The time- May heads for election landslide by Phuong Nguyen

Wednesday April 19 2017 | thetimes.co.uk | No 72201

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May heads for election landslide Brexit voters set to desert Labour in snap poll Francis Elliott Political Editor Sam Coates Deputy Political Editor

Theresa May is on course to win a majority of more than 100 in a June snap election, with Labour’s proBrexit voters deserting Jeremy Corbyn, according to polling data for The Times. The prime minister ripped up her promise not to hold an election before 2020 yesterday. In a surprise announcement on the steps of Downing Street, she urged voters to hand her a Brexit mandate before formal talks with Brussels began. The pound surged to a six-month high as the markets bet on the prospect of a softer Brexit, with experts claiming that a bigger majority would leave Mrs May less exposed to “right-wing factions” within her party. Today the prime minister will begin a sevenweek campaign with an attack on Mr Corbyn’s leadership at prime minister’s questions before a Commons vote that clears the way for a general election on June 8. Britain’s third national poll in as many years looks certain to bring a political realignment. Mr Corbyn welcomed the election announcement, saying: “Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.” The party looked forward to showing how it would “stand up for the people of Britain”. Mrs May pitched her message to disaffected Labour voters, however, as she asked them to increase her working majority of 17. “Our opponents believe, because the government’s majority is so small, that our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change,” she said. Without a snap election, Mrs May said that “political game-playing” in Westminster would continue, with EU negotiations reaching their “most difficult stage” in the run-up to the previously scheduled 2020 vote. “Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit, and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country,” she said, adding that the period before formal talks offered a “oneoff” chance to settle the country’s future. Mrs May will receive an early boost today, with YouGov polling data for The Times suggesting Continued on page 3, col 4

Theresa May outside Downing Street before her surprise statement yesterday

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

News News Election 2017

Cabinet kept in dark by PM Sam Coates Deputy Political Editor

Boris Johnson knew what was coming when he sat down at the cabinet table at 9.30am yesterday but he hadn’t been aware of one of the best-kept secrets in British election history for long. The advance notice for the foreign secretary was a recognition not only of his seniority but also of the role Mrs May now wants him to play — arguably more important to her than that of foreign secretary. For the next seven weeks Mr Johnson must sell her administration with the same gusto that he sold Brexit. Amber Rudd, the home secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, and Philip Hammond, the chancellor, were also in the circle of trust. Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the party chairman, and Gavin Williamson, the chief whip, are thought to have known a week ago. Others in the cabinet were said to be stunned by the move, which most had learntt of while waiting in the anteroom before Mrs May read them her statement. When the news was formally delivered in the meeting the cabinet is reported to have remained expressionless. As the news filtered around Whitehall, it became clear that even some of those who worked in No 10 did not know what was coming. Three weeks ago, yesterday’s announcement did not appear to be in the playbook. In mid-March The Times reported pressure from Conservative MPs to go to the country, with ministers writing to the chief whip to demand a poll before September to crush

Absolutely no: how No 10 ruled out election

The reaction

June 30, 2016 Tory leadership speech: “There should be no general election until 2020.”

“Brave — and right — decision by PM @Theresa_May. My very best wishes to all Conservative candidates.” David Cameron, responding on Twitter

been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability, to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020.”

July 12, 2016 To party workers: “Let us redouble our efforts. And let us make sure we put this time to good use, to build the support we need to go to the country in four years’ time, and not just win, but win big.”

March 7 A Downing Street source in response to Lord Hague of Richmond’s call for an early election: “It’s not going to happen. It’s not something she plans to do or wishes to do.”

September 4, 2016 In an interview with Andrew Marr: “I’m not going to be calling a snap election. I’ve

March 20: A Downing Street spokesman at a briefing said there was no change in position on an early election: “There is not going to be one.”

Labour. The Times also revealed, however, that the party was appointing event managers, political advisers and voter communication volunteers. Prospective MPs were being asked to update details and confirm their intentions to apply for constituencies before March 24. But in public and private, Mrs May and her team were telling people “there is nothTheresa May during her low-key Easter weekend

“We welcome the general election but make no mistake — it is driven by Labour’s obvious weakness, not the good of the country.” Paul Nuttall Ukip leader “One of the most extraordinary U-turns in recent political history, and it shows that Theresa May is once again putting the

ing to see here”. Her top aides argued that there would not be an election because she would have to break her word to the country, held huge doubts that they could circumvent the Fixedterm Parliaments Act and it would be a distraction. “I don’t think they were lying at the time,” one of those involved in last month’s conversations said. Suggestions that polling by Sir Lynton Crosby, the Tories’ political adviser, pointed to the party losing seats in the southwest helped to dampen speculation. Sources said the path to Mrs May’s U-turn began when she triggered Article 50 on March 29. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, used the

interests of her party ahead of those of the country.” Nicola Sturgeon Scottish first minister “It was Hitchcock, who directed Brexit: first an earthquake and the tension rises.” Tweet from European Council president Donald Tusk They’re going to be slaughtered. I think it’s going to be like Michael Foot except worse.” Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former foreign secretary, on Labour

occasion to threaten to vote against the prime minister’s eventual deal with Europe. Meanwhile No 10 saw the Lib Dems attempting to unpick the Brexit decision and the SNP threatening to vote against the great repeal bill. Mrs May said yesterday that she had a change of heart only last week. “Before Easter I spent a few days walking in Wales with my husband, thought about this long and hard, and came to the decision that to provide that certainty and stability for the future, that this was the way to do it, to have an election,” she told ITV News. Another source close to No 10 was more sceptical: “While I believe they decided in recent weeks, the only thing

that has really changed in recent times is the polls.” A YouGov poll for The Times at the weekend reported that the Tories had a 21-point lead over Labour. It is understood that Mrs May discussed at length the prospect of an early election with others while she was in Wales. The prime minister returned to London on Wednesday evening, but little about her diary suggested that a big announcement was imminent, with MPs scattered across the country and the world during the Easter recess. On Thursday Mrs May spoke as the Queen’s representative at the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. She was photographed the following day wearing a high-viz jacket as a marshal at a race in her constituency, where she spent the rest of the weekend. The images reinforced impressions that the prime minister was taking a low-key break. While the world was watching Donald Trump, North Korea and Russia, over the weekend No 10 began preparing for yesterday’s announcement. Senior Downing Street figures had joked in recent weeks that political journalists were free to go on holiday over Easter because there was no chance of an early election. One senior media aide to Mrs May was on holiday in France yesterday. The element of surprise has delivered Mrs May’s biggest tactical advantage. Letters, p ge 30 Le ding rticle, p ge 3

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News News PHILIP T SCAN /PA

No crackles or pops, but suddenly, she snaps Patrick Kidd Political Sketch

The media were not the only ones on the back foot, with only Theresa May’s inner circle aware of the announcement

over dramatic U-turn Sometimes even the coolest politicians May on course majority of can succumb to the ‘damn it all’ reflex for more than 100 Matthew Parris Comment

he arguments for calling an early general election are strong and will certainly have weighed with Theresa May. It is said that she struggles for the parliamentary arithmetic to push through measures — not only Brexit-related — that she thinks necessary. True. It is also said that Gordon Brown’s failure to call an election in 2007 shortly after he became prime minister stands as a horrible example to her of indecision leading to failure. There may be truth in that, though he was under pressure to call an election that he might not win, while she is under no pressure to call one that she certainly will win. But these and other arguments ignore the personal, and the personal does sometimes matter in politics. I venture this only as a speculation, but I wonder whether Mrs May has felt stung. I wonder if accusations that she’s gone wobbly, as memorably captured in an Economist headline, have goaded her into this sensational way of laying them to rest. There was talk in The Mail on Sunday that the prime minister is losing her relish for office; that she is

finding the job not as much to her some courage surmounting — any taste as she had hoped; that she is kind of chronic medical condition, it tired; and that she has been struggling must be wounding in the extreme to to maintain her prime ministerial hear it suggested one cannot cope. duties alongside her type 1 diabetes. The success with which this general There was a picture of her looking election announcement, and horribly pale beneath a red hat. discussions leading up to it, have been I am all but certain that there is kept from leaking to the press must nothing in this. Theresa May has suggest that the decision was made always looked very pale; a bright red very recently indeed. When she says hat accentuates that. This she reached it during a short walking photograph, and the allegation and holiday in Wales over the weekend, I innuendo that went with it, will have believe the prime minister, who was absolutely enraged her. After the Sky convincing on that. News journalist Adam Boulton Where she was less convincing was mentioned the allegations on air, he on the reasons she now thinks a received a text from Fiona Hill (Mrs general election is necessary, when May’s joint chief of staff): “Tell Bunter not weeks ago it seems she did not. that he should watch what he is Any of the difficulties arising from a saying about my boss’s health. Utterly narrow majority or lack of a mandate unfounded and untrue. were evident or We will be making a predictable right from the formal complaint.” start. Yet something must When quite recently I have changed, and I see last saw her she looked nothing in the political and seemed undimmed: news that has. entirely the person she I speculate, then, that has always been. I noticed over the weekend, and all no change and have heard at once, Mrs May decided no evidence, even that enough was enough. anecdotal, that her Even in the coolest, most enthusiasm for her job has deliberating of politicians, slackened in any way. the “damn it all” reflex can None of us likes to be told still operate. I suspect that, that we are not firing on In January the with Mrs May, something prime minister was all cylinders, but if one just snapped. suffers from — and is with accused of indecision My Week, p ge 28

Continue o p ge

that the swing from Labour to Tory was bigger in Labour seats that voted to Leave than the national average. Polls this month put the Conservatives on an aggregate of 43 per cent, Labour on 24, the Liberal Democrats on 11 and Ukip on 10. Assuming a uniform national swing, the Tories would have 382 seats, Labour 179, the Lib Dems 10, the SNP 56, and others 23, giving the government a majority of 114, according to Anthony Wells, of YouGov. However, John Curtice, another elections expert, said: “In 2015 a sevenpoint lead over Labour was only enough [for the Tories] to get a majority of 12 and that was only achieved by winning a lot of seats off the Liberal Democrats.” A 5,000-strong surge in Lib Dem membership yesterday fuelled jitters among Tory MPs in seats that voted Remain in last year’s Brexit referendum. Tim Farron, the party’s leader, urged voters to take the chance to “change the direction of your country”. Tony Blair called on the public to put Britain’s relationship with the EU before party affiliation. He appeared to back the election, saying that holding off would have been an “extraordinary act of political self-denial” by Mrs May. The prime minister was greeted by cheering and clapping Tory MPs in a meeting of the 1922 committee, as well as chants of “five more years”.

heresa May is not one of life’s snappers, apart from when a lackey irritates her. She certainly has no snap to her actions. The prime minister would never get a role in West Side Story. She is the sort of woman who, when playing cards with a child, will turn over the six of diamonds beside the six of clubs and then consider for a while the chance that one of them might be a nine before eventually stretching out a hand and saying “pair”. She no more snaps than she crackles or pops. Yet out she came to the lectern yesterday almost ten minutes ahead of schedule — a snap statement on a snap election — and announced that Britain is off to the polls again. She may have used the word “reluctant” twice but there was steel in her voice and ice in her eyes. No doubts. It was, as everything is these days, about Brexit. “There should be unity in Westminster but instead there is division,” Mrs May said. Labour, Lib Dems, the SNP, the “unelected Lords” have been getting in her way. How dare opposition parties oppose? Why can’t we have a system like that nice Mr Erdogan is after in Turkey? The news must have surprised the cabinet. “Pleasant Easter, Theresa?” someone will have asked as they gathered at 9.30am. “Oh, you know,” the PM replied. “Went walking with Philip in Snowdonia, church on Sunday, did a few bits and bobs in the constituency and — oh yes, nearly forgot — I decided that we ought to have an election.” It was presented later as a communal decision. “I have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet where we agreed that the government should call a general election,” Mrs May said, as if the subject had come up under AOB and she had gone with the mood of the room, but this “we” was of the royal variety. It was the most firstperson singular “we” heard in Downing Street since Margaret Thatcher became a grandmother. So this is what a brisk hike in the foothills of Cadair Idris does to you. Clears the head, focuses the mind. Makes you forget all those times you said “no way, uh-uh, not gonna happen” when people said that an early election made sense. None of us in the press pack had any inkling. At 9.12am there was an email from the press office saying daily briefings were returning to normal and then half an hour later a PS: Mrs May to make a statement outside No 10 at 11.15am. What could it be? Were we about to go to war? Had Boris pressed that big red button that says “do not push”? Was it Northern Ireland? Or Scotland? Was Larry the Cat unwell? Perhaps Larry wanted to become a dog. All seemed unlikely but no more so than a snap election. Mrs May does not snap. But here we go, June 8 it is: the anniversary, by the way, of Orwell publishing Nineteen Eighty-Four. I wonder if Big Sister chose it deliberately. It was a bright cold day in April. Inside Downing Street the clocks were striking thirteen.

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MPs to back snap poll amid calls to scrap fixed-term act Michael Savage Chief Political Correspondent

Assessing the gamble

The prime minister was facing calls to axe the Fixed-term Parliaments Act for good yesterday, after claims that her decision to call a snap election proved that it was useless. The vast majority of MPs are expected to vote today in support of an early election, ensuring that Theresa May can go through with her demand for a June poll. A Commons majority of two thirds is required to override the act, introduced by David Cameron in 2011. Under the act, the next election was due to take place in May 2020. Labour MPs said that they expected some of their colleagues to oppose an election, with a number fearing the end of their parliamentary careers and others regarding the election demand as political opportunism by the prime minister. However, any rebellion is expected to be very small. The former Labour minister Chris Bryant was among MPs to say that holding an election was “extremely irresponsible” at a time of great instability. Liz McInnes, Labour MP for Heywood & Middleton, said she would vote against the idea of another election. Chris Matheson, the Labour MP for the marginal seat of Chester, also said he was considering voting against. Despite the Labour disquiet, most Labour MPs, as well as the Lib Dems and the SNP, are expected to back Mrs May’s call for an election after a 90minute debate. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act was meant to take away a prime minister’s power to call an election and pass it to parliament. In reality, Jeremy Corbyn’s public backing for an election meant that Mrs May was free to call one. Some Tories believe Mrs May should use the next manifesto to repeal the act altogether. One said that the measure was introduced to keep the coalition from falling apart before 2015, but had now clearly served its purpose. Another who called for the act to be scrapped said that only the “idiocy of Corbyn” in agreeing to an election had allowed one to take place. Richard Drax, the Tory MP, said: “The sooner we get rid of it the better. The current situation shows how ridiculous it is. I have always thought that the old system keeps both the government and the opposition on its toes. Under the fixed system, Labour sits on its hands and does nothing until an election is near. That is no way to run a democracy.” Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court, a former Treasury permanent secretary, publicly backed ditching the act. “Time to repeal Fixed-term Parliament Act,” he tweeted. “First time it is put to the test it fails. A testament to cynicism of its ‘coalition’ supporters . . . A device which has outlived its usefulness.” Conservative sources said no decision had been taken on whether to pledge to repeal the act. However, one woman’s exasperated

Conservative majority of 17 stays the same or increases to 30 Failure Theresa May would have a fresh mandate to deliver Brexit but her room for parliamentary manoeuvre would remain circumscribed. She could struggle to push through controversial bills on post-Brexit immigration and customs systems. Some Tory MPs might wonder whether their leader is quite the electoral asset they thought. Majority more than doubles to 50 Partial success Mrs May could boast a significant personal mandate to deliver her vision of Brexit. She would be liberated from the clutches of hardline Tory backbenchers and could instead demand loyalty from a slew of Tory MPs elected in seats David Cameron failed to win back from Labour. Majority inflates substantially to 100 The sweet spot To win a majority on this scale, Theresa May would not just have to win an election, she would have to forge a political realignment. Labour seats in the Midlands and the north that find themselves out of step with their MP over Brexit would balk at putting Jeremy Corbyn in No 10 and rally to Mrs May to deliver the referendum outcome. She would be trusted by her party not just to deliver Brexit but also to press ahead with her social reform agenda and industrial strategy. Majority rises dramatically to 150 Icing on the cake Any majority of more than 144 would make Mrs May the Tories’ most electorally successful postwar leader, surpassing Margaret Thatcher’s 144-seat majority in 1983.

reaction to the news that Britain is to go back to the polls has been shared thousands of times on social media, with internet users suggesting she had perfectly reflected the public mood. Approached by Jon Kay of BBC News and told of the election, a startled Brenda from Bristol fumed: “You’re joking? Not another one. Oh for god’s sake, I can’t stand this. There’s too much politics going on at the moment. Why does she need to do it?” After the June vote, the UK will have seen, since autumn 2014, two general elections, two referendums, a host of local elections, votes for the devolved administrations and others for mayors and police and crime commissioners. Brenda became one of the top trending topics on Twitter after Kay posted the item. Users declared she “speaks for the nation” and “we are all Brenda from Bristol”. Another user wrote: “Get Brenda to form the ‘Too Much Politics’ Party and we’ll be voting for her.”

Harold Wilson with his wife, Mary, after winning a majority in the second of 1974’s elections. Edward Heath did not convince

Voter fatigue is a tired excuse for Daniel Finkelstein Comment

orget all the other factors, could fatigue swing the election? Sheer irritation at being dragged to the polls yet again? Political folklore suggests that voters punish parties for holding unnecessary by-elections. Could the same thing happen in a general election? Anything is possible, of course, but historical support for this idea is weak. The most recent bunching of votes

came in the mid-1970s. Harold Wilson returned to Downing Street in February 1974 without a Commons majority. He called an election that October and won a majority, albeit a small one. Only a few months later Mr Wilson triumphed in the referendum on membership of the common market. This was his second go at the same trick. In 1964 he had been elected prime minister with a majority of only four. Two years later he called a snap election. Just like this one, his argument for a new poll was that his majority wasn’t big enough. Voters didn’t punish him. He was returned with a

majority of 96. Since the war there has been only one example of a party calling an election to increase its small majority and losing. That was in 1951 when Labour, having been re-elected the year before, decided to go to the country again. They were replaced by the Conservatives. However, this can’t really be said to support the voter-fatigue theory. Labour called the election more because it was fatigued itself and felt that it couldn’t go on. And in any case it ended up with more votes than the Conservatives, even if it won fewer seats. One has to go back as far as 1923 for even the faintest hint of voter

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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News News PA ARCHIVE

Speech unspun Analysis Philip Collins Strike while it’s hot None of which is likely to last. Better to have the election now before the economy turns. Britain is due a downturn irrespective of the departure from the EU and it makes sense to capitalise before it comes. By 2020, EU talks will be at a delicate stage and the economy in a ditch. June realigns the economic and the political cycles.

Playing politics The tone of beleaguerment is precisely the opposite of the truth. Mrs May is having an election because she feels unassailable. This ending is so feeble because she cannot tell the truth, which is that it is too tempting not to have an election. There are too many good reasons to get on with it but none of them especially involves the national interest. It’s just politics.

I have just chaired a meeting of the cabinet, where we agreed that the government should call a general election, to be held on June 8 . . . Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European Union, Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership, and since I became prime minister the government has delivered precisely that. Despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high, record numbers of jobs, and economic growth that has exceeded all expectations. We have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result . . . Britain is leaving the European Union and there can be no turning back . . . We want a deep and special partnership between a strong and successful European Union and a United Kingdom that is free to chart its own way in the world. That means we will regain control of our own money, our own laws and our own borders and we will be free to strike trade deals with old friends and new partners all around the world. This is the right approach, and it is in the national interest . . . The country is coming together, but Westminster is not. In recent weeks Labour has threatened to vote against the deal we reach with the European Union. The Liberal Democrats have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. The Scottish National Party say they will vote against the legislation that formally repeals Britain’s membership of the European Union. And unelected members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way. Our opponents believe that because the government’s majority is so small, our resolve will weaken and that they can force us to change course. They are wrong. They underestimate our determination to get the job done and I am not prepared to let them endanger the security of millions of working people across the country.

Power of a mandate A successful election for Theresa May will, she hopes, kill off two sources of opposition to her plan. The first is the pro-Remain political class whose ambitions will be stymied by electoral victory. The second is the disgruntled Leavers in her own party. When leaving starts to get tricky she will point to her mandate and a substantial majority will make her less reliant on her party’s hard-core EU obsessives.

A lie wrapped in a lie This is a neatly dressed pretence. The country is not coming together and could carry on perfectly well without a general election. Mrs May suggests here that it is not reasonable for the opposition to oppose the government. In the statements after the speech she said the election would strengthen her negotiating hand in Europe and that point is an odd absentee from the speech.

May accused of dodging TV showdowns Sean O’Neill Chief Reporter

the voters with his fair pay campaign

losing fatigue swinging a contest. Stanley Baldwin called an election after the Conservatives had been in office for only a year. He had a big majority and wanted endorsement for his new leadership and tariff policy. He was badly beaten. However, this was probably the fault of the policy rather than the fact that he had called another election.

inside today

As incoherent as Labour’s position is on Brexit, it is less coherent on anything else Daniel Finkelstein, page 27

The prime minister was accused of dodging television debates during the election campaign after Downing Street ruled out her participation. Theresa May is said to believe that there is no need for debates because the country faces a clear choice between her and Jeremy Corbyn. “They’re not going to happen,” a No 10 source said. The stance provoked an angry reaction from Mr Corbyn and Tim Farron, with the Liberal Democrat leader calling on broadcasters to leave an empty chair if she refused to take part. Broadcasters have not yet formally requested debates, but sources said that ITV News would like to stage a peaktime party leaders’ confrontation. In the Commons, however, David Lidington, leader of the House, appeared to go off message when he said that voters would be “fascinated to see the outcome” of a head-to-head between Mrs May and Mr Corbyn. The Conservative MP Nigel Evans had asked Mr Lidington: “Could you encourage the prime minister to go head-to-head in as many TV debates with the leader of the opposition as possible before June 8?” Mr Farron said: “The prime minister’s attempt to dodge scrutiny shows how she holds the public in contempt. “The British people deserve to see their potential leaders talking about the future of our country. I expect the broadcasters to do the right thing; don’t let the Conservatives call the shots. If the prime minister won’t attend, empty-chair her. You have a moral duty to hold these debates.” Mr Corbyn tweeted that if the general election was to be about leadership, as Mrs May said in her statement announcing that she would seek a

Q&A

When is the election taking place? Theresa May wants June 8, giving the parties a little more than seven weeks to select candidates, write manifestos and campaign. Because of the Fixedterm Parliaments Act, introduced in 2011, instead of requesting that the Queen dissolve parliament Mrs May will put a bill before the Commons today requesting an election on that date. It requires, and seems certain to receive, the votes of two thirds of MPs: 434. What about the local elections? They go ahead as usual.

On May 4, voters will go to the polls in 4,851 council seats, including all the Scottish and Welsh local authorities. There are also the first contests for the six directly elected regional mayors including in the West Midlands, Liverpool and Greater Manchester. These elections will give an early clue to the electoral state of the parties, but could also pose an initial distraction from the campaigns. How about the Manchester Gorton by-election? It’s complicated. The by-election, caused by the death of the Labour MP Sir Gerald Kaufman in February, is set for the same date as the local elections. The difficulty is that

general election, “she should not be dodging head-to-head TV debates”. The main broadcasters who have staged leadership debates — the BBC, ITV and Sky — may struggle to organise programmes. Britain’s first televised election debates in 2010 took years to plan and the 2015 format, which involved leaders of smaller parties, required six months of negotiations. The broadcaster David Dimbleby, who hosted leaders’ debates on the BBC in 2010 and 2015, said that Mrs May’s

parliament will have been dissolved by then, so there would be no House of Commons for the new MP to be elected to serve in, and in any case voters would have to turn out for an identical election just a few weeks later. The decision over whether to cancel is down to the contest’s returning officer. What boundaries will the election be fought on? The same boundaries as the 2010 and 2015 general elections. New seats, drawn up by the boundary commission to take effect in 2018, would have reduced disparities in the size of the electorate across seats (helping the Tories). That will now be a matter for the next parliament to consider.

refusal to take part in TV showdowns with her rivals could backfire. He told PM on BBC Radio 4: “I don’t think other parties will refuse to take part in debates, and I wonder whether No 10 will stick with that, because it may look a bit odd if other parties are facing audiences and making their case. “Really? Not coming at all, not sending anybody? I wonder. I think that’s a dangerous policy. I think staying above the fray when you are saying that the country is coming together and we are

What happens next Today The government will put forward a motion allowing Theresa May to call an early general election and requires a majority of two thirds for it to pass. The Queen can then appoint June 8 as the election date. From Thursday until May 2 The government has to decide what legislation of the bills in progress it wants to fast-track. Some, such as the finance bill, are essential. Others will simply expire. May 3 Parliament is dissolved 25 working days before the election. This marks the start of the “short campaign”. May 4 Local elections take place in 27 English county councils, every local authority in Scotland and Wales, and for six regional mayors, giving an indication of where the parties stand. June 8 Polling day

uniting on Brexit, when she knows a lot of Remainers still have a lot to say and aren’t going to shut up . . . I think it would be rather perilous not to come out there. “When push comes to shove, and when you are trying to say, ‘I speak for Britain’, you’ve got to get out there and listen to what Britain says back to you and argue your case. I don’t think you can just stand aloof from it, I think people would look down on that, rather.”

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Exodus of Corbyn’s MPs begins as Michael Savage Chief Political Correspondent

Labour policy pledges

Jeremy Corbyn has been warned that he is facing an exodus of MPs before the snap election as the party heads into the campaign with support at a historic low. Alan Johnson, the former home secretary, was one of two Labour MPs immediately to announce yesterday that they would not be contesting the election. Labour MPs predicted that in the next few days several more of their colleagues would opt to leave, with the party facing the loss of swathes of seats. It comes with the party trailing the Conservatives in the polls by more than 20 points, regularly securing levels of support well below the share of the vote recorded in its disastrous 1983 campaign under Michael Foot. Nerves within the party are tense, with Labour MPs already planning to spend the whole campaign shoring up their own constituencies rather than venturing out to help colleagues in more marginal seats. “Last time I spent most of my time in neighbouring marginal seats we thought we could win, so I was helping in Tory marginals,” one senior MP said. “That is not going to happen this time. It is every MP for themselves. “For a lot of colleagues it will be a simple message: Theresa May is going to be the prime minister, but who do you want to represent your local area?” Last night senior Labour Party figures attempted to head off a row about the deselection of moderate MPs by hard-left party members, by agreeing in principle that all sitting MPs would be reselected automatically. The decision will be confirmed today. Labour MPs usually have to undergo a “trigger ballot”, which gives local party members and trade union branches the right to ask for a new candidate. It is usually a formality, but some on the hard left were planning to use it to remove their sitting MP. Party officials concluded that it was impractical to go through the process with only seven weeks until polling day. The more pressing concern is filling the candidate vacancies, with more Labour MPs expected to announce that they will not run again. Tom Blenkinsop, the MP for Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland, also announced that he would not

6 Triple-lock guarantee on pensions will remain until at least 2025.

Head-to-head

6 Pensioners will keep benefits including free TV licences, bus passes and winter fuel allowance.

1979 election Thatcher’s victory

6 VAT on private school fees to fund free school meals for all primary school children.

Lab

Con

43.9% 36.9%

1983 Labour under Michael Foot

6 Minimum wage will rise to a “real living wage” of £10 an hour by 2020.

Con

6 Big companies will face tough action for late payments to small businesses.

Lab

42.4% 27.6%

6 No tax rise for small businesses.

1997 New Labour’s victory

6 A £500 billion national investment bank.

Con

30.7%

Lab

6 A 50p top rate of income tax.

43.2%

2015 Cameron’s surprise majority

stand again. Mr Johnson told his Kingston upon Hull West & Hessle constituency party: “I’ve decided that going now will give me the opportunity to do other things with my life and is therefore in the best interests of me and my family. I also think it’s best for the party.” Many MPs predicted further departures. “The Tory majority will be bigger than 70, one would think,” one said. “The big question is around whether people will bother running at all. A good few will decide that they won’t.” While many Labour MPs were in despair yesterday at the prospect of an election, critics of Mr Corbyn’s leadership were celebrating. “I’m delighted,” said one. “It will bring this crazy nonsense to an end.” Another said: “Jeremy has got what he wanted: to lead the party into a magnificent victory for socialism. Now he can be tested.” Mr Corbyn now has the difficult task of crafting a response to Brexit that unites Labour’s metropolitan voters who backed Remain and those in its traditional heartlands who backed Leave. The Labour leader said yesterday that a “fairer economy”, the NHS and social justice would be at the heart of the party’s election campaign. He was “very confident”, he added. Daniel Finkelstein, page 27

Con Lab

36.6% 30.4%

Latest Times/YouGov poll Con Lab

44% 23%

Jeremy Corbyn is facing widespread disaffection from within the Labour Party as it trails the Conservatives by 20 points

Jostling to replace Labour Optimism lifts sterling against dollar leader already under way Michael Savage

Chuka Umunna and Yvette Cooper were already being pushed as leading contenders to replace Jeremy Corbyn last night, should the party be plunged into a third leadership contest in three years after June’s snap election. Labour donors concerned about Mr Corbyn’s leadership are already said to be interested in a bid by Mr Umunna, the former shadow business secretary who pulled out of an attempt to succeed Ed Miliband in 2015. Labour MPs are also determined to stop another hard-left candidate from challenging. There are already hopes that a summer leadership contest would make it more difficult for such a candidate to run. Under a plan being pushed by the left of the party, a requirement that any candidate have the support of 15 per cent of Labour MPs would be cut to 5 per cent. Change could only be forced through at conference in September, however, too late for a summer contest.

Mr Corbyn secured enough support in 2015 only because some Labour MPs wanted to widen the contest, assuming that he would have no chance of winning. Since then, the membership has shifted further to the left. Rebecca Long Bailey and Angela Rayner are seen as likely candidates from the left, as is Clive Lewis, the former shadow business secretary who resigned in protest at Labour’s backing for Brexit. Since pulling out of a leadership bid in 2015, Mr Umunna has been rebuilding his career on the back benches, culminating in a lengthy essay last month setting out a “Labour alternative”. Ms Cooper has also opted not to serve on the front bench since losing in 2015. She leads the home affairs select committee and has pressed the government to take more Syrian refugees. Some Labour figures remain unconvinced that Mr Corbyn would resign after a defeat, despite reassurances from John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, that he would do so.

The pound jumped to its highest level since October after the election was announced. Sterling gained three and half cents on the dollar, reaching almost $1.29, though the rise depressed the FTSE 100, which suffered its steepest decline since the Brexit vote on June 23. The index loses when the pound gains because it is dominated by multinationals with earnings in foreign currencies and it slid 180.09 points, or 2.46 per cent, to 7,147.5. In an unusual intervention, Philip Hammond claimed that the pound’s rise showed “the confidence that the markets have in the future for this country under a Tory government with a new mandate”. Some analysts questioned polls pointing to an outright Conservative win and forecast weeks of market volatility before June 8. Sterling had fallen against the dollar because of speculation over what Theresa May was going to say and began to surge as she spoke, reaching its high on the day shortly before 6pm. Against the euro, it was trading at €1.1969. Pimco,

Pound to dollar

Snap election announcement

$1.29

$1.50

1.28

1.45

1.27 1.26 1.25 9am 11 1 3 5pm

June 24 EU Referendum

1.40 1.35 1.30 1.25

1.20 2016 2017 1.15 AM J J A S O N D J F M A

Source: Thomson Reuters

Callum Jones Markets Reporter

one of the world’s largest investment managers, concluded that the decision to call an election was “not without risk” but noted polls indicating that the Conservatives would “materially increase” their majority. “That in turn would give the government more room for manoeuvre during the Brexit negotiations, and make the government less exposed to the more right-wing factions within the party,” Mike Amey, its head of sterling portfolio management, said. “All else equal, that should lower the risk of a very disruptive Brexit as the government should be able to plot a less confronta-

tional exit from the European Union.” Deutsche Bank described the election as a “game-changer” and intends to raise its forecast for sterling in the coming days. “We argued last year that an early general election was the only way to resolve the political impasse the UK government faces in conducting Brexit negotiations,” its analysts told clients. Kathleen Brooks, research director at City Index, said political stability was the “key theme”. “Pound traders obviously see May as a stabilising force,” she said. “The market may also have changed its view on Brexit, after the massive pound sell-off on the back of the referendum; today the market seems to be welcoming Theresa May’s decision to try and solidify her leadership at the helm of the Brexit mission.” David Buik, a market commentator at Panmure Gordon, suggested that the seven-week campaign could present the Conservatives with “many possible banana skins” upon which they could stumble. “There are millions of disenchanted Remain voters out there who could vote tactically against the government over Brexit,” he said.

Growth forecast pgra e , page

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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News News

divided party stares into the abyss PA AR MACDIARMID/LNP; CAMERA FIRM/FAME FLYNE

Yellow peril is force Tories fear the most Rachel Sylvester Comment

but Tim Farron’s Liberal Democrats will be pinning their hopes on a pro-EU stance that may steal support from their rivals

few weeks ago, Sir Lynton Crosby slipped discreetly into No 10. There was only one subject on the agenda for the political strategist’s discussion with the prime minister’s advisers — the pros and cons of calling an early general election. The man known as the Wizard of Oz, who is credited with delivering an overall majority for David Cameron in 2015, highlighted the weakness of Labour’s position but warned that the Liberal Democrats could pose a challenge to the Tories in some seats, particularly in London and southwest England. With Labour trailing 21 points behind the Conservatives in the polls, the “yellow peril” is being taken more seriously than the “red threat” in Downing Street. There were high-fives in the Liberal Democrats’ Great George Street office yesterday as staff watched the prime minister’s announcement. Europe has given Tim Farron’s party a clear and distinctive identity. “Theresa May has said this election is effectively a second referendum on Brexit and we are the only party opposing a hard Brexit,” one Lib Dem strategist said. “There is absolutely everything to play for.” Labour MPs agree. “I would be very surprised if on election night we are not all talking about the comeback of the Lib Dems,” one said. “We will be reduced to the smallest parliamentary Labour Party in a generation with fewer seats than in 1983.” A cabinet minister said that the Lib Dems’ poll ratings — of about 11 per cent — understated their significance in certain areas. “It will be a ground war not an air war so can only be decided seat by seat . That means going now means they are weaker

than they would have been in 2020.” After their virtual annihilation the last time the country went to the polls — leaving them with eight MPs — the only way is up. Success in the Richmond Park by-election last year with a swing of 22 per cent from the Tories shows the power of a clear proEuropean message in seats that voted Remain. The party has drawn up spreadsheets of Tory and Labour MPs showing the strength of the pro-EU vote in their constituencies so they can decide which seats to prioritise. In university towns, Europe is the most salient issue, not tuition fees. There is a conundrum in that many of the West Country seats previously held by the Lib Dems voted to Leave but one strategist said: “They voted for Brexit but not hard Brexit. The West Country is the heartland we must win back but we are now looking more ambitiously. The number of target seats has been rising as donations have been coming in.” Patronised after the 2015 election, the Lib Dems have gained ground in recent months. They have won council seats in places such as Sunderland and Rotherham, which voted Brexit but do not see Labour or Ukip as a credible opposition to the Tories. Lib Dem membership has doubled since the previous election to 91,000. Yesterday, 400 people joined the party while the prime minister was still on her feet. Mr Farron’s party has overtaken Labour in fundraising, with wealthy pro-European business people, including some who gave to Labour under Tony Blair, rallying to their cause. With only 14 per cent of voters saying they would choose Jeremy Corbyn over Mrs May as prime minister, Labour veterans are in despair. It’s the Lib Dems who are relishing the fight. “If we build up momentum then the panic in Labour circles will become huge,” one senior figure said. “Anything could happen.”

Lib Dems’ tails up as they catch scent of comeback Oliver Wright, Henry Zeffman Kaya Burgess, Simon de Bruxelles

The Liberal Democrats go into the election seemingly in the most buoyant mood of all the parties, having doubled their membership since the previous election and attracted donors prepared to fund their soft-Brexit agenda. They believe their pro-EU stance will help them pick up former Tory Remain votes as they did in last year’s Richmond Park by-election. They have gained about 60,000 members since the start of 2015, 45, 000 of them since the general election in May of that year, and now have more than 90,000. After Theresa May’s announcement, the tally was going up at 1,000 per hour. In the last quarter of 2016 they raised £2.1 million in donations, compared with about £3.6 million and £3.7 million for the Conservatives and Labour respectively — a far smaller financial gap than has traditionally been the case. The Lib Dem election strategy will be threefold. The first and most important issue, tested in focus groups, will be to

Damaged Ukip sets its sights on a lower target Ukip will focus its resources on fighting five target seats, senior sources said, as the party scales back from its 2015 ambitions (Lucy Fisher writes). Paul Nuttall, the leader, will seek to field candidates in more than 500 constituencies but, short of money and

ambushed in the midst of an overhaul, Ukip will not be targeting 30 key seats as it did last time. The timing of the poll is unhelpful to the party, which is in the middle of changing its policies, constitution and structure, a process that was due to be completed by September. Its

try to turn the election into a one-issue campaign on a soft versus hard Brexit. Those close to Tim Farron, the party leader, say that while voters are opposed to any kind of second referendum they do support having a vote on any final Brexit deal. Many, even some who voted Leave,

spokesman insisted that campaigns tended to unite the party, however. Mr Nuttall said: “We believe that the prime minister’s decision to call this election is a cynical decision driven more by the weakness of Corbyn’s Labour Party rather than the good of the country.” The party believes its best chances lie in the seats of Thurrock and Hartlepool. There is an internal debate over whether Mr Nuttall should stand

also supported the UK remaining part of the single market and this will also be a key campaign message. Lib Dem strategists point out that they will be helped by election law that should give the party an equal share of airtime with Labour and the Tories on news bulletins. The second strand will

again in Stoke-on-Trent Central, where he came a distant second in a recent by-election, or whether he should seek a more winnable seat. Nigel Farage has said he would “probably” stand again in South Thanet if a by-election arose in the seat that he contested unsuccessfully last May. The incumbent MP is embroiled in the Tory election expenses scandal. Last night Mr Farage had yet to confirm his intentions.

be to use new members to rebuild their parliamentary base and try to take back seats lost in 2015. Key to this will be the southwest. At the last election, the party lost all its seats in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset to the Conservatives. As the prime minister announced the election outside No 10, Mr Farron

was campaigning in Cornwall. Though the West Country generally voted Leave, the Lib Dems are optimistic about regaining traditional ground where they already have strong infrastructure and familiar candidates. The third strand of the campaign will be focused on helping senior figures back to Westminster, especially in overwhelmingly pro-Remain London. The party has already selected 400 of its candidates, including Vince Cable in Twickenham, Ed Davey in Kingston and Simon Hughes in Bermondsey. In all three seats the party is hoping for a mixture of buyer’s remorse and antiBrexit feeling to overturn vulnerable majorities. The Conservative Tania Mathias ousted Sir Vince in 2015 with a majority of just over 2,000 votes. She backed Remain and rebelled against the government in a vote on EU citizens’ right to stay. But the former business secretary said he was “hopeful and positive” while “taking nothing for granted”. He said: “Twickenham was about 70 per cent Remain — and we saw what happened in Richmond Park.”

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

News News Election 2017

Brexit voters put Labour’s northern heartlands at risk Sam Coates Deputy Political Editor Gabriella Swerling

The Conservatives could capture key Labour seats in the north which voted to leave the European Union. In a YouGov poll of 7,138 adults during the fortnight before Easter, 43 per cent said that they would vote Tory, 24 per cent Labour and 11 and 10 per cent Lib Dem and Ukip respectively. This suggests a swing from Labour to the Conservatives of 6 percentage points since the 2015 election. YouGov found that the Tories would benefit from an even bigger swing in Labour-held seats, particularly those where a majority backed Brexit. Dividing constituencies into Remain and Leave using research by Chris Hanretty from the University of East Anglia, the data showed a swing of 6.5 points in Labour-held seats that voted to stay and 9.5 points in Labourheld seats that voted to go. The swing from Labour to the Conservatives in Tory seats that backed Remain was only 2.5 points. This could put Labour seats that backed Leave, such as Bassetlaw, which has been in the party’s hands since 1924 and where the incumbent John Mann is standing again, theoretically at risk from the Conservatives. The poll suggests that the Conservatives will beat Labour in every age category, except the under-25s, and in every part of Britain except Scotland, where the SNP dominates. Labour does fractionally better among women than men, but still trails the Tories in both categories. Labour is also 14 points behind among the working class and the unemployed. It is 7 points behind in London, a onetime stronghold, and 5 points behind in the north of England. Unusually, the campaign will be punctuated by elections on May 4 which will be a good indicator for the

Testing time for pollsters Analysis

ollsters will seek to use the election as an opportunity to regain credibility after getting it wrong last time and suffering further humiliation when they failed to predict Brexit (Neil Johnston writes). The quality of their research was thrown into question by David Cameron’s victory over Ed Miliband in 2015, and by the fact that online polls proved more accurate than traditional phone interviews at gauging how people would vote in the EU referendum. A report by the British Polling Council found that “the methods used to collect samples of voters systematically over-represented Labour supporters and underrepresented Conservatives”. Of nearly 170 polls before the referendum question was agreed, fewer than a third predicted a Leave vote. While polls did show a swing towards Leave in the final weeks of the campaign, just two of six polls the day before the referendum put Leave ahead.

Westminster contest. There will be polls for English, Scottish, and Welsh councils and for newly created English regional mayors. In total, 4,851 local authority seats are up for election and there are six contests for directly elected regional mayors. The biggest test will come in the West Midlands, where the Conservatives’ Andy Street

is seeking to beat Labour’s Siôn Simon in a tight contest in the former Labour heartland. However, as news of the election broke yesterday in Bury, Greater Manchester, tensions flared between those “fed up” at the prospect of yet another vote and those telling them to “put up or shut up”. Along the bustling Bury New Road, one of the main routes into Manchester city centre and where the Labour MP Ivan Lewis has his office, his constituents were not shy of sharing their views. “I think it’s a great idea because we can now go forward stronger with everyone,” Steve Smith, said. “The nation will get behind Theresa.” Mr Smith, 59, an insurance broker, voted for Brexit and for Ukip in the last election but said he would back the Conservatives in June. He said the prime minister was “absolutely right” in needing to consolidate her powerbase before EU negotiations began. “Theresa was spot on this morning saying Westminster and the Scots [were attacking her] — it’s a complete nightmare. Put up or shut up, that’s what it’s all about.” John Powers, 75, a retired engineer, said that he would continue to vote Conservative. He added: “I think May needs the strength and the power behind her to do it [go through with Brexit negotiations]. I don’t think any of the other parties are anything to be afraid of.” However, others remained unconvinced and a little disillusioned. Lucy, a teacher and mother aged 37 who voted Labour in 2015, was not sure what she would do in June but said that “the Tories will definitely get in again”. “I’m a little bit sick of politics. I voted against Brexit and you just feel like, ‘Is it worth voting at the moment?’ — especially with Trump at the moment, it’s worrying times really.”

Key battlegrounds: where the election will be won and lost Clacton The coastal Essex seat has been represented by one man in three different political incarnations in recent years. The incumbent MP, Douglas Carswell was first a Tory, then defected to Ukip in 2014 and last month became an independent, after months of open warfare with Nigel Farage. He enjoys a strong personal vote, winning a majority of 3,437 at the last general election. All eyes will be on whether Mr Carswell applies to stand as a Conservative in the seat in June, after hints he might one day rejoin the fold. He is set to face his former Ukip nemesis Arron Banks, the multimillionaire Brexit campaign backer. Mr Banks, who has form in setting up sophisticated social media campaigns, vowed to contest the seat

but it remains to be seen if it will be under the banner of his new movement, the Patriotic Alliance, or Ukip. Twickenham The election could herald a surprising return to frontline politics for one of the big beasts of the coalition government: Sir Vince Cable. Earlier this year Sir Vince, 73, agreed to be the Liberal Democrats’ “temporary” prospective candidate if Theresa May called a snap election. As the official candidate, he could be about to return to parliament. And after the Lib Dems took the neighbouring seat of Richmond Park from Zac Goldsmith in a by-election last year, Twickenham is very winnable. Voters in the seat supported Remain by 66 per cent to 33 per cent and the Lib Dems plan

to use the election to tap into that sentiment. Not only that, in 2015 Sir Vince lost the seat by only 2,000 votes and still has a large personal following in the area. The seat is the fifth most winnable for the party. Ipswich The Conservative Ben Gummer’s Ipswich seat will be a useful weathervane. The cabinet office minister took the seat from Labour in 2010 by 2,079 votes and was expected to lose in 2015. He defied predictions, securing a 3,733 majority. However, the East of England was key in the EU referendum, and Ipswich voted for Brexit last year, while Mr Gummer was one of the most enthusiastic pro-European politicians. Could that make a difference, or is Labour,

which is still comfortably in second place, too divided on Brexit to capitalise? Cornwall North The fate of the Tory Scott Mann’s seat will be indicative of whether the Lib Dems can capitalise on their anti-Brexit stance. It had been Lib Dem for 23 years before Mr Mann took the seat in 2015. The former postman was a Leave supporter and recent analysis suggested that six out of ten voters in his seat agreed with him. If the Lib Dems are to thrive, they need to recapture this seat but the 6,621 majority looks hard to overturn and the Brexit dynamic does not appear in their favour. This is a high-stakes seat for Tim Farron’s party. South Thanet The Kent constituency was

Ten seats to watch

Ipswich Ben Gummer

Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk Calum Kerr

Con majority

7.7%

SNP majority

Norwich South Clive Lewis

0.6%

Labour majority

Putney Justine Greening

15.8%

Con majority

23.8% Clacton Douglas Carswell*

Ealing Central and Acton Rupa Huq

Ukip majority

7.8%

Labour majority

0.5% South Thanet Craig Mackinlay Cornwall North Scott Mann

Twickenham Tania Mathias

Con majority

Vauxhall Kate Hoey

Con majority

Labour majority

13.7%

3.3%

26.5%

5.7% *Now independent

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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News News DATE J HOGAN/GETTY IMAGES; TIMES PHOTOG APHE I HA D POH E

Say hello and wave goodbye to some old party warriors Patrick Kidd

Ed Balls, who has waltzed into the nation’s affections through his antics on Strictly Come Dancing, may be tempted to stand again. Will Nigel Farage, above, risk an eighth defeat, and will George Osborne shed one of his jobs?

