacker on the bench.
It almost worked in an entertaining
Racing 92 (22) v Stade Français (9)
game against Saracens as Bristol
Sunday, 3.30pm
finished strongly at the Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium and it paid off last
week as Bristol edged the first leg
of their Champions Cup
round-of-16 tie against Sale
Sharks.
Bristol v
There was certainly no
Sale Sharks
lack of fight in either
performance, no reason
Heineken European Cup,
to question the attitude or
round of 16, second leg
commitment to the cause.
Tonight, 7.45pm
Lam will deliver another
TV: BT Sport 1
dose tonight as the Bears
seek to build on a 10-9 lead
and book a place in the
Champions Cup quarter finals that will
crucial time. That was a big
keep their season alive.
“Saracens was the first time we had part of the decision. We have
won a second half in about eight trust in the squad. It is about
games,” Lam said. “It happened to us getting the result and that is
three times last season when we what we are trying to do on Frislumped at the end, against London day night.”
Bristol call their bench
Irish, Bath and then we got caught out
in the ultimate game in the semi-final. “system players” but regardIt is an area we have been working on less of the title, the policy of
holding back most of their
mentally and tactically.
“We are one of the best teams start- high-end talent is an
ing and one of the worst teams finishing extension of South Africa’s
in the last 20. So that plays a lot into “bomb squad” policy, when
making sure we have the right people they introduce arguably
on the field at the end.
“There is a lot of comfort when you Radradra is being
have got [John] Afoa, Thacker, Luatua, used off the
Semi and Charles on the field at a bench by Bristol

Extra time fails to split Huddersfield and Leeds
Leeds
Huddersfield

20
0
2
20
1

Betfred Super League
Ross Heppenstall

With three minutes remaining of
normal time, Leeds Rhinos were
20-10 up and on coursee for a
sorely needed victory.
r,
Two minutes later,
Huddersfield Giants
had scored two tries
to level matters at 2020 and Tui Lolohea
would have won the
game had his touchline conversion attempt not sailed justt
wide.
ame
That miss sent the game
ra-time
into golden-point extra-time
goal attempts
but, despite four drop-goal
i
i
during the additional ten minutes,
neither side could find a winning score.

Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Leeds’s
interim head coach, said: “It feels like a
loss in there — we’re devastated. We
were impressive for a lot of the game,
but our discipline still lets us down.”
Leeds, the eight-times Super League
champions, had lost all but one of their
games this season, yet last night they
showed a collective desire that had
been missing for much of this year.
The Rhinos certainly endured a
disastrou
disastrous start to the season,
which prompted the head
coac
coach, Richard Agar, to
ste
step down last month.
Leeds were caught
n
napping
in the eighth
m
minute
last night
w
when
Huddersfield
w
worked
the ball neatly
to Jermaine McGillvary, who strolled over
unop
unopposed
in the righth
and ccorner.
hand
Their re
response was impressSenior, on loan at Huddersfield, scored
the final try of an eventful fixture

How they stand
St Helens
Wigan
C Dragons
Huddersfield
Hull
Warrington
Castleford
Hull KR
Wakefield
Salford
Leeds
Toulouse

P
7
7
8
8
7
8
8
7
8
8
8
8

W
6
6
6
5
4
4
3
3
3
3
1
1

D L
0 1
0 1
0 2
1 2
0 3
0 4
0 5
0 4
0 5
0 5
1 6
0 7

F
202
160
142
204
159
180
181
126
146
166
110
116

A Pts
50
12
130
12
120
12
120
11
132
8
190
8
190
6
154
6
180
6
210
6
187
3
229
2

ive though and they claimed their first
try five minutes later when Liam
Sutcliffe scythed through a leadenfooted Giants defence to cross the line.
That poured confidence into JonesBuchanan’s side and they scored again
in the 27th minute when the secondrower Rhyse Martin outmuscled Chris
McQueen to ground the ball for a 12-4
interval advantage.
That lead was cut early in the second
half, though, when the Giants centre
Ricky Leutele was sent through a gap

inside the left channel. That raised fears
that Leeds were falling apart again, but
Morgan Gannon had other ideas.
The 18-year-old forward, rated as one
of the finest prospects in Britain,
barrelled over the line on the hour.
That gave Leeds a 20-10 advantage
but Luke Yates scarpered over for a
converted try to ensure a tense finale
before Innes Senior dived in at the
corner to tie the scores at 20-20.
Lolohea failed narrowly with the
touchline conversion.
The pattern of missed attempts at
goal followed in golden-point extratime to ensure the points were shared.

their best front row in the second half.
It is a 23-man game now and sending
on the stars for the last 20 minutes or so
brings to mind a marketing strategy the
NBA introduced a few years ago where
fans with short attention spans could
pay subscriptions to watch only the
final quarter of matches.
Had that been in place for the
Saracens game, television viewers
would have missed a gripping first half
that finished 20-20 before Bristol
almost snatched the victory with a try
at the death, only for a pass from Joe
Joyce to be ruled forward.
The way Radradra and Piutau
combined to create that opportunity
confirmed to Lam that he was on to
something. There was not much to miss
at the AJ Bell last week, where Radradra came on to provide one moment of
magic in a low-quality contest, finishing off a training-ground move that
had been tweaked for the occasion to earn Bristol the slenderest
of advantages heading into
tonight’s second leg.
Lam
conceded
that
Radradra, who required a
knee operation after
helping Fiji to win
Olympic sevens
gold last summer, had not
been “firing
on all cylinders”
this
season — but
said his contribution to the
club was not
measured only
in spectacular tries.
“Some of the stuff he does
in games creates so many opportunities,” Lam said. “Semi
is a real trouper. There is no
point Semi being at his best if
the rest of the team aren’t”
The quality of the first leg,
between the teams sixth and
tenth in the Premiership was
way down on some of the other
European ties; it lacked pace, it
llacked precision, it lacked verve and
it lacked accuracy. But it has set up an
occasion tonight that will not be short
on drama. Lying in wait for the victors
will probably be Racing 92, who lead
Stade Francais 22-9.

Shrubsole calls it a day
Cricket Anya Shrubsole has
retired from international cricket,
saying the game is “moving faster
than she can keep up with” as she
bows out after 14 years.
The 30-year-old was England’s
match-winning bowler during
their World Cup success in 2017,
taking six for 46 in the final
against India at Lord’s. She also
won the World Cup in 2009.
The right-arm seamer, who will
continue to play in domestic
cricket, played in 173 games for
England and took 227 wickets.

Mickelson reappears

Other results, page 68

Golf Tiger Woods and Phil

Leeds Rhinos J Walker; A Handley, A Mellor, T
Briscoe, L Tindall; L Sutcliffe, B Austin; M Oledzki,
K Leeming, M Prior, J Bentley, R Martin, C Smith.
Interchange B Dwyer, M Gannon, Z Tetevano,
J Donaldson.
Huddersfield Giants T Lolohea; I Senior,
R Leutele, L Cudjoe, J McGillvary; J Cogger,
T Fages; C Hill, D Levi, O Trout, C McQueen,
J Jones, L Yates.
Interchange: M English, J Greenwood, O Wilson,
A Golding
Referee M Griffiths.

Mickelson have submitted entries
to compete at the US Open at
Brookline, in Massachusetts, in
June.
Woods made his long-awaited
return at the Masters last week,
but Mickelson missed the
tournament for the first time in
28 years after his controversial
comments regarding the
proposed Saudi Super League.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

66

Sport Football

‘We had a fitness coach and ate cereal’

MIRRORPIX

Peter Taylor explains
to Alyson Rudd how
Palace, then of the third
tier, beat Chelsea when
they last met in the Cup

‘I

can still kick the ball with my
left foot,” says Peter Taylor and
if anyone the 69-year-old is
coaching smirks at the sight of
it, he will shout out: “Oi,
YouTube, 1976, FA Cup, Chelsea v
Crystal Palace.”
The youngsters will return a few
days later, he says, full of respect, for it
is indeed a clip that rewards watching.
The previous time Palace faced the
west London club in the FA Cup,
Malcolm Allison’s team produced a
masterclass led by Taylor. Palace were
in Division Three, Chelsea in Division
Two. Palace won 3-2 at Stamford
Bridge thanks to two goals and an
assist by Taylor who went on to
become the manager, in two separate
stints, of the England Under-21 team,
and took the helm of the national side
as caretaker for one game in 2000.
I tell Taylor that in that tie against
Chelsea he looked an awful lot like
George Best, and it turns out that
Best was Taylor’s favourite player. The
former Tottenham Hotspur and
England winger got to face Best when
the Northern Irishman was at
Fulham and met him once at a
charity match dinner, at which he was
told to be brave and strike up a
conversation as Best was merely shy,
not aloof.
“He’s the best player I’ve ever seen,
I’m sure I copied him,” Taylor says.
“I used to tackle back because Best
would tackle back, make goals and
score goals.
“Even now whenever I talk to
young players, I say to them the more
you tackle back the more you’re in a
different position when you win it.
With Cristiano Ronaldo, he never
used to run back the first time around
at Manchester United so you knew
where he was every time you lost the
ball. But I saw George Best slidetackle and everything.”
Palace defeated Sunderland in 1976
to reach the semi-final, where they
lost to Southampton.
“One of my regrets in my semi-final
against Southampton was that I got
walloped at the start of the game and

Chelsea 2 Crystal Palace 3,
Feb 1976
Chelsea
(4-3-3)

Peter Bonetti

Gary Locke

Ron Harris

Micky Droy

Steve Wicks

Kenny Swain

Ian Britton
Ray Wilkins

Bill Garner Teddy Maybank Charlie Cooke
Alan Whittle

Dave
Swindlehurst

Peter Taylor

Martin Hinshelwood
Jim Cannon
Stewart Jump

Nick Chatterton
Peter Wall

Ian Evans

Derek Jeffries
Paul Hammond

Taylor, who left his latest job with Welling last month, inset, scored twice in a 3-2 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup in 1976

I should have sussed that they would
do that. Because of the previous
games, if I was the Southampton
manager, I would have said, ‘Let
Taylor know you’re there.’ I should
have been more aware.
“I absolutely adored Malcolm
Allison [the Palace manager]. He
changed my life. I was in and out of
the first team at Southend and
Malcolm signs me and pays £120,000,
which in 1973 was a lot of money, and
tells me it was the sixth time he’s tried
to sign me. That gave me so much
confidence and self-belief. He was so
far ahead of things.
“In 1975 we sometimes played a back
three with wing backs. The standard
pre-match meal was steak and he said,
‘No, that’s too heavy,’ and introduced
cereals and he had a fitness coach. He
and Terry Venables [brought in as a
player-coach] made everything

competitive but enjoyable and that’s
what I’ve tried to copy as a coach.”
Such was their close relationship
that Taylor was given advance
warning that Allison would jump in
the players’ bath with the actress
Fiona Richmond and so made sure he
was nowhere near the changing
rooms.
“It was the dirtiest bath ever,” says
Taylor, who parted company with
Welling last month. “There’s no way
you get away with that today — and
having Page 3 girls watching training.
But he was different, and he enjoyed
himself. He wanted to watch
attractive football and that’s why his
teams played it.”
The famous Allison fedora, was,
according to Taylor, used to
demonstrate to away fans he was so
confident he could be flamboyant.
Taylor had reservations as to how

Palace would cope when Roy
Hodgson left last summer but is now
convinced they can defeat Chelsea on
Sunday.
“I’m an absolute massive Roy
Hodgson fan so when Roy left I
wanted people to show him respect
for the job he had done going in at a
difficult time. When Patrick Vieira
arrived I was a little bit nervous for
him but, my word, I am pleased with
how things are working out. They are
working extremely hard but also
playing some lovely football.
“The Palace support base is getting
stronger and there are players in the
local area of the quality of Wilfried
Zaha. I used to think his end product
was not what it should be, a bit like I
was, but he’s got the experience to get
the goals now. If I worked with him it
would be to encourage him to get in
the box. It’s not just about exciting

Ref: Pat Partridge

(4-3-3)
Crystal Palace

the fans, it’s about winning the match.”
That cup run in 1976 alerted bigger
clubs to Taylor’s talents and he left
Palace shortly afterwards.
“I’ve always been a Tottenham
supporter so it was brilliant to get the
call when I was playing in Division
Three saying they wanted to sign me
for £200,000. I wanted to push on and
test myself at the highest level.”
Taylor is keen to keep on coaching.
“My main aim was to give players
every chance to be better. I would tell
players, when you see me in 25 years,
I want you to cross the road to say
hello because you knew I wanted to
help you become a better player.
“There’s a few that haven’t wanted
to say hello but many more that do.
You wouldn’t believe the texts I’ve
had from Welling players [from his
last job]. There’s more job satisfaction
in that than getting three points.”

Brown eyes repeat of Hull escape act with Barrow Doherty set to
Robert O’Connor

At first look Phil Brown seems overqualified for the task of keeping relegation-threatened Barrow in League
Two. Thirteen years ago his Hull City
team beat the odds and the drop to stay
in the Premier League, finishing the job
despite a final-day defeat at home by
the champions Manchester United,
and the bottom four places in the Football League may seem a bit trivial in
comparison.
Brown is one of three managers
recently to have accepted thankless
work trying to rescue an imperiled
team in the league’s basement. Barrow’s
rivals for survival going into the final
weeks of the season are Stevenage, who
appointed the former Leeds United
head coach Steve Evans in March, and
Oldham Athletic, who hired John Sheridan in January to try to save the club’s
115-year Football League status.
The race could not be any tighter.
With Scunthorpe United all but

relegated in last place, only goal difference separates the three teams fighting
to avoid filling the remaining place in
the drop zone.
“What Barrow are facing, it meant
everything to them [having[ come
up to the league [in 2020],”
Brown, 62, says. “Surviving last
year meant the same. But to
survive the second season gives
you a foundation for the future.”
Barrow sacked Mark Cooper as
manager a month ago after one
win in nine. He received an
eight-game ban and was
ordered to attend an education course in February
for insulting remarks
made towards a female
match official, and the
team haven’t been out of
the bottom six since
Former Hull manager
Brown took over at
Barrow last month

November. They face the leaders Forest
Green at home this afternoon.
“If you can build on one year’s survival and make it two, the next thing you
know you get accepted,” Brown says.
“You’re talking about bigger budgets
and looking at promotion.”
The problems at Oldham, who
have been in the Football League
since 1907 and played in the Premier
League as recently as 1994, run
deeper. The season has been dominated by tension between
supporters and the club’s
unpopular owner, the
Moroccan former agent,
Abdallah Lemsagam.
In January, the owner
reported to police that he
had received death
threats and bullets from
fans unhappy with his
running of the club, a
month after three supporters were given threeyear bans from Bounda-

ry Park for “promoting a dislike” of the
club.
“The support I’ve had from the fans
has been unbelievable and it’s one of the
reasons I’ve come back,” says Sheridan,
who returned to the club he managed
for three previous spells. After an initial
upswing in results, five defeats on the
bounce plunged them back into relegation trouble. They face Northampton
Town at home today.
“I know a massive support is going to
be there,” Sheridan says. “We need
them to get us over the line. My only
objective is to stay out of the bottom
two. We all think we can do it.”
Stevenage have been in the Football
League for 12 years but face the threat
of much of the good work being undone
in the space of a few weeks.
“The infrastructure at Stevenage is
Championship class,” says Evans,
whose team face Rochdale at home
today. “The set-up is better than some
clubs [in that league], but no training
ground has ever won a game in its life.”

avoid surgery
Jon West

Tottenham Hotspur are hopeful that
the knee injury that ended Matt Doherty’s season will not require surgery.
The Ireland wing back, 30, was left with
ligament damage from a challenge by
Matty Cash in Spurs’ 4-0 win over
Aston Villa on Saturday. Antonio Conte, his manager, confirmed a specialist
had recommended a lay-off of up to two
months but not an operation. Spurs will
seek a second opinion before planning
Doherty’s rehabilitation.
Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp
are also injured at a time when Tottenham are trying to hold on to fourth
place in the Premier League, with four
successive wins having moved them
three points ahead of Arsenal, who
have a game in hand. Tottenham host
Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday;
Conte will be in the dugout, having
recovered from Covid.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

67

2GM

Sport
MICHAEL REGAN/GETTY IMAGES

Spurs developers to
renovate Old Trafford

O

ld Trafford is
not likely
to be
demolished
and rebuilt
under plans that are
being drawn up by the
two companies who will
redevelop Manchester
United’s ageing stadium
(writes Paul Hirst).
United announced
yesterday that Populous,
a London-based
architecture firm, and
Legends International, a
management
consultancy company,
had been given the
responsibility of
revitalising the club’s
112-year-old ground.
Both companies were
heavily involved in the
construction of
Tottenham Hotspur’s
state-of-the-art £1 billion
stadium, top, which
opened three years ago.
Spurs decided to
knock down White Hart

Lane and build their
new 62,850-capacity
home on land adjacent
to the previous stadium.
United insist that no
definitive plans have
been made about what
to do with their stadium,
but it is understood that
the demolition of Old
Trafford and the
construction of a new
ground is unlikely.
It is more likely that
United will instead
expand and improve the
Sir Bobby Charlton
Stand. Overall capacity
could increase from
around 74,000 to more
than 80,000.
Populous and Legends
International will speak
to members of the club’s
fan advisory board later
this month to obtain
some ideas about how
they want the stadium to
be redeveloped.
They will then go to
the club and work out a

plan about how to
finance the proposed
redevelopment.
United said that they
want to respect the
identity and heritage of
Old Trafford, above, but
improve the match-day
experience for the
supporters.
Many have
complained over the

past few years about
certain areas of the
stadium being run down
as a result of a serious
lack of investment from
the club’s owners, the
Glazer family.
Given that planning is
at a very early stage, the
club do not have a time
frame for the project’s
completion.

United also
announced yesterday
that KSS, an American
architectural firm, had
been tasked with
developing a plan for an
expanded, state-of-theart training ground for
the men’s, women’s and
academy teams.
Like Old Trafford,
United’s training base in

Carrington is looking
tired in places and is not
on a par with those at
other big clubs.
At present, the
women’s team do part of
their training and
preparation in a twostorey prefabricated
building in the car park.
The poor facilities are
one of the reasons why

Leicester make history with late show
PSV Eindhoven
Zahavi 27

Leicester City
Maddison 77, Pereira 88

1
2

DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS/GETTY IMAGES

Europa Conference League:
Quarter-final, second leg
Tomás Hill López-Menchero
Leicester win 2-1 on agg

After a torrid season in which Leicester
City have experienced plenty of
injury woes, it looked as if their
luck would go missing again
against PSV Eindhoven.
Leicester had fallen behind
after a Youri Tielemans error
Thursday, April 28:
and Brendan Rodgers had reLeicester v Roma;
Pereira celebrates his dramatic winner against PSV Eindhoven
placed all of his front three as
Thursday, May 5:
his side searched for an equalRoma v Leicester.
iser at PSV’s Philips Stadium.
ing in the second play and Harvey Barnes should have
Both 8pm,
When Patson Daka dragged a
half,” Rodgers said. put them ahead in the 16th minute. Kellive on BT Sport
chance wide after being sent
“When you come to big echi Iheanacho sent Barnes through
through on goal, it seemed as if a first
games, you don’t get a with an inch-perfect pass, but the wingEuropean semi-final would escape
second chance. I go into games er side-footed wide with Mvogo to beat.
Leicester swung from the sublime to
them.
having a script [of] how it can go, I map
But then came a right-footed finish out different things which may happen, the ridiculous when Tielemans passed
from James Maddison in the 77th min- and I felt we needed to bring the inten- straight to Götze outside the area.
The former Germany midfielder offute, before Ricardo Pereira sealed the sity in the second half.”
comeback with two minutes left.
It was clear from the start this would loaded to Eran Zahavi and the striker’s
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall played in not be the cagey affair of the first leg. low shot squeezed under Schmeichel’s
one substitute, Ademola Lookman, Jonny Evans’s header from Maddison’s right hand via a touch from Evans. But
who squared for another, Daka. The free kick was deflected over by Wesley the visitors were undeterred. Maddistriker shot straight at the PSV goal- Fofana, while Leicester were indebted son’s deflected shot forced the centre
keeper, Yvon Mvogo, but Pereira slot- to Kasper Schmeichel when Mario back, Jordan Teze, into an acrobatic
ted home a rebound that made history Götze struck a fine volley which met an clearance, while Tielemans lofted a
for Leicester. They will face Roma in equally strong hand from the goalkeep- cross for Timothy Castagne, which he
the semi-finals.
er. But Rodgers’s team often combine a headed wide. At half-time, Leicester
“The boys were absolutely outstand- shaky defence with brilliant attacking had zero shots on target to PSV’s three.

Semi-finals

Rodgers’s solution was to bring on
Lookman and Daka. A long shot from
Joey Veerman almost crept in for PSV,
courtesy of a Fofana deflection, while
Zahavi headed over in the 59th minute.
But Leicester kept pushing. Daka had
his first opportunity in the 62nd minute, but steered it wide with Teze paying
close attention. Maddison then took a
right-footed shot from outside the area,
which produced a fingertip save from
Mvogo. Ibrahim Sangaré gave them a
reprieve when he fired over.
Maddison changed the narrative.
Pereira played in Ayoze Pérez and the
substitute chopped past André Ramalho before cutting back for Maddison.
He fired a shot through Mvogo’s grasp,
slid to his knees in celebration and a
plastic cup was thrown. Dewsbury-Hall
told the crowd to keep it coming.
Still Leicester threw bodies forward.
Perez’s flicked effort was turned behind
and extra-time seemed a certainty. But
Pereira and Leicester had other ideas.
“We’re young as a club in Europe, but
nights like this, everyone grows from it
— when you get to your first semi-final
it’s a great feeling,” Rodgers said.
PSV Eindhoven (4-3-3): Y Mvogo 6 — M Júnior 6,
J Teze 7, A Ramalho 6, P Max 7 (F Oppegard
74min) — I Sangaré 7, M Götze 7, E Gutiérrez 6
(Bruma 90) — C Gakpo 6, E Zahavi 7 (C Vinicius
82), J Veerman 6 (R Doan 82). Booked Götze.
Leicester City (4-3-3): K Schmeichel 6 — R Pereira
9, W Fofana 8, J Evans 6, T Castagne 6 —
J Maddison 8, Y Tielemans 5, K Dewsbury-Hall 7
— M Albrighton 6 (P Daka 46, 7), K Iheanacho 6
(A Pérez 65, 8), H Barnes 6 (A Lookman 46, 7).
Booked Castagne.
Referee B Bastien (Fr).

Casey Stoney stepped
down as manager last
summer.
United have not ruled
out the possibility of
creating a brand-new
training ground
elsewhere or
redeveloping the present
base in Carrington,
which is five miles from
Old Trafford.

Rangers into semi-final
Rangers will meet RB Leipzig in
the semi-finals of the Europa
League after Kemar Roofe sealed
a pulsating 3-2 aggregate win
over Braga in extra time at Ibrox.
With Rangers having to make
up a 1-0 deficit after Braga’s firstleg victory, James Tavernier
scored two minutes in. Vítor
Tormena de Farias then saw red
and conceded a penalty on halftime for bringing Roofe down,
which Tavernier converted. The
Scots held fast at 2-0 until the
83rd minute when David Carmo
headed home a corner and forced
the match to go to extra time.
Braga were reduced to nine
men when Iuri Medeiros saw a
second yellow for dissent, before
Roofe struck to make it 3-1.

Scots’ play-off in June
Scotland’s World Cup play-off
semi-final against Ukraine will
take place at Hampden Park on
Wednesday, June 1. The winners
will face Wales in Cardiff four
days later for the right to
compete in the finals in Qatar in
late November and December.
The play-off semi-final had
been due to take place on March
24 but was postponed because of
the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The country’s domestic league
has been on pause since last
December, but the government
has granted special permission
for elite players to leave the
country to train or take part in
international fixtures.

68

2GM

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

Sport Europa League: Quarter-final, second leg
CLAUDIO VILLA/GETTY IMAGES

Rice hits a low
shot past
Ndombele,
right, for West
Ham’s second

Semi-finals
Thursday, April 28:
West Ham v Eintracht
Frankfurt; Thursday, May 5:
Eintracht Frankfurt v
West Ham.
Both 8pm,
live on BT Sport

Ellie McDonald

Moyes sets sights on the big prize
0
3

Lyons
West Ham United
Dawson 38, Rice 44, Bowen 48

Shiels is man
of integrity,
says captain

Gary Jacob Lyons
West Ham win 4-1 on aggregate

It seems fitting that West Ham United
will face Eintracht Frankfurt for a place
in the Europa League final. Yesterday
marked 46 years since one of their
greatest nights when Trevor Brooking
scored twice and Keith Robson got the
other in a 4-3 aggregate win to reach
the European Cup Winners Cup final,
which they lost.
This performance to embarrass
Lyons was outstanding, with West Ham
scoring three times in ten minutes
either side of the interval. When Aaron
Cresswell was dismissed on the stroke
of half-time last week, who would have
imagined they would steamroller the
French side 4-1 on aggregate?
Craig Dawson, who, it should be
remembered, joined on loan from a
Championship club last season, seems
to get better and better. Solid at the back
and capable of chipping in with important goals at set pieces. He started the
rout with a header at the near post from
a corner. Declan Rice hit a deflected
shot to make it two and Jarrod Bowen
ran clear and found the corner for the
third. There were chances for more.
Under David Moyes, West Ham have
been steadily shaking off the idea that
they are flaky. There was no scary

moments here that previously would
have been typical of them in the final
half-hour. Moyes, whose brother and
father were present, has reached his
first European semi-final as a manager,
while West Ham have not reached this
stage since 1976. They are three games
from the Champions League.
“It is a big moment,” Moyes said. “I
really want one of the big prizes if I can
get it. We are not favourites. But I want
the players to have great self-belief. I
am extremely proud of how they
performed. We are thrilled. I don’t get
the trophy tonight so I can’t be jumping
around (too much).”
West Ham stayed overnight in Lyons
and Moyes allowed his players to have
a glass of wine. Their dressing room
descended into carnage as the music
blared and players jumped on to each
other. Moyes had special praise for
Michail Antonio, the forward who ran
Lyons ragged. Rice was magnificent,
having had to tread a careful line
because he was one booking from suspension. When the midfielder came off
he was pelted seemingly with cartons
by home fans, who later expressed their
anger at their own club by throwing
objects and letting off flares behind the
goal until riot police streamed on.
Of concern is the potential for trouble at the semi-final. Before West Ham
played in Seville in the round-of-16 first
leg, some fans clashed with Eintracht
Frankfurt counterparts who were also
in the city.
Perhaps Lyons missed their chance
by not going for the jugular when they

Frankfurt, not Barca, up next
West Ham will have been wary of
facing Barcelona in the semi-finals,
but the Catalans were dumped out
by Eintracht Frankfurt.
The German side won 3-2 at the
Nou Camp after two goals by Filip
Kostic and one by Rafael Santos
Borré to win 4-3 on aggregate.

had the extra man in the first leg. Like
then, they began by sliding the ball
around with ease, and Karl Toko
Ekambi struck the base of the post
inside five minutes.
It was a remarkably breathless and
open first half. Malo Gusto, the young
right back, flashed dangerous crosses
without anyone applying a finish. And
when Lyons tried to apply pressure on
the Swiss referee, Sandro Schärer, by
claiming that a cross had hit Dawson’s
hand, he stood firm. Moyes had been
cute before the game, saying that he
hoped there would be no bad decisions.
From then on, West Ham picked off
Lyons with long balls and exploited
their weakness in the air. Pablo Fornals,

who worked hard throughout, curled a
corner and Dawson had a clear run at
the near post past Moussa Dembélé
and stooped to head home. Julian Pollersbeck, the goalkeeper, floundered,
perhaps blocked off as he came out
from goal.
He was deceived by a deflection for
the second goal. Ben Johnson got down
the left and his cross was only half
cleared. The ball broke to Rice in space
on the edge of the penalty area and he
set himself to shoot. He did not catch it
cleanly but it took a kind nick off
Castello Lukeba and spun into the
bottom corner. When the excellent
Fornals played a perfect pass to release
Bowen on goal, three minutes after the
break, there was no way back for Lyons.
Issa Diop, the centre back, got an
early booking for a rash challenge but
he did not put a foot wrong after that.
Lyons grew increasingly frustrated and
Mark Noble entered for the final 13
minutes in what is expected to be his
final playing season. If West Ham get
past Eintracht, it could be a sweet
farewell for the boyhood fan who
became captain.
Lyons (4-2-3-1): J Pollersbeck — M Gusto 6,
J Denayer 5 (sub: J Reine-Adélaïde 89),
C Lukeba 5, Emerson 5 — T Mendes, T Ndombele
6 (L Paquetá 46) — R Faivre 5 (Tete 46, 6),
H Aouar 6 (B Barcola, 71), K Toko Ekambi 7 —
M Dembélé 6. Booked Barcola.
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): A Areola 7 —
V Coufal 7, C Dawson 8, I Diop 8, B Johnson 7 —
D Rice 8, T Soucek 8 — J Bowen 8, M Lanzini 7
(M Noble 77), P Fornals 9 — M Antonio 7
(A Yarmolenko 84). Booked Diop, Fornals.
Referee: S Schärer (Switzerland).

The Northern Ireland women’s captain, Marissa Callaghan, has come to
the defence of manager Kenny Shiels
after he said that female football
players are “more emotional than men”.
Shiels made the controversial comment after his side was beaten 5-0 by
England in a World Cup qualifier at
Windsor Park, Belfast, on Tuesday and
has since issued a formal apology.
The 65-year-old claimed that women
concede goals in quick succession
because they are more emotional and
take a goal going in “not very well”.
His side let in four goals in 27 minutes
in the second half, having initially gone
behind in the 26th minute.
But writing on Twitter, Callaghan,
36, said her team stood by Shiels and
described him as “a man of integrity”.
She said: “In light of recent events,
collectively we stand by our manager.
We feel his interview was in relation to
a meeting we had as a team, where we
analysed that we concede goals in quick
succession and emotions were one of
the many things we discussed.
“Since Kenny took over three years
ago, I have always complimented him
publically on how he can get the best
out of his players. He is a man of integrity, who cares for us like we are family.
“Kenny has transformed the game in
Northern Ireland because he understands how to get the best out of players.
We have qualified for a major tournament because he transformed our
mindset. We look forward to the next
few months as we continue to prepare
for the Euros this summer.”
Shiels has since issued a public apology, saying that he was sorry for the offence caused and that he will continue
to be “an advocate for the women’s
game”. However, many have accused
him of perpetuating stereotypes.
Ian Wright, the former Arsenal striker and women’s football pundit for ITV,
pointed out the number of times male
players have cried. Writing on Twitter,
he said: “Kenny Shiels is talking foolishness! Didn’t that man see how many
times I was crying on the pitch?”
Meanwhile, Yvonne Harrison, the
chief executive of Women in Football,
said: “We hear from our members frequently about some of the challenges
they face. If they put a point forward, it
can be classed as too emotional. But if a
male colleague does that, it’s assertive.”
Siobhan Chamberlain, the former
England goalkeeper, said: “We all know
that the five minutes after you concede
a goal — not just in women’s football,
[also] in men’s football — you are more
likely to concede a goal.
“To just generalise that to women is
a slightly bizarre comment.”

Results
Football
Europa League quarter-final, second legs
Atalanta
(0) 0 RB Leipzig
(1) 2

Europa Conference League quarterfinal, second legs
PSV
(1) 1 Leicester
(0) 2

Nkunku 18, 87 (pen)
RB Leipzig won 3-1 on aggregate

Maddison 77
Ricardo Perreira 88
Leicester City won 2-1 on aggregate

Barcelona

Roma

(0) 2

E Frankfurt

(2) 3

Busquets 90+1
Kostic 4 (pen), 67
Depay 90+10
Borré 36
Sent off: N’Dicka (Frankfurt) 90+11
Eintracht Frankfurt won 4-3 on aggregate

Lyons

(0) 0

West Ham

(2) 3

(2) 3

S Braga

(3) 4

Bodo/Glimt (0) 0

Abraham 5
Zaniolo 23, 29, 49
Roma won 5-2 on aggregate

PAOK

(0) 0

Marseilles

(1) 1

Payet 34

Dawson 38
Rice 44
Bowen 48
West Ham won 4-1 on aggregate

Rangers

Zahavi 27

Marseilles won 3-1 on aggregate

S Prague
(0) 1

Tavernier 2, 44 (pen) Carmo 83
Roofe 101
Sent off: Tormena (Braga) 42, Medeiros
(Braga) 105
2-1 after 90 mins
Rangers won 3-2 on aggregate

(1) 1

Feyenoord

(1) 3

Traoré 14

Dessers 2, 59
Sinisterra 78
Feyenoord won 6-4 on aggregate

Basketball
NBA play-offs
Atlanta Hawks 132 Charlotte Hornets 103;

New Orleans Pelicans 113 San Antonio
Spurs 103.

Darts
Premier League — Night 10
Manchester (best of 11 legs): G Price (Wales)
bt P Wright (Scot) 6-4; J Wade (Eng) bt
G Anderson (Scot) 6-2; J Clayton (Wales) bt
M van Gerwen (Neth) 6-5; J Cullen (Eng) bt
M Smith (Eng) 6-2.

