Yes excellent piece. And absolutely nailed on ( ex DCMS/HMT here) the Treasury would reduce govt grant if charging worked. As they do now with sales of assets. So a sector with fewer visitors, a worse welcome and higher running costs (tills, staff and payment app charges) would be punished for it.

Cerulea Pickford

You’re right - permanent underclass is the goal. When these people wang on about Sparta, they aspect they most admire isn’t the heroism or the military success. It’s helotry. Anonymous slaves, living and marked as Other, murdered for sport.

This is a really inadequate Home Office statement in these circumstancds

It empathises with this protest as expressing legitimate concerns, singles out violence against police, and simply fails to say "violence threatening asylum seekers, migrants & other minorities is shocking + wrong"

The BBC coverage - esp the headlines - pretty much identical in the year of a 40% rise as it was when crossings were rising.

BBC did run "highest since 2022" headlines for 2025 crossings.

BBC has not run "lowest since 2022" headlines - true of first 6 months of 2026

also, local BBC/ITV has just thrown up their hands at covering their patches properly. Nobody in London covers City Hall as their entire job as far as I can see, and so it just doesn't get scrutinised.

I would love someone to come up with a way to recycle ties into belts or something. I have about 20 lovely silk ties when, like your Dad, i only need 1 for weddings, 1 for funerals

Thanks. Incredible condition..

Can i ask where the tie is from? It’s absolutely lovely