George Osborne will have quite the first month in his new job on Fleet Street, although at least he now won’t have to pop into parliament to work a second shift after sending the paper off to print every day. The former chancellor will begin as editor of the London Evening Standard on May 2, the day before parliament is dissolved, and will swiftly have to decide who his paper, with its strong Remain-voting audience, will endorse. The way that politics has been turned on its head recently it will probably be the Liberal Democrats. Mr Osborne, 45, had intended to spend his second afternoon as an editor in Paris, speaking at a hedge-fund conference. The election may force him to change his plans, but will he be seeking re-election as an MP in Tatton? The Cheshire constituency was under threat in the boundary review for 2020. He may decide to stand down now — where’s the attraction in being a backbencher under a prime minister who doesn’t like you? — and at 45 there is still time for a political comeback. He may not be the only former chancellor to be leaving Westminster in 50 days’ time. Ken Clarke (Rushcliffe) has been in poor health and missed this year’s budget statement as he recovered from an operation. Mr Clarke, 76, had

indicated that he would not stand in 2020 and he may feel that now is the time to retire to Ronnie Scott’s. Could Ed Balls, 50, be going the other way? He has made the extraordinary transformation from being a loathed shadow chancellor to a near national treasure purely as a result of not being especially good at the cha-cha-cha. Many Labour supporters think that he should tap into that popularity but he has not sounded enthusiastic in recent interviews. He would surely only step into a safe Labour seat and there aren’t many of those around. For the same reason, Blairites sighing and dreaming that David Miliband, right, will ride in to rescue his party may be frustrated. It is also the wrong time for Sadiq Khan to return from City Hall. Some plum Labour seats will come up, though. Alan Johnson, the former home secretary, said yesterday that he would not be standing again in Kingston upon Hull West & Hessle, where he was first elected in 1997. Mr Johnson has often been urged to seek his party’s leadership but at the age of 66, a year younger than Jeremy Corbyn, he intends to spend more time on the punditry sofa. His seat is said to be attractive to David Pres-

cott, whose father, John, was a Hull MP for 40 years. Unlike other “red princes”, such as Will Straw and Euan Blair, Mr Prescott is in favour with the party leadership through his work as a speech-writer for Mr Corbyn. Has the Commons seen the last, too, of some old Labour warriors? Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) is 85 and would be only the third nonagenarian MP since 1945 if he completed a full term. David Winnick (Walsall North), who was first elected in 1966 in Croydon, Frank Field (Birkenhead) and Geoffrey Robinson (Coventry North West) may also decide they have served for long enough. The Commons will also say goodbye to the likes of Sir Simon Burns (C, Chelmsford) and Sir Oliver Letwin (C, West Dorset) and possibly Nick Clegg (LD, Sheffield, Hallam) but several discarded Lib Dems are seeking a way back, including Sir Vince Cable, Sir Ed Davey and Sir Simon Hughes. And what of Nigel Farage? After being rejected seven times for a seat at Westminster, will the former Ukip leader want to try an eighth time?

Greenpeace fined over election spending Ben Webster Environment Editor

Greenpeace has been fined £30,000 by the Electoral Commission for failing to register as a campaigning organisation in the 2015 general election. The fine, the first given to a body that is not a political party since tougher rules on election spending were introduced in the 2014 Lobbying Act, may deter similar groups from campaigning in the election announced yesterday. Greenpeace spent more than £125,000 on the 2015 election, campaigning against fracking and for fishermen to get a bigger share of fish quotas. Under the Lobbying Act, civil society

Ukip’s No 1 target at the previous election and became the central battleground between the party and the Conservatives after Nigel Farage contested it. In the end the Tory Craig Mackinlay won it by 2,812 votes but the contest has since been overshadowed by the Tory party campaign expenses scandal. The Electoral Commission said there was “doubt as to the accuracy and completeness of [Mr Mackinlay’s] expenses return” and the threat of an election court ordering a by-election there had loomed large. Mr Farage has yet to confirm whether he will stand again in what is among the most Eurosceptic constituencies. Ealing Central & Acton This is a Labour-held seat with strong Tory

opposition where demographics and leadership could make it the perfect bellwether. Labour’s Rupa Huq took the seat from the Conservative Angie Bray in 2015, and the former will be hoping to hold on. Research suggests that the seat strongly favoured Remain as did Ms Huq. However this is Labour’s most vulnerable seat in London, and has a large black and minority ethnic community, meaning it could swing any direction. Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk There are more pandas in Scotland than Tory MPs was the joke repeated ad nauseam between 2010 and 2015. The resurgent Scottish Conservatives will be confident of shaking off the joke once and for all by

Poll of polls Voting intention Con

43% 25%

Lab 11%

Ukip

10%

Lib Dem 5%

SNP Green Other

4% 2%

gaining on their single Westminster seat, with this one of the party’s most promising targets. The party came within a whisker of taking the rural Borders constituency, formerly held by the ex-Lib Dem coalition minister Michael Moore, in 2015. Then the Lib Dem vote collapsed, with the SNP and Tories emerging

Source: BBC. Poll of polls is an average of most recent polls from YouGov, Opinium, ComRes and ICM

as the two largest parties and the nationalists taking the seat with a majority of just 328. Since then, the Tories comfortably took a Holyrood seat with similar boundaries in the 2016 election, when the party replaced Labour as the second largest in the Scottish parliament. Theresa May will be

organisations are required to register with the Electoral Commission if they plan to spend more than £20,000 in England or £10,000 in the rest of the UK. David Cameron’s government passed the legislation in the wake of corporate lobbying scandals. Charities and not-for-profit groups said it would have a chilling effect on campaigning. Greenpeace said it had refused to register as “an act of civil disobedience against a law that curbs free speech and neuters the power of campaigners to hold politicians to account while doing nothing to regulate actual lobbyists”. The group, which is not for profit but is not a charity, said that after being told by

expecting Ruth Davidson, the popular Scottish Tory leader, to deliver. Vauxhall Plenty of Labour seats have an MP who supported Remain and an electorate that generally supported Leave. Vauxhall, an inner-south London seat, turns that on its head. Kate Hoey, the seat’s MP since 1989, was a passionate Brexiteer, backing the Arron Banksfunded Leave.EU campaign, and happily posing alongside Mr Farage. But Vauxhall had one of the highest Remain votes in the country, with 77.6 per cent voting to stay in the bloc and 22.4 per cent voting for departure. This is not the first time Ms Hoey has adopted an eccentric stance at odds with her constituents; in

the commission that it should have registered it gave full details of its spending. John Sauven, Greenpeace UK executive director, said: “The Lobbying Act is a democratic car crash. It weakens democracy and curtails free speech. Now Britain is going into a second general election regulated by a law that does little to stop powerful companies exerting secret influence in the corridors of power while gagging charities and campaign groups with millions of members.” A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: “It’s for the Cabinet Office to explain the decisions made at the time [to introduce the Lobbying Act]. We just enforce the law.”

the 2000s she campaigned in favour of fox hunting as chairwoman of the Countryside Alliance but she has maintained a healthy majority throughout. In 2015 she had a majority of 12,708 votes, 27 per cent. The Liberal Democrats, who dropped to fourth last time, will be eager to capitalise on antiBrexit sentiment. Norwich South The performance of the left-winger Clive Lewis, the incumbent MP, in this marginal seat will serve as a sign of Jeremy Corbyn’s electoral strength. The seat, which boasts a high student population, changed hands from Labour to Lib Dem in 2010, then back to Labour at the previous general election, where it was the most marginal seat in the

eastern region. The Tories came second there last time and it was also a key target seat for the Greens. It is set to be an interesting multi-way marginal. Putney Justine Greening, the education secretary, is one of the cabinet ministers most at risk on June 8, despite her 10,180-vote majority in this southwest London seat. It boasted the second highest Remain vote in the EU referendum, rendering it at risk of a Lib Dem surge. Mrs May’s controversial grammar schools policy could also spark a backlash against Ms Greening, who as a former opponent of selective state education has exhibited a lukewarm attitude towards that part of her brief. Words by Lucy Fisher

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

News News Election 2017

Pensions triple lock and aid pledge Francis Elliott Political Editor

The triple lock guaranteeing pension rises and the pledge to spend at least 0.7 per cent of Britain’s gross national income on overseas aid are leading candidates to be junked as Theresa May frees herself from promises made by her predecessor. David Cameron’s pledge not to raise VAT, national insurance or income tax is another remnant from the Tories’ 2015 manifesto that is unlikely to make it into the 2017 version. That hostage to fortune came back to bite Philip Hammond last month when the chancellor was forced to abandon a key plank of his budget — a rise in NI paid by the self-employed — because it breached the pledge. Mr Hammond said all spending promises for the next parliament would be studied afresh as part of a review that had been due to start later this year. Damien Green, the welfare secretary, gave a broad hint that the promise to keep increasing state pension payments by a minimum of 2.5 per cent a year could not be sustained forever. As inflation is expected to rise beyond that in the coming years, Mrs May could simply promise to return to indexation without the risk that it would cut pensioners’ incomes in the short term. Junking the aid pledge would delight many Tory MPs, although tweaking the commitment is more likely. Mr Cameron overruled the objections of some of his closest allies in legislating that 0.7 per cent of Britain’s GNI should be spent on overseas aid.

The pledge has become a political liability, amid mounting evidence of waste and resentment fostered by cuts to domestic spending. Mrs May considered simply ignoring the 0.7 per cent law and secretly commissioned legal advice on the consequences of doing so, but concluded that the political cost was too high. In the context of a fresh manifesto she is very likely to change, if not scrap entirely, the pledge. One option might be to allow aid spending to be smoothed out over a parliament to give ministers more discretion about what to fund. Another change could see the definition of what counts as overseas aid expanded. Currently the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development is the arbiter of whether Britain is meeting its pledge or not, according to an obscure set of rules that discount much of what many would regard as aid spending, including humanitarian assistance delivered by the military. A new Tory manifesto also allows Mrs May to answer Labour’s charge that voters were not asked to back her plans for a new generation of grammar schools. Proposals that had been expected in an education white paper spelling out the details of new statefunded academically selective secondary schools will now, presumably, feature in the Conservatives’ election prospectus. Similarly, action to tackle what Mrs May regards as monopolistic behaviour in the energy and broadband markets will now be taken into the manifesto

rather than, as originally planned, rolled out around the time of a Queen’s Speech pencilled in for May 17, but now scrapped. She could also take the opportunity, if she were bold, to bring forward plans for a long-term funding solution for social care, perhaps with changes to inheritance tax. The NHS, traditionally the Conservatives’ weakest flank, will be another critical area. Mrs May will not want to repeat Mr Cameron’s feat of promising to spend more on the health service than the Labour opposition. Instead she is likely to stick closely to existing plans and question the credibility of pledges to spend more. Mrs May along with Mr Hammond will have to decide how to approach austerity. In his autumn statement to MPs, Mr Hammond said that the UK’s vote to leave the European Union and other economic uncertainties meant the government would no longer seek to deliver a surplus in 2019-20. Instead, the chancellor promised three fiscal rules in a new charter for budget responsibility, including the pledge that the public finances should be returned to balance as early as possible in the next parliament, and that borrowing adjusted to reflect the economic cycle should be below 2 per cent of GDP by the end of this parliament. These will have to be recalibrated to take account of the new parliamentary timetable, possibly meaning austerity may be extended in the manifesto.

Campaigners It’s a plot twist worthy of rush to rally Hitchcock, says Brussels young voters Bruno Waterfield Brussels

Raphael Hogarth

On the afternoon of polling day, thousands of students will be sitting an A-level politics paper on “The contemporary government of Great Britain”. Could the youth vote be crucial in deciding where that goes next? Young voters were the greatest Remainers. According to YouGov, about 70 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds voted to stay in the EU. And unlike some older Remainers, they have not made their peace with Brexit. Polls show that they are still most likely to think that leaving the EU is a bad idea, and to support Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Campaigners are already rushing to rally the young. Armando Iannucci, the political satirist who now works to engage young people in politics, tweeted: “18 to 24-year-olds. I beg you on my gnarled and brittle knees; register to vote, then vote. A solid 18-24 vote will make a big difference.” Yet recent history suggests otherwise. Young people are less likely than their elders to be registered to vote. This became even more evident with the introduction of “individual voter registration”, when universities and parents could no longer sign up young people. Even those who are registered are less likely to vote. In the 2015 general election, turnout among 18-24s was 43 per cent, compared with almost double that among over-65s. The EU referendum recorded a young turnout of 70 per cent but this still fell behind their grandparents. In any case, there are simply more pensioners than millennials. Even if there were 100 per cent turnout, older voters would still have a political edge.

The president of the European Council likened the calling of the election to an Alfred Hitchcock plot twist as leaders in Brussels gave a mixed response. Donald Tusk spoke to Theresa May in a phone call within an hour of the announcement. Later he tweeted: “It was Hitchcock, who directed Brexit: first an earthquake and the tension rises.” Other EU politicians said Mrs May was gambling with the negotiations and political stability. Gianni Pittella, Italian leader of the Socialists in the European parliament, accused her of taking a risk comparable to David Cameron’s decision to hold a referendum. “It is immoral to use Brexit for internal political gains. She is like a bull in the china shop,” he said. “Theresa May should start being constructive and begin negotiations.” Mr Tusk’s office has emphasised that Brexit plans will continue unchanged. “UK elections do not change our EU27 plans,” his spokesman said. EU leaders meet on April 29 to agree “guidelines” setting out the terms of Britain’s exit and EU negotiators will be ready to begin talks in early June, a timetable that will not be significantly altered by the election, unless Mrs May loses. After the triggering of Article 50 last month, the EU is committed to Brexit via a legally binding procedure outlined in the Lisbon treaty. Article 50 can be stopped with the consent of EU governments once it has begun, but reversing Brexit would come with unpalatable Donald Tusk spoke to Theresa May after her announcement

political conditions such as the loss of Britain’s annual £3 billion budget rebate or the scrapping of key opt-outs on migration. “No one seriously believes Britain will change the decision to leave. That would come at a high price,” a senior diplomat said. “It is not a game. There is no ‘get out of jail free’ card.” Federalist MEPs, including Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s chief negotiator, said that the election would be an opportunity for Britain to rethink Brexit, perhaps softening the present approach. “Brexit will be the key element of it,” he said. “This means there will be an opportunity for the UK citizens to express themselves on how they see the future relationship between their country and the EU.” Esteban González Pons, the Spanish vice-president of the centre-right European People’s Party, said that the vote could be a chance for “undoing Brexit or making it harder”. He added: “I wish the UK all the best.” Many European diplomats gave the announcement a cautious welcome because Mrs May would be less of a hostage to a small group of Conservative backbenchers if she increased her majority. Most officials involved with the Brexit talks have feared that a weak Tory government would be unable to make compromises knowing that it faced elections in 2020. With post-Brexit elections pushed back to 2022, Mrs May potentially has more time to hammer out a trade deal, ride out economic shocks, make difficult compromises and be more flexible on transition arrangements. The election will come one month after the second round of the French presidential elections on May 7.

Fiona Hill, joint chief of staff, is expected to have a crucial role in the campaign

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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News News

face axe in May’s new programme DAVVE BACK; ANDREW PARSONS / I-IMAGES

Pressure grows on PM to put Brexit plans in manifesto Oliver Wright Policy Editor

Sir Lynton Crosby with David Cameron and Lord Feldman. He will assist the campaign in a role likely to focus on polling

Election guru signs up as the Tory machine grinds into gear Francis Elliott, Lucy Fisher

The repeated insistence that an election would not be called before 2020 has limited the prime minister’s ability to prepare the party machine. Morale at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) had been falling recently because staff felt neglected by an indifferent Downing Street focused on running the country and too busy for politicking. But for the next eight weeks the ground floor and basement of a building on Matthew Parker Street will be the nerve centre of an extraordinary effort to crush Labour. Regional Tory party chairmen were set to be briefed on the first steps of the campaign, including the selection and confirmation of candidates, by CCHQ last night as the war machine ground into life. Downing Street sources also confirmed that Sir Lynton Crosby, mastermind of David Cameron’s 2015 victory, would be involved. Significantly, however, they would not say that he would be campaign manager. That role is likely to be shared between Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s all-powerful chiefs of staff. One person not playing a role will be Katie Perrior, until yesterday Downing Street’s director of communications. Her abrupt departure, which comes after a falling out with Ms Hill, is a vivid reminder of the ruthlessness of the prime minister’s praetorian guard. Ms Perrior, 38, who worked on Boris Johnson’s two London mayoral

campaigns, gave up her PR firm to join Mrs May nine months ago. She is understood to have clashed with Ms Hill over staffing and presentational issues. Her departure is unlikely to improve relations between Mr Johnson and No 10 between whom she had mediated. How Mrs May handles Mr Johnson is likely to be one of the election’s more intriguing subplots. The campaign structure will be revealed by the end of the week, say senior figures who suggest that Sir Lynton’s role is likely to be focused on polling. His advice was already evident, however, in Mrs May’s early decision to reject calls to take part in TV debates. James Slack, Mrs May’s official spokesman, left his role as the Daily Mail’s political editor to join the prime minister’s team as a civil servant and so will absent himself from the campaign. Press relations will instead be managed by Lizzie Loudon, a one-time special adviser to Iain Duncan Smith, with the help of Tim Smith and Tom Swarbrick. The campaign is likely to draw in other special advisers including Rob Oxley, described by a Downing Street source as “battle-hardened”, who is working for Priti Patel, the international development secretary. Paul Harrison, an aide to Jeremy Hunt, is another highly rated figure likely to be called to the colours. It is as yet unclear what role will be played by Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the party chairman. Friends say that he is closely engaged with No 10 with full access to Mrs May. Others claim he is unhappy, however, and in

recent months he had come under criticism in party circles for his performance as a fundraiser. “His job was to maintain the City base and broaden out the party’s fundraising activities as Labour have done with some degree of success. As it is he’s lost the City and not broadened it out,” said one insider who described Tory campaign headquarters as “dysfunctional” and morale as low. Long-serving staffers in CCHQ were said to be resentful about being kept out of the loop by No 10 and left languishing on modest salaries. “Everything they do is double checked and questioned,” said the source. Old hands are said to have tried to sideline Simon Day, the former party treasurer and current chief executive of CCHQ, since he became embroiled in the Tory election expenses scandal. He was referred to the Metropolitan police last month by the Electoral Commission over a potential breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. The watchdog said that Mr Day blaming “human error” for the fact that £63,487 of spending on the Tories’ election bus tour had been omitted from the spending return was “not a reasonable excuse”. The Tories are, however, thought to be sitting on a sizeable war chest with one insider suggesting that Mrs May has all the cash she will need for a short sharp campaign. A decision to refresh the candidates’ list earlier than usual means that the party should be able to fill vacant slots with relative ease.

Theresa May will come under tremendous pressure to spell out her plans for Britain after Brexit, senior Conservatives admitted last night, with the risk of alienating remainers and leavers alike. The prime minister had pledged to publish a series of bills outlining new laws to cover post-Brexit issues such as immigration control, customs regulations and data protection policy. She faces going into the intense scrutiny of the election campaign with demands for her to bring these proposals forward and include them in the Conservative election manifesto. Last night several senior Tory MPs said that Mrs May would find it hard to avoid setting out her position on controversial issues such as immigration policy that are not directly related to the Brexit negotiations. “The thing about elections is that there is nowhere to hide,” one former minister said. “So far the prime minister has managed successfully to avoid making clear choices but she has now made that much harder. “She is going to come under tremendous pressure to explain to voters what her plan for Britain is. The danger is she ends up alienating both sides.” Another senior Conservative said: “Downing Street will do everything it can to hold the line and not to say anything more than it has done already. It is betting that the collapse in support for Labour is enough to hand her a big majority and will do as little as possible on Brexit during the campaign. But it is a risk. There are quite a few of my colleagues in seats that voted to remain who are in danger of losing over Brexit.” Last night a No 10 source refused to say if Mrs May would provide more details of the Conservatives’ plans — but did not rule out specific pledges on a new immigration system. “We are not going to speculate,” a Downing Street spokesman said. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, hinted on the BBC Newsnight programme that winning a large majority would make it easier for Mrs May to reach a compromise deal with the EU. She said: “It certainly gives her an opportunity, if she gets what we hope she’ll get, a good majority, the opportunity to arrive at potential compromises within the EU.” However, a former Conservative cabinet minister broke ranks to suggest that Remain-backing Conservatives should turn on the party in protest at Mrs May’s approach to Brexit. Stephen Dorrell, chairman of the European Movement UK, issued a call for voters to “back candidates who pledge to ensure that we continue to develop our relationship with these neighbours and play a full part in the life of the continent in which we live”. The Liberal Democrats are planning to capitalise on any lack of clarity to erode Tory support. Lib Dem strategists intend to portray Mrs May as seeking a mandate for a hard Brexit and will focus resources on Tory seats such as Twickenham and Kingston & Surbiton that they narrowly lost in 2015 but that voted overwhelmingly for Remain.

Silencing of the extremes Analysis

he prime minister will hope that a substantially increased majority will release her from the grip of troublesome Tories on both wings of the party (Francis Elliott writes). With a working majority of 17, Theresa May has had to pay much more attention than she wanted to colleagues for whom she has little time. Of the two awkward squads, the hardline Tory Brexiteers had until recently been easier to placate than those pressing for the softest of departures from the EU. In taking into her cabinet pro-Brexit figures such as Liam Fox, David Davis and Boris Johnson she quietened three of the most powerful voices. On the other side, Remain campaigners have been more vocal as they forced Mrs May to promise a Commons vote on the final Brexit deal. The former attorney-general Dominic Grieve who masterminded that effort might have inadvertently nudged her towards a snap election as the prospect of losing that Brexit vote helped to make up her mind. Having navigated the passage of the Brexit legislation and the triggering of Article 50 Mrs May was starting to worry more about the other wing of her party. Hairline cracks are beginning to show as questions over the exact nature of Britain’s exit from the EU start to bite. The extent to which low-skilled immigration will be allowed to fuel industries that rely on it has emerged as one faultline. With unpalatable compromises inevitable during the Brexit negotiations Mrs May will need to insulate herself from the inevitable cries of betrayal. The subtext of her appeal for a mandate to negotiate in Europe is a call for a majority large enough to ram through a deal that disappoints both extremes.

“Our message will be clear: the only way to stop a hard Brexit is to have a competent opposition and not hand the Tories a massive majority,” a senior source said. Labour is in the tricky position of arguing that it accepts Brexit is going to happen, despite having opposed it in the referendum, while seeking to temper what it says is the Tory blueprint for an economically damaging hard Brexit. It will warn that the opposition of hardline Tory Brexiteers means the UK would be in danger of leaving without a new trade deal.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

News News Election 2017

Tories may face charges in final days of contest Fiona Hamilton Crime Editor

What Twitter wits had to say about the poll

Conservatives seeking re-election could be charged with expenses fraud in the closing days of the campaign. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed yesterday that it had a deadline of late May or early June to make decisions on allegations linked to spending during the 2015 general election. Anyone charged would not face trial until much later in the year when slots in the courts became available, but the deadline raises the possibility of candidates under investigation being re-elected and facing criminal proceedings once in office. If charges were proved, contests would have to be run again. The CPS is considering evidence from 14 police forces after allegations that the Conservatives’ battlebus campaign breached spending limits in target seats. The forces are Avon & Somerset, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon & Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, West Mercia, West Midlands, West Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Police. The specific deadline date depends on the individual case but police and prosecutors must abide by time limits under electoral rules. The Times was told yesterday that the announcement of the election and the period of purdah would not affect the decision-making timetable. The deadlines will fall late next month or in the first days of June. Last month the Tories were given the biggest fine in the history of the Electoral Commission after it ruled that the party had broken election law, failed to declare spending from 2015 and had not co-operated with the investigation. The party had to pay £70,000, the maximum sum allowed, for failing to declare expenses and to explain its accounts. Much of the focus has been on Thanet South, where the Conservatives prevented Nigel Farage, then the leader of Ukip, from winning a seat. Kent Police have interviewed under caution Craig McKinlay, who won the

Whitehall on alert over Russian hacking threat Deborah Haynes Defence Editor

Britain’s spy agencies were on alert last night for any attempt by Russia or another hostile power to use black propaganda and cyberattacks to meddle with the election. Emails were “flying around Whitehall” to ensure that government departments are alive to the threat, a source said. “It is understood that GCHQ and the National Cyber Security Centre will be working with the Cabinet Office to deliver a safe election so the same thing does not happen here as happened in America,” the Whitehall source said. The source was referring to a campaign of disinformation and hacking during last year’s US presidential race that the CIA and the FBI say was conducted by the Kremlin to discredit Hillary Clinton’s bid and boost Donald Trump’s chances. President Putin has denied any such plot but Russia is also accused of seek-

ing to undermine European democracies by supporting far-right and far-left parties that have anti-European Union and anti-Nato policies. Ben Nimmo, of the Atlantic Council, a US-based think tank, said such techniques could be deployed to support Jeremy Corbyn, whose desire for Britain to lose its nuclear weapons status would be welcomed by the Kremlin. At the same time, he said that hackers were unlikely to throw their weight behind a no-hope candidate. The SNP, with its goal of Scottish independence, and Ukip are also attractive parties. “The Kremlin doesn’t have a preference in terms of right or left. It has a preference in terms of useful or hostile,” Mr Nimmo said. Professor Thomas Rid, an intelligence historian at King’s College London, said that the sudden announcement of the vote meant that Moscow’s spymasters would have little time to plan a large-scale operation. Russians target Macron, page 32

seat. He denies any wrongdoing. A number of Theresa May’s senior advisers, including Nick Timothy, her chief of staff, and Stephen Parkinson, another senior aide, were sent to the seat but the commission found that their expenses “were missing from [Craig] Mackinlay’s candidate campaign expenses return”. Neither of the men, nor anyone else in No 10, is suspected of wrongdoing. Mr Mackinlay, 50, confirmed yesterday that he would seek re-election and said he believed he would win. He told Kent News newspaper: “I can’t see why anyone who didn’t vote for Nigel in 2015 would do so now. [The spending] is an investigation. I have not been charged with anything and I maintain that I have not done anything wrong.” George Eustice, the farming minister, has also been interviewed by police over allegations in his Camborne & Redruth constituency in west Cornwall. Mr Eustice’s spokesman told the West Briton newspaper: “Every constituency in the country known to have been visited by volunteers as part of the national battlebus campaign is being reviewed by the police. George provided the police with all the information they requested several months ago.” A police and crime commissioner who was the agent for a Conservative candidate in the 2015 election is also being investigated. The CPS is considering evidence relating to Alison Hernandez, the crime chief for Devon and Cornwall, over her role with Kevin Foster, the MP for Torbay. Andrew White, chief executive of Ms Hernandez’s office, confirmed last week that a file was with the CPS and suggested that she would remain in post even if she were to be charged. He said: “This referral does not prevent the commissioner from holding the position of PCC. If a charge is brought this remains the case — it would not prevent her from remaining in office. “I am certain that some will see this as a significant stage in the investigation but in British justice an individual is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” Ms Hernandez denies wrongdoing.

Nicola Sturgeon leaving Bute House,

King of Spain Landslide victory ‘would will still visit be terrible for Unionists’ Valentine Low, Henry Zeffman

John Walsh Deputy Ireland Editor

The state visit by the King and Queen of Spain is to go ahead even though it coincides with the general election date, No 10 said yesterday. The decision to proceed with the visit, which has been called off before because of Spain’s difficulty in forming a government, came as a surprise to royal insiders. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are due to arrive in London for three days on June 6, two days before the election. Mrs May’s spokesman said: “The precise details of the visit [will be announced] in due course, but the visit itself goes ahead as planned.” With Brexit due to play a significant role in the election, the presence of the head of state of a prominent EU member during the last 48 hours of the campaign was regarded by some as unexpected. The state visit will be the first by a Spanish monarch for 31 years.

If the Conservative Party widens its majority in the election, it will be more difficult for Unionist parties in Northern Ireland to influence government policy, a leading member of the Democratic Unionist Party said. The DUP, which has eight MPs, has propped up Theresa May’s slim majority over the past two years. Jim Wells, a DUP member of the Northern Ireland assembly and a likely general election candidate, said: “There is no doubt that Theresa May is going to come back with a shocking majority and that is going to put the smaller parties in a weaker position in terms of leverage.” Mr Wells, a former Northern Ireland health minister, said that the DUP, as a pro-Brexit party, had a good relationship with the Tories. The government, with DUP support, is pressing ahead with legislation to provide an amnesty from prosecution for British soldiers accused of unlawful killings during the

Troubles. The Irish government and nationalist parties in Northern Ireland oppose the move. Sinn Fein and the DUP have been in talks over the past month to form a new Stormont executive after an assembly election on March 2. They are unable to resolve differences over Sinn Fein’s demands for an Irish language act and a marriage equality referendum. There is speculation that James Brokenshire, the Northern Ireland secretary, could call fresh assembly elections for the same day as the Westminster vote if a new agreement is not reached. Unionist parties have ten of Northern Ireland’s 18 Westminster seats; the two main nationalist parties have seven between them. In the recent assembly elections, unionists lost their majority for the first time in 100 years. Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein vicepresident, said the party would campaign for “special status for the North in the EU and so ensure that there will be no EU frontier across Ireland”.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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News News JOHN LINTON/PA

Sturgeon eyes fresh chance to push for Scottish breakaway Hamish Macdonell Scottish Political Editor

her official residence, yesterday. She said Scots would use the election to reject the Tories and shun plans for a “hard Brexit”

Nicola Sturgeon has urged Scots to use the general election to help to strengthen her demands for a second referendum on Scottish independence. The first minister described Theresa May’s decision to call a vote as a “huge political miscalculation”, claiming that Scots would take the opportunity to reject the Tories and the prime minister’s plans for a “hard Brexit”. However, Mrs May said that she would campaign unashamedly for the Union. Ms Sturgeon insisted that she did not need a fresh mandate to demand a new referendum on separation because she had received a “cast iron” one at the Scottish elections last year. But she said that the forthcoming election would give Scots the chance to “reinforce” that mandate and send a message to No 10 that Scots wanted a choice on their future relationship with the rest of the UK. Ms Sturgeon said: “In terms of Scotland, this move is a huge political miscalculation by the prime minister. It will once again give people the opportunity to reject the Tories’ narrow, divisive agenda, as well as reinforcing the democratic mandate which already exists for giving the people of Scotland a choice on their future.” The first minister wants to call a second independence referendum within the next two years and, although Mrs May has rejected this timetable, Ms Sturgeon will detail what she intends to do to challenge her in the next few weeks. The SNP will try to keep up the pressure on Mrs May in the hope of getting her to agree to another referendum. It believes that winning the election in Scotland will give them more ammunition in that fight. Promising to campaign strongly for a Union she described as “precious”, the prime minister said: “I will be out there championing the cause of a United Kingdom. I believe that we are stronger as a United Kingdom. This Union we have between Northern Ireland, Scot-

land, England and Wales is very precious. We all benefit by it and I will unashamedly be out there campaigning for the future of the United Kingdom.” The SNP is expected to win the biggest share of the vote in Scotland and a majority of the seats on June 8. Ms Sturgeon’s party won 50 per cent of the vote in 2015 and 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats — the most crushing victory secured by a party in Scotland. The SNP has lost two MPs amid allegations of scandal since then and now has 54 MPs with the other two — Michelle Thomson, of Edinburgh West, and Natalie McGarry, of Glasgow East, — sitting as independents. The party is expected to lose some ground this time to a resurgent Conservative Party which is polling at about 28 per cent, almost twice the level it polled in 2015 when it won one seat in Scotland. Angus Robertson, the nationalists’ leader at Westminster, told reporters that he expected opponents to hold up any reduction in his party’s seats as evidence of declining support for separation. “I’d just reflect on the fact that more neutral observers are suggesting that in such an outcome, the SNP, with a clear majority of seats in Scotland would not be undermined,” he said, adding that he was hopeful of gaining on the 56 seats. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, said that her party would go into the election promoting “strong leadership” in Brexit negotiations and strong opposition to a second poll on independence. She said that the SNP would “use this campaign to try and manufacture a case for separation”. Labour also won only one seat north of the border in 2015. Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, said yesterday: “The Labour Party is ready and has been preparing for a general election. We will work tirelessly to deliver a Labour government.” Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, whose party also won one seat in 2015, said: “Our agenda is pro-UK, pro-EU and progressive. We stand with the majority opinion in this country.”

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

News

Richard Ford Home Correspondent

Illegal drugs worth ÂŁ40,000 and 350 litres of homemade hooch were found at a â&#x20AC;&#x153;very unsafeâ&#x20AC;? jail, a report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons has revealed. Inspectors said Garth prison in Lancashire was the most dangerous they had visited in recent years, with more than 85 inmates being held separately out of fears for their safety. The report is one of several highlighting serious problems in the prison and probation service. A separate report by the chief inspector of probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, said that low-risk offenders had been told to check in with supervisors only once every six weeks. A third report, from a European group, calls on ministers to reduce the 85,500 prison population as a way of cutting violence or risk the failure of

plans to reform jails. HM Inspectorateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report into the 800 inmates at Garth, including about 200 lifers, said that the illegal drugs and hooch had been found over Christmas and in January. Violence linked to drugs, gangs and debt at the jail in Leyland had also increased. Prisoners had suffered broken bones, serious facial injuries, stab wounds and burns. Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons, acknowledged that a new management team was getting to grips with the challenges and said that adequate work, training and education were being provided for prisoners. The separate probation report found that a scheme with offenders by Working Links, under a partial privatisation of the probation service, was â&#x20AC;&#x153;troublingâ&#x20AC;?. For one in four offenders assessed as low-risk, the firm had scaled back

supervision to â&#x20AC;&#x153;a telephone call every six weeksâ&#x20AC;?, the report on probation in Gwent, south Wales, said. It added that if the arrangements worked as intended, one in three of these offenders should go on unpaid work schemes or other interventions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inspectors concluded that this means too many people get too little meaningful attention from probation staff,â&#x20AC;? the report said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without meaningful contact, individuals are unlikely to develop the will to change their attitudes and behaviour,â&#x20AC;? the report said. Offenders turning up to carry out unpaid work on projects were regularly stood down or had appointments cancelled due to staffing shortages, the report said. In one case offenders were told to turn up at 8.45am to report for unpaid work but the van to collect them had still not arrived at 9.55am.

The report found that staff numbers in the private probation company had reduced while the average number of days lost to sickness had risen to 19 days a year. The third report, from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, part of the Council of Europe, urged Liz Truss, the justice secretary, to reduce prison numbers and called for resolute action to tackle violence in jails in England and Wales. Its report said it was deeply concerned at the amount of violence in prisons it visited, in particular prisoneron-prisoner attacks and assaults by prisoners on prison officers. It warned that tackling violence was a pre-requisite for the implementation of the Ministry of Justiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prison reforms, adding that unless the prison population falls, planned improvements will be unattainable.

Not just a funny turn: more stroke patients visit A&E Chris Smyth Health Editor

A third more patients are going to A&E after suffering strokes, which campaigners say should be known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;brain attacksâ&#x20AC;? to encourage faster treatment. Better recognition of symptoms previously dismissed as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;funny turnâ&#x20AC;? by doctors and patients could explain the rise, while centralisation of care means that more diagnoses are confirmed by MRI scans, experts said. Doctors are also more likely to push for a formal diagnosis as more can be

done for patients than a decade ago, the British Heart Foundation said. However, stroke deaths have not fallen, suggesting that treatment still needs to be improved, the charity added. Its analysis of NHS figures shows that 104,426 people went to A&E after a stroke in 2015-16, up from 79,373 in 2008-09. The figure peaked at 126,242 in 2014-15, which the charity said was probably linked to a TV campaign highlighting key symptoms such as facial and arm weakness and speech problems. Mike Knapton, the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

associate medical director, said that spotting symptoms quicker could get some people to hospital who previously would have died before they got there. He said it was also possible that in the past â&#x20AC;&#x153;people presented with a stroke but it was put down as a funny turn. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think anyone would miss a major stroke but they are often preceded by transient ischaemic attacks, which can be much more subtle.â&#x20AC;? The NHS has been pushing to centralise stroke care in specialist units where doctors have quick access to

scans, drugs and high-tech treatments. Dr Knapton said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now we have got things we can do during the acute phase, like drugs and thrombectomy. As a doctor youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to think â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want my patients to miss out on thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Previously it was more laissez faire.â&#x20AC;? In order to encourage patients and staff to see stroke as an emergency, Dr Knapton suggested that the condition be renamed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stroke sounds quite nice and soft and cuddly. Whereas â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;brain attackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; suggests an acute life-threatening condition,â&#x20AC;? he said.

No. 1902

ÂŠ PUZZLER MEDIA

Hooch and drugs found at violent jail

SukoÂŽ

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 Solution and more puzzles MindGames in Times2 Please note, some sections of The Times are available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland ÂŠ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

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Racing boss arrested over ‘£1bn debt’

P NI PARANJPE/REUTERS

David Brown

An exiled billionaire known as King of the Good Times was arrested yesterday over accusations of fraud relating to £1.1 billion of alleged debt. Vijay Mallya has spent the past year in exile in Britain, living in a home counties mansion. The lavish lifestyle that earned him his sobriquet is at the centre of an extradition case against him. Once hailed as Asia’s version of Richard Branson after making Kingfisher beer a global brand, he also ran the now-defunct Kingfisher airline, is head of the Force India Formula One team based opposite the Silverstone racetrack in Northamptonshire and finances an Indian Premier League cricket team. The flamboyant businessman became a household name in India with properties around the globe including Stowe Castle in Buckinghamshire, a collection of cars and one of the world’s largest private yachts, the 311ft Indian Empress. Mr Mallya, 61, voluntarily attended a central London police station yesterday morning having travelled from his sprawling mansion in the village of Tewin, Hertfordshire. His arrest at the request of the authorities in Delhi came six months after Theresa May visited India on her first trade delegation outside Europe in an effort to secure post-Brexit agreements. The tycoon appeared for a brief hearing at Westminster magistrates’ court, where he was remanded on conditional bail with an order not to leave England and Wales. He will return for an extradition hearing on May 17. Mr Mallya agreed to pay £650,000 bail. Afterwards he posted a message on Twitter stating: “Surrender of passport, arrest, bail all part of normal extradition proceedings.” The businessman had previously described himself as being in “forced exile” and this year used Twitter to deny wrongdoing, writing: “Not one rupee was misused”. Mr Mallya has been pursued by Indian authorities over alleged unpaid loans to Kingfisher Airlines, which collapsed in 2012 with the loss of 8,500 jobs. The opulent lifestyle he enjoyed while his airline’s staff worked unpaid for months afforded him little public sympathy. Forcing Mr Mallya to return to India will be difficult because, as well as challenging the legality of the fraud allegations made against him, he could also raise concerns about the ability off

Vijay Mallya has enjoyed the high life, partying with stars on board his 311ft yacht. He also owns the Force India racing team but now faces extradition to his Indian homeland

his homeland to hold a fair trial and the condition of some of the country’s prisons. His base is the £11.5 million Hertfordshire mansion that he bought in July 2015 from the father of Lewis Hamilton, the three-times Formula One world champion. He had previously lived in Virginia Water, Surrey.

India withdrew Mr Mallya’s diplomatic passport last April in an attempt to force him to return, but the Foreign Office insisted that he was entitled to remain in Britain. The governments were reported in the Indian media last month to have reached an agreement on extradition proceedings. The political significance of the case was highlighted yesterday by Santosh Gangwar, an Indian finance minister, who pledged: “Mallya will be brought back to India. The government is working towards it. No one will be spared.” India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, the country’s equivalent of the FBI, has reportedly charged Mr Mallya with cheating and conspiracy for defaulting on loans that were intended to buy aircraft parts but were allegedly transferred abroad. Some $40 million is reported to have been transferred to some of his children, including a son, Siddharth, 29, a former student at Wellington College and Queen Mary University of London, who is now an actor.

Mr Mallya has defended his son, writing that he “does not deserve all this abuse as he had nothing to do with my business. Slam me if you must but not a young man.” Other alleged debts are linked to United Breweries Group which Vijay Mallya inherited from his father at the age of 28 and turned into one of the world’s largest spirits makers, hosting extravagant yacht parties for Bollywood stars and politicians. United Breweries, part-owned by Heineken, this year asked Mr Mallya to step down as non-executive chairman and leave the board. He is also being pursued by Diageo, the British company that owns Guinness and Smirnoff, which accused him of diverting £138 million in funds from United Spirits, its Indian subsidiary, into his associated companies. The businessman, who denies any wrongdoing, was forced to quit as a member of India’s parliament last year after an ethics committee recommended his expulsion.

UN had secret crime sheet on Hitler How Komodo dragon blood Will Pavia New York

A criminal indictment of Adolf Hitler drawn up during secret meetings in wartime London will be made public for the first time this week. The charge sheet was filed on December 15, 1944, by the United Nations War Crimes Commission, which was convened by the Allies to gather evidence against the Nazis. Chaired by two distinguished British judges with representatives from 16 other nations, the commission sifted through evidence gathered by the Polish and French resistance and drew up a series of indictments as Luftwaffe bombs fell on London. Hitler was dead by the time the allied powers were in a position to bring a prosecution and after the Nuremberg trials, as West Germany became a crucial ally against the Soviet Union,

the archives were suppressed and remained under lock and key in New York. Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at Soas, University of London, who gained permission to read them, said that the indictment of Hitler “had only ever been seen by a hundred people in the 1940s and by nobody since”. Archives from the commission will be released this week by the Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide in London. The front page of the indictment of the German leader for “murder and massacres — systematic terrorism” is published today in Dr Plesch’s book Human Rights After Hitler: The Lost History of Prosecuting Axis War Crimes. Prosecuting citizens of a foreign nation for war crimes was controversial at the time, as was the idea of bringing

to justice the leader of a foreign nation. “The whole point was to show that we were fighting for justice and they were fighting for tyranny,” Dr Plesch said. The indictment of Hitler, which also listed Rudolf Hess and other members of his government, was produced “as Nazi bombs were falling on London. This was justice under Nazi bombardment.” Dr Plesch said the files showed that the Allies were aware of the horrors of the Holocaust several years before the concentration camps were liberated by their soldiers. After the war the fate of the commission’s work became the subject of a battle in the US State Department, in which “pro-German, anti-communist elements” won the day. “The coup de grace was delivered by Senator Joseph McCarthy, a role model for today’s incumbent of the White House,” he said.

can ward off superbacteria Boer Deng Washington

It sounds like something out of a Harry m the Potter novel: a potion from blood of dragons that can o repel superbugs resistant to all other treatments. Researchers have discovered a protein derived from Komodo dragons that can kill germs. A version of the substance, DRGN-1, destroyed a range of bacteria, say scientists at George Mason Universityy in Virginia. the lead Besides DRGN-1, researchers are investigating whether other peptides found in the blood of the world’s largest lizards can be effective

against bacteria such as anthrax that can be deployed in biological weapons. It would be difficult for bacteria to develop resistance against DRGN DRGN-1, they claim, beca because it fights infectio tion in several ways at on once. It minimises the ab ability of bacteria to b bind, stopping them fforming o a protective ffilm il while attacking ttheir th he membranes. Th The work was inspired by th by the observation that llizards liz li izards ccan suffer grievous wound wo ds in filthy conditions without wounds suffering infection. Antibiotics Research UK says that 44,000 Britons die of sepsis each year.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Colgate lasagne is on the menu . . . at Museum of Failure August Graham

It took a year of often fruitless searching to curate the carnage of innovation but a new museum dedicated to failure has proved such a success that it is moving to a permanent home. With exhibits such as Colgate lasagne and coffee-flavoured CocaCola, the Museum of Failure was the brainchild of Samuel West, an American psychologist who lives in Sweden. Mr West is obsessed with failures and loves to celebrate them, however fleeting and however deep their embarrassed creators tried to bury them. Failed products can be hard to find and it took a year to assemble the collection of 60 items and services, often dating back decades or involving littleloved electronic devices that had mistakenly promised a technological edge. All the exhibits are original, except for the Colgate lasagne. The toothpaste company declined to co-operate with Mr West’s project, so he had to recreate as faithfully as he could the original packaging from its ill-fated foray into the 1980s ready-meals market. “There

is very little information, some business case studies, but otherwise there is not much. Colgate don’t want to be associated with it, of course,” Mr West said. However, he added: “You can learn a lot from failure. Those innovations we see are successful, but 90 per cent fail, and they are unique.” Mr West said that many of the failed creations came about when established companies misread their customers and tried an entirely different product. The museum includes bottles of Hot Road, a misjudged attempt to distil the Harley-Davidson motorbike brand into perfume, and a high-end McDonald’s hamburger from the 1990s that did not match consumers’ perception of the brand. Mr West prefers products with complex stories. Among his favourites is an early digital camera and an object lesson in how a company failed to respond to technological innovation. Released by Kodak, the camera was a great success, yet the firm stubbornly stuck to a business model based on printed photographs. It then paid the price for failing to recognise the potent-

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diary@thetimes.co.uk | @timesdiary

Worthy of the name Michael Bogdanov, the Welsh stage director best known for his work with the National Theatre and RSC, has died at the age of 78 (obituary, page 55). His unusual name caused problems — he was once introduced at a lecture in Florida as Michael Dogbananas — and, in 1987, he was sent plans for a secret nuclear site in the Scottish Highlands that were meant to have gone to a Russian diplomat of the same name. He was also often confused with Peter Bogdanovich, the American film director. After the first night of a play he directed in the provinces in 1975 Bogdanov was approached by a man who wanted to tell him what was wrong with the end of The Last Picture Show, Bogdanovich’s Oscar-nominated film. Bogdanov replied that it was surely unlikely that a Hollywood big shot would be directing a Christmas production of Dracula in Leicester but said he’d happily swap it for Sunset Boulevard. David Lidington, the leader of the Commons, said yesterday that the SNP would be “fearties” if they blocked the PM’s plan for an early election. This was a nod to a charge that Jim Sheridan, a Labour MP, made against the SNP in 2013 when they sought a delay to the independence referendum. A Hansard reporter, not up on Scottish slang, sent Sheridan a note asking why he’d just called the nationalists “big fairies”.

busman’s holiday Theresa May’s news caught out one of the leading political analysts. The email account of Philip Cowley, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, sent back an

out-of-office reply saying he was on holiday “playing with my kids, drinking gin and reading books — if I am discovered working my wife will shoot me”. Soon after, Cowley tweeted: “This always happens when I go on holiday . . . ”

fat chance James Cracknell’s ambition to be selected as a Conservative candidate suffered a setback yesterday when he took part in a TV discussion about obesity. The former Olympic rowing champion said that state control was needed to deal with this growing problem. Only two countries “have a handle on obesity”, he added: North Korea and Cuba. “They are starving in North Korea,” Sky’s Jonathan Samuels pointed out. And Kim Jong-Un is hardly on the wish list for the cover of Slimming World. It is not only in Britain that an outgoing leader can debase an honours system by rewarding his mates. François Hollande has handed out 570 Légion d’Honneurs, including red ribbons to Agnès Varda, a film director who gave the president’s girlfriend, Julie Gayet, below, her first big break in 1995, and to the producer Dominique Besnehard, who cast Gayet in a hit TV show. Well if David Cameron can get a gong for his barber . . .

theresa did; can you? Lots of suggestions for modern oxymorons have come in, with many twists on the military/ police/American intelligence theme and a few votes for “Jeremy Corbyn: Labour leader”. Roger Foord says that after yesterday’s announcement we can change “Theresa May” to “Theresa Did”. Andrew Brent nominates his local gym, “Virgin Active”, and Geoff Chambers suggests “Nato decision”, although the “organisation” part of the title would also provide an oxymoron. patrick kidd

ial of online image-sharing, and the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012, the year the picturesharing site Instagram was bought by Facebook for $1 billion. Others were just poorly designed flops. A Twitter-reader with a screen too small to read tweets, or Trump: The Game, a boardgame released by the property mogul-turned-president. “It’s awful,” Mr West said. “It’s like a copy of Monopoly but all the pieces are big golden Ts, the money is Trump dollars and you have to buy Trump properties.” Nonetheless Mr West believes it is possible to learn a lot from The Donald.