6-4, 6-3; (3) S Tsitsipas (Gr) bt L Dere
(Serbia) 7-5, 7-6 (7-1); A Davidovich Fokina
(Sp) bt D Goffin (Bel) 6-4, 6-1; (4) C Ruud
(Nor) bt G Dimitrov (Bul) 6-3, 7-5; (10) T
Fritz (US) bt S Korda (US) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5; (9) J
Sinner (It) bt (5) A Rublev (Russ) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.

Fixtures

Rugby league

Football

Betfred Super League
Catalans Dragons 18 Toulouse 10; Leeds
Rhinos 20 Huddersfield Giants 20; Wakefield
Trinity 4 Castleford Tigers 34; Warrington
Wolves 32 Salford Red Devils 18.
6 Table, page 65

Kick-off 3.0 unless stated
Sky Bet Championship Birmingham v
Coventry; Bournemouth v Middlesbrough;
Derby v Fulham (8.0); Huddersfield v QPR
(5.30); Hull v Cardiff; Luton v Nottingham
Forest (12.30); Peterborough v Blackburn;
Preston v Millwall; Sheffield United v Reading; Stoke v Bristol City; Swansea v Barnsley;
West Brom v Blackpool.
League One Accrington v Burton Albion;
Charlton v Morecambe; Cheltenham v
Gillingham ; Crewe v AFC Wimbledon;
Doncaster v Bolton ; Fleetwood Town v

Tennis
Monte-Carlo Masters
Monte Carlo: Round of 16 (11) H Hurkacz
(Pol) bt A Ramos-Vinolas (Sp) 7-6 (7-2), 6-2; (2)
A Zverev (Ger) bt (13) P Carreno (Sp) 6-2, 7-5;
(12) D Schwartzman (Arg) bt L Musetti (It) 2-6,

Oxford United; Portsmouth v Lincoln City ;
Sunderland v Shrewsbury; Wycombe v
Plymouth.
League Two Barrow v Forest Green Rovers;
Bradford v Tranmere; Bristol Rovers v
Salford City; Exeter v Colchester (1.0);
Harrogate Town v Swindon; Hartlepool v
Port Vale; Leyton Orient v Scunthorpe;
Mansfield Town v Sutton United; Newport
County v Crawley Town; Oldham v
Northampton; Stevenage v Rochdale; Walsall
v Carlisle.
National League Altrincham v FC Halifax
Town; Boreham Wood v Dover Athletic;
Dagenham and Redbridge v Barnet;
Eastleigh v Bromley; Grimsby v Stockport;
Maidenhead United v Weymouth; Notts
County v King’s Lynn Town; Southend v
Wealdstone; Woking v Torquay United;
Wrexham v Solihull Moors; Yeovil v Aldershot
Scottish
Championship
Inverness
Caledonian Thistle v Kilmarnock.
National League South Bath City v Havant &
Waterlooville; Billericay Town v Dartford;
Braintree Town v Concord Rangers; Dorking
Wanderers v Chippenham Town; Eastbourne
Borough v Welling United; Ebbsfleet United v

Dulwich Hamlet; Hemel Hempstead Town v
Hampton & Richmond; Oxford City v
Hungerford Town; St Albans City v Chelmsford City; Tonbridge Angels v Slough Town.
National League North Blyth Spartans v
Farsley Celtic; Boston United v Bradford
(Park Avenue); Chester FC v Kidderminster
Harriers; Chorley v Alfreton Town; Darlington
v Curzon Ashton; Guiseley v Gateshead;
Hereford FC v AFC Telford United; Kettering
Town v Gloucester City; Leamington v
Brackley Town; Southport v AFC Fylde; York
City v Spennymoor Town.

Rugby union
Heineken Champions Cup round-of-16
second legs Bristol v Sale (8.0); Leinster v
Connacht (5.30).
European Challenge Cup round-of-16
Biarritz v Wasps (5.30); London Irish v Castres
(5.30); Lyons v Worcester (8.0); Newcastle
Falcons v Glasgow Warriors (8.0).

Rugby league
Betfred Super League: Hull KR v Hull (12.30);
St Helens v Wigan (3.0).

the times | Friday April 15 2022

69

Sport

Paris beckons
for the rarest
of rivalries
James
Gheerbrant

L

ike an eclipse, or the crawl of
baby turtles towards the
ocean under a bright moon,
it is one of those natural
phenomena that occurs only
every so often, requiring a rare
alignment of circumstances to be
brought into being. Two great football
teams — probably the two greatest
on the planet — meeting in decisive
matches, in all three of the big
competitions, in the space of a few
weeks. That tantalising possibility is
now coming into sharp focus, with
Manchester City and Liverpool
having secured safe passage through
the Champions League quarter-finals
this week.
They drew 2-2 in the Premier
League on Sunday, a result that leaves
City with a slender advantage in the
title race; they will face off again in
the FA Cup semi-final tomorrow; and
they are strong favourites in their
respective European semi-finals,
against Villarreal (Liverpool) and
Real Madrid (City). The predictive
algorithm of the data website
FiveThirtyEight estimates that there
is a 59 per cent chance that the
Champions League final in Paris on
May 28 will be the third game in a
Guardiola-Klopp triptych.
If it does come to pass, it will be
something almost unique, in its scale
and stakes, chronology and kidology.
Usually, two great teams, if they are
in the same league, will face each
other twice, maybe three times, in the
course of a season. Several months
pass in between encounters. Other
stories, other rivalries, crowd in. The
narrative goes slack, only to be
ratcheted up again.
But in this unusual scenario, that
tautness remains. It is the closest
football gets to the concentrated
intensity of an NBA finals series.
And on a tactical level, it is also

Firmino, who
scored twice for
Liverpool in the
second leg of
their Champions
League quarterfinal, could have
key role in run-in

Route to domination
Liverpool are going for the quadruple having won the League Cup and Manchester
City for the treble. Here are the obstacles in their way.

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April 16 Man City v Liverpool, FA Cup
semi-final, 3.30pm
April 19 Liverpool v Man Utd, Premier
League, 8pm

fascinatingly
peculiar:
because
each game
becomes a
mini-battle
within a
broader
strategic contest. The coaches can
react and respond to the gambits of
each other. There is scope to bluff and
pre-empt and second-guess, and also
the dilemma of what tricks, if any, to
keep up one’s sleeve.
Actually, both managers have been
in a similar situation before. During
his time at Barcelona, Guardiola
famously went head to head with José
Mourinho’s Real Madrid four times in
the space of 18 days in the spring of
2011: a La Liga title-decider, the Copa
del Rey final and a two-legged
Champions League semi-final. In
2013, Klopp, then at Borussia
Dortmund, faced a more diffuse
version of this: a German Cup
quarter-final, Bundesliga clash and
Champions League final against
Jupp Heynckes’s Bayern Munich,
in the space of three months.
It is interesting to look back at
those “series”. What is striking
about how Guardiola navigated that
month of Clasicos is just how much
restraint he exercised. The team, and
the system, barely changed over the
course of those four games. The few
adjustments he made — bringing in
Seydou Keita for Andrés Iniesta;
playing Carles Puyol as a reserved,
defensive left back in the Champions
League, rather than an attacking full
back — were enforced. Tactically,
Guardiola remained constant, and it
was Mourinho who devised specific
plans and ploys for the occasion.
Of course, the Guardiola of 2022 is
quite different from the Guardiola of
2011. At Manchester City, he has
become famous for the constant
rotation of his team, and his use of
bespoke formulations in his restless
quest for control. As the blogger Om
Arvind wrote in an excellent article,
he has gone from being the ultimate
idealist to a highly adaptable
pragmatist. And indeed, in Sunday’s
Premier League game, it was City

Jürgen Klopp has said that Liverpool
will have the element of surprise when
they face Manchester City only six days
after their previous meeting because
Pep Guardiola has not seen them play
at their best this season.
Their two Premier League clashes
ended 2-2, with City carving out the
better chances, but neither side could
strike a decisive blow in the title race.
The focus now shifts to tomorrow’s
FA Cup semi-final at Wembley
Stadium, with the two managers seeking to outmanoeuvre each other to
remain on course for multiple trophies
this season.
Guardiola had targeted the Liverpool

right back Trent Alexander-Arnold at
the Etihad on Sunday and used Gabriel
Jesus on City’s right to try to limit the
influence of the Liverpool left back
Andrew Robertson.
Klopp said that he was also striving
constantly to pinpoint City’s weaknesses and thinks that if Liverpool show
their best form they will pose problems
for their rivals.
“I think we all think a lot about these
games, we have to,” Klopp said. “I think
City were really strong last week and we
were not at our best, so I would like
to see a game where we are at our best
as well. That would be interesting.
Let’s give it a try. Maybe that would
be a surprise — all of a sudden we are
good!
“The boys did a lot of good stuff in the

May 4 Real Madrid v Man City,
Champions League semi-final second leg,
8pm

April 23 Man City v Watford, Premier
League, 3pm

May 7 Liverpool v Tottenham, Premier
League, 7.45pm

April 24 Liverpool v Everton, Premier
League, 4.30pm

May 8 Man City v Newcastle, Premier
League, 4.30pm

April 26 Man City v Real Madrid,
Champions League semi-final first leg,
8pm

May 10 Aston Villa v Liverpool, Premier
League, 8pm

April 27 Liverpool v Villarreal,
Champions League semi-final first leg,
8pm

May 15 Southampton v Liverpool, 4.30pm;
West Ham v Man City, 4.30pm (both
Premier League)

April 30 Newcastle v Liverpool, 12.30pm;
Leeds v Man City, 5.30pm

May 22 Liverpool v Wolves, 4pm; Man City
v Aston Villa, Premier League, 4pm

City's Premier League game against Wolves, due to have
been played on Sunday, has not yet been rearranged

who came with the much more
tailored game plan: that unexpected
front three of Raheem Sterling, Phil
Foden and Gabriel Jesus, and the
scheme of hitting those long, diagonal
balls into the full-back zones.
Guardiola probably won the
war against Mourinho: Barcelona
ended up winning La Liga and the
Champions League tie, although Real
got the Copa del Rey. But these days,
Pep does not cede the opportunity to
shape the tactical texture of the
match to his opponent.
For Klopp, perhaps the main lesson
may concern the husbandry of his
squad. By the time his Dortmund side
got to that Champions League final at
Wembley, key players such as Robert
Lewandowski and Marco Reus were
exhausted. Their high press lacked
intensity. Bayern, who had been
much more rotated by Heynckes,
were fresher. The Dortmund
midfielder Sven Bender recalled:
“It was impossible for us to keep
the same pace after the first
45 minutes, it had been
incredibly high.”
Klopp has the players to
do things differently this
time — in fact, he
has probably never
had such depth of
quality at his
disposal. Against City,
Liverpool’s first-choice
front three were a little
slow to snap into the

[Premier League] game but in a couple
of positions we are able to perform on a
completely different level and I think
we should give that a try.”
City had a 2-1 lead at half-time but
wasted several opportunities to secure
a bigger advantage and rued a lack of
ruthlessness when Sadio Mané
equalised for Liverpool within a minute
of the restart.
Klopp now wants a more commanding all-round display. He was able to
make seven changes for Wednesday’s
Champions League quarter-final with
Benfica, which ended 3-3 on the night
but 6-4 on aggregate.
In contrast, City were embroiled in a
physically testing stalemate with
Atletico Madrid, from which they also
progressed into the semi-finals,

May 3 Villarreal v Liverpool, Champions
League semi-final second leg, 8pm

April 20 Man City v Brighton, Premier
League, 8pm

Klopp: We’ll surprise City by finding our best form
Paul Joyce
Northern Football Correspondent

S

winning 1-0 on aggregate after Kevin
De Bruyne’s goal in the first leg.
“I want to have 12 games from now
until the end of the season and be in the
[Champions League and FA Cup]
finals,” the Liverpool manager added,
while saying he will check on the fitness
of Diogo Jota after he suffered an injury
against Benfica.
“It’s tough, but it’s still the best
schedule to have because it means you
are in all the competitions as long as
possible.
“I’m really looking forward to the [FA
Cup] game. Wembley is a big pitch, we
have to cover a lot of grass and run a lot
and close big gaps, but I think it will be
cool. Both teams will use the last game
for their analysis and we will see who
uses it better.”

May 14 FA Cup final

May 28 Champions League final

press: that, as much as anything, was
the reason the high defensive line was
so vulnerable. Clearly, the juggling of
a squad, when Liverpool are still in
the thick of a title race, is much easier
said than done. But the likes of Luis
Díaz, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita,
Curtis Jones and Takumi Minamino
may have a crucial role to play.
For the most part, things have been
cordial between Liverpool and City —
could familiarity breed contempt?
Guardiola was utterly worn out by the
toxicity of that spate of showdowns
with Mourinho: Barcelona lost their
title the next season, and he took a
year-long sabbatical to recover. He
has been entirely magnanimous about
Liverpool and Klopp, and even took
the high road when asked about
Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid’s
antics this week.
Klopp is not Mourinho, of course,
but a little friction can be productive,
and it feels like the onus is on him to
ruffle this rather courteous and
fraternal rivalry. His teams have
always been best when they feel like
righteous disruptors of the elite.
The FA Cup semi-final already
feels like a mouthwatering occasion.
One team’s hope of a Treble, or a
Quadruple in Liverpool’s case, will
not survive. It has been a season of
rarefied and absorbing competition
between these teams, who have driven
each other on, elevated each other to
new heights, and who may yet have
one last tango in the City of Light.

continued from back
Key Chelsea director sanctioned
Companies House records show.
MHC’s parent company is Norma
Investments Ltd, registered in the British Virgin Islands. According to the Wall
Street Journal, control of Norma Investments was also passed to Davidovich on
February 24. Davidovich’s personal fortune is said to be worth £1.2 billion.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said:
“We are tightening the ratchet on
Putin’s war machine and targeting the
circle of people closest to the Kremlin.
We will keep going with sanctions until
Putin fails in Ukraine.”
Tenenbaum also sits on the board of
Evraz plc, which the government said
could have supplied steel to produce
Russian tanks. The move brings the
total number of oligarchs, family members and associates sanctioned by the
UK over the war in Ukraine to 106.

70

2GM

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

Sport Football
How match
ended in
14 minutes
of chaos
In the 13 mins and 40sec
between Felipe’s tackle on
Foden and the final whistle,
the ball was in play for just
2min 37sec
88min 29sec
Foden, right, is tackled to
the ground by Felipe, who
kicks him in his followthrough.
88:36
Referee runs over. Llorente
sprints to get involved as
does Oblak, while Savic
tries to drag Foden to his
feet as Zinchenko, from the
City bench, also joins the
fray. A lot of players, staff
and medics also rush over
and in the melee, Savic
appears to headbutt
Sterling, main pic.
88:50
There are now about
30 people involved at this
point, including players,
medics and staff.
88:52
A scuffle breaks out with
Llorente, Aké, Laporte, De
Paul, Kondogbia, Felipe and
Correa all heavily involved.
89:14
Some players start to walk
away, but the scuffle
continues. Savic, far right,
confronts Stones and then
pulls the hair of Grealish,
who appears to have called
him a c***.
89:22
More people begin walking
away, but Fernandinho
pushes his team-mate
Foden, who had been
walking around, back onto
the ground. Fernandinho
now confronts De Paul.
90:00
There is still a large crowd

in the corner, with the
referee starting to talk to
Oblak and Savic.

93:09
Referee attempts to calm
the situation.

90:30
Savic is given a yellow
card.

93:54
Mahrez takes a free kick
short to Gundogan, but is
then given a yellow card
for time-wasting.

90:48
Aké is given a yellow card.
90:53
Felipe is given a second
yellow card and sent off.
He grabs the referee’s
arm and, along with
Oblak and other
Atletico players,
continues to
challenge the referee,
gesticulating wildly
in his face.
91:56
Felipe is finally
dragged off the pitch.
92:52
The game resumes four
minutes after it had
been stopped, with a
Foden throw-in.
92:59
Cunha fouls Fernandinho
and City win a free kick as
a consequence.

94:07
Game finally restarts with
a retaken free kick.
94:23
Ball goes out for a Atletico
throw-in.
94:30
Throw-in taken.
95:31
Oblak saves a shot from
Gundogan.
95:40
Rodri fouls Mandava and
Foden is booked for a
challenge after the
whistle has gone on De
Paul, who pushes him.
96:15
Game resumes with
Oblak taking a free kick.
96:45
Cancelo fouls Carrasco

Etihad row that sparked the
Heated exchange
involving Grealish after
first leg lit the fuse for
a wild night, by Pol
Ballus and Paul Hirst
Chaos reigned in the closing stages of
Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid as a mêlée involving players,
substitutes and staff spilt into the
tunnel and required the intervention of
local police.
Tensions had simmered throughout
the match in the Spanish capital, which
ended with City qualifying for the
Champions League semi-finals; however, the seeds of the ugly scenes at the
Wanda Metropolitano stadium had
been sowed eight days earlier, immediately after the first leg.
Jack Grealish was being escorted
back to the dressing room by members
of staff at the Etihad Stadium after a 20minute cameo in which he had been
targeted by the Atletico defenders
Stefan Savic and Sime Vrsaljko.
A group from Atletico’s backroom
team were also walking down the tunnel and it is understood that insults

were hurled at the £100 million winger.
Those with Grealish responded and a
heated exchange followed.
The scenes were by no means as fiery
as those that would unfold on Wednesday night but the Atletico staff gave
their English counterparts a pointed
reminder that they would see them
back in Madrid the following week.
Savic reportedly told Grealish — who
has been jokingly named “Peaky Jack”
by his team-mates, a reference to the
TV series Peaky Blinders — “I’ll have
you in Madrid.”
It set the stage for a fractious return
fixture. Felipe, whose foul on Phil
Foden sparked the brawl late in the
match, lit the touchpaper inside the first
12 minutes when he caught Foden in
the head with an elbow. The City playmaker required lengthy treatment and
a bandage around his head and there
was no let-up in the physicality. Kyle
Walker hobbled off and Kevin De
Bruyne was pictured on the bench with
an ice pack strapped to his ankle.
De Bruyne will miss tomorrow’s FA
Cup semi-final with Liverpool and Pep
Guardiola, the City manager, admitted
that injuries had left his “tired” side in
“big trouble”.
City had dominated the first half
without increasing their 1-0 first-leg

City dominant then defensive
This momentum graphic from both legs of Man City's Champions League quarter-final
against Atletico Madrid shows that Pep Guardiola's side dominated the first three
45-minute periods of the contest before shutting up shop in the second half of
the second leg.
Man City more threatening

15

30

45 45

Atletico more threatening
60 75 90
15 30
min

April 5
First leg: Man City 1 Atletico 0

45 45

60

75

90
min

April 13
Second leg: Atletico 0 Man City 0
Source: Opta

lead and adopted a defensive approach
for the second period, a strategy that
infuriated Atletico.
Savic, a member of the City squad
who won the Premier League title in

2012, seemed particularly fired up. Next
month the club will host a reunion to
mark the tenth anniversary of that
triumph but Savic has not been invited
as he was only a fringe player. When

Felipe tackled Foden in the 89th minute
and appeared to kick out with his follow-through, Savic sprinted over to the
touchline to try to haul the 21-year-old
to his feet. Oleksandr Zinchenko, the
City substitute, needed to restrain him
and the fracas ensued.
Savic then attempted to headbutt
Raheem Sterling — an action that was
missed by the officials and may result in
a ban — and was involved in a heated
exchange with Grealish, who appeared
to shout an obscenity at him. The Serbian responded by tugging Grealish’s hair.
As Foden began to get to his feet, his
captain, Fernandinho, pushed him
back to the floor to waste more valuable
minutes. The wily 36-year-old wrote on
social media after the game: “On days
like today I realize even more how
much I love playing this game.”
The Spanish press took a dim view of
Foden’s antics. “It was City who made
the game dirty with a fight in the last
minutes provoked by Foden, rolling in
and out to the pitch to lose time,”
claimed the newspaper AS. “Wasting
time was the only thing City did in the
second half. English teams performing
with fair play and not simulating is an
urban legend. City did the impossible to
make sure there was no football.”
Atletico officials were not impressed

the times | Friday April 15 2022

71

2GM

Sport
NIGEL KEENE/PROSPORTS/SHUTTERSTOCK; ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES; OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

No one likes to see
it? Nonsense. This
drama was thrilling
Matt Dickinson

on the edge of the City
area and is booked.
97:34
Atletico free kick deflected
for a thrown-in. City ‘keeper
Ederson rolls around on
the floor in apparent agony.
98:23
Simeone, left, is shown
applauding the home fans.
98:43
Ederson is back on his feet
and play resumes.
98:54
Ball goes out of play and

Fernandinho falls to the
ground without apparently
having been touched.
99:04
The fourth official tries to
keep Simeone in his area,
but he runs on to yell at
Savic, who had been
suffering from cramp.
99:48
Simeone is shown a yellow.
100:37
Simeone argues with the
referee, who is pointing at
his watch.

100:53
Game resumes again.
100:58
Ball goes out for a throw-in.
101:16
City take the throw-in.
101:41
Ederson saves from Correa.
101:55
The balls goes out and
Atletico take the throw-in.
102:09
The referee blows the final
whistle.

And it didn’t end there . . .

The bad feeling between the teams continued after the match and there was a scuffle in
the tunnel at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Atletico staff trying to restrain Sime Vrsaljko

Madrid bust-up
either. Enrique Cerezo, the club president, said in an interview with Radio
Marca yesterday: “City played like in
pre-history, they put a wall in front of
their goal. Yesterday it was shown that
everyone has their own pre-history.”
Cerezo’s remarks were a dig at
Guardiola, who said after Atletico failed to have a single shot in the first leg:
“Even in the pre-history of football, it is
so difficult to attack two lines of five
players defending.”
As a supporter of Catalan independence, Guardiola is far from popular in
the Spanish capital and the Atletico fans
made their feelings known as the clock
ticked down, chanting “hijo de puta”
which translates as “son of a bitch”.
Tensions boiled over again after the
final whistle. Walker and Scott Carson,
the back-up goalkeeper, got involved in
a spat between Savic and Grealish.
Footage showed Walker pushed David
Lora, the Atletico physio, at the mouth
of the tunnel as he tried to intervene.
Walker was then restrained by Ederson further up the tunnel as Vrsaljko,
the Atletico right back, tried to confront
the England international. Police had
to get involved to calm things down.
With Uefa likely to appoint an
inspector to investigate the incidents,
the recriminations will only continue.

continued from back
Laporte - City can still do Treble
was aware that the former City defender had attempted to headbutt Raheem
Sterling.
If Siebert does not mention the headbutt in his report, Uefa could still ban
Savic retrospectively.
Enrique Cerezo, the Atletico president, aimed a dig at Guardiola after the
match by accusing the Catalan of playing “prehistoric football” in holding out
for a goalless draw.
The trouble continued after the teams
left the field, with
players needing to be
separated in the tunnel.
TV footage showed
objects being thrown
and police were required to restore order.
There were also suggestions that Guardiola
had liquid thrown at him
by Atletico supporters
as he headed towards
the tunnel.
Savic’s headbutt also
made headlines in Spain

Guardiola later said he had “nothing
to say” in relation to the trouble but did
add that “everyone saw the action”.
Uefa has a panel of 20 ethics and
disciplinary inspectors from different
European countries. The inspectors
mostly work for a national association
— such as Bryan Faulkner, the head of
legal at the FA. Faulkner will not be
involved in this case, however, because
of City’s involvement in the
investigation.
Guardiola admitted that his players
were tired after Wednesday’s game, but
Aymeric Laporte is confident that City can still
w
win the Premier League,
C
Champions League and
F
FA Cup — the Treble.
“We know that it will
b
be tough, but we can do
it
it,” Laporte, the City
d
defender, said.
City will train at The
N
New Den, the home of
M
Millwall, today after flyin
ing into London yesterd
day. City decided it
m
made more sense to
p
prepare for the FA Cup
m
match in London,
rrather than return to
M
Manchester.

Senior Sports
Writer

“No one likes to see that.” I cannot
remember who said that on BT Sport
on Wednesday night as Atletico Madrid
versus Manchester City went full
“shithouse” — but he found no
agreement in my house.
My teenage son and I were gripped
— not just to City anxiously repelling
attacks amid the perilous jeopardy of a
big Champions League tie but also by
the frenzy of exploding tempers, hairpulling, headbutts and handbags.
We gawped at Stefan Savic, with a
stare so murderous it could repel an
army. We chuckled at Jack Grealish
managing to be such an irritant even
though he never actually made it on to
the pitch. Police running to separate
players at the final whistle? Where was
“tunnel cam” when you needed it?
Would City keep their nerve? If
Felipe’s head was going to explode,
what would happen to his man-bun? As
mêlée piled on top of mayhem, we
wondered if this game would ever
finish. Hopefully not. Nine added
minutes? Can’t we have another ten?
Of course if every game turned into a
festival of nastiness and argy-bargy it
would become tedious. It would not be
good for the game, or encourage skill
and beauty. Think of the impressionable children and all that.
But no one likes to see that? Really?
Not every week, obviously, but there
can be compelling drama in the
darkness. And if ever we should have
expected a game to become tempestuous, this was such an occasion.
This was Atletico fighting for their
Champions League lives under Diego
Simeone, a manager who dresses in
black from head to toe, as if on a
permanent audition for a pantomime
role as arch-villain. Spot the baddie!
It is this moral dimension that, I
think, suddenly gives us all, irrespective
of whether we usually have a care for
City or Atletico, a thrilling stake in the
contest. We were not just watching a
game of football but latching on to
bigger forces: good versus evil, the
oldest story ever told.
This is why the Pep Guardiola versus
José Mourinho rivalry at Barcelona and
Real Madrid became not just the
Clásico but a footballing Star Wars,
Republic against Empire. And yes, the
narrative was way too simplistic given,
say, Barcelona’s tactical fouling, but we
like our morality tales nice and
clear-cut, so we blind ourselves to
inconvenient truths.
We take a side, just as the public
and media did with predictable
parochialism: in England lauding City’s
strength of character on Wednesday
night, in Spain condemning them as
timewasters.
We leap to our own moral high
ground of certainty, even if it leaves
us wide open to accusations of
double standards. But whoever said
consistency or rationality was part of
the deal?
At Queens Park Rangers, where I
watch most of my football, the fans sing:
“a shithouse striker is what we need”.
They love that Charlie Austin treads on
defenders’ toes and does “cry-baby”

celebrations to opposing supporters.
They also reserve the right to bitterly
harangue any opposing striker who
dares to wind up their own team.
Phil Foden rolling back on to the
pitch and Grealish mouthing obscenities would be ugly and niggly from
Atletico, but from City it becomes
streetwise — especially in victory.
I was not alone in enjoying the chaos.
Gary Neville tweeted that it was an
“unpopular view” but that he too had
been gripped: “I know most were
disappointed with the [Atletico Madrid]
behaviour, but I sort of enjoyed it. Try
and find a way to win, even if you’re
inferior in talent. City’s players will be
proud this morning in overcoming it!”
Neville was talking as an expert. His
Manchester United side loved to play
glorious, attacking football, but there
were times when they did what was
required, even if it meant straying into
the darker arts.
Facing Arsenal, Sir Alex Ferguson
would tell them they had to clatter into
Robert Pires and Thierry Henry.
Neville knew that José Antonio Reyes
could beat him for skill and speed so he
would set out to rattle the winger. As he
said (before the Spaniard’s horribly
untimely death in 2019): “I’m not going
to deny an element of intimidation, but
only because Reyes wasn’t tough
enough to take it.”
Facing a Monaco team of prodigious
speed, including Henry, Ferguson once
ordered the groundsman to waterlog
the Old Trafford pitch for a huge
Champions League tie. “Flood the
f**king thing,” he said, which was
shithousery that even Simeone may
regard as scandalous.
We celebrate great acts of
sportsmanship — and so we should. We
want skill to flourish. But we cannot
pretend that sport, any more than any
other realm of life, can eradicate the
shadowy side of human nature. This
contrast between the dark and light is
all part of the great human theatre.
Indeed, there are plenty who argue
that the duelling between City and
Liverpool has everything apart from
the dash of venom needed to be
regarded as one of the very best
rivalries. All this playing exquisite
football against each other is
wonderful, thanks, but where is the
needle, the niggle, the touch of
devilment?
There can, and should, always be
different ways to win — as long as the
rules are enforced in a way that
maintains the overall integrity of the
sport. Most of us love to see artists
triumph, but don’t we also want to see
them tested to the limits? To see
temperament on the edge? To witness
the full spectrum of human emotion?
Remember those famous words from
John Motson at the end of the 1988 FA
Cup final? “The Crazy Gang has beaten
the Culture Club,” he said of
Wimbledon’s extraordinary underdog
victory against a sublime Liverpool,
perfectly capturing that football will
never just be about one way to win.
Sport will always provide beautiful
moments of grace. But there was
something about the wild storminess of
the
Wanda
Metropolitano
on
Wednesday night that tapped — pretty
harmlessly, as it turned out — into
another part of our nature.
No one likes to see that? I suspect the
reactions in pubs and living rooms up
and down the country told a very
different story.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

Sport

‘I have no toenails’

No more miracles

Raducanu’s ailment won’t stop
Billie Jean King Cup debut

Marcus Smith must learn to
take the pragmatic option

Page 62

Stuart Barnes column, pages 64-65
MARCIO MACHADO/GETTY IMAGES

Injured City
pair to miss
Liverpool tie

Key Chelsea
director hit
by sanctions
Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter

6 De Bruyne and Walker blows for FA Cup semi
6 Uefa inspector to investigate Atletico bust-up
Paul Hirst, Martyn Ziegler

Kevin De Bruyne is set to miss
Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final
against Liverpool because of the ankle
injury he suffered in their fiery goalless
draw against Atletico Madrid.
De Bruyne spent the last 25 minutes
on the substitutes’ bench with ice
packed around his right ankle after he
took a kick from Felipe in the first half
on Wednesday.
Kyle Walker, the right back, is also a
serious doubt for the match after he was
pictured wearing a protective boot on
his left ankle in London yesterday.
The injuries came in a bad-tempered
match which ended 0-0, although City
went through 1-0 on aggregate and will
face Real Madrid in the Champions
League semi-final. The game featured
an on-pitch brawl late on that involved
more than 20 players and officials; it is
set to be investigated by a Uefa ethics
and disciplinary inspector.
Uefa only appoints an inspector for
serious or complicated cases, which
suggests that Atletico and their players
— notably Stefan Savic and Felipe —
are expected to face disciplinary action.
De Bruyne, 30, will undergo further
tests, but he does not think that the
injury will keep him out for an extended
period. De Bruyne was able to walk
unaided yesterday when he returned to
the UK.
Pep Guardiola, the City manager, is
unlikely to take a risk with the attacking

midfielder, however, so he is set to sit
out tomorrow’s match at Wembley,
which City must win if they are to keep
alive their hopes of winning the Treble.
Walker hobbled off in the 73rd minute after rolling his left ankle. The 31year-old England defender will have
tests to determine whether he has
suffered any internal damage. Should
Walker be ruled out for a while, it would
leave City without both of their firstchoice full backs for the first leg of their
semi-final against Real on April 26 as
João Cancelo is serving a one-match
suspension after collecting his third
yellow card.
Despite suffering the injury, Walker
was still a participant in a post-match
bust-up in the tunnel. Walker and Scott
Carson, the back-up goalkeeper, got
involved in a spat between Savic and
Jack Grealish.
Footage taken by a spectator showed
Walker pushing David Lora, the Atletico physio, at the mouth of the tunnel as
he tried to intervene. Walker was then
restrained by Ederson further up the
tunnel as Sime Vrsaljko, the Atletico
right back, tried to confront the
England forward.
Felipe’s kick on Phil Foden, which
was enough to earn him a second yellow card, sparked the mass confrontation towards the end of a feisty match.
Savic was also booked for his involvement in the row, although it is not clear
if the German referee, Daniel Siebert,

2

3

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Continued on page 69

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10

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12

13
14

15

16

18

17

19

21

20

22

23

24

25
26

28

Craig Dawson, Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen, above, scored either side of
half-time as West Ham stun Lyons 3-0 to reach the Europa League semi-finals

Continued on page 71

Times Crossword 28,265
1

West Ham storm into last four

Two of Roman Abramovich’s closest
associates, including the Chelsea
director Eugene Tenenbaum, have
been sanctioned by the British government.
The Foreign Office announced an
estimated £10 billion of assets belonging to Tenenbaum and David Davidovich, two figures who took control of
Abramovich companies on the day
Russia invaded Ukraine, had been
frozen.
The move came on the day that the
four consortiums bidding to buy Chelsea had to make their final offers for the
club. Tenenbaum and others on the
club board, as well as Abramovich himself, are due to make a decision on
which bid to accept but sources close to
the process said the sanctioning would
not affect his participation.
The Foreign Office said Tenenbaum
had described himself as one of Abramovich’s closest business associates, and
that corporate filings showed that he
had taken control of Evrington Investments Limited, an Abramovich-linked
finance company, on February 24.
Davidovich then took over Evrington Investments from Tenenbaum in
March. He is now subject to an asset
freeze and travel ban.
Tenenbaum, 58, and Davidovich
were described by the government as
“Russian oligarchs” and both have
become hugely rich through business
dealings, both connected to Abramovich companies and separately.
Tenenbaum, who was born in
Ukraine, joined the Chelsea board
when Abramovich bought the club in
2003. Davidovich, 59, who like Abramovich is a Russian-born Israeli, previously worked at his former company
Sibneft before it was sold to Gazprom.
On February 24 he also took over
control of Abramovich’s Chelsea-based
management firm MHC (Services) Ltd,

across

down

1 For example, cat catching small
rat? (4)
3 Be dynamite, writhing between the
sheets here? (7,3)
10 Pine touched by part of saw: it may
need drilling (9)
11 Gather it’s prayer time (5)
12 Given funds, so finish in credit (7)
13 Remove impurities from cloak,
regularly dipped in river (6)
15 Hand over money as TV dinner ad
led to splurge (5,3,7)
18 Charge for cosmetic surgery maybe
that star turns up for? (10,5)
21 Across river, a sort of bridge not
available quickly (6)
23 Praise to God from prophet,
including a couple of notes for the
English (7)
26 Broadcasts not the first but the last
word (5)
27 For example, Tolkien enthusiast is
overwhelmed by endless choice (9)
28 Tend to like such a formal shirt
perhaps as party wear? (5,5)
29 Bring up behind tower (4)

1 Ban on snooker player in
dormitory town? (7,3)
2 Rate son lacking in emotion (5)
4 A comedian performs in Balkan
region (9)
5 Extremely dark at first, gas light
turned up (2,3)
6 Sun hat, large, keeping more or less
for now (7)
7 Smash almost all the competition?
Just avoid losing (5,4)
8 Over an hour spot does, very old
(4)
9 Worried chapter must get cut (6)
14 Intelligence is a boring topic (4,6)
16 I press on with a false or slanderous
allegation (9)
17 Crew put rings etc on maybe? (4,5)
19 Pardon a brother that accepts
shelter (7)
20 Lose bet, after card is turned over
(6)
22 Present chest, topless (5)
24 Frank and Jack, heading off around
one (5)
25 Iceberg is a little lower (4)

Yesterday’s solution 28,264
S H
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N
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P A
N
D E

A C
H
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I
U S
T
S E
N
A B E D
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L
I ND
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GNOM

K L E D
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V EWR
D M
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A
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CR A T
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T I M
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FRIDAY APRIL 15 2022

PLUS

Grand
Designs
8-PAGE
SPECIAL

‘Did I fall for the oldest estate
agent trick in the book?’
ONE HOUSE-HUNTER INVESTIGATES THE MYTH OF THE CASH BUYER
pages 6-7

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

2 Bricks & Mortar
2

Bricks
& Mortar

Friday April 15 2022
the times

£18.75 million

Everyone from Kennedy to Connery has
stayed at this Georgian rural retreat

S

cratched on to one of
Frank. “It is a rare country retreat for
the first-floor windows of
someone who has a London apartment
Turville Grange, a grade II
and is looking to escape the city.
listed country house in
Someone with beautiful taste.”
Buckinghamshire, is an
In 1966 the house was bought by
inscription, the name
Prince Stanislaw Radziwill, an exiled
Victoria and some dates:
member of the royal family of Poland
1915, 1917, 1918.
and Lithuania. His wife at the time was
“Princess Victoria wrote that with
Lee Radziwill (born Caroline Bouvier),
her diamond ring,” says Adam Brimley,
Jackie Kennedy’s younger sister.
the estate manager. The younger
Radziwill hired the Italian interior
sister of King George V was a frequent
designer Renzo Mongiardino to remodel
visitor to the house, as the historic
the house. A socialite, she hosted
graffiti reveals.
Princess Margaret, David Niven, Sean
She is not the only VIP to have
Connery and Peter Sellers.
resided in this Georgian property
When the Radziwills divorced in 1974
outside Henley-on-Thames. The
they sold Turville Grange to their friend
rural retreat has entertained
Henry Ford II, the grandson
Hollywood stars, industry
of Henry Ford. Ford died in
Sign up to our
magnates and socialites.
1987, but his wife, Kathleen
property
newsletter
Behind an iron gate
DuRoss Ford, continued
for the latest analysis, to use the house as her
inspired by those at
gossip, tips and tricks country retreat until
Sandringham, the main
every Monday at
house, built in 1887, spans
she died in 2020.
thetimes.co.uk/
8,000 sq ft over three floors.
The estate is so vast
newsletters
It has five bedrooms, five
that Brimley conducts the
staff bedrooms, two guest
viewing in a golf cart. The
bedrooms, five reception rooms and
grounds comprise the main house and
seemingly countless bathrooms.
another four properties. The largest is
“It is a maze,” Brimley says as he
the 2,000 sq ft detached White House,
guides me through long corridors and
named in honour of Jackie Kennedy,
up steep staircases.
who stayed there when she visited her
The estate, with almost 50 acres, is for
sister. John F Kennedy Jr and Caroline
sale for the first time since the 1960s. At
Kennedy played in the garden while
£18.75 million, it is not cheap, but as the
their mother rode horses.
estate manager says, you’d effectively be
There are also two guest properties
buying “a small village”. His services are
plus a staff cottage. A pool house,
available by separate negotiation.
with a 22ft indoor pool and a spa, sauna,
“You never know what the buyer
Pilates room and showers, was built in
of a property is going to be, but this is
the late 2000s after a fire destroyed
not a property for flashy billionaires,”
the original structure.
says Gary Hersham, the founder of
Emanuele Midolo
Beauchamp Estates, which is marketing
£18.75 million, Beauchamp Estates and
Turville Grange jointly with Knight
Knight Frank

RG9 The postcode in numbers
In this part of Oxfordshire
55% of properties for sale
are under offer dropping
to 54% of those costing
£1million or more

£875,642 is the average house price

This handsome grade II listed house
stands in a prominent spot in Woburn,
a village famous for its 3,000-acre safari
park, ten miles southeast of Milton
Keynes. The early 18th-century threebedroom property has an entrance hall,
two ground-floor reception rooms and
a kitchen with an island, walk-in pantry
and an Everhot range cooker. Doors
from the kitchen lead to the courtyard
garden and a range of outbuildings: a
utility room, store, water closet/boot
room and an octagonal summerhouse.
The principal bedroom has built-in
wardrobes and a large en suite.
Air pollution 10mcg/m³ particulate
pollution annual average, 5mcg/m³
above the WHO guideline of 5mcg/m³.
Upside Kerb appeal.
Downside You have to go outside
to use the ground-floor loo.
Contact michaelgraham.co.uk

£975,000

Devon

Built in the 1950s, this 2,700 sq ft house
has an upside-down layout that makes
the most of the glorious views over the
countryside and River Dart. The fivebedroom house has been remodelled by
Nic Bailey, formerly of Foster + Partners.
The top-floor open-plan kitchen/dining/
living area has floor-to-ceiling windows,
and timber floors and ceilings. There’s
a separate snug with skylights and a
pitched roof, and a shower room and a
study area with doors out to the garden.
The lower level houses the bedrooms, a
utility room and workshop. Dartmouth
is within a 30-minute stroll, and it’s a
half-hour drive to Totnes.
Air pollution 6.5mcg/m³, 1.5mcg/m³
above the WHO guideline of 5mcg/m³.
Upside A mid-century marvel.
Downside No windows in the utility
room and workshop.
Contact themodernhouse.com

T
KE

55°

SE
LL

RKET
MA
S’
ER

The hotter the
market, the quicker
and easier it should
be to sell a home

BUYE
RS’
MA
R

TAKING THE TEMPERATURE
SELLERS' MARKET

What £1 million buys you in . . .
Bedfordshire

17%

Increase
in buyer
demand
in the
past yea

Compiled by Victoria Brzezinski
@vbrzezin

£1 million

the times | Friday April 15 2022

Bricks & Mortar 3
3

Brief encounter
Ask the expert
I am paid to have a mobile phone
mast on my land. I’ve been asked
to host a 5G mast for a measly
extra sum. What are my rights?
Two legal regimes
apply to phone masts
on private land. The
first is any existing
agreement allowing operators
to use land. This is usually a
long lease of the site, which will
probably be a business tenancy
under the Landlord and Tenant
Act 1954. If operators ask for
permission to upgrade to 5G,
landlords generally can’t refuse
permission without reasonable
grounds. Rents may be subject
to review, and tenants are
generally entitled to new leases
when their old ones expire.
Phone masts and similar
apparatus are also subject to
the special regime in the
Electronic Communications
Code. The existing version of
the code, which appears in
schedule 3A to the
Communications Act 2003,
frequently overrides specific
provisions of a lease, and is
heavily weighted in favour of
operators. For example, under
paragraph 17 of the code,
operators may upgrade
apparatus provided there is “no
adverse impact, or no more
than a minimal impact” on the
appearance of equipment, and
provided that the upgrade
causes “no additional burden”
on the landowner.
Rents too are affected by
the “code rights”. Unlike the
version before it, the statutory
assumption in paragraph 24
of the present code says that
the site value ignores potential
to use the land for a
communications network.
Since few mast sites have any

other realistic commercial use,
the so-called no network
assumption means that
rents for mast sites have
been falling sharply.
The legal position is very
complicated indeed, and much
will depend on when a lease
was agreed and whether the old
version of the code or today’s
one applies. Just to make
things even more confusing, the
Supreme Court is reviewing
the whole relationship
between leases and code
rights in the case of Cornerstone
Telecommunications
Infrastructure v Ashloch. But
operators can generally insist
on upgrading phone masts to
5G at a modest extra rent.
Mark Loveday is a barrister
with Tanfield Chambers.
Email your question to
brief.encounter@thetimes.
co.uk

View the UK’s most luxurious residential properties
mansionglobal.com/london

Herefordshire

South Lodge was once the gatehouse
to Goodrich Court, a 19th-century
neo-gothic castle in Goodrich village,
about five miles from the market town
of Ross-on-Wye. Now a three-storey,
four-bedroom grade II listed home, it
is within walking distance of pubs or a
12-minute drive over the Welsh border
to a Waitrose in Monmouth. The hall
opens to three receptions — one with a
Clearview wood-burner — a home office
and a dining room with floor-to-ceiling
windows. The kitchen has a vaulted
ceiling, a central island and views of the
garden. The gardens have two covered
entertaining areas, great for hosting
whatever the weather.
Air pollution 7.7mcg/m³, 2.7mcg/m³
above the WHO guideline of 5mcg/m³.
Upside Double garage and outbuildings.
Downside A lot of house to heat.
Contact fineandcountry.com

£1 million

Alicante, Spain

Javea is a Costa Blancan coastal town
with a chilled-out vibe, a blissful
microclimate and no high-rise blocks.
This four-bedroom villa sits at the end
of a cul-de-sac five minutes’ drive from
palm-tree-backed Arenal beach. The
6,100 sq ft new-build has an open-plan
kitchen/living/dining room, a utility area
and doors out to the pool, terraces and
garden. There’s a triple garage in the
basement, plus a lift, remote-controlled
gates and an armoured entrance door.
Each of the bedrooms has its own en
suite and terrace; the largest bathroom
has a hydromassage tub. There’s an
alternative solar energy system (for hot
water) and the hot-cold aircon system
has ducts and underfloor heating and
uses an energy-efficient heat pump.
Upside Chic and ready to move in.
Downside One main living area.
Contact fineandcountry.com

€1.195 million

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

4 Bricks & Mortar
4

Bricks
& Mortar

Friday April 15 2022
the times

Moving stories
Your tales from up and down the property ladder

‘Our daughter sold
her house to buy us
a retirement flat’

W

hen it comes
to getting on
to the
property
ladder, it is
typically
home-owning
parents and
grandparents who are called upon to
rescue Generation Rent. It is more
unusual for children to help their
parents into home-ownership. But that’s
exactly what our daughter did.
We did own our own house at one
stage, but we had to move frequently
because of my job as a technical
manager with General Electric, and later
as a consultant, so we preferred renting.
We lived in West Sussex for a while
and Jennifer bought in Chichester, but
then she promptly got married and
moved to Hampshire. She said she’d like
us to be a bit closer because we’re
getting older and, should anything
happen, she didn’t want a 35-minute
trek across the country to deal with us.

Our son, Simon, lives in Nottingham.
That’s when Jennifer, 53, found
Bishopstoke Park, near Southampton in
Hampshire, a retirement village on her
doorstep. It was her initiative, really.
She phoned us when she saw these
apartments. She said, “Mum and Dad,
you’ve got to come over here and see
this, it’s absolutely fantastic.” And we
came straight away.
We liked the brand-new homes, but
had few savings, no home of our own to
sell and it was unlikely we would get a
mortgage in our eighties.
Luckily Jennifer had held on to the
home she had bought in Chichester and
sold it to buy 65 per cent of a £328,700
flat at Bishopstoke Park using the shared
ownership scheme. We pay rent on the
remaining 35 per cent to Anchor House,
a specialist housing association for the
over-55s, as well as a service charge, with
utility bills included, which is very
reasonable. Electricity, water and gas is
all metered within the village so we’re
not having constantly to change

Michael Robinson, 86,
and his wife, Brenda,
80, with their daughter,
Jennifer

Have your say
Would you like to share
your moving story?
Email carol.lewis@
thetimes.co.uk

The hardest part
was moving from
a three-bedroom house
to a one-bedroom flat
suppliers. There are also wider doors, no
kerbs and no steps, so residents can get
around easily in a wheelchair.
The hardest part was downsizing from
a three-bedroom house with a garden to
a one-bedroom flat with a patio. We had
to shed a lot of our possessions, furniture
and things like that. Storing stuff is quite
limited so we’re down to all the stuff that
facilitates us to live from day to day.
But now we are able to share an onsite restaurant, library, shops, gym, spa
and swimming pool. The residents have
formed clubs among themselves. There’s
the art group, the bridge group, the

music appreciation society, various
groups like that. We have lots of
opportunities to meet other people.
We’ve been sheltered [from Covid].
There have been one or two people who
contracted the virus but on the whole
everybody else has been free of it.
We’ve helped Jennifer out over
the years as well. We’re pretty close
and she’s mindful of the fact that,
because of our age, she wants to take
care of us. Ultimately, when she and
her husband reach 65, they want to
move in here anyway.
Interview by Melissa York

GET BRITAIN
MOVING

Speed up. Streamline.
Save money

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

6 Bricks & Mortar
6

Bricks
& Mortar

Friday April 15 2022
the times

Did I fall for the oldest estate
agent trick in the book?
It cost me sleepless nights and £25,000. But was the cash buyer real, asks Jessie Hewitson
C O V E R S T O RY

M

y husband and I
how we could buy it before anyone else
have just bought
pounced, so we made a quick offer close
our dream house,
to the asking price. The seller agreed in
or at least, one
principle, but would continue to market
that will be after
the property. It meant a nerve-racking
the builders and
wait while we put our flat on the market
Farrow & Ball
and prayed the house we loved would
have got to work.
not be snapped up by the cash buyer —
We first viewed it in September. It
or anyone else.
is only round the corner from where
Every week I called the agent. The
we used to live, but our two kids —
cash buyer seemed to have faded into
aged 6 and 11 — hated it. The youngest
the background, and while the house
was scared of the basement, the
was getting viewings, no one else
eldest wanted to know why the walls
wanted to take on that amount of
were orange (that was the 1970s for
work. We walked past on our way to the
you, I replied.)
park, snooping at the people looking
They may have been thoroughly
around. I tried hard to read a lot into
unimpressed but my husband, Eifion,
tiny scraps of their body language as
and I were bowled over. It was twice the
they left the house.
size of the other properties we’d looked
Ten days later we accepted an offer for
at; it had high ceilings, bay windows
our flat from a couple with a young
and original fireplaces. It was owned
child. We called the selling agent,
by one reclusive man, who had died.
excited that we were able to proceed.
He had rented out three of the
That’s great, he said, except for
four bedrooms as bedsits —
one thing. The cash buyer was
Every time the
with coin-operated meters
back. And he or she was
and kitchenettes — until
making an offer — one,
selling agent wanted
the day he kicked them
it was hinted, that was
to put pressure on us
all out after a tenant
going to match or better
left the hallway light on
ours. “If you are going to
we were reminded
one night.
increase your offer,” said the
about the
In a failed attempt to sound
estate agent, “now is the time to
casual, I asked the agent showing
do so.” And so we did. By £25,000.
cash buyer
us around who else was interested.
I didn’t have high hopes, but my
Just us and a cash buyer, she replied.
husband called me that evening to say
At the time we didn’t appreciate that this
that our offer had been accepted. We
mysterious cash buyer would end up
celebrated with champagne, and I was
haunting us for months, costing us
already decorating the rooms in my
sleepless nights and, we suspected,
head, but any feeling of contentment
£25,000. All we could think about was
wore off after a conversation at the

school gates, when I mentioned the
but what if we were wrong? Did we
cash buyer and my friend laughed.
really want to call their bluff and risk
She had a friend who had worked
losing a house that we loved and had
with the selling agent before.
mentally moved into? Could we face
“There’s no cash buyer,” she told
doing this all over again? Clearly
me emphatically. Apparently
the answer was no, and so we
‘But
isn’t
that
the agent we had bought
chivvied everyone along,
fraud?’ He
through was notorious for
stressing out our buyers
inventing cash buyers
unnecessarily so things
shrugged.
to increase how much
could go quicker, as well
‘It’s not right,
buyers paid — and the
as ourselves.
commission he made.
We finally completed on
but
it
happens’
Then we spoke to our
January 6, ahead of schedule.
mortgage broker about increasing
Now I own the house I feel lucky,
our loan to match the increased offer.
content, and cold (it’s incredibly
He asked why we paid more, and we told
draughty). But it was hard to shake the
him. “That old trick,” he said, chuckling.
feeling that we had fallen for the oldest
I spoke to another friend who works in
trick in the estate agent’s book. The fake
property development to see what he
cash buyer? It left me feeling foolish,
thought. Some estate agent friends of his
particularly because my day job is
had done this, he confirmed. But isn’t
deputy personal finance editor of
that fraud? He shrugged. “It’s not right,
this paper, advising people on how
but it happens.”
not to lose their money to fraud or
Indignant, we called the selling
unscrupulous practices.
agent and asked him for evidence
So I decided to do some investigating.
that a cash buyer had really put an
I called Propertymark, the main
offer in. The agent was flustered, and
membership body for estate agents,
said that while there was an official
and said what had happened, that
record of the offer he could not show
we were fairly certain our agent had
it to us because of confidentiality.
faked a cash buyer. Propertymark
We continued through the stressful,
said it could check on my behalf,
four-month buying process, and every
since the estate agent in question was
time the selling agent wanted to exert
one of its 18,000 members. Anyone
pressure on us — usually because our
can do what I did — email
buyers weren’t moving quickly enough
compliance@propertymark.co.uk
for his liking — we were reminded about
and its team will verify whether an
the cash buyer. If we didn’t hurry the
offer is real. The spokeswoman for
seller would go with them.
Propertymark assured me that if a
By this stage we were 85 per cent
member doesn’t produce their records
convinced that no such buyer existed,
instantly it would be treated as a red

the times | Friday April 15 2022

Bricks & Mortar 7
Friday April 15 2022
the times
ALAMY

i
The dash for cash
When it comes to property, cash is
king and cash buyers still drive the
market (Emanuele Midolo writes).
According to data from Savills
estate agency, 56 per cent of
purchases last year were made by
cash buyers or homeowners who had
sold their homes and reinvested the
equity to buy another property. The
cash/equity method of buying has
increased most in popularity in recent
years, growing 54 per cent in 2019 and
58 per cent in 2020.
The residential market had a total
turnover of £492 billion in 2021 —
£278 billion was funded by cash or the
recycling of equity. In comparison,
purchases made using a mortgage or
other finance totalled “just” £119 billion
— 24 per cent of the turnover for over
the same period. This does not include
debt options for first time buyers, such
as Help to Buy, which accounted for
£74 billion last year, up 38 per cent on
2020; or buy-to-let financing options,
which amounted to £21 billion, a 50 per
cent increase on the year before.
“This is a real sign of the importance
of existing equity in the market,”
says Lucian Cook, Savills’ head of
residential research.
The South East of England was the
most active region in the property
market last year, with just short of
£105 billion (21 per cent of the total)
spent on bricks and mortar. The
figure is up 59 per cent on 2020
and on 2019. London came second
with almost £97 billion (20 per cent
of total turnover), up 50 per cent
and 48 per cent on the two years
before respectively.
The North East (£10 billion, or 2 per
cent) and Yorkshire and the Humber
(£28 billion, or 6 per cent) were the
two English regions with the smallest
amount spent on residential property.
Emanuele Midolo

flag and an audit would begin.
Less than eight hours later I
discovered that not only was the cash
buyer real, they had tried to gazump us
by matching our offer after ours had
been accepted. The seller refused it.
The agents had been telling the truth
after all, and far from being hard done
by, we were lucky to have been in
negotiation with an honourable seller.
I’m now left feeling foolish for a
different reason. I assumed wrongly.
I’m not exactly losing sleep over the
issue, but to the selling agent, if you’re
reading this: I am sorry.

Bricks
& Mortar

7

T

he lack of affordable
rural housing is so acute
that it will take more
than 150 years to clear
waiting lists, according
to a report by CPRE,
the countryside charity.
The pandemic has only
made the problem worse. Incoming city
slickers have pushed property prices
even higher, shutting out locals who
were already competing with secondhome buyers to get on the ladder.
Now an Oxfordshire architect has a
solution that he claims will solve the
shortage, help the planet and even
win over the nimbys. Giles Lovegrove,
principal of Trace Architects, has built
a prototype for a modular house, a
one-bedroom, 485 sq ft structure that
would cost only £150,000. Called Plan B,
his timber prefab dwellings would be
assembled on paddocks where half the
site would be set aside for the landscape
to be rewilded, so the countryside would
not be paved over. These one-bedroom
houses could over time be expanded
to up to three bedrooms, with each
additional bedroom costing £25,000
(so a three-bedroom house would cost
£200,000, or a three-bedroom at 970 sq
ft, with extra living space, would cost
£225,000).
“I live in a rural area,” says Lovegrove,
47. “I know a lot of people, including
family members, who are in this
position where they can’t afford a house.
I also have three kids, and I’m aware
that they will have the same problem.
My firm does a lot of posh houses for
big budgets. It’s a nice balancing thing
for your conscience to get involved with
something like this.”
Lovegrove is trying to get planning
permission for three Plan B houses on
a 4.2-acre site in Goring Heath,
Oxfordshire. The land is owned by his
friend, Dave Wallace, who has a paddock
on his property that is not being used.
They are applying for permission for
three-bedroom houses at the outset, so
that homeowners can expand from a
one-bedroom when they can afford to.
If the concept is approved, it could be
replicated across the countryside.
The hurdle to building affordable
rural housing is the high cost of land
after planning permission has been
gained. Lovegrove is trying to get
consent for the Plan B houses using the
rural exception site policy, which allows
houses to be built on the edge of
villages on land that would not normally
receive permission for development.
With rural exception sites, the land is
sold at the price of regular farmland or
just above, which keeps costs lower,
and planning is granted on the condition
that the new housing is affordable —
and remains so in perpetuity by legal
agreement, even if subsequently sold —
and fills a local need.
“Locals don’t want massive housing
estates on their doorstep,” Lovegrove
says. “So our approach is to sprinkle a
small amount of affordable housing into
a rewilded landscape. We’d rather do 20
small sites than two big developments. It
wouldn’t get planning permission if we

A prototype of Giles Lovegrove’s Plan B modular houses — made of timber with screws for foundations

How to . . .

Solve the rural
housing crisis
Could an Oxfordshire architect’s £150,000 timber
prefabs be the answer? By Hugh Graham

The houses would
be one-bedroom
properties, with the
potential to add
bedrooms. They
would be low
carbon, airtight and
use solar panels
for power

The architect wants to build on the edge of villages, on land
that would not normally be approved for development

went for a big development; planners
would say it was out of proportion with
the existing settlement. We’re trying to
be stealthy by not overwhelming people.”
The concept has popular appeal
among the locals they are talking to,
according to Lovegrove — a threebedroom house for £200,000 is unheard
of in the area — but they still face a
struggle to get planning permission. In
their pre-planning application they
were advised that they needed to
commission a housing needs survey to
determine whether there was demand
for affordable housing in the area.
Lovegrove says this would cost about
£2,000 and take six months. “We
assume the need for affordable housing
is a given. In South Oxfordshire there
are approximately 3,000 families and
individuals on the affordable housing
waiting list and approximately 300
affordable homes delivered each year.”
The planners say they are unlikely to
approve new homes that aren’t within
walking distance of local amenities,
because they are trying to minimise car
journeys. “That limits your number of
sites,” Lovegrove says. “If these criteria
are used to rule out any potential site, it
explains why zero rural exception sites
were built in Oxfordshire last year and
suggests the council needs to look at
their criteria if they wish to address their
massive affordable housing shortfall. It
would be better to build here than have
no affordable housing at all.”
Lovegrove thinks the car argument is
less of an issue now anyway, with the

rise of electric vehicles and bikes and
more people working from home.
The council is also concerned about
the loss of open countryside, but
Lovegrove says that paddocks used for
grazing horses are ecological deserts
with little room for biodiversity, and
the low density of the scheme would
keep the rural feel. “Yes, we’re building
some housing, but we’re upgrading
the rest of the site to have more
environmental benefits,” he says.
“We would work with rewilding
organisations, planting trees and
sowing seeds to encourage wildlife.”
What is more, the modular houses
would be low carbon: no masonry or
concrete (the foundations are metal
screws), and the structural insulated
panels would reduce the need for
heating. They would be airtight,
warm and use solar panels for power.
The prototype survived Storm Eunice
intact, which offers reassurance to
would-be buyers.
So what else can Lovegrove say to win
over the nimbys? “It comes back to this
growing chasm between those who
have managed to buy a house and those
who can’t afford to,” he says. “The whole
Generation Rent thing. It’s a fairness in
society thing. We should, as a society,
be building more affordable homes to
even things up. Plus, if they can’t afford
to buy a house, my kids will be living at
home for ever.”
Get involved
Lovegrove is aiming to put the project
forward for planning permission in
April and is trying to gain public support.
He wants to hear from people who
would like to live in one of these houses,
landowners interested in putting forward
paddocks for affordable sites, and private
backers to help to fund the movement.
tracearchitects.co.uk; planb.house

GET BRITAIN
MOVING

Speed up. Streamline.
Save money

the times | Friday April 15 2022

Bricks & Mortar 9

Friday April 15 2022

9

GETTY IMAGES

Grand Designs
special

Projects stall as building costs soar
Budget now
to pay later,
says Carol
Lewis

Building up
Material

per cent
increase*

Timber

19.2

Steel lintels

13.5

Ready-mix
concrete

10

PVC pipes and
fittings

11.3

Bricks and
blocks

14.1

Aggregates

10.3

Ironmongery

12.65

Plaster and
plasterboard

13.5

Paints

6.5

Cement

11.5

Insulation

7.5

*Between May 2021 and Feb 2022. Source: BCIS

‘E

verything has gone up
in price: sand, cement,
plaster, timber, even
foil-backed insulation.
It’s been hugely
expensive,” says Peter
Symonds. His homebuild project has
stalled while he and his wife, Zoe, get
together the funds to finish it.
The Symonds bought a “really grotty
two-bedroom bungalow” near Caterham,
Surrey, in 2016 for £585,000 with the
intention of extending and adding a top
floor to create a four-bedroom house. Six
years and £75,000 later they are three
quarters of the way through, but the
project has been put on pause several
times while the couple saved money.
“If we’d employed a builder we’d be
looking at the sharp end of £100,000
[expenditure],” says Symonds, 57, who
runs a heating and ventilation company
and has been doing the build himself.
“It might have been more costeffective to knock it down and start
again, but we needed somewhere to live
while we did it,” he adds. “We haven’t
really budgeted, we have just bought
what we need as we go along, stopping
and starting depending on the money.
“The kitchen [which cost £22,000]
wiped us out — it was far more
expensive than we were expecting.
There was no way we could afford the
one we wanted. Now I need to
concentrate on my business to bring in
more money to finish the utility room,
downstairs bathroom, patio and garden.”
Symonds’s situation is not unique.
Tales of people hit by price increases
part-way through projects are common.
Clive Holland, a radio presenter on BBC
and Fix Radio, a station for the

Zoe and Peter Symonds’ Surrey house build has stalled due to rising costs
construction industry, says: “Last week
someone called in and said: ‘My builder
has just come back to me halfway
through the job and said the cost of my
loft conversion has gone up by £18,000.’
“The problem is the increases we have
had over the past year mean that quotes
don’t hold water. You can give an estimate
but you have to make sure the client
realises that it only holds for 30 days.”
Even 30 days may be optimistic. Richard
Groom, head of core data products at the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
(RICS), says: “Some contractors will only
hold prices for 24 hours.”
Charlie Avara, the managing director
of All Done, a building design company
in London, says quotes from suppliers
are often valid only for the minutes that
she is on the phone. “I will call and ask

for quotes and they will say: ‘This is the
price now — it might have changed by
the time you call back,’ ” she says. “I am
advising clients to buy things like
kitchens and bathroomware now and
store them until we can fit them because
the price will have gone up in the next
three to four weeks.
“We used to provide a quote and the
price would be good for six months.
Maybe you’d need a 5-10 per cent
contingency fund in case of price rises,
but now it is month to month, and if
people come back to me after three to six
months I need to recheck all the prices.”
Architecture and building firms are
advising clients to put aside at least 10
per cent of their budget as a contingency
against rising prices during a project.
A combination of lockdowns, Brexit

and the war in Ukraine have meant that
the costs of decorating, renovating,
extending and building have soared over
the past two years. The price of
construction materials reached a 40-year
high at the end of last year, according to
the Building Cost Information Service
(BCIS). The spiralling costs have
rendered lists of average build prices and
online calculators useless.
In the latest report from the
Construction Leadership Council’s
product availability group, the cochairmen John Newcomb, chief
executive of the Builders Merchants
Federation, and Peter Caplehorn, chief
executive of the Construction Products
Association, wrote: “Price inflation
remains the major concern. There are
reports that some suppliers are only
willing to hold quotes for 24 hours. The
resulting uncertainty is leading some
contractors to pause before entering
fixed-price or long-term contracts.”
The latest lockdown in China
combined with the war in Ukraine have
led to a shortage of supplies and price
increases for MDF, as well as boilers,
paint, ceramic tiles and sanitaryware
“You just realise how interconnected
we are with China, Russia and Europe,”
says Lizzie Fraher, co-founder of Fraher
& Findlay, a London-based architectural
firm. She tells of how an Italian brick
manufacturer told her it couldn’t afford
to fire up the kilns because the cost of
energy had increased by 600 per cent.
She advised those beginning a project to
get three quotes and never go for the
cheapest. “There is usually a reason
they’re the cheapest,” she says. “It is
always worth getting a quantity surveyor
to lock down detailed costs, and build in
a contingency fund.”