“Despite his mistakes, he has still become president, so maybe we don’t have to be afraid of failure,” he said. Indeed that is the museum’s underlying message — that failure is not necessarily negative. Most innovation does not succeed, he said, but that is no reason to stop innovating and mistakes should not be punished. For employees The toothpastemaker’s sideline was not a hit

eager to convince their boss of the merits of this argument, Mr West offers a solution. The museum will run workshops designed to create safe spaces where people share their mistakes and their stupid questions without being judged. The museum itself is clearly not a failure. The exhibition was meant to last a month but will now move to new premises and become a permanent feature in Helsingborg in southern Sweden.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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News GEOFF ROBINSON

Fish larvae eat plastic washed into the sea Ben Webster Oceans Correspondent Simon de Bruxelles

Hanging garden The spectacular wisteria on the master’s lodge at Christ’s College, Cambridge, is blooming earlier than usual after the mild winter and dry spring

Met chief pledges to tackle knife and gun crime before celebrity inquiries Fiona Hamilton Crime Editor

Cressida Dick, the new Metropolitan Police commissioner, has placed the fight against rising violence at the centre of her leadership as she moves away from the politically charged agenda of her predecessor. Ms Dick, 56, said yesterday that she wanted to address issues that were “affecting people on a daily basis” and pledged to tackle spiralling knife and gun crime in London. In a series of interviews, the first female commissioner subtly set herself apart from her predecessor, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, whose time in charge was defined by high-profile inquiries, notably the disastrous investigation into false claims of abuse by VIPs. Ms Dick said yesterday: “We would absolutely always want to be putting our resources into dealing with the stuff that is affecting people on a daily basis, rather than that sort of thing [highprofile inquiries]. But when it needs to be done then it will be done.” She said

Profile

t the end of a challenging day in charge of Britain’s biggest police force, Cressida Dick is unlikely to seek solace in front of a crime drama (Fiona Hamilton writes). Asked yesterday which crime-fighting figure she resembled, Scotland Yard’s new commissioner revealed that she does

not own a television. She instead catches up on programmes on iPlayer and similar services, although she prefers the radio. Ms Dick does not come from a policing family — her parents are academics — but her partner, Helen, is a response team inspector at a police station in a south London borough.

she wanted to reset the “bumpy” relationship with the media. She is voluntarily earning £40,000 less than her predecessor. She will earn £230,000 but has also refused to use Sir Bernard’s £65,000 Range Rover, for which he was derided given the £600 million budget

She told the London Evening Standard that she was “incredibly well supported” and added: “I am a very happy person.” Softly spoken and thoughtful, Ms Dick’s style is in contrast to her predecessor, Sir Bernard HoganHowe, who could be combative and ran the force by the motto “total policing”.

cuts at the force. Ms Dick began the job last week as knife crime in the capital was revealed to have risen 24 per cent in a year. Gun crime was up 42 per cent. A former head of counterterrorism who spent two years at the Foreign Office, Ms Dick said that she consid-

ered the stop-and-search tactic to be valuable in the fight against crime and would support officers using it. Theresa May, when she was home secretary, ordered a reduction in stopand-search amid concerns that black and ethnic minority communities were disproportionately targeted. Ms Dick said that the tactic was appropriate when used “lawfully and properly” by courteous officers. She also indicated unease about proposals to open police chiefs’ jobs to civilians. Ms Dick has warned that there might be cuts to the number of police officers. Sir Bernard retained 32,000 officers despite overseeing significant cuts. The Met is facing further cuts and Ms Dick said she would put the case for London without “shroud waving”. She also expressed concern that extremist material could be accessed “all too easily” on the internet. The Times has recently revealed how social media and technology companies are providing a platform for terrorists, racists and child abusers.

Acid attacks on the rise as models burnt in nightclub John Simpson Crime Correspondent

Acid attacks have nearly doubled in the past five years and there are fears that the real figure is higher. Detectives are hunting the boyfriend of a reality TV star in connection with an attack at a nightclub in east London on Easter Monday. An unknown substance was launched across Mangle club at about 1.10am, injuring 16 people, after a brawl broke out. The victims

included sisters Isobella Fraser, 22, and Prue, 20, who are professional models. They suffered chemical burns. CCTV images were released last night of Arthur Collins, 25, who is in a relationship with Ferne McCann, a star of The Only Way is Essex and I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. A spokeswoman for Ms McCann said: “Ferne is aware that police wish to speak to Arthur Collins. Ferne has cooperated with police in their inquiries.

Flesh wounds: Isobella and Prue Fraser

She was not with Arthur on Sunday night; was not at Mangle; and has no direct knowledge of the events.” In London attacks involving noxious or corrosive gases or fluids rose from 259 in 2011 to 431 in the past year. West Midlands police figures show a similar trend, and freedom of information requests found a 30 per cent rise nationwide between 2012 and 2015. Hospital admissions for acid attacks in England rose from 55 in 2004 to 106 in 2014.

Fish larvae are eating tiny pieces of plastic that have been flushed into the sea, a study has found. The amount of plastic inside the larvae increases the closer they are to the coast, where the concentration of the waste is greatest. The study by Plymouth Marine Laboratory is the first to show in detail how plastic particles, including microfibres released from synthetic fabrics during washing and then flushed into sewers, end up inside young fish. An average of 2.9 per cent of larvae collected up to 22 miles off Plymouth were found to have ingested plastic. Madeleine Steer, an author of the study published in the journal Environmental Pollution, said: “It is worrying because these larvae were very young, likely to be three weeks old, so they have ingested these particles quickly.” She said the impact of the plastic on fish populations was unclear but the risk was increasing, with more than eight million tonnes of plastic in the ocean each year. If it remains in fish guts, it could enter the food chain. Ms Steer added: “We don’t yet know if fish retain the particles in their guts and they therefore cause harm through blockage or leaching of absorbed chemicals on the plastic into the fish larvae gut tissue.”

Denmark set for battle over water rights Ben Webster

Danish fishermen are demanding punitive tariffs on British fish sold in the EU if they are denied access to UK waters after Brexit. Denmark claims its fishermen have historic rights to fish inside the UK exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from the coast or halfway to another country’s coast. The Danish government wants the EU to make access to this zone a condition of a post-Brexit trade deal. George Eustice, the fisheries minister, argued that leaving the EU would allow Britain to obtain a fairer share of fish quotas by taking control of its EEZ. Non-UK vessels land on average 58 per cent of the fish caught in UK waters each year. British vessels catch only 21 per cent of their fish in EU waters beyond the UK EEZ. Danish fishermen are particularly dependent on the UK EEZ, catching 40 per cent of their fish there. More than 80 per cent of the herring and mackerel caught by some Danish vessels comes from the UK’s section of the North Sea. Niels Wichmann, chief executive of the Danish fishermen’s association, said British fishermen had been given a false impression that Brexit would give them exclusive rights to fish in the UK EEZ. He said Danish vessels had been fishing there for hundreds of years and if the UK refused to accept their historic rights the EU should impose tariffs of up to 40 per cent on British fish. “It could be in the form of customs barriers or quota arrangements so you can only export a certain amount,” he said. Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, said: “This is predictable posturing from the Danes.”

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Child abuse pictures shared on WhatsApp Mark Bridge Technology Correspondent Graham Keeley

Police have made dozens of arrests in an international operation to break up a paedophile ring that was using WhatsApp to distribute images of child sexual abuse. Europol said yesterday that 39 suspects were apprehended in Europe and South America after action by the Spanish National Police, Europol and Interpol, with involvement from 18 forces worldwide. The team behind Operation Tantalio said that it had identified more than 130 suspects. Investigators have seized more than 360,000 images of “humiliating treatment and brutality” against victims aged up to eight. Some date back 20 years, they added. The exposure of so many paedophiles using the messaging app comes days after Facebook, the technology company and publisher that owns WhatsApp, was criticised for failing to remove child pornography from its platform after it was reported. Last month, Amber Rudd, the home secretary, called for a ban on the endto-end encryption used by WhatsApp, which she said provided a haven to terrorists, after it was used by Khalid Masood, the Westminster attacker. Campaigners had warned that the app was used by paedophiles to groom children. The international sting operation was launched last summer after

Spanish investigators discovered sites on the dark web directing paedophiles to 25 private WhatsApp groups, which they used to distribute their images as part of a network. Investigators confirmed that the groups were used to share images. It was not clear how they accessed the material that was sent over WhatsApp’s encrypted service. “The investigators monitor the activity on these channels using many different resources in this complex case,” they said. The investigation led to raids involving the seizure of hundreds of devices, containing several terabytes of child sexual exploitation material, according to Europol. Rob Wainwright, the agency’s director, said: “These offenders are pushing the boundaries of modern technologies to try to avoid being caught. This case is an excellent example of global law enforcement co-operation, led by the Spanish national police. We need to continue to combine our joint resources and skills to tackle this threat to our children and bring these offenders to justice.” Bjorn Sellstrom, Interpol’s operations coordinator on crimes against children, said: “Criminals will continue to exploit new technologies to share videos and images of child abuse around the world. But actions like Operation Tantalio send a strong message: police worldwide remain united in their efforts to identify, locate and bring you to justice.”

Colour clash Rare colour photographs from the Imperial War Museum’s archives have been collected in a book, The Second World War in Colour. Images include an Auxiliary Territorial Service aircraft spotter (1942); an RAF convalescent hospital in Buckinghamshire (1943); and the 16th/5th Lancers cleaning a tank gun in Tunisia (1943)

Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Elephants’ low cancer risk ‘holds the key to surviving life on Mars’ Tom Whipple Science Editor

If elephants were astronauts, colonising Mars would be more feasible. They may be rather more expensive to propel to escape velocity, but crucially they are also far less likely to get cancer on the six-month journey to the Red Planet. A scientist is trying to harness the elephant’s apparent lack of susceptibility to radiation and alter human genes to better weather the rigours of space. There are many difficulties that need to be surmounted before humans can set foot on Mars, but one of the biggest is a biological one. During the months of travelling, astronauts will inevitably be exposed to cosmic radiation. Doctors believe that the amount received by Apollo astronauts may have been enough to shorten their lives — and they were only in space for a few days. This is why Christopher Mason, from Cornell University, is looking at

elephants. “[They] have a low risk of cancer,” he said. Elephants also have a high number of copies of the p53 gene, which is believed to protect the genome from the sort of deterioration that might cause cancer. So Professor Mason has applied to Nasa to send engineered human cells into space, and see if elephant-like ones fare better. “We can either send people to go there and evolve. That’s kind of the good luck plan,” he said. “Or we can think about using our ingenuity and engineering our genome, with different DNA repair mechanisms, so we can survive in these far-flung planets.” There were ethical implications — not least that if the p53 genes do protect people from radiation, the most sensible way for humans to take advantage of that would be to alter them at conception. “It raises all sorts of questions. We wouldn’t want it to be a form of genetic imprisonment, that you can

engineer a child who can only work in space,” he said. But, he said, if we want to leave the planet it is probably our duty. “We have evolved to be able to make the tools so that we can direct our own evolution. What that carries is awesome responsibility,” he said. “If we want to ensure humans survive as a species, then leaving the Earth is probably our best insurance. I have a lot of faith in people. I think we’re worth saving.” Lord Rees, the astronomer royal, said that it was not such an outlandish idea. “It’s a dangerous delusion to think that space offers an escape from Earth’s problems,” Professor Rees said in a recent lecture. There is no hospitable, easy to survive, “Planet B”, he said. “For that reason,we should surely wish the space pioneers good luck in using all such techniques to adapt to alien conditions. This might be the first step towards divergence into a new species: the beginning of the post-human era.”

Weak spot in breast tumours discovered Oliver Moody Science Correspondent

A newly discovered weak spot in breast cancer cells has allowed scientists to slow the growth of tumours and almost stop them spreading. Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the

Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute say that a new drug could target the same vulnerability in cancers including those of the brain, pancreas and lungs. It appears to be particularly effective at halting secondary cancers, which lead to 90 per cent of the 11,500 deaths a year caused by breast cancer in

the UK. The molecule starves the cells of the signals they rely on to multiply rapidly. It also weakens the biochemical mortar that holds tumours together. The treatment has been tested only on mice but is being adapted with a view to human trials. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

News MATT CARDY/GETTY

Town fête cancelled for ‘lack of a terrorist attack plan’ A market town’s fête has been scrapped after council officials told the organisers that they did not have a satisfactory plan to deal with a terrorist attack. The May Day event in Devizes, Wiltshire, has been held for more than 20 years with attractions including a steam carousel, tombola, coconut shies and pin the tail on the donkey raising money for charity. However, volunteers were unable to meet strict criteria to “guarantee a safe event”. “I think [the requirements] are farfetched although we all have to be aware of the risks,” Roger Stratton, 70, organiser at the Lions Club, said. “Clearly the likelihood of a terrorist attack in Devizes is a very remote risk indeed. The Westminster attack made it more difficult for us. It meant our small

town in rural Wiltshire had to have the same sort of protection as the Houses of Parliament.” He added: “Typically British events like this are getting harder and harder to put on.” Albert Wooldridge, a town councillor, said: “Wiltshire council has been tightening up the regulations for years, but some of the things they’re asking for now are ridiculous. I think it’s outrageous [the fair] had to be cancelled.” He added: “It’s a pity although we’ve got to be very cautious in this day and age. It’s a bit over the top.” Wiltshire council said that they had a duty to ensure that events were run as safely as possible and had told organisers how to make improvements. “We felt their plan could not guarantee a safe event,” a spokesman said.

Slogans for sale A stall at the National Union of Teachers’ conference in Cardiff. Delegates have called for LGBT issues to be taught in nurseries

Cannabis-based drug could cut epilepsy seizures by half A cannabis-based drug can halve seizures for patients with severe epilepsy, a study has found. Children and adults on a high dose of cannabidiol had 42 per cent fewer seizures overall, compared with a 17 per cent drop among those taking a placebo, scientists said. Experts said the medicine was likely to become a powerful option for people with the most severe epilepsy but warned that it would not be a “magic bullet” for all those with the condition. Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive component of cannabis that is being developed as a medicine by a British company, GW Pharmaceuticals, which funded the trial. Nearly 40 per cent of those given liquid cannabidiol had a 50 per cent reduction in drop seizures.

Hundreds sue after agonising vaginal mesh treatments Hundreds of women are suing the NHS and the makers of vaginal implants that have left some unable to walk or have sex. Mesh tape operations have led to debilitating and often permanent pain in some patients, many of whom allege that surgeons and manufacturers failed to warn them of the risks. The treatment is used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence, often after childbirth. More than 92,000 women had mesh installed in England

Landlords fined over immigrants Sixty-two landlords have been fined in a crackdown on illegal immigration. Penalties ranging from £80 to £3,000 were imposed in the eight months after the right to rent scheme was introduced in England in February last year, requiring landlords or householders to establish that tenants or lodgers have a right to be in the country. The Home Office figures were provided after a freedom of information request.

Primary school disappointment A quarter of children missed out on their first choice of primary school in some areas. More than 600,000 children were given places for September yesterday. Across England, 88.4 per cent got their top choice, early analysis suggests — an improvement of 0.2 percentage points on last year. However, in Hammersmith and Fulham, southwest London, only one child in four got their first choice.

Pigeons pass on their knowledge Homing pigeons can improve their knowledge and pass it on, research shows. Scientists studied groups where pigeons familiar with a route were constantly replaced with birds that did not know it. Over time, they improved their flight path. The work, published in Nature Communications, found later-generation groups outperformed birds flying solo or groups that were unchanged, suggesting students became teachers.

between April 2007 and March 2015, NHS data shows. About one in 11 women experienced problems, according to BBC analysis of the figures. Lawyers believe that the NHS may have to pay out millions of pounds if it loses the case. The legal action targets manufacturers including Johnson & Johnson, the US company, which has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to affected women in America. Its subsidiary, Ethicon, said it was “vigorously defending litigation”.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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News

I still feel the shock of my mother’s death, duke admits time to mind campaign Valentine Low

The Duke of Cambridge has spoken about still feeling the shock of the death of his mother 20 years after she was killed in a Paris car crash. “You never get over it,” he said. “You just learn to deal with it.” Two days after his brother, Prince Harry, revealed that he had received counselling after bottling up his emotions for years, Prince William said that the same grief was behind his desire to campaign on mental health issues. His remarks about Princess Diana’s death — released on the same day as a film of him in conversation about mental health with the singer Lady Gaga — come in a BBC documentary in which he spoke to a woman who lost her son and husband within a week. Rhian Burke, 39, is a mother-of-three whose one-year-old son George died suddenly in February 2012. Her husband Paul, 33, unable to cope, left the house five days later and died after falling from a bridge. Her surviving children are Holly, nine, and Isaac, eight. In the two-part film about runners with mental health issues training for this weekend’s London Marathon, Mind Over Marathon, Mrs Burke asked the prince: “Can I ask you one question? When your mum passed away, you were obviously a bit older than my children but I obviously worry about them growing up. They’ll be OK, won’t they?” He replied: “They’ll be absolutely fine. With a mum like you they’ll be ab-

solutely fine. Because you’re aware of all this, you’re already a step ahead of what could happen. You try and understand your emotions a lot more than probably someone who’s just lived life without any issues, and that’s quite critical. “Like you said, the shock is the biggest thing. I still feel, 20 years later about my mother, I still have shock within me. You know, 20 years later. People go, ‘Shock can’t last that long’, but it does. You never get over it. It’s such an unbelievably big moment in your life that it never leaves you, you just learn to deal with it. “You being there for Holly and Isaac is the most important thing because you’ll provide the blanket of stability and understanding that they need.” After a screening of the film, which is broadcast on BBC One from tomorrow, the prince was overcome with emotion. “Wow, yeah. I’m speechless actually. I’m quite emotional. So I am just going to take a minute to calm myself down,” he said at the BBC Radio Theatre in front of an audience including the ten runners who took part in the film. “I have my own reasons for being involved in mental health: what happened to me and my mother when I was younger.” In what appeared to be a veiled reference to his brother’s admission that he had been close to a breakdown, he said: “The more we have influential and very important people speaking about their issues and their battles, the better.” The Times’ Time to Mind campaign has highlighted the issue of treatment for child mental health issues. In William’s conversation with Lady Gaga, conducted over FaceTime between their homes in London and Los Angeles for the royals’ Heads Together

Behind the story

fforts by the royal family to tackle the stigma about mental health have been warmly welcomed (Rosemary Bennett writes). However, providing high-quality mental health treatments for young people in particular is a far harder task than changing attitudes. More than a fifth of

children with serious mental illnesses are turned down for specialist treatment, according to the latest figures. The most common reason given was that their condition was not serious enough. Experts say that this means children must wait until their conditions worsen, and even become

suicidal, before they are referred again. Schools are increasingly the first line of defence. Pilot programmes have tried to work out the best way to link schools to the mental health services. Head teachers say these initiatives are now under threat with big budget cuts looming.

Rise in electric therapy for treating mentally ill Kat Lay Health Correspondent

The NHS is increasingly turning to electroconvulsive therapy to treat patients with serious mental health problems. In 2015-16, 22,600 ECT treatments were carried out, a rise of 11 per cent from the 20,400 in 2012-13. The number of patients treated also rose — to more than 2,200 — as did the average number of treatments per patient, from 9.6 in 2012-13 to 10.1 in 2015-16. The data, obtained by The Guardian, covers 44 NHS health trusts in England. “I think [ECT] should be on the increase because it has been underused for years,” Tim Oakley, of the ECT Accreditation Service and a clinical director at the Northumberland, Tyne

and Wear NHS trust, told the newspaper. “There are some patients who would respond very well to ECT who perhaps don’t get it as quickly as they should or don’t get it at all for various reasons. In terms of getting people better, particularly for depression where everything else fails, it is still the best treatment.” A 2014/15 survey of patients found that 91.5 per cent improved after treatment and 1.7 per cent became worse. However, Mind, the mental health charity, warns that the therapy, which involves passing electricity through the brain, can have side effects including memory loss, poor concentration and dizziness. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises that it should be used as a last resort.

HEA S TOGETHER/PA

campaign, William said: “Everybody has mental health and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it and just having a conversation with a friend or family member can really make such a difference.” Lady Gaga, who has said that she lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, said: “We have to make the strongest, most relentless attempt we can to normalise mental health issues, so that people feel like they can come forward.” Leading article, page 31

The Duke of Cambridge spoke to Lady Gaga over FaceTime about mental health

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Simples: how zoos can help stressed meerkats Ben Webster Environment Editor Michael Selby-Green

They may be among the most popular zoo attractions after starring in TV adverts but meerkats scurrying around their enclosures might not be as happy as they seem. Those kept in small enclosures are at greater risk of suffering chronic stress than those in large groups with plenty of space to roam and hide, a study has found. The crowds they attract can upset the animals, with the ones drawing the most visitors having the highest levels of glucocorticoid hormones linked to increased stress. Wild meerkats in the Kalahari desert, southern Africa, usually live in groups of 20-30 but zoos keep them in smaller numbers. Being in a larger group may make meerkats feel safer from predators, according to the University of Exeter study. The researchers measured stress by looking at hormone levels in meerkat droppings at eight British zoos, at which group sizes ranged from four or fewer at Blackpool, Paignton and Dart-

moor, to 17 at Bristol. They found that in the smallest groups, stress levels were four times as high as the larger groups of 15 or more. The same difference was found between those in the smallest enclosures of 40 sq m and in the biggest, covering 300 sq m. In the wild, meerkat groups defend territories of up to several square kilometres. Emma Vitikainen, senior author of the study in the Royal Society Open Science journal, said: “Meerkat group sizes in captivity tend to be closer to those seen in small unstable groups in the wild. To minimise stress, they should be kept in large groups and enclosures, which more resemble the natural environment, and where they are likely to feel safer.” Amy Plowman, director of conservation at Paignton Zoo, said: “Physiological stress is part of being an animal and not to be confused with distress. Often it’s not feasible to keep bigger groups because if individuals don’t get on this causes more stress.” Benjamin Mee, chief executive of Dartmoor Zoo, said: “They get very stressed when they’re on their own. They need to be in a group of at least two.”

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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A mad horse race washed down by tea and scones Matthew Parris Page 28

Comment

Why hold an early election? One word: Labour The main opposition party’s MPs have no confidence in their leader and there’s no policy on the most important issue Daniel Finkelstein

@dannythefink

few days after Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader, I bumped into a former minister at the party’s conference in Brighton. What are you going to do now, I asked him. You can’t possibly advocate at a general election that the British people make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister and John McDonnell chancellor. In all conscience, you can’t. It would be totally irresponsible. He calmly replied: “This will not be a problem. Jeremy Corbyn will not be the candidate at the next general election.” Yes, I said, but what if he is? “He won’t be. I guarantee it.” As I told Times readers the next day: “I do not believe he is remotely in a position to provide such a guarantee.” I thought there was more than an 80 per cent chance that Labour would have to fight an election with Mr Corbyn as leader. I make this point for two reasons. The first, I’m afraid, is to console myself. Yesterday morning I was confidently (but sloppily) telling everyone that there wouldn’t be an early election, when the prime minister announced that there would be. It’s comforting to remember that I have occasionally made better predictions. The second reason is less selfindulgent. In politics the big logic

invariably triumphs, and if you forget that, you forget everything. And the big logic behind yesterday’s announcement can be summarised in one word: Labour. If you are prime minister there are always good reasons not to call an election that you don’t have to. The biggest reason is, well, you are prime minister. Immediately after the 2010 election people were constantly telling me that David Cameron was about to call another vote and I would reply: “That’s funny, I was round at his flat yesterday and he’s putting in a kitchen.” When you become PM you want to settle in, do the job, be prime minister, govern. You aren’t thinking: “Ooh, let’s ask the voters again if they really want me.” Any election involves risk for a sitting government. Even when you look set fair. Even in this election. There are Conservative MPs in prosperous urban constituencies who will lose their seats in a campaign

I think that Labour is against free movement but couldn’t swear to it that centres on Brexit. And the Tories can’t afford to lose many seats without losing power. As Ted Heath discovered in 1974, prime ministers can’t control what elections are going to be about. Mrs May wants a vote of confidence in her handling of Brexit negotiations. What if, instead, it became more like a second referendum? Would that split the Tories? And what if voters are irritated at being asked to confirm her in office when she is already in office? Yet all of this collides with the juggernaut of the big logic: Labour.

Forget the current opinion polls and just remember this. The main opposition party is going to fight this election with a leader that even many of his own MPs believe should not be prime minister. And without a credible policy on what is likely to be the central election issue. During the same party conference at which I talked to the former Labour minister, his colleague Tristram Hunt appeared at a fringe meeting with my Times colleague Philip Collins. Phil asked him straight out whether he thought Jeremy Corbyn should be prime minister. “Yes,” he replied swiftly, but I thought I saw his eyes flicker. Now, of course, Mr Hunt has resolved the dilemma by going to work at the Victoria and Albert Museum. But what will his colleagues decide to do when asked what I call the “Collins question”? “Do you advise the British people to make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister?” Moderate Labour MPs will be hoping that they avoid having the Collins question put to them directly. Or they will use evasive language, relying on the fact that Mr Corbyn’s ascendancy isn’t very likely. But whatever they do, voters will understand that they are being asked to support a party whose MPs have no confidence in their own leader and in many cases believe his leadership to be actually dangerous. Vote Labour! Then there is the question of policy. Let’s say Mrs May succeeds in making this the election she says she wants — one about confidence in her to negotiate the best Brexit terms. What is Labour’s response? The Liberal Democrats have a position. They believe Brexit is a disaster and, having advocated an in-out referendum for years, and

party will fill in the blanks in their own way. Chaos. Still, it could be worse. We might not end up having the election Theresa May says she wants. We might have an election on the economy. Or on security. Most elections do end up being about these things, and many voters aren’t that obsessed with Europe. As incoherent as Labour’s position may be on Brexit, it is even less coherent on anything else. The policy of the party on the independent nuclear deterrent is not that of their candidate for prime

Every election is a risk. But not having one is a risk too Labour candidates cannot seriously suggest Jeremy Corbyn is fit to be PM

voted for the one we had, they now want another one. They like referendums, do the Liberal Democrats. So they will be appealing straight to those who want parliament to stop us leaving the EU. Labour, on the other hand, has no policy at all. A second referendum? They said they were against that and voted against it in parliament. That Britain should remain in the single market? They appear to be against that too. That we should end free movement of labour? I follow these things pretty closely and, genuinely, I’m not absolutely sure. I think they are against free movement but I couldn’t swear to it. Sorry. They will campaign against a “Tory hard Brexit” without any clue what they actually mean by this slogan. I suspect that everyone in the

minister. Mr Corbyn says he wouldn’t fire it if he had it. And the shadow chancellor is suggesting borrowing £500 billion. £500 billion here and £500 billion there soon adds up to a lot of money. Who will write Labour’s manifesto? It will have to be agreed by a very odd mixture of people and it is quite likely that right in the middle of the campaign they will split. “Half of us think our manifesto is rubbish. Vote Labour!” Every election is a risk. But not having one is a risk too. You can, of course, make a case for not going now. But then again: Labour. daniel. inkelstein@thetimes.co. k

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Comment

We shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry about North Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nukes Kim has a tiny arsenal of unreliable weapons and clings to them only as an insurance policy Richard Lloyd Parry

@dicklp

here are plenty of ways to perish in the city of Los Angeles, and death by nuclear holocaust, although not high on the list, has long been one of the possibilities. In silos across Siberia and Manchuria, in stealth submarines thrumming beneath the Pacific, Russian and Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles bide their time. With names such as Great Wave and Satan 2, they could vaporise La La Land, and many other cities, several times over. It has been this way for as long as most of us have been alive, in London, Moscow, Paris and Beijing, in all the adversary cities of the old Cold War. We live knowing that we could at any moment be targeted by unerring, unstoppable, unimaginably destructive weapons that would kill us and everyone we love â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in theory. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry about it because we know that, for the time being at least, it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen. It wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen because there is no good reason why it would, because the motivation for our potential enemies to launch a unilateral thermonuclear attack is far weaker than their reasons for holding back. We may dislike and mistrust governments such as those of China and Russia, as they mistrust

us, but the idea of one side nuking the other, and unleashing a massive war that would hurt it as much as us, is self-evidently ridiculous. Yet this is the reasoning of the US government and the basis of the latest global crisis. For the past few weeks Donald Trump, and much of the international media, has been in the throes of a collective fit of the collywobbles about the threat posed to the US mainland by nucleararmed North Korean ballistic missiles. An â&#x20AC;&#x153;armadaâ&#x20AC;? of US naval ships has been dispatched to the peninsula; there is dark muttering of â&#x20AC;&#x153;kinetic solutionsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in other words pre-emptive bombing, which would almost certainly escalate into a second Korean War. And all of this without any basis in logic or fact. It is true that North Korea already possesses nuclear warheads, and missiles with the range to hit South

One of the laziest clichĂŠs about Kim is that he is a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;madmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Korea and Japan. At a military parade on Saturday it showed off still more powerful weapons â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dummies of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), potentially capable of reaching the American west coast. Within Mr Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first term, the expert consensus goes, the prototypes will be tested and deployed. But to assume from this that LA and Seattle are about to be nuked is to ignore everything we know about North Korea and the logic of deterrence. Of the 15,000 nuclear weapons in

the world, Kim Jong-unâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are the ones we have the least to worry about. Among the nuclear powers, his is the smallest arsenal and his ballistic missiles are the most accident-prone. North Korea has, it is reckoned, about 20 warheads, and squeezes out a few more each year. At least one of its five underground tests fizzled out. Whenever it sets off such an explosion it depletes its arsenal by about 5 per cent. The ICBMs on parade over the weekend have never undergone flight testing, and if the history of Kimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other missiles is any guide, that will be a fraught process. The mediumrange Hwasong-10 was launched six times last year; five of those times it exploded soon after take-off. Even if he was able to crank up an ICBM, wedge on a warhead and lob it with accuracy towards an American city, why would Kim do something so blatantly selfdefeating? Vladimir Putin, who commands more than 7,000 of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nuclear weapons, would never dream of it: whatever the eventual outcome, the Third World War would put a serious crimp in some of his most important plans. For Kim, with 20 wobbly nukes against Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6,900, such an action would be suicidal. North Korea has one reason for developing nuclear weapons, and one alone â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not to invite its own fiery destruction with an unprovoked attack, but to raise to an unacceptable level the cost to the US and South Korea of a regime-changing invasion. One of the laziest of the clichĂŠs about Kim is that he is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;madmanâ&#x20AC;?. It implies no approval of his cruel

regime to assert the opposite: that North Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders have displayed a malign brilliance that has allowed them to survive in control of the last Stalinist dictatorship. Does anyone believe that, if it could be done easily, Donald Trump would restrain himself from overthrowing the regime? Kim knows that with every year the gap between his ramshackle conventional forces and those of his enemies grows. He contemplates the fate of the late Muammar Gaddafi, another â&#x20AC;&#x153;rogueâ&#x20AC;? who was persuaded that he could give up his nuclear weapons and that everything would be OK. Twenty-five years ago, North Korea was a small, hungry orphan of the Cold War, heading inexorably for the historical dustbin. Today it is successfully facing off the most powerful nation in history. There is one reason for this: nuclear weapons. This is not to say he will never give them up, but not in answer to military threats that reinforce the logic of acquiring them in the first place. The Korean War petered out in 1953, not with a peace treaty but in a temporary armistice. In law, and in the minds of North Koreans, it has never ended. Peace will come only with an agreement in which nuclear weapons are traded for guarantees of North Korean security. The US has worked towards such a settlement before, and could again. For Kim to abandon his insurance policy for anything less, well, that would be the action of a madman. i ard Llo d Parr is sia di or o er o es is a a

Matthew Parris My Week

A mad horse race then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for tea and scones

sked for a true story of middle-aged Englishwomen behaving with the most reckless imaginable disregard for life and limb, I can â&#x20AC;&#x201D; after last weekend â&#x20AC;&#x201D; offer one. Had you ever heard of the High Peak Hunt Scurry? Or indeed any scurry? Well, it happened on Easter Sunday at Flagg in what we call the Top Country, a high plateau of rolling hills, small limestone villages and myriad dry-stone walls in the Derbyshire Peak District. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a hunt but a timed relay, using a horsewhip as baton. Women of every age (one team was called â&#x20AC;&#x153;the OAPsâ&#x20AC;?) and a scattering of young men throw themselves and their excited horses over vicious walls as they gallop headlong across fields and paddocks. Riders love it. Horses love it. Riders come off. Riders are thrown in the air and hit walls. Horses knock walls down â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and teams of volunteer

wallers rush out to repair them. There is blood, there is port, there is spittle, there is whinnying. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the ladies. And afterwards there is tea and scones in the village hall. My partner was riding. He survived. I honestly couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t watch.

Election relief

moment of candour, if I may? Embarrassing because it shows your columnist in an unflattering light but is not, I fear, unrepresentative of my trade. On emerging from the Tube yesterday morning to discover that the prime minister wanted a general election, my very first thought is not â&#x20AC;&#x153;is this good for Britain?â&#x20AC;? Dear me no. My first thought is â&#x20AC;&#x153;crikey. Have I ever written a column in The Times saying categorically that she will not do this?â&#x20AC;? A panicky rifle through the archive ensues. No, only a column arguing it would be horribly risky, and I still think that. Crisis averted. My own, anyway. A second moment of candour, however: I may not have said so but I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect this.

Cressidaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calm One should not make up oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind about somebody on the basis of a

single interview, but I did find yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exchanges with Cressida Dick on the Today programme compelling. What a superb interviewee. The new commissioner of the Metropolitan Police managed to steer the interview with care and delicacy; she avoided criticising her predecessor yet implied she would be different, supported her officers yet implied that policing would need to change â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and throughout sounded relaxed and natural, almost impromptu, while walking on eggshells. I know so little about her, yet there I was, by the end of the interview, feeling on her side. How important voice is, how many signals it can unconsciously convey when we come to assess each other. You may think this irrelevant to her capacity as a police chief, but class is such a neuralgic issue in Britain, and Ms Dickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice conveyed no hint of either posh or pleb, of country-club or canteen, and triggered no social signifiers except, perhaps, education. It was a calm voice, its cadences and modulation breathing authority but not aggression. It never touched the sides. I was wowed. And just, really, by her voice.

Return to sender

ince when did prime ministers and party leaders deliver Easter messages? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve no particular gripe with Mrs Mayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rather bland one, even if, as Hugo Rifkind noted in these pages yesterday, it did suggest a Christian duty to unite in support of Brexit, though we struggle to remember when Jesus mentioned the issue. No, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the invention of tradition that amuses me. We British have a talent for inventing custom from nowhere, everyone then assuming itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been done for yonks. But to the best of my recollection prime ministers never issued Easter messages, until Gordon Brown suddenly did in 2010. Now opposition leaders respond with messages of their own and even Boris Johnson put one out. New Year messages do have some pedigree, ever since Anthony Eden delivered one in 1956, but Christmas messages are very recent, arising probably from a determination not to let the Queen hog the limelight. Gordon Brown issued one to British troops in 2007, then seems to have got the habit. Tony Blair offered a Chinese new year message in 2006. Mrs May has now given us a Christmas message and New Year message and an Easter message. Ascension Day, anyone? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call the whole thing off.

A sovereign wealth fund is the way to rein in overseas aid Frank Field

he parties now have only days to decide on their general election manifestos. One key area will be the proposal to merge the defence and overseas aid budgets. Parties would be wise to question the wisdom of such a move. There are two issues here, and both centre on how well taxpayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; money is spent. Are we spending the existing defence budget wisely, given the mounting terrorist threat we face? And likewise, given sustained exposure in The Times of fraudulent spending of the aid budget, could that not be better spent? Our security services have done extraordinarily well in protecting the public from terrorist attacks. But the question the defence establishment has to answer is whether it has got the balance right between intelligence gathering and military hardware. My guess is that it has not, and that combining its budget with that of overseas aid would fail to address the underlying problem.

Taxpayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; money shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be wasted on a target set by Cameron International Development is one of the few departments where budgets are growing. One area of misspending exposed by The Times is â&#x20AC;&#x153;cleaning upâ&#x20AC;? at the end of the year, when huge amounts of taxpayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; money are tipped into overseas aid projects which pay salaries to senior staff that are only eclipsed by those paid to football stars, just to ensure that the government meets its pledge to spend 0.7 per cent of GDP on aid. A new contract must be struck with the electorate. First, the old Gladstone proposition of always spending in a year money allocated to that year must end. Second, to achieve this, a sovereign wealth fund should be established into which the international development secretary can refer monies which he or she believes could be better spent further down the line. This would give us our first sovereign wealth fund. It would be the first one for overseas aid anywhere, and the next government should promise the electorate that it is not prepared to waste another penny of taxpayersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; money to hit the target introduced by David Cameron. The resulting wealth fund should be designated for the Commonwealth and should be used for investment programmes that begin to build up clear job gains for local populations. Jobs will therefore begin to fight poverty in a way that aid handouts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; however crucial in a crisis â&#x20AC;&#x201D; can never do. Frank Field is Labour MP or irken ead and air an o e ork and ensions sele o i ee

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Comment

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Make businesses pay for throwaway society As fly-tipping seems to be impossible to stop, ministers should target companies that encourage us to spend and discard Alice Thomson

@alicettimes

he lambs are staggering to their feet on Exmoor, the rivers are in full spate, the daffodils are making way for the bluebells and, as I walked among the yellow gorse over the bank holiday, I discovered a sodden sofa, pink car seat, stained mattress, microwave, eight bin bags of discarded clothes and a child’s Thomas the Tank Engine slipper stuck in the mud. Someone had been spring-cleaning. There is a council waste centre only three miles away, but the tipper couldn’t be bothered to make the journey, or was worried about being charged. Last month the government announced the worst fly-tipping figures on record; nearly one million incidents in England last year. Two thirds consisted of large household waste that the council used to take away. More than a third of farms were hit by fly-tipping last year, according to the National Farmers

Union. The Country Land & Business Association says fly-tipping is now its members’ greatest concern. Farmers and property owners have to pay for the clearance of land, which is especially costly when asbestos has been dumped. Struggling local councils spend nearly £1 billion a year picking up rubbish from roadsides. Part of the problem is councils moving to fortnightly collections but this isn’t about a few pizza boxes or cartons of milk. Truckloads of refuse are being deposited at night, weighing up to 20 tons. Some of it comes from organised gangs, often working with the building trade; the “industry” is estimated to be worth

Fields and national parks can’t be covered with CCTV cameras £1 billion a year, because a 20-ton load would cost £2,000 to deposit legitimately at a landfill site. Some comes from homeowners who can’t face the charges for house clearouts. This month the government published its first litter strategy, with increased fines and more bins. The environment secretary, Andrea Leadsom, announced that fly-tippers would be forced to clean up litter but

it is impossible to catch most of them. Fields and national parks can’t be covered with CCTV cameras sticking out from trees, or policed 24/7. Prosecutions are rare, roughly one for every 450 incidents, with only 2,135 cases coming to court last year. The couple who had their Ford tipper truck crushed for dumping last month were the exception — their cottage-clearing industry had cost the council more than £5,000 a month. Civil servants across Whitehall and in Wales have been working on measures that might curb littering and boost green credentials. The 5p plastic bag charge has proved their first success. One suggestion has been a tax on nappies but this directly impacts on struggling young families, the elderly or disabled who are incontinent. No government wants to risk punishing babies, the sick and the old. Another idea was a bottle return scheme but that has been dropped after efforts in other European countries saw children digging through rubbish bins. Policymakers live in fear of producing another “diesel disaster”, when in a misguided attempt to be more green consumers were encouraged to switch from petrol. No one wants to force consumers down a route that ends up penalising

them and the environment for trying to do the right thing. Increasingly ministers and civil servants are talking about “extended producer responsibility”. In other words, companies need to take ownership of their discarded products rather than taxpayers. Amazon should stop delivering tiny items in vast boxes. Firms producing nappies should be incentivised to become more green, graded on their

The average woman buys a new coat and handbag every year efforts to curb pollution, and taxed if their produce festers in landfill sites for centuries. They need to encourage their consumers to make the best choices effortlessly. Most litter in Britain comes from just ten large manufacturers with billion-pound turnovers and a continuing addiction to packaging. They could become more responsible for that waste. Wrigley, which holds 90 per cent of the British chewing gum market, has no requirement to help clear up the streets paved in Hubba Bubba and Extra. The average piece of gum costs only 3p to buy but £1.50 to remove from a pavement, with

councils spending £60 million a year to remove it. The Local Government Association understandably wants gum manufacturers to switch to biodegradable products. Wrigley has at least started a Bin It For Good campaign. Companies also need to be encouraged to start selling more durable goods again. Most only provide 12-month guarantees, expecting washing machines, garden furniture, bicycles, gym equipment, T-shirts and computers to be discarded after a couple of years. Furniture restorers, upholsterers and repairers have been out of fashion for too long. A fridge should be for life. We need to learn to look after our possessions once more. We might feel virtuous sifting our Weetabix boxes from our plastic bottles but the average woman then buys a new coat and handbag every year. Britain may finally have reached “peak stuff” but the throwaway society will continue to escalate, with the young increasingly forced to live in smaller rented spaces and the elderly downsizing; eBay, recycling and charity shops are part of the solution but it is businesses that are often the most irresponsible, urging consumers to spend and discard. They must limit the litter they are creating, or pay to deal with it.