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

10 Bricks & Mortar
10

Grand Designs special

Friday April 15 2022
the times

JEFFERSON SMITH

Olaf and Fritha Mason with baby
Lagertha. Their quirky home is
in Billingshurst, West Sussex

Protractor perils:
how we built our
triangular house
Precision and
ingenuity were
crucial in creating
one couple’s West
Sussex self-build.
By Emily Brooks

W

ith its
triangular
footprint and
steeply
sloping roof,
Olaf and
Fritha
Mason’s
three-bedroom home is extremely
unusual. Its quirky shape isn’t the result
of a design whim, it’s a clever response to
a problematic site hemmed in by a main
road, a railway line and a sewer.
“We started to look for a house almost
as soon as we met, but it was difficult to
find anything in our price range,” Olaf
says. The couple, who live in
Billingshurst, West Sussex, have been

that was misleading because it wouldn’t
have been economically viable.”
Olaf is a carpenter and joiner
specialising in bespoke interiors. Not
wanting to be beaten by the situation,
he put his design skills to good use and
came up with the idea of a house that
would skim the boundary of the sewer.
“Rather than fight it, we worked with it,”
he says. An architect helped him to turn
his design into detailed drawings
that were used for the planning
application and building regulations.
“We realised that if Olaf devoted a
year to the project he could build a
better home than we could ever have
afforded to buy,” says Fritha, who runs
an ethical textiles business. The timber
frame was constructed on site with hand
tools. “I wanted to get my hands dirty
and build it from scratch,” Olaf says. His
carpentry skills and experience were
essential because millimetre precision
was needed from the off. “I had to get

We were
nervous about
building this crazy
spaceship of a house

together for five years and volunteer as
respite foster carers for vulnerable
children at the weekends and during the
holidays. “We considered building our
own home early on,” Fritha says, “but
none of the plots we looked at felt right.”
Then Fritha’s dad showed them a piece
of land with potential on an online estate
agency’s website.
Olaf, 45, and Fritha, 42, knew that a
mains sewer ran across the site, but

because there was outline planning
permission for a house to be built on the
plot they assumed it wouldn’t be a
problem. It was only after buying the
land that they realised the sewer would
have to be moved, at vast expense, if
they went ahead as planned.
“I didn’t know what outline planning
was,” Olaf says. “I thought I was paying
for a plot of land with permission for a
square house plus a sewer diversion, but

Type Three-storey
timber-framed house
Bedrooms 3
Project started
March 2020
Finished July 2021
Size 1325 sq ft
Land cost £160,000
Build cost £280,000

everything absolutely right, as a tiny
error in the angle of the building’s
incline at ground level would result in
gaining a couple of extra feet at the roof
ridge,” he explains.
Just as crucial to the project were the
measures taken to block out the sound
of traffic and trains. Triple glazing and
15cm-thick mineral-fibre insulation
within the stud walls, which are built up
to a total thickness of 50cm, limit noise
pollution as much as possible.
Beginning in early spring 2020, the
build got off to a bad start with the
discovery of a trunk sewer that had been
missed on the ground survey. It had to
be diverted, adding unexpected expense
to the couple’s £190,000 budget, which
increased further when Olaf and Fritha

the times | Friday April 15 2022

Bricks & Mortar 11
Friday April 15 2022
the times

ft, which called for a fair amount of
ingenuity when it came to planning
each space. Clever features that exploit
every inch include a cupboard on
castors, made by Olaf, that fits into a
pointed recess in the couple’s bedroom,
and an oak staircase where every tread
doubles as a drawer.
Outside, the small footprint of the
house means there’s lots of space left on
the plot. Since there was nothing to
prevent them using the rest of the land

A tiny error in the
angle at ground
level would result in
extra feet at the roof ridge

They installed an 860 sq ft wooden
deck surrounded by walls made from
reclaimed railway sleepers
chose to have concrete floors on every
level, leading to the structural engineer
specifying more robust foundations. The
complexity of the building had financial
implications too. “The structural
engineer cost twice as much as the
architect,” Olaf says. “Nothing is
straightforward with a triangle.” The
couple were forced to extend their selfbuild mortgage to cover the extra costs,
and to borrow from family and friends.
Yet Olaf was in his element projectmanaging the build, hiring a team of

traders he’d worked with before. “It’s
easy to trust people you know,” he adds.
The need to move towards completion
became more pressing with the arrival of
baby Lagertha in March 2021. And the
couple were motivated by the memory of
Fritha’s brother Matt, who had been one
of the project’s biggest cheerleaders.
Sadly he died of cancer two months after
Lagertha was born. “Matt loved the
house and wanted to see it finished,”
Fritha says.
The family’s home measures 1,325 sq

as their garden, the couple added a
block driveway, laid a 375 sq ft lawn and
installed an 860 sq ft wooden deck with
an outdoor kitchen, a sunken seating
area and a fire pit, surrounded by
retaining walls made from reclaimed
railway sleepers. In one corner of
the plot they’ve parked an old doubledecker bus that has been repurposed
as Olaf’s workshop.
“At first we were nervous about
building this crazy spaceship of a house,”
Fritha says. “But everyone thinks it’s
great, including our next-door
neighbours, who used to own the land.
Being beside the wooded railway
embankment means that there is
greenery everywhere, and most of our
windows look out on to trees. That —
and the fact that Olaf has built it all
himself — is pretty amazing.”
This article first appeared in Grand
Designs magazine

Grand Designs special
Bricks & Mortar

11

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Whether you are embarking on a
renovation, building a home, making
a few improvements or updating
your garden, you’ll find everything
you need to make your project a
success at Grand Designs Live from
April 30 to May 8 at the ExCeL centre.
More than 500 self-build,
renovation and home improvement
companies will be at the event. Plus
you can get free advice for your
project and listen to the exciting
programme of live talks from
speakers including the Grand Designs
presenter Kevin McCloud and Grand
Designers from the TV series. There
are sessions on everything from
working from home to boosting your
health through interior design.
Buy two tickets to attend Grand
Designs Live, April 30-May 8, at the
ExCeL in London for £16.
Use the ticket offer code BMOR22
at seetickets.com. This is a saving
of up to £24 on the door price. The
offer is for Grand Designs Live
London 2022 only and must be
booked before midnight on May 7,
2022. A transaction fee applies per
order. Children aged 15 and under
go free.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

Bricks & Mortar 13
Friday April 15 2022
the times

Grand Designs special
Bricks & Mortar

13

GETTY IMAGES

How to avoid
planning
pitfalls

Outdoor
living
Compiled by Carol Lewis

U Shanghai blue 3m
cantilever parasol, £129;
dunelm.com

Know the rules — and don’t try to
sneak anything through. By Jayne Dowle

I

f you’re a first-time self-builder,
or even an old hand planning a
new project, it’s important to
know the latest planning pitfalls
and how to avoid them.
Some omissions are accidental
— such as forgetting that you may
eventually like solar panels on the
roof until after the trusses have been
hammered into place — but others can
lead to legal action.
There will always be self-builders
who smugly flout the rules, but dealing
with a breach of planning permission —
City of Westminster residents, with more
than 10,000 transgressions reported
from 2016-20, are the UK’s worst
offenders — is no laughing matter. You
may have to demolish what you have
built and pay costs.

Avoid a gamble
If that dream plot of land looks
suspiciously cheap, there will be a reason
why — it’s likely that it’s being sold
without any kind of planning permission
agreed, including outline (when
permission has been obtained to confirm
that development is acceptable and a site
is viable for building).
“A site without planning permission
isn’t a building plot. It might have the
potential to become one, but you can’t
be confident until there is consent in
place,” says Mike Dade, a planning
consultant at Speer Dade and expert
contributor for Build It magazine.
“The council can offer pre-application
advice on this, however this is not 100
per cent reliable. Do not pay full price
for a plot unless it has permission. If it
doesn’t, buy via an option agreement
[preventing the landowner from selling
the land while the putative buyer is
exploring planning permission viability]
or conditional contract that will delay
your final purchase.”
Be aware too that some plots of land
without planning permission are sold on
the condition that if permission is
eventually obtained by the new owner,
commission will be payable to the
original landowner.

Avoid a gamble
– part two
It has been known for self-builders
who can’t get the size of property they
want agreed through planning
permission to gamble on adding a bigger
kitchen or outbuilding through
permitted development — which
allows for improvement and extension
without the need to make a planning
application — later.
Tread carefully, says Mark Morris, a
planning consultant at Urbanist
Architecture. “A council can take away
your permitted development rights when
they give you planning permission —
this has been discouraged by central
government, but it still happens. It’s most
likely to happen if you live in some kind
of protected area, for example, a
conservation area, the green belt or an
area of outstanding natural beauty. We
always advise making sure everything
you need is covered in your planning
application rather than leaving it to
chance later.”

Take responsibility
Don’t leave it to your architect or
architectural designer to check and
confirm the details. This is where so
many potentially expensive and legally
fraught issues occur between client
and professional.
“Personally consult your council’s
application validation checklist online
and make sure all relevant documents,
surveys and reports are submitted, that
drawings are all to the correct scale and
show orientation, and that you pay the
correct fee,” says Michael Holmes, a
property expert for the Homebuilding
& Renovating Show.

Be flexible
Don’t be bull-headed. If you think that
one or two aspects of the design are
contentious, remove them before
submitting the planning permission, get
approval for the main scheme, then
apply again for the more controversial
aspects later, Holmes says. “There is no

fee for reapplying the first time. You
could also apply for minor amendments
to the scheme through an application to
vary the planning conditions and change
the approved drawings.”
Time your application carefully.
Holmes advises waiting if there is a local
council election on the horizon.
Planning committee councillors may
not want to stick their necks out and
agree to a controversial scheme. There is
an impartial period of “purdah”, also
known as a “pre-election period” or
referred to as “heightened sensitivity”
that typically lasts for six weeks prior to
an election. Although local planning
decisions are not usually suspended,
there may be issues if your application
will inflame opinions.

X Indoor/
outdoor cushion in bright
yellow, £14.99; therange.co.uk

U Habitat
Koral wooden
garden 5-seat
sofa set, £950;
argos.co.uk

Rural builds

A council can
take away your
permitted
development
rights when
they give you
planning
permission

Many self-builders dream of finding
the perfect rural spot. However, strict
policies exist to protect the green belt,
whatever aberrations might appear to be
committed by the volume housebuilders.
You’re strongly advised to instruct an
architect well versed in the conditions of
rural builds, including paragraph 80, the
section of the national planning policy
framework relating to exceptional
dwellings in isolated settings.
“Local planning authorities are
under clear instruction to strongly
oppose any schemes involving potential
harm to the openness of the green belt.
Stronger restrictions apply to nature
reserves and areas of outstanding
natural beauty,” Morris says. “To avoid
a green belt application being refused,
your proposal must be for an appropriate
site, fantastically well designed,
strongly justified and provide a
complementary and sustainable
addition to the housing supply.”

W Ivyline fire
pit in rust colour,
£140; made.com
de.com

W Acapulco
co
garden
chair, £70;
0;
se.co.uk
homebase.co.uk

X GoodHome
Malaita Jungle
Leaves outdoor
rug, £30; diy.com

Future-proof to
save energy
A lot of self-builders would love to
incorporate energy-aware measures such
as a ground source heat pump or solar
panels, but their budget won’t stretch to
it. However, they may intend to install
when finances allow.
Don’t make the mistake of signing
everything off without thinking ahead.
“If you can’t afford solar panels now but
do want to add them later, make sure
that your architect is aware and designs
a suitable roof,” Morris says.

W Bono
o Grande
mic grill
ceramic
(23in),, £899;
kamadokings.co.uk

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

14 Bricks & Mortar
14

Grand Designs special
Bricks & Mortar

Friday April 15 2022
the times

Maximise wardrobes

Add light

From left: Manhattan bedroom, from £2,000,
sharps.co.uk; Meryl lamp, £45, Anyday Stacked
cane side table, £99, cushion, £40, johnlewis.com;
rooflights from £580, therooflightcompany.co.uk

Use neutral colour

Boxed in: how to make the
most of your spare room
From storage to paint shades, clever decisions can maximise your space. By Jayne Dowle

S

ince March 2020, 8.8 million
spare bedrooms in British
homes have been aired out,
decluttered and given a new
purpose. Five million of
those have been turned into
home offices and more than
a million serve as gyms.
Other transformations include to home
cinemas, music rooms and bars,
according to the property portal Zoopla.
It is one thing, however, to give a spare
bedroom fresh purpose, and quite
another to use every inch of space
effectively. We have asked architects and
designers for their advice on how to
max out the minimum, whether
renovating an existing room or
planning from scratch.

proportions. “A Juliet balcony could
make all the difference,” says Rich
Morgan, head of design at the
architectural practice Resi. “While most
balconies require planning permission,
Juliet balconies can be added under
permitted development rights. The
floor-to-ceiling glazing of a Juliet
balcony not only provides fantastic
views, it also draws the eye out past
the space, creating the illusion of a
much bigger bedroom.”
According to the specialist company
Bespoke Frameless Glass, a Juliet
balcony costs £200 to
£2,300 depending on
size, plus fitting.

Natural light
and windows

Storage space
Think of the room in 3D, as a cube,
rather than as floor, walls and ceiling.
This will help you to visualise where
storage can fit best.
That may be an all-in-one wardrobe
system that is focused on one wall.
“Designs have streamlined since the
1980s,” says Antanas Budvytis, the
managing director at Instrument, a
furniture-maker. “They can be a great
way to maximise space. An all-in-one
usually features hanging space, drawers
and shelves, so all your clothes, shoes
and accessories are stored in one place.”
The architect Ben Ridley, founder of
Architecture for London, advises leaving
a margin at the top and bottom of wallfitted wardrobes. “This means that the
entire floor and ceiling remain visible,
and so the room appears bigger.” And

Think of the room
in 3D, as a cube —
this will help to visualise
where storage can fit best
don’t forget to look up. “Take advantage
of ceiling voids,” Ridley says. “Can an
original ceiling be removed and a new
one built that follows the pitched roof
above?” Heightening the proportions
will allow extra wall space for shelving. If
there’s a bed or desk area, an overhead
shelf or run of cupboards is a neat way of
adding off-the-floor storage space.”

Outside space
Opening up a room and connecting it to
the outdoors will reshape its boxy

Above: Fargo
trundle bed, £795,
littlefolksfurniture.co.uk.
Right: Rhododendron
retro roller blind,
from £23.49,
englishblinds.co.uk

The more light
you can bring into
a small bedroom,
the larger and
more airy the space
will seem. Ridley
says not to be afraid
of removing windows
and replacing them with
ones of larger proportions, if
planning regulations allow.
Sheer curtains and voiles will add to
the sense of space, but perhaps not to
privacy. The alternative is an eyecatching blind such as the
Rhododendron Retro roller blind (from
£23.49, English Blinds), which will draw
the eye forwards and into the room,
making the distance from door to
window appear longer. If you can create

a double aspect so much the better
because natural light will flow within. A
neat way is to add a clerestory window
in an internal wall, situated to “borrow”
natural light from elsewhere, such as a
landing. Or, if the roof allows, add a
rooflight from about £580 plus fitting,
according to the Rooflight Company.

Decor tricks
The time-honoured way of making a
room seem larger is to adopt a neutral
colour scheme. There are good pieces in
the new John Lewis Scandi edit,
such as a wool cashmere
throw, £130, and the
AnyDay stacked cane
side table, £99.
However, small
spaces allow for
experimentation,
says Henry
Prideaux of
Prideaux Interior
Design. Consider a
richly patterned
wallpaper that
would look
overwhelming in a
larger room but here pulls
together awkward corners
into one welcoming whole.
Another contemporary way to get a
seamless feel in a smaller room is a
monochrome scheme. In interior design
terms this is being taken to mean “all of
one colour”, rather than black and white.
Choose one colour and reflect it
throughout the space in several shades;
softer for the walls, darker for woodwork,
and echoed in textiles and accessories.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

16 Bricks & Mortar
16

Bricks
& Mortar

Friday April 15 2022
the times

The Italian job
— in Stoke
Newington

Save&splurge
Laundry baskets
W Kubu double laundry
basket; £195,
thewhitecompany.com

FRENCHANDTYE

One couple made
sure their home had
all the elements for
la dolce vita —
including a Venetianstyle walk-in pantry.
By Hugh Graham

U Kora basket; £58,
anthropologie.com
p g

U Check pop-up
laundry hamper; £14,
johnlewis.com
V Portrait check
storage basket; £54,
torimurphy.com

U AM.PM
AM PM Felicia jute
laundry basket; £42.25,
laredoute.co.uk

W Rope-handled
carrying basket; £75,
cotswoldco.com

Compiled by Kiera Buckley-Jones
@KieraStylist
X Moss laundry
basket, £42,
made.com
For more
laundry
baskets, go to
thetimes.co.uk

Y

ou can take the girl out
of Italy, but you can’t
take Italy out of the girl.
Just ask Martina
Casonato. The graphic
designer, 33, may have
lived in London for
more than ten years,
but when she and her English partner,
Joe Stephenson, bought and renovated
their first home in Stoke Newington,
north London, she wanted to bring a
touch of la dolce vita to their traditional
Victorian terrace.
She asked their architecture firm,
Bradley Van Der Straeten, for a rustic
aesthetic reminiscent of the old country:
stone walls, battered marble worktops,
exposed wood beams and, most of all, a
Venetian pantry.
“Even before we began looking for a
house I started a mood board for the
kitchen,” says Casonato, who grew up in
a medieval village an hour from Venice
but had been renting a flat in Shoreditch
for a decade. “I wanted a mix between
an old Italian grandma’s house and one
just behind the kitchen island, which she
of the cool restaurants we love in east
and Joe, who is also a graphic designer,
London. But the pantry was my dream.
have nicknamed their “private tapas bar”.
Give me a walk-in pantry any day over a
The island has wooden legs, just like in
walk-in wardrobe. I’m that kind of girl.”
an Italian nonna’s house, so it feels like a
To make room for her dream pantry
piece of furniture. The off-white marble
the pair expanded their galley kitchen’s
worktop was a daring choice for
width by 4ft 6in, filling in the side
someone who is constantly cooking.
return, and added a 10ft-long dining
“A lot of people warn you: marble
area. So what’s so Italian about it?
will stain or chip. So they go for
For one thing the terrazzo
quartz. And they’re right, it
floors and wood-and-glass
does stain. At the
doors remind her of
beginning Joe was, like,
pantries from her
Give
me
a
‘Be careful.’ But I just
childhood. Then
figured an Italian
there are the
walk-in pantry
nonna wouldn’t
ingredients
any
day
over
a
mind. They got
within: various
their marble
tomato sauces (her
walk-in wardrobe.
stained, they chopped
favourite brands are
I’m
that
kind
pasta on it — whatever. I
Mutti and Le Conserve
love the patina [that
della Nonna), Garofalo
of girl
develops] over time. It has
dried pasta, Bibanesi
a story to tell.”
breadsticks and Pan di Stelle
Other Italian features: when
biscuits, all of which she can buy
the builders were stripping the walls
from Ocado; hanging bulbs of
she fell in love with the exposed
purple garlic from Sicily; and jars
plaster in a corner of the kitchen. “It
of her mum’s foodstuffs, homemade
has green and pink hues, which
with produce from the family orchard
immediately reminded me of walls you
(peach and lavender jam and Tropea
see walking around in Venice. Crumbling
onion chutney).
down, with layers and layers. It made me
For easy access the pantry is located

the times | Friday April 15 2022

Bricks & Mortar 17
Friday April 15 2022
the times

Bricks
& Mortar

17

feel at home, so I was adamant we had
to keep it.”
Many walls were painted in lime
paint from Bauwerk Colour. “The
texture reminds me of an Italian
material, marmorino, which is like
pulverised marble dust they apply
with a spatula. You can see the
movement and irregularity.”
In the principal suite in the converted
loft (they now have four bedrooms),
there’s a marble shower seat in the bath.
“My parents’ home has a similar seat —
that’s where the idea came from. I
wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love
sitting there in the morning, with the hot
stream of water on my face. You sit there
and slowly wake up.”
Her true happy place will always be
the pantry, though. It is not just a
nostalgia kick — it helps her to produce
content for her side hustle: posting
recipes on her stylishly curated
Instagram account @thevenetianpantry,
which has more than 18,000 followers.
Her favourite recipes include her
“deconstructed parmigiana — I bake the
aubergine rather than deep-fry it, the
tomato sauce is from cherry tomatoes,
and I use burrata instead of mozzarella.
My current obsession is caponata, a
Sicilian side dish. You use aubergine,
celery, capers, green olives and white
onion, and it’s served cold with a bit of
vinegar and sugar. So yummy!”
Martina Casonato’s
For homeowners thinking of putting
pantry features a
in a pantry she recommends a U-shaped
terrazzo floor and
space, divided into sections. “You
reeded glass doors.
immediately know where things are
The kitchen is filled
when you need them. On the left I have
with antiques, including
all my spices and tins and my mum’s
a 100-year-old
jams. The carb section is in the middle:
reclaimed dining table,
pulses, rice and pasta and breadsticks.
and handmade
There’s also some nuts. To the right I’ve
crockery from local
got the teas, seeds and loose herbs. I
London potters
make my own tea — fennel and mint
and dandelion is one. I also have loose
rose petals. I love to make lattes with
rose petals. You parboil oat milk with a
handful of rose petals, add cardamom
and other spices and honey. It’s a lovely
winter warmer.”
One of her key tips for
homeowners is not to extend
underfloor heating into the
pantry; food must be kept
cool. She put doors on
the pantry so that
Marble does
she could close
them for a cleaner
stain. But I love
look when
the patina that
appropriate. The
reeded glass on the
develops over time.
doors also creates an
It has a story
atmospheric vibe at
night. “There are concealed
to tell
LEDs under the shelves,
which give a soft light. At night,
when you close the doors, the
pantry acts as a glowing lightbox.”
So what jars can the queen of pantries
recommend? “In terms of functionality,
I like good old Ikea jars for tall pasta and
nuts. They are really easy to open and
pour from. Mostly I recycle glass jars
from my mum’s jams or leftovers from
the supermarket. It contributes to this
rustic, not too precious aesthetic.”
The house is not an Italian theme
park, though. “It’s subtle. There are
English influences too.” Hence the
Farrow & Ball paint — Skimming Stone
on wood trim and Strong White on some
walls — and the antiques from Home
Barn in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire:
old café chairs, milking stools and a
100-year-old reclaimed dining table. Her
collection of handmade crockery,
displayed on open kitchen shelves, is
from local London potters. “Some of
them are actually Italians in London . . .
I couldn’t help but be influenced by my
upbringing and the materials I kept
seeing growing up. It came naturally to
me. It’s part of who I am.”

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

18 Bricks & Mortar
18

Bricks
& Mortar

Friday April 15 2022
the times

Wish you lived here?

Byron Bay,
Australia
The locals may be hippies, but you’ll
need more than free love to buy in this
overheated market. By Hugh Graham

F

Queensland — and hosts the TV show
or decades Byron Bay was
Selling Houses Australia. “Every old
a sleepy Australian town
beach shack in Byron has been replaced.
beloved by surfers and
Modest homes are being replaced by
hippies. On the east coast
multimillion-dollar pieces of
in northern New South
architecture. So the hippies and arty
Wales, it has been
people who gave the area its vibe cannot
attracting more secondafford to live there. All the quirky little
homers from Sydney. In
2014 its cachet rose when the actor Chris crystal shops can’t afford the leases. It
will become a victim of its success . . .
Hemsworth bought a Balinese-style
The community vibe [will be] lost.”
estate for A$7 million (£5.3 million). Now
That has not stopped the British expat
the town’s profile has gone global with
Leigh Williams, 36, a freelance fashion
the launch of a Netflix reality series,
stylist (leighwilliamsstylist.com) from
Byron Baes, which depicts the lifestyle of
making a life here. She moved to Byron
the new agey, wellness-obsessed
four years ago from London.
influencers who flock there.
Success hasn’t spoilt Byron,
The series pokes fun at their
says Williams, who rents a
posh bohemian ways: sound
two-bedroom house and
baths, healing crystals,
has bought land for
yoga on the beach and
development 30
white linen clothing.
Brisbane
minutes outside
Their spiritual vibes
town. “Byron is
are undercut by
thriving with
their Mean Girls
Queensland
independent startantics — the
Gold Coast
ups. Everything
storyline is about
from clothing labels,
a newcomer (a
beauty and wellness
“blow-in”) who
brands, print and
arrives in town from
New
online publications and
the brash Gold Coast
Byron
South
art galleries. There is a
and is given the cold
Bay
Wales
really strong creative
shoulder. But the backdrop
25 miles
community here.”
of pristine beaches, verdant
Unlike the blow-ins on the TV show,
hills and open-air cafés could attract
Williams was not frozen out by the
a new swathe of blow-ins. With a
locals. “Byron was very welcoming.” She
population of only 9,700, Byron Bay
says community spirit is alive and well
features in Knight Frank’s 2022 Wealth
— in March the wider region was
Report, which predicts prices will rise
devastated by floods (Byron itself was hit
there by 30-35 per cent in five years.
by flash floods two weeks ago). Williams
Locals have watched in astonishment
has spent much of her time helping with
and alarm as swathes of city dwellers
relief: “The community is working
relocated there during the pandemic —
tirelessly on the clean-up and rehousing
the median price rose 30 per cent in
of thousands of people.”
2021 to A$2.73 million; prices have risen
The floods traumatised many locals,
339 per cent in ten years.
according to Charlotte Wild, 54, a British
“That is shocking growth,” says
expat originally from Essex, who moved
Andrew Winter, a British expat who in
to the area 22 years ago. “The incredible
2005 moved from London to the Gold
sense of community that has prevailed
Coast — about an hour north in

with volunteers will have made some
people feel more bonded to the area.
Others will just want to sell up and go.”
Price growth has been “staggering”,
says Louise Carmichael, a sales agent
with Byron Beach Realty. She says onebedroom flats are a rarity. Two-bedroom
flats just outside Byron start at
A$800,000, or A$750 a week to rent and
four-bedroom homes in the town centre
cost A$3.5-6 million.
Wild lives in a detached threebedroom home in Brunswick Heads, on
the coast 15 minutes north of Byron. She
works as a graphic designer and owns a
catering business.
She says the average price in nearby
Mullumbimby was about A$160,000
when she moved there 20 years ago.
Now it’s A$1.3 million.
She adds: “Everyone I’ve spoken to
thinks [the Netflix show] is a bit cringey
and not really indicative of the area. But
for sure there is a white linen/divine
goddess element.”

Top: Harvest Estate in
Byron Bay is selling
plots to build on from
A$1.5 million through
Knight Frank. Above
left: a six-bedroom
house in five acres in
Crabbes Creek is on sale
for A$2.65-$2.75 million,
byronbeachrealty.com.
Above right: a fivebedroom property in
Byron Bay is on sale
for A$2.3-$2.5 million
with Fuller and Co

i

Need to know
6 The median property price in Byron
Bay is A$2.73 million.
6 Be sure to check whether the
property is in a flood zone.
6 Australia operates a strict pointsbased immigration policy. The skilled
independent visa offers permanent
residency for under-45s who are
invited to apply. The temporary skill
shortage visa is sponsored by an
employer and allows skilled workers to
stay up to four years.
6 To retire to Australia, the easiest
route to residency is for a family
member who already lives in Australia
to sponsor you. Alternatively there are
investor visas for entrepreneurs and
high-net-worth individuals.

Location lowdown Deptford, London SE8
Where? Deptford in southeast
London is a Thames-side
neighbourhood with a rich
maritime history — Henry
VIII founded a royal dockyard
here in 1513.
Why now? Fashionable, if still
a little rough around the edges,
the SE8 enclave seems to have
been “up and coming” for ever.
Has it finally come up?
Part of Lewisham — London
Borough of Culture 2022 —
Deptford is chock-full of
creative spaces and a vibrant
arts and music scene.
The area deteriorated after
heavy bombing during the

Second World War and the
closure of the dockyards,
however, over the past couple
of decades commercial and
residential development has
flocked to this part of Zone 2,
particularly along the Thames
waterfront in the north (the
Royal Docks) and near
Deptford Bridge DLR station
to the south, where Victorian
homes border Brockley’s leafy
suburban sprawl. And there’s
much more to come: the
40-acre, 3,500-home Convoys
Wharf project near the railway
station is finally under way.
Move here if . . . You like a

Peckham-ish vibe and
want cracking connections.
Deptford Market Yard, set
around the refurbished
railway arches, houses indie
restaurants, shops and spaces
offering everything from
yoga to records to craft beer.

You wouldn’t describe
the bustling high street as
fancy, but it has character.
Winemakers Deptford has a
weekly changing menu and a
list of organic and biodynamic
wines, while Marcella is an
Italian restaurant from the
crew that run Artusi in
Peckham. The Dog & Bell is
a terrific alehouse popular
among long-time locals and
arty students (Goldsmiths,
University of London is less
than a mile away), and the
music venue Matchstick
Piehouse hosts a much loved
weekly event. Cockpit
Deptford, artist’s studios for *

local designer-makers, was
awarded £2.3 million last year
to expand and improve its site.
There are plans for a café,
community garden and spaces
for workshops and events.
Don’t move here if . . .
You like quiet. Deptford is
busy, sometimes hectic.
How do I get there?
Deptford is a seven-minute
train ride from London Bridge,
and Cannon Street is 12
minutes away. The DLR takes
you to Canary Wharf in 13
minutes. From summer,
cyclists will be able to use the

Creek Road’s Cycleway 4, a
continuous segregated cycle
route between Tower Bridge
and Greenwich. If you’re
driving, note that the A2 New
Cross Road does get pretty
traffic-clogged.
Costs? Deptford is one of the
most affordable pockets of
Zone 2. Rightmove figures
show that property here sold
for an average of £425,436 over
the past year, versus £645,505
in next-door Greenwich.
New-builds accounted for
40 per cent of homes sold
in the past ten years.
Victoria Brzezinski

ARTS
‘I don’t use
the word
genius, but
I do for
Stephen’
Judi Dench
remembers
Sondheim

Plus
Richard
Morrison:
my beauty
awards (for
buildings)

April 15 | 2022

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

2

cover story

I have planted a tree for my friend
As a galaxy of stars perform his work in a West End
tribute to the theatrical great who died last year,
Judi Dench and other actors and singers salute him

A

fter I’d done
Cabaret, Michael,
my husband, Finty,
my daughter who
was a little girl then,
and I all went to
stay with the
director Hal Prince
and his wife, Judy, in Mallorca
in a very beautiful house at the top of
a mountain. We arrived at
the house and everybody
was in the pool. Hal said:
“Oh, hey this is so and so,
Steve and so and so.” We
all said hello. Then we
went up to unpack and
Michael turned to me and
said: “You know who Steve
is?” And I said no and then
he said: “That’s Stephen
Sondheim.”
Then I met him when
we did A Little Night Music
at the National Theatre in
1995. We were all very, very
nervous and he was utterly
charming, and he actually
became a really, really sweet
friend. When my daughter
and I were in New York later
on he invited us to supper at
Turtle Bay. It was something we neve
never
forgot — we had the most lovely time
together. He loved games and had
wonderful board games framed up on
his wall, which were fascinating. We
were huge fans of him so we felt very,
very privileged indeed to be there and
also to just have a quiet evening all
together where we just laughed and
talked — there was no pressure from
anyone else. We just had time to say
things and be friends.
A Little Night Music means
everything to me. We had a really
wonderful time doing it. We all
became friends, which was wonderful
support because if you are not a singer
— and I am certainly not a singer —
it is frightening. But to have the
support of a company is invaluable.
And then Stephen coming by and
giving a note or two; how lucky we
were. I just remember him being very
encouraging, which is so important
ant
especially if you feel that it is nott
your metier. You have to take a deep
breath and just go out and think of
him, and do your best. Because he
was a genius — there is no question
ion
about that — the responsibility of
taking on one of his songs was so
o
great. Great and frightening. With
th
him there as well, it was like getting
ing
up and doing Hamlet with
Shakespeare in the room. And hee
was so kind.
When I sang Send in the Clowns
ns
in the Proms at the Royal Albert
Hall at a time when I could still
see properly, I remember lookingg
down just before I started and
seeing him in the eighth row.
He was sitting there smiling,
encouraging me. The Albert
Hall performance was
unbelievably frightening, but it

was thrilling to be part of it. I’ve
always been very nervous and
frightened, but it isn’t one’s business to
show that — it’s one’s business to
interpret it as best you can. My whole
performance at the Proms was for him
and I hoped he would be pleased.
His lyrics were breathtaking. You
are given a wonderful story to tell
and you interpret it in the best way
you
y possibly can and hope it is
good
enough. He had such an
g
inventive,
original mind. I often
in
quote
the line from Losing My
q
Mind
from Follies: “Sometimes I
M
stand
in the middle of the floor.
s
Not
N going left. Not going right.”
It
I is just inspired. I don’t use
the
t word genius much, but I do
with
w Stephen.
Here in my garden I plant trees
to
t my friends who have died and
about
three weeks ago I got the
a
most
m beautiful cherry tree for
Stephen
in my garden. I planted
S
one
o for Hal Prince as well — I
just
ju thought how nice it would be
to
t grow a little cherry orchard
for
f the two of them. They are
just
ju coming into flower now.

Simon Callow
Si
Stephen Sondheim
in 1990. Below: Patti
LuPone and Michael
Cerveris in Sweeney
Todd at the Eugene
O’Neill Theatre,
New York, in 2005

The day Sondheim was made an
honorary doctor of music by the Royal
Academy of Music [in 2010], he sat on
the stage, dressed in the ill-fitting and
multicoloured ceremonious robes
proper to the occasion, gloomily
listening to the admiring citation as if
he were being accused of great crimes
against humanity. Before and after the
citation the academy’s orchestra
played and its vocal students sang
his music. Afterwards, I found him in
tears. “Those kids,” he said, “playing
and singing my stuff so beautifully.
I’m so touched.” He was endlessly
generous to young musicians who
sought his advice and help. That
was the essence of the man for me.

Rufus Wainwright
Stephen Sondheim and I were on
two sides of a fence. Thankfully, we
immediately realised this early on
immed
during the one and only visit my
publicist and I paid to his famed
publici
townhouse, the “house that Gypsy
townho
built”, leaving us to focus on more
common passions. That fence was
comm
grand opera; he was not such a big
gra
fan
fa and I was and continue to be
a stalwart devotee. But this is
what
was so great about him: he
w
iimmediately wanted to get to
tthe essence of what made
people tick and then talk about
p
fundamentals, no chit-chat. We
then ended up talking about
llyrics and then finally about
producers — a subject no one in
pro
or opera world can veer
the theatre
t
away from. Thanks for the useful
tips, Mr Sondheim.