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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

Theresa May’s quest for a personal mandate

The need to invest in children’s TV Sir, As the creator of Olly the Little White Van, a preschool animated children’s TV show nominated for best TV series, I was interested in your report (Apr 18) about the steep decline in broadcasting of UK children’s series by British commercial broadcasters. Our industry has been decimated by this trend in the past decade or so, and despite investing nearly £3 million in British-made high-quality programmes with high production values we have found it extremely difficult to secure a stable broadcasting base as would have been the case in an earlier era. For example, we have been paid a not untypical £1 for airing our 65 episodes hundreds of times on the two main commercial channels. Without overseas sales, modest income from associated merchandising and relatively recent UK tax incentives, independent production companies like ours would not be able to keep going. The reasons are multiple and include competition from new media, a shift in focus from children’s to adult programme commissioning, and a decline in revenues from childtargeted advertising. One outcome has been the repetition of very old TV series, long since paid for. The other has been the prevalence of cheap/free programmes from abroad. One can overstate the impact on our children’s lives from the absence of original, contemporary UK-made productions, but it cannot be good — either for them or for our creative sector. henry becket Chief executive, Olly Ltd

Looping the loop Sir, The Modern Manners suggestion for tying shoelaces (wind the lace twice round the loop when forming the bow) was greeted with incredulity in our household (letter, Apr 14). However, a ten-mile walk around the beautiful Guernsey coastline on Good Friday finished as it started, with perfectly knotted shoelaces. It works. lesley le page St Martins, Guernsey Sir, If the laces are made of fibres (cotton or linen) and not continuous filament nylon or polyester they will not come undone. Moreover, the laces should not be round but square or rectangular in cross-section. george a conway Textile technologist, Grantown-on-Spey, Moray

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Sir, Theresa May’s announcement yesterday came in the aftermath of the Turkish referendum, and reminds us that we need to ponder what constitutes a functioning democracy. It was, after all, the late Lord Hailsham who, as lord chancellor in 1976, warned of “elective dictatorship”. Talk of the “danger” of parliamentary opposition inconveniently getting in the way of government policy and the need for unassailable majorities for parliamentary democracy to work should concern us all. The Brexit secretary David Davis, in supporting the need to override parliamentary opposition, went on to indicate that, on Brexit, opponents in the Commons had been defeated by majorities of no less than 33. What figure, precisely, would satisfy Theresa May in terms of an unassailable, unchallengeable and presumably unquestioning majority? lord blunkett Home secretary 2001-04, Sheffield Sir, The last time a general election came out of the blue in an attempt to secure a firm parliamentary majority for a highly controversial policy was in November 1923. After a few months in power with a comfortable position in the Commons thanks to his predecessor’s victory a year earlier, Stanley Baldwin sought a personal mandate for economic protectionism. Unemployment “on a scale unparalleled in our history” and “the disorganisation and poverty of Europe” demanded the imposition of duties on imported manufactured goods, he told the country, adding

EU and insecticides Sir, Matt Ridley (Apr 17) makes powerful and legitimate points about the poor decision-making process in Brussels but to blame the EU for the quadrupling of insecticide applications in the UK is disingenuous. Owen Patterson, when secretary of state at Defra, ably negotiated the ability for member states to grant derogations. The UK government used this option once in 2015 but for only four counties; in 2016 it decided the risk to bees was too great and gave no derogation. Denmark, one of the EU’s most environmentally cautious members,

on this day april 19, 1917

OBJECTORS’ LIFE AT DARTMOOR Mr Wiscard, representing the Home Office, visited Princetown, Dartmoor, today and held an inquiry respecting the treatment of conscientious objectors and their work. As a result, discipline will be made more severe, and the warders, who are described as “instructors”, will be given more power. Men who persistently “slack” work will be sent back to prison. Judging by letters to the local Press, the feeling against

that Britain must work for “real free trade” with the Commonwealth. The gamble did not pay off. The Liberals, divided and demoralised at the 1922 election, staged a remarkable recovery. Holding the balance of power in the new parliament, they put Ramsay MacDonald with 191 Labour MPs into office. He had no clearer programme than the present Labour leader. Will history repeat itself? lord lexden House of Lords Sir, The prime minister is right to call a general election. A good working majority will strengthen her hand tremendously with the EU and silence some of those who are determined to frustrate the will of the British people expressed in the referendum. I hope, in the Conservative manifesto, that she will include the root-and-branch reform of the House of Lords, which is an expensive anachronism. richard english South Petherton, Somerset Sir, Why is the will of the British people expressed in June 2016 (that we should leave the EU) to be treated as sacrosanct while the will of largely the same people in May 2015 (that we should have a Conservative government with a clear but narrow majority for a time-limited period of five years) to be overthrown? Perhaps it is simply to allow the prime minister to better stand up to her own party. There is nothing in constitutional theory or in the practice of the numerous PMs who have taken office mid-parliament since the war that gave blanket derogations for the use of neonicotinoid seed dressing in 2015 and 2016, precisely to prevent the overuse of contact sprays and the build-up of resistance. The EU is the main export market for the UK’s oilseed rape harvest. Outside the single market I suspect we will either follow EU rules or lose access to that critical market. sir peter kendall Chairman of the Agricultural Levy boards, and NFU president 2006-14

Coffee chain ‘bane’ Sir, I cannot help but feel that James Kirkup (“Coffee chains are the the conscientious objectors who occupy the Dartmoor convict prison is growing. Princetown frankly does not like the newcomers, and if it had the choice would probably prefer to have the convicts, who until recently were confined in the prison. The villagers feel that these men are allowed by the Government to live in comparative ease and luxury, while the prison warders and other men, who have been forced into the Army, are enduring far worse conditions. When they first came to Princetown a couple of months ago they had, or were to have, a scale of dietary about double that fixed by the Food Controller for the civil population. The incongruity of this was so apparent that the Home Office was made to see the necessity of changing it, and the food officially supplied is now more in accordance with national necessities. There is, however, no limit put on the amount of food which the men may buy, and complaint is made by people in the neighbourhood that, on occasion, supplies at the village shops have been bought up to the detriment of

requires a personal mandate, and if it did should not Mrs May have gone to the country immediately? Or are we to assume that everything she has done so far has been without authority? richard williams Solihull Sir, Despite the massive poll lead that the Conservative Party has, if Labour and the Lib Dems put forward a joint candidate in seats where there is a chance of defeating the Tories, then, together with SNP help, they might just overturn the Tory majority in parliament and we might end up with the softer Brexit that so many prefer. peter reed Óbidos, Portugal Sir, I have voted Conservative throughout my life. This time I will have to hold my nose and vote Liberal Democrat to reverse Brexit. Hopefully Theresa May will crash and burn. michael r little Molyneux Rose LLP Sir, The general election in June will be the first that I am eligible to vote in, but it is frustrating that my vote will have no impact in the Conservative-majority constituency that I live in, because of the rules of our voting system. If the government wants to get more young people like me to turn up at polling stations it should reform the system so that we know that our votes actually mean something, with all votes having equal weight. As they do in a referendum. charlotte willer Assington, Suffolk saviours of our town centres”, Apr 17) has rather missed the point of local opposition to chain coffee shops. This resistance has nothing to do with coffee — the problem is with homogeny, and trying to prevent our high streets unfolding like the end of an animator’s background reel. It is an unfortunate fact that you can now walk down any number of main thoroughfares in this country and have no idea what locality you are in because the shops are all the same. People want diverse, interesting town centres filled with longstanding small businesses, not an endless stream of Prets, Costas and Topshops. phil bell Wakefield, W Yorks ordinary customers. It is certainly a fact that the conscientious objectors have a very good time. Their living quarters are as comfortable as such a convict prison can be and the men have a good deal of liberty. Large numbers of objectors were allowed leave at Easter, though they had only arrived at Princetown a few weeks before, and were given free railway passes to their homes in distant parts of the country. Many objectors are actuated by political rather than religious motives, and there has been some attempt at propaganda. At the conclusion of service in Princetown Church, when “God Bless the Prince of Wales” and the National Anthem are sung, the objectors walk out. The work on which they are engaged is farming and quarrying. A good deal has been said about the slackness which prevailed, and whether the work is of any real value. sign up for a weekly email with extracts from the times history of the war ww1.thetimes.co.uk

Shortage of labour Sir, I completely agree with your leader (Apr 18) about the lack of candour by the government over the potential shortage of labour postBrexit. As the association chairman of the country’s most successful horticultural fruit crop, namely berries, I know that the public cannot have high-quality, locally produced and reasonably priced food without the seasonal labour required to grow and harvest it. For berries alone, this labour is from the EU and numbers 29,000 a year. Without access to such a resource post-Brexit, our industry will reduce in size and our imports will increase to make up the gap — at a cost to the environment, the balance of payments and the consumer. laurence olins Chairman, British Summer Fruits

Path of memories Sir, It is not only couch potatoes who can now walk the Pembrokeshire Coast Path on Google Street View (picture story, Apr 17). After three major operations I have lost the stamina and stability to walk this path, which we had walked regularly since 1977. Thanks to those who walked with Google cameras I can now revisit the routes that gave us so much pleasure. Even the weather was beautiful, and many stones, outcrops and sea vistas brought it all back. jennifer latham Wedmore, Somerset

Harry’s candour Sir, Positive role models such as Prince Harry (Apr 18) opening up about their mental health will indeed make a huge difference to young people in encouraging them to speak freely, thus lifting the lid. Schools also play a hugely important role in this: if all trainee teachers were to undergo a two-day mental health first aid course during their PGCEs or equivalent, they would come into the profession armed with the knowledge and confidence to lift the lid further. Two days of compulsory training for all new teachers will save lives. william goldsmith Headmaster, St Leonards Junior School, and mental health first aid instructor, St Andrews, Fife

Cosmic theory Sir, It is interesting how people can increasingly subscribe to a “theory of cosmic life” (“Life on Enceladus”, letter, Apr 17) — so long as that theory doesn’t include a Creator. Christians have always believed in a theory of cosmic life, with infinitely more evidence than the one subscribed to by Professor Wickramasinghe. professor roger s anderson Coleraine, Co Londonderry

Floral fanfare Sir, Jonathan Tulloch (Nature Notebook, Apr 15) highlighted wildflower species at that stygian horror Birmingham New Street station. A more hospitable environment is afforded at Seaton Carew’s Adlestrop-style halt outside Hartlepool. Here my fellow naturalist Eric Paylor and I have identified 59 wildflower species in the station’s immediate environs, some relatively rare. I wonder if any other station can beat this floral effusion. paul screeton Chairman, Friends of Seaton Station

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Leading articles Daily Universal Register UK: MPs vote on Theresa May’s motion for a general election on June 8, 2017.

Nature notes Spring flowers are coming out everywhere. On the banks below the white-flowered hawthorn hedges there is a further display of white blossom as sprawling bunches of greater stitchwort appear. These clamber over the grass and other plants, with numerous sparkling white flowers on them. The five flower petals are split down the middle, so look like ten. At the base of the hedges the large, nettle-like leaves and small white flowers of garlic mustard, or jack-by-the-hedge, are showing themselves. Also to be looked for under hedges is cuckoo pint, or lords-and-ladies, which has a purple spike wrapped in a greenish-white hood and leaves like arrowheads. In woods and along lanes the pretty pink flowers of herb robert are out, among reddish-tinted, ferny leaves. Dandelions are so common that they are little regarded, but they are coming into the height of their season, and their fine yellow medallions strew the land. derwent may

Birthdays today Antonio Carluccio, pictured, chef, restaurateur and broadcaster, 80; Gill Andrews, president, Society of Antiquaries, 64; Dame Geraldine Andrews, High Court judge, 58; Sue Barker, tennis player, host, Question of Sport (since 1997), 61; Dickie Bird, cricket umpire, 66 Tests (1973-96), 84; Baroness (Jane) Campbell, campaigner, commissioner, Equality and Human Rights Commision (2006-09), 58; Dame Julia Cleverdon, vice-president, Business in the Community, chairwoman, National Literacy Trust, 67; Tim Curry, actor, 71; James Franco, actor and director, 39; Trevor Francis, footballer, England (1976-86), 63; Prof Anne Glover, biologist, chief scientific adviser, Scotland (2006-11), chief scientific adviser to the president of the European Commission (2012-15), 61; Trudy Harrison, Conservative MP for Copeland, 41; Joe Hart, footballer, Manchester City (on loan to Torino) and England (since 2008), 30; Dame Kelly Holmes, athlete, double Olympic gold medallist (2004), 47; Kate Hudson, actress, 38; Gina Miller, entrepreneur who won a case over the government’s handling of Brexit, 52; Prof Hugh Pennington, bacteriologist, 79; Murray Perahia, pianist, principal guest conductor, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, 70; Paloma Picasso, designer, 68; Alan Price, singer, the Animals, 75; Sir John Roch, a Lord Justice of Appeal (1993-2000), 83; Michel Roux, chef and restaurateur, 76; Maria Sharapova, tennis player, 30; Lord (Wilf) Stevenson of Balmacara, director, senior policy adviser, Prime Minister’s Office (2008-10), 70; Dr Bridget Towle, chairwoman of council and pro-chancellor, University of Leicester, vice-president, Girlguiding UK, 75; Michael Trend, Conservative MP (1992-2005), deputy chairman, Conservative Party (1995-1998), 65; Jonathan Tunick, composer and orchestrator, 79; Ruby Wax, actress and comedian, 64; Sir Philip Wroughton, lord-lieutenant of Berkshire (1995-2008), 84.

On this day In 1927 the actress Mae West was convicted of obscenity for the Broadway musical Sex.

The last word “Hell, I never vote for anybody. I always vote against.” WC Fields, humorist, quoted in WC Fields by Robert Lewis Taylor (1950).

Right Move A snap election should help the government in negotiations that will define Britain’s future after Brexit, but Theresa May must be magnanimous in her likely victory Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election is that rare thing — a safe political bet. The Conservatives may not win as large a majority as they hope on June 8, but they face a Labour Party in headlong decline and are virtually certain to gain seats. An enhanced mandate for the government would strengthen the prime minister’s position in the forthcoming negotiations with Europe. It would leave her dominant in parliamentary confrontations over the terms of any Brexit deal, and it would give her the upper hand in manoeuvring with Scottish secessionists that will outlast the Brexit process. On all three fronts Britain as a whole stands to benefit from a bigger Conservative majority, as long as it is wisely used. In Downing Street yesterday Mrs May said the country stood at a “moment of enormous national significance”. That is no exaggeration. Her decisions, and those taken by her ministers, will frame this country’s future in a more concrete sense than those of any other cabinet since the Second World War. Britain’s prosperity and influence for generations to come depend on what they seek from Brexit, how they pursue it and what they will accept from it. The prime minister has recognised the paramount importance of strong leadership at such moments, but she must lead in the right direction. As her principal justification for calling the election she offered this soundbite: “The country is coming together, but Westminster is not.” As she well knows, the reverse is true. Parliament has put up only token resistance to the invocation of Article 50 and has accepted an advisory role rather than a veto over the terms of EU withdrawal. On the journey towards that withdrawal, Mrs May must negotiate with a Europe that is affronted by Brexit and govern a Britain that remains bitterly divided by it. The only way to do this will be to forge a compromise in Brussels that will be a tough sell at home, to Eurosceptics and Europhiles alike. That will be the true test and purpose of her new mandate. Until 11am yesterday morning, the election was one of the best kept secrets in modern British history. Barely a dozen people in the country knew its announcement was coming. That it took so many by surprise is a testament to the prime minister’s self-control and control over her inner circle, and is all the more astonishing considering that her claim to have made the decision on her recent walking holiday in Wales is scarcely plausible. The logic behind going to the country will have been as clear to Mrs May, as it has been to this newspaper, for months. The suddenness of the announcement may, for a few days, obscure the scale of what is at stake. The vote will not just set the tenor of the Brexit talks and heavily influence their outcome. It will determine the government’s ability to pass non-

Brexit legislation over the next five years, and it will determine the fate of two political parties. Jeremy Corbyn was said to be calm at the prospect of a national campaign starting in less than a month. It is nonetheless Labour’s nightmare come true. For the first time since his double endorsement by a narrow and unworldly segment of the Left, Mr Corbyn will face the public at large. In all probability he will take a hammering. Trailing the Conservatives by 15 percentage points on average in recent polls, and by 21 in the latest YouGov survey, Labour under the MP for Islington North is facing the abyss. At least 100 of his backbenchers, when asked if they back him as a potential prime minister, will have to lie or change the subject. One, Tom Blenkinsop, has already said that he will not stand again in Middlesbrough because of “irreconcilable differences with the current Labour leadership”. The only consolation for its surviving moderates is that a heavy defeat may put an end to the strange Corbyn interlude and mark the start of a painful but necessary slog back to political reality. Ukip is not much better placed. Since its defining mission was accomplished last June, the party’s leadership has invited only mockery. Its sole MP, Douglas Carswell, has left the party and will stand on June 8 as an independent. Its hopes of a northern sweep at Labour’s expense have faded to a memory. That ambition has been coopted in deadly earnest by Mrs May. Only the Liberal Democrats pose a serious threat to the Conservative battle plan, but they do so in London and parts of the south rather than in Labour’s heartland. As the sole party with a clear pledge to keep Britain in the European single market, the Lib Dems can expect gains where the Remain campaign did well last year. That puts some of the southeast in play, but the recapture of Lib Dem seats lost to the Tories in the southwest two years ago is far from certain. The Conservatives’ calculation is that they will lose a few seats to the Lib Dems in diverse and prosperous areas — such as Twickenham, where Sir Vince Cable, the former coalition business secretary, has said he will run again — while gaining many more from Labour across the Midlands and the north. To accomplish this the Tories will depend heavily on Ukip deserters. By one estimate a Conservative campaign that persuaded half of those who voted Ukip in 2015 to return to the Tory fold could yield up to 50 extra seats at Westminster. This may tempt the prime minister to cleave to the “hard” vision of Brexit to which she has gravitated over the past nine months. If so she should beware campaign promises that prove undeliverable in real life. The prime minister’s gamble looks riskiest in Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish Nationalists, has called the election announce-

ment a “huge miscalculation” and can be relied on to remind voters at every chance that Mrs May has vetoed a second independence referendum while the terms of Brexit remain unclear. Ms Sturgeon will ask why the same is not true of this election. In terms of seats at Westminster the nationalists can gain only three more than they have already, and are unlikely to do so, but the Scottish campaign will inevitably focus minds again on independence as well as Brexit. This election comes as a surprise for the simple reason that Downing Street has spent nine months denying it would ever happen. One favoured explanation was that the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act made an election hard to call. That objection will be brushed aside today when opposition parties join the Conservatives to create the two-thirds majority needed to override the act’s default rule of five years between elections. A frenzy of candidate selection will follow. Even the Tories, who admitted a month ago that discreet preparations in case of a snap poll were under way, are barely half way through the process of ensuring that they have a candidate for every seat. Each party will also have to conjure a manifesto from half-written drafts and think-tank proposals. Mrs May challenged her rivals yesterday to show that they were “not opposing government for the sake of it”. For her own part she will need to show that she has not forgotten about government for the sake of Brexit. The government faces a triple funding crisis — in social care, the NHS and schools — which is exacerbated by the triple lock on the state pension. Voters may tire of Brexit and pay closer attention to such pocketbook issues than politicians anticipate, especially as inflation tightens its grip on household budgets. Mrs May has called the election partly with this in mind: she will welcome the chance to replace inherited manifesto pledges with her own, but at the same time she has a tightrope to walk. The need for strong leadership while negotiating Brexit is the central rationale for this election. It will complicate an already full European calendar. By June 8 France will have a new president. In Germany campaigning will be under way. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, reacted to the announcement by musing that Brexit was being directed by Hitchcock. In fact a British preference for calm is likely to prevail. The most serious risk Mrs May faces is a resurgence of hardline Eurosceptic anxiety over the concessions she will have to make to reach a sensible Brexit deal. She has found the courage to do what Gordon Brown balked at. Having done so she must use any increase in her majority to head off rebellions for the sake of constructive compromise. Only then will she be able to claim that this election was truly in the nation’s interest, not just her party’s.

Time to Mind Prince Harry’s candid interview about mental health will be an inspiration to many For centuries the royal family has been a bastion of the “stiff upper lip”, eschewing public displays of emotion and seldom betraying any personal vulnerability or inner strife. Prince Harry’s recent interview on mental health and his battles with his own demons are a brave and welcome departure from that tradition. As his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, has said: “There may be a time and a place for the stiff upper lip, but not at the expense of your health.” The prince discussed how his life had descended into “total chaos” as he fought back longsuppressed grief at the loss of his mother, Diana,

Princess of Wales. “Losing my mum at the age of 12 and shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life, but on my work as well,” he said. It was only at the urging of his brother, and others close to him, that the prince sought help. For too long it has been too difficult to talk about mental health and for those who are ill to obtain treatment. Gradually this is changing. The very phrase “mental health” used to raise eyebrows as sceptics questioned the implied parity of esteem with physical health. Now that parity is gaining acceptance. As the prince said: “It’s time that

everyone speaks up and that everyone feels very normal about mental health.” Those suffering from depression, anxiety or other mental health problems often feel ashamed to seek help, as if they are trapped in a private nightmare. As the stigma is lifted, those fears can be allayed. This newspaper has long campaigned for greater awareness of, and better treatment for, mental health disorders. The need is particularly pressing for young people, whose symptoms only worsen in later life if not addressed early. The intervention of the prince, along with his brother and sister-inlaw, is commendable and timely. It may save lives.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

World Le Pen lurches back to far right as race tightens Race to the Élysée

europe elections 2017 france

Election poll April Le Pen Macron Fillon Mélenchon Hamon

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30%

Adam Sage Paris

25 Source: Les Echos

Marine Le Pen was accused of reviving the toxic past of the National Front yesterday after lurching further to the right in an attempt to bolster her flagging presidential campaign. Pledging a drastic crackdown on immigration, she said she would suspend all visas for non-Europeans seeking to join family members in France. Supporters of the National Front leader responded at a rally in Paris on Monday by chanting “France for the French”, a slogan associated with Ms Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie, 88, the party founder. La Croix, the Catholic newspaper, said that Ms Le Pen was trying to remobilise her bedrock support by making a link between immigration, crime and terrorism “just like in the days of Jean-Marie Le Pen”. Le Parisien newspaper said: “She is hardening her stance in a way that is unprecedented since the campaign began.” In a radio interview Ms Le Pen, 48, said that France was being “submerged” by immigrants, adding: “Immigration is not an opportunity, it is a drama.” The far-right leader, who wants to reduce immigration from about 140,000 people a year to 10,000, said that she would impose a moratorium on family visas “for a few weeks while we study the situation”. France granted 88,010 family visas last year. She said the moratorium would be lifted once new immigration rules had been put into place, inviting comparisons with President Trump’s travel ban in the US. “Behind massive immigration

20 15 10 April 4

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10 12 14 16 18

Marine Le Pen may not get beyond Sunday’s first round, polling suggests

lies terrorism,” she said at the rally and claimed that if she had been president, none of the terrorists who killed 130 people in Paris in November 2015 would have been allowed into France. The claim was denounced by critics because more than half the 11 jihadists were French citizens. Until yesterday Ms Le Pen had been working to give her party a veneer of respectability, based on the assumption that she would win the first round of the election easily and needed to lure middle-of-the-road voters to obtain a majority in the second round on May 7. However, that strategy has been blown apart by polls which suggest that she can no longer be certain of a place in the second round. An Opinionway poll for Les Echos, the financial daily newspaper, put her on 22 per cent, down two points since last week and behind Emmanuel Macron, the independent centrist, who was on 23 per cent. François Fillon, the scandal-ridden centre-right candidate, was on 20 per cent and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the farleft contender, on 19 per cent. Mr Mélenchon is rivalling Ms Le Pen’s claim to be the anti-establishment champion while Mr Fillon is pitching for the conservative Catholic vote. Benoît Hamon, the Socialist Party candidate, was on 8 per cent. Ms Le Pen has been undermined by her pledge to quit the EU, which has unsettled elderly voters, many of whom have little affection for Brussels but fear losing their savings in a devaluation if the euro is scrapped. Her attempt to adopt a reassuring image has also been hit by ultra-left activists who have tried to disrupt her campaign. They fought with her bodyguards at a rally in Corsica this month and clashed with riot police at her rally in Paris. Two feminists disrupted her

speech when they tried to clamber, topless, on to the stage. Some of the damage has been selfinflicted. Ms Le Pen is widely thought to have performed poorly in two televised debates when she was stymied by criticism from her opponents and aggressive in the presentation of her policies. She also made a gaffe when she suggested that the French nation could not be held responsible for the deportation of Jews from France during the Second World War. Her stance undermined her bid to win over Jewish voters and drew a reprimand from the Israeli government. Ms Le Pen’s difficulties have prompted her to revise her tactics in a scramble to shore up her support. The shift of focus may enable her to get through the first round but it is likely to make it more difficult for her to win a majority in the second round when she will need moderate support. The Opinionway poll suggests that she would be defeated by Mr Macron in the run-off by 64 per cent to 36 per cent. Pollsters say that she would also lose to Mr Fillon or Mr Mélenchon. Her difficulties were highlighted by her embarrassed reaction to a tweet from her father saying that he would vote for her, even though they are no longer on speaking terms. “That makes one more vote,” she said. 6 Anti-terrorist police in Marseilles have arrested two “radicalised” men who they said were on the verge of staging a terrorist attack before this Sunday’s election. Clément Baur, 23, and Mahiedine Merabet, 30, who are both French, were detained in raids in the railway station district of the city yesterday. Searches recovered two assault rifles, explosives and an Islamic State flag. Police said that an attack had been imminent.

Macron is main target of Russian interference

ussia’s effort to sway French voters is alarming the campaign of Emmanuel Macron, the main target of an onslaught of fake news across Frenchlanguage social networks (Charles Bremner writes). The independent frontrunner has just attempted to quell a fresh bout of fake smear stories about secret bank accounts. They originated with, or were boosted by, Russian internet pirates and social media robots, French experts say. Mr Macron’s decision on Sunday to deny the reports that had not appeared in traditional news media — that he was about to be exposed as holding a string of accounts in a secret offshore bank — came as Facebook said that it had acted against 30,000

suspicious French accounts. Mr Macron’s team, as well as security experts, believe that many of the accounts were being used to favour his right-wing, pro-Russia rivals, François Fillon and Marine Le Pen. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left candidate, has also promised better relations with Moscow. The Russian campaign combines French-language content from Kremlin-run news outlets Sputnik and Russia Today, along with fake news sources, all amplified by the social media machine that is part of Moscow’s cyberwarfare operation, security officials claim. Sputnik was reprimanded last month by the French electoral commission over a report that Mr Fillon was back in the lead in the presidential

race after his brush with financial scandal. The item, which quoted a Moscowbased firm, Brand Analytics, was widely disseminated in France. The commission said that Sputnik broke the law because it falsely presented its figures as coming from an opinion poll. Mr Macron, the most proEU candidate, has accused Russia of trying to derail hiss campaign with false rumours, including the claim, aired by the Sputnik agency, that he was involved in a gay relationship. His campaign manager said the team’s computers had been hit by 4,000 hacking attempts, mainly originating in Russia. President De Gaulle hosted Nikita Krushchev in 1960

President Putin, receiving Ms Le Pen in the Kremlin last month, denied interfering. “We by no means want to influence the current events but reserve the right to communicate with all representatives of all political forces of the country,” he added. Mr Macron is the only one of 11 candidates for the

French presidency who is neither sympathetic towards Russia nor an out-and-out admirer of President Putin. The special relationship between the two continental powers goes back to the early 18th century and the reigns of Peter the Great and Louis XV. After the Second World War, President de Gaulle cultivated Moscow to bala balance the influence of the Uni United States in Europe, pitc pitching France as the Sov Soviet Union’s friend among th the western powers. Officials from France’s K Kremlin-backed c communist party served iin n the government of P President Mitterrand as lat as the 1980s. Paris late cul cultural circles promote the iidea dea of an alignment of the Rus Russian and French creative spir spirit.

Hologram projects image of the left

ean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left French presidential candidate, appeared at seven rallies simultaneously last night, thanks to the wonders of hologram technology (Adam Sage writes). Mr Mélenchon, 65, right, whose surge in popularity has thrown the election race wide open, spoke in Dijon in Burgundy, while his hologram addressed the faithful at six other events at the same time. The trick, which he used at his first big rally in February, has helped to boost his image as the most innovative candidate of the campaign. Mr Mélenchon has won widespread support among young voters through a YouTube channel that has more than 200,000 followers, a Facebook page with 600,000 followers and a Twitter account with more than one million. His Rebellious France movement has also created a web radio station and a video game, Fiscal Kombat. The aim is to ensure that a cartoon version of Mr Mélenchon inflicts the highest possible taxes on the wealthy. Antonin André, political correspondent for Europe 1 radio, said Mr Mélenchon was the “Tom Cruise of the web”. Mr André said the left-winger had made his younger rivals look old-fashioned, including Emmanuel Macron, 39, who likes to portray himself as an expert in technology. The hologram was created by filming Mr Mélenchon in Dijon and projecting the video on to wafer-thin screens at the other rallies in Nantes, Grenoble, ClermontFerrand, Nancy, Montpellier and the island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Mr Mélenchon, who wore jeans, appeared as if in person on the stages. Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, and President Erdogan of Turkey, have used holograms to address crowds.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Exodus from South Sudan war fuels famine Page 37

JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT A P ETT I A E

Fury in the Bible belt over gay Old Testament Page 38

Erdogan opponents vow to fight â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;riggedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; election Turkey

Record of repression

Hannah Lucinda Smith Istanbul

Thousands of Turkish women protested last night against President Erdoganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power grab, the third night running of demonstrations. As the rallies in Istanbul grew larger, defying a call by the prime minister for the referendum result announced on Sunday to be accepted, opposition parties vowed to bring court cases against members of the electoral board that declared the vote legitimate, and to block legislation in parliament. Just over 51 per cent of voters approved a package of constitutional amendments that hand Mr Erdogan sweeping executive powers, as well as allowing him to retake his position at the head of the AKP, the ruling party. Bulent Tezcan, deputy chairman of the CHP, the main opposition party, yesterday morning handed Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s election board a demand that the results of the poll be annulled. In a scathing assessment, international observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) concluded that the vote â&#x20AC;&#x153;took place on an unlevel playing field and the two sides of the campaign did not have equal opportunitiesâ&#x20AC;?. The observers added that they were, in some cases, impeded in their efforts to monitor the polling stations, although not the count. Minutes after the polls closed the election board changed the rules to allow unstamped ballot papers, which were previously excluded, to be tallied. The decision has not been explained. The CHP claimed that as many as 1.5 million unstamped papers were counted. Mr Erdoganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s margin of victory was about 1.4 million votes. Ertugrul Kurkcu, a senior figure in the Kurdish-rooted HDP, the third largest party in the parliament, said that the party would seek to sue the

Cult of man who would be Sultan Analysis

here is a cringeworthy moment in Reis, the fawning biopic of Recep Tayyip Erdogan that was such a box office flop that even its director tried to disassociate himself from it (Hannah Lucinda Smith writes). Young Tayyip has just performed another good deed on the streets of Kasimpasa, his gritty Istanbul neighbourhood. He has won the glowing admiration of the grownups, but the envy of his peers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why does everyone love Tayyip?â&#x20AC;? says one, clearly wishing

113,260

People detained â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including 168 generals, 10,732 police and 2,575 prosecutors and judges.

125,000 177

Dismissed from their jobs.

Media outlets closed, although 11 were later reopened.

2,000

Schools, universities and dormitories shut down.

131

Journalists in jail.

individual members of the election board. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Suing [the electoral board members] could have a moral and political impact, if the cases are accepted by responsible judges,â&#x20AC;? Mr Kurkcu said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want them to pay the price for what they have done.â&#x20AC;? Under Turkish law the ruling of the electoral board is final and cannot be challenged in any court. It will make its final announcement on the referendum results next week, although Mr Erdogan has already claimed victory based on the unofficial results collated by Anadolu, the state news agency. Mr Erdogan and Binali Yildirim, his prime minister, have denied suggestions that the vote was unfair, and insisted that the result would stand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Efforts to cast a shadow on the result of the vote by spreading rumours of fraud are futile and in vain,â&#x20AC;? Mr Yildirim said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The will of the people

that he could be more like the future president. It prompted a snort of derision from the friend I went to see the film with. But then, he is what Mr Erdogan would class as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;White Turkâ&#x20AC;?, one of the educated, privileged and urban elites who despise almost everything he stands for. For the other half of the country, the rural, conservative and working-class â&#x20AC;&#x153;Black Turksâ&#x20AC;?, Mr Erdogan is a demi-god. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reisâ&#x20AC;? (meaning chief ) is one of his nicknames. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Uzun Adamâ&#x20AC;? (tall guy) is another; at 6ft he towers over most Turkish men. Look through Turkish popular culture and you will find it stuffed full of Ottoman heroes, hard men and football stars. To his fanatics, Mr Erdogan is all of these rolled into one. His political rallies

was freely reflected in the ballot boxes and this business is over. Everyone and all sections â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the main opposition party in particular â&#x20AC;&#x201D; must show respect. It is wrong to speak after the people have spoken.â&#x20AC;? If the election board upholds the result, as it is expected to do, the HDP, CHP and parts of the nationalist MHP are likely to try to block the preparatory legislation for the new presidential powers, resulting in exactly the kind of parliamentary deadlock that Mr Erdogan promised that the new constitution would eliminate. His AKP does not hold an overall majority in parliament and relies on the support of nationalists to pass legislation. Parliamentary and presidential elections will be held in 2019, before the new presidential system comes fully into force. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will be seeking a nationwide coalition of democratic forces,â&#x20AC;? Mr Kurkcu said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The results of the referendum were very fragile for Mr Erdogan. The consensus [in parliament] is shifting to the opposition side.â&#x20AC;? One AKP insider said that Mr Erdogan still faced hurdles in his attempt to seize total power. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 2019 elections will be very tricky,â&#x20AC;? the insider said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He might be the victim of his own success. In the 2019 [presidential] elections it is sure that he wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get more than 50 per cent in the first round. No party can defeat the AKP in [parliamentary] elections. But a candidate can beat Erdogan in [presidential] elections.â&#x20AC;? Meanwhile, Mr Erdogan has hinted that a new referendum could be held on the reintroduction of the death penalty. Such a vote, which would take place in the autumn at the earliest, would create divisions within his opposition, which is enjoying a rare moment of unity. Nationalists traditionally support the death penalty, while liberals, secularists and Kurds oppose it.

are like rock concerts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I have watched robust headscarved housewives bustle into them with the same joie de vivre as a first-time festivalgoer entering Glastonbury. On stage Mr Erdogan bellows so loudly that he regularly strains his vocal cords. That is the way his fans like it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am especially proud when he raises his voice against the world,â&#x20AC;? one sweetsmiled pensioner told me at a pre-referendum rally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the old days we used to watch our presidents bend to England and America. Now it is very different.â&#x20AC;? In this honourbased culture, facesaving is everything. Turks feel humiliated by the way they have

been treated by Europe, which has played a hotand-cold game with them for decades. Meanwhile, the religious part of society felt humiliated by secularists, who refused to allow headscarved women into public jobs and universities. Do not underestimate how deeply those people adore the man who has finally allowed them to save face. Even though he has dominated Turkish politics for 15 years, Mr Erdogan still manages to convince his supporters that they are the underdogs, battling against the nefarious forces that want to oppress and overrule them. As long as he can keep doing that, his fan base is unlikely to wither.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

World MEYA ALLERUZZO/AP

500,000 civilians flee fighting in Mosul

Madrid Mariano Rajoy will

become the first serving Spanish prime minister to testify in a criminal hearing. Mr Rajoy, 62, has been summoned to give evidence in the so-called Gurtel case, a corruption trial involving 37 defendants, including MPs from the prime minister’s Popular Party (PP), who are accused of being paid bribes by companies in exchange for contracts. Francisco Correa, a businessman, is accused of being the ringleader of the corruption network. The PP denies that senior party officials were involved. It admits a small number of politicians are corrupt and says it is tackling the problem.

early half a million civilians have fled Mosul since the start of the campaign to free the city from Islamic State as the battle becomes bogged down in street-tostreet fighting (Richard Spencer writes). The Iraqi army has advanced only slowly in recent weeks since it moved into the edges of the old city in the heart of west Mosul. It is targeting the Grand al-Nuri mosque, from where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Isis leader, proclaimed his “caliphate” in June 2014. Isis is continuing to resist in the old city’s tangled streets, and the extended fighting in siege conditions, along with the collateral damage of air and artillery strikes, is causing hunger, water shortages, sickness and mental trauma, according to aid agencies. The United Nations said that 493,000 people had been displaced from the city as a whole, with another 500,000 remaining in Isis-controlled parts of

PM called as witness in Spanish corruption trial

Helicopter crash kills 12 Ankara A police helicopter

crashed in a mountainous region of eastern Turkey, killing 12 people on board, including seven policemen and a judge. Suleyman Soylu, the interior minister, said the crash appeared to have been caused by weather conditions. “Any other outside factor is out of the question,” he said, ruling out an attack. The Sikorsky helicopter came down just before midday in the province of Tunceli. (AFP) Families fled heavy fighting by Iraqi forces in the al-Tanek area of Mosul yesterday

west Mosul. “The sheer volume of civilians still fleeing Mosul city is staggering,” Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian

co-ordinator for Iraq, said. Unicef, the UN children’s agency, quoted Iraqi government figures as saying that 275,000 people, including 151,000 children, had been displaced since the start of the push on west Mosul in February.

“We have seen children with signs of psychological distress while others have been injured in the fighting or used as human shields,” Bastien Vigneau, regional emergency adviser, said. “We are getting reports that untreated water is

seeping into the borehole system, which many people are depending on for water. We are also receiving reports of children with acute diarrhoea.” He added that 1.2 per cent of children fleeing the city showed signs of acute malnutrition.

US seeks Beijing’s support for tougher sanctions against Kim North Korea Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Editor

The United States pulled back from the threat of a pre-emptive attack on North Korea yesterday when the vice-president, Mike Pence, assured Japan that President Trump wanted to use peaceful means to persuade Kim Jong-un to give up nuclear weapons. Speaking in Tokyo on the second leg of a ten-day tour of Asia, Mr Pence said that “all options are on the table” but that Mr Trump preferred diplomatic and economic tactics rather than military power. There are signs of increasing confidence in Washington that China is willing to do more to put pressure on North Korea, its ally. “It is our belief that by bringing together the family of nations, with diplomatic and economic pressure, we have

a chance to achieve our objective of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula,” said Mr Pence. “All options are on the table, and there they will remain. But President Trump and I and our administration believe that the most productive way forward is dialogue among the family of nations that can isolate and pressure North Korea into abandoning permanently, and dismantling, its nuclear weapons programme and its ballistic missile programme.” James Mattis, the US defence secretary, added that Washington and Beijing were working closely together. On a visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday he said that Pyongyang had tried to provoke a response by testing a missile on Sunday that failed shortly after it was fired. “The leader of North Korea again recklessly tried to provoke something by launching a missile,” he said. North

Korea still has many technical problems to resolve in its quest to develop a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the US mainland, but the intensity of its current testing worries Pentagon strategists. Mr Pence’s tone was in contrast to the one he adopted on Monday in the South Korean capital, Seoul, where he warned that North Korea could face the kind of missile and bomb attacks visited upon the Syrian air force and Islamic State in Afghanistan. Mr Trump’s confrontation with North Korea is compromising other promises which he made during his election campaign. As a candidate he threatened punitive tariffs on Chinese imports and demanded that Koreans and Japanese buy more American cars. He also said that Seoul and Tokyo should pay more for the treaty protec-

tion they enjoy from the US military. Now, though, he needs the support of all three countries to pressure Mr Kim and the economic and diplomatic complaints appear to have been shelved. A joint document on economic dialogue between Japan and the US, unveiled by Mr Pence yesterday, contains little detail and makes no mention of particular sectors — such as the car industry and agriculture — about which Mr Trump has complained. In a tweet two days ago Mr Trump suggested that his claim that China manipulated its currency for trade advantages could also be withdrawn depending on its policy towards Pyongyang. “Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem?” he wrote. “We will see what happens!” Richard Lloyd Parry, page 28

Ancient tomb rescued from town awaiting a watery grave Turkey Hannah Lucinda Smith Hasankeyf

Work began yesterday to move ancient monuments from a town in eastern Turkey that will disappear underwater once a hydroelectric dam is completed. Hasankeyf, which at 3,000 years old has survived seven empires, from the Romans to the Ottomans, now appears set to fall to President Erdogan’s push for modernisation. The Turkish government last year gave the final go-

ahead for the Ilisu project conceived almost 50 years ago. Once it is completed, Hasankeyf, which is tucked into a limestone gorge carved out by the Tigris, will be 65 metres underwater. The dam, 60 miles away, will generate 2 per cent of Turkey’s electricity. The domed tomb of Zeynel Bey, a feudal landlord who ruled Hasankeyf from 1462 to 1482, will be the first monument to be moved. It has been lifted onto rollers and will be taken uphill to a new museum. There are also uncon-

firmed plans to move another tomb along with the town’s minaret, inscribed with Islam’s 99 names for God and with a stork’s nest perched on top. “I wish it was only the mosque that is going under, but it’s the whole civilisation,” said Mesud who runs a cafe. “Why do I care about Ankara’s electricity?” Hasankeyf’s residents will be moved to a town built by the government construction agency. Their homes have been bought and they have been told to move out in 2018. The town was once

popular with tourists but the resumption of the three-decade war between Turkish security forces and the Kurdish separatist militia the PKK two summers ago has cut visitors. The area around Hasankeyf has been affected by military curfews and insurgent attacks Mr Erdogan’s AK Party is famous for its mega-projects, building tunnels and thousands of miles of roads and railways. They have been popular, but not among leftists, environmentalists or the Kurdish opposition.

Cross-like art crushed Dubai One of Saudi Arabia’s most conservative provinces has demolished a towering concrete sculpture after residents complained that it resembled a Christian cross. The monument in Buraydah, the capital of Qassim province, 220 miles northwest of Riyadh, had stood for 25 years. Arab commentators said the move was an attempt to undermine the state as it began a campaign to embrace the arts. (AP)

Denial by bomb suspect Moscow The alleged mastermind

of the St Petersburg metro suicide bombing told a court yesterday that he was merely an unwitting accomplice. Abror Azimov, who was born in 1990 and is said to be from Kyrgyzstan, claimed he was being fed instructions that he did not realise would lead to the attack on April 3, in which 14 people were killed. Azimov also denied he had confessed to preparing the bombing. (Reuters)

Russian jets off Alaska Washington The US military

intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace off Alaska. Navy Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said a pair of F-22 Raptors confronted the Russian TU-95 Bear aircraft on Monday. Fox News reported that the Russians flew within 100 miles of Alaska’s Kodiak Island and that the US jets escorted the Russian bombers for 12 minutes before they returned home. (AP)

Monastery attacked Cairo Gunmen opened fire on an

Egyptian police checkpoint near the 6th-century St Catherine’s monastery in Sinai, killing an officer and wounding four others. The attackers were shooting from a hilltop. They fled after an exchange of fire and some of them were wounded, police said. The monastery, in a remote area in the south of the peninsula, is a popular site for tourists visiting the Red Sea resorts. (AP)

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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World

Father could not save girl from shark Australia Bernard Lagan Sydney

Surfers in Western Australia are to be offered electronic ankle bracelets that repel sharks after a 17-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a great white. Laeticia Brouwer, whose father tried to drag her to shore while her mother and sisters watched from the beach, was the 15th person to die in waters off the state since 2000. “The ocean was her and her family’s passion,” Steve Evans, her uncle, said. He was in tears yesterday as he read a statement on behalf of the relatives. The family were “terribly hearbroken and saddened by this tragic accident”, he said. “We take comfort in the fact that Laeticia died doing something that she loved.” The authorities are expected to announce a £120,000 scheme next week to persuade surfers and divers to use personal shark repellents. The

devices, which strap to the ankle, contain two electrodes that emit an electric field in three dimensions under water. They cost about £325 each, but the new Labor government in Western Australia campaigned on a promise to subsidise them so that they could be bought for about £120. In tests, the manufacturers say that the devices repel great whites nine times out of ten. The idea marks a shift away from large-scale responses — the administration in Perth has ruled out deploying baited lines — towards encouraging surfers and divers to adopt personal protection. David Kelly, the state fisheries minister, said: “We want to focus on promoting individual shark deterrents that can actually provide genuine protection to the people who are most at risk.” Laeticia was severely mauled, losing much of her leg and quickly becoming unconscious, while surfing at a popular

Laeticia Brouwer, left, with family members. The ocean was her passion and the family have taken comfort in the fact that she died doing what she loved

surf break near the town of Esperance just before 4pm on Monday. Her father, Leon, was surfing close by. With the help of another surfer, he brought her to shore while her mother,

Julie, and her two younger sisters looked on. Ben Jeffes, the Esperance police senior sergeant, said that the girl was a competent surfer and her death had left

her family devastated: “Her father obviously tried everything he could to help his daughter but sadly he wasn’t able to save her. As you might imagine, the family are very, very shocked. It’s a traumatic experience. It must be horrendous.” The shark has not been identified but is expected to be confirmed as a great white by analysis of Laeticia’s mangled surfboard. Local fisheries officers said yesterday that they were almost certain that the shark was a great white, the species confirmed or believed to have been involved in all of the fatal attacks off Western Australia since 2000. Marc Payne, an experienced diver off Esperance, said that his interactions with great white sharks off the southern coast of Western Australia had increased from one sighting every 1,200 dive hours to one every 500 dive hours since the predator became a protected species in 1999.

MEMIE POLSTON

Alligator in search of a mate makes house call

iving in a firstfloor home overlooking a golf course in South Carolina, the Polston family knew alligators lurked in the swamps beyond (Jacqui Goddard writes). They just never reckoned on one emerging from the water, walking across the golf course, climbing a 15ft staircase, breaking down a door and pushing furniture aside to take up residence on their balcony. “He was perfectly happy, would have stayed for however long,” said Steve Polston, who looked out thinking there was a burglar and found the 9ft-plus reptile, left, staring back at him. Wildlife experts were summoned by the state’s Department of Natural Resources to deal with the animal, which they

estimated weighed up to 300lb (136kg). They spent two hours trying to cajole it into leaving. “He started lunging, thrashing, growling a bit,” said Mr Polston, the homeowner, who lost some of his outdoor furniture in the fray. Because of warming weather and the mating season, alligators are on the move at this time of year. They do not hibernate in winter but slow their metabolisms to cope with cooler temperatures, then become more active as spring arrives. In another incident in Parkland, south Florida, Elena Avello took a telephone call from a neighbour warning: “Don’t open your front door.” She looked outside and saw an alligator sitting on her doorstep. Wildlife officials came to remove it.