Maria Friedman
Mar
The ac
actress won an Olivier award
for Sondheim’s
Passion in 1996 and
Son

Judi Dench in A Little Night
Music at the National in 1995
directed Merrily We Roll Along in the
West End in 2014
I saw Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane
when I was 21 and went back five
times in a row. I felt like I’d gone
off in a rocket with the power of his
thoughts and ideas and storytelling —
it just felt like I’d found what I wanted
to do for the rest of my life. I then
stopped being a superfan of Steve
because I became his friend, but I
could never ever get over the work he
did. A lot of people think you’ve got to
be super-smart, but what Steve always
did is write love songs. Everything is
infused with love: the love of light,
wanting love, missing love, friendship,
loyalty; it’s driven into everything he
does. There was nothing he wouldn’t
do for the people he loved. He offered
to bring me to my cancer treatment
and helped to pay for my children’s
education when things were tough
when I had cancer. He was more than
a musician — he was a great man.
Maria Friedman and Friends is at the
Menier Chocolate Factory, London SE1
to Sunday (menierchocolatefactory.com)

Patti LuPone
The two-time Tony and Olivier
award-winning actress is starring in
Company on Broadway
The two Sondheim musicals that
had the most impact on me were
A Little Night Music, because it
was so beautiful and romantic and
heartbreaking, and Sweeney Todd,
because of how frightening it was and

how it made me jump out of my skin..
Listening to Steve’s music I realised
how much I had to learn if I ever
were to be in a Sondheim musical.
It humbled me. His music borders
on the operatic in emotion, technique
and musical complexity. To perform
Sondheim requires discipline and a
real education. When I finally played
my first Sondheim role, Nellie Lovett
in Sweeney Todd with the New York
Philharmonic, I was desperate for
Steve’s approval. At a rehearsal he
came up on stage and gave me a bit
that Angela Lansbury had done from
the original production [she played
Mrs Lovett in 1979]. So much for
musical precision. I miss him so much.

Bernadette Peters
The Broadway star has appeared in
Sunday in the Park with George,
Into the Woods, Gypsy and Follies
Steve, as we all know, was a bit
smarter than us mere mortals, but
when I’d speak with him on the
phone, I think he was aware of that
and he would always say something
like: “Oh, what a good idea” or “Oh,
I wish I had thought of that.” He was
kind that way. I remember once when
I went up [in pitch] in a lyric and of
course was horrified. It was a preview
and Steve was there. He came
backstage and soothed me by saying
he could never do what we do —
getting up in front of people. I loved
him for it. In Sunday I had another
misstep. (They don’t happen often

the times | Friday April 15 2022

3

Stephen Sondheim

The hot list
Your guide to the weekend

COVER: SARAH DUNN/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES. BELOW: DONALD COOPER; BRINKHOFF/MOEGENBURG; ALAMY; MARTHA SWOPE/ARENAPAL; SARA KRULWICH/THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX

Film
Operation Mincemeat
This true-life wartime
thriller stars Colin
Firth, right, and is
directed by John
Madden. Adapted
from Ben Macintyre’s
bestseller, it depicts the
daunting task facing
the lawyer turned
intelligence officer

Ewen Montagu, who
tries to convince the
German high command
that the body of a
Welsh suicide victim
is a Royal Marine
carrying crucial
information that, if
believed, will misdirect
the Nazis. See review,
page 8. In cinemas

Pop
Sparks
After 50 years of going
their own way, the
anglophile Californian
brothers Ron, far right,
and Russell Mael
continue to be as
creative and as forward

thinking as ever. Expect
as much performance
art as rock; Sparks
don’t just play the hits.
See First Night, page 13.
Roundhouse, London
NW1, roundhouse.org.uk,
Sunday

Theatre
Red Ellen
Bettrys Jones, right,
commands the stage
in Caroline Bird’s
panoramic play about
Ellen Wilkinson, the
fiery Labour politician
and hunger marcher
who was one of the first
female MPs. A minister
in the 1945 Attlee
government, Wilkinson
thankfully and maybe that’s why I
thankfully,
remember them so clearly.) At the end
of the song Sunday in the Park with
George, where I have that long reciting
of lyrics just before the end, I got lost
but kept singing things I guess I made
up. When Steve came backstage he
said he was very impressed that
although I was lost and was making up
lyrics, I finished the song with exactly
the right number of words and bars.
As always, he was putting you at ease.

Left, from top: Rosalie
Craig in Company in
2018; Ariana DeBose in
West Side Story. Right:
Mandy Patinkin and
Bernadette Peters in
Sunday in the Park
with George in 1984

Mandy Patinkin

The star of The Princess Bride
and Homeland created the role of
Georges Seurat in Sunday in the
Park with George in 1984
Sunday in the Park started in a
workshop production. The way the
musical had been created was that
Steve and [his collaborator] James
Lapine had written a story for all the
characters in the painting — then they
realised that what was missing was the
artist. So they added him last. That
meant all the other characters had
songs and lyrics, but little had been
written for George. I was crying with
frustration that people were coming to
the theatre to see an unfinished work,
but Steve insisted that he only wanted
to set a scene to music if it needed
more than words could express. That
was an amazing idea to me.
One night after rehearsal he called
me up and we spoke for an hour. We
talked about our mothers. He told me
how on her deathbed, his mother said

to him: “You are my single greatest
regret in life.” He talked about living
his life after that comment. I shared
with him the struggles that I too had
with my mother. And two days later
he came into rehearsal and he says:
“Here’s your part, in the mother’s
song.” And he’d done the most magical
thing I’ve ever experienced in my
career. He had taken the emotional
core of that conversation and put it
into a musical poem.

rubbed shoulders with
Ernest Hemingway in
the Spanish Civil War.
Still, Bird’s script
doesn’t gloss over her
occasional delusions
of grandeur. The
production is on tour
until the end of May.
Nottingham Playhouse,
nottinghamplayhouse.co.
uk, today, tomorrow

Comedy
Barry Humphries
Taking British
audiences on a trip
through his life and
career in an intimate
evening peppered with
personal, occasionally
outrageous stories, the

Australian entertainer,
right, as Dame Edna
Everage, peels off his
mask to introduce the
man behind the clown.
Theatre Royal Bath,
theatreroyal.org.uk,
Sunday

Rosalie Craig

He was
more than
a musician
— he was a
great man
As told to Jade Cuttle,
Blanca Schofield and
Neil Fisher. Old Friends
is at the Sondheim
Theatre, London W1,
on May 3 at 8pm,
sondheimoldfriends.
com. Tickets are
available for a live
screening via
delfontmackintosh.co.uk

Craig was the first female Bobbie
in the 2018 London gender-flipped
production of Company
Meeting Sondheim in person and
having the huge privilege of working
with him is something I will treasure
for the rest of my life. One particular
special memory of him has to be our
conversation after the first preview of
Company. He held my hand and said:
“I now truly understand who Bobbie is
— thank you.” I don’t think I moved
from that spot for hours. That said,
I feel as if I met Stephen through his
music many years before playing
Bobbie. It’s something of a rarity to
find his shows being produced outside
London these days, but as a younger
performer I remember being
captivated by productions in Sheffield,
Leicester, Harrogate, Leeds and
Newbury (to name a few). If I hadn’t
had that introduction to him, my love
affair with his extraordinary work
might never have begun.

Visual art
Sheila Hicks
The American artist
has certainly had a long
wait for recognition, but
it has finally paid off
for this pioneer of
fabric-based pieces.
The craftsmanship that
she has studied and

practised for more than
six decades is at last
being celebrated. This is
the first big exhibition
of Hicks’s work to be
held in the UK. The
Hepworth Wakefield,
hepworthwakefield.org,
today, tomorrow, Sunday

Classical
St John Passion
The Academy of
Ancient Music marks
Good Friday with the
rarely heard 1725
version of Johann
Sebastian Bach’s

masterpiece. Laurence
Cummings conducts
singers including
Nicholas Mulroy,
right, as the Evangelist.
Barbican, London EC2,
barbican.org.uk, today

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

4

architecture

Tintagel Castle Footbridge links
two parts of the medieval ruin

Hello gorgeous!
The great British
beauty awards
(for buildings)
As a prize for new beautiful buildings is launched,
Richard Morrison picks his favourites built in the UK
in the past three years — and one horrendous eyesore

N

o art form is more
divisive than
architecture. That’s
partly because it’s
unavoidable. You
can switch off music
you don’t like. You
can avoid avantgarde sculpture, or even old masters,
that irritate you. Buildings, however,
we have to live with, and in.
More than those in any other
creative profession, then, architects
might be expected to accept a special
responsibility for cheering up ordinary
people who have little control over
what gets built but who have to look at
the results all the time. Yet it’s hardly
controversial to suggest that, since
1945, architects (and their developer
and town-planner chums) have often
failed in that task, by pursuing styles
that the public generally detest, or by
appearing not to care about what gets
dumped on unfashionable places that
“don’t matter”.
Belatedly, governments around the
world are waking up to this urban
tragedy. As Robert Bargery, executive
director of the Royal Fine Art
Commission Trust (RFACT), points
out, it’s almost as if the same thought
has struck them all simultaneously.
“Donald Trump famously — or
notoriously — passed an executive
order that required US federal

Tower of Light recalls
Manchester’s industrial
chimneys of old

buildings to be beautiful,” he says.
“China has banned ugly architecture.
Paris has got a manifesto to promote
beauty in architecture.” And last year
the UK government’s rewritten
national planning policy framework
enshrined the word “beauty” in
planning rules for the first time since
the system was created in 1947.
This all sounds promising, except for
one thing. When tastes vary so widely
and are so ferociously attacked or
defended, what chance is there of
arriving at a consensus about what
beauty is? Isn’t one person’s hideous
brutalist block someone else’s idea of
inspiring geometry? Don’t the cul-desacs of mock-Georgian executive
homes have beauty in their owners’
eyes, despite being ridiculed by
sophisticates in architectural journals?
It’s to help us to ponder these
knotty issues that the RFACT has
launched its Building Beauty awards.
Any building completed in the UK
since the start of 2019 is eligible, and
anybody can make a nomination.
Indeed, even though a panel
chaired by Stephen Bayley, a
co-founder of the Design Museum,
will make the final decisions, one main
aim of the awards is to find out the
opinions of ordinary members of the
public. “We want people to think
about beauty, debate it, then demand
it,” Bargery says.

Narula House is built on stilts for
when the Thames floods

The awards are split into four
categories, covering buildings,
engineering structures, public spaces
and “little gems” — small
interventions that, in the RFACT’s
words, “make a neighbourhood a
jollier place to live”. And although the
awards are restricted to what has been
built in Britain, there is a global
dimension. As well as netting £10,000
for its architect, the winning building
will be shortlisted for the new
“International Building Beauty prize”
at the World Architecture Festival in
Lisbon in December.
You have until April 22 to nominate
something beautiful (to do so, visit
buildingbeautyawards.com), so what
might you choose? To get the debate
going I have picked nine recently

completed projects that I think are
rather beautiful and one that, to my
eyes, is an unmitigated horror. Feel
free to disagree!

Cambridge Central Mosque
Marks Barfield
A stunning wood-laced interior, with
the great roof supported by “trees”
intertwined in ancient sacred patterns.
If you think it has been designed as
an Islamic echo of another great
Cambridge religious building — the
fan-vaulted King’s College Chapel —
you are almost certainly right.

F51 Skatepark, Folkestone, Kent
Hollaway Studio
Form brilliantly follows function in
this exuberant building, which opened

the times | Friday April 15 2022

5
KATE GREEN, DAVID GODDARD/GETTY IMAGES; GLENN HOWELLS ARCHITECTS

architecture
shed at White Hart Lane with this
glinting stadium.
Maidenhill
Primary School
accommodates
400-plus children

Maidenhill Primary School,
Newton Mearns, East
Renfrewshire BDP
The radiant wooden-ceilinged
central atrium must be one of Britain’s
most attractive educational spaces.
And it’s great that it has been built
not for some posh private school but
a new community on the outskirts
of Glasgow.

And the dud . . .
Coda Battersea, London
Patel Tay
Taylor
Of all tthe crass
residential eyesores
resid
going up along the
goi
Thames in
Th
southwest
so
London, this
L
Tottenham
one has
o
Hotspur
triggered
the
t
Stadium,
most contempt
m
London
locally.
No
lo
Populous
surprise there: it
su
Coda Battersea’s
looks
Even this diehard
loo like drawers
“stacked drawers”
stacked
Arsenal fan has to
stack on each
design has
other with
admit that Spurs gott
w scant
been divisive
hen they
regard for form,
everything right when
replaced their corrugated-iron
ugated-iron
aesthetics or coherence.
c

Cambridge Central Mosque has a
ceiling of “trees” in sacred patterns

last month. The whole building is
shaped like a skateboard, while inside,
a triple-decked layout caters for
virtuosi and beginners alike. Beautiful?
In the minds of Kent’s restless
teenagers, definitely.

English National Ballet, London
Glenn Howells
Glowing at night like a giant cubed
lamp, ENB’s new headquarters are not
only a superb home for performances,
rehearsals and educational work, but
also subtly interleave transparency
and translucency. The dancers want a
window on the outside world, but they
need to rehearse in privacy.

Tower of Light, Manchester
Tonkin Liu

The five-storey ENB HQ has
performance and rehearsal space

Manchester’s chimneys have changed
a bit since Lowry’s day. This one, 40m
high, extracts fumes from the city’s
new eco-friendly “civic quarter heat
network”, but has been ingeniously
usly
turned into a latticed artwork made
of super-thin steel that glints byy
day and glows in assorted
colours by night.

said it was
w going to bridge the
ravine between mainland and ruined
castle,
castle but it has been done with
such engineering verve that all
suc
thoughts of a Disney prince
th
bounding across to rescue
bo
his princess are banished.
h
Well, almost.
W

The Gables, Liverpool
DK Architects
A glorious response to all
those soulless estates put up
by volume housebuilders,
this pristine reinvention of
Lancashire’s traditional
back-to-back terraces has superb
b
brickwork, elegant designs and
immaculate attention to street details.

Tintagel Castle Footbridge,
Cornwall Ney/William Matthews
I was sceptical when English Heritage

Narula House, Berkshire
N
John
Jo Pardey
Tottenham Hotspur
Stadium hosts NFL
games as well
as football

Building a sleek, ultra-modern
Bu
house
hou on a bank of the
Thames
Tham prone to flooding? No
problem — just put it on stilts.
When the
t river overflows the house
seems to
t float, its giant windows
apparently dissolving the distinction
between indoors and outdoors, artifice
and nature.

the times | Friday April 15 2022

7

THE
CRITICS

Will Hodgkinson

arts

is wowed by Fontaines DC p9

Alice Jones
inspects ENO’s new season p10

Carol Midgley
enjoys an Easter whodunnit p15

Scandi beefcakes dipped in baby oil
AIDAN MONAGHAN

the big film

Robert Eggers’
chest-pumping
Viking drama is
a camp fiasco,
says Kevin Maher

T

he ghosts of Monty
Python and Zack
Snyder’s 300 haunt the
halls and battlefields
of this testosteronesoaked Viking drama
from the director
Robert Eggers (The
Witch, The Lighthouse). It’s a film so
assured of its chest-pumping grandeur,
and so determined to portray its
sword-wielding Scandinavian
beefcakes (weapons drawn, slathered
in baby oil) with the utmost
seriousness, that it frequently lapses
into unintentional, risible camp.
“Sleep well, night blade,” was
the quote that started my giggles.
It is the protagonist Amleth (played
in his adult years by Alexander
Skarsgard)
addressing his
sword, and it’s not
meant to be funny.
Amleth is a Viking
prince who, in the
ancient Icelandic
version of the
Hamlet story, has
been betrayed by his
uncle (Claes Bang)
and his mother
(Nicole Kidman),
who have conspired
to murder his father
(Ethan Hawke)
and send Amleth
into slavery.
His dopey
relationship with the
magical sword is just
one of many elements in this bloody
and episodic revenge tale that might
have benefited from even the smallest
wink to camera. Other amusing

classic
film
of the
week

A
Above: Alexander Skarsgard as a prince. Left: Ethan Hawke and Nicole Kidman as his parents

ingredients include
romance
incl d Amleth’s
A l
with Anya Taylor-Joy’s sassy slave
Olga (from chats in the chain gang
to softcore forest bonking), the singsongy Icelandic “accents” of the entire

Lost in La
Mancha (2002)
15, 93min

{{{{{

cast
c (very Will Ferrell in
Eurovision
Song Contest:
E
The
T Story of Fire Saga) and
especially
the line: “I will
e
cut
c out your heart, and your
mother
and I will eat it!”
m
Elsewhere, Eggers and
his
h co-writer, the poet
and
a novelist Sjon, have
peppered
the film with
p
trippy diversions
into Icelandic
diver
mysticism — I counted seven scenes
in which Amleth departs his body,
while stoned or unconscious, to faff
about needlessly in the spirit realm.
All beautifully shot, of course (Eggers

The Northman
15, 137min

{{(((

T

his gobsmacking account
of film-making gone awry
remains one of the great
“behind-the-scenes”
documentaries, alongside
Burden of Dreams and Hearts of
Darkness. It’s more poignant because
it describes abject failure (the film
collapsed and was eventually made in
2018) rather than thwarted genius,
but it’s the uncensored access to the
Spanish set of The Man Who Killed
Don Quixote that makes it essential.

Johnny Depp in the documentary

is a master lensman), but it grows
increasingly wearisome.
It doesn’t help that we’ve been
here before, but in superior form, last
year with The Green Knight (like The
Northman, shot in Ireland and sharing
some supporting cast, including Kate
Dickie and Ralph Ineson). That film
reimagined primal myths, but with
soul, sympathy and a deep curiosity
about human transience. The
Northman, by contrast, is a one-note
fiasco and a foam-flecked depiction of
cartoon machismo from a gifted filmmaker who should have known better.
In cinemas
Here, traditional industry foibles,
such as the supporting player Vanessa
Paradis’s nightmarish contractual
demands, are overshadowed by acts of
God, including a flash flood followed
by a herniated disc for the star Jean
Rochefort. The irascible director Terry
Gilliam compels throughout, with
classic outbursts such as: “I want to
know in advance when we’re f***ed!
Not in the middle of a shoot!”
Kevin Maher
Rereleased in cinemas

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

8
GILES KEYTE

film reviews
This wartime
drama is a classic
caper, but it has
depth too, writes
Kevin Maher

The Great Movement
15, 85min

{{{((

I

an Fleming, paraphrasing
Winston Churchill, gets the
best line in this true-life wartime
thriller. While contemplating
the nature of spycraft in 1943,
Fleming (Johnny Flynn), who
was then the personal assistant
to the director of naval
intelligence, describes the world of
espionage as “a wilderness of mirrors
in which the truth is protected by a
bodyguard of lies”.
It could be a tagline for the movie,
which stars the national treasure Colin
Firth, is directed by John Madden
(Shakespeare in Love) and seems to be
a pleasing homegrown drama about
plucky British derring-do. Yet the film
is most alive when exploring that
central lies-for-truth paradox and
describing a small cadre of eccentrics
who orchestrate fantasy for the sake
of reality and occasionally get trapped
in the mix.
“We’re creating a fake live man from
a real dead man” is another nicely
weighted line from the screenplay by
Michelle Ashford, adapting Ben
Macintyre’s non-fiction bestseller. It
describes just part of the daunting
task facing Firth’s lawyer turned
intelligence officer Ewen Montagu,
who is charged with convincing the
German high command that the body
of a Welsh suicide victim called
Glyndwr Michael is really a Royal
Marine called William Martin, washed
up in Spain after a plane crash and
carrying crucial information about
the Allied invasion of Sicily that, if
believed, will profoundly misdirect
the Nazis and irrevocably change the
course of the war.
The scam was previously filmed as
the patchy Ronald Neame effort The
Man Who Never Was. That version
was derailed by Stephen Boyd’s
preposterous turn as a fictional
undercover IRA agent-cum-Nazi
sympathiser sent by the Germans to
spy on the spies. This iteration, with
Macintyre’s densely researched tome
for background, has an embarrassment
of historical riches from which to
build a narrative framework.
Culled from the book are twisty
details about Montagu’s brother Ivor
(Mark Gatiss) and his communist
sympathies, plus accounts of how
Michael’s body was preserved

Matthew Macfadyen, Colin Firth and Johnny Flynn star in John Madden’s Second World War spy film

Spies, Nazis and lots
of British derring-do
and transported, as well as a recurring
gag about the number of novelists,
or wannabe novelists (Fleming
included), clogging up the hallways of
naval intelligence.
“My God, who isn’t writing a novel?”
groans Montagu’s partner in crime,
Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew
Macfadyen), after discovering another
scribbler in their ranks. Similarly,
when planning Michael’s backstory,
the core Operation Mincemeat team,
which includes Penelope Wilton as
the veteran assistant Hester Leggett
and Kelly Macdonald as her protégée
Jean Leslie, gather and discuss the
growing biography in the manner of
a novel-writing masterclass. “There
needs to be a love story,” Leggett
suggests, implying that no credible
drama is complete without one.
And indeed, Operation Mincemeat’s
greatest liberty with the truth comes
from the depiction of a quasi romance,
Brief Encounter-style, between the
widowed Leslie and the happily
married Montagu. This romance is
nonetheless thematically relevant in
a movie where the practice of
professional deceit eventually impacts
on the personal and emotional lives of
its protagonists. Firth’s Montagu, for

Benedetta
18, 132min

{{{((
Paul Verhoeven, the Dutch
provocateur behind Basic
Instinct and Showgirls, is back
with a French-language tale
featuring lesbian nuns,
bubonic plague and a novel
use for a figurine of the
Virgin Mary. A blend of The Life of
Brian, Black Narcissus and a soft-porn
flick, it lurches between entertainingly
camp and shamelessly lurid. Virginie
Efira stars as a devoted sister in

Virginie
i i Efira
Efi stars
t rs
in Paul Verhoeven’s
film, which is set in
17th-century Italy

Operation
Mincemeat
12A, 128min

{{{{(

117th-century Italy, with
Daphné
Patakia as the wild
D
shepherd
girl taken in as a
s
novice
(see what I mean
n
about
soft porn?). With much
a
moaning
and spilling out
m
of
o smocks, this is very much
an
a ageing straight man’s idea
of
o what lesbians do in bed.
Charlotte
Rampling, as the
C
abbess,
has to keep a straight
a
face
fa amid cries of “Blasphemy,
heresy
and bestiality!” and
h
there’s a torture scene that would have
been brutal were it not that the
implement being used is called the
Pear of Anguish. Ed Potton
In cinemas

instance, while immersed in deception,
ultimately lies to himself about his
feelings for Leslie and his wife.
And if the passion between Firth
and Macdonald doesn’t quite set the
world on fire (at 61, Firth feels
slightly too old for her, at 46), it’s
mostly because, at almost every point
in their nascent relationship, the
movie has better things with which to
be engaged.
They include a muscular sense of
pacing built on the pressure from
three simultaneous countdowns —
the imminent invasion of Sicily, the
urgency of the war effort and the
three-month time span allotted
before Michael’s body becomes too
decomposed to fuel the ruse.
Best of all, after the TV show
Succession, there’s another chance
to enjoy the impeccable comedic
timing of Macfadyen. He gets most
of the best lines and quips, and carries
his role with a deft balance of
sympathy and malign intent. He
performs, early on, a fabulous bit of
throwaway physical comedy where,
cringingly late to a group toast, he
shakes his glass quietly to himself,
alone. His is the film’s star turn.
In cinemas

Charli XCX:
Alone Together
15, 68min

{{{((
“I just feel like an outcast,”
says Charli XCX, the British
“hyper-pop” star aka
Charlotte Aitchison. She’s
on a live chat with fans,
who are flabbergasted that
their idol is sharing mental
health struggles in real time..
A film about Aitchison making
ing a
lockdown album from her home
ome in
Los Angeles is a risky proposition;

Catnip for fans of heavy-duty art
house cinema, this beguiling Bolivian
“tone poem” might just be an
endurance test for everyone else.
The historical reference points are
non-narrative silent landmarks such
as Berlin: Symphony of a Great City
(from 1927) or Man with a Movie
Camera (1929), and the director Kiro
Russo wholly adopts the structural
methods of those films, creating an
immersive portrait of the city of La
Paz as his camera jumps between torn
posters, cable cars, electrical wires,
buildings, bars, rubbish dumps and
shanty homes, stopping only once for
a neatly choreographed Thriller-style
boogie at a night market.
There’s a whiff of a plot too — a
transient worker called Elder (Julio
César Ticona) is afflicted by a lung
disorder that seems to be a metaphor
for the smothering of indigenous
culture by merciless capitalistic
systems of industry. It’s not long,
however, before the plot fades and
we’re back again, jumping about, from
the streets to the markets to the stalls
to the walls. It’s certainly unique. KM
In cinemas

The Lost City
12A, 112min

{{(((
This impossibly lazy “jungle-based
action-comedy” attempts to coast on
the easy-going rapport between the
stars Sandra Bullock and Channing
Tatum for almost two hours. She’s a
romance novelist, he’s a cover model,
she gets kidnapped, he tries to rescue
her, there’s a jungle, they bicker and
their escapades are sprinkled with a
plethora of hit-and-miss supporting
players. The hit is Brad Pitt playing a
deadpan action himbo, while the miss
is a toe-curlingly miscast Daniel
Radcliffe as a demented media mogul.
The alleged crackle, meanwhile,
between the two leads isn’t nearly
strong enough to justify the “sit
back and marvel” approach of the
co-directing siblings Aaron and Adam
Nee. Too often our protagonists are
thrown into sophomoric set-ups (he
“accidentally” puts his head between
her legs, she’s “unintentionally” faced
with his groin) that demonstrate only
flailing desperation rather than actual
comedy prowess. It’s not quite
Hepburn and Tracy. KM
In cinemas
even riskier when she outsources
lyric-writing to her followers and
cajoles her horrified boyfriend into
shooting a video of them in green
catsuits. It’s a long way from the
mystique
mystiq of Prince and Kate
Bush.
Bus Yet while her soulbaring
can feel indulgent,
ba
there’s
something
th
admirable
about the way
a
Aitchison
commits to the
A
enterprise
and creates a
e
community
with her
co
housebound
devotees
hou
around
aroun the world. You have
to
to admit she’s
sh got balls. EP
Amazon,
Amazon Apple
Appl TV, Google, Rakuten
from April 18

the times | Friday April 15 2022

9

music reviews

Complex rock with a Dublin twist

Kurt Vile
Watch My Moves
FILMAWI

{{{{(

A superb Irish
band’s heartfelt
third album is an
instant classic, says
Will Hodgkinson

Having established himself as a slacker
par excellence, seemingly unbothered
by anything beyond playing his guitar
and finding the ideal worn denim
shirt, the Philadelphia musician Kurt
Vile has succeeded in masking the
ambition that must have driven him to
write songs as fully formed as these.
Cool Water is a country rock classic.
Jesus on a Wire, a sympathetic
portrayal of Christ’s suffering, is
delightful. In the lyrics Vile sticks to
his laid-back-dude image, variously
not believing his luck at supporting
Neil Young and celebrating the quiet
joys of spending mornings playing
guitar in his underpants.
Yet it isn’t just the easy, sunny charm
Vile exudes that makes his music so
appealing. It’s the rigour with which he
executes it, however much he’d like us
to think it just poured, fully formed,
out of his underpants-clad frame.

L

ast year, the Dublin band
Fontaines DC found
themselves in the
unique position of being
nominated for a Grammy
award while also being
completely broke. “In
this day and age, you get a Grammy
nomination, but still you can’t afford
to rent a one-bedroom flat on your
own,” griped Grian Chatten, a singer
with a Liam Gallagher-like rock star
intensity. He was referring to the
realities of breaking through as a
lauded alternative band (for their
second album, A Hero’s Death) at a
unique period when all concerts and
festivals were cancelled.
Remarkably, Fontaines DC survived
it all. Now they have come back with a
third album that is even better than
what came before.
Their 2019 debut, Dogrel, was a
punky celebration of being young and
ambitious that was dressed up as a
lament for the Dublin of James Joyce
and WB Yeats. The rather more
introspective A Hero’s Death from last
year dealt with the band members’
reactions, as naturally gloomy,
suspicious types, to being lauded and
showered with compliments suddenly
as a hot new act on the up. Now comes
a complex album that uses everything
from shimmering rock (Roman
Holiday, lovely) to oppressive gothic
drama (Bloomsday, bleak) to traditional
Irish folk (The Couple Across the Way,
poignant) as a backdrop for big
themes: love, belonging, getting
older, making sense of life.
“Skinty fia” is an old Irish expression
that means “the damnation of the
deer”, a poetic description of
disappointment, and there is a sense
of coming to terms with reality here.
I Love You starts off as a romantic

Let’s Eat Grandma
Two Ribbons
Transgressive

{{{{(

pop
Fontaines DC
Skinty Fia
Partisan

{{{{{

and tender, if unusually sombre,
declaration of fealty. Then it descends
into an attack on politics in modernday Ireland, with Chatten sounding
like a young Dublin answer to John
Lydon as he delivers a remarkably
intense monologue about “an island
run by sharks/ With children’s bones
stuck in their jaws”. Nothing is
straightforward. The Couple Across the
Way was inspired by an argument
Chatten heard between some elderly
neighbours of his, and ended up as a
tender, moving portrait of getting
older and finding yourself out of step
with the world, but accompanied by
someone who still cares “enough to
raise [their] voice”. The song ends with
the older couple looking out at

Chatten and his fiancée, a living
embodiment of “passion in its prime”,
and wondering if they will also end up
old, crotchety — and together.
Dogrel opened with a festivalfavourite indie rocker called Big, a
classic tale of breaking out of a small
town and making it in the world. Here,
Big Shot offers the flipside of that
dream. “I found the moon too small,”
Chatten moans, before admonishing
his hubris by shouting, “Everybody
gets a big shot, baby.” It all contributes
to an instant classic of an album —
there’s even a radio hit of sorts in the
catchy singalong murder ballad Jackie
Down the Line — that establishes
Fontaines DC as one of the few great
rock bands of modern times.

Star pianist’s tinkling will take you to heaven

H

ow do you keep standard
classical piano concertos
fresh enough to tingle the
ears centuries after their
composers put pen to
paper? Sensitive musicality is
obviously needed, and it is shared by
this week’s distinguished pianists. Yet
other assets also prove handy: some
strategic approach, a special vision
and compatible orchestral partners.
Completing his set of Beethoven’s
concertos, Kristian Bezuidenhout, as
always, takes the period instrument
approach, using a replica of an 1824
model by Viennese-piano maker
Conrad Graf. Even if Bezuidenhout’s
fingering were dull (it’s anything but),
fascination would still result from this
piano’s panoply of colours. Take the
magical keyboard sweeps during
Concerto No 3’s first cadenza, breezing

Verve

alike through growling bass notes,
singing middle tones, and a dazzlingly
bright top register twinkling like the
illuminated gateway to Heaven.
Bezuidenhout’s sprightly,
kaleidoscopic approach is shared with
the conductor Pablo Heras-Casado
and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
Their own best advertisement might
be Concerto No 1’s introduction,
which combines punchy attack with
a gentle caress and limpidly
characterful instrumental hues. There
is, admittedly, one possible drawback
when Beethoven is performed in the
“authentic” manner: a lightening of
weight and grandeur when those are
what our Ludwig requires. Yet overall
you leave this recording smiling.
Meanwhile, Leif Ove Andsnes glares
at us on the foreboding cover of
Mozart Momentum 1786, the second

classical
Kristian
Bezuidenhout
Beethoven:
Piano Concertos
Nos 1 & 3
Harmonia Mundi

{{{{(

Leif Ove
Andsnes
Mozart
Momentum 1786
Sony Classical

{{{{(

and last instalment of a project
examining five key Mozart piano
concertos written over two creatively
splendiferous years. The gloomy image
is misleading. Andsnes’s touch, if a tad
unvarying, is satisfyingly crisp, and the
dialogue between piano and orchestra
flows with ease in the operatically
inclined Concerto No 23.
Besides elegant finesse, Andsnes’s
special asset is the provision of
context, with Concertos 23 and 24
placed alongside neighbouring pieces
in Mozart’s output, allowing us to
trace echoes and hear the composer’s
mind at work, most vividly in the
instrumental interplay of the Piano
Trio No 3. As before, Andsnes’s album
partners are the bouncy Mahler
Chamber Orchestra, directed by the
pianist with a look and a spare hand.
Geoff Brown

Only 13 when
they started
making
music
together, the
Norwich friends
nds
Rosa Walton, 22, and
Jenny Hollingworth,
gworth, 23, have reached
their third album. Split roughly
between upbeat emotional electro-pop
and intimate indie folk, Two Ribbons is
a reflection on the pair’s inevitable
growing apart (the gentle title track),
their love for one another over a fun
blast of 1990s rave pop (Happy New
Year), and the devastation of
Hollingworth’s boyfriend dying
aged only 22 (Watching You Go).
The result is a youthful, vibrant album
about facing the future.