Britons face visa bar down under Appeal for man due to hang Bernard Lagan

Malcolm Turnbull’s government has adopted a tough “Australians first” approach to jobs and is to scrap the country’s temporary skilled worker scheme — a move likely to affect Britons seeking jobs in Australia. The foreign worker scheme, under which 95,000 foreigners are employed, will be replaced by two visas covering temporary skills shortages that will impose tougher English language tests, longer work experience requirements and mandatory police checks. The number of occupations eligible to be considered for the two-year and four-year visas will be cut by more than 200. Jobs no longer considered will include actors, pilots, butchers, flight attendants, futures traders, public relations managers, radio journalists and

web developers. The scheme being replaced is known as the 457 visa programme, which was introduced in 199697 under John Howard. The move is intended to mimic President Trump’s “America first” stance and to outflank Bill Shorten, Australia’s opposition Labor leader , who promised to tighten up the visa scheme. The prime minister said yesterday that the temporary foreign worker scheme had lost credibility. “We are putting jobs first, we are putting Australians first,” Mr Turnbull said. “We are an immigration nation but the fact remains that Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs, so we are abolishing the 457 visa, the visa that brings temporary foreign workers into our country.” India provided the largest number of workers granted 457 visas in the year to

last September, accounting for nearly a quarter of all successful applications. They were followed by nearly 4,000 Britons who obtained 19.5 per cent of the visas. Well over half of the visas were granted for professionally qualified workers. The latest figures show that the most recent intake included nearly 400 doctors and 300 accountants. Both sides of the political divide have raised concerns about 457 visas in recent years and have adopted more nationalist postures about the need to protect Australian jobs. Pauline Hanson, leader of the farright One Nation Party, claimed credit for the changes. “The government will deny their tough talk on immigration and plan to ban 457 visas is because of One Nation, but we all know the truth,” she said.

after 15 years on death row Iran Richard Spencer Middle East Correspondent

A man who has spent 15 years on death row in Iran for a crime committed when he was a minor is due to be executed today, according to Amnesty International, which appealed for a delay. The human rights group said that the decision to hang Mehdi Bahlouli had been made in spite of a promise by Tehran that death sentences for juveniles were being reviewed. Bahlouli, who stabbed another youth to death in a brawl in 2001 when he was 17, has been transferred to solitary confinement and his family invited for a final visit. A second man, Peyman Barandah, accused of stabbing someone to death

when he was 16, is due to be executed on May 10, Amnesty said. Executing the men “would be an outrageous breach of international human rights law”, Philip Luther, Amnesty’s Middle East director, said. Iran has executed two men this year for crimes committed before they were adults, Amnesty added. Iran executed 567 people last year, more than any country except China, which is believed to carry out more than a thousand executions a year but which does not reveal figures. Five of those executed in Iran last year were juveniles at the time of their offences, according to the United Nations human rights commissioner. The UN says it knows of 78 juveniles on death row in the country, while Amnesty believes that the figure may be 90.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

World INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF CANNABIS/COVER I AGES

Suicide and self-harm surge in migrant camps Greece Anthee Carassava Athens

Altared state Uplifting experiences are on offer at the International Church of Cannabis, in Denver, Colorado, where the artist Okuda San Miguel has painted the chapel ceiling

The teenager from Afghanistan was used to taking everything in his stride: escaping from the Taliban and then travelling more than 3,500 miles to Greece was easy compared with what he faced next. It was being forced to stay in Greece’s most dreaded refugee camp, on the island of Lesbos, that proved insufferable for Qais. “It was not just the conditions [that] were bad, there was no way out,” his sister, Shabnam, said. “The dream of going to the West, to Germany, was gone. So Qais gave up.” He had hoped to travel on to western Europe but the doors had been slammed shut, she explained. The sprawling encampment known as Moria where they were housed was sealed from the outside world. Days after his arrival at the camp, the 16-year-old Afghan sneaked into a medical tent and took 350 painkilling pills, aspirins and multi-vitamins. He was comatose for 40 days. Three months later, his family said, he is on the road to recovery, receiving psychiatric treatment in Athens. With 13,000 migrants and refugees trapped on Lesbos and four other Greek islands on the front line of Europe’s refugee crisis, aid agencies have warned of rising rates of suicide, attempted suicide and self-harm among asylum seekers, including children as young as nine. Moria has been described by an aid worker as the “worst refugee camp in the world”. It has one block of toilets serving 3,000 people who have got through the winter in flimsy tents.

Many are forced sleep on piles of rubbish, resulting in outbreaks of scabies. On Lesbos alone one aid agency estimated that there had been a 366 per cent rise in suicide and selfharm over the past year. On other islands, including Chios, the rates were estimated to have doubled. “This is all indicative of the growing state of despair these people are in as they remain stuck in abysmal

An Afghan refugee in a camp near Athens, where conditions are dire

camps in abysmal conditions for months,” Christos Dimopoulos, of Médecins Sans Frontières, said. Aid agencies have documented numerous cases of asylum seekers using razor blades, broken glass and knives to slash their arms, wrists and necks. Some do so in response to grief and gloom, others to try to expedite their asylum applications. More than 60,000 asylum seekers are stuck in some 50 state-run camps across Greece. Months after Qais’s attempted suicide, Shabnam, his 36year-old sister, tried to hang herself twice. Experts warn that an increasing number of minors — mainly boys

Facebook murderer kills himself in chase United States Will Pavia, Mark Bridge

The man who filmed himself murdering a passer-by and posted the footage on Facebook has killed himself after a police chase in Pennsylvania. Steve Stephens posted a series of videos to the social media and publishing platform on Sunday. He declared his intention to commit a murder, shared footage of himself killing a pedestrian at the side of a road in northeast Cleveland and discussed his crime in a live broadcast. The videos were widely shared, prompting an apology from Facebook. It has sought to avoid being cast as a media company with responsibility for content on its platforms. “We will keep doing all we can to prevent tragedies like this from happening,” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, told its annual conference for software developers yesterday. Footage of the murder was visible on the site for two hours. The company said that the first video in which Stephens, 37, declared his intention to commit a murder was posted at 11.09am. A video showing the shooting of Robert Godwin Sr, a retired foundry worker with 14 grandchildren, was posted two minutes later. Facebook said that Stephens broadcast his confession live. It lasted five minutes until

11.27am. His account was not disabled until 1.22pm. Facebook said that it did not receive a report about the video containing the murder until 12.59pm. “We disabled the suspect’s account within 23 minutes of receiving the first report about the murder video and two hours after receiving a report of any kind,” Justin Osofsky, vicepresident of global operations, said in a blog post. “But we know we need to Steve Stephens said that he had “snapped” after relationship problems

do better.” One of the victim’s grandchildren begged people to stop sharing the video. Ryan Godwin wrote on Twitter: “That is my grandfather, show some respect.” Stephens, a social worker, said in the videos that he had “snapped” after relationship troubles and promised a massacre dedicated to his former girlfriend. Yesterday a member of the public spotted Stephens in the car park of a McDonald’s in the city of Erie. Calvin Williams, the Cleveland police chief, told reporters that a police chase ended after Stephens shot himself.

— are being affected. “A 12-year-old boy from Afghanistan would show up at our tent every day, showing us slits he had made on his hands and neck,” Sacha Myers, of Save the Children, said. “He said he wanted to die but it was clear he was acting out what was going on around him in the camp.” More than a third of those stuck in Greek camps are children and 5,000 of them are unaccompanied. “They have all grown so despondent that they inflict pain on themselves to acknowledge their very existence,” said Nikos Gionakis, a therapist at the Babel relief organisation, which treats traumatised refugees in Athens. “The conditions of these people’s stay must change, otherwise their crumbling mental states will deteriorate.” The situation, experts warn, underscores the severity of migration-related trauma and how poorly the Greek government and the EU have handled the biggest migration since the Second World War. Although a landmark agreement with Turkey last year helped to stem the tide of refugees entering Europe, delays remain in the asylum process, creating an interminable wait. This week, a 27-year-old Syrian refugee died after setting himself alight in protest at the asylum procedure. The incident, a video of which went viral, happened days after another Syrian refugee hanged himself in daylight in the port of Piraeus. On Lesbos, Médecins Sans Frontières recorded a two-and-a-half-fold increase in patients with anxiety and depression. Many of them, including teenagers, had started using drugs to cope with the endless misery.

Billionaire has epic plans for Bollywood India Hugh Tomlinson Delhi

An Indian billionaire plans to smash the record for the most expensive Bollywood film ever made, lavishing 10 billion rupees (£120 million) on a two-part adaptation of the Hindu epic The Mahabharata. BR Shetty, a Dubai-based businessman and one of India’s richest men, is behind the ambitious double blockbuster. Shooting on both parts will begin simultaneously next year. Dr Shetty said the project would enhance the reputation of Indian cinema. “This film will not only set global benchmarks, but also reposition India and its prowess in mythological storytelling,” he said. “I am confident that this film will be adapted in over 100 languages and reach over 3 billion people across the world.” Other Indian blockbusters have struggled to recoup their soaring budgets, however, among them the 2011 sci-fi epic Ra.One, starring Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar. The Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit tale about a battle between feuding princes, has been adapted for film and television many times but never on this scale. Dr Shetty moved to the United Arab Emirates in 1973 and made his fortune establishing the Gulf state’s biggest healthcare group.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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World TUMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL

Joseph, above, fled the fields where he worked when Dinka soldiers started attacking his village. He arrived at the Imvepi refugee camp with countless others, including Gloria and her children, below, after the Bidi Bidi camp, left, hit capacity

Farmland exodus fuels Sudan famine The once peaceful breadbasket of South Sudan has been sucked into civil war, Catherine Philp writes. Pictures by Jack Hill First came the gunshots. Then the knives. The armed men were government soldiers but the people knew them by one name: Dinka. “The Dinka see us as the enemy,” said Joseph, a young farmer who escaped his village two weeks ago as the soldiers swept in. “They do what they want because of the power of the gun.”

Joseph, 22, comes from Lainya county in Central Equatoria, a rich landscape of farmland and fruit trees known as the breadbasket of South Sudan and one of the last peaceful parts of this imploding country — until this year. A government offensive forced Nuer rebels further south and into areas where the residents gave them shelter. “The rebels told us they would give us safety,” Joseph said. Instead the reward for their hospitality was reprisals. Joseph was working in a cassava field when he heard gunshots and saw the smoke spiral above his village. He heard screaming, “like a goat being slaughtered”, and saw a neighbour, Paul, struggling in a Dinka soldier’s grip as his throat was cut. Running into the bush he saw where the dead had fallen, cut down by bullets. Realising that the soldiers were ahead, barring escape, he hid in the grass. “I heard my people die all around me,” he said, shaking. “I hear it again in

my head every night.” Joseph’s tribe, the Pajulu, had nothing to do with the original conflict in South Sudan, which pitted the Dinka-dominated government against its Nuer rivals. Yet as the conflict has spread, tribe after tribe has been been sucked in — the Azande, the Acholi, the Pajulu and the Kuku — completing the national holocaust. Joseph walked for two weeks to cross into Uganda, part of a swelling exodus that has created the world’s largest refugee camp, Bidi Bidi, where 270,000 South Sudanese live. Bidi Bidi is now full. Joseph arrived at Imvepi, the second camp being built with the help of British government aid, in nothing but the clothes in which he fled. He sat, glassy-eyed, awaiting registration in a packed tent next to Gloria and her five children who had walked three days barefoot from Eastern Equatoria after their village was attacked. The spread of the violence to these formerly peaceful areas has alarmed

50 miles

Juba

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Lainya

White Nile Pajok

DR CONGO

Arua

Bidi Bidi refugee camp

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Gulu

aid workers. These were the places that once fed much of the country and the scale and speed of the exodus will only fuel the country’s famine. When the town of Pajok was attacked this month by government troops, who killed 85 people from the Acholi tribe, more than 13,000 people crossed in one day. Fear spread like a contagion in nearby communities, sending them running for the border. “I begin to

wonder how many people are left there,” said Erlend Linklater, a humanitarian adviser to Britain’s Department for International Development. South Sudan’s leaders — government or rebel — show little interest in ending the conflict. The government spends half its oil revenues on weapons while doctors and other government workers go unpaid. That includes soldiers, who make up the shortfall with whatever they can loot from the villages. “They took everything,” Joseph said. “The cattle, the crops. There is nothing to go back to.” He does not know where the rest of his family are: he lost track of them in the frenzy to get out of the killing zone. Once, he said, he would have been glad to leave South Sudan. Not as a refugee but to further his education before returning. He wanted to be a journalist, he said, “but I realised our country doesn’t want journalists. I worry that our country has no future.”

Frail Mugabe, 93, driven to podium Egypt hopes mummies can Zimbabwe Aislinn Laing Johannesburg

A frail Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president since independence 37 years ago, had to be driven to the stage yesterday to make his annual address to the nation, telling his impoverished countrymen they were enjoying “the fruits” of their freedom. Mr Mugabe, 93, who has undergone a dramatic change in appearance after shaving off his hair for the first time in his presidency, reminded his audience of the “untold suffering” they had endured under the colonial British regime. “We can call ourselves masters of our own destiny,” he said. “We, however, need to be mindful that our assignment is not yet over. We have to constantly defend our independence so that it can have meaning. “As government, we continue to pur-

Robert Mugabe with a grasshopper on his shoulder at yesterday’s address

sue socio-economic programmes that consolidate our independence.” The president made no mention of the country’s deepening economic crisis, which last week led the government to suggest that banks should accept goats and sheep as collateral for loans and schools take them as payment for

fees. He suggested further “reorganisation” of the mining sector, despite an earlier indigenisation plan being quietly shelved. He also praised the state power firm for managing to avoid power cuts for more than a year. But his failure to walk the 100m from his dais to the podium drew further speculation about his state of health. In recent months he has disappeared from the public eye for lengthy periods. Mr Mugabe has signalled his intention to stand as his party’s president again in elections next year, as factions led by his wife and the deputy president jostle to succeed him. At present, ZanuPF is largely unchallenged. Opposition parties have failed to form a hoped-for coalition, and a popular movement under the banner #ThisFlag has been muted since its leader, Pastor Evan Mawarire, was charged with attempting to overthrow the government.

coax life back into tourism Egypt Bel Trew Cairo

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed more than a thousand funerary figurines, several colourful wooden sarcophagi and mummies in a 3,500year-old tomb near Luxor. At least eight mummies were found in the 18th dynasty (1550-1298 BC) tomb in Dra Abu al-Naga necropolis near the Valley of the Kings, the royal burial ground in the hills near Luxor. The tomb originally belonged to a nobleman and city judge named Userhat. It was apparently reopened in the 21st dynasty, about 300 years after it was built, to protect more mummies during a time when tomb-robbing was common, Mustafa Waziri, the head

of the archaeological mission, said. The 21st dynasty was a period during which they produced beautiful coffins and used sophisticated mummification techniques.Tombs were often reused. “It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside,” Khaled alAnani, the antiquities minister, told reporters outside the tomb. He said that the discovery, the latest in a string of finds, was important and that he hoped it would help to entice visitors back to the country, which has suffered from a series of terrorist attacks. Although tourism picked up in the first quarter of the year, there are fears that it will fall again after Islamic State said that it was behind three church bombings since December in which more than 70 Christians were killed.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

World TOBIAS HASE/DPA/ALAMY

Bible belt fails to see funny side of gay Old Testament United States Will Pavia New York

April is the cruellest month If you were hoping for a warmer return to work yesterday, spare a thought for residents of Munich, who had to contend with a blanket of snow

For the first season of his new theatre company in Georgia, Paul Conroy decided to put on The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, a comedy that recasts Old Testament stories with gay characters, a lusty rhinoceros and an Egyptian army of lesbian Amazons. “I worked on it before, in Boston,” he said. “It’s a great comedy but it talks too about faith and love, these universal themes. I thought: This is going to speak to everyone.” Little did Mr Conroy know how many people he would reach. With opening night still eight days away, the phone in his little theatre in Atlanta rings incessantly, he has 14,000 emails in his inbox and 40,000 people have signed a petition demanding that he cancel the production. His theatre, The Out Front Theatre Company, had put on Priscilla Queen of the Desert with far less fuss. For this show, however, the cast locked the theatre’s doors during rehearsals. On Monday Mr Conroy

Muslim gunman kills three passers-by Ben Hoyle Los Angeles

A Muslim man shot three white people dead in California yesterday before surrendering to police while shouting Allahu akbar. Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, had expressed hatred towards white people and the government, Jerry Dyer, police chief of the city of Fresno, said. Among his victims were a man in the car park of a Catholic charity building and a passenger in a pickup truck. His social media postings were littered with murderous, racist sentiments, including references to “white devils” and support for Micah Johnson, a black army reservist who shot five police officers dead in Dallas last year. Muhammad was already wanted for the fatal shooting of an unarmed security guard after a fight at a motel in the city on Thursday. The police chief said that it was too early to say whether the shooting spree was an act of terrorism. Muhammad began shooting at 10.45am local time and fired 16 shots from his .357 revolver in less than a minute at four locations as he walked and then ran through Fresno city centre. Sayed Ali Ghazvini, the imam of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Fresno, said that Muhammad was “not known in our community” and that his use of Allahu akbar was an attack on the Muslim faith.

found a piece of paper, held down by a rock, in the box office. The message seemed to be in Spanish, but it was hard to read. He called the police. Despite speaking Spanish, the police could not decipher it. “There was an odd symbol that looked like the symbol of the freemasons, with a big G in the middle of it,” he said. “I couldn’t tell if the first word meant Satan or if it was a hex word.” He said that police contacted the Department of Homeland Security. The petition was led by a group called America Needs Fatima. It cited news reports as saying that the production “portrays Our Lady as a lesbian” and “presents a homosexual version of the Old Testament, with scenes of ‘Adam and Steve’ in full frontal nudity”. The group’s concerns appear to stem from an article by Paul Rudnick, the playwright,

in 1998 describing his inspiration. He argued that when sex was discussed freely and Bill Clinton was embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, religion seemed to be the final taboo. “Wouldn’t matters have been far more titillating if Bill and Monica had been praying together?” he asked. The play, however, does not mention the Virgin Mary. Mr Conroy said that the one reference to a virgin birth came when the lesbian couple, Jane and Mabel, tried to start a family. The petition warned that the play would be opposed by “as large a protest” as the organisers could muster. Mr Conroy insisted that the show must go on and said he had received messages of support. “Paul Rudnick sent us a message,” he said. “He said, ‘Sometimes this happens with this show.’ ” Adam and Steve have outraged many in Georgia

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Brent crude (6pm) $55.49 (-0.46)

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Growth is upgraded to 2% as IMF admits error Strength of post-Brexit economy is boost for May Philip Aldrick Economics Editor

The International Monetary Fund has upgraded UK growth for the second time in six months, delivering Theresa May an early pre-election boost, after conceding that it had been wrong about the short-term economic impact of voting to leave the European Union. Britain is now forecast to grow by 2 per cent this year, almost double the 1.1 per cent projected in October and higher than the IMF’s raised outlook of 1.5 per cent in January. No leading G7 nation was upgraded by more. The IMF acknowledged Britain’s stronger-than-expected performance as it painted an unusually bright picture for world growth. “The global economy seems to be gaining momentum. We could be at a turning point,” Maurice Obstfeld, its economic counsellor, said.

inside today

Election will lessen chances of leaving EU without deal Business reaction, page 42

The prospect of another year of solid growth for Britain gives the prime minister a strong tailwind as she leads her party into an election in six weeks’ time. Britain’s post-referendum economy has proved the doubters wrong so far, including the IMF. On its forecasts, the UK will be the second fastest growing G7 economy in 2017 for the second year running. Back in October, Britain was expected to be the third slowest. Mr Obstfeld said the election could be a worthwhile trade-off between short-term uncertainty accepted in exchange for greater clarity ahead of Brexit talks with the EU. It could increase the Tories’ majority and, with the next poll likely to be in 2022, there would be three years to implement Brexit before the next vote. Philip Shaw, UK economist at Investec, said: “Mrs May’s decision gives her

more time and more space to operate, providing, of course, that the strategy pays off.” The IMF said its earlier gloomy forecast of weaker growth had been delayed, not cancelled. It said that there would be “a more gradual materialisation than previously anticipated of the negative effects of the decision to leave the EU”. Growth is expected to slow to 1.5 per cent next year. The slowdown will be due to the squeeze on household finances caused by the cheap pound and “the impact of uncertainty on private investment”. Medium-term growth prospects have also diminished, it added, due to higher barriers on migration and trade and the potential loss of banking activities in the City. Inflation was likely to hit 2.5 per cent and the Bank of England was likely to follow the US Fed by raising rates in the not too distant future. Overall, the IMF struck an unusually upbeat note for global prospects. World growth this year is forecast to be 3.5 per cent, just above last October’s forecast for 3.4 per cent, and to accelerate to 3.6 per cent in 2018. If the prediction holds, it will bring to a halt four consecutive years of slowing growth. Much of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, published ahead of the meeting of its 189 members in Washington this week, focused on political threats to the economic momentum,. President Trump and the US were not mentioned by name, but the IMF expressed concerns about the direction the White House may be taking the global economy with its apparent retreat from international co-operation. “One salient threat is a turn toward protectionism, leading to trade warfare,” Mr Obstfeld said. “Even as things look up, the post-World War II system of international economic relations is under severe strain despite the aggregate benefits it has delivered. “A broad withdrawal from multilateralism could lead to such self-inflicted

Continued on page 41, col 2

Whatever next A tough year in which full-year profits fell for the first time since the recession has resulted in Next’s chief executive, Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise, having his total remuneration slashed from £4.2 million to £1.8 million Page 40

Bank lending ‘flop’ put under review James Hurley Enterprise Editor

The Treasury has drafted in an expert to investigate why a government drive to boost competition in banking has got off to a rocky start. Russel Griggs, who has led industrywide reviews of small business lending, is to look into whether big banks are abiding by new rules that force them to redirect the small business loan applications that they reject. Last November’s launch of the Bank Referral Scheme was designed to break the hold of a handful of lenders on small company credit provision. Nine banks including Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, Barclays and HSBC are obliged to pass on companies they turn down for lending to one of three online finance portals that refer alternative lenders such as peer-to-peer platforms and independent asset finance providers. The Treasury refused to provide any

performance data on the initiative, rejecting a Freedom of Information request from The Times, but it is understood that there is disappointment among officials at the lack of activity. Professor Griggs, who runs a separate appeals scheme for those turned down for bank loans and is working with Lloyds to oversee the compensation process for the victims of the HBOS Reading fraud, said: “I am going to be visiting banks to check they are doing what they said they would do.” He pointed out that the bank lending appeals scheme he oversees also got off to a slow start but is now regarded as a success, having instigated more than £100 million in lending that would not have taken place otherwise. It is understood that some banks are concerned about alienating the people they turn down if they recommend a scheme that then also turns them down. The Treasury has been secretive

about the scheme’s performance and participating banks have not been told how the well it is doing. The three finance platforms running the scheme, Funding Options, Funding Xchange and Bizfitech, have been told not to share any data. A source close to the scheme insisted there were “no major problems”, but admitted that the number of companies being passed through it so far was “limited”. There are also fears that even if more referrals are made, there may be little appetite among alternative lenders to deal with companies that banks have deemed unworthy of credit. A Treasury spokeswoman said: “Firms across the UK are already benefiting from the referral scheme and we are confident that it will continue to increase access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and boost competition in the banking sector.”

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Business

Need to know

The announcement of a snap general election sent the pound to a four-month high, although the sharp rise dragged down the FTSE 100. The chancellor said the rise demonstrated the confidence that markets had in the future under a Tory government with a new mandate. Page 6

The Treasury has drafted in an expert to investigate why a government drive to boost competition in banking has got off to a rocky start. The review will examine whether big banks are abiding by new rules that force them to redirect the small business loan applications that they reject. Page 39

Business groups warned that the forthcoming general election may divert attention from negotiations with the European Union, but welcomed the prospect of a renewed mandate for the government reducing the chances of Britain crashing out of the bloc without a deal. Page 42

There will be a significant slowdown in British house price growth over the next four years as the effects of the Brexit vote and affordability issues disrupt the market, BNP Paribas Real Estate warned. House prices will grow by 10.1 per cent by 2021, compared with growth of 29 per cent in the previous five years, it said. Page 45

Weetabix is to be sold to Post Holdings, an American consumer goods group, in a £1.4 billion deal that marks the latest in a string of foreign takeovers in the wake of the Brexit vote. Page 45

Oil prospectors are weighing up the costs of exploration in the waters west of Shetland, said to hold billions of barrels of oil, but in deep sea at the mercy of extreme weather that makes extraction expensive. Page 46

Don’t bring bad old days Harry Wilson City Editor

The boss of the Financial Conduct Authority said that Brexit would not give City banks a chance to return to the “bad old days” as he set out how the watchdog would deal with the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. Andrew Bailey said that whatever was decided in the Brexit negotiations, regulators would not allow the threats of relocation of staff and business to allow the watering down of rules. “We’re not going to compromise on that for the sake of getting some outcome on Brexit. We can’t do that. We can’t go back to that bad old world. It’s got to be transparent and it’s got to be risk-managed,” he said. Speaking as the FCA unveiled its latest business plan, Mr Bailey said that the watchdog was starting its work on Brexit from “the premise that firms on the whole don’t want to move opera6 High-cost credit and vulnerable customers will be two of the main focuses for the Financial Conduct Authority in the coming year as it keeps a close eye on indebted consumers (Harry Wilson writes). It is looking out for “aggressive strategies” employed by lenders and had already noted that some firms are exploiting a loophole to allow them to provide loans without being regulated. The watchdog said it would be “paying close attention to developments”, a big hint that it could launch a further clampdown. tions out of London”. He added: “Yes, there is a potential world in which firms seek to move activities only, a sort of minimum level of movement . . . They would much rather prefer to keep a hub of operations here.” Mr Bailey said that the FCA would oppose attempts by banks to use Brexit as an opportunity to move some activities in an effort to return to the “opportunist booking models” of the past that he warned had contributed to the global financial crisis. “We do not want to go back to the bad old world, because the bad old world was part of the crisis story of opaque booking models where firms themselves actually really didn’t know where stuff was being booked,” Mr Bailey said. The FCA said that its work in the coming financial year on Brexit would cost regulated firms an extra £2.5 million in fees, though this would be paid only by financial institutions with extensive international operations. In its business plan for the next 12 months,

The FCA is worried that people buying cars could be paying too much for their loans and are being sold inappropriate

the FCA said that it was advising the government on Brexit talks and Mr Bailey said the extra spending covered the “lift and shift” work of translating European law into UK legislation. The FCA also published its first sector views report, which covers its work supervising 56,000 local and international financial services firms in the UK. This report warned of some downsides from Brexit, pointing to a loss of some services should firms decide against continuing to offer them to British clients, as well as the time demands on senior managers leading to other problems being overlooked.

Runaway credit — and the customers being left behind Harry Wilson

The Financial Conduct Authority, the regulator of 56,000 businesses ranging from dentists’ practices offering consumer credit through to the world’s largest banking groups, is privy to an enormous volume of information. Yesterday, for the first time, it gave an in-

sight into the problems it sees looming and what it plans to do about them. retail banking The biggest banks are in the process of legally separating themselves, a process known as “ring-fencing”. This work is highly complex and time-consuming and the FCA said it was concerned that

New look for Next directors’ pay deal Hammond set Deirdre Hipwell Retail Editor

Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise has had his total remuneration slashed from £4.2 million to £1.8 million after a tough year in which Next’s full-year profits fell for the first time since the recession. The Next chief executive’s pay dropped heavily as he did not receive a bonus — £530,000 the year before — after failing to hit targets. It is the first time in 18 years that he has missed his annual bonus. None of the top management team received a bonus and total remuneration for senior directors was 30 per cent to 45 per cent lower than the year before. Proposed pay increases in the present year also have been curtailed to reflect the chain’s weaker performance. Next, normally an outperformer on the high street, revealed last month that

Next share price £90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

its underlying pre-tax profits had fallen by 3.8 per cent from £821.3 million to £790.2 million in the year to January 31. In its annual report, the retailer said that it had been a “challenging year and the remuneration outcomes of the directors have reflected this”. If the

chain had hit all its targets last year, three of its top executives would have received salary increases of between 15 per cent and 18 per cent. This included Michael Law, operations director, Jane Shields, sales and marketing director, and Amanda James, the finance director. Mr Law’s and Ms Shields’s pay rise has been cut from 15 per cent to 1 per cent, taking their salaries to £416,200 instead of £475,000. Ms James’s salary has risen by 16 per cent, instead of 18 per cent, to £416,200. Lord Wolfson has been awarded a 1 per cent increase, taking his basic pay to £766,000. All the directors have been awarded shares, as part of a longer three-year long-term incentive plan. Lord Wolfson received £606,000 worth of shares, in addition to his salary, which is down from £2.2 million the year before.

to accept loss on RBS stake Katherine Griffiths Banking Editor

The chancellor has conceded he may press the button on a sale of shares in Royal Bank of Scotland for less than the government paid in the financial crisis. Philip Hammond’s remarks are set to raise City expectations that the Treasury will start to sell its 72 per cent stake as soon as it can, once RBS has reached a key settlement with American authorities over mis-sold sub-prime mortgage bonds. That could come this year. Mr Hammond told the Commons yesterday that the government would sell “as soon as we can achieve fair value

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Business

back, City warned FRANK RUMPENHORST/AFP/GETTY

cards are another area already under the spotlight and the FCA said it was worried about the practice of allowing customers with over-large borrowings, but who could meet interest payments, to continue paying out and building up unsustainable debts. In mortgage lending, too, the report identified the problem of borrowers being given “overforbearance”, despite the lender knowing there was little prospect of a home-owner ultimately being able to repay their debt. pensions With the pensions freedom laws bedding in, the FCA is keeping a close eye on developments in the retirement savings market. One of the most striking findings was that affordable and decent-quality advisers were lacking, particularly for less affluent savers. The report also pointed out some unintended consequences of the pensions reforms, in particular that people aged over 55 with access to their pensions savings may distort the housing market by investing in buy-to-let properties.

products, one of several looming problems identified by the City watchdog

fund management Asset managers have been one of the main targets of recent FCA reports and the latest sector review maintains the pressure on the industry. As with many other areas of financial services, the regulator warned of conflicts of interest leading to consumers being sold unsuitable products. In fund management, this led to concern at poor value for money, with advisers giving little transparency on their fees. The regulator also said that it had seen evidence of poor product governance, meaning that investments were created without regard to the end buyer. A further warning related to custody arrangements for fund assets, with the FCA warning that custodian banks had generally underinvested in their infrastructure, something that could lead to problems in the future for the industry.

the reforms intended to make banks safer could have unintended consequences that left customers worse off. It was particularly worried by the “continuity of banking services”, essentially that such significant organisational changes could disrupt the service that lenders provide. The technology revolution is another problem area. The shift towards an ever increasing number of services being provided electronically could leave some customers excluded. While the FCA did not say which group, this is most likely to consist of poorer and older customers and the watchdog said

it saw little evidence of other providers stepping in to service these groups.

investment banking As the regulator of one of the largest financial centres on earth, the FCA’s views on investment banking will be closely examined internationally. Here the regulator warned about the risks to the City from financial crime and pointed to what it saw as a lack of resources at some firms for closing down potential vulnerabilities in the system. The watchdog said some of the more esoteric and illiquid markets offered opportunities for financial criminals and that wrongdoing could be hard to spot because of a lack of transparency.

for the shares, recognising that fair value could well be below what the previous government paid for them . . . We have to live in the real world.” RBS shares slipped along with the wider market, closing 1.6 per cent down at 224¾p. They have recovered some lost ground since the Brexit vote, but are still trading at a deep discount to the 502p price that taxpayers paid to save RBS from collapse. RBS received the largest bank bailout in the world, at £45.5 billion. As chancellor, George Osborne kicked off the sale of RBS shares in the summer of 2015, selling 5 per cent at 330p a share, marking a £1 billion loss. Multiple problems for RBS have put further sales on ice. The Treasury is set to be completely out of Lloyds’ within the next month, having once held 43 per cent. It now owns 2 per cent. It is expected to make a profit of several hundred million pounds on its Lloyds stake, having bailed out the bank with £20 billion.

Growth upgraded to 2%

consumer lending Unsurprisingly, given the growth of personal debt, the consumer lending section of the report contains some of the most striking warnings. In the area of automotive financing, the regulator said it was concerned that customers were paying too much for credit, as well as being sold inappropriate products. “Some firms exploit demand-side weaknesses and we observed some unmanaged conflicts of interest,” the regulator said. Credit

Continued from page 39

wounds as widespread protectionism or a competitive race to the bottom in financial oversight. A struggle of each against all that would leave all countries worse off.” Mr Obstfeld was careful to acknowledge that Mr Trump’s diagnosis of America’s populist anger had some merit, but emphasised that the failures had not been of globalisation but of the political response. Governments could have done more to help trade’s losers and should respond now. “Trade has been an engine of growth, promoting impressive per-capita income gains and declines in poverty throughout the world. But its benefits have not always been equally shared within countries and political support for trade will continue to erode unless governments step up to invest in their

workforces and aid the adjustment to dislocations,” he said. “Policy must address these disparities head-on to ensure the stability of an open, collaborative trading system that benefits all.” The IMF said faster-than-expected US interest rate rises could destabilise the world economy by driving up the dollar and causing repayment problems in parts of the developing world that have borrowed in foreign currency. Although China is rebalancing, “growth has remained reliant on domestic credit growth so rapid that it may cause financial stability problems down the road”, it said. Productivity growth also remains subdued. But, in an usually positive outlook, the IMF also said: “There are clearly upside possibilities. Consumer and business confidence in advanced economies could rise further.”

An easy win? Don’t bet on it business commentary Alistair Osborne

oing to the polls in June is always highly predictable: just ask David Cameron. So no wonder Theresa May has “reluctantly” come to the conclusion that it’s the ideal month to do in Jeremy Corbyn. It’s a bit of a U-turn on her part, too, what with those repeated denials of any plans whatsoever for a snap election. How did her official spokesman put it as recently as March 20? That’s right: “It is not going to happen.” Still, why would Mrs May care about fibs like that now she’s spotted her big chance? Those ever reliable opinion pollsters have the Tories on 44 per cent of the vote versus Labour’s 23 per cent, the biggest gulf for 34 years. So, if they’re to be believed, Mrs May has a clear opportunity to increase her thin 17-seat majority, finish off Jezza and, crucially, neutralise the threat from within her own party from around 50 rabid Brexiteers. That’s one reason the pound jumped to $1.29, its highest since October. The markets swiftly calculated that there is now more chance of a softer Brexit. Talks are due to complete in 2019, but, with no election in 2020, there’s more scope for a “lengthy transitional period”, so reducing “crash risk”, as Deutsche Bank put it yesterday. Besides, Mrs May is no Gordon Brown. Right now, she can bask in the latest economic upgrade from the International Monetary Fund, the Brexit scaremongering outfit that’s now forecasting 2 per cent growth this year, almost double October’s estimate. Even so, this could be as good as it gets for a while, once rising inflation puts the squeeze on consumer spending. Still, Mrs May’s move is not without its risks, and not just that she could have underestimated the myriad attractions of a coalition of Mr Corbyn, the Lib Dems’ Tim Farron and the SNP, all fighting on a Remain ticket. People might not vote, sick of four polls in four years: 2014’s Scottish referendum, 2015’s general election, 2016’s EU ballot and now another election. There also could be a backlash against a PM who decides, just weeks after triggering Article 50, that she’s got nothing better to do than waste 51 days on a domestic political campaign. Moreover, Mrs May will have to produce a manifesto. So, won’t she have to spell out her Brexit stance on immigration and trade? And what will she say, for example, on triple-lock pensions or tax rises, both potential vote-losers? No doubt she’d also like to do away with George Osborne’s daft “tax lock”, the one that got his successor into so much trouble at last month’s budget, given the Tories’ pledge not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance for five years. Not everyone will like that, maybe even a certain part-time newspaper editor. It could get a bit messy. True, if Mrs May’s gambit works then she’ll have a bigger majority at the price of a stronger leader of the opposition. But, as Mr Cameron might point out, things don’t always go to script.

Talk isn’t cheap

ook up the most famous missions in history and all kinds of stuff crops up: the Apollo landings, the Bay of Pigs, even Operation Washtub. Few, though, are likely to stand the test of time quite like the long-awaited sortie from Andrew Bailey, the Financial Conduct Authority boss. At last he has unveiled his “mission”. And what is it, you ask? Oh, to “serve the public interest”, while bossing around 56,000 firms. Anyway, he takes 35 pages to talk about that, while pointing out that he also spent Easter polishing off four other documents: a feedback statement on the same mission running to 43 pages, a 62-pager called sector views, a business plan clocking in at 102 pages and, biggest of the lot, a 138-page request for more money, via a consultation on fees. In this, Mr Bailey explains that the funding requirement for 2017-18 is going up by 1.5 per cent to £527 million. This will help the FCA to “publish further documents”, in case we don’t have enough already. And what have we learnt from all this? Well, that the FCA is still a bit worried about “high-cost credit”, sees a rising threat from “cyberattacks”, will help out on Brexit and has views on just about everything. Which ones are important, though, is anyone’s guess.

Bitter pill

irst cats, now house dust mites. Circassia Pharmaceuticals’ once-vaunted allergy treatments have again proved no more effective than a placebo. The upshot? It’s calling a day on all further investment in its allergy portfolio. No big surprise to the market, either, to judge by the mere 2 per cent fall in the shares to 101¼p (Tempus, page 50). Circassia will now focus on its Niox respiratory diagnostic business and, after last month’s tie-up with Astrazeneca, the rights to two treatments for chronic lung disease. But it’s not quite the outcome investors were looking for when Circassia raised £275 million at 288p in June 2015. Backers include onefifth shareholder Neil Woodford. He must be mainlining placebos.

On the wrong track

ho’d have thought it? HS2 has let a £170 million contract and CH2M hasn’t even won. Yes, mainly because it’s the same contract that the US firm handed back after a conflicts of interest row. Bechtel is now the preferred bidder for Phase 2b of the £56 billion high-speed extravaganza. Still, don’t worry about CH2M. A parliamentary question from the Tory MP Cheryl Gillan has just turned up how much it’s been paid so far from its work on the world’s priciest line on a map: just under £103 million. All aboard the gravy train.

alistair.osborne@thetimes.co.uk

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Business ELEFTHE IOS ELIS/AFP/GETTY

Greek pensioners protest against the cuts demanded to secure the latest bailout

IMF may reject new Greek bailout deal

he International Monetary Fund will walk away from Greece if it decides that Europe’s bailout deal leaves the country’s debts unsustainably high, Christine Lagarde has warned (Philip Aldrick writes). Greece will be high on the agenda of the IMF’s spring meetings, which start in Washington on Friday. Athens is running out of time to secure a new loan under its €86 billion rescue programme, the third since 2010. The latest tranche of its bailout needs to be released in time to meet debt repayments due in July. Without new money, the country could run out of cash and default, triggering a re-run of

surplus and for the austerity measures to be sustainable, with a particular focus on the country’s enormous state pension liabilities. The IMF is not satisfied that the measures that get Athens to a 3.5 per cent surplus are deliverable, but Brussels has accepted them. As a result, Brussels assumes that the Greek debt will fall far more rapidly than the IMF does, so little debt restructuring is needed. The IMF disagrees and wants more restructuring or provisional austerity plans if the target is missed. The dispute has resulted in stalemate, as Germany refuses to sign off the latest loan instalment until the IMF comes on board. The IMF predicts that Greece will grow by 2.2 per cent this year.

the 2015 crisis. Until the IMF decrees that Greece’s debts are on a sustainable path, it has refused to put any more money at risk. “If Greek debts are not sustainable based on IMF rules and reasonable parameters, we will not take part in the programme,” Ms Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, told Die Welt, the German newspaper. Maurice Obstfeld, the IMF’s economic counsellor, said that discussions with the European Union were under way. The EU has demanded that Greece deliver a 3.5 per cent primary surplus, where state income exceeds spending, excluding debt interest. The IMF wanted a 1.5 per cent

Election cuts chance of hard Brexit, say business leaders Marcus Leroux

Business groups have warned that the forthcoming general election may divert attention from negotiations with the European Union, but have welcomed the prospect of a renewed mandate for the government, reducing the chances of Britain crashing out of the bloc without a deal. Organisations representing big employers and industries, as well as City economists and fund managers, said that the election could help to reduce uncertainty by ensuring that the government has political leeway to negotiate and ample time to implement a transitional deal. However, some expressed frustration that another election campaign would hamper the detailed work that the government and businesses needed to carry out to prepare for Brexit. Rupert Harrison, portfolio manager at Blackrock and former chief of staff to George Osborne when he was

chancellor, said that the rise in sterling was a reflection that the “chances of crashing out with no deal have gone down”. Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec, said: “A victory would allow [Mrs May] to negotiate Britain’s EU departure without the threat of an imminent election taking place. The UK’s negotiating hand in the run-up to Brexit in March 2019 could have been weakened by the need to reach a prompt settlement on individual issues with the European Council.” Investors said that markets would welcome a result that chipped away some of the influence held by Brexit hardliners in the Conservative party. Luke Bartholomew, an investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management, said: “The election should hand Theresa May a much bigger mandate to stand up to the harderline, anti-EU backbenchers who hold a disproportionate sway over her party’s stance on Brexit. That would be welcomed by financial markets.” Investment growth has tailed off

markedly since the referendum, but some economists argued that the snap election could help to restore business confidence. Scott Corfe, a director at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, said: “Increased certainty should feed through into higher levels of business investment, supporting growth in the short term.” Business groups were lukewarm. Stephen Martin, head of the Institute of Directors, said: “Businesses are having to get used to being buffeted by the changing winds of politics at the moment and will just have to endure yet another campaign.” Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Many business communities will be concerned that attention will inevitably shift from the economy and the intricacies of leaving the EU to a potential election campaign. Firms will want to be reassured that the key challenges facing the economy will be front and centre throughout any election period.”

Low-skills economy ‘threatens future’ Tom Knowles Economics Correspondent

Investment in vocational training across EU, 2005-2010

Britain is sleepwalking towards a “low-value, low-skills economy” that will leave it ill-prepared for its postBrexit future, human resources managers fear. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said that the country had spent the past two decades under-investing in skills involving literacy, numeracy and IT and had failed to commit to a meaningful long-term policy around skills. It said that this would prove particularly damaging for the economy at a time when Britain likely to face restrictions on importing talent from outside the country after the Brexit

Cost per employee, € France

2005

2017 842 935

Germany 487

592

Italy 420 442 UK 345 266

Source: eurostat

vote. The CIPD highlighted multiple failings compared with other developed nations. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has said that England and Northern Ireland rank in the bottom

four for literacy and numeracy skills among 16 to 24-year-olds. Employers spend less on training than other big economy in the European Union and this gap has widened since 2005. The UK is fourth from the bottom in an EU league table on adult learning, with evidence showing a marked deterioration since 2007. Peter Cheese, the CIPD’s chief executive, said: “Our young people are entering the workplace, college or university with mediocre scores on maths, reading and science despite a high rate of investment in education.” The institute argues that Britain is also not strong enough at “upskilling and reskilling” its workforce, which it says is essential at a time of increasing automation.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Comment Business

David Smith

Alexandra Frean

We must keep thinking inside the box for the patent regime to thrive

Why fear the march of the robots? We will be walking hand in hand

‘‘

It looks like the kind of thing that should be keeping us awake at night: the march of the robots, the idea that automation will replace millions of jobs. Eighteen months ago Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s chief economist, generated headlines, something he is good at, with a calculation that 15 million jobs in Britain are at risk of automation. In America, he said, the figure is 80 million. More recently the Institute for Public Policy Research, adapting a 2013 Oxford Martin School study by Carl Frey and Michael Osborne, estimated that nearly two thirds of jobs are at risk of automation in hotels and catering, 63.7 per cent in the motor trade, 61.3 per cent in agriculture, 55 per cent in administration and support services, 48.5 per cent in manufacturing and 47.5 per cent in finance and insurance. By region, the risk of automation is lowest in London (39.3 per cent) and highest in the northeast (47.8 per cent) and Northern Ireland (48.5 per cent), according to the IPPR. In a report last month, PWC also assessed the risk of automation in the relatively near future, affecting people presently roughly in the middle of their working lives. Its conclusion was that 30 per cent of British jobs were at risk of automation by the early 2030s, lower than in the United States (38 per cent) and Germany (35 per cent), but higher than Japan (21 per cent). In America, the automation factor has led to suggestions that, even if President Trump were successful in “reshoring” manufacturing activity, the beneficiaries will not be rust belt workers but US robots. Some of Silicon Valley’s finest, at the forefront of artificial intelligence, driverless vehicles and other technology, are so concerned that they have become advocates of the economically flawed universal basic income, a guaranteed income for all, to ensure that humans replaced by robots can still eat. So how worried should we Technology will replace some jobs, but not replace people

be, or if not worried, fascinated? Where will we all be when the robots take over? The first point to make is that if automation is to replace people, the trend so far is in the other direction. Britain’s labour market has been notable not for the number of jobs shed but the number created. Employment in the 16 to 64 age group is at a record-equalling 74.6 per cent of the workforce. The records go back to 1971 and many more young people now stay in education beyond 16, reducing potential numbers in work, so the latest record is an extraordinary achievement. Within the figures there has recently been a shift from parttime to full-time work. It is not happening only in Britain. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development reported on April 13 that the employment rate across the industrialised world had risen to 67.2 per cent in the final quarter of last year, up 0.7 percentage points compared with a year earlier and higher than before the global financial crisis. You may say that what has happened recently tells us nothing about the future, but that would be a mistake. Automation is not something that happens from now on. It is a continual process — look at how many manual tills have been replaced by automated checkouts — and it has happened alongside a rise in employment. This is the second essential point. Automation has been replacing jobs for centuries. The agricultural and industrial revolutions saw manual tasks replaced by machines in huge numbers. In the case of industry, if not agriculture, mechanisation was accompanied by large-scale increases in manufacturing employment. The machines improved productivity, enabled better and more consistent quality and ensured that manufacturing drives modern-day prosperity. In recent decades, machines have replaced the jobs done by people. Fiat’s “handbuilt by robots” advertisement for the Strada car in tthe late 1970s and early

1980s portrayed a factory in which the human presence was hard to detect. By this time, however, the services sector had taken over as the engine of employment growth. For services, automation has done what it did for manufacturing, driving efficiency alongside rising employment. More people work in banks, despite the ubiquitous ATM, which was supposed to replace them. And when did you last see a typing pool? Future automation, therefore, would have to break completely with historic precedent. Some argue that artificial intelligence will indeed mean that this time is different. Machines will be not just be quicker and more efficient than humans, but smarter. But “this time is different” is a dangerous peg on which to hang any argument. I have seen no convincing evidence of an impending break with the past. The final point, raised by PWC, is that there is a difference between the potential for automation and what actually happens. Some economists say that is already the case and we would not be bemoaning stagnant productivity, alongside high employment, if the expected investment in automation had occurred in recent years, PWC also noted that when that investment does occur, it will create new jobs in digital technology and, by generating productivity gains, boost wealth and spending in a way that creates jobs, particularly in service industries, as in the past. We should not be complacent, particularly about improving workforce skills, but we should not be scared, either. The jobs market is in a constant state of flux. Jobs exist now that did not 20 years ago. There will be jobs in 20 years we do not know about now. Automation will replace some jobs, but it will not replace employment. That is the key distinction. The dystopian vision of a world run by robots and a severe shortage of jobs is not remotely likely. Technology will replace some jobs, but not replace people. In the future, as in the past, employment and unemployment will be determined by economic, not technological factors.

’’

David Smith is Economics Editor of The Sunday Times

teve Lindsey is one of British industry’s best kept secrets. As a child he built model aircraft from scratch and invented a recumbent bicycle with which he hoped to beat the land speed record. He has spent the past 12 years creating a new industrial device that promises to cut costs. His industrial blade compressor replaces traditional up-and-down piston technology with a rotary disc that minimises energy consumption. This matters because compressors account for about 10 per cent of energy used by industry across Europe. The invention is now in use at Severn Trent Water to process sewage and is credited with a 3 per cent reduction in the company’s electricity bill. With Shield Group

Amount saved through the patent box scheme

£875m

£700m £750m £345m 2013-14

14-15

15-16

16-17

Source: Moore Stephens

Engineering, Mr Lindsey, 45, is hoping to build a manufacturing plant near Napton in the Midlands, where his company is based, to take his invention around the world. Mr Lindsey credited Britain’s patent regime for helping his company, Lontra, to get off the ground. “You can’t get away from patents. We have seven families of patents and we continue to submit them on a regular basis. Without them we could not have got our investors on board,” he said. It is precisely with companies such as Lontra in mind that the government introduced its patent box in 2013. This allows UK businesses to pay corporation tax of only 10 per cent on profits derived from any UK or certain EU patents. The regime, aimed at encouraging companies that develop new ideas to translate them into goods manufactured here, has proved popular. Last year the amount saved by businesses through the patent box increased by 17 per cent to a record £875 million. For the small

and medium-sized companies at the cutting edge of innovation in the UK, that’s a big windfall. Despite the popularity of the scheme, the government was forced to make changes in July last year that made it more bureaucratic and less attractive. This followed an objection from some EU states and the OECD that it gave some companies an unfair advantage and encouraged profit-shifting to the UK. Under the new rules, companies must demonstrate more clearly the link to the corresponding R&D activity conducted in order to qualify for the relief. Nevertheless, the potential tax benefit remains and companies can, in some circumstances, backdate claims to the old regime for up to six years. So the patent box in its less-than-optimal present form is here to stay, but we should not be satisfied with this. Brexit provides the perfect opportunity for the government to reform the regime without restrictions from the European Union and its state aid rules. A more attractive patent box — with a simplified application process and reduced requirements to qualify — may help to protect the UK as one of the leading centres of innovation once it has left the EU, creating R&D jobs and improving productivity and employment. Steven Levine, of the accountancy firm Moore Stephens, believes that Brexit also provides an ideal opportunity to introduce other patent box-style tax breaks to act as further incentives to R&D investment. He said that at present, businesses in the UK invest the equivalent of 1.7 per cent of GDP on R&D, two fifths less than the OECD average. He’s right. There were promising signs in the spring budget that the government intended to make administrative changes to the R&D tax scheme. There’s no obvious reason why a new administration would depart from this. Hopefully, it will see the value of sending a loud and clear signal to Britain’s innovators that such thinking can be extended to the patent box, too. Alexandra Frean is Business Columnist of The Times

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Business

Millions ‘go missing’ at Aim-listed miner Marcus Leroux

A London-quoted goldminer has said that millions of dollars seem to have been transferred from its bank accounts without explanation, prompting the removal of its chief executive and finance director and halving the value of the shares. Asa Resource Group began an internal investigation two weeks ago after receiving an anonymous letter about alleged behaviour at its Freda Rebecca goldmine in Zimbabwe. At first the Aim-listed company said that “certain disgruntled former employees” may be at the root of the allegations. However, after an internal review the company said that there was “strong evidence of funds amounting to several million US dollars being transferred from the accounts of FRGM [Freda Rebecca goldmine] to entities in China, without full value being received by FRGM”. Yat Hoi Ning has been removed from the board and as chief executive, while Yim Kwan, finance director, has also been removed from the board and sacked. Neither could be contacted yesterday. EY is conducting a further investigation, as well as its routine audit for the financial year that ended on March 31. Barry Dearing, Asa’s group counsel, has been in Zimbabwe for two weeks investigating the anonymous claims. The company’s board of directors

had been asking for information from Mr Ning and Mr Kwan to no avail, according to Niall Henry, a non-executive director. Independent directors already harboured concerns over the “unusual” management style of Mr Ning and Mr Kwan when they received the anonymous tip-offs, Mr Henry said. “They have had plenty of time to come forward with a reasonable explanation and they haven’t done that yet. That’s the bottom line,” he said. “In the face of that, we have to protect the interests of all shareholders.” The company said in a statement that it was likely to replace Chinese managers who had been appointed by Mr Ning. David Murangari, Asa’s chairman, said in a statement: “This is a very sad day for all who have been connected with Asa, Mr Kwan and Mr Ning. “We feel very sorry that we have been misled and are only thankful that the anonymous allegations led to an inquiry as a consequence of which we have identified a lot of what has gone wrong.” Shares in Asa fell 1p to 1p yesterday, valuing the company at £18 million. Asa owns 85 per cent of the Freda Rebecca mine, as well as 75 per cent of Bindura Nickel Corporation, which is floated separately in Zimbabwe. The company said that its exploration permits at the Zani Kodo project in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been renewed until 2029.

CITY PEOPLE The feuds, the faces and the farcical Katherine Griffiths

why two annual meetings can be better than one May 11 will be a red letter day for the nation’s annual meeting enthusiasts. Both Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland have picked the date to hold their AGMs, which are usually lively affairs with people keen to have a go at management over everything from fat cat pay to grievances over their own loans. The good news is the two banks have considerately scheduled the events so that they do not clash: Lloyds will be in the morning, followed by RBS in the afternoon. Conveniently, both take place in Edinburgh. The even better news for Lloyds is that its event allows only three hours before RBS gets going, minimising the time for awkward questions. voice of reason So farewell, then, Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Bankers’ Association. He is packing his bags this summer, when the BBA joins five other trade organisations to become the monolithicsounding UK Finance. A former Times journalist and adviser to Boris Johnson, Mr Browne was always a slightly unlikely “voice of banking”,

Business big shot name harry kenyon-slaney age 56 position chairmandesignate, gem diamonds

arry Kenyon-Slaney can truly say he started from the bottom before reaching the top of his profession (Will Humphries writes). The next chairman of Gem Diamonds began as a shaft-sinking geologist at the Western Deep Levels goldmine in South Africa in 1984. He rose steadily up the corporate ladder to become chief executive of energy at Rio Tinto before leaving in 2015. At present he is a senior adviser to McKinsey & Co, a partner at Audley Capital Advisors, a member of the board of directors of Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group and a nonexecutive director of several private companies. The keen cyclist and windsurfer, who honed his skills on the bike and board in South Africa and Australia, will succeed Roger Davis on June 6.

as the trade body likes to style itself. His understated style was favoured at a time of much shouting, chiefly about the Libor scandal that the BBA found itself at the centre of. Having helped to improve the image of bankers, no challenge presumably is too great for Mr Browne. couture runs out of juice It’s ironic that Juicy Couture, maker of expensive velour tracksuits, is closing its UK shops, according to The Daily Telegraph. The American company, which a decade ago epitomised the so-rich-I’m-slouchy look, has not capitalised on the boom in “athleisure” clothing, in which every second hyper-toned, Chelsea-dwelling woman mooches about all day in sports clothes. Where did it go wrong, Juicy? this is no time to party Students from King’s College London and several other universities will pit their skills against each other this week in a “day of crisis”, a 24-hour period in which they will use their legal and diplomatic skills to deal with a big international event/crisis/upheaval. It kicks off with a drinks reception, when presumably the first test occurs: do not get hammered before the war-gaming starts.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Business JON ENOCH FOR THE TIMES

Simon Mottram is taking his Rapha brand far from its north London roots

Cycling may have hit a bump, but Rapha’s on a roll

or a man selling a high-end, high-spec product to customers who know what they want, Simon Mottram’s verdict sounds damning (Callum Jones writes). “The shop window,” he sighs, “has been pretty rubbish.” He has a point. The man behind Rapha, the luxury cycling brand, cites the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, “what’s going on today” and, perhaps worst of all, a “real difference” between the higher rungs of the sport and the rest. “And they’re getting further apart, which is terrible.” Yet Rapha, troubled shop window or not, is on a roll. Since its launch in 2004, it has sought to establish itself as the preferred choice for the best cycling gear, a competitive, growing if admittedly niche market blessed with a global and often bigspending clientele.

The company generated revenues of £63 million in the 12 months to January, up almost a third on the previous year and with three quarters coming from online sales. Based in north London, the company has used the web to reach customers much further afield. Indeed, its second sale was in New York. “I knew that the sort of customer I was trying to get to first was the kind of person I knew personally,” Mr Mottram, 51 and inevitably a keen cyclist, recalls. “I knew what they read, I knew how they lived, I knew how to get to them because I knew what magazines they read and I knew which blogs they followed. It was more sensible to get to one of those people in New York than it was to try and find somebody in Peterborough who wasn’t interested in cycling.” The sport is more

accessible than skiing or surfing, which other lifestyle brands have latched on to, he argues — “You have to buy a bike, but it’s a few hundred pounds and you can get going, or you can borrow one. It’s not

that big a barrier to entry” — but that’s not quite the whole story. Enthusiasts can spend thousands on their bikes and components and customers need a reasonable budget before turning to Rapha.

With bib shorts starting at £100, Mr Mottram laughs when asked whether he accepts it is not a value brand. “I think we’re an extremely high-value brand. We’re not a lowprice brand. These days,

you’re either very cheap or you’re very good.” Mr Mottram believes that the recent rise of cycling in Britain may be set to falter. “I don’t think there’s going to be 10-plus per cent market growth every year and I

‘Brexit effect’ to slow house price rises

Augmented reality is next big thing, says Zuckerberg

Tom Knowles Property Correspondent

James Dean US Business Editor

There will be a significant slowdown in British house price growth over the next four years as the effects of the Brexit vote and affordability issues disrupt the market, one of Europe’s biggest property services companies has warned. BNP Paribas Real Estate said that house prices will have grown by only 10.1 per cent by 2021, compared with 29 per cent in the past five years. The group, which generated more than €700 million of revenues last year, expects a recent rise in real incomes to reverse as households face rising inflation and sluggish wage growth. “The weakening of real incomes will add to already challenging affordability issues in the housing market, both for first-time buyers and home movers,” it said in a report. Prices in London slowed to their lowest level in five years in February, while in East Anglia they fell by 1.8 per cent over the first three months of 2017 and rose at the slowest pace in the southeast in four years. Uncertainty over Brexit is affecting the market and deterring homeowners from moving.

Facebook is betting on the growing popularity of “augmented reality” and that smartphone owners will use the real world as a canvas upon which to send each other colourful digital messages. The media and technology group claims that it is “building further out beyond augmented reality” with work on “direct brain interfaces that one day will let you communicate using only your mind”, Mark Zuckerberg, its chief executive, said yesterday. Its “act two” will be to create a new platform based on smartphone cameras that allows people to exchange digital messages that are overlaid on the physical world. Ultimately, he said, it would allow people to leave digital notes for their friends scattered across the world. It also could let them paint the sides of buildings with digital paint, to be seen only by their friends when they point their smartphones in the right direction. Augmented reality is not a new concept to America’s technology giants. Both Microsoft and Google have

Mark Zuckerberg spoke of his vision

looked at it but Mr Zuckerberg’s version would do away with the need for goggles, replacing them with smartphone cameras alone. “Think about how many things in our life don’t have to be physical, but can be digital,” he told a Facebook software developer conference in San Francisco. He did not give further details about the “brain interface”. Facebook released its new system, the Camera Effects Platform, to software developers for testing yesterday. The company will rely on developers to create new augmented reality apps. The Facebook system appears to

have been influenced by the popularity of Snapchat, the photo and video messaging app, which has long boasted several basic augmented reality features. On Snapchat, users can easily stick digital dog ears on to their video selfies or long blue beards on to photos of their friends, for example. Facebook also owns Instagram, the photo and video sharing app, and WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, the messaging services. It has also invested in virtual reality, which differs from augmented reality in that an individual is immersed entirely in the digital realm. In 2014, Facebook paid $2 billion for Oculus VR, the maker of the Oculus Rift headset, which was released last year. Sales have been slow. Mr Zuckerberg also unveiled Facebook Spaces yesterday, an app that allows friends to spend time together in virtual reality. 6 Yahoo reported surging profits last night as it neared the sale of its core internet business to Verizon, the wireless operator. First-quarter profit rose to $99 million from a loss of the same amount a year ago, as revenue rose by 22 per cent to $1.3 billion.

think you can see a little of softening at the moment. There’s too much stock in some of the bike shops, therefore there’s lots of discounting and that’s not great.” However, the majority of Rapha’s sales are outside of the UK, underpinned by a stable of “clubhouses”, hybrid stores-cum-cafés-cumevent centres, from New York to Majorca to Sydney. As the company contemplates further growth in new markets, its chief executive says that “nothing’s off the table. We’re really on a bit of a roll and because we’re direct to consumer, that’s a big challenge to finance that. So we’re always looking at our options, as you can imagine.” Might it go public? Mr Mottram “wouldn’t rule anything out,” describing the prospect of a membership-based investment scheme as “quite interesting”. Of interest to many was Rapha’s decision to end its four-year sponsorship of Team Sky last year. Mr Mottram insists that the group’s exit was “absolutely not” linked to the team’s recent doping controversy, labelling himself a “great supporter” of Team Sky and of Sir Dave Brailsford, its founder. “It’s an amazing organisation,” he said. And in recent years, a successful shop window.

Americans set to tuck into Weetabix Deirdre Hipwell

Weetabix is to be sold to Post Holdings, an American consumer goods group, in a £1.4 billion deal that marks the latest in a string of foreign takeovers in the wake of the Brexit vote. The formerly family-owned breakfast cereals business, now owned by Bright Food, of China, and Baring Private Equity Asia, attracted a queue of bidders after it was put up for sale several months ago. Post, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, is thought to have seen off interest from Associated British Foods. Bright Food bought its majority stake in the Northamptonshire-based Weetabix for £1.2 billion in 2012, but it has struggled since to win over Chinese consumers, who prefer to breakfast on congee, a traditional porridge-like rice dish served with preserved egg or steamed pork buns. Bright said last year that annual revenues at the cereal company had been £346 million in the year to January 2, down 1.6 per cent on the year before. Its profits fell by 15 per cent to £84.6 million.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Business MARTIN ZWICK/GETTY IMAGES

Go west: Shetland hailed as British oil’s final frontier With waves that can top 20m and wind speeds that can reach 100mph, the seas to the west of Shetland are far from hospitable for oil prospectors. The deep water means that more costly drilling rigs are often needed and if you add in basalt rock formations, which make the gathering of seismic data more difficult, it becomes clear why the area is relatively unexplored. Yet the prizes to be found increasingly look like being worth the risk. Some studies suggest that up to 95 per cent of the area’s oil resources are yet to be developed and excitement has been building. This year industry majors such as Shell and BP have committed to more

exploration and Hurricane Energy has declared that it is sitting on the largest undeveloped discovery in British waters, more than a billion barrels of oil. This is not the first time that the west of Shetland basin has been considered a place of rich opportunity. Exploration drilling started in the 1970s and the Clair field was the first big discovery in 1977. It took almost three decades for the first oil to be produced there, but in the meantime BP developed the Schiehallion and Foinaven fields in the 1990s. Alex Kemp, professor of petroleum economics at Aberdeen University, describes the area as the last great frontier for the UK continental shelf, a view echoed by Mhairidh Evans, senior research analyst for UK upstream oil and gas at Wood Mackenzie. “It is the most prospective area in terms of the UK continental shelf,” she said. “Large swathes of it have not been touched by a drill bit.” Ms Evans pointed out, however, that the costs of drilling and developing west of Shetland typically are 25 per cent higher, meaning that companies have tended to go for cheaper options. Professor Kemp said: “The economics will be difficult for anybody out there. There are all the adverse conditions. A lot of the fields are in very deep water. There are also very strong gales and very strong currents.” Nevertheless, a recent Aberdeen University research paper predicted that the equivalent of three billion barrels of oil would be extracted west of Shetland by 2050, even if prices stayed about $50 a barrel. If the price rose to between $70 and $80 for a sustained period, the recovery rate and investment would increase. There have been notable investments in the region in recent years. Total switched on its Laggan Tormore gasfields last year and the associated infrastructure is tipped to help discoveries near by become viable. BP’s £4.5 billion second phase of development at Clair, Clair Ridge, is on course to begin production next year and is fore-

Oilfields west of Shetland are undeveloped. It took years for the Clair platform, left, to start producing

Brent crude price per barrel West Shetland fields

Laggan Tormore Foinaven Loyal

Edradour

80 Clair Schiehallion

BP has launched legal action against a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, accusing it of wrongly terminating an oil supply contract. It is seeking at least $59 million in damages after Monroe Energy, which owns the Trainer refinery outside Philadelphia, cancelled a contract last year. Monroe alleged that BP had been breaching the terms of the contract in the way it was blending different grades of oil. BP insists that this was an “unfounded pretext” to end a deal that was no longer financially advantageous to Monroe. Monroe, which is wholly owned by Delta, acquired the 185,000 barrels-a-day refinery in 2012 as part of what the airline said would be an innovative approach to managing jet fuel costs, its largest expense. In August 2014 the companies struck a three-year deal for BP to supply the refinery with crude oil from the Eagle Ford or Bakken shale fields, according to details of the lawsuit reported by Reuters. Monroe

Solan Hurricane fields

60 50 40

2016 Q2

2017 Q2

BP sues airline offshoot over jet fuel deal that did not fly Emily Gosden Energy Editor

$90

agreed to pay $8.35 a barrel above the US benchmark for deliveries from Eagle Ford and $7.35 for Bakken oil. These terms were favourable to the refiner because US shale was significantly cheaper than global oil prices. However, the narrowing of the differential by late 2015 meant that it would be more advantageous for Monroe to be able to buy oil elsewhere. When Monroe terminated the contract in June last year, it alleged that BP was intentionally blending batches of Eagle Ford crude oil that did not meet the grades required in the supply agreement contract. BP said that the contract did not ban this and it was routine industry practice. It said that Monroe had not complained at the time and alleged that “Monroe’s allegations were nothing more than an unfounded pretext to terminate” the deal. 6 BP has capped an oil and gas leak in Alaska after battling to control it over the Easter weekend. It is not yet known how much oil leaked into the environmentally sensitive Greater Prudhoe Bay area.

Source: Thomson Reuters

Greig Cameron Scottish Business Editor

cast to bring 640 million barrels out of the ground by 2050. There is also a revamp at Schiehallion, which will extend production until 2035. Yet there are cautionary tales for such companies to note. Premier Oil took a $652 million impairment charge on its Solan field in March after weaker early performance than had been anticipated. Other substantial finds, such as Chevron’s Rosebank field, have yet to go beyond initial planning and design. According to Robert Trice, Hurricane’s chief executive, there has been a “massive change in attitude and real interest” from oil majors keen to look at the company’s data with a view to buying in. Even with the prospect of accessing greater sources of capital, “you can’t just go and blow a load of loot then find out you are wrong”.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

2GM

Business

Goldman trails rivals in US trading boom James Dean US Business Editor

Growing investment banking fees have helped Goldman Sachs to almost double its quarterly profit, but the Wall Street lender missed analysts’ estimates yesterday after failing to capitalise on a trading boom. Income from share dealing fell and fees from bond, currency and commodities trading were relatively flat. This contrasted with Goldman’s rivals, which have reported booming trading revenues, especially in fixed income. Bank of America said yesterday that its trading revenue had increased by nearly 23 per cent in the first quarter to $4 billion, boosted by a 29 per cent jump

in fees from fixed-income trading. The lender beat analysts’ estimates for profit and revenue. Last week JP Morgan and Citigroup said that revenue from their fixed-income trading had risen by 17 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively. Shares in Goldman Sachs closed 4.7 per cent down at $215.59 in New York last night. Bank of America shares were 0.4 per cent lower at $22.71. Shares in JP Morgan, the largest US bank by assets, and Citigroup, the fourth biggest, also fell. Shares in America’s big banks soared after the US presidential election in November, but most have slipped back this year amid fears that President

Trump’s promises to slash taxes, cut financial regulation and embark on a bank-financed infrastructure spending spree will not happen this year. If the Federal Reserve raises interest rates again this year, which will improve re-

$2.3bn

First-quarter profit at Goldman Sachs

turns on loans, Bank of America, the country’s second largest lender, which has a huge book of mortgages, is likely to benefit more than its rivals. First-quarter profit at Goldman rose

to $2.3 billion on revenue of $8 billion, which was 27 per cent higher than the same period a year ago. Revenue from share trading fell by 6 per cent to $1.7 billion as fees from fixed-income trading were flat at $1.7 billion. Trading revenue fell by 2.4 per cent in the first quarter to $3.4 billion. Income from investment banking climbed by 16 per cent to $1.7 billion. Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman’s chairman and chief executive, said: “The operating environment was mixed, with client activity challenged in certain market-making businesses and a more attractive backdrop for underwriting in our investment banking franchise.” First-quarter profit at Bank of

America leapt by 40 per cent to $4.9 billion on revenue that grew by 7 per cent to $22.2 billion. Its global banking division reported record revenue of $5 billion, record investment banking fees of $1.6 billion, an increase of 37 per cent, and record merger and acquisition fees. Brian Moynihan, its chief executive, said: “The US economy continues to show consumer and business optimism and our results reflect that.” Goldman shares are up by 24 per cent since the election but down 6 per cent since the start of the year. Shares in Bank of America have gained 4 per cent since the start of the year and 35 per cent since the election. ROYAL ENFIELD

Siddhartha Lal has turned around the maker of the Bullet motorcycle

Listening to the sound of the comeback trail

ts signature thump echoed across two world wars, was a bass-drum beat for the Sixties and now, after decades dominated by higher-pitched, Japanese-made rivals, Royal Enfield is on the comeback trail in Britain (Melissa van der Klugt writes). It has been a long road. The first Royal Enfield motorcycle was built in 1901 in the Midlands. In 1955 Enfield started assembling its signature Bullet in India using components imported from England. And after the demise of the original British company, Enfield of India continued making the Bullet, the 350cc single-cylinder model that is the oldest motorcycle in continuous production in the world. Now Enfield is about

to twist the throttle on exports back to the UK under the eye of the 42-year-old, biker jacket-clad entrepreneur who has already turned what was a fading brand into a retro hit on the sub-continent. According to Siddhartha Lal, it was “a quirk of fate” that kept Royal Enfield in production in India, where a franchise was set up by an enthusiast outside Chennai. Tough and durable, the bike’s cult status was cemented when it was used by the Indian police force. Indeed, in one Rajasthani village, a Bullet, said to have kept revving after its saintly owner had come to a sticky end, is worshipped as a deity. Yet when Mr Lal took over in 2000, the

b business was ailing. “No o thought it could get one a worse,” he says of any th moment that he put the u his hand to up v volunteer to save it in tth h boardroom of the E Eicher, Enfield’s parent c company and a maker o tractors and car of c components. The Chennai factory h chugged along had m making a few th thousand bikes a m month, all the while

haemorrhaging money. “Our only customers were the stereotypical village head man who needed a status symbol, the guy that wants to turn up with a bom, bom, bom, and the adventurer.” Mr Lal toured salesrooms full of greasy plastic chairs, posters hanging sideways and flashing tube lights, hated them because they were “like something

from a bad film” and updated the look with spotlights and young staff. “By 2001, we had stopped making losses. In 2002 cashflow was positive.” His biggest coup came in 2009, when Enfield designed its lighter “Classic” for the export market. “The internet had taken off here and people were seeing it online. We started getting calls. The

economy had shifted and young professional men in white-collar jobs had more money to spend.” The bike soon had a nine-month waiting list and is still the company’s biggestseller in India. Mr Lal has no fear of cheap new cars. “Our customers wouldn’t be seen dead in them. They want a bit of romance.” Sales of 50,000 a year in 2010 climbed to 50,000 a month last year. Next year he intends to double production. But eyes are fixed firmly further afield. Royal Enfield has been quietly setting up a chain of retail outlets in London and, according to Mr Lal,“distribution is in place. Now we need to hit the sweet spot with the product.” That means a bigger engine and price tag. “The problem with the Enfield at the moment is it doesn’t work on UK roads. Eighty is the top speed at full throttle and it gets tiring.” Then again, having taken test bikes from Himalayan passes to southern Spain to the Goodwood Revival festival, he is confident that “the Enfield still doesn’t need advertising”. For enthusiasts, he believes, that the look and the sound will sell themselves.

Trump crackdown on visas threatens 10,000 British workers James Dean

About 10,000 Britons employed in specialist jobs in the United States are at risk from a crackdown on foreign workers to be proposed by President Trump. An executive order to place restrictions on the H-1B visa programme, under which visas are granted to skilled foreign workers in “specialty occupations”, was signed by Mr Trump last night. H-1B visas are particularly popular among Silicon Valley companies,

which use them to employ software engineers from India and other Asian countries. The programme admits about 85,000 workers a year from around 250,000 applications. However, Mr Trump has said that H-1B visas allowed American companies to hire cheap foreign workers at the expense of Americans. He said on the election campaign trail last year that the programme was demeaning to American workers and pledged: “We won’t let this happen any more.” The clampdown on the visas was expected and is part of a wider an-

nouncement that asks government agencies to review the effectiveness of trade agreements and government rules that require companies to buy American and hire American. About 10,000 Britons hold H-1B visas, which allow them to work in the United States for up to five years, an analysis of US immigration statistics by The Times showed. It also found that 65,000 British citizens would be affected by broader plans to reduce the number of skilled foreign workers allowed into the US. This year a leaked draft of an execu-

tive order revealed that US immigration officials would be dispatched on site visits to companies that employed British and other legal foreign workers, under a planned squeeze on work visas that aims to “prioritise the protection of American workers” to the “maximum degree possible”. The draft order was aimed at curtailing specific classes of visas that are commonly granted to UK citizens to allow them to work in America on a temporary basis. These included L-1 visas, which allow people to work in the American branches of domestic com-

panies; L-2 visas, which allow the spouses and children of L-1 visaholders to work in the US; and H-1B visas. “Right now, widespread abuse in our immigration system is allowing American workers of all backgrounds to be replaced by workers brought in from other countries,” Mr Trump said. “H-1B visas are awarded in a totally random lottery and that’s wrong. Instead, they should be given to the most skilled and highest paid applicants and they should never, ever be used to replace Americans.”

Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

1GM

Business Unit Trusts The Times unit trust information service Full funds service at thetimes.co.uk/investment Sell

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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

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

1GM

Working Life Business TIPPING POINT A contract to supply the London Olympic Games was a key moment for three sisters facing a steep learning curve, reports Carol Lewis ANDREW FOX FOR THE TIMES

Moving with the times The modernisation taking place at Merrythought is not the first time that its directors have had to rethink (Carol Lewis writes). In the 1930, Sarah Holmes’ great-grandfather began making teddy bears after diminishing demand began to take a toll on his mohair factory. Teddy bears had been growing in popularity since 1902, after production began in the United States, by Michtom, and Germany, by Steiff. The bear was named after Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, the president who is said to have refused to shoot a bear during a hunting trip. Gordon Holmes was not the first person to make bears in Britain, however. Hannah, Sarah and Sophie Holmes are directors of a venerable family run teddy bear company that they are now setting out to modernise

Being thrown in at deep end was not child’s play

hen they were growing up, the Holmes sisters used to go to their father’s teddy bear factory and play in the stuffing. Each was given a bear when they were born, but there was never any expectation that the family business, rather than merely the occasional example of its work, would end up in their hands. “The Merrythought business was started by my great grandfather and then handed on to my grandfather and then in turn it was expected that his son, my father, would take it on,” Sarah Holmes recalls. “But my father, Oliver, had some huge challenges and suffered from a lot of stress at times. He didn’t want to put that pressure on to us. He very much wanted us to make our own choices about what we wanted to do with our careers.” So they did. Sarah, now 36, Hannah, 33, and Sophie, 30, left Ironbridge, in Shropshire and went to London. Sarah to work in public relations, Hannah in commercial property and Sophie in marketing. Then, in 2010, their father was told that he had pancreatic cancer. “At that point I made a decision to make a go of it,” Ms Holmes says. “Hannah decided to take a six to twelve-month sabbatical to help, but once she got a few months into it she realised the likelihood of going back [to London] was slim.” Sarah and Hannah Holmes are now joint managing directors, with Sophie, the third director, joining the business later part-time and concentrating on marketing. If the sisters hadn’t made the decision to take over the business, it probably would

have closed, with the 20 workers who make the high-end, handmade, mohair teddy bears losing their jobs. “The business was very stagnant and sales were gradually going downwards. It sounds rather harsh, but my father was very hands-on and there was no real structure to it, so no middle management who could run it in his absence. It was a proper owner-run business.” Mr Holmes was too ill to do any formal handover before he died, leaving his daughters to figure out how to turn around the ailing operation. “What we do is very traditional. We make the classic English teddy bear and the way we make it and the way we operate hasn’t changed in two generations. Realising we could be doing things in a better way is one thing, but trying to implement that change has been a real challenge.” A turning point came when they were awarded the contract to be an official licensee for the 2012 London Olympic Games producing a collection of Olympic and Paralympic bears, each with the official logo embroidered on a paw. The company was making 12,000 soft toys a year, but needed 20,000 extra bears in 18 months for the Games. “We quickly realised we were trying to build that capacity on a structure that wasn’t particularly efficient. We are definitely still a long way off where I want to be, but we have made the business more streamlined and improved capacity without taking on any more staff. And we have a team that are getting used to the idea

that it is not sustainable to carry on doing things the way you have always done them. Our turnover [described as in seven figures] is now double what it was in 2009.” The plan now is to increase capacity by 50 per cent over the next three to five years. Twenty per cent of this is intended to be achieved by improving systems and efficiency, with the rest from development of staff and recruitment. The Olympics was the catalyst for another change. The company now specialises in bespoke products for luxury brands, retailers and corporate gifts. Merrythought, which makes about 20,000 bears a year, has made toys for Daks, Netjets and Harrods, among others. It has built on its royal connections (the Queen is said to have a Merrythought corgi, for example) to supply bears to Buckingham Palace. Exports are the next challenge. About a third of its bears are sold overseas, almost all to Japan, where its Cheeky Bear is popular. “It is hard to know what Brexit will look like for a small business like us, but I think it is likely to motivate us to look more outward and focus on exports more.” Ms Holmes says that she is lucky to have the help of a “very loyal workforce. We have three mothers and daughters who work for us. Merrythought has been as much part of their family history as mine.” That helps to motivate the sisters to build a business that they can pass on to the next generation. According to Ms Holmes, “the amount of running around Hannah and I had to do trying to find out so many day-to-day things when Dad died is something we are very aware of. We need to make sure the business is run in a way that if something happened to one of us tomorrow it is sustainable.”

JK Farnell is thought to hold that accolade, making the first in about 1906. Farnell made the bear given to AA Milne’s son Christopher Robin Milne that was the basis for the Winnie the Pooh stories. Farnell closed in 1968, but Merrythought acquired the brand name in 1996. By the 1950s, Merrythought had diversified again and was producing a wide range of toys. In the 1980s it found itself, like many European toymakers, being undercut by Chinese producers. While domestic rivals looked offshore, Merrythought stayed put, streamlining production in 2006 and rebranding as an upmarket manufacturer. It is thought to be the only British bear factory still in the UK.

550

2GM

Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Business Markets news in brief

Alex Ralph Tempus Buy, sell or hold: today’s best share tips

ashmore group Earnings multiple 15 times

Dividend yield 4.7%

Worth a fresh look Share prices (rebased) Aberdeen Asset Management Ashmore

2007 09

160% 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 -20 -40 -60

Ashmore, assets under management, % By client domicile Europe (excluding UK)

Middle East & Africa

Americas Asia Pacific

By investment geography Eastern Europe

Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Asia Pacific

ith Aberdeen Asset Management about MY ADVICE Buy to disappear into the WHY Skilled specialist maw of Standard boutique with flows turning Life, Ashmore Group will soon be the only big UKpositive listed fund manager giving pure exposure to emerging markets. On that ground alone, it’s worth a fresh over three and five years. Total assets look, but yesterday’s trading under management grew by 7 per statement offered another reason. cent in the quarter to the end of The group announced its first March, thanks to a positive quarter of positive inflows for three investment performance, as well as years, sucking in a better-thanthe additional assets. expected net $1.4 billion of new Mark Coombs, chief executive, mandates. says that the outperformance Emerging markets have of emerging markets relative been out of favour with to their developed peers $55.9 billion investors for some time, will put pressure on Assets under partly because of the investors underweight in management commodities and energy those newer markets. At downturn, partly because of some point, though, the rising interest rates in sour sentiment will lift. Large America. It’s too soon to call the chunks of Asia, Latin America, end of that headwind, but Ashmore eastern Europe and Africa are is doing well in the meantime, not growing two, three or four times least because of its benchmarkfaster than the sluggish West. beating investment performance Ashmore, with its focus on fixed-

income investments, doesn’t get much benefit from any lift to equity markets, but neither is it quite so exposed to a nasty downturn. Moreover, it does seem to be able to winkle out healthy returns to investors even in an era of rising US interest rates. With its high proportion of variable pay to fixed, Ashmore is also well equipped to cope with difficult times, which is important with fees under pressure. Mr Coombs, with his 43 per cent stake, is a boon for those investors who like their interests aligned with dominant owner managers, though his holding does rule out anything but the most friendly of takeover bids. Analysts are forecasting earnings per share of more than 23p for the full year to June and a dividend of almost 17p. After yesterday’s 5.7 per cent fall in the shares to 343p, they trade on an undemanding 15 times expected earnings and yield 4.7 per cent, with plenty of cash on the balance sheet to sustain it.

collection of coal, manganese and alumina in Australia, South Africa and, to a lesser extent, South America. The shares had a blockbuster 2016, but now face uncertain prospects. The company said yesterday that it was ditching a plan to buy the Metropolitan Colliery in New South Wales. The hitch was S32’s reluctance to yield to demands from the Australian competition authority that it give concessions to Australian steelmakers, who buy the coking coal produced by Metropolitan. Bad news? Perhaps. The silver lining, as analysts from Investec pointed out, is that it proved that S32 would not expand for the sake of

expansion. The shares were down 7¼p at 164¼p in London yesterday, in line with other miners who were under the cosh because of weak iron ore prices. We like the logic of South32 — putting BHP’s waifs and strays into business that can properly care for them — but more than most it represents a step in the dark right now.

south32 First-half profit $620 million

Revenue $3.2 billion

outh32 is a London-listed company worth £15 billion, but for a couple of reasons it tends not to attract a great deal of attention. The mining group, which is also listed in Sydney and Johannesburg, is not included in the FTSE because not enough of its shares are traded in London. Yet when BHP Billiton, its former parent company, tried to spin it off without a London listing there was an uproar, indicating that there was some demand here for its motley

Flybe’s finance chief has resigned from the struggling British airline to become chief financial officer at Low & Bonar, the performance materials manufacturer. Flybe said that Philip de Klerk would remain in charge until October 1 and that it had begun the process of finding a successor. Flybe has warned that it expects to sink into the red when it publishes its full-year results to March 31, down from a pre-tax profit of £5.5 million last year. Its shares remained unchanged.

circassia pharmaceuticals

Source: Google Finance, HSBC

Emerging markets staging a comeback

Finance chief flies off

MY ADVICE Avoid WHY There are too many unknowns hanging over the commodities it produces

Float price 310p Money raised

since IPO £477m Share price 101¼p

nvestors had something of an allergic reaction to Circassia Pharmaceuticals last June after the company suffered a setback in a trial for a product to combat allergies to cats. However, yesterday’s followup announcement — that the biotech specialist would end new investment in its anti-allergy treatments after a second flop, this time for a house dust mite allergy — barely triggered a sneeze. The results of the study, showing that its treatment did not show a significant effect compared with a placebo, is another blow for Circassia, but not one to make the eyes water. It has been diversifying since it came to the stock market in 2014 via a series of respiratory drugs acquisitions, the most recent of which was last month’s $230 million deal with Astrazeneca for commercial rights to two drugs to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the United States. Circassia has raised £477 million through its 310p-a-share IPO and its 288p-a-share placing and open offer in 2015 to fund the acquisitions. The shares remain firmly below the listing price, closing at 101¼p, but with veteran backers such as Neil Woodford playing the long game, others should be tempted to follow.

VW back on right road Volkswagen has reported a 28 per cent jump in first-quarter operating profit, helped by a return to earnings growth at its core VW brand, which has struggled to recover from the diesel emissions scandal. Group operating profit came to €4.4 billion in the three months to the end of March, compared with €3.4 billion previously. In Frankfurt, its shares were almost 3 per cent higher at €140.37.

Toshiba’s hot chips A fund backed by the Japanese government has confirmed it is interested in joining a bid for Toshiba’s flash memory business. Innovation Network Corporation of Japan has “set up an internal team to study the deal”. Toshiba is taking steps to recover from huge losses in its American nuclear business. Analysts valued the chip unit at $18 billion, but Foxconn is said to be considering bidding up to $27 billion.

MY ADVICE Hold WHY Big backers are supporting its diversification into respiratory drugs

Thiam hit in the pocket Credit Suisse still faces a revolt by shareholders over payouts to the bank’s senior managers, even after bosses’ bonuses were cut by 40 per cent and directors’ pay was frozen. Glass Lewis, the shareholder advisor, said the concessions were “too little too late”. The bonus cut will cost Tidjane Thiam, chief executive, SwFr4.7 million (£3.7 million) and his pay will fall to SwFr10.2 million, from SwFr11.9 million.

And finally...

aul Zwillenberg’s strategic review of the Daily Mail and General Trust is beginning to take shape. The chief executive of the Daily Mail publisher said in December that there would “no sacred cows” and yesterday the company confirmed that it had offloaded Elite Daily, an American online news platform, to Bustle Digital Group for an undisclosed sum. DMGT wrote down its value by £25 million at the end of last year and said the sale was a “significant step” towards profitability for Mail Online. The shares fell 10p to 706½p.

For all the latest in-depth news thetimes.co.uk/ business

PRICES Major indices New York Dow Jones Nasdaq Composite S&P 500

London Financial Futures 20523.28 (-113.64) 5849.47 (-7.32) 2342.19 (-6.82)

Tokyo Nikkei 225

18418.59 (+63.33)

Hong Kong Hang Seng

23924.54 (-337.12)

Amsterdam AEX Index Sydney AO

509.73 (-6.03) 5868.70 (-57.20)

Frankfurt DAX

12000.44 (-108.56)

Singapore Straits

3137.54 (-0.76)

Brussels BEL20 Paris CAC-40

3745.95 (-44.80) 4990.25 (-80.85)

Zurich SMI Index DJ EURO Stoxx 50

8529.28 (-99.74) 3409.78 (+3409.78)

London FTSE 100 7147.50 (-180.09) FTSE 250 19297.91 (-227.42) FTSE 350 3977.60 (-90.95) FTSE Eurotop 100 2898.61 (-36.09) FTSE All-Shares 3924.93 (-87.37) FTSE Non Financials 4657.21 (-112.56) techMARK 100 4418.40 (-76.58) Bargains n/a US$ 1.2841 (+0.0285) Euro 1.1969 (+0.0174) £:SDR 0.90 (+0.00) Exchange Index 78.45 n/a Bank of England official close (4pm) CPI 102.10 Feb (2015 = 100) RPI 268.40 Feb (Jan 1987 = 100) RPIX 268.80 Feb (Jan 1987 = 100) Morningstar Long Commodity 561.49 (-2.05) Morningstar Long/Short Commod 3950.38 (+7.58)

Long Gilt 3-Mth Sterling

3-Mth Euribor

3-Mth Euroswiss

2 Year Swapnote 3-Mth Euroswiss 2 Year Swapnote 5 Year Swapnote 10 Year Swapnote FTSE100 FTSEurofirst 80

Period Jun 17 Sep 17 Jun 17 Sep 17 Dec 17 Mar 18 Jun 18 Jun 17 Sep 17 Dec 17 Mar 18 Jun 18 Jun 17 Sep 17 Dec 17 Jun 17 Mar 18 Mar 18 Jun 17 Mar 18 Jun 17 Mar 18 Jun 17 Sep 17 Jun 17 Sep 17

Open 128.75

Commodities Low 128.42 125.55 99.635 99.600 99.580 99.550 99.520 100.31 100.30 100.28 100.25 100.22 100.80 100.85 100.87 112.31 100.86

Sett 128.74 127.74 99.645 99.620 99.600 99.580 99.550 100.32 100.30 100.28 100.26 100.23 100.81 100.86 100.88 112.31 100.87

Vol 141364

99.645 99.620 99.590 99.580 99.550 100.32 100.30 100.28 100.26 100.22 100.80 100.86 100.88 112.31 100.87

High 129.14 125.55 99.645 99.630 99.610 99.590 99.570 100.32 100.30 100.29 100.27 100.23 100.81 100.87 100.89 112.31 100.88

88118 110616 206165 168091 109394 39894 27796 35705 28664 36669 4147 7669 7310 154 2568

Open Int 687224 2 437038 481068 420687 334356 344634 487223 446308 333929 337729 365978 67664 59807 45933 9793 25615

129.22

129.25

129.22

129.27

8607

151.05

150.84

151.80

7289.0 7176.0

7048.0 6998.0

7102.0 7038.5 4564.5 4561.0

176180 7

756516 1033

7284.0 7176.0

1018

ICIS pricing (London 7.30pm)

Brent (9.00pm) Jun Jul Aug

Crude Oils ($/barrel FOB) Brent Physical BFOE(Jul) BFOE(Jun) WTI(Jun) WTI(Jul)

53.43 55.50 54.91 53.20 52.85

-1.33 -0.46 -0.49 -0.27 -0.26

Products ($/MT)

55.06-55.05 55.60-55.58 55.96-55.94

Sep Oct

56.18-56.16 56.40-56.31 Volume: 1397989

1501-1495 1522-1520 1539-1535 1566-1563 1593-1587 1632-1569

Jul Sep Dec

1597-1619 1776-1637 1723-1630

LIFFE Cocoa May Jul Sep Dec Mar May

Volume: 58498

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

562.00 484.25 288.50 475.00

563.00 486.25 289.50 481.00

ICE Futures

May Jul Sep Nov

2168-2164 2193-2192 2204-2185 2200-2180

Reuters 491.75-491.50 493.25-493.00 495.00-494.75

Jan Mar

2214-2143 2195-1900 Volume: 27626

White Sugar (FOB)

Gas Oil May Jun Jul

RobustaCoffee

Aug Sep

497.00-496.75 500.00-457.00 Volume: 359036

Aug Oct Dec

479.40-478.80 466.60-465.00 462.60-455.50

Mar May Aug Oct

463.00-460.00 465.70-456.00 460.10-463.10 466.60-465.00 Volume: 22724

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

1GM

Markets Business DAVID PARK!R/ANL/R!X/SHUTT!RSTOCK

Miners share the pain of tumbling iron ore price Callum Jones Market report

n one hand, surging demand from China’s all-important steel mills has got to be good for the world’s big iron ore miners, but on other, not so much. All that steel makes markets fret about oversupply and that’s exactly what happened yesterday, hitting those miners’ share prices. Anglo American, for example, shed 60p to sink to a five-month low of £11.10 as the price of iron ore fell nearly 5 per cent and as Jefferies, the American investment bank, warned that companies producing iron ore and seaborne coal were vulnerable. It cut its target for Anglo to £13. BHP Billiton, which it reduced to £17, slid, too, by 71p to £11.98. “Investor sentiment regarding the

House of Fraser back in fashion

umours of a bustup between House of Fraser’s British management team and Yuan Yafei, its Chinese owner, seem to have had little effect on the retailer’s performance (Deirdre Hipwell writes). The department stores chain recorded

gross sales of £1.3 billion which reflected a 0.9 per cent rise in like-for-like sales in the year to January 28. The increase in comparable sales came almost entirely from a strong fourth quarter, including Christmas, which helped House of Fraser to overcome nine months of disappointing sales. Colin Elliot, the chief financial officer who has been running the business since Nigel

Oddy quit, singled out its relaunched website, with online sales rising more than 16 per cent last year. Nearly a fifth of its overall sales now come from the web. House of Fraser has invested about £45 million in refurbishing some its stores and improving infrastructure. It has benefited, too, from reducing some of its ranges, particularly its own brands, to focus on marketing its top sellers.

Results in brief Name

Pre?tax figure Profit (@) loss (?)

Smart A (contractors) (industriMls HY)

£0.7m (£0.5m)

Dividend 0.95p p Jun 5

6 Results in brief are given for all companies valued at more than £30 million. f = final p = payable

The day’s biggest movers Change

Company Mar s and Spencer Sterling rises shMrply, boosting retMilers Bovis Homes Jefferies upgrMdes to “buyN Barratt Developments Housebuilders climb Mmid sterling rMlly Persimmon PoundOs rise lifts builders Kingfisher Lifted by sterling rMlly BP Struggles Ms Brent crude fMlls Anglo American Record Chinese steel output puts iron ore prices under pressure Glencore Mining sector under pressure BHP Billiton Jefferies cuts tMrget to £17 Ashmore Investors unimpressed by quMrterly updMte

London Grain Futures LIFFE Wheat (close £/t) MMy JMn

147.80 unq

Jul MMr

149.75 unq

Nov 137.25 Volume: 754

London Metal Exchange (Official) Cash

3mth

15mth

Copper Gde A ($/tonne) 5620.0-5620.5 5648.0-5650.0

73 0.0-7320.0

Lead ($/tonne) 2 84.5-2 85.0

980.0- 985.0

2 84.0-2 86.0

Zinc Spec Hi Gde ($/tonne) 2580.0-258 .0 2597.0-2599.0 Tin ($/tonne) 9880.0- 9885.0

9825.0- 9850.0

Alum Hi Gde ($/tonne) 9 5.0- 9 5.5 928.0- 930.0 Nic el ($/tonne) 9535.0-9545.0 9580.0-9600.0

943.0- 948.0 9595.0- 9645.0

1.9% 1.6% 1.4% >.9% >.5% ?3.9% ?5.1% ?5.6% ?5.6% ?5.6%

Poor quarterly results from Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson, added to global political tensions, particularly over North Korea, made investors nervous. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 113.64 points to 20,523.28.