Swedish House Mafia
Paradise Again
Republic

{{{((
Despite being around since 2008, this
trio of Swedish superstar DJs haven’t
made a full-length album until now.
As it turns out, 17 tracks of banging
mainstream dance music show the
benefits and limitations of the form:
exciting, but you may need a little
lie-down after listening to the
whole thing.
Sting pops up to sing his lilting lines
from Roxanne against a thudding pulse
on Redlight, while Time, featuring the
singer Mapei, achieves the balance of
soulful, heartfelt vocals and haywire
electronic noise that features on all
the best house music.
Sometimes Swedish House Mafia
veer too close to unthinking,
superclub-friendly EDM, but on
this album’s best moments — such as
Don’t Go Mad, a collaboration with
Seinabo Sey of Sweden — this is
visceral, uplifting dance music in its
purest form.

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

10

music

CHRIS MCANDREW FOR THE TIMES; JOHN SNELLING/GETTY IMAGES

My plan to
save opera:
celebrities
and freebies
Stuart Murphy, the English National
Opera boss, tells Alice Jones why the
new season is all about new audiences

A

s the chief executive
of English National
Opera, Stuart
Murphy is never
quite sure where the
next fire will come
from. Literally, in
the case of the
company’s production of The Valkyrie,
which lost its spectacular pyrotechnic
centrepiece on the eve of opening in
November last year on the orders of
the London Fire Brigade.
The director Richard Jones’s vision
had been for a ring of fire sunk into
the stage, but every time the crew
tested it, no matter how much they
sealed the fire pit, flames would pop
up on the other side of the stage.
When they pulled up the stage to
investigate, they found layers of,
effectively, kindling — horsehair, bits
of prop, scrap wood — and beneath
that, the original stage, from 1904.
“I got a call at five in the morning
and the fire brigade said, ‘You’re just
not doing it,’ ” Murphy says. “So we
said, ‘OK, this is five hours of opera,
and a three-minute fire effect. If an
audience can’t imagine a fire, then
probably they need to have a think
about their cognitive abilities.” He
sighs. “It was a bit of a shame.”
More recently, ENO had to rethink
the staging for The Handmaid’s Tale,
which opened this month to good
reviews. The set was originally an
imposing wooden chamber, but when
war broke out in Ukraine, a lack of
timber for set-building — sourced in
Russia — sent production costs
soaring. Instead, the set was a series of
coloured drapes. “We just had to start
again,” Murphy says with the air of a
man who says that a lot.
Then there is the continuing disaster
of Covid; the first two performances of
The Handmaid’s Tale were cancelled
due to illness, as were the two opening
performances of Così fan tutte last
month. And in January, the opening
night of Cunning Little Vixen was nixed
by Storm Eunice. This season box
office takings are £5 million, down
from £6 million in 2018/19, the last
full season before the pandemic.
“I think there was a kind of new
year blues thing,” Murphy says.
“People didn’t come to Così in the

numbers we hoped . . . The established
truths of what will sell were thrown
into disarray.”
Add in audience hesitancy as Covid
rates stay high, Brexit and a bleak
economic outlook, and planning a new
season becomes “quite tricky’’.
The new 2022/23 season, just
announced, reflects that. There is more
of Richard Jones’s Ring cycle with The
Rhinegold; the UK premiere of Christof
Loy’s take on Tosca; and the first ENO
production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s
The Yeomen of the Guard.
Less traditional offerings come
in the shape of Jake Heggie’s It’s a
Wonderful Life, starring Danielle de
Niese, in time for Christmas; Blue,
Jeanine Tesori’s Harlem-set opera
about race and police violence; and a
staged production of Gorecki’s
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, which
will be performed in Polish.
In all, there will be 81 performances
of seven new productions and two
revivals. It’s an increase on the present
season — which promised 67
performances and delivered 62 — but
still works out at a cost to the taxpayer
of more than £152,000 per production
when set against the £12.3 million in
public subsidy ENO receives.
Moreover, one of the productions
slated for the new season, Michael
Tippett’s King Priam, never even made
it as far as the press release. Last
month an email from Murphy leaked,,
in which he announced that thee
production was to be cut, citingg
Covid-19 and an “unpredictablee
climate”. The freelance artists,
who were expecting to start
rehearsals in August, have been
n
promised payment if they are
unable to find alternative
work. What happened?
“We just look at the future
and the finances of the
company and of the country:
inflation at 8 per cent [sic].
Audience hesitancy makes mee
nervous. Are people still goingg
to get ill and cancel? We have
quite a few things that are
really challenging pieces
next season,” Murphy says.
“And in the current climate
I’m not going to put the ENO
O
at risk. So we’ve cancelled. But
ut

Stuart Murphy. Below:
Madeleine Shaw and
Kate Lindsey in The
Handmaid’s Tale at
the London Coliseum

It’s hard
to know
what a
box-office
banker is
any more

it broke our heart.” So box-office
bankers only from now on? “We’re
going into a world where it’s difficult
to know what a banker is. Speaking to
another opera company, their Traviata
usually sells through the roof — it
isn’t; people aren’t coming. These are
uncertain times.”
When Murphy took over from
Cressida Pollock as chief executive in
2018, ENO was in recovery, having
been placed in special measures by
the Arts Council three years earlier.
Now the focus is not survival but
growth, and that means attracting
new audiences.
In the four years Murphy has been
in charge the average age of the
audience has dropped from 67 years
old to 57 in the present season. Free
tickets for under-21s and £35 tickets for
under-35s help, but whether these
schemes translate to loyal audiences,
the bread and butter of any institution,
is still to be seen.
The problem with giving away
tickets is that “10 to 15 per cent”
of people don’t turn up. “Really
annoying,” Murphy says. Still, for the
last performance of The Handmaid’s
Tale, 17 per cent of the audience were
under 35.
Murphy grew up in Leeds
and began
Le
his career at BBC Manchester,
then
Manch
devised and launched BBC
BB Three in
2003, before moving to Sky
S where he
ran Sky One, then launched
Sky
launc
Atlantic, bringing Game
Ga of Thrones
to the screen.
ENO is
Now, Brand E
Murphy’s obsession.
Of late,
obse
made it his
he has ma
mission to make the
company “part of the
compan
national conversation”.
There have
hav been
appearances on Comic
Anyone Can Sing on
Relief,
f Anyo
Sky, in which
whi celebrities
learn to sing
si opera, and a
King-inspired
T
Tiger
Kin
opera on TikTok for the
launch of Tiger King 2
Netflix. Recently,
on Net

the company hosted an “immersive
multisensory event” for the launch of
Holly Willoughby’s new perfume —
“the evocative aroma of a wild country
garden after rainfall” — performing a
remixed aria from La bohème to 500
guests. As Murphy sees it, it’s “an
advert to 7.7 million [the number of
Willoughby’s followers] on Instagram.
Only a fool would say no.”
Yet where the company is paid for
singing on, for example, the new Sky
Glass adverts, it received no fee for
the launch — Willoughby covered
costs. “One could absolutely place a
value on the amount of publicity we
got from that process,” Murphy says.
So did new audiences follow? “No,
but I wouldn’t expect to see an
automatic uptick.”
One area where he has managed to
effect change is in the diversity of the
company and its audiences. “It was
one of my first questions: ‘What is the
diversity strategy?’ And they said, ‘It’s
Robert,’ ” he says, referring to Robert
Winslade Anderson, who was then the
only singer of colour in the chorus.
Now there are six out of 44 singers,
and five people of colour in the
orchestra of 70.
When he took over, 3 per cent of the
audience were people of colour; one
year later it was 13 per cent. For the
new season, the company is looking to
hire two disabled or deaf singers to the
chorus; 14 per cent of the front of
house staff will have a disability.
He takes the wellbeing of his staff at
ENO “super-seriously”, he says. “At
the start of lockdown, my big fear was
whether we would have a suicide in
the company,” Murphy says. There is
now a women’s group where, among
other things, misogynistic banter was
discussed. “People would use the word
‘bitch’. That’s not an acceptable word
in a professional environment.”
He is trying his best to listen, and
not just in the auditorium. “It’s
continual gentle disagreement,” he
says. “But often it’s not that gentle.”
For details of the new season go
to eno.org

the times | Friday April 15 2022

11

FIRST
NIGHT

the bestt
critics on
n
the top
shows off
the week
k

Ed Potton

arts

kicks o
off at the Design Museum p12

Lisa Verrico
is electrified by Sparks p13

Clive Davis
enjoys an indelible monologue p13
enjoy

Sex, intrigue and intimacy coaches
ANDY ROSS

Scottish Ballet’s
streamlined take
on Kenneth
MacMillan’s classic
has potent heat,
says Donald Hutera
dance
The Scandal at
Mayerling
Theatre Royal, Glasgow

{{{{(

F

or this new touring
production of Kenneth
MacMillan’s sexually
charged historical
melodrama Mayerling,
Scottish Ballet claims to
have been the first UK
ballet company to have
brought in an intimacy coach. A
smart move given the work’s still
controversial content.
MacMillan’s opus has been a
mainstay of the Royal Ballet’s
repertoire since its 1978 premiere.
Covent Garden is reviving it again in
October to mark the 30th anniversary
of the choreographer’s death. Charting
the final eight years in the highly
privileged but troubled life of
Crown Prince Rudolf of the AustroHungarian Empire, and culminating in
the realisation of a suicide pact with

his teenage lover, Mary Vetsera,
in 1889, MacMillan’s ballet is
psychologically complex, sordid and
steamy. Spread across three acts and
three hours, and stuffed with political,
familial and sexual intrigue, it is also
big and long. Some might say too long.
With the approval of MacMillan’s
widow, Deborah, Gillian Freeman’s

Evan Loudon as
Rudolf and Sophie
Martin as Mary find
explosive chemistry
in their duets

original scenario has been pared down
to two acts by Scottish Ballet’s artistic
director Christopher Hampson, and
Gary Harris, who is also credited with
the staging and direction. The political
machinations confronting Rudolf
have been sidelined, lending greater
focus to his needy or unsavoury
relationships with a handful of women.

There is further streamlining through
Elin Steele’s handsomely economical
set design, bolstered by plush
costuming and a frequently stormy
score, derived from Liszt and
re-orchestrated by the guest
conductor Martin Yates. The company
orchestra scintillates under his baton.
The key questions are: does this
revamp of a classic succeed and, in the
bigger picture, is its depiction of power
abuse and surrender to a destructive
love still relevant? I’d say yes to both,
with a few qualifications. Opening
night got off to a shaky start,
particularly on the part of Evan
Loudon as an eye-catching yet
strangely stiff, almost embalmed
Rudolf. The drama kicked into a
higher gear thanks to Constance
Devernay, whose embodiment of
Rudolf’s new wife Princess Stéphanie
as a put-upon rag doll seemed to
energise Loudon. Gradually his
performance, tortured and wild-eyed,
grew in articulacy and depth.
By the time Sophie Martin’s
bewitching, deceptively girlish and
astonishingly coiling and clinging
Mary came on the scene, he was ready
for her. Their duets exuded a potent
heat. The company pretty much rose
to the challenge of MacMillan’s
writing, with Bruno Micchiardi
meriting special mention for his
delightfully neat turn as Rudolf’s loyal
coachman Bratfisch.
The ensemble went to town in the
tavern scene, their debauched revelry
perhaps a signal of the benefits of that
intimacy coaching.
To tomorrow, then touring to
Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh
to May 28, scottishballet.co.uk

Ezra’s gap-year pop remains ruthlessly effective

I

n the posters for this tour George
Ezra poses in workwear beside a
pile of logs, and you can see why
he would want to portray himself
that way: rugged, good with an axe,
a proud proponent of double denim.
There has always been a disconnect
between his voice — bourbon-soaked
Texan love machine — and his
appearance — nursery school
teacher from Basingstoke.
Yet that combination is probably
why Ezra, who actually grew up in
Hertfordshire, is so successful. Even
when singing forgettable rock-soul
ditties such as Get Away, his one-two
punch of giant bass-baritone and
unassuming affability got him out
of trouble. Strumming a guitar and
wearing a cowboy shirt and black
trousers, he managed to poke fun at
the gap-year pop formula that has
brought him six Top Ten hits by the

pop
George Ezra
London Palladium

{{{((

age of 28. “Don’t worry, we’ve all
heard it,” he said with a grin, lest
we thought he was about to embark
on another explanation of how he
plunders his travel diaries for
songwriting inspiration.
Which isn’t to say that Ezra has
abandoned the formula. His next
holiday-fuelled hit may well be
Green Green Grass, a song from the
forthcoming album Gold Rush Kid,
which he was performing for the first
time here. It sprang, he told us, from
a trip to St Lucia, where he went to a
jubilant street party and discovered
that it was a wake. With its arenafriendly chorus (“Throw a party on
the day that I die”) it already sounded
like classic Ezra: the faintest whiff
of authentic experience and rootsy
spirit wrapped up in an unthreatening
package that made it totally safe for
the under-tens in the audience.

George Ezra led fanatical singalongs

It was hard not to be swept along
in
i the bonhomie; Ezra and his band
certainly were, grinning as they fired
off brass salvos and warm riffs. This
was a relatively intimate show before a
huge one in London this summer, but
he employed the same tricks, raising
his arms in the expectation of volcanic
noise and getting it every time.
Did You Hear the Rain?, with its
jagged guitars, was the closest he got
to dangerous, but the closing stretch
was dominated by his biggest,
friendliest hits. He led a fanatical
singalong on Budapest, raised his
delivery to rat-a-tat intensity on
Paradise and finished, of course, with
Shotgun. Ezra isn’t rewriting any
manuals, but his tales of breezy
hedonism in vaguely exotic settings
are ruthlessly effective.
Ed Potton
Finsbury Park, London, Jul 17

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

12
FELIX SPELLER

first night
theatre

pop

Our Man in Havana

The War on Drugs

Watermill,. Newbury

The O2, SE10

A

{{{{(

H

{{{((

novel about a bogus spy
in Batista’s Cuba may not
seem obvious material
for a musical. Then
again, Graham Greene
categorised Our Man in Havana as
one of his “entertainments”, so why
shouldn’t the composer Ben Morales
Frost and the lyricist Richard Hough
take up the challenge?
If you’re a Greene fan, you’ll want
to see how well the satire holds up.
Neutrals will enjoy Abigail Pickard
Price’s production, even if the plot will
be opaque to anyone who isn’t familiar
with the original. And, as always with
the Watermill’s trademark actormusician projects, the sight of cast
members switching easily between
singing and playing is part of the fun.
Nigel Lister certainly catches the
world-weary mood of Greene’s central
character, Wormold, a British expat
eking a living selling vacuum cleaners
in a country on the brink of
revolution. When he is recruited
by an MI6 agent, he sees a chance
to make some money to support his
wilful teenage daughter, Milly. The
fact that most of the information he
passes on is make-believe is neither
here nor there.
The opening number evokes
the sleepy ambience of Old Havana.
The arrangements, by Frost and
Eliane Correa, make lyrical use of
guitar, keyboard and percussion.
Congas, guiro and shekere are all
thrown into the mix.
Alvaro Flores elegantly handles the
roles of the MI6 agent Hawthorne
and Captain Segura, the suave but
bloodstained officer who pursues Milly
(impishly played by Daniella Agredo
Piper). When the action occasionally
moves to MI6 headquarters in
London, the composers add some
Noël Coward-style pomp. He’ll Always
Be an Englishman is a suitably clipped
exercise in flag-waving.
The music is easy on the ear,
although it’s a pity there isn’t more
Buena Vista Social Club-style energy.
As is so often the case with a new
musical, it’s the book that needs
tweaking. It’s always going to
be a challenge to condense the
allusiveness and dry humour of the
novel. Never mind, the musical
director Antonio Sanchez’s lissom
piano playing helps to mask the
occasional crack in the script.
Clive Davis
To May 21, watermill.org.uk

Aldyr Schlee’s designs for a new Brazil national kit, 1953. Below: George Best’s football boots

The thrill of the game
From George
Best’s boots to
vuvuzelas, this
footballing
show has flair,
finds Ed Potton

exhibition
Football:
Designing the
Beautiful Game
Design Museum, W8

{{{{(

T

he Design Museum doesn’t
shy away from popular
subjects, having put on
shows about club culture,
Amy Winehouse and John
Lewis in recent years. Its latest
crowd-pleaser is devoted to something
that perhaps pleases more crowds than
anything else (unless you’re a Norwich
City fan). About half of the world’s
population is thought to have seen
some of the 2018 World Cup, more
than belong to any single religion.
Indeed, Pele’s shirt from the 1958
World Cup that he illuminated at 17
has the aura of a holy relic, while
the Liverpool banner celebrating
European triumphs (“Destiny
delivered”) is like something from a
medieval crusade. Beyond that there’s
not much to take your breath away,
but plenty
p
y to make you look
closely. Or listen. Peter
more clo
Jones’s
Jones’ radio report from
the Hillsborough disaster
haunting in its
is h
simplicity. “The sun’s
sim
shining now . . . and
sh
over there to the left,
o
tthe green Yorkshire
hills. Who would have
h
known that people
kn
would die here in the
wo
stadium this afternoon.”
stad
Bits of kit prompt
questions. How did George
question
down the wing for
Best dazzle d
Belfast’s Cregagh Boys while wearing
what look like the boots of a Cornish

miner? Has Giacomo Mari’s woollen
Juventus shirt from 1950 shrunk in
the wash, or was he the size of a
nine-year-old? And who thought that
blowing those wretched vuvuzelas at
the 2010 World Cup was a good idea?
The historical sweep takes us to
the Nike Pro hijab, designed for
Muslim women players, and Zidane: A
21st Century Portrait, the 2006 film
that followed the balletic French
genius for a match using 17
synchronised cameras.
The design element can sometimes
be tenuous at these exhibitions, but
it has always been at the heart of
football. Here we get a mannequin
dressed up to look like a Thatcher-era
casual in Fila jacket and Diadora
trainers, and an array of Coventry
City’s chic Sky Blue programmes that
prove again that the Seventies were
the high point of football style.
More lacking is the wit that goes
alongside that style. A video of Celtic
fans singing Depeche Mode’s Just
Can’t Get Enough is fabulous, but the
curators missed a trick by not
including any of the often-inspired
terrace parody songs. My favourite is
Fulham’s tribute to the wayward
striker Bobby Zamora, sung to the
tune of Dean Martin’s That’s Amore:
“When you’re sat in row Z and the
ball hits your head, that’s Zamora!”
Still, this is a show that captures the
thrills, pain and zeal of a game that
grips us in our billions.
To Aug 29, designmuseum.org

ow did an alternative rock
band from Philadelphia, led
by a 43-year-old man whose
father was until recently
despairing of his son ever
getting a real job, fill the vast O2?
By sheer perseverance, it seems.
Adam Granduciel has spent the past
decade leading his band towards
finding the sweet spot between
the haze of psychedelia and the
hands-aloft accessibility of 1980s
rock. He has leaned closer to the
latter as the years have passed, but
the difference between him and the
Springsteens of this world is his
jagged, nervous energy. That came
to the fore at this big-scale but
appealingly dissonant show.
For such a large venue there was
surprisingly little stagecraft, just
Granduciel in jeans and a T-shirt,
taking off on extended guitar solos as
his band, among them a saxophonist
and three keyboard players, held it
together and two screens relayed the
action to the back of the room. The
appeal lay in the musical textures: the
reverberating shimmer of Victim
bringing shades of the Smiths’ How
Soon Is Now?, the guitar solo in I Don’t
Wanna Wait bringing memories of the
super-smooth tones of Dire Straits.
Sometimes the music veered
dangerously close to a 1980s world of
rolled-up jacket sleeves and piña
coladas, Granduciel’s particularly tasty
solos compelling middle-aged men to
punch the air as if they were back at
Live Aid, but you couldn’t argue with
the passion and intensity of it all. Nor
could you argue with the virtuosity,
particularly on Red Eyes, from the 2014
album Lost in the Dream, on which the
War on Drugs sounded like a stadium
band at the top of their game.
Fan favourite Under the Pressure
captured a kind of euphoric, almost
heroic torment, while Granduciel
indulged his 1980s Bob Dylan
fantasies on I Don’t Live Here
Anymore, which even namechecked
the old grouch.
Amid all this there was space for the
band to go all weird and sound like an
experimental early-1970s German
band on Harmonia’s Dream. To hear
music such as this in such a big venue
was exciting — an unlikely triumph of
underground culture finding
acceptance in the mainstream.
Will Hodgkinson
First Direct Arena, Leeds, tomorrow,
then touring

the times | Friday April 15 2022

13
STEVE JENNINGS/GETTY IMAGES

first night
dance

opera

Mystery Sonatas / for Rosa

The Paradis Files

Sadler’s Wells

Queen Elizabeth Hall

{((((

{{{((

L

ike her compatriot the theatre
director Ivo van Hove, the
Belgian choreographer Anne
Teresa De Keersmaeker has
a fashionable international
reputation. Yet also like him, she has
a CV that’s excessively hit and miss.
Last month the Van Cleef & Arpels
Dance Reflections festival brought to
London De Keersmaeker’s stunning
1982 creation Fase. This week the
festival presents her latest production,
Mystery Sonatas / for Rosa. And
stunning it certainly isn’t.
Spread out over two and a quarter
hours, without interval, this
mind-numbingly boring piece,
choreographed to Heinrich Biber’s
17th-century Rosary Sonatas for strings
and keyboard (the music is recorded),
is a test of the audience’s endurance.
According to the programme note,
the dance is “dedicated to women of
resistance”, including the French artist
Rosa Bonheur and the American civil
rights activist Rosa Parks, and is
somehow linked to the symbol of a
rose (De Keersmaeker’s Brussels-based
troupe is called Rosas). Yet nothing of
this agenda is given meaning in her
inchoate choreographic ramblings.
The Mystery Sonatas stage is an
unappealing sight — dark and foggy,
with a few shafts of light and what
appears to be a puzzling giant
hammock hanging overhead.
The choreography is equally
dispiriting. The half-dozen barefoot
dancers deliver De Keersmaeker’s
shapeless and inconsistent writing
with a sober conviction.
Considering how precise are the
baroque dance rhythms in Biber’s
music, it’s surprising how few
occasions there are when De
Keersmaeker taps into them. When
this does happen, as in an unexpected
knees-up near the end, it merely
highlights the paucity of her invention
and passion elsewhere.
There are sequences with music and
no dance, and others with dance and
no music; there are a few inexplicable
freeze-frame moments and too many
false endings. The movement, which
marries the vernacular (walking,
running) with more sophisticated
dance forms, is so bereft of ideas that
few earn their repetition. Even a
sudden, jarring blast of the peppy pop
classic (I Never Promised You A) Rose
Garden can’t liven things up.
Debra Craine

theatre
Wolf Cub

Hampstead Theatre
Downstairs, NW3

{{{{(

J

fter 51 years in the business,
Sparks still don’t seem real.
You couldn’t make up
musicians as strange as the
Mael brothers: the singer
Russell, a spritely 73, sporting canary
yellow trousers, and the keyboardist
Ron, yet to crack a smile at 76 and
who got the biggest cheer of the night
for meticulously removing his coat.
Nor can you compare their career to
that of any other band. Sparks’ 1974 hit
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of
Us marked the Californians’ card as a
novelty act. By the end of the decade
they were pioneering synth-pop. In
Britain their two most recent albums
have gone Top Ten; A Steady Drip,
Drip, Drip, from 2020, was their 24th
release. This Town . . . is back as the
soundtrack to an Apple advert. Fresh
from selling out their largest dates
yet in the States, they are repeating
the feat here.
At Barrowlands, where the crowd
turned Sparks’ witty lyrics into
terrace chants from the off, the duo
began a nearly two-hour careerspanning set with the apt So May We
Start, a song from their madcap movie
musical Annette of last year. From
there they bounced through the
decades, Russell delighting in his
clumsy dancing and never missing

a note, Ron sitting at his keyboard,
barely looking up.
If the absence of real strings for a
band with a love of OTT orchestral
flourish seemed strange at first, it soon
made sense. This was a straight-up
rock’n’roll-meets-disco show — well,
as straight-up as Sparks are likely to
get. It was a victory lap that left the
theatrics to the lyrics and required
only a basic light show to stun.
Not one song of 23 missed its mark.
The disco thumper Tips for Teens from
1981 was a riot accompanied by
shadow boxing from Russell. When Do
I Get to Sing ‘My Way’ from 1994 was
part punk, part Sinatra. There was as
much music hall as there was rock
opera. Wonder Girl, the brothers’ flop
debut single, from when they were
briefly called Halfnelson, was part
a cappella, part Prince.
Ron’s coat removal came before a
magnificent falsetto-strewn The
Number One Song in Heaven. He
folded the coat carefully, burst into a
running man dance, then sat down
again. This Town . . . inevitably raised
the roof before the emotional 2020
song All That closed the show with a
singalong from a crowd close to tears.
Lisa Verrico
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea,
Sat; Roundhouse, London NW1, Sun

ust 70 minutes long, this new
opera is nothing if not trauma
packed. Sexual abuse, medical
bungling, stillbirth, parental
rejection, blindness: The Paradis
Files makes EastEnders seem dreary.
And because it’s premiered by
Graeae, the UK’s leading theatre
company of disabled artists, and
performed to audiences containing a
larger proportion of blind and deaf
people than usual, the stage is
crowded not only with singers and
instrumentalists but also with
interpreters. Even the stage directions
are sung and signed.
The libretto, by Nicola Werenowska
and Selina Mills, very loosely based
on real life, revolves around the
remarkable 18th-century Austrian
composer and pianist Maria-Theresia
von Paradis. Sometime before the age
of five she lost her eyesight, but her
talent carried her into the highest
musical circles, including to London,
where she was hailed as “the blind
enchantress”. Whether she was the
target of Antonio Salieri’s unwanted
advances and in love with Mozart —
as depicted in this opera — is
unproven, but episodes showing her
being inflicted with fake cures by
quack doctors seem plausible.
The opera’s focus is her rocky
relationship with her mother, to whom
she is finally reconciled. Given how
elliptical each of the 13 scenes is, the
director Jenny Sealey and leading cast
members (the exceptional Bethan
Langford as Theresia, Ella Taylor as
her maid and Maureen Brathwaite as
her mother) do well to depict as much
anguish and anger as they do.
I wish more emotion was conveyed
by Errollyn Wallen’s music. Scored for
just piano, violin, accordion, double
bass and percussion, and efficiently
played under Andrea Brown’s
direction, most of it sounds thinly
composed. And throughout there’s a
jokey stylistic incongruity, or what
Wallen calls “irreverent anachronism”
— 18th-century references one
moment, pop refrains the next — that
undermines the story’s seriousness.
Still, opera must find new audiences
and new ways of engaging with them.
So much about this production has
been carefully thought through with
those objectives in mind that it
deserves to draw big audiences.
Richard Morrison
Touring to May 12, graeae.org

Clare Latham plays a lost soul

portrait of an indestructible lost soul,
a feral young woman who survives a
bleak childhood in rural Georgia, runs
wild at high school in California,
becomes entangled in drug dealing
and goes on an odyssey to central
America before returning to Los
Angeles in time for the Rodney King
trial and the latest earthquake.
That’s an awful lot to fit into 90
minutes or so. And yet there’s more.
Our narrator, Maxine, is a motherless
child of the backwoods who, at
moments of extreme emotion, believes
that she develops wolf-like traits. Yes,
it sounds absurd, yet Walker’s poetic
writing and Latham’s intensity make it
compelling. Young Maxine prowls
Amy Jane Cook’s set — a buckled
shard of freeway framed by a shattered
LA road sign — like one of the wild

animals she used to stalk in the woods
alongside her brutal father.
It’s a wild, incantatory travelogue,
like an Angela Carter novella with
lethal weapons and a touch of
American Gothic. The ideological
ballast can’t hamper the play’s
coke-addled trajectory. This isn’t a
solemn documentary; it’s more of a
fever dream.
Walker’s direction is tight and cool,
however. Sheila Atim supplies
fragments of spookily effective music,
while John Leonard’s sound design
and Bethany Gupwell’s lighting evoke
the turmoil inside the heroine’s head.
At one point Maxine, manic and
fearless, steps off the stage to walk
among us. You can’t help flinching.
Clive Davis
To May 7, hampsteadtheatre.com

Russell Mael, backed by his brother Ron on keyboards, performed 23 songs without missing a note

Eccentric and electric
The witty
Mael brothers
showcased five
decades of hits
in a nonstop
show, writes
Lisa Verrico

pop
Sparks

The Barrowland Ballroom,
Glasgow

{{{{{

A

W

hiling away the time
before this
extraordinary piece
starts, you might be
tempted to read the
programme’s Q&A with the
London-based writer and director
Ché Walker. My advice is to wait until
afterwards, because Walker makes a
point of setting out his political
agenda, banging a drum about
Reagan and Trump, the Iran-Contra
affair, rampant inequality and the war
on drugs.
Fragments of all those themes pop
up in the script, but this
phantasmagorical monologue —
beautifully delivered by the American
actress Clare Latham — is much more
than the sum of its ideological parts.
Walker has created an indelible

the times | Friday April 15 2022

15

television & radio

Hugh Laurie’s Agatha Christie is well worth it
BRITBOX

Carol
Midgley
TV review

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Britbox

{{{{(

I

t must be hard for an actor when
their one and only line is the title
of the show. The cringiest part of
any film, if you ask me, is when the
title is spoken aloud, Secrets & Lies
being a memorable example. But
when it’s your one shot — mate, the
pressure. I’d give an actor a 1 per cent
chance of not making that line sound
hammy. And, alas, our poor chap
splatted at the bottom of the cliff in
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? wasn’t
one of the 1 per cent. Grasping the
arm of Will Poulter’s Bobby Jones, the
character’s last cryptic words, “Why
didn’t they ask Evans?”, had all the
gravitas of a Neighbours blooper.

Radio Choice
Ben Dowell

But that’s my one quibble. Because
the rest of Hugh Laurie’s handsome
adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1934
novel was pure, dreamy escapism,
which feels an odd thing to say when it
featured a succession of gory deaths,
but that’s Christie for you. She’s the
queen of turning foulest murder into
a comforting, feelgood snack.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking:
“But it was on Britbox and I’ve never
felt a reason to sign up, especially
when I saw the new Spitting Image,
which was dreadful.” True, true, but
here was an incentive. Laurie adapted,
directed and appeared in it — for all I
know he also drove the catering van
— and played it straight, going for
quality over gimmick and resisting
the temptation to primp or
overmodernise it, which was wise
because Christie fans tend to be
purists who snark easily.
They will have found nothing to
offend them here, although at one
point I thought someone had called
someone else a prick until I realised
they’d said “prig”. As a Christie
devotee, I find this one of her more
meandering plots with a bit of a
“so what?” denouement, but Laurie
did a terrific job in drawing every
character, however minor, with a
fine pencil and sprinkling on lovely,
light-touch humour.
Mind you, when you can deploy
actors of the calibre of Jim Broadbent

Times Radio

Digital Only
5.00am Calum Macdonald with Early
Breakfast 6.00 Times Radio Breakfast
10.00 Luke Jones. A full primer on the
political week 1.00pm Ruth Davidson.
Covering the big political stories of the week,
and looking ahead to the weekend, especially
in sport and entertainment, Friday’s
headlines and discussions 4.00 Times Radio
Drive. Conversation with political and
economic guests 7.00 Michael Portillo.
Cultured conversation and political
interview 10.00 Kait Borsay 1.30
Red Box 2.00 Highlights from Times Radio

Radio 2
Good Friday
Meditation
Radio 4, 3pm

The third hour, the moment
of Christ’s death on
Golgotha, is marked by
this reflection on death
by Anglican priest the
Rev Sharon GrenhamThompson, above. Last year
her son, Leo, died in tragic
circumstances, forcing a
woman whose work involves
bringing comfort to the
bereaved to navigate her
own journey of loss. She
draws parallels between the
Good Friday story and her
experience, reflecting on
the seven phrases uttered by
Jesus in his final hours, as
well as the heartbreak of
his mother, Mary. With
music and poetry, this is a
moving journey into the
crucible of pain.