Shot in the arm for Motif Bio

otif Bio climbed 12 per cent to its highest point on Aim since November after announcing that its infection-fighting investigational drug is a step closer to market. The pharma company heralded a “significant achievement” after Iclaprim, which fights antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as MRSA, achieved positive results in a global phase 3 clinical trial. “We believe that Iclaprim, if approved, could be an important option for patients

A drug that fights superbugs passed its phase 3 clinical trials

with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infection, especially for patients with severe infections who may also have kidney disease with or without diabetes,” Graham Lumsden, the chief executive, said.

mining sector has cooled over 452½p, and Royal Dutch Shell, the past month,” Christopher whose B shares dropped LaFemina, equity analyst at 67½p to £21.25. follow us Jefferies, noted. “We would Burberry was out of on twitter attribute this shift in fashion ahead of this for updates sentiment to weakness in @timesbusiness morning’s full-year trading the iron ore price (down 30 statement. Shares in the per cent since mid-February).” luxury retailer slipped 62p to According to China’s National £17.01. JP Morgan Cazenove lifted Statistics Bureau, crude steel its target for the stock from £14.50 to production rose by 1.8 per cent in the £16, however, predicting that sales year to March. have risen by 11 per cent to As the mining sector struggled, £2.78 billion in the year to March. Glencore and Rio Tinto fell 17¼p to The pharmaceuticals sector also 291¾p and 118p to £30.03, respectively. held back the FTSE 100, with On the FTSE 250, Evraz, the steel Glaxosmithkline and Shire closing mills group controlled by Roman down 60½p at £15.86½ and 167p at Abramovich, the Chelsea FC owner, £44.18, respectively. dropped 14½p to 207p, as Ferrexpo, Theresa May’s announcement of a the iron ore pellet producer, fell 17¾p general election sent the pound up to 137¼p. sharply against the dollar, piling There wasn’t much better news for pressure on to the leading index, the oil majors. A US government which is dominated by multinational report highlighting a sharp rise in companies with earnings in foreign shale oil production sent Brent crude currencies. It closed at 7,147.5, down almost 1 per cent lower, putting the 180.9 points, or 2.46 per cent, in its kids under BP, which shed 18½p to worst day of trading since the

Gold/Precious metals (US dollars per ounce)

Money rates %

Dollar rates

Base Rates CleMring BMnks: 0.25 FinMnce House 1.0 ECB Refi 0.00 US Fed Fd 0.75-1.00

Bullion: Open $1283.04 Close $1289.29-1289.41 High $1291.30 Low $1279.71 AM $1285.00 PM $1278.95 Krugerrand $1172.00-1244.00 (£918.32974.74) Platinum $983.00 (£770.23) Silver $18.22 (£14.28) Palladium $783.00 (£613.52)

Halifax Mortgage Rate 3.4

AustrMliM CMnMdM DenmMrk Euro Hong Kong JMpMn MMlMysiM NorwMy SingMpore Sweden SwitzerlMnd

Treasury Bills (Dis) Buy: 1 mth 0.13; 3mth 0.10. Sell: 1 mth 0.09; 3 mth 0.05

European money deposits % Currency 1mth

3mth

6mth

12mth

0.13

0.20

0.29

0.55

0.26

0.34

0.48

0.70

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.50

Dollar

2280.0-2285.0

Interban Rates Clearer CDs Depo CDs

2 mth 3 mth 6 mth 12 mth 1 mth 0.2585 0.3073 0.3468 0.5026 0.7198 0.25-0.15 0.30-0.20 0.35-0.25 0.53-0.38 0.70-0.55 0.25-0.15 0.30-0.20 0.35-0.25 0.53-0.38 0.70-0.55

Eurodollar Deps Eurodollar CDs

0.96-1.08 0.81-0.97 1.01-1.13 1.39-1.51 1.63-1.75 0.20-0.13 0.25-0.15 0.29-0.17 0.49-0.30 0.85-0.55

Sterling spot and forward rates

Sterling Euro

8770.0- 8870.0

Wall Street report

PHARMACEUTICALS

M t Rates for CopenhMgen Euro MontreMl New York Oslo Stockholm Tokyo Zurich

Range 8.7401-8.8758 1.1934-1.1752 1.6707-1.7089 1.2519-1.2771 10.699-10.887 11.261-11.473 136.15-138.80 1.2555-1.2752

Close 8.8721-8.8737 1.1929-1.1928 1.7078-1.7082 1.2762-1.2762 10.873-10.877 11.456-11.461 138.46-138.47 1.2740-1.2741

1 month 73ds 6pr 7pr 11pr 60pr 92ds 6ds 13ds Premium = pr

3 month 219ds 18pr 20pr 31pr 161pr 267ds 19ds 41ds Discount = ds

aftermath of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union last June. Marks & Spencer led a handful of risers on the big board, gaining 6¾p to 353½p. Housebuilders also clambered out of the red, with Barratt Developments closing up 8p at 580p, as Persimmon rose 21p to £22.42 and Taylor Wimpey added 1¾p to 198½p. The mid-cap index faced a similar struggle, falling 227.42 points, or 1.2 per cent, to 19,297.91. The City took a dim view of the quarterly update from Ashmore. Shares in the emerging markets fund manager, which hit a six-month high last week, dropped 20½p to 343p. Bovis Homes rose 15p to 926½p after Jefferies upgraded its rating for the builder to “buy”. Others on the climb include Sports Direct International, which ticked up 7½p to 318½p, and Howden Joinery, which gained 11p to 463p. Finally, inevitably on a day such as this, opinion pollsters were in demand. On Aim, YouGov gained 8½p to a close at a record 273½p.

Exchange rates 1.3246-1.3247 1.3381-1.3386 6.9523-6.9530 0.9347-0.9348 7.7741-7.7746 108.49-108.52 4.4080-4.4130 8.5201-8.5226 1.3976-1.3977 8.9780-8.9793 0.9982-0.9986

Other Sterling ArgentinM peso AustrMliM dollMr BMhrMin dinMr BrMzil reMl Euro Hong Kong dollMr IndiM rupee IndonesiM rupiMh KuwMit dinMr KD MMlMysiM ringgit New ZeMlMnd dollMr SingMpore dollMr S AfricM rMnd U A E dirhMm

Motif Bio expects the results of a second phase 3 trial later this year and said that it planned to submit its application to take Iclaprim to market “in the first half of 2018”. Its shares rose 3½p to 32½p. Analysts welcomed the drug’s progress. Northland Capital Partners said that it was a “major milestone” and told clients that Motif ’s shares were “grossly undervalued”. Zeus Capital, meanwhile, amended its estimated likelihood of Iclaprim’s success from 65 per cent to 75 per cent.

19.435-19.436 1.6904-1.6906 0.4776-0.4847 3.9583-3.9621 1.1928-1.1930 9.9205-9.9227 82.417-82.443 16970-16987 0.3879-0.3903 5.6255-5.6319 1.8153-1.8165 1.7835-1.7840 16.974-16.986 4.6862-4.6874

AustrMliM $ CMnMdM $ DenmMrk Kr Egypt Euro ¤ Hong Kong $ HungMry IndonesiM IsrMel Shk JMpMn Yen New ZeMlMnd $ NorwMy Kr PolMnd RussiM S AfricM Rd Sweden Kr SwitzerlMnd Fr Turkey LirM USA $

Ban buys Ban sells 1.800 1.570 1.810 1.570 9.420 8.260 n/M n/M 1.290 1.130 10.450 9.190 405.120 333.300 19091.100 15228.100 5.030 4.290 147.960 128.140 2.000 1.690 11.630 10.060 5.520 4.520 76.060 63.330 18.690 15.830 12.060 10.720 1.380 1.190 5.090 4.350 1.360 1.200

Rates for ban notes and traveller's cheques as traded by Royal Ban of Scotland plc yesterday

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

552

Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

1GM

Business Equity prices 12 month High Low Company

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

223W

Banking & finance 72 348K 2260 30K 240 V 4V 32K 5 26N

54K 17Mv 245O Aberdeen Asset 1732 Admiral 17 ADVFNv 104O Aldermore Gp … Alecto Mineralsv# 1Y Ambrianv 9 Amedeo Resv 1Y Amphion Innovsv 13O Amr&t 7harmav

…

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0.5 10.8

7O 7.0 21.8 9

3.4 25.7

…

8.8

…

0.2

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223K –

21 3N +

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… -0.3

9572O 8057N Aon Corpn

9295X –

31N 1.1 22.2

1717

1375 Arbuthnot Bkgv‡

1456

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…

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17 375K

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1933Y 1374X Aus New Z 544 67K

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45 El Oro

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1V Marechale Capv

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293K

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144

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691O

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43 Frenkel Toppingv

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1.2 35.8 17.8 -2.2

…

867K

750 Gresh Hse Stratv

867K

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328

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327K

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233

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1610 290O

989K Close Bros‡ 94K CMC Markets

4V 379 X 1610

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273

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747N 302V 1659K

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544K Br Land‡ 75K Caledonian Tstv 263 Cap & Count 7rop

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…

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the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

1GM

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uAIM company; # Price at suspension; † Ex dividend; ‡ Ex scrip; s Ex rights issue; t Ex all; § Ex capital distribution; * figures or report awaited; . . . No significant data. Companies in bold are constituents of the FTSE 100 Index. Investment Cos sector Nav Dis or Prm supplied by Morningstar. See thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/markets Data as shown is for information purposes only. No offer is made by Morningstar or this publication

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ Bruce Langhorne Page 56

Obituaries

Michael Bogdanov Energetic and thin-skinned theatre director who faced an infamous private prosecution for his staging of The Romans in Britain ALASTAI MUI /GETTY IMAGES

It was December 19, 1980; the curtain had come down on a performance of The Romans in Britain at the National Theatre; the company were enjoying a pre-Christmas drink. A call went out: would Michael Bogdanov, the director, please come to the stage door? There he found a small, smiling man holding out what he assumed was a fan letter. Bogdanov thanked him and returned to the bar to read its contents to the cast. To his horror, Bogdanov had been served a writ. He stood accused of having “procured an act of gross indecency” contrary to the Sexual Offences Act of 1956. The diminutive smirker had been Graham Ross-Cornes, the solicitor for Mary Whitehouse, self-appointed guardian of the nation’s morals. Howard Brenton’s play, commissioned by Peter Hall, was always going to be a hard-hitting work, comparing the Roman occupation 2,000 years ago to the British presence in Northern Ireland, where the Troubles were at their height. The actors Peter Sproule and Greg Hicks, both naked on stage, were required to play out a homosexual anal rape scene. Sproule placed his fist around his penis, with his thumb protruding, to give the impression of an erection. He then jabbed the ad-libbed phallus against Hicks’s thigh. Although the police had visited the show three times, the attorney-general had declined to prosecute. Nevertheless, Whitehouse and her lawyers had found a loophole in the law and could bring a private prosecution. It was not a He claimed to have lived in Oscar Wilde’s rooms at Trinity College Dublin Michael Bogdanov

matter of censorship, they said, simply that theatres could not break the indecency laws. Bogdanov, who denied two charges, was committed for trial at the Old Bailey in March 1982. If convicted he could have faced up to three years in jail. In the run-up to the trial he received threatening phone calls and excrement was pushed through his letterbox. Under cross-examination RossCornes insisted that he had seen the tip of Sproule’s penis. Geoffrey Robertson, for the defence, was convinced that the solicitor’s seat number would be crucial. It turned out that he had been on the back row and saw very little. Yet even with the sole prosecution witness broken, the case continued. Until, that is, Ian Kennedy, Whitehouse’s counsel, suddenly decided that he could no longer prosecute. The trial collapsed, though, as Bogdanov often pointed out, he was never formally acquitted. It would be another 25 years until the first major revival of The Romans in Britain. Although The Romans was Bogdanov’s most notorious scrape, it was one of hundreds of plays that he directed, most notably with the English Shakespeare Company (ESC), which he founded in 1986 with Michael Pennington. Even there his work, though widely applauded, was not for the fainthearted, with Romeo and Juliet staged in leather jackets and The Taming of the Shrew on a motorbike. He picked up

Bogdanov outside Horseferry Road magistrates’ court in 1981, before his case was sent to the Old Bailey. Right, The Romans in Britain (1980)

an Olivier award in 1990 for masterminding a globe-trotting, back-to-back marathon of Shakespeare’s historical plays. To his fans Bogdanov was Badger, a man of enthusiasm; to his detractors he was Bodger, a reflection of the uneven quality of his theatrical work. He might have been expected to grow accustomed to life in the public eye. Instead he could be very thin-skinned, as he demonstrated in an article in the New Statesman in 1996 in which he described an unnamed critic as a “vicious, vituperative, vitriolic, objectionable, abusive, arrogant, excretory, disgruntled, cavilling, small-minded, arse-licking, toadying sycophant who should never be let near a theatre again”. He was born Michael Bogdin in December 1938, the son of Francis, a Ukrainian classicist who had helped to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls. His mother, Rhoda (née Rees), was one of 13 children from the mining town of Neath in South Wales. His surname was so often mispronounced that eventually he changed it to Bogdanov. His earliest years were spent in Neath, but when he was three Rhoda joined her husband in the East End of London during the Blitz. “The bombs were preferable to living with her

mother,” he recalled. His left-wing parents moved out to Ruislip, where on VE Day “every house except ours had a big Union Jack outside it. Ours had a thumping great red flag with a hammer and sickle.” h He was educated at the Lower S School of John Lyon, Harrow, and then sold his precious stamp collection, which included a couple of Penny Blacks, to fund his travels. He was briefly a sports master at the École Anglaise de Paris, where his days “were spent avoiding the Spanish teacher (male) and a series of chunky American girls, bursting out of shorts and blouses”, he said. During the summer he played his guitar in cafés. “I must have slept on a floor in every street on the Left Bank, and a few nights in doorways as well.” He read French and German at Trinity College Dublin, and claimed to have lived in Oscar Wilde’s rooms, then briefly in Bram Stoker’s. During his penultimate year he directed Echo of a Sigh, a one-act play by Tony Aspler, which won a student prize. A keen sportsman until he was involved in a car crash while hitching back from Paris in 1962, Bogdanov finished his finals four months late with his leg in plaster.

Remaining in Ireland, he helped to form the Gas Company Theatre in 1964, learnt the art of lighting a stage while on a production of Hugh Leonard’s play Stephen D, became a roadie for the Dubliners band, and had a programme on RTÉ singing original compositions laced with traditional ballads. He met an Irish girl at the Old Stand pub in Wicklow Street who could comfortably down eight pints of Guinness: “I drank five and fell over. I had met my first wife.” He married Patsy Warwick in 1966 and they had three children: Jethro, who works on an arts programme for young offenders; Malachi, who is also a theatre director; and Ffion, who has worked on films. His first revue, Would Anyone Who Saw the Accident, co-written with Terry Brady, was staged in Dublin and at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, where he had his first brush with the London critics when Milton Shulman of the Evening Standard admitted to seeing “the whole ghastly mess”. By the age

of 29 Bogdanov was “beginning to quarrel with Ireland politically, religiously and socially” and moved the family to his native Wales, where they bought the Shoemakers Arms, a pub four miles north of Sennybridge in the Brecon Beacons, which they still own. “Even when up to their eyeballs in sheep shit, their necks in mud, their chins in water and their shoulders in snow, still they laugh,” he said of his regulars. After six months the “muscular ache of beer-barrel reality was superseded by the spiritual ache for make-believe”. A call to Terry Hands, associate director at the Royal Shakespeare Company and an old friend, led to a job as assistant director at Stratford in 1970. After a couple of years he joined Tyneside Theatre Company in Newcastle. “That is where it really all began,” he said, recalling how he subjected the Geordie audience to a rock musical called Orgy. He moved on to the Phoenix in Leicester, from where his staging of The Magic Drum, about a boy with a musical gift, transferred to the National in London — followed by Bogdanov himself. Even before The Romans took to the stage, word of its debauchery had spread. A maintenance man dropped his tin of paint in shock after catching a glimpse of the action, while ushers and box-office staff were said to be in revolt. Bogdanov’s solution was to hold an open rehearsal for staff — with free beer laid on. After the first public preview Hall took Bogdanov and Brenton for a dinner of pigs’ testicles. His only c comment was that the rape sc scene might cause “trouble” a and he suggested making it m more discreet; they politely d declined his advice. Once in ccourt, however, Hall stood fi firmly by his director. Bogdanov was a man of excceptional energy. While runn ning the ESC he found time in 1989 to take the helm of th the Deutsches Schauspielh haus in Hamburg. He was ccharged with filling the th theatre’s 1,200 seats every n night, but found himself ccriticised for popularising a ccultural shrine. The final row turned on whether he had described the city’s cultural chief as an “arsehole” or merely a “doof” (stupid). While in Germany his first marriage ended and in 2000 he married Ulrike Engelbrecht, who worked at the theatre. They had a daughter, Pia, and a son, Cai, both of whom are students. He was invariably drawn back to Wales, and in later years directed plays as varied as Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, Hamlet and Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds for his Wales Theatre Company. He celebrated Thomas’s centenary by staging a “Dylathon” in Swansea, a 36-hour marathon reading of the poet’s work. Buzzing with plans as always, Bogdanov was on holiday on a Greek island when he suffered a fatal heart attack while having his picture taken outside a taverna. He had just enjoyed a good lunch and still had a glass of red wine in his hand. Michael Bogdanov, theatre director, was born on December 15, 1938. He died on April 16, 2017, aged 78

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Robert Taylor Computer scientist influential in the creation of the modern internet and the development of personal computers Inconvenience sparked Bob Taylor’s interest in computing. As an experimental psychology student in Texas in the 1950s he tried to perform a task that needed complex calculations, and found the university’s card-punch system to be cumbersome. “You mean I have to sit down and punch holes in these cards to get my data in, and then I have to take the cards over to the computer and I give the cards to a guy who runs the computer and I go away and come back and get the results on a long printout of paper?” he recalled in 2008. Incredulous and irked, he went away and worked out the number he needed using a personal calculator, finding it odd that the smaller device was in some ways more efficient and useful. A decade or so later he would set in motion events that ultimately saw him heralded as one of the pioneers of the digital age, helping to foster advances that would lead to personal computers and the internet. In 1966 Taylor took charge of computer research at the Advanced Research Projects Agency (Arpa), an arm of the United States defence department. He started a project called Arpanet, a forerunner of the internet. When operational in 1969, it linked computers at four sites to create a network that Taylor envisioned as a way to build a research community that could interactively “time-share” and make better use of processing power. His interest in networking was partly motivated by the feeling that it was senseless having three computers in his office that could not talk to each other.

Robert Taylor: facilitator and creator

The previous year, working with a colleague, JCR Licklider, Taylor wrote an influential and prophetic paper. It suggested that computers could be more than fancy number-crunchers. “In a few years, men will be able to communicate more effectively through a machine than face to face,” The Computer as a Communication Device began. A digital computer, they wrote, “can change the nature and value of communication even more profoundly than did the printing press . . . a well-programmed computer can provide direct access both to informational resources and to the processes for making use of the resources.”

Robert William Taylor was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1932, and adopted by a peripatetic Methodist minister, Raymond Taylor, and his wife, Audrey, a teacher, when he was less than a month old. A prodigious student, he went to Southern Methodist University, Dallas, at the age of 16. After service in the US navy he continued his studies at the University of Texas, where he stayed to become an acoustics researcher. This involved scuba diving in a deep lake near Austin. Far more frightening than anything he experienced in the military, he recalled, was a dive into the darkness when he was tapped on the head by a giant carp. He only narrowly resisted the urge to arrow to the surface as fast as he could, which might have given him the bends. Another youthful incident coloured his thinking about the psychology of fear and daring. When working on a summer job at a ranch he impulsively mounted and attempted to ride a furious bull, which bucked him off and attacked him. Yet Taylor was strangely calm as he hid underneath a tree. “The contrast of being afraid when there is no need, and not being fearful when there is a serious need, it’s something I’ve thought about from time to time,” he said. He met Joanne Honnold while he was a student in Texas and they married in the mid-1950s. They had three sons — Kurt, Erik and Derek — but divorced in the 1980s. After leaving university Taylor taught maths and coached basketball at a school in Florida. “I had a wonderful

time but was very poor, with a second child — which turned out to be twins — on the way,” he said. He became a missile-design engineer, testing equipment at ultra-low temperatures. A creative force who appreciated the value of humour in the office, he had enormous drive and pushed his colleagues. His skills secured him a management role with Nasa in his early thirties. Taylor provided funding through Nasa for Doug Engelbart (obituary, July 5, 2013), who invented the computer mouse, and then met Licklider, who had formed an idea for an embryonic

‘He created surroundings that allowed people to do their best work’ internet that he called the “Intergalactic Computer Network”. Although he saw no merit in America’s involvement in Vietnam, Taylor was dispatched there by the Pentagon in the 1960s to improve the information technology used by the military because the US president, Lyndon Johnson, felt that the daily logistics reports were unreliable. Robert McNamara, the defence secretary, called for a “computer guy” to fix them; Taylor was given the rank of general for the mission, making several trips to Vietnam to upgrade and standardise the technology. In 1970 he moved to what is now known as Silicon Valley to work at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre, where

he helped to create an experimental personal computer known as the Alto, working with visionary teams whose ideas would heavily influence those later produced by Apple and Microsoft. While there he became known for the weekly discussions he held aimed at generating ideas. The venue was nicknamed “the Dealer’s Room” because the presenter of the week’s topic would sit — like a blackjack dealer — at the centre of a circle of colleagues. “Kids with long hair and ponytails could relax, think wonderful thoughts and come up with great ideas,” recalled one member. “Bob created an environment that allowed people to do their best work. He’d say, ‘Of course, that’s a good idea. Do it.’ ” He later established a research laboratory in Palo Alto and retired in 1996. He was was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame, using his speech to stress the importance of teamwork. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1999. Taylor spent his later years in his beloved hillside home where, while growing tomatoes, he would look out on to Silicon Valley, the tech hub that he had helped to create. He played the occasional computer game, but largely shunned technology. For him there was no mobile phone, copier or fax machine. Instead, his two black poodles, Lara and Max, kept him company. Robert Taylor, computer scientist, was born on February 10, 1932. He died of complications from Parkinson’s disease on April 13, 2017, aged 85

Bruce Langhorne Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ , whose melodic guitar playing characterised the American folk movement in the 1960s Contrary to popular mythology, the instrument played by Bruce Langhorne that inspired one of Bob Dylan’s most memorable songs wasn’t a tambourine at all. It was an oversized Turkish frame drum. Despite the misnomer, the striking image of Langhorne playing his huge drum made such an impression on Dylan’s fertile imagination that he immortalised him as “Mr Tambourine Man”, while the row of small bells attached to the drum were the felicitous source of the “jingle jangle morning” in the song’s captivating chorus. “He had this gigantic tambourine . . . It was as big as a wagon wheel,” Dylan recalled two decades after the song was written. “This vision of him playing this tambourine just stuck in my mind. He was one of those characters.” Yet Langhorne was far more than a footnote in Dylan’s career. His uniquely melodic guitar playing was ubiquitous on the American folk scene in the 1960s, heard on recordings by Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Richie Havens, Odetta, Gordon Lightfoot and Peter, Paul and Mary, among others. In addition to the fluid electric guitar countermelody he contributed to Mr Tambourine Man, Langhorne played guitar on several other tracks on Dylan’s seminal 1965 album, Bringing It All Back Home, which marked his transition from acoustic folk singer to electrified folk rocker. “At one point I was like Mr Guitar in Greenwich Village,” Langhorne said. “I got to play gospel, I got to play Irish folk music, I got to play everything. And one of the things I got to do was play music with this kid Bob Dylan.” They met in 1961, when the unknown Dylan had newly arrived in New York eager to make his way on the burgeoning

folk scene. Langhorne was already established as a regular at Gerde’s Folk City, one of the most prestigious of Greenwich Village’s folk clubs, and where Dylan soon joined him. Langhorne was initially unimpressed by the new kid in town. “I thought he was a terrible singer and a complete fake, and I thought he didn’t play harmonica that well,” he admitted. “I didn’t really start to appreciate Bobby as something unique until he started writing.” Yet they went on to build a strong mutual rapport. Langhorne described

‘This vision of him playing this tambourine just stuck in my mind’ their connection as “telepathic” and Dylan in turn heaped praise on him in his 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume One. On publication he sent him a copy of the book with the inscription: “Back then was something else! Like they say, it was better to be in chains with friends than in a garden with strangers. So true, huh?” From Bob Dylan to Bruce — Mr Tambourine Man. Laid-back and unassuming, Langhorne was unfazed by celebrity and his eccentricities could sometimes seem a little wilful. “I have always believed that fame is a curse, I don’t envy one of the famous people that I have ever met,” he said. When asked how he felt about being Mr Tambourine Man he replied that there were plenty of other pieces of music he preferred and suggested he would have rather inspired Bach’s The WellTempered Clavier. Langhorne had no children, but there were three serious partners in

Bruce Langhorne and his drum inspired Bob Dylan’s song, right

his life. His first marriage, to Georgia, a professional ballet dancer, was dissolved after 18 months. He lived for several years with Natalie Mucyn in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, where Joni Mitchell was a neighbour and close friend. He is survived by Janet Bachelor, with whom he was in a relationship for almost 40 years. While his famous “tambourine” went on to become a museum exhibit in the collection of the Experience Music

Project in Seattle, Langhorne turned his back on popular music and, after scoring several HollyF d an and d Jo JJonaona naawood films for Peter Fonda than Demme, in 1980 abandoned his Los Angeles home for a cane shack in Hawaii, where he and Janet farmed macadamia nuts. It proved a hard and unprofitable life, and after several years they returned to

California, living at Venice Beach until 2015, when he was moved to a hospice after having a stroke. Bruce Langhorne was born in 1938 in Tallahassee, Florida, where his father was the head of English at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College, historically a black university, and his mother was a librarian and amateur pianist. After they separated, Bruce moved with his mother to New York, where she ran the Harlem library network, and he became the first black student to be admitted to the exclusive Horace Mann prep school. He was picked on for racial reasons and was expelled after being accused of forming a gang and fighting back. A child prodigy on the violin, his lessons came to an abrupt end when he was 12 years old and a homemade “cherry bomb” rocket packed with magnesium and plaster of Paris blew up in his right hand, reducing his thumb, index and middle fingers to short stumps. “At least I don’t have to play violin any more,” he told his distraught mother in the ambulance on the way to hospital. Remarkably, he overcame the disability to become one of the signature guitarists of the 1960s folk boom. “If you had Bruce playing with you, that’s all you d just about anything,” would need to do Dylan said. Bruce Langhorne, musician, was born on May 11, 1938. He died of kidney failure on April 14, 2017, aged 78

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Decision to prosecute refugee did not breach her human rights Supreme Court Aublished: April 19, 2017

SXH v Crown Prosecution Service Before Lord Mance, Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, Lord Reed, Lord Hughes and Lord Toulson [2017] UKSC 30 Judgment: April 11, 2017

A decision by the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute a person against whom there was sufficient evidence that he or she had committed a criminal offence was not open to challenge as a violation of the right to respect for private and family life guaranteed by article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Supreme Court so held in dismissing the appeal of the claimant, a Somali national identified only as SXH, from a decision of the Court of Appeal (Lord Justice Pitchford, Lord Justice Beatson and Lady Justice Gloster) ([2014] 1 WLR 3238) which dismissed the claimant’s appeal from a decision of Mr Justice Irwin ([2013] EWHC 71 (QB)) who held that on the facts of the case the claimant’s detention and the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to charge her with an offence under section 25 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 of possessing a false identity document did not engage article 8. Mr Richard Hermer, QC, Mr Richard Thomas and Mr Edward Craven for SXH; Mr Philip Havers, QC, and Mr Neil Sheldon for the CPS; Mr Raza Husain, QC, Mr Paul Luckhurst and Mr Jason Pobjoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, intervening. Lord Toulson (with whom Lord Mance, Lord Reed and Lord Hughes agreed) said that SXH was born in Somalia in December 1991. She was a member of a minority clan and she and her family suffered severe violence from majority clans over many years. That included her rape and the murder of both her parents. In December 2008 she fled Somalia and spent a year living in Yemen. On December 25, 2009, she left Yemen with an agent and flew to an unknown European destination from where she travelled to Eindhoven in the Netherlands. On December 27 she flew from Eindhoven to the United Kingdom on a false passport provided by her agent. On arrival at Stansted Airport she attempted to pass through immigration control using a false British passport, but was stopped and challenged by immigration officers. She immediately claimed asylum. The immigration officer told her she could return to the Netherlands in which case she would not be prosecuted, but she declined.

She was detained and charged with the offence of possessing a false identity document contrary to section 25 of the 2006 Act. On June 10 SXH was granted asylum. The next day the prosecution offered no evidence at the Crown Court and SXH was found not guilty and released. She issued proceedings against the CPS, the Home Office and the police for damages on various grounds including her right under article 8 to respect for her private and family life. The claims against the Home Office and the police were not pursued. On behalf of SXH it was submitted that article 8 applied to the decision to prosecute her because it “targeted” conduct which was itself protected by article 8, and its consequences were to interfere with the enjoyment of her private life. It was submitted that the range of article 8 was broad, that the threshold for it to apply was low and that it was almost inevitable that the decisions of the CPS, as a public body, would have an impact on SXH’s private life and so engage article 8. Anything done by a public body which had the consequence of affecting someone’s private life in a more than minimal way involved interference with respect for it within the meaning of article 8. His Lordship said that broad as article 8 undoubtedly was, the consequentialist argument advanced was far too broad. There was no support in the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights or the domestic courts for the argument that even if the conduct for which a person was prosecuted was not within the range of article 8, the article might apply to a decision to prosecute because of the attendant consequences. By commencing a criminal prosecution the CPS placed the matter before a court. There was a striking absence of any reported case in which it had been held that the institution of criminal proceedings for a matter which was properly the subject of the criminal law might be open to challenge on article 8 grounds. It would be illogical, for if the matter was properly the subject of the criminal law it was a matter for the processes of the criminal law. The criminalisation of conduct might amount to interference with article 8 rights, and that would depend on the nature of the conduct. If the criminalisation did not amount to an unjustifiable interference with an activity protected by article 8, no more did a decision to prosecute for that conduct. The consequences

would be matters for the court. Article 6 protected a defendant’s right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal. It was accepted that the offence under section 25 of the 2006 Act was compliant with SXH’s Convention rights and that the CPS was reasonably entitled to conclude at the time of the decision to prosecute that the evidential test was satisfied. It was difficult to envisage circumstances in which the initiation of a prosecution against a person reasonably suspected of committing a criminal offence could itself be a breach of that person’s human rights. The CPS was not bound to prosecute in every case, depending on its views of the public interest. But the fact that in the English jurisdiction a prosecution was not obligatory made no difference. Whether it was in the public interest to prosecute was not the same as whether the prosecution would unjustifiably interfere with a right protected by article 8. Even if the original decision to prosecute was an error of judgment on the part of the CPS, it would not have involved a breach of article 8. It would be different if the state deliberately trumped up false allegations against someone as a form of harassment. In terms of domestic law that would involve the torts of malicious prosecution or misfeasance in public office or both, to which article 8 would add nothing. But no duty of care was owed by the police towards a suspect and the same applied to the CPS. The duty of the CPS was to the public, not to the victim or the suspect, who had separate interests. To recognise a duty of care towards victims or suspects would put the CPS in positions of potential conflict, and would also open the door to collateral interlocutory civil proceedings and trials, which would not be conducive to the best operation of the criminal justice system. Similar considerations were relevant when considering the applicability of article 8 in the context of a decision to prosecute. A decision to prosecute did not of itself involve a lack of respect for the autonomy of the defendant, but placed the question of determining guilt or innocence before the court, which would itself be responsible for deciding ancillary questions of bail or remand in custody and the like. Lord Kerr delivered a concurring judgment. Solicitors: Bhatt Murphy Solicitors; Treasury Solicitor; Baker & McKenzie LLP.

The Lord Petre (Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Essex) was present at Stansted Airport, London, this afternoon upon the Arrival of The President of Ukraine and welcomed His Excellency on behalf of The Queen.

Hadley (formerly Chairman of the former Chindits Old Comrades’ Association, and President, the Burma Star Association, Birmingham Branch), which was held at Sandwell Valley Crematorium, West Bromwich, West Midlands, this afternoon.

Clarence House 18th April, 2017 The Prince of Wales, Patron of the former Chindits Old Comrades’ Association, was represented by the Viscount Slim (President, the Burma Star Association) at the Funeral Service of Mr Ronald

Kensington Palace 18th April, 2017 The Duke of Cambridge this morning attended a screening of the documentary Mind Over Marathon at BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1.

Court Circular

Windsor Castle 18th April, 2017 The Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel-in-Chief, The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, this afternoon received a regimental delegation at Windsor Castle.

Technical support 2 768 6833

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Weather Weather Eye Paul Simons

Today Cloudy with patchy outbreaks of light rain, drier and brighter in the southeast. Max 13C (55F), min 1C (34F) 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

Becoming a little milder in the south, most places dry with a few isolated showers in places

Temperature

Tomorrow

Flood alerts and warnings

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 Guernsey Hereford Herstmonceux Ipswich Isle of Man Isle of Wight 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 Skye Snowdonia Southend Stornoway Tiree Whitehaven Wick Yeovilton

9 10 10 7 11 9 9 9 11 9 10 12 10 8 7 7 11 9 11 10 7 11 8 9 8 6 8 9 10 10 9 9 9 11 7 9 8 10 13 10 12 10 8 9 8 10 7 8 7 7 9

PC C PC C S PC C PC PC PC S PC S C PC C PC S F PC C S PC C PC PC PC PC C PC S PC ** S PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC PC C PC PC SH C C C PC

0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 ** 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.4 0.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 ** 0.0 1.0 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.4 0.0

6.2 1.4 2.8 5.5 ** ** 3.5 ** 0.9 ** 2.1 3.7 3.8 2.6 ** 3.4 ** ** 2.0 7.2 4.3 ** ** 7.0 ** 6.9 4.5 3.3 ** 0.4 1.0 1.2 5.9 ** ** 0.9 5.8 ** ** ** ** 1.0 0.9 ** ** 2.5 10.6 12.4 ** ** 2.0

Cloudy with patchy rain in central and western areas spreading slowly east. Breezier over S tl h some longer spell Max 15C, n

Rough

12 9 13

Aberdeen

NORTH SEA

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Londonderry

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Sunny spells and the risk of a few isolated light showers in the north and east. Breezy in e r Max 16C, mi 1

Belfast

LLlandudno

14 16

Cork

Swansea

General situation: Clou y n he north with spells of rain. Brighter in the southeast, though cloud will gradually build from the northwest later. Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: Rather cloudy at times, with the risk of some patchy showers in the north. Light westerly winds. Maximum 13C (55F), minimum 2C (36F). NW Scotland, Argyll, Cen Highland, Moray Firth, NE Scotland, N Isles: A dry but rather cloudy start, just the risk of an isolated shower near the

Tides

1 11

12 14

The Times weather page is provided by Weatherquest

23 14

-15

London

Southampton

Exeterr

Brighton

CHANNEL

west coastt later later. Light to moderate westerly winds. Maximum 13C (55F), minimum 5C (41F). Aberdeen, Edinburgh & Dundee, IoM, Borders, NE Eng, Lake District, SW Scotland, Glasgow: Cloudy with patchy outbreaks of rain to start, becoming dry but staying cloudy through the afternoon. Moderate to fresh southwesterly winds. Maximum 13C (55F), minimum 5C (41F). NW Eng, Cen N Eng, E Eng, Midlands, Wales: Perhaps a little early brightness

but generally rather cloudy with the risk of a little patchy rain in places later in the day. Light to moderate southwesterly wind. Maximum 13C (55F), minimum 3C (37F). SW Eng, Cen S Eng, SE Eng, London, E Anglia, Channel Is: A bright start with spells of hazy sunshine at times. Becoming a little cloudier later with the slight risk of an isolated shower in the west. Feeling less cold. Light to moderate variable winds. Maximum 13C (55F), minimum 1C (34F).

Noon today

Tidal predictions. Heights in metres

Rather breezy with outbreaks of rain in the north and west. The best of any brightness in t s d east. Max 14C, mi

-10

Bristol

Monday

5 -5

Cambridge

Oxford 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

Birmingham

Plymouth

i h Norwich

CELTIC SEA

Channel Islands

Nottingham

Some sunny spells but also the risk of a few isolated showers. Colder in the north with per i sleet over the higher g Max 15C,

Sheffield

Shrewsbury 12

A mostly dry day with sunny spells and variable cloud. Feeling cool and breezy, especia r coast. Max 13C, mi

Hull

ooo Liverpool

IRISH SEA

Dublin

Sunday

Yorkk Manchester

10 11

F 95

Carlisle

Galway

Saturday

C 35

Newcastle

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

Friday

Shetland Sh

21 S Madeira 23 F Madrid 22 S Majorca 20 F Málaga 21 S Malta 19 S Melbourne Mexico City 22 B 27 C Miami 15 S Milan 30 S Mombasa 8 C Montreal 4 C Moscow 34 S Mumbai 1 SN Munich 23 B Nairobi 18 B Naples New Orleans 20 M 23 S New York 18 S Nice 22 B Nicosia 4 C Oslo 8 B Paris 23 C Perth 2 R Prague 6 S Reykjavik 2 F Riga Rio de Janeiro 28 S 31 F Riyadh 19 S Rome San Francisco 16 S 20 S Santiago 21 C São Paulo 12 R Seoul 31 S Seychelles 32 S Singapore C St Petersburg 0 2 S Stockholm 24 S Sydney 22 F Tel Aviv 24 F Tenerife 21 S Tokyo 13 B Vancouver 10 B Venice 9 R Vienna 5 C Warsaw Washington 17 R 5 S Zurich

Moderate

28 (degrees C)

All readings local midday yesterday

F R B F F S B B F B F R S F B C R B F B S F S S B B F S F B S S B C F S S R F F S F S F S B F

ney Orkney

Calm Slight

20 7 18 18 29 35 30 17 21 20 16 8 21 16 8 11 10 17 31 34 20 30 20 5 19 38 33 10 26 17 7 10 18 20 3 29 26 8 27 21 30 25 23 25 22 21 33

e st te

(mph)

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 Harare Helsinki Hong Kong Honolulu Istanbul Jerusalem Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Lanzarote Las Palmas Lima Lisbon Los Angeles Luxor

in s e d 34

1 4 07:27 00:13 05:10 00:02 11:30 04:22 05:39 11:14 06:11 05:37 04:09 12:05 08:42 04:58 07:24 03:36 12:04 05:01 04:32 11:00 11:15 10:31 04:37 04:32 04:09 12:07 09:49 12:14

Ht 3.3 10.4 3.0 9.6 4.3 5.4 3.3 4.0 2.9 3.4 4.5 5.9 4.4 7.5 6.0 2.1 5.1 7.3 5.2 5.1 2.8 4.2 3.8 4.9 3.7 7.1 4.2 1.3

20:22 12:42 17:58 12:34 23:52 17:05 18:37 23:42 18:44 18:00 16:52 --:-21:26 17:32 19:41 15:41 --:-17:34 17:14 23:39 --:-23:15 17:15 17:16 10:13 --:-22:35 --:--

Ht 3.2 10.1 2.8 9.3 4.4 5.3 3.1 4.1 2.8 3.3 4.2 -4.3 7.2 5.8 2.1 -6.9 5.1 5.1 -4.2 3.8 4.8 1.7 -4.1 --

2 HI HI

1 6 6

Synoptic situation High pressure extends across much of southeastern Britain, with a weak front producing cloud and rain in the northwest. Elsewhere, low pressure across eastern Europe is expected to produce showers, heavy and wintry at times. High pressure will bring bright weather to Iberia, with the very warm conditions triggering a few thundery showers later.

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: Plymouth, Devon, 13.9C Coldest: Cairngorm , -7.8C Wettest: Manston, Kent, 3.4mm Sunniest: Shobdon, 9.3hrs*

Sun and moon For Greenwich Sun rises: 05.56 Sun sets: 20.04 Moon rises: 02.35 Moon sets: 11.41 New moon: April 26

20:56-05:15 21:04-05:38 20:42-05:28 20:45-05:35 20:45-05:38 21:01-05:28 20:49-05:30 20:33-05:23 20:46-05:27 20:48-05:20 20:30-05:15 20:52-05:48 20:43-05:24

ust as spring seemed to be in full swing, a cold nip has returned with damaging frosts — and more spells of cool weather are expected through the rest of the month. As TS Eliot warned in The Waste Land: “April is the cruellest month.” This may be more than poetic licence, because this is often the time of year when our usual mild winds from the Atlantic subside, leaving the way open for cold winds to drive down from the north with a taste of winter. What’s so shocking is how April can be so deceptive, starting off warm before turning cold much later on. April 1981 was a real shocker. The month began sunny and warm, but became an Arctic freeze on April 22, the first of five days of snow. Great blizzards swept much of the country. Snowdrifts towering 6m (20ft) high were reported in the Pennines, and the snow was 66cm (26in) deep in Gloucestershire. The temperature dropped to minus 11C (12F) at Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands. “Britain’s weather achieved new levels of perversity yesterday,” reported The Times on April 24. “At Harrogate a spring flower show marquee collapsed under the weight of snow. At Cambridge an umpire, who used to play ice hockey, took cricketers off the field to rescue them from the extreme cold.” Snowploughs battled to get through to hundreds of cars trapped on many blocked roads. Fierce winds brought down power lines and it took days for some parts of the country to have their electricity supplies restored. The snowstorm was nothing short of a crisis for sheep farmers, with lambs buried under snow, while crops were ruined and trees damaged. After the snow came a rapid thaw that led to more dislocation from floods and waterlogged ground. There wasn’t much joy in May, either. It was wet with more cool spells and there wasn’t much sign of summer that year, with a miserably cold, dull June and a cool and thundery July. Only in August was there any real respite, with warm, dry and sunny conditions.

1GM

Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Sport Sharapova could face Konta on return from suspension Tennis Stuart Fraser Tennis Writer Monte Carlo

Maria Sharapova’s first match back after her 15-month doping suspension could be against Johanna Konta after the Briton accepted a late wild card for the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Konta, the world No 7, has decided to play next week in an effort to spend more time on clay courts before the

French Open begins next month. After playing for Great Britain in the Fed Cup World Group II play-offs in Romania this weekend, she will head to Germany for one of the most eagerly anticipated WTA tournaments in some time. There is a one in 20 chance that Konta will be Sharapova’s opponent when the draw is made on Saturday. It would be their first meeting since Sharapova won 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of Wimbledon 2015, the same 2.25

Newmarket

bet365 European Free Handicap

ITV4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1.50 Mont Kiara 4.10 Mraseel 2.25 Whitecliffsofdover 4.45 Tranquil Star 3.00 Folkswood 5.20 First Nation (nb) 3.35 Roly Poly Going: good (good to firm in places) Draw: no advantage Racing UK

(2) (1) (8) (7) (3) (6) (5) (4)

11011316412311100132011523021415234-

SEVEN HEAVENS 193 (H,D,F,G) J Gosden 9-7 L Dettori SIR DANCEALOT 179 (D,F,G,S) D Elsworth 9-7 S W Kelly WHITECLIFFSOFDOVER (T,D,BF,G) A O'Brien (Ire) 9-7 R L Moore RODAINI (V,D,F,G) S Crisford 9-5 J Crowley PRIVATE MATTER (S) R Fahey 9-5 T Hamilton MISS INFINITY 194 (D,F,S) M Johnston 9-2 S De Sousa MAJESTE 221 (F) R Hannon 9-2 S Levey PERFECT ANGEL 173 (G) A Balding 8-13 D Probert

92 94 95 44 89 v97 94 95

3-1 Sir Dancealot, 100-30 Seven Heavens, 9-2 Whitecliffsofdover, 5-1 Rodaini, 6-1 Majeste, 12-1 Perfect Angel, 14-1 Miss Infinity, Private Matter.

100 O Murphy 1 (6) 20010- NEW BIDDER 180 (B,D,G,S) T D Barron 6-9-7 W Buick v105 2 (3) 21410- NORMANDY BARRIERE 193 (D,F,G) N Tinkler 5-9-5 97 J Crowley 3 (4) 40-012 KING ROBERT 20 (V,D,G,S) B Smart 4-9-4 92 R Winston 4 (9) 0000-0 TOOFI 17 (CD,G) J Butler 6-9-1 104 R L Moore 5 (5) 35120- REPUTATION 214 (B,D,F) J J Quinn 4-9-1 92 G Lee 6 (2) 00-000 MOONRAKER 76 (D,F,S) M Channon 5-9-0 95 H Bentley 7 (10) 0000-0 MONT KIARA 18 (D,F,S) K A Ryan 4-8-13 98 A Atzeni 8 (8) 1054-0 GUNMETAL 17 (D,G,S) C Hills 4-8-9 92 L Morris 9 (7) 4100-0 DARK DEFENDER 24 (V,D,G,S) K Dalgleish 4-8-8 88 S De Sousa 10 (1) 0-0343 SUQOOR 11 (P) C Dwyer 4-8-7 4-1 Reputation, 9-2 Normandy Barriere, 6-1 Dark Defender, Gunmetal, Mont Kiara, 7-1 others.

Thunderer: Whitecliffsofdover placed twice in group company last year and conditions look ideal Danger: Seven Heavens

Thunderer’s choice: Mont Kiara has thrived on both previous outings here with Harry Bentley on board Dangers: Gunmetal, Reputation

Blinkered first time: Newmarket 1.50 Reputation. 2.25 Rodaini. Cheltenham 4.25 McKenzie’s Friend. Sedgefield 6.30 Attimo. Wolverhampton 5.40 Allen’s Folly. 7.15 Newstead Abbey.

Cheltenham Thunderer 2.05 Solighoster 4.25 Pillard 2.40 Starchitect 5.00 Marracudja 3.15 Divine Spear (nap) 5.30 Copain De Classe 3.50 Millicent Silver Going: good Racing UK

Novices’ Hurdle (£10,010: 2m 4f 56y) (5)

W Hutchinson 1 23121 AZZERTI 40 (H) A King 5-11-4 2 11423 COASTAL TIEP 26 (P,D,BF) P Nicholls 5-11-4 S Twiston-Davies N Fehily 3 12112 SOLIGHOSTER 37 N Mulholland 5-11-4 D N Russell 4 1/212 WILLIAM HENRY 81 N Henderson 7-11-4 I Popham 5 5-335 BLAIRS COVE 87 (T) D Skelton 5-11-0 11-8 William Henry, 5-2 Coastal Tiep, 4-1 Azzerti, 7-1 Solighoster, 10-1 Blairs Cove.