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Foot of the Cross 9.00 Sounds of the 80s
with Gary Davies. Gary plays a selection of
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Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves
on My 80s 11.00 Sounds of the 90s with
Fearne Cotton. A nostalgia-drenched
celebration of the best music and pop culture
from the decade, featuring girl power,
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and dance 1.00am Romesh Ranganathan:
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Charles House Party (r) 3.00 Michelle
Visage’s Rule Breakers 4.00 Sophie
Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco

Radio 3

FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
6.30am Breakfast
Kate Molleson presents Radio 3’s classical
breakfast show, featuring listener
requests and the Friday poem
9.00 Essential Classics
Georgia Mann plays the best in classical
music, with familiar favourites alongside
new discoveries and musical surprises
12.00 Composer of the Week:
Haydn (1732-1809)
Donald Macleod explores 1803, Haydn’s last
fully active year of composition. Haydn
(Antwort auf die Frage eines Mädchens;
Kyrie — Harmoniemesse; Santus; Benedictus;
Agnus Dei — Harmoniemesse); String
Quartet in D Minor, Op 103; Sonata 7 —
Father, into Your Hands I Commend My
Spirit; and Earthquake — The Seven Last
Words of Our Saviour on the Cross) (r)

Lucy Boynton is the star turn in this Agatha Christie adaptation

1.00pm Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert
The British clarinettist Mark Simpson teams
up with the Solem Quartet to play Mozart’s
clarinet quintet, one of the composer’s
best-known works. The concert begins
with Clara Schumann’s Three Romances
for violin and piano are arranged by first
violinist of the Solem Quartet, Amy Tress
for string quartet. Clara Schumann (Three
Romances Op.22 arr. Amy Tress); and
Mozart (Clarinet Quintet K.581)
2.00 Afternoon Concert
Penny Gore introduces an afternoon of music
for Good Friday, including a performance of
Buxtehude’s cantata cycle. Hindemith
(Trauermusik); Buxtehude (Membra Jesu
nostri, BuxWV75 (c.60’). I. Ad pedes — II. Ad
genua); Beethoven (Piano Sonata No. 27
in E minor, op. 90); Buxtehude (Membra Jesu
nostri, BuxWV75 III. Ad manus — IV. Ad
latus); Stravinsky (Petrushka); Buxtehude
(Membra Jesu nostri, BuxWV75 V. Ad
pectus); Faure (Pelleas and Melisande);
Buxtehude (Membra Jesu nostri, BuxWV75.
VI. Ad cor — VII. Ad faciem)
4.30 The Listening Service
Tom Service explores the connections
between song cycles in classical music and
concept albums in pop and rock music (r)
5.00 In Tune
The guitarist Paco Peña is Sean Rafferty’s
special guest ahead of Solera at Sadler’s
Wells Theatre in London, beginning on
Wednesday, April 20. Plus, conductor
Daniel Hyde chats about his new CD with
the choir of King’s College, Cambridge
7.00 In Tune Mixtape
An eclectic non-stop mix of music, featuring
old favourites together with lesser-known
gems, and a few surprises thrown in
7.30 Live Radio 3 in Concert
Ian Skelly presents an Easter concert from
King’s College, Cambridge. Haydn (Symphony
No 26 in D minor — Lamentatione);
and Mozart (Mass in C minor — K427)
10.00 The Verb
A late-night showcase of new writing,
performance and global literature
10.45 The Essay: Talking About Silence
Diarmaid MacCulloch explores the many
varieties of spiritual silence
11.00 Late Junction
Jennifer Lucy Allan brings 80s post-punk
from Cheri Knight, and Park Jiha and Roy
Claire Potter discuss their work
1.00am Composed with Emeli Sandé
The singer explores the music that brings her
strength and inspiration
2.00 Gameplay with Baby Queen
3.00 Through the Night (r)

Radio 4

FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz LW: 198kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 Farming Today
5.58 Tweet of the Day
6.00 Today
With Mishal Husain and Justin Webb
9.00 The Reunion
The activists involved in a decade-long libel
case involving McDonald’s (2/5) (r)
9.45 (LW) Daily Service
9.45 Book of the Week: The Man Who
Invented Motion Pictures
By Paul Fischer. Biography of Louis Le Prince
— the man who shot the first ever motion
picture and subsequently disappeared
without a trace (5/5)
10.00 Woman’s Hour
Magazine exploring issues from a female
perspective, presented by Anita Rani
11.00 Three Pounds in My Pocket
How life changed for British South Asians
after the 7/7 terrorist attacks (2/3)
11.30 Whatever Happened to Baby
Jane Austen?
By David Quantick. Florence becomes
obsessed with Selina’s old movies (2/5)
12.01pm (LW) Shipping Forecast
12.04 War on Truth
Stories from the information war over
Ukraine (r)
1.00 The World at One
1.45 The Museums That Make Us
Neil MacGregor heads to Leeds City Museum
2.00 The Archers (r)
2.15 Drama: Dead Hand
Thriller set in Northern Ireland,
by Stuart Drennan (3/5)
2.45 Living with the Gods
Neil MacGregor focuses on perpetual fire in
the Temple of Vesta in Rome (2/30) (r)
3.00 Good Friday Meditation
The Rev Sharon Grenham-Thompson
explores her personal path through grief
for Good Friday. See Radio Choice
3.30 Lent Talks
Dr Krish Kandiah considers the line “I was a
stranger and you invited me in” (3/6) (r)
3.45 Short Works
Ghost Writer, by Tom Vowler
4.00 Last Word
Obituaries, presented by Matthew Bannister
4.30 Feedback
Listeners’ views (6/8)
5.00 PM
5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.30 The Now Show

and Emma Thompson on roles lasting
only a few minutes it shows that you
have friends in high places. Both their
cameos were done beautifully,
incidentally. Paul Whitehouse was
given a more substantial, equally
well-observed part as the innkeeper
at the Anglers’ Arms, which had fish
room keys. It felt like an in-joke nod at
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone
Fishing and probably was.
The absolute star turn was Lucy
Boynton as “posh girl who likes a bit
of rough”, Lady Frances “Frankie”
Derwent, here with brunette hair as
opposed to the blonde you will have
recently seen her with in The Ipcress
File. Boynton reminds me of Claire
Foy in that she has one of those faces
that holds the screen and, like Foy,
can act with a mere twitch of her
mouth. The camera lingered on
her shamelessly.
Boynton and Poulter pulled off
persuasive chemistry as childhood
friends who bickered but were patently
in love, turning into sleuths because
although this was an Agatha Christie
that was set in a chocolate box village,
Miss Marple was mysteriously absent.
Maybe she doesn’t like Wales. Any
writer who tackles Christie takes a
risk, but Laurie’s effort was classy and
luscious, if a little lengthy at three
hours. You could do far worse than
lose yourself in this over the long
Easter weekend.

7.00 Letter from Ukraine
The Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov reflects
on recent events in his home nation (7/8)
7.15 Screenshot
Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore
Christianity on screen (3/9)
8.00 Any Questions?
8.50 A Point of View
9.00 The Museums That Make Us
Omnibus (3/4) (r)
10.00 The World Tonight
With Julian Worricker
10.45 Book at Bedtime: The Promise
By Damon Galgut (10/10)
11.00 Great Lives
Donald Macintyre nominates Picture Post
editor Tom Hopkinson (1905-1990) (2/9) (r)
11.30 Suggs:
More Love Letters to London
Graham McPherson focuses his attention
on the Docklands area (2/2) (r)
12.00 News and Weather
12.30am Book of the Week: The Man
Who Invented Motion Pictures (r)
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service

Radio 4 Extra

Digital only
8.00am Dad’s Army 8.30 Bristow 9.00
Guess What? 9.30 Bookcases (r) 10.00
Wives and Daughters 11.00 Podcast Radio
Hour 12.00 Dad’s Army 12.30pm Bristow
1.00 Boxer and Doberman 1.30 XPD 2.00
Big Pig, Little Pig 2.15 Love for Lydia 2.30
When Stockhausen Came to Huddersfield
3.00 Wives and Daughters 4.00 Guess
What? 4.30 Bookcases (r) 5.00 All Those
Women 5.30 Desolation Jests 6.00 Space
Force 6.30 Sounds Natural 7.00 Dad’s Army.
Comedy with Arthur Lowe 7.30 Bristow.
Comedy with Michael Williams 8.00 Boxer
and Doberman. The Seat of Evil. Comedy
crime drama by Alastair Jessiman. Last in
the series 8.30 XPD. Corruption may be
inside SIS, hindering Boyd Stuart’s
investigation of the Nazi ’Kaiseroda’ treasure
9.00 Podcast Radio Hour. Natalie Haynes
and Moy McGowan savour some chocolate
podcasts 10.00 Comedy Club: Desolation
Jests. Britain’s only punk dentist chooses his
favourite moments from the history of
comedy 10.30 The Lawrence Sweeney Mix.
Improvised sketch show 11.00 State of the
Nations. The comedian Elis James tours the
four nations of the UK. Last in the series
11.30 My Booze Hell by Little Johnny
Cartilage. John Waite investigates a shocking
claim. Last in the series 11.45 Bird Island

Radio 5 Live

MW: 693, 909
5.00am The Big Green Money Show 5.30
Wake Up to Money 6.00 5 Live Breakfast
9.00 Nicky Campbell 11.00 Chiles on Friday
1.00pm Elis James and John Robins 3.00 5
Live Sport 5.30 5 Live Drive 7.00 5 Live
Sport: The Friday Football Social 9.00
5 Live Sport. Bristol v Sale Sharks 10.00
Stephen Nolan 1.00am Qasa Alom

talkSPORT

MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
5.00am Early Breakfast 6.00 talkSPORT
Breakfast 10.00 White and Jordan with
Martin Keown 1.00pm Hawksbee and
Jacobs 4.00 talkSPORT Drive with Andy
Goldstein and Darren Bent 7.00 GameDay
Countdown 10.00 Sports Bar 1.00am
Extra Time with Martin Kelner

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Digital only
5.00am James Max 6.30 Morning Show
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6 Music

Digital only
5.00am The Remix with Deb Grant 5.30 Deb
Grant 7.30 Huw Stephens 10.30 Mary Anne
Hobbs 1.00pm Craig Charles 4.00 Nemone
7.00 The People’s Party with Afrodeutsche
9.00 Tom Ravenscroft 11.00 The Ravers
Hour 12.00 6 Music’s Indie Forever
1.00am Focus Beats 3.00 Ambient Focus

Virgin Radio

Digital only
6.30am The Chris Evans Breakfast Show
with Sky 10.00 Jayne Middlemiss
1.00pm Tim Cocker 4.00 Gaby Roslin
7.00 Ben Jones 10.00 Stu Elmore
1.00am Virgin Radio Through The Night

Classic FM

FM: 100-102 MHz
6.00am More Music Breakfast 9.00 Aled
Jones. The start of the countdown for this
year’s Hall of Fame chart 12.00 Anne-Marie
Minhall 3.00pm John Brunning 6.00
Catherine Bott 9.00 Friday Night at the
Movies. Andrew Collins selects an hour of
film music 10.00 Smooth Classics 1.00am
Katie Breathwick 4.00 Sam Pittis

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

16

television & radio
Viewing Guide
James Jackson

Anatomy of a
Scandal
Netflix

Here’s a big,
classy-buttrashy box
set-in-waiting
for the bank holiday
weekend. Initially it
feels like a retread of
the 1990s Channel 4

8PM

enough, the aide makes
a further, devastating
allegation against
James. And why is a
formidable barrister
(Michelle Dockery)
so keen to be the
prosecuting counsel at
the trial of the accused
minister? A pit of dark
secrets slowly emerges,
dating back to the
University of Oxford,
when Sophie met
James as a young blade

and a member of a
boorish Bullingdonstyle club — along with
his chum Tom
Southern, the future
PM. This series is
judicious when it
comes to dropping
in just enough
parallels with our own
government — of posh
boys behaving badly,
lies and a clinch in the
Commons — to make it
feel of the now.

Roar
Apple TV+

Streamers like a starstudded anthology
series (there’s been The
Romanoffs, Modern
Love and Solos) and the
latest is trailed as “a
poignant and
sometimes hilarious
portrait of what it
means to be a woman
today”. The eight selfcontained stories —

populated by actresses
such as Merritt Wever,
Alison Brie, Issa Rae
and Meera Syal —
are feminist fables
featuring an ordinary
woman in some bizarre
circumstance. Perhaps
the wittiest features
Betty Gilpin (Glow)
living on a shelf like a
trophy for her husband;
the starriest has Nicole
Kidman eating her
photograph collection.

BBC2

ITV

Channel 4

Channel 5

6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Morning Live. Magazine show,
with Gethin Jones and Sara Cox 10.00 Scam Interceptors.
Ethical hackers hunt down cyber criminals 10.45 Close
Calls: On Camera. Footage shows efforts to save a man
suffering a heart attack 11.15 Homes Under the Hammer.
Properties in Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent and Dover
(r) (AD) 12.15pm Bargain Hunt. From Wrexham, north
Wales (AD) 1.00 BBC News at One; Weather 1.15 BBC
Regional News; Weather 1.30 Jill Halfpenny’s Easter
Journeys. (1/2) Easter traditions and the people who
keep them alive 2.30 Father Brown. The sleuth
investigates the macabre world of doll’s house crime
scenes (r) (AD) 3.15 Escape to the Country. Alistair
Appleton helps a couple find a new home in the
High Weald (r) (AD) 3.45 The Repair Shop. The team
restores a silver singing trophy, a birdcage and a boxing
bag (r) 4.30 Bridge of Lies. Quiz show. Last in the series
5.15 Pointless. Quiz show 6.00 BBC News at Six;
Weather 6.20 BBC Regional News; Weather
6.30 Dinosaurs: The Final Day with David Attenborough.
The naturalist reveals exactly how an asteroid strike
wiped out the dinosaurs. See Viewing Guide (AD)

6.30am Bridge of Lies (r) 7.15 Escape to the Country (r)
8.00 Sign Zone: The Speedshop (r) (AD, SL) 9.00 BBC
News 10.30 Britain’s Easter Story (r) (AD) 11.30 Fern
Britton’s Holy Land Journey (r) 12.30pm Heavenly
Gardens with Alexander Armstrong. (1/2) The presenter
visits gardens of reflection and contemplation — a serene
garden at a Benedictine abbey, a Tudor-inspired garden
and a botanic garden (r) (AD) 1.30 Big Cats About the
House. An injured cheetah needs Giles’s help, while
Maya becomes famous after appearing on breakfast
television — but her behaviour is pushing the family to
their limits (r) (AD) 2.30 FILM: King of Kings (U,
1961) Biblical epic telling the story of the birth, life and
crucifixion of Christ. Narrated by Orson Welles and
starring Jeffrey Hunter, Siobhan McKenna, Robert Ryan
and Rip Torn 5.05 Flog It! Nick Davies and Anita Manning
value antiques at Wallasey Town Hall on the Wirral
Peninsula, and Paul Martin chooses his favourite objects
at Dunham Massey stately home (r) 6.00 Richard
Osman’s House of Games. Alex Beresford, Mathew Horne,
Martel Maxwell and Chloe Petts take part 6.30 Lightning.
The comedian Zoe Lyons hosts the quick-fire quiz

6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00 Lorraine.
Entertainment, current affairs and fashion news, as well
as showbiz stories and gossip. Presented by Lorraine Kelly
10.00 This Morning. Daily magazine, featuring a mix of
chat, showbusiness news, lifestyle features, topical
discussion, health and beauty advice and more 12.30pm
Loose Women. Celebrity interviews and topical debate
from a female perspective 1.45 ITV News; Weather
2.00 FILM: Matilda (PG, 1996) A gifted youngster
uses her special powers to turn the tables on the nasty
headmistress at her prison-like school. Children’s fantasy
comedy starring Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Pam Ferris
and Rhea Perlman (AD) 4.00 Lingo. Adil Ray welcomes a
couple from Chesterfield, a multilingual woman and her
husband from London and a couple from London as they
try to work out words that appear in the Lingo grids (r)
5.00 Tipping Point. Ben Shephard hosts the
arcade-themed quiz in which contestants drop tokens
down a choice of four chutes in the hope of winning a
£10,000 jackpot 6.00 ITV News; Weather 6.20 Regional
News; Weather 6.30 The Chase. More contestants take
part in the big money quiz hosted by Bradley Walsh

6.15am Countdown (r) 6.55 Cheers (r) 7.55 Everybody
Loves Raymond (r) (AD) 8.50 Frasier (r) (AD)
10.20 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA (r) 11.15
Undercover Boss USA (r) 12.10pm Couples Come Dine
with Me. Three couples in the West Country compete for
the cash prize of £1,000 (r) 1.10 Find It, Fix It, Flog It.
Henry Cole and Simon O’Brien visit Oxford, where they
discover a servant’s call bell (r) 2.10 Countdown 3.00
A Place in the Sun. Leah Charles-King helps two retired
teachers to find a home on Spain’s Costa de la Luz (r)
4.00 A New Life in the Sun. The owners of a glampsite in
Portugal get hands-on at a goat farm (r) 5.00 Sun, Sea
and Selling Houses. Mother-and-son duo Sharon and
Shaun catch up with love birds Janice and Bill, while
husband-and-wife team Damon and Sophie visit
ex-clients Lisa and Graham 6.00 The Simpsons. Homer
offers to donate a kidney to Grampa — until he realises
the surgery will place his own life at risk. However, a
supernatural experience prompts him to think again (r)
(AD) 6.30 Hollyoaks. Nancy has to break some bad news
to Olivia, Ethan drops by to discuss his deal with Warren,
and Charlie turns to a new friend for advice (r) (AD)

6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine. The broadcaster
and guests discuss the issues of the day, with co-host
Storm Huntley joining him for phone-ins and reading
out viewers’ correspondence 12.15pm George Clarke’s
Build a New Life in the Country. George Clarke meets a
couple from Grimsby aiming to convert a 600-year-old
ruin in the fishing town of Kirkcudbright on the
south-west coast of Scotland (r) 1.10 5 News at
Lunchtime 1.15 Home and Away. Bella pushes Nikau to
face his feelings 1.45 Neighbours 2.20 FILM: Did I Kill
My Mother? (PG, TVM, 2018) A young woman is
forced to prove her innocence after coming under
suspicion for the deaths of her parents. Mystery thriller
starring Megan Park 4.00 Bargain-Loving Brits in the
Sun. Cameras focus on Colin “Coco” Brown, who owns a
farm and animal rescue centre in the hills above
Benidorm. Colin rescues a miniature pony he calls
Trooper (r) 5.00 Neighbours. Montana ramps up the
expenses for Fashion Week (r) 5.30 Eggheads. Hop Pole
United from Aylesbury take on the regulars 6.00 Inside
Aldi at Easter. A look at the supermarket giant’s
preparation for the season (r) 6.55 5 News Update

7.00 MOTDx Football discussion show
presented by Jermaine Jenas

8.00 MasterChef The fourth quarter-final
sees this week’s most talented four
cooks return to contest a place in the
semi-finals of the contest (AD)
8.30 Would I Lie to You? With Daisy
May Cooper, Diane Morgan, Richard
Osman and Rory Reid (6/10) (r)

9PM

If the Tory prime
minister, Tom Southern
(Geoffrey Streatfeild), is
sanguine about the
minor scandal —
because “James is the
most naturally gifted
politician on our side of
the chamber” — his
adviser’s reply, “Still,
if he gets full-on
#MeToo’d it could start
to make your loyalty
look ill-advised,” is
clearly an augury. Sure

BBC1

7PM

Early

Top
pick

series The Politician’s
Wife — the wife of
an up-and-coming
Conservative minister,
James Whitehouse (a
sleek Rupert Friend),
is horrified when he
admits to an affair with
a beautiful, younger
parliamentary aide just
as it hits the news. Wife
Sophie (Sienna Miller)
stays loyal, through
gritted teeth, but that’s
where the plot thickens.

9.00 Have I Got News for You Jack Dee
hosts the satirical quiz (3/9)
9.30 Not Going Out Confined to a
wheelchair after surgery,
Lee turns Peeping Tom (4/7)

10PM

10.40 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
(12, 2011) Seven English pensioners
looking for a fresh start are drawn to
an advert for a hotel in the Indian city
of Jaipur, and plan to spend their
retirement there. They arrive to find
the building dilapidated but are won
over by the enthusiastic young
manager, and each embarks on their
own adventures in the city. Comedy
drama starring Judi Dench, Bill Nighy,
Maggie Smith and Dev Patel.
See Viewing Guide

Late

10.30 BBC Regional News and Weather

11PM

10.00 BBC News at Ten

12.40am-6.00 BBC News

7.00 Channel 4 News

7.00 Coastal Britain with Kate Humble
Kate follows the iconic white cliffs
of Dover on a 15-mile walk of
contrasts, beginning above Folkestone
Harbour at Martello Tower 3, built in
the early 19th century (3/4)

7.30 Beechgrove Calum Clunie is
designing and building a modest
garden which is big on ideas (r)

7.30 Emmerdale The shocking events of
yesterday’s trial hit the morning news,
and Leyla is hiding something (AD)

7.30 Hotel Chocolat at Easter
Life within Britain’s largest
independent chocolate-maker

8.00 Gardeners’ World At Longmeadow,
Monty Don turns his attention to
planting up his new bog garden,
and Adam Frost heads to a beautiful
walled garden in West Sussex

8.00 Coronation Street Abi and Imran
prepare to do battle for care of Alfie,
Gary hopes to bury the past at Rick’s
funeral, and Amy stumbles on
Summer’s secret (AD)

8.00 Grayson’s Art Club Grayson Perry is
joined by guest Katy Wix for a show
themed on holidays. The painter
Denzil Forrester reveals how he
captures the rhythms of London’s
reggae, dub and dancehall clubs (AD)

8.00 Cruising with Susan Calman
Susan sets sail from the bustling city
of Barcelona, boarding one of the
biggest cruise ships in the world —
Harmony of the Seas (3/6)

9.00 Pilgrimage: The Road to the
Scottish Isles The table tennis star
Will Bayley joins the rest of the team.
Eventually they leave Northern Ireland
behind them and set sail across the
North Channel to western Scotland.
See Viewing Guide (2/3) (AD)

9.00 Grantchester Another homeless man
is found dead, clean-shaven and killed
in the same manner as the previous
victims. Geordie and Will realise that
they may have sent the wrong person
to prison, and the real killer may still
be at large (6/6) (AD)

9.00 Gogglebox The armchair critics share
their opinions on what they have been
watching on television during the
week, with cameras capturing their
instant reactions (AD)

9.00 Compulsion With Sasha — and
Jenny’s money — nowhere to be found,
Jenny chases the only lead she has,
loan shark Connie Bertram, who
agrees to help Jenny find her quarry
— for a price. Last in the series

10.00 La Voix Humaine The Orchestra of
the Royal Opera House presents this
new production of Poulenc’s short
opera La Voix Humaine, based on Jean
Cocteau’s 1928 play. See Viewing Guide

10.00 ITV News at Ten
10.15 22 Jump Street (15, 2014)
Undercover cops Schmidt and Jenko are
sent on a new assignment at a
university. When one joins the college
American football team and the other
falls in with a crowd of Bohemian
artists, loyalty to their new cliques
puts a strain on their friendship.
Crime comedy starring Jonah Hill
and Channing Tatum (AD)

11.00 House of Maxwell The repercussions
of Robert Maxwell’s death, with
revelations about financial fraud in the
family business leading to dramatic
raids and the arrests of his sons
Kevin and Ian (2/3) (r) (AD)

12.00 Sign Zone: Surviving the Cost Of Living
Crisis — Panorama Following three families as they
cope with rising inflation and energy bills (r) (SL)
12.30am How to Sleep Well with Michael Mosley
(r) (SL) 1.30-2.30 Your Body Uncovered with
Kate Garraway. Documentary (r) (AD, SL)

10.00 Open House: The Great Sex
Experiment Welsh couple Liam and
Stacey want to try to open up by
fulfilling a special fantasy of Liam’s
— watching Stacey have sex with
another man (3/6) (AD)

10.00 Holidaying with Jane McDonald:
The Caribbean The singer visits the
island of Grenada, visiting the spice
market in the capital St Georges and
marvelling at the underwater sculpture
park at Molinere Bay (3/4) (r)

11.05 Derry Girls Tomorrow is GCSE results
day — and the gang are expecting poor
outcomes (1/6) (r) (AD)

11.05 Greatest 80s Pop Videos: 1989
A look back at the greatest pop videos
from the end of the 1980s, an era when
Black Box, Jive Bunny, Bangles, and
Jason Donovan, Marc Almond and Gene
Pitney scored huge hits (10/10)

11.40 Hullraisers Comedy about a trio of
female friends in Hull (1/6) (r) (AD)
12.10am Teleshopping 3.00 Winning Combination.
Quiz hosted by Omid Djalili (r) (SL) 3.50 Unwind with
ITV 5.05-6.00 Cash Trapped. Quiz hosted by Bradley
Walsh in which contestants answer questions and try
to trap one another out of the game, before one takes
on the rest in the final round (r) (SL)

7.55 5 News Update

12.10am 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (r) 1.05
Jimmy Carr’s I Literally Just Told You (r) 2.00 FILM: Kill
Your Friends (18, 2015) A cocaine-addicted record
executive desperate to find the next big thing resorts to
eliminating his rivals by any means. Drama starring
Nicholas Hoult 3.45-6.05 Come Dine with Me (r)

1.00am The 21.co.uk Live Casino Show 3.00
Entertainment News on 5 3.10 Police Interceptors. A
driver reverses his car into a pursuing police vehicle (r)
3.55 OMG! My Midlife Plastic Crisis (r) (SL) 4.45 Wildlife
SOS (r) (SL) 5.10 House Doctor (r) (SL) 5.35 Peppa Pig
(r) 5.40 Paw Patrol (r) (SL) 5.50-6.00 Pip and Posy (r)

the times | Friday April 15 2022

17

television & radio
Dinosaurs:
The Final Day
with David
Attenborough
BBC1, 6.30pm

Perfect Good Friday
viewing (even if it
sounds more Book of
Revelation) as David
Attenborough explores
the apocalyptic event
that saw off the
dinosaurs: the impact

of the Chicxulub
asteroid (one bigger
than Everest) 66
million years ago. New
evidence is unearthed
over three years at
Tanis, a dig site in
North Dakota. But
fascinating as that is,
this is as much about
amazing visual effects,
as we witness the
creatures at Tanis
before recreating the
dinosaurs’ “last day”.

Pilgrimage: The
Road to the
Scottish Isles
BBC2, 9pm

Something suitably
religious, of a sort, on
a day that really ought
to include some
spiritual reflection, as
the celebrity pilgrims
continue their journey
from Ireland to Iona.
For much of the first
half, this is rather low

on incident as they
trudge to a bothy (a
basic overnight shelter)
on the shores of the
Atlantic. Things are
more interesting over
an evening meal as they
discuss their differing
feelings towards faith,
with Laurence
Llewelyn-Bowen
challenged by Monty
Panesar on his
contentment
in atheism.

La Voix Humaine
BBC2, 10pm

In 1958 the French
writer Jean Cocteau
and his friend the
composer Francis
Poulenc created a
musical version of
Cocteau’s one-woman
play La Voix Humaine.
It required great acting
as well as great singing.
This innovative hourlong reimagining

begins with the star
soprano Danielle de
Niese discussing with
the conductor Antonio
Pappano the role of
Elle that she’s about
to play. Then the
performance: de Niese
a woman in a desperate
phone conversation
with her departing
lover. It’s at once an
operatic vignette and
an acting showcase —
well worth your time.

Film The Best
Exotic Marigold
Hotel
BBC1, 10.40pm

Judi Dench, Bill Nighy
and Maggie Smith head
a who’s who of acting
talent as pensioners
retiring to India. The
hotel they pick is down
at heel, but they learn
that adventure beings
when you let go of
expectations. (12, 2011)

Sky Max

Sky Atlantic

Sky Documentaries Sky Arts

Sky Main Event

Variations

6.00am Brit Cops: Frontline Crime UK (r) 8.00
Sport’s Funniest Moments (r) (AD) 9.00
Resident Alien (r) (AD) 5.00pm Football’s
Funniest Moments (r) (AD)
6.00 Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After (r) (AD)
7.00 Friends: The Reunion. One-off special in
which cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney
Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt
LeBlanc and Matthew Perry get together to
reminisce about the hit comedy (r) (AD)
9.00 David Blaine: Real or Magic?. The
illusionist performs mind-boggling tricks for a
host of celebrities, including Katy Perry,
Will Smith, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx, Ricky
Gervais and Stephen Hawking (r) (AD)
10.00 Rob & Romesh vs Superstar DJs (r) (AD)
11.00 A League of Their Own Road Trip: Dingle
to Dover. Freddie and Jamie continue their
travels with an all star football match (r)
12.00 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (r) 1.00am
Arrow (r) 3.00 Highway Patrol (r) 4.00 Magnum
P.I (r) (AD) 5.00 NCIS: New Orleans (r)

6.00am Storm City (r) (AD) 7.55 Big Love (r)
10.05 The Sopranos (r) (AD) 12.15pm Game of
Thrones: The Last Watch (r) (AD) 2.15
The White Lotus (r) (AD)
6.45 The White Lotus (r) (AD)
7.50 The White Lotus. Rachel shares some
harsh truths with Shane and confides in Belinda.
Armond goes on a bender and exacts the
ultimate revenge on his nemesis (6/6) (r) (AD)
9.00 Julia. When the show goes over budget,
Julia doubles down on her efforts to continue
making her dream a reality (3/8) (r)
10.00 Julia. Drama starring Sarah Lancashire
and David Hyde Pierce (4/8) (r)
11.00 FILM: 11th Hour (2017) (AD)
11.10 Succession. Shiv shows up in search
of answers when Kendall and Roman head
to the UK to negotiate with their mother.
Meanwhile, Greg goes to great lengths to
protect himself (7/10) (r) (AD)
12.15am True Blood (r) 3.30 In Treatment (r)
4.00 Storm City (r) (AD)

6.00am Fish Town (r) 7.00 Discovering:
Matthew Broderick (r) 8.00 The Directors (r)
9.00 The Story of Late Night (r) 10.00 FILM:
The Donut King (2020) (AD) 12.00 FILM:
Showbiz Kids (12, 2020) 2.00pm FILM: The
Way I See It (12, 2020) 4.00 Very Ralph (r)
6.00 The Story of Late Night (r)
7.00 FILM: Hitsville — The Making of
Motown (12, 2019) Performances, interviews
and rarely seen footage come together to paint a
picture of the history and origins of Motown
9.00 Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off,
and his relationship with the sport with which
he’s been synonymous for decades (r)
11.30 FILM: The Super Bob Einstein Movie
(15, 2021) Documentary about the actor,
writer and producer, featuring some of his
greatest comedic contributions
1.00am FILM: I Am Bruce Lee (15, 2011)
(AD) 2.45 FILM: Steve McQueen — The
Lost Movie (12, 2021) (AD) 4.30 PL Legends:
Alan Shearer (r) (AD) 5.00 Maralinga (r)

6.00am Sky Sports News 7.00 Good Morning
Sports Fans 8.00 Live Super Rugby 10.00 The
Football Show 12.00 Live Betfred Super League:
Hull Kingston Rovers v Hull FC (Kick-off 12.30)
2.30pm Live Betfred Super League: St Helens v
Wigan Warriors (Kick-off 3.00) 5.15 Live EFL:
Huddersfield Town v Queens Park Rangers
(Kick-off 5.30). Coverage of the Championship
match from John Smith’s Stadium
7.30 Live EFL: Derby County v Fulham (Kick-off
8.00). Coverage of the Championship fixture
from Pride Park, as both sides at either ends
of the table look for three vital points
10.30 Sky Sports News. Round-up of the sports
news with live analysis and comment
11.00 Sky Sports News. Round-up of the sports
news with live analysis and comment
12.00 Live: Total Access. A round-up of the
latest NFL News 1.00am Live NBA Basketball.
Coverage of the sixth NBA play-in match (Tip-off
1.00) 3.30 Sky Sports News 4.30 Live Super
Rugby: Chiefs v Moana Pasifika

BBC1 Scotland
As BBC1 except: 8.30pm-9.00 Landward.
Dougie Vipond heads to Scotland’s most
southerly point, the Mull of Galloway
lighthouse, for a programme about Galloway (r)
12.35am A View from the Terrace. A sideways
look at Scottish football (r) 1.35 Weather for
the Week Ahead 1.40-6.00 BBC News

6.00am Darbar: Indian Music for the Soul 7.30
The South Bank Show Originals 8.00 Fragile:
A Concert for Uncertain Times 9.00 Tales of the
Unexpected 10.00 Discovering 11.00 Buddy
Holly: Music Icons 11.30 Video Killed the Radio
Star 12.00 Rankin’s 2020 1.00pm Tales of the
Unexpected 2.00 The Art of Architecture 3.00
Mystery of the Lost Paintings (AD) 4.00 Tales
of the Unexpected 5.00 Discovering
6.00 Portrait Artist of the Year 2013
7.00 Discovering: Tom Hanks
8.00 Johnny Cash: A Night to Remember Live
1973. A performance by the country star
9.00 I Am Johnny Cash
11.00 The Shadows: The Final Tour
2.00am Carl Perkins & Friends. A London
concert from 1985 3.00 Manic Street Preachers:
Isle of Wight Festival Greatest Hits 3.25 Isle of
Wight Festival Greatest Hits 3.50 Simple Minds:
Music Icons 4.20 Video Killed the Radio Star
(AD) 4.50 Arts Uncovered 5.00 Landscape
Artist of the Year: Celebrity Special

BBC4

Talking Pictures

More4

Film4

ITV2

7.00pm Take Three Degrees. The musical
threesome sing their greatest hits
7.45 Top of the Pops: Big Hits 1989
8.00 TOTP: 1992. Performances by Roxy Music,
Chris Rea, Björn Again, Take That and Felix
8.30 TOTP: 1992. Featuring performances by
Leo Sayer, Felix and Michael Bolton
9.00 FILM: Hello Quo (15, 2012)
Documentary examining rock band Status Quo’s
five-decade history, featuring rarely seen
archive material as well as footage of the 2012
reunion of the group’s original line-up
10.20 Status Quo: Live and Acoustic.
A compilation of footage from Status Quo’s 2014
live appearance at London’s Roundhouse,
where they performed acoustic versions
of their best-known hits
11.20 TOTP2: Status Quo. A look back at Status
Quo’s most memorable performances on the BBC
chart show, including famous hits such as
Caroline, Down Down and Paper Plane
12.05am Stewart Copeland’s Adventures in
Music. The performer looks at the power of
music to tell stories 1.05 TOTP: 1992
2.05-3.25 FILM: Hello Quo (15, 2012)

6.00am FILM: Come Back Peter (U, 1952)
(b/w) 7.35 FILM: Ticket to Paradise (U,
1961) (b/w) 8.50 FILM: River Beat (U,
1954) (b/w) 10.10 FILM: Casbah (U, 1948)
(b/w) 11.50 Look at Life 12.00 FILM: The
Egyptian (PG, 1954) 2.50pm FILM:
Smokescreen (U, 1964) Detective thriller
(b/w) 4.20 Kathy Kirby: My Story
6.00 FILM: The Halfway House (PG, 1943)
A group of people are given the opportunity to
reassess their lives while staying at a remote
Welsh inn. Thriller starring Mervyn Johns (b/w)
8.00 The Outer Limits. A convict faces being
transported to another world (b/w)
9.00 Cellar Club with Caroline Munro
9.05 FILM: House of the Long Shadows
(15, 1983) Comic horror starring Vincent Price
11.15 Cellar Club with Caroline Munro
11.20 FILM: Kingdom of the Spiders (PG,
1977) Horror starring William Shatner
1.10am Cellar Club with Caroline Munro 1.15
FILM: Daughters of Satan (18, 1972)
Horror starring Tom Selleck 3.10 Cellar Club
with Caroline Munro 3.15 FILM: Enemy Mine
(12, 1985) 5.25 One Step Beyond (b/w)

8.55am Kirstie’s Vintage Gems 9.15 A Place in
the Sun 11.05 Find It, Fix It, Flog It 1.05pm
Heir Hunters 2.10 Four in a Bed 4.50
Find It, Fix It, Flog It 5.55 Car SOS (AD)
6.55 Escape to the Château: DIY
7.55 The Yorkshire Dales and the Lakes. A
steam engine obsessive hits a problem restoring
a remarkable piece of Cumbrian industrial
heritage, while there is a race against time to
launch a new cheese from the Dales (AD)
9.00 The Crimson Rivers. Part one of two. A
young man is killed when his land yacht goes out
of control and it is later discovered the steering
mechanism has been tampered with. In French
10.05 24 Hours in A&E. A 79-year-old woman is
brought in with signs of a stroke, a 77-year-old
man may need to have his foot amputated, and a
woman’s false eyelashes leave her with
abrasions to her eyes (AD)
11.10 24 Hours in A&E. A retired firefighter is
airlifted to A&E after being accidentally hit in
the face with a golf club (AD)
12.15am Emergency Helicopter Medics (AD)
1.20 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
3.25-3.50 Father Ted (AD)

11.00am Dora and the Lost City of Gold
(PG, 2019) Live-action family adventure
starring Isabela Moner 1.05pm Lemony
Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
(PG, 2004) Comedy adventure starring Jim
Carrey 3.10 Bee Movie (U, 2007) (AD) 4.55
We Bought a Zoo (PG, 2011) Fact-based
comedy drama starring Matt Damon
7.15 Daddy’s Home (12, 2015) A
mild-mannered stepfather desperately tries to
keep the respect of his wife’s children when
their biological father returns. Comedy
starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg
9.00 Deadpool (15, 2016) A disfigured
mercenary develops superhuman powers, which
he uses to get payback on the man who ruined
his life. Comedy adventure starring Ryan
Reynolds and Morena Baccarin (AD)
11.10 Cube (15, 1997) Seven disparate
characters awake in a trap-laden labyrinth, and
face the fight of their lives to regain their
freedom. Sci-fi horror starring Nicole deBoer,
Nicky Guadagni and David Hewlett
1.00am-3.05 Dark Encounter (15, 2019)
Sci-fi thriller starring Laura Fraser

6.00am Totally Bonkers Guinness World
Records (SL) 6.25 Celebrity Supermarket Sweep
(AD) 7.30 In for a Penny (AD) 8.30 FILM:
The Flintstones (U, 1994) (AD) 10.15
FILM: Hop (U, 2011) (AD) 12.10pm Family
Fortunes 1.15 Celebrity Catchphrase (AD)
2.15 FILM: Space Jam (U, 1996) (AD) 4.00
FILM: Ice Age (U, 2002) (AD) 5.40 FILM:
Back to the Future (PG, 1985) (AD)
8.00 FILM: Skyfall (12, 2012) James Bond
hunts the mastermind behind a terrorist attack
on MI6, and discovers a former agent with
revenge in mind. Action thriller starring
Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem (AD)
10.50 Family Guy. Stewie’s view of Meg
changes when she saves him from a choking
incident and he makes it his mission to create
a better life for her. Meanwhile, Chris is sent
to a vocational school (AD)
11.20 Family Guy (AD)
11.45 American Dad! Stan is hunted across the
Old West by bounty hunter Roger (AD)
12.15am American Dad! (AD) 12.40 FILM:
Shaun of the Dead (15, 2004) (AD) 2.45
Unwind with ITV 3.00 Teleshopping

ITV3

ITV4

Dave

Drama

Yesterday

6.00am Classic Coronation Street (AD) 7.00
Classic Emmerdale 8.05 That’s My Boy 9.05
Upstairs, Downstairs 11.20 Heartbeat (AD)
1.35pm FILM: Carry On Don’t Lose Your
Head (PG, 1966) (AD) 3.20 FILM: Carry On
Doctor (PG, 1967) (AD) 5.15 FILM: Carry
On Screaming (PG, 1966) Comedy horror
starring Kenneth Williams (AD)
7.15 FILM: Carry On at Your Convenience
(PG, 1971) An over-eager trade union
representative calls a strike at a toilet factory,
but worker unrest is quelled by a trip to the
seaside. Comedy starring Sid James (AD)
9.00 Doc Martin now that Janice has left, and
Mrs Tishell is shocked to find out that Al has
very high blood pressure (2/8) (AD)
10.00 Law & Order: UK. Part one of two.
A suicidal man causes a train crash,
killing 15 people, and a twist in the case
puts Sam’s career at risk (1/6) (AD)
11.05 Scott & Bailey. A woman is found dead
in a hotel room (4/8) (AD)
12.05am Deep Water (AD) 2.15 Unwind with
ITV 2.30 Teleshopping. Buying goods

6.00am The Saint 6.50 Robin of Sherwood 7.50
The Professionals (AD, SL) 8.55 The Saint
10.00 The Avengers 11.10 FILM: Butch and
Sundance — The Early Days (PG, 1979)
(AD) 1.25pm World of Sport 1.45 Live ITV
Racing Live: Newcastle 5.00 FILM: Kelly’s
Heroes (PG, 1970) Second World War
adventure starring Clint Eastwood (AD)
8.00 Goodwood Members Meeting. Highlights of
the annual event from Goodwood’s historic
motor circuit near Chichester, featuring action
from a number of races and demonstrations
9.00 FILM: Rocky (12, 1976) A struggling
boxer gets an unexpected shot at taking on
the heavyweight champion of the world.
Oscar-winning drama starring Sylvester
Stallone and Burgess Meredith (AD)
11.30 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite.
Hard-hitting action from the world of All Elite
Wrestling, featuring all of the biggest stars on
the roster, including Adam Page, Chris Jericho,
CM Punk and Jon Moxley
1.35am Minder (AD, SL) 2.40 Unwind with ITV
3.00 Teleshopping. Buying goods from home

6.00am Teleshopping 7.25 Storage Hunters UK
8.20 American Pickers 9.20 Rick Stein’s Far
Eastern Odyssey (AD) 10.20 Red Bull Soapbox
Race: London’s Greatest Moments 12.20pm Top
Gear (AD) 1.20 Top Gear Africa Special (AD)
4.00 Red Bull Soapbox Race: World’s Greatest
Moments. Highlights of the races
6.00 Top Gear. Motoring magazine (AD)
7.00 Richard Osman’s House of Games.
Lolly Adefope, Dan Walker, Sarah Greene
and Miles Jupp compete in the quiz show
7.40 Would I Lie to You? With Lorraine Kelly,
Dara O Briain, Barry Cryer and Sue Perkins
8.20 QI. Host Stephen Fry is joined by guests
Sue Perkins, Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee and Alan
Davies for questions on the subject of gothic
9.00 QI XL. With guest panellists Jason
Manford, Aisling Bea and Johnny Vegas
10.00 Live at the Apollo
11.00 QI. Stephen Fry hosts
11.40 Meet the Richardsons (AD)
12.20am Would I Lie to You? Triple bill 2.30
Mock the Week. Topical comedy quiz show 3.05
QI 3.35 The Indestructibles 4.00 Teleshopping

6.00am Teleshopping 7.00 Birds of a Feather
7.40 Father Brown (AD) 8.40 The Bill 9.40
Classic Holby City 11.00 Casualty (AD) 12.00
The Bill 1.00pm Classic EastEnders 2.20 Birds
of a Feather 3.00 Father Brown (AD) 5.00
Sister Boniface Mysteries. Double bill (AD)
7.00 Sister Boniface Mysteries. Sister Boniface
investigates the death of a local resident
covered in cold cream (AD)
8.00 Father Brown. When an old foe tells
him that she has arranged the death of her
former lover, Father Brown soon finds
himself blamed for the murder (AD)
9.00 Sister Boniface Mysteries. Sister Boniface
investigates when a member of a band is
found dead from a bee sting (AD)
10.00 New Tricks. The team reinvestigates the
15-year-old murder of a boxer (9/10) (AD)
11.15 Silent Witness. The team deals with
three cases — a hit-and-run on a council estate,
a woman killed in a house fire, and a bride-to-be
who dies on her hen night (AD)
1.50am Dalziel & Pascoe (AD) 4.00
Teleshopping. Buying goods from home

6.00am Private Lives 8.00 WW2: Frontlines
(AD) 9.00 Narrow Escapes of World War Two
(AD) 10.00 Abandoned Engineering (AD) 12.00
The Architecture The Railways Built (AD)
1.00pm Great British Railway Journeys 2.00
Abandoned Engineering. Double bill (AD)
4.00 WW2: Frontlines (AD) 5.00 Narrow
Escapes of World War Two (AD)
6.00 Antiques Roadshow
7.00 Great Continental Railway Journeys.
Michael Portillo travels through Germany,
starting in Berlin and taking in the Harz
Mountains, the Ruhr Valley and finishing in
the vineyards of the Rheingau
8.00 The Architecture The Railways Built. Tim
Dunn visits London’s King’s Cross and learns of
Bristol’s funicular railway (3/10) (AD)
9.00 Bangers and Cash. Derek’s on his way to
Blackpool to pick up what will be the highest
priced item at the next auction (AD)
10.00 Bangers and Cash (1/10)
11.00 Abandoned Engineering (4/6) (AD)
12.00 Great Continental Railway Journeys
1.00am Private Lives 3.00 Teleshopping

BBC1 Wales
As BBC1 except: 8.30-9.00pm Weatherman
Walking. On the edge of the Rhondda Valley,
Derek Brockway takes the plunge in the
National Lido of Wales in Pontypridd on
a walk between Porth and Taff’s Well
STV
As ITV except: 3.50-5.05am Unwind with
STV. Daily escape designed to calm the mind
and encourage relaxation and reflection
BBC Scotland
7.00pm The Seven 7.30 Live Sportscene:
Friday Night Football — Inverness Caledonian
Thistle v Kilmarnock (Kick-off 7.45). Coverage
of the Championship encounter at Caledonian
Stadium 10.00 Still Game. A power cut
triggers a crime wave in Craiglang (r) (AD)
10.30 A View from the Terrace. A sideways
look at Scottish football 11.30-12.00 Scary
Adult Things. Duncan Cowles hopes to come to
terms with who he is with alcohol (r) (AD)
BBC Alba
6.00am Alba Today 5.00pm Treubh an
Tuathanais (r) 5.15 Pompon Am Mathan Beag/
Pompon Little Bear (r) 5.20 ’S E Iasg a
Th’Annam (I’m a Fish) (r) 5.25 Creag nam
Buthaidean (Puffin Rock) (r) 5.35 Sionnach
agus Maigheach (Fox & Hare) (r) 5.45 Rita is
Crogall (r) 5.55 Stòiridh (r) 6.00 Aithne air
Ainmhidhean (All About Animals) (r) 6.25
Caractaran (r) 6.30 @12 (r) 6.35 Na Moomins/
Moomin Valley (r) 7.00 An Là (News) 7.15
Julie Fowlis: Ceol Aig Baile (r) 7.30 Machair (r)
7.55 Dan (r) 8.00 Cearcall (r) 8.30 Miann na
Maighdinn-mara/Mermaid Tales (r) 9.00
Cuirm@Celtic 10.00 Julie Fleeting (r)
11.15 Dhan Uisge (Firth of Forth) (r)
11.25 Blas (r) 12.00-6.00am Alba Today
S4C
6.00am Cyw: Blociau Rhif (r) 6.05 Halibalw (r)
6.15 Digbi Draig (r) 6.30 Llan-ar-goll-en (r)
6.45 Octonots (r) 7.00 Olobobs (r) 7.05
Cymylaubychain (r) 7.15 Bach a Mawr (r) 7.30
Gwdihw (r) 7.45 Byd Tad-Cu (r) 8.00 Peppa (r)
8.05 Loti Borloti (r) 8.20 Tomos a’i Ffrindiau
(r) 8.30 Ahoi! (r) 8.45 Sam Tân (r) 8.55 Timpo
(r) 9.05 Blero yn Mynd i Ocido (r) 9.20
Cacamwnci (r) 9.35 Guto Gwningen (r) 10.00
Blociau Rhif (r) 10.05 Halibalw (r) 10.15 Digbi
Draig (r) 10.30 Llan-ar-goll-en (r) 10.45
Octonots (r) 11.00 Olobobs (r) 11.05
Cymylaubychain (r) 11.15 Bach a Mawr (r)
11.30 Gwdihw (r) 11.45 Byd Tad-Cu (r)
12.05pm Nyrsys (r) 12.30 Heno (r) 1.00
Cymoedd Roy Noble (r) 1.30 Ar Werth (r) 2.00
News; Weather 2.05 Prynhawn Da 2.45 Live
Sgorio: Bala Town v Newtown. Dylan Ebenezer
presents coverage of the Welsh Premier League
match from Maes Tegid. English commentary
available 5.00 News; Weather 5.15 Live Rygbi
Ewrop. Broadcasts of rugby games 7.30 Heno
8.00 Dim Byd i’w Wisgo. A grandmother and
granddaughter from Ammanford seek outfits
that take them out of their comfort zone and
ones that have the “wow factor” for a family
wedding 8.25 Welsh Whisperer: Ni’n Teithio
Nawr. The country folk pop performer Andrew
Walton, aka the Welsh Whisperer, visits the
village of Bryngwran on Anglesey. He learns
the history of the Iorwerth Arms —
a local pub that exists thanks to the efforts of
the local community (AD) 8.55 News; Weather
9.00 Rybish. Bobbi’s attempts to get the rest
of the recycling yard’s staff to relax fails to go
as smoothly as planned, while Val’s annual
leave puts additional strain on an already
stressed Nigel (AD) 9.35 Limbo 10.15
Hyd y Pwrs (r) 10.45-11.50 Cymry’r Titanic.
Lowri Morgan explores the Welsh connections
with the famous ship to mark the centenary
of its ill-fated voyage, and recalls her
journey to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean
to see the sunken vessel. Lowri is one of
around only 100 people to have dived the
2.5 miles to visit the shipwreck (r) (AD)

Friday April 15 2022 | the times

18

MindGames
Codeword

Chris Bray

Luck
How much luck is there in backgammon? In the short term, quite a
lot. Over an extended period, the
answer is none at all. XG has a
method of measuring luck which
looks at each possible dice roll in
any given position, evaluates the
resulting positions after each roll
and then compares those to your
actual dice roll. Your roll can then
be classified as lucky, unlucky or
just average.
XG then keeps a running total of
each player’s luck factor during a
game/match and gives that a numerical value. Over time it can be
shown mathematically that your
luck will tend towards zero. I have
more than 5,000 matches stored
on my computer and my average
luck is currently 0.0001. In other
words, I am neither lucky nor unlucky, which supports the above
premise.
This does not stop players moaning about their bad luck or accusing
the bots of cheating by rolling the
numbers they need to win a game.
Players tend to forget about their
good luck and remember their bad

Train Tracks

No 4563

luck but that is simply human nature.
In a recent UKBGF league
match I was up against Michihito
Kageyama, the world-ranked No 2
player. At Double Match Point we
reached this week’s position with
Michy (Black) on roll. Things did
not look good for me until he
suddenly produced 54 and had to
play 7/3, 6/1. Bad luck for Michy,
and now any four of five would
nearly certainly win the match for
me but, sadly, I could only roll 32,
completing my home board. Bad
luck for me.
However, Pipcelot, the god of
backgammon was not finished
with us yet. Michy could still roll 44,
55 or 51 and leave another shot.
Amazingly, he rolled 51 and had to
move 7/1. I duly rolled the required
four and went on to win the match.
Michy’s 51 followed by my hitting
four will have been rated by XG as
very unlucky for him because, in
the end, the result of the whole
match rested on those two rolls. All
the other lucky and unlucky rolls
during the course of the match
were swiftly forgotten because of
the denouement.

No 1607

© PUZZLER MEDIA

Backgammon

Lay tracks to enable the train to travel from village A to village
B. The numbers indicate how many sections of rail go in each
row and column. There are only straight rails and curved rails.
The track cannot cross itself.

Win a Dictionary & Thesaurus

Every letter in this crossword-style grid has been substituted for a number from 1
to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears in the grid at least once. Use the letters
already provided to work out the identity of further letters. Enter letters in the main
grid and the smaller reference grid until all 26 letters of the alphabet have been
accounted for. Proper nouns are excluded. Yesterday’s solution, right

Fill the grid so
that every
column, every
row and every
3x2 box contains
the digits 1 to 6

Cluelines Stuck on Codeword? To receive 4 random clues call 0901 293 6262 or
text TIMECODE to 64343. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company’s network
access charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. For the full solution
call 0905 757 0142. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company’s network
access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).

Lexica
E

Winning Move
________ Black to play.
position is from NielsenáWDWDWgkD]This
Summerscale, Lloyds Bank
àDrDWDW4W]Masters, London 1990.
ßpDW0WDWD]Black is a piece down. He can
Þ)WDP0WDq]regain it with the obvious 1 ... fxe2
but after 2 Qxe2 White is very
ÝWDNDnDpD]much
in the game. However, the
on f3 is actually a powerful
ÜDWDWDpGW]pawn
component of Black’s kingside
ÛW)WDBDW)]attack as it controls the f2-square
constricts the white king.
ÚDW$QDW$K]and
How did Black capitalise with a
WÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈWfine tactical finish?

F

B

B

C

T

R

A

O

O

P

G

A

R

I

F

E

A

U

O

F

D

L

E

O

U

O

T

R

I

A

G

L

M

U

Y

E

I

Z

W

R

No 4195

Kakuro

Winners will receive a Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus
Solve the puzzle and text in the numbers in the three
shaded boxes. Text TIMES followed by a space, then
your three numbers, eg, TIMES 123, plus your name,
address and postcode to 84901 (UK only), by midnight.
Or enter by phone. Call 09012 925274 (ROI 1516 303 501)
by midnight. Leave your three answer numbers (in any
order) and your contact details.
Calls cost £1 (ROI €1.50) plus your telephone company’s
network access charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard
network charge. Winners will be picked at random from
all correct answers received. One draw per week. Lines
close at midnight tonight. If you call or text after this
time you will not be entered but will still be charged.
SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm).

G

Slide the letters either horizontally or vertically back into the grid to produce a
completed crossword. Letters are allowed to slide over other letters

Futoshiki

Difficult No 5555

I

No 6310

What are your favourite puzzles in MindGames?
Email: puzzles@thetimes.co.uk

No 3154
Fill the grid
using the
numbers 1 to 9
only. The
numbers in each
horizontal or
vertical run of
white squares
add up to the
total in the
triangle to its left
or above it. The
same number
may occur more
than once in a
row or column,
but not within
the same run of
white squares.

All the digits 1 to 6 must appear in every row and column. In
each thick-line “block”, the target number in the top left-hand
corner is calculated from the digits in all the cells in the block,
using the operation indicated by the symbol.

Fill the blank squares so that every row and column contains
each of the numbers 1 to 5 once only. The symbols between
the squares indicate whether a number is larger (>) or smaller
(<) than the number next to it.

© PUZZLER MEDIA

© 2010 KENKEN PUZZLE & TM NEXTOY. DIST. BY UFS, INC. WWW.KENKEN.COM

KenKen

L

No 6309

the times | Friday April 15 2022

19

MindGames
3

4

5

6

7
8

EASY

17 + 7 x 3 – 7

MEDIUM

86

HARDER

157 x 5 + 337

1/
5

OF IT

+8

2/
3

+ 12

50%
OF IT

x4

50%
OF IT

+ 53

30%
OF IT

x5

+ 1/3
OF IT

– 986

70%
OF IT

+ 779

OF IT

9

10

+ 1/2
OF IT

x 3 + 94 x 2 – 88

11
12

13

14

15
18

20

16

17

+ 1/2
OF IT

x 3 – 792

21

Polygon

22

24

26

27

Across

18 Large deer (3)
20 Fit of petty annoyance (4)
22 Set series of movements (7)
24 Not physically real (7)
25 Salad plant (5)
26 Board game (5)
27 Subatomic particle (6)

Plant such as bean (6)
Card game (5)
Arm joint (5)
Sturdy canine breed (7)
Drive back by force (7)
Way out (4)
Certainly (3)
Take by force (5)
Top of a ridge (5)
I O
U
T
D
P A
T
E
D
Y
B
PO
L
A T

N
B
RU
T
R T
E
AR
S
SC
O
T T
C
CH

D
CE
A
ED
L
L Y
AR
A
ED
A
ER

Yesterday’s answers
outwash, pshaw, shaw, show, southpaw,
stow, swap, swat, swath, swop, swot, taws,
thaw, wash, washout, wasp, whap, what,
whatso, whaup, whoa, whop, whup

No 3157
Enter each of
the numbers
from 1 to 9 in
the grid, so that
the six sums
work. We’ve
placed two
numbers to get
you started.
Each sum
should be
calculated left
to right or top
to bottom.

Please note, BODMAS does not apply

Killer

Down

Solution to Crossword 8878

Set Square
From these letters, make words of
four or more letters, always including
the central letter. Answers must be in
the Concise Oxford Dictionary, excluding
capitalised words, plurals, conjugated
verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending
in LY, comparatives and superlatives.
How you rate 14 words, average;
19, good; 25, very good; 32, excellent

25

CORONA T
Y A
I
I
CH I CK EN
L
N E S
E L B E DE
O D
L
L OWE R
A
T
E P
T U R N AWA
E O D R
S T U F F
S
T
T U E
F L YC

Divide the grid
into square or
rectangular
blocks, each
containing one
digit only. Every
block must
contain the
number of cells
indicated by the
digit inside it.

19

23

1
4
8
9
10
11
12
14
15

No 4446
© PUZZLER MEDIA

2

Cell Blocks

© PUZZLER MEDIA

1

Brain Trainer

No 8879

ANSWER ANSWER ANSWER

times2 Crossword

Moderate No 8256

1 Not cultured (7)
2 Momentary view (7)
3 Injure, maim (8)
4 Go on foot (4)
5 Alphabetical list (5)
6 Firmly fastened (5)
7 Religious establishment (5)
13 Armoured vehicle (5,3)
16 Plain, obvious (7)
17 Betrayal of one's country (7)
19 Planktonic crustaceans (5)
20 Widespread destruction (5)
21 Strong point (5)
23 Ado (4)

Solutions
Quick Cryptic 2113
S L O T H
R
E L
P
I L I A D
E OP
D
N
N
E
RU T
I N
E
S
S T E AMS
R
U
P A I N T B
N
A
E
R I GO L E
E
B

Sudoku 13,138

Kakuro 3153

Codeword 4562

C
C
A BOR A T
R
D
L
E R A T I N
S
C
S I NC E R
A
S
H I P
PO
E O R
I
A L L
R
E NNU
T T O G
S
NOS E

M
E
A
G
R
E
P
A
C
I
F
Y

Train Tracks 1606

Quintagram

Suko 3464

1 Fine
2 Divine
3 Choice
4 Capital
5 Exemplary

Need help with today’s puzzle? Call 0905 757 0143 to check the
answers. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company’s
network access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).

Brain Trainer

Bridge

Andrew Robson

Similar ... but different (30)
Whether leading initially, or
returning the second round, a
defender should lead top of two
(remaining) cards, and low from
three remaining cards.
(i) ♣A83, (ii) ♥ A842. After winning the ace, in (i) return ♣8, in (ii)
return ♥ 2. By doing so, you potentially unblock and also give partner the count of the suit.
Deal One
Dealer S

♠ Q75
♥6 4
♦AQ J 8 4
♣AQ 4

♠ 10 9
N
♥K J 8 2 W E
♦9 6 5 2
S
♣10 8 2 ♠ K J 6
♥ Q 10 7 3
♦K 3
♣K J 7 3
S
1NT

W
Pass

♠ A8432
♥A 9 5
♦1 0 7
♣9 6 5

N
3NT

E
End

West leads ♥ 2, East winning
♥ A. At trick two, East must return
♥ 9, top of two remaining —
unblocking and giving partner the
count. Declarer covers with ♥ 10,
West winning ♥ J. What now?
West can count East has one
more heart (or no more — but
West’s task would then be hopeless).
East holding one more heart means
declarer holds two more — ♥ Q and
a low one. West must refrain from
cashing ♥ K and promoting declarer’s ♥ Q. Instead, she must try to
find a way of putting partner back
on lead for a third heart crucially
through declarer’s ♥ Q-low.
Dummy’s weakness is spades, so
West switches to ♠ 10. Bingo —
East wins ♠ A and reverts to ♥ 5.

Easy 52; Medium 735; Harder 4,062
Cell Blocks 4445

Declarer tries ♥ 7 but West wins
♥ 8 and cashes ♥ K felling ♥ Q.
One down.
Deal Two
Dealer S

♠ Q75
♥6
♦AQ J 8 4
♣AQ 4 2

♠ 10 9
N
♥K J 8 4 2 W E
♦9 6 5 2
S
♣10 8 ♠ A J 6 2
♥ Q 10 7
♦K 3
♣K J 7 3
S

W

Set Square 3156

Lexica 6307

Sudoku 13,139

S
H

Killer

I
G

Deadly No 8257

H

A

KenKen 5554

E

West leads ♥ 4, East winning
♥ A and, crucially, returning ♥ 3,
low from three . Declarer tries ♥ 10
and West wins ♥ J. What now?
West can count East has two
remaining hearts — having
returned a low one. That means
declarer has only one remaining
heart. West plonks ♥ K on the
table. East must be careful on this
trick, unblocking ♥ 9 (the top of
two principle working even on the
third round of the suit). and
declarer’s ♥ Q is felled.
West can now cash ♥ 8, East
underplaying with ♥ 5, and score
the fifth defensive trick with her
lowly ♥ 2. One down is good
bridge. andrew.robson@thetimes.co.uk

I

E

A

R

X
B

T

Tetonor 248

43

35 + 8 7

9

x

34

x 28 9 + 25 12 x 21

35

280

6 28 + 7 35 x

33

252

225

15

8 9 + 6

27

S

H

O

I

L

264
6

R

E

D

A
U

S

T

Y

30

176

Bolide (c) A very bright meteor
(Collins)
Tarpan (a) An extinct wild
horse (Chambers)
Up Jenkins (a) A parlour game
(OED)

200

21 + 12 25 x 9 11 + 16 10 x 20

Cluelines Stuck on Sudoku, Killer or KenKen? Call 0901 293
6263 before midnight to receive four clues for any of today’s
puzzles. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company’s network
access charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).

P

Word watch

196

54

Killer 8255

E

W

U

As with standard Sudoku, fill the grid so that every column,
every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Each set
of cells joined by dotted lines must add up to the target number
in its top-left corner. Within each set of cells joined by dotted
lines, a digit cannot be repeated.

L

T
H

Killer 8254

Y

Lexica 6308

Sudoku 13,140

1NT
Pass
3♦(1) Pass
3NT
End
(1) Exploring a minor-suit game or slam.
Wisely so, because 5♣/♦ makes (even 6♣
can be made — because East holds ♠ K) —
while 3NT fails. [Experts have a gadget here.
North responds 2♠ which is multi-purpose
within a transfer structure. South bids 3♣
(she’d have bid 2NT with a minimum) and
North now bids 3♠ , showing both minors and
a singleton heart. Bingo — South bids 5♣.]

L

V
D

Futoshiki 4194

H
R

T

♠ K843
♥A 9 5 3
♦10 7
♣9 6 5

N

T
G

50

x 44 10 + 20 11 x 16 44 + 6

Chess — Winning Move
1 ... Qxh2+! and now 2 Bxh2
Nf2 is mate, as is 2 Kxh2 Rh7+
3 Bh4 Rxh4.

Quiz

1 Madrid 2 Muesli 3 Charles de Gaulle 4 Jodrell
Bank Observatory 5 Bridgerton 6 Oral-B 7 Bruce
8 Michael Le Vell 9 Edward Elgar 10 John Keats
11 Marilyn Monroe 12 Bridlington 13 Sol Tax. It is
a study of the culture of the Fox and Sauk peoples
14 Exeter Chiefs 15 Derek Walcott. The St Lucian
poet won the 1992 prize

15.04.22

Word watch

Sudoku

Mild No 13,141

Difficult No 13,142

Fiendish No 13,143

David Parfitt
Bolide
a A heavy post or stake
b A trite saying or
platitude
c A very bright meteor
Tarpan
a An extinct wild horse
b A venomous
Australian snake
c An Atlantic game fish

© PUZZLER MEDIA

Up Jenkins
a A parlour game
b To leave suddenly
c A vermouth cocktail
Answers on page 19

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

The Times Daily Quiz

Suko

Olav Bjortomt

No 3464

ALAMY

1 The Puerta del Sol is
the main plaza of which
European capital city?

11 Norman Mailer is
said to have coined the
word “factoid” in his
1973 biography of which
screen icon?

2 Which breakfast cereal
name comes from a
German word that means
“mush” or “purée”?

12 Which Yorkshire
town is home to the
biggest lobster port in
Europe?

3 Which French
president famously
proclaimed: “Je vous
ai compris!” in Algiers
in 1958?

13 Founder of the journal
Current Anthropology,
which US anthropologist
was known for the Fox
Project?

15

4 Which Cheshire
observatory became a
Unesco world heritage
site in 2019?

in the workshop of his
San Jose home?

5 Regencycore is a
fashion trend inspired
by which Netflix
period drama?

7 Which vegetarian great
white shark is voiced by
Barry Humphries in the
film Finding Nemo?

6 The dentist Robert W
Hutson made which
brand’s first toothbrushes

8 Who has played the
Coronation Street role of
Kevin Webster since 1983?

The Times Quick Cryptic
1

2

7

3

10 Which poet was
inspired by Hampstead
Heath to write I
Stood Tip-toe Upon a
Little Hill?

15 Which winner of the
Nobel prize in literature
is pictured?

12

15

5

13

16

19

6

14

17

20

Answers on page 19

Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the spaces so
that the number in each circle is equal to
the sum of the four surrounding spaces,
and each colour total is correct

For interactive puzzles visit
thetimes.co.uk

No 2114 by Rongo

10

11

22

14 Which rugby union
club will wear an
emblem featuring the
Iron Age Dumnonii
tribe from next season?

8

9

18

4

9 Which English
composer dedicated
Salut d’Amour (1888) to
his future wife Caroline
Alice Roberts?

21

23

Across
7 Fleshy part of judge, one said
to be wise (4)
8 Around one hour after
midnight, put off Circle Line
(8)
9 Restraining headgear left in
grip of new wife (6)
10 Dose doing away with outsize
lady, unexpectedly fatal (6)
11 Five cheer in Mexico for little
rodent (4)
12 Enlargement of fashionable
pleat? (8)
15 Having no answer, somehow
shell peas unaided (8)
17 British newspaper to make
self-aggrandising claims (4)
18 Book coming out? (6)
21 Old vote supporting daughter’s
university place (6)
22 Backup plan if a flea’s flying
around (4-4)
23 Lurching gets centre-half sent
off for a breather (4)

Down
1 Enough for bridge? More of us
playing (8)
2 Small racing toboggan stopped
by drift’s first soft snow (6)
3 Males in a club that’s seedy
and sticky (8)
4 Wife along with powerful Rod?
(4)
5 Waste of time following stitch
(6)
6 Conceal land between hills in
poetry read aloud (4)
13 Part of focus to merchant? (8)
14 Promenade area not safer after
redevelopment (8)
16 Dessert heads for diner least
expecting pool of liquid (6)
17 Confuse double folio in bundle
(6)
19 Ten months since present time
(4)
20 Fake news’s ending poor actor
(4)

Yesterday’s solution on page 19*