2.40

Matt Hampson Foundation & NSIF Silver Trophy Chase ITV4 (Grade II: £28,475: 2m 4f 166y) (10)

R Johnson 1 -2320 VILLAGE VIC 34 (CD) P Hobbs 10-11-10 2 -1100 ART MAURESQUE 34 (C,D) P Nicholls 7-11-5 N Scholfield N Fehily 3 33040 VOIX D'EAU 34 (T,CD) H Fry 7-10-11 J Davies 4 40226 DRESDEN 46 H Oliver 9-10-8 T Scudamore 5 33153 STARCHITECT 11 (T,B,D) D Pipe 6-10-7 N P Madden 6 4P300 HENRYVILLE 12 (H,T,D) H Fry 9-10-6 7 511F0 FOXTAIL HILL 13 (CD) N Twiston-Davies 8-10-6 S Twiston-Davies 8 65014 THOMAS CRAPPER 34 (T,P,C,D) R Dickin 10-10-4 C Poste 9 0126P UN BEAU ROMAN 33 (H,C) Paul Henderson 9-10-4 T O'Brien 10 21134 CASINO MARKETS 25 (D) Miss E Lavelle 9-10-4 A Coleman 4-1 Starchitect, Thomas Crapper, 9-2 Voix D'Eau, 6-1 Village Vic, 13-2 Foxtail Hill, 10-1 Art Mauresque, Henryville, 14-1 Dresden, 16-1 others.

Thunderer: Starchitect had no luck here at the Festival but rallied to finish fifth Dangers: Henryville, Foxtail Hill

3.15

Handicap Hurdle (£12,512: 2m 4f 56y) (11)

1 11F10 RIVER FROST 35 (D) A King 5-11-12 2 5133P ITS'AFREEBEE 36 (D) D Skelton 7-11-11

W Hutchinson I Popham

3.00

bet365 Earl Of Sefton Stakes

(7) (5) (1) (6) (3) (8) (4) (2)

2013421201515500540-1 32-212 0254146550/31-01

ABDON 193 (F,S) Sir M Stoute 4-8-13 AUTOCRATIC 193 (F,G) Sir M Stoute 4-8-13 BERKSHIRE 158 (CD,F,S) P Cole 6-8-13 BRAVERY 18 (S) D O'Meara 4-8-13 FOLKSWOOD 46 (P,C,D,F,G,S) C Appleby 4-8-13 SPARK PLUG 207 (P,CD,F,G) B Meehan 6-8-13 STEEL OF MADRID 194 (C,F,G) R Hannon 4-8-13 VIREN'S ARMY 55 (P,D,G,S) C Appleby 4-8-13

Handicap Chase

2-554 PORT MELON 20 (P) P Nicholls 9-12-0 Mr D Maxwell (7) -0P30 ANY CURRENCY 35 (P,CD) M Keighley 14-12-0 A Tinkler 60030 SPOOKYDOOKY 32 (T,BF) Jonjo O'Neill 9-11-12 A Coleman 44P65 FOURTH ACT 39 (P) C Tizzard 8-11-11 H Cobden -5222 DOING FINE 24 (T,P,BF) N Mulholland 9-11-11 N Fehily 1205P FERGAL MAEL DUIN 73 C Tizzard 9-11-6 P Brennan 2P4UF TROIKA STEPPES 33 (C) F O'Brien 9-11-6 C Shoemark BP323 MILLICENT SILVER 25 (V) N Twiston-Davies 8-11-4 J Bargary (3) R Johnson 9 2233P AZURE FLY 20 (T,P) C Longsdon 9-11-4 L Aspell 10 P/6P6 GLOBAL POWER 31 (P) O Sherwood 11-10-13 T O'Brien 11 62551 ZERACHIEL 29 (P) I Williams 7-10-7 /4P52 UGOLIN DE BEAUMONT 43 R Buckler 9-10-7 L Heard 12 11-2 Port Melon, 13-2 Doing Fine, Fourth Act, 7-1 Millicent Silver, 8-1 Spookydooky, Zerachiel, 9-1 Azure Fly, 10-1 others.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Handicap Hurdle

Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes

Thunderer: Roly Poly returns fresh after a game effort at the Breeders’ Cup in November Dangers: Pamplemousse, Sea Of Grace

4.10

Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (2-Y-O: £4,528: 5f) (9)

-CHERUBIC C Hills 9-0 D Probert 1 (1) -FORMIDABLE KITT T Dascombe 9-0 R Kingscote 2 (3) -HIGHLAND MARY R Hannon 9-0 Doubtful 3 (8) -MRASEEL J Tate 9-0 J Crowley 4 (4) -NOBLE MANNERS M Johnston 9-0 S De Sousa 5 (5) -ON A ROLL R Hannon 9-0 T Marquand 6 (2) -QUEEN OF KALAHARI C Hills 9-0 James Doyle 7 (6) -TAKE SHELTER J Tate 9-0 L Morris 8 (7) -ZIARAH (H) J Tate 9-0 M Harley 9 (9) 3-1 Formidable Kitt, 4-1 Noble Manners, Queen Of Kalahari, 6-1 Take Shelter, 8-1 Mraseel, On A Roll, 10-1 Ziarah, 12-1 Cherubic.

J Greenall 11 004U3 THE ARTFUL COBBLER 34 (P) H Daly 6-10-9 B Poste (3) 12 3-2P5 BUCKONTUPENCE 34 H J Evans 9-10-7 11-2 Iora Glas, 6-1 Minstrel Royal, Pillard, 8-1 Baron Du Plessis, First Fandango, Max Forte, 9-1 Decimus, The Artful Cobbler, 10-1 others.

5.00

Novices’ Chase (£15,014: 2m 62y) (4)

1 1142P MARRACUDJA 81 (H,T,C,D) P Nicholls 6-11-8 S Twiston-Davies N Scholfield 2 04130 AMINABAD 11 (T,P,D) P Griffin (Ire) 7-11-5 3UU14 DEADLY APPROACH 16 (T,D) S Davies 6-11-5 R Dunne 3 H Cobden 4 P32F0 MICK THONIC 33 (T) C Tizzard 7-11-0 8-13 Marracudja, 7-4 Mick Thonic, 12-1 Aminabad, 20-1 Deadly Approach.

5.30

-6626 THE WALLACE LINE 18 T Vaughan 6-11-12 A Johns (3) 4-0P4 MAX FORTE 60 C Down 7-11-12 J Davies 4-353 PILLARD 16 (H,T) Jonjo O'Neill 5-11-10 A Coleman P6063 MOIDORE 23 (D) C Pogson 8-11-10 A Pogson 53652 DECIMUS 13 (B,D) J Scott 10-11-8 Matt Griffiths 3326P MINSTREL ROYAL 82 N Henderson 7-11-7 J McGrath 32340 IORA GLAS 23 (T) F O'Brien 8-11-7 P Brennan -6035 MCKENZIE'S FRIEND 60 (B) O Sherwood 6-11-4 L Aspell 000P2 FIRST FANDANGO 26 (T,P,D) T Vaughan 10-10-11 R Johnson 02025 BARON DU PLESSIS 26 I Williams 6-10-9 T O'Brien

Handicap Hurdle (£6,256: 2m 179y) (8)

11103 RED TORNADO 20 (D) D Skelton 5-11-12 Bridget Andrews (3) C Deutsch (3) 2 26245 SOLATENTIF 32 (D) C Tizzard 7-11-7 H Cobden 3 -31P1 COPAIN DE CLASSE 24 (D) P Nicholls 5-11-7 Mr J King (5) 4 61411 POKER SCHOOL 114 (D) I Williams 7-11-5 Mr J J O'Neill (7) 5 25610 LITHIC 39 (BF) Jonjo O'Neill 6-10-12 R Williams (3) 6 0130- NABHAN 262F (D) B Llewellyn 5-10-11 7 50012 SILVERHOW 18 (D,BF) N Henderson 6-10-10 Mr H Hunt (7) 8 13063 BOBBLE EMERALD 18 (P,D) M Keighley 9-10-5 H Bannister (3) 7-2 Copain De Classe, 9-2 Silverhow, 11-2 Bobble Emerald, Poker School, 6-1 Red Tornado, Solatentif, 15-2 Lithic, 20-1 Nabhan.

Sedgefield 4.50 Down Time 5.25 Noble Call 5.55 Fadas 6.30 Amuse Me Going: good

4.50

ITV4

103 J A Heffernan 1 (7) 11661- BRAVE ANNA 207 (C,F,S) A O'Brien (Ire) 9-3 416- CHOUMICHA 172 (D,S) H Palmer 9-0 83 A Atzeni 2 (3) 1- DABAN 168 (D,F,S) J Gosden 9-0 -L Dettori 3 (11) 142- KAZIMIERA 172 (D,F) C Appleby 9-0 87 W Buick 4 (10) 98 S De Sousa 5 (9) 42010- KILMAH 223 (C,D,F) M Johnston 9-0 1 PAMPLEMOUSSE A Fabre (Fr) 9-0 -P Boudot 6 (5) 411- POET'S VANITY 194 (CD,F) A Balding 9-0 99 O Murphy 7 (4) R L Moore v106 8 (2) 11220- ROLY POLY (BF,F,G,S) A O'Brien (Ire) 9-0 311- SEA OF GRACE 234 (G,S) W Haggas 9-0 98 P Cosgrave 9 (6) 85 A Vries 10 (1) 3140- TALLULAH ROSE 250 (F) K Burke 9-0 93 James Doyle 11 (8) 2123- UNFORGETABLE FILLY 194 (G) H Palmer 9-0 100-30 Sea Of Grace, 7-2 Pamplemousse, Roly Poly, 6-1 Brave Anna, 7-1 Poet's Vanity, 10-1 Daban, 20-1 Kazimiera, Kilmah, Unforgetable Filly, 50-1 Choumicha, 66-1 Tallulah Rose.

7.00 Thisonetime 7.30 Tommy The Rascal 8.00 Invictus At The Races

Handicap Hurdle (£2,599: 3m 3f 9y) (8)

Steven Fox (5) 1 P0046 MULTIPEDE 21 J Ewart 5-11-12 J England 2 P0223 NICKI'S NIPPER 12 (P,C) S England 9-11-12

4.45

5.20

Novices’ Handicap Chase (£3,899: 2m 77y) (6)

Steven Fox (5) 1 -2360 LEADING SCORE 26 (P) J Ewart 7-11-12 D Cook 2 13005 NOBLE CALL 165 (T,D) Miss J Foster 9-11-2 J England 3 053-P BOURBON PRINCE 18 S England 6-11-2 J Quinlan 4 04010 ALYS ROCK 21 (C,D) M Appleby 8-10-11 J Bewley (5) 5 06060 SILVER TRIX 217 G Bewley 7-10-5 R McLernon 6 26042 HI DANCER 21 (P,C,D) B Haslam 14-10-3 9-4 Hi Dancer, 11-4 Alys Rock, 100-30 Leading Score, 6-1 Noble Call, 9-1 Bourbon Prince, 10-1 Silver Trix.

5.55

Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (3-Y-O: £5,175: 1m) (13)

Handicap (3-Y-O: £9,057: 1m 2f) (11)

76 A Atzeni 1 (10) 1420- EUGINIO 193 R Hannon 9-7 v81 10-1 BIN BATTUTA 17 (D,G) S bin Suroor 9-5 G Wood (5) 2 (1) 61-2 FIRST NATION 17 C Appleby 9-3 80 W Buick 3 (2) 63 L Dettori 4 (5) 23421- WAHASH 211 R Hannon 9-2 78 J Crowley 5 (11) 35111- COUNT CALABASH 172 (C,D,F,G,S) P Cole 9-1 78 F M Berry 6 (7) 512-0 WESTERN DUKE 17 (G) R Beckett 9-1 31- ELUCIDATION 225 (S) Sir M Stoute 9-0 76 R L Moore 7 (4) 441- AZAM 147 (D,F,S) J Gosden 8-13 64 James Doyle 8 (6) 531- CENTURY DREAM 189 (T,S) S Crisford 8-12 80 S De Sousa 9 (9) 1- MIDDLE KINGDOM 145 J Gosden 8-12 -J Fortune 10 (3) 613- JE SUIS CHARLIE 182 (F) Michael Bell 8-2 75 L Morris 11 (8) 4-1 Elucidation, 11-2 First Nation, 6-1 Bin Battuta, Century Dream, Count Calabash, 7-1 Azam, Middle Kingdom, 12-1 Wahash, 16-1 Western Duke, 20-1 Je Suis Charlie, 25-1 Euginio.

65326 DOWN TIME 6 (T,B) B Ellison 7-11-11 K Wood (7) 40505 EAGER TO KNOW 36 M D Hammond 7-11-10 F O'Toole (5) 10506 KING OF THE DARK 14 (C) V Thompson 10-11-6 T Dowson (5) W Kennedy 6 -F033 BROADWAY BELLE 29 C Grant 7-10-12 D Irving (5) 7 PP0P4 NEXT HIGHT 11 (C) J Haynes 10-10-5 S W Quinlan 8 00033 BLUE COVE 21 Miss L Siddall 12-10-4 3-1 Nicki's Nipper, 4-1 Broadway Belle, Down Time, 13-2 King Of The Dark, 7-1 Multipede, 9-1 Blue Cove, 10-1 Next Hight, 11-1 Eager To Know.

5.25

row when Gilles Simon served for their second-round match at 5-4 in the deciding set yesterday. The world No 2 avoided the upset, however, by breaking back and came through 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Andy Murray opens his clay-court season today against Gilles Müller, the world No 28 from Luxembourg, while Kyle Edmund faces Rafael Nadal, who is seeking to become the first player in the Open era to win a single tournament ten times.

-CHARMING LOZA C Fellowes 9-0 A Atzeni 1 (3) 50- CRIMSON ROSETTE 181 C Fellowes 9-0 58 S Donohoe 2 (12) -DANCING BREEZE J Gosden 9-0 L Dettori 3 (10) v74 42- FIRST DANCE 194 J Tate 9-0 M Harley 4 (8) -GLITTERING JEWEL C Appleby 9-0 W Buick 5 (4) 4- HADEEQA 154 S Crisford 9-0 -J Crowley 6 (9) 0- MECCABAH 172 A Balding 9-0 28 O Murphy 7 (6) 32- MOUILLE POINT 191 R Hannon 9-0 65 P Dobbs 8 (13) -NATAVIA R Charlton 9-0 James Doyle 9 (2) 6- POLLY GLIDE 172 L Cumani 9-0 57 G Malune (7) 10 (1) -SANIYAAT G Peckham 9-0 H Bentley 11 (7) -TRANQUIL STAR J Noseda 9-0 G Mosse 12 (11) 0- VICE VERSA 172 Sir M Stoute 9-0 47 R L Moore 13 (5) 7-2 First Dance, 5-1 Glittering Jewel, 6-1 Dancing Breeze, Tranquil Star, 7-1 Natavia, 8-1 Mouille Point, 10-1 Saniyaat, Vice Versa, 16-1 Charming Loza, Hadeeqa, 20-1 others.

3 4 5

Novices’ Hurdle (£3,249: 2m 178y) (4)

1 10321 CESAR ET ROSALIE 12 (T,CD) N Mulholland 5-11-9 B Hughes D Cook 2 -4325 CRACKDELOUST 21 (BF) B Ellison 5-11-2 GIANT REDWOOD 180F B Haslam 5-11-2 R McLernon 3 H Skelton 4 5030P FADAS 20 (T,P) D Skelton 4-10-11 13-8 Cesar Et Rosalie, 5-2 Fadas, 11-4 Crackdeloust, 6-1 Giant Redwood.

6.30

Thunderer

(£6,256: 2m 7f 213y) (12) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

121 116 118 116 121 v123 118 117

Thunderer: Folkswood returns from a trip to Meydan where he showed that he should be a cut above the rest here Danger: Autocratic

(£7,507: 3m 4f 21y) (12)

4.25

L Dettori R L Moore J Crowley D Tudhope W Buick J Fortune P Dobbs James Doyle

11-4 Folkswood, 9-2 Viren's Army, 5-1 Abdon, Spark Plug, 8-1 Autocratic, Bravery, 10-1 Steel Of Madrid, 14-1 Berkshire.

T Scudamore 3 -3452 QUALANDO 48 (P,C) A Jones 6-11-6 4 1PU20 ARCTIC GOLD 34 (D) N Twiston-Davies 6-11-4 J Bargary (3) N De Boinville 5 -1322 DIVINE SPEAR 32 N Henderson 6-11-2 R Johnson 6 62110 CASPER KING 32 P Hobbs 6-10-12 D Bass 7 13541 CREEP DESBOIS 69 (D) B Pauling 5-10-11 C Shoemark 8 B142F FORECAST 28F (H,T,D) M Keighley 5-10-8 N Fehily 9 -6225 DRUMCLIFF 74 (BF) H Fry 6-10-8 S Twiston-Davies 10 2126 SIR TOBY 207 Dr R Newland 6-10-3 J Davies 11 41012 POLITICAL QUIZ 16 (D) T Symonds 7-10-3 9-2 Divine Spear, 6-1 Drumcliff, 15-2 Its'afreebee, River Frost, 8-1 Casper King, 9-1 Arctic Gold, Sir Toby, 11-1 Creep Desbois, Forecast, Political Quiz, Qualando.

3.50

ITV4

(Group III: £34,026: 1m 1f) (8) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Other potential opponents for Sharapova in her first-round match next Wednesday include Dominika Cibulkova, Barbora Strycova and Kristina Mladenovic, all of whom have been critical either of the Russian or of the decision to award her a wild card for a tournament that begins two days before her suspension ends. Novak Djokovic was just one game away from an early exit from the Monte Carlo Masters for the second year in a

(Group III: 3-Y-O: £34,026: 7f) (11)

Weatherbys General Stud Book ITV4 Online Handicap (£12,938: 6f) (10 runners)

2.05

3.35

(Listed: 3-Y-O: £20,983: 7f) (8)

Thunderer

1.50

tournament at which she used meldonium — which was then a legal substance before it was added to the banned list in 2016 — six times in seven days en route to the semi-finals. A spokeswoman for Konta said: “Seeing as she [Konta] had to pull out of Charleston due to injury, she was one clay-court tournament down. She wants to make sure she’s as ready as possible for Roland Garros, which means plenty of matches on the clay.”

Handicap Chase (£3,899: 2m 5f 28y) (8)

S W Quinlan 1 34114 NEVER UP 23 Mrs S Smith 6-11-12 R McLernon 2 1P5P6 DURSEY SOUND 30 (D) B Haslam 9-11-12 J England 3 443PP ATTIMO 19 (T,V,C,D) S England 8-11-11 H Brooke 4 U6400 OSCAR O'SCAR 9 (P,C) M D Hammond 9-11-10 5 16204 SO SATISFIED 51 (P,D) I Jardine 6-11-8 Ross Chapman (7) T Kelly 6 -02P4 CLUES AND ARROWS 12 (P) R Menzies 9-11-7 B Hughes 7 46525 AMUSE ME 126 (T,P,CD) J Moffatt 11-11-7 D Cook 8 43P14 KARISMA KING 23 (BF) Mrs S Smith 8-10-11 5-1 Attimo, Karisma King, Never Up, So Satisfied, 6-1 Clues And Arrows, 13-2 Oscar O'Scar, 7-1 Amuse Me, 10-1 Dursey Sound.

7.00

Novices’ Hurdle (£3,249: 2m 3f 188y) (5)

B Hughes 1 31120 SOUPY SOUPS 53 (D) N Mulholland 6-11-13 P00 CROCODILE DANCER 12 S England 7-11-0 J England 2 R Day (3) 3 3P00P MAHLER BAY 11 K Johnson 7-11-0 H Skelton 4 1-522 THISONETIME 63 (T,BF) D Skelton 6-11-0 5 -2S32 DOESN'TBOTHERME 18P V Thompson 6-10-7 T Dowson (5) Evens Thisonetime, 6-5 Soupy Soups, 11-1 Crocodile Dancer, 14-1 others.

7.30

Handicap Chase (£2,599: 3m 2f 59y) (8)

1 44241 TREAT YOURSELF 11 (T,P) M D Hammond 10-11-12 J Colliver D R Fox 2 06454 MILAN DANCER 34 N Kelly (Ire) 6-11-7 N Moscrop (5) 3 53442 SWEET BELLE 12 (P) D Thompson 7-11-0 34456 WHAT A GAME 12 (B) T Easterby 6-10-10 4 Mr W Easterby (7) 5 R2232 TOMMY THE RASCAL 20 (P) J Candlish 7-10-8 D Noonan H Brooke 6 31254 HOUNDSCOURT 6 (T,C) Miss J Foster 10-10-8 7 43450 CAPTAIN SHARPE 11 (B,C) K Johnson 9-10-0 Mr T Greatrex (7) T Dowson (5) 8 P2544 NELLY LA RUE 9 (P) V Thompson 10-10-0 3-1 Houndscourt, 100-30 Treat Yourself, 7-2 Tommy The Rascal, 6-1 Sweet Belle, 9-1 What A Game, 10-1 Nelly La Rue, 14-1 Milan Dancer, 16-1 Captain Sharp.

8.00

Handicap Hurdle (£2,599: 2m 178y) (14)

1 65315 CIVIL UNREST 11 (P,C,D) J Ewart 11-11-12 Steven Fox (5) A Nicol 2 41-PP MR SELBY 65 M Todhunter 8-11-12 T Kelly 3 5-030 FINAL COUNTDOWN 74 (P) R Menzies 6-11-10 A P Cawley 4 4-P05 INVICTUS 12 (H) D Loughnane 5-11-9 D R Fox 5 P/00P VALID REASON 51 (T) N Kelly (Ire) 10-11-6 6 663P0 ANGE DES MALBERAUX 21 (P,C) J Ewart 7-11-5 Doubtful J Bewley (5) 7 12541 MITCD 12 (C,D) G Bewley 6-11-3 8 -3446 BEAUMONT'S PARTY 42 (CD) L Morgan 10-11-1 D Noonan 9 26606 FOUR MILE BEACH 82 (B) J M Jefferson 4-10-10 B Hughes J Cowley (5) 10 05P-0 QATEA 235 (T) D McCain 5-10-6 J Kington (3) 11 34P33 HEY BOB 32 (T,BF) C Grant 5-10-3 H Brooke 12 00040 OH SO GIGOLO 29 (B) K Slack 7-10-0 S W Quinlan 13 06-P0 SCRUTINY 26 Mrs B Butterworth 6-10-0 J Hamilton (3) 14 0PPPR DYLAN'S STORM 25P (T) P Niven 5-10-0 5-1 Beaumont's Party, 11-2 Mr Selby, 6-1 Four Mile Beach, 13-2 Civil Unrest, 7-1 Mitcd, 15-2 Oh So Gigolo, 10-1 Hey Bob, Invictus, 11-1 others.

Yesterday’s racing results Newmarket

Going: good to firm (good in places) 1.50 (1m) 1, Night Circus (W Buick, 13-2); 2, Jalela (9-1); 3, Mark Of Approval (11-2). 14 ran. Ol, nk. C Appleby. 2.20 (5f) 1, Sound And Silence (W Buick, 7-2 fav); 2, Never Back Down (9-2); 3, Areen Faisal (5-1). 9 ran. NR: Lethal Lunch. Kl, 2l. C Appleby. 2.55 (7f) 1, Beat The Bank (Oisin Murphy, 7-1); 2, Salsabeel (5-4 fav); 3, Via Egnatia (15-8). 6 ran. Nk, 5l. A Balding. 3.30 (1m) 1, Next Stage (Oisin Murphy, 4-1); 2, Shaiyem (12-1); 3, Sacred Act (10-3 fav). 13 ran. NR: Medburn Dream, Via Via. 1Kl, Ol. S bin Suroor. 4.05 (1m 1f) 1, Khalidi (L Dettori, 7-2); 2, Salouen (5-2 fav); 3, Law And Order (6-1). 7 ran. Nk, 3Nl. J Gosden. 4.35 (7f) 1, Jewel House (L Dettori, 15-2); 2, Top Mission (7-4 jt-fav); 3, Firefright (7-4 jt-fav). 9 ran. 1Ol, nk. J Gosden.

5.05 (5f) 1, El Astronaute (Jason Hart, 5-1); 2, Majestic Hero (9-1); 3, Oh So Sassy (33-1). 11 ran. Sh hd, nk. J Quinn. Placepot: £17.80. Quadpot: £4.00.

Kempton Park

Going: good (good to firm in places) 2.00 (2m hdle) 1, Fixed Rate (Harry Bannister, 5-1); 2, Focaccia (7-2); 3, Passmore (9-2). 8 ran. NR: Canadian Diamond. Sh hd, 13l. C Mann. 2.30 (2m hdle) 1, Talent To Amuse (D A Jacob, 2-5 fav); 2, Canoodle (2-1); 3, Kohuma (20-1). 5 ran. Kl, 17l. Miss E Lavelle. 3.05 (2m 4f 110yd ch) 1, Breath Of Blighty (T J O’Brien, 7-1); 2, Clondaw Banker (9-2); 3, Ypsilanti (9-4 fav). 7 ran. 2Nl, nk. P Webber. 3.40 (2m 5f hdle) 1, Le Dauphin (D Bass, 3-1); 2, Kardinero (9-2); 3, Gibbes Bay (13-8 fav). 8 ran. 2Nl, 11l. N Henderson. 4.15 (3m ch) 1, Gallery Exhibition (D Bass, 8-1); 2, Set List (3-1); 3, Cloudy Bob (10-3). 7 ran. 9l, 3Kl. K Bailey.

4.45 (2m 5f hdle) 1, Stowaway Magic (J McGrath, 13-8 fav); 2, Oscar Hoof (4-1); 3, Creep Desbois (9-4). 5 ran. 2l, 7l. N Henderson. 5.20 (2m 4f 110yd ch) 1, Duke Of Lucca (Miss Francesca Nimmo, 9-2); 2, Ceasar Milan (1-2 fav); 3, Hazy Tom (13-2). 4 ran. NR: Murrayana. 21l, 16l. F Nimmo. Placepot: £39.70. Quadpot: £26.50.

Southwell Going: standard 2.10 (1m 3f) 1, Bushel (T Eaves, 11-2); 2, Young Tom (5-2); 3, Lean On Pete (10-1). 9 ran. NR: Transmitting. Hd, Kl. A Newcombe. 2.45 (1m 3f) 1, Tatting (P Mulrennan, 11-4); 2, Luv U Whatever (5-2 fav); 3, Brigadoon (4-1). 5 ran. Hd, Ol. L Mullaney. 3.20 (1m) 1, Passcode (L P Keniry, 11-8 fav); 2, Amitie Waltz (5-1); 3, Eddiebet (5-2). 6 ran. NR: Crinkley Bottom. Sh hd, 5l. A Balding.

3.55 (7f) 1, Custard The Dragon (B A Curtis, 7-2); 2, Robero (9-4 fav); 3, Among Angels (17-2). 7 ran. Hd, 8l. J Mackie. 4.25 (7f) 1, Luath (T Eaves, 33-1); 2, Prince of Time (9-2); 3, Geordie George (18-1). 14 ran. Kl, 1Nl. S France. 4.55 (5f) 1, Borough Boy (Martin Lane, 11-4 fav); 2, Jacob’s Pillow (8-1); 3, Powerful Wind (5-1). 9 ran. 1Nl, Ol. D Shaw. 5.25 (1m 6f) 1, Scrafton (Aled Beech, 7-1); 2, Sugarloaf Mountain (10-3); 3, Virnon (9-4 fav). 7 ran. 3l, 2l. A Carroll. Placepot: £84.70. Quadpot: £9.20.

Exeter

Going: good to firm (firm in places) 5.10 (2m 5f 135yd hdle) 1, Rouge Devils (Harry Cobden, 1-6 fav); 2, Island Rendezvous (7-1); 3, Dont Even Go There (12-1). 6l, 2Kl. P Nicholls. 5.40 (2m 7f hdle) 1, San Satiro (Harry Cobden, walkover). NR: Trans Express. P Nicholls.

6.10 (3m 6f 153yd ch) 1, Only Gorgeous (Lucy Gardner, 11-8); 2, Bronco Billy (6-5 fav); 3, Railway Storm (4-1). 1Nl, 1Kl. Mrs S Gardner. 6.40 (2m 3f 48yd ch) 1, Seven Kingdoms (N D Fehily, 2-1 fav); 2, Bestwork (5-1); 3, Academy General (9-1). 6 ran. 5l, 8l. D Dennis. 7.10 (2m 2f 111yd hdle) 1, Ashoka (Harry Skelton, 2-5 fav); 2, West Torr (13-2); 3, Third Act (8-1). 5 ran. NR: Sir Dylan. 9l, 4Kl. D Skelton. 7.40 (2m 2f 111yd hdle) 1, Trevisani (Harry Cobden, 1-7 fav); 2, Buck’s Lad (12-1); 3, George Herbert (8-1). 6 ran. NR: Our Phillie Lily. 8l, 8l. P Nicholls. Placepot: £9.20. Quadpot: £8.50.

Ludlow

Going: good (good to firm in places) 5.00 (1m 7f 169yd hdle) 1, War Creation (Nico de Boinville, Evens fav); 2, Djarkalin (11-10); 3, Hes Our Robin (18-1). 4 ran. 1l, 2l. N Henderson.

5.30 (1m 7f 212yd ch) 1, The Yank (T Scudamore, 11-2); 2, Pembroke House (7-2); 3, River Purple (25-1). 7 ran. 12l, 13l. D Bridgwater. 6.00 (2m 5f 55yd hdle) 1, Jester Jet (R T Dunne, 13-8 fav); 2, Midnight Gem (9-2); 3, Ballela Magic (18-1). 7 ran. NR: Jaunty Clementine, Marvellous Monty. Sh hd, 1Nl. T Lacey. 6.30 (2m 7f 171yd ch) 1, Alcala (Sam TwistonDavies, 6-5 fav); 2, Go West Young Man (5-2); 3, My Wigwam Or Yours (9-4). 2Kl, 8l. P Nicholls. 7.00 (1m 7f 169yd hdle) 1, Hazamar (P J Brennan, 4-1); 2, I See You Well (13-8); 3, Rasasee (12-1). 6 ran. NR: Gris De Pron. 3Nl, 29l. Mrs S Leech. 7.30 (1m 7f 169yd hdle) 1, Anton Dolin (Mr Lewis Stones, 9-1); 2, Cobra De Mai (7-4 fav); 3, Grams And Ounces (11-4). 7 ran. NR: Galactic Power. 5l, 2l. M Mullineaux. 8.00 (1m 7f 169yd flat) 1, Dans Le Vent (Aidan Coleman, 2-5 fav); 2, Mon Port (11-2); 3, Symphony Of Angels (10-1). 6 ran. NR: Brunel Woods. Nk, Ol. J Snowden. Placepot: £69.70. Quadpot: £22.30.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

2GM

Rugby union Sport BEN STANSALL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Te’o ready for more than a walk-on part Cross-code convert has forced his way into the Lions reckoning but tells John Westerby he wants to shed his ‘finisher’ tag

nly with the greatest reluctance has Ben Te’o risen to prominence as one of the new breed of specialist finishers. In his first season of international rugby union, he has carved a niche as one of the crack squad of reinforcements used by Eddie Jones in the second half to reshape the flow of a game, a job they have performed so effectively that Jones upgraded their status to “finishers” from mere “replacements”. Now it looks as though Te’o has done enough to persuade Warren Gatland that he is worthy of a place in the British & Irish Lions squad to be announced today. It remains to be seen whether Gatland envisages the muscular Worcester Warriors centre fulfilling a similar task from the bench in New Zealand or if he is a contender for a starting place in the gainline-denting midfield role played by Jamie Roberts on the past two Lions tours. Either way, Te’o will be trying to prove that he deserves more than a walk-on part on the international stage. “It’s not something I like doing,” he said. “I’ve never liked not starting a game. When you’re in a training camp with England, it’s such an intense environment and you put a lot into the training. Then it comes to game day and you only get 20 minutes . . .” He puffs out his

cheeks with frustration. “You don’t want to say, ‘I’m an impact player.’ I’d never want to say that.” A case, perhaps, of having done an unwanted job a little too well? “You play whatever role you’re given,” he said. “But you can start to be seen as a certain type. You play for 20 minutes and feel like you’ve got so much more to give.” This will be music to the ears of Jones, who would prefer his replacements to be straining at the leash for a starting spot. Te’o has started once in eight appearances, in the Six Nations game against Italy, but the opposition’s no-ruck tactics meant that play rarely flowed his way. For the past two weeks, he has been back on club duty with Worcester, seeking to advertise his abilities as an 80-minute man at inside centre. In the win over Bath on Saturday, he gave a typically robust performance, watched by Rob Howley, the Lions attack coach, and the indications are that Howley liked what he saw.

In the seven Tests in which Te’o has come on as a replacement, England have a combined score of 58-14 while he has been on the field. They were losing three games when he was introduced and went on to win two. The exception was against Ireland when he had to go off due to concussion after seven minutes Game

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

South Africa, Nov 2016 Fiji, Nov 2016 Australia, Dec 2016 France, Feb 2017 Wales, Feb 2017 Scotland, March 2017 Ireland, March 2017

Minutes on pitch

10 28 14 12 16 23 7

3.25

Thunderer

P Mulrennan 1 (2) 004-3 AMLAD 18 (BF) E Dunlop 9- R Tart 2 (1) 032 CHIPPENHAM 21 (B) J Gosden 9- T E Durcan 3 (3) 66- SABLE ISLAND 1 9 Sir M Stoute 9- SUNRIZE D O'Meara 9- P Makin 4 ( ) PLEASANT SURPRISE L Cumani 9-0 J P Spencer 5 (4) -2 Amlad, 7-2 Chippenham, Sable Island, 4-1 Sunrize, -1 Pleasant Surprise.

2.15

Novice Auction Stakes (2-Y-O: £3,781: 5f) (14)

PROGRESSIVE JAZZ K Burke 9-1 D C Costello 1 (1) ROCK ON BERTIE N Tinkler 9-1 T Eaves 2 (6) 4 ALMANE 18 (BF) R Fahey 9-0 P Hanagan 3 (10) MAGIC JAZZ K A Ryan 9-0 Kevin Stott 4 (3) VENTURA CREST T Easterby 9-0 D Allan 5 (11) 0 BRANDY STATION 9 Tony Coyle 8-13 Doubtful 6 (12) 0 FURNI FACTORS 18 R Thompson 8-12 N Evans (3) 7 (9) 0 JUST FOR THE CRAIC 9 Mrs R Carr 8-12 J Sullivan 8 (4) MOUNT HELLVELYN C Mulhall 8-12 C Hardie 9 (14) DYSON'S GIRL B Smart 8-11 C Beasley 10 (8) FLOSS THE HOSS P D Evans 8-11 A Mullen 11(13) KIKINI BAMALAAM K Dalgleish 8-11 P Makin 12 (2) MISTRESS OF VENICE J Given 8-11 J Garritty 13 (7) EMILIA JAMES M Johnston 8-9 J Fanning 14 ( ) 7-2 Almane, -1 Kikini Bamalaam, 6-1 Progressive Jazz, 7-1 Dyson's Girl, Emilia James, 10-1 Magic Jazz, Mistress Of Venice, 14-1 Floss The Hoss, Just For The Craic, 16-1 Ventura Crest, 2 -1 Rock On Bertie, 33-1 others.

2.50

Novice Auction Stakes (2-Y-O: £3,781: 5f) (14)

HOT ROCK B Smart 9-1 C Beasley 1 (9) WAHOO M Dods 9-1 P Mulrennan 2 (10) WATCHING SPIRITS Mrs A Duffield 9-0 B A Curtis 3 ( ) BENGALI BOYS R Fahey 8-13 P Hanagan 4 (12) BAHUTA ACHA D Loughnane 8-12 D C Costello 5 (6) FORTUNATE VISION D Brown 8-12 T Eaves 6 (3) PLACEBO EFFECT O Pears 8-12 A Mullen 7 (13) POET'S DAWN T Easterby 8-12 D Allan 8 (1) REEL MR BOND K A Ryan 8-12 Kevin Stott 9 (2) 4 GLEN VALLEY 13 K Dalgleish 8-9 J Hart 10(11) STARLIGHT MYSTERY M Johnston 8-9 J Fanning 11 (8) ABU DHABI DOO K Burke 8-8 J Vaug an (3) 12 (4) DARK HEDGES O Williams 8-8 D Fentiman 13(14) ASHEENA P D'Arcy 8-7 J Haynes 14 (7) 7-2 Bengali Boys, -1 Starlight Mystery, 8-1 Abu Dhabi Doo, Reel Mr Bond, Watching Spirits, 9-1 Hot Rock, 10-1 Poet's Dawn, 12-1 Bahuta Acha, Wahoo, 14-1 Fortunate Vision, 20-1 others.

While he may have mixed feelings about his finisher’s role under Jones, his progress has provided swift vindication for his decision to move to England last summer. Now 30, Te’o joined Worcester from Leinster, having crossed codes from rugby league, where his final

Big Ben’s impact as a finisher

Beverley 2.15 Almane 4.35 East Street Revue 2.50 Bengali Boys 5.10 The Blues Master 3.25 (hippenham 5.45 Proud Archi 4.00 Stradivarius 6.20 Miss Ranger Goin : good )good to firm in places* Draw: low numbers best Racin UK

Making an impact: Jones has used Te’o mainly as a replacement for England but the centre wants to prove he is worthy of being in the head coach’s starting XV

Maiden Stakes (3-Y-O: £2,911: 1m 1f 207y) (5)

4.00

Handicap

Handicap (£7,159: 5f) (14)

P Mulrennan (3) 0430- GAMESOME 179 P Midgley 6-9-7 D Allan (4) 3304/ RASHEEQ 8 T Easterby 4-9-7 B McHug ( ) 1600- SNAP SHOTS 193 (D) Tony Coyle -9- J Fanning (10) 0060- BURNT SUGAR 147 (D) R G Fell -9- (8) 0220- EDWARD LEWIS 187 (BF) D O'Meara 4-9-3 Jos Doyle (5) C Beasley (14) 0-20 MEADWAY 68 (P,D) B Smart 6-9-3 (1) 4120- EAST STREET REVUE 194 (B,D) T Easterby 4-9-3 D Fentiman P Hanagan 8 (9) 1200- POWERALLIED 207 (D) R Fahey 4-9-1 9 (12) 2016- SINGEUR 194 (CD) R Bastiman 10-9-1 Megan Nic olls (5) Kevin Stott 10(13) 0020- KIBAAR 179 (D) K A Ryan -9-1 L Edmunds (5) 11 (7) 13P0- BASHIBA 194 (T,CD) N Tinkler 6-8-13 12 (2) 4 00- LEXINGTON PLACE 232 (D) Mrs R Carr 7-8-12 J Sullivan T Eaves 13(11) 043-0 BOGART 17 (P) K A Ryan 8-8-11 P McDonald 14 (6) 100-0 SANDRA'S SECRET 2 (CD) L Eyre 4-8-8 4-1 Edward Lewis, -1 East Street Revue, 7-1 Bogart, 8-1 Lexington Place, 10-1 Gamesome, Powerallied, Singeur, 12-1 Snap Shots, 16-1 others.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

5.10

Handicap (3-Y-O: £3,781: 1m 4f 16y) (6)

1 ( ) 342-1 THE BLUES MASTER 103 (D) M Johnston 9-8 P McDonald Rossa Ryan (7) 2 (6) 4 3- LESTER KRIS 2 0 R Hannon 9-7 A Fresu 3 (4) 0-321 GLOBAL REVIVAL 69 E Dunlop 9-7 Doubtful 4 (2) 20 -1 TAXMEIFYOUCAN 13 (P,D) K Dalgleish 9-6 J Mitc ell 5 (1) 324-2 BALTIC EAGLE R Haugen 9-0 J Fanning 6 (3) 60-33 SPIRIT OF ROME 27 J Bethell 8-7 1 -8 The Blues Master, 9-4 Global Revival, 9-2 Lester Kris, -1 others.

5.45 1 (8)

Handicap (3-Y-O: £5,041: 7f 100y) (8) 21- AREEN HEART 211 (CD) R Fahey 9-9

Eng 0-7 17-0 7-0 7-0 10-0 14-7 3-0

P Hanagan

Winning Winning Winning Losing Losing Winning Losing

Winning Winning Winning Winning Winning Winning Losing

P McDonald 2 (7) 3321- BROGAN 187 T Dascombe 9-7 Kevin Stott 3 (4) 034-1 LUALIWA 39 K A Ryan 9-7 J Hart 4 ( ) 6130- GEORGE REME 214 J J Quinn 9-6 P Mulrennan 5 (6) 4203- PROUD ARCHI 207 (CD) M Dods 9- M Lane 6 (2) 10- SALAMAH 207 S Crisford 9-4 J Garritty 7 (3) 4443- ACTUALISATION 184 J J Quinn 8-13 D Allan 8 (1) 0104- OUR CHARLIE BROWN 202 T Easterby 8-11 7-2 Areen Heart, -1 Brogan, Proud Archi, 6-1 George Reme, Lualiwa, Salamah, 10-1 Actualisation, Our Charlie Brown.

6.20

(3-Y-O: £5,041: 1m 1f 207y) (6) P McDonald 1 (3) 2 11- ELECTION DAY 187 M Johnston 9-7 R Tart 2 (1) 41- STRADIVARIUS 163 J Gosden 9- 1- MANANGATANG 1 L Cumani 9-3 J P Spencer 3 (6) 4146OUR BOY 196 P D Evans 9-3 A Mullen 4 (2) R Tate 5 (4) 32-11 SIR PLATO 9 B Millman 8-8 P Hanagan 6 ( ) 4 00- STEEL HELMET 21 B Ellison 8- 7-4 Manangatang, 3-1 Election Day, Stradivarius, 6-1 Sir Plato, 10-1 others.

4.35

Score England position Position after while on before on field time on field pitch

Fillies’ Handicap (£3,781: 1m 100y) (10)

-46 LIVELLA FELLA 9 (C,D) K Dalgleish 4-9-9 P Makin 00-3 FOREVER A LADY 41 K Dalgleish 4-9-8 J Fanning 2360- FIDELMA MOON 198 (CD) K Burke -9-7 J Vaug an (3) 32 0- ROSAMARIA 21 J Camacho 4-9- Joe Doyle 2206- MISS RANGER 249 (D) B Ellison -9- T Eaves 2 46- POPSIES JOY 202 (C) T Easterby 4-9-3 Rac el Ric ardson (3) J Garritty 7 (8) 4210- BEADLAM 202 (CD) R G Fell 4-9-2 Sam James 8 ( ) -0640 CABAL 27 (B,C,D) G Harker 10-9-1 P Hanagan 9 (3) 3123 DOSE 36 (D) R Fahey 4-9-0 D Allan 10 (4) 404-3 MAKE ON MADAM 41 (C) L Eyre -8-12 -1 Forever A Lady, Livella Fella, 6-1 Beadlam, Fidelma Moon, 7-1 others. 1 2 3 4 5 6

(2) (7) (10) (1) (6) (9)

Wolverhampton Thunderer 5.40 Space War 7.45 Dunquin 6.15 Mulzim 8.15 Gulf Of Poets 6.45 Royal Peace 8.45 Roman De Brut 7.15 Anonymous John Goin : standard At The Races Draw: 5f and 7f, low numbers best

5.40

game was alongside Sam Burgess in the South Sydney Rabbitohs side who won the 2014 NRL grand final. Te’o spent two seasons in Dublin, creating a range of options for a player born and raised in Auckland to an English mother and Samoan father. Speaking before his inclusion with the Lions began to seem likely, Te’o conceded that the lure is not as great for a player who has not been raised in the tradition. “I know the significance of the Lions but I can’t say I grew up wanting to be a British Lion,” he said. One more season in Dublin and he would have become eligible to play for Ireland and the IRFU was keen for him to stay. But there was also interest from Australia, where he had spent most of his adult life, and from the Australian head coach of England. “I’d had meetings with Michael Cheika [the Australia head coach] and going back there was a possibility,” he said. “Eddie said he could only pick players who play in the Premiership but, if I came over here and played good 6.15

Handicap (3-Y-O: £2,911: 7f 32y) (12)

R Winston 1 (3) 36- FAVOURITE ROYAL 211 E Houghton 9-9 M Godwin (5) 2 (2) 642- CHALLOW 14 S Kirk 9-8 D Nolan 3 (4) 10-00 TOR 22 I Jardine 9-7 L Steward (3) 4 (8) 3-34 HART STOPPER 1 Michael Bell 9-6 D O'Neill 5 (9) 06-4 MULZIM 18 E Dunlop 9-6 L Keniry 6 (6) 213-1 ALTIKO TOMMY 33 (D) G Baker 9-6 S Levey 7 (7) 444-3 AL MANSOR 14 R Hannon 9- Doubtful 8 (11) 200-3 STEVIE BROWN 13 (P) D Brown 9-4 Doubtful 9 ( ) 0-0 AELIUS 17 M W Easterby 9-4 C Lee (5) 10(10) 2331 BAZWIND 22 (P,C) P D Evans 9-3 K O'Neill 11 (1) 0- RITA'S MAN 96 R Hannon 9-1 Doubtful 12(12) 606- INGLORIOUS 193 (P) K Dalgleish 9-0 7-2 Mulzim, 4-1 Altiko Tommy, Hart Stopper, 9-2 Al Mansor, 9-1 others.

6.45

Maiden Stakes (£2,911: 7f 32y) (12)

SOCKS AND SHARES D Shaw 4-9-10 A Besc izza 0/ UNDER THE COVERS 646 R Harris 4-9- R Powell 42- EJAABY 160 (BF) R Varian 3-8-11 D O'Neill 22- EL CAP 16 (BF) Sir M Stoute 3-8-11 T E Durcan 03- FALBON 12 M Botti 3-8-11 Doubtful 4 GUNMAKER 18 D Simcock 3-8-11 L Keniry KATHEEFA C Hills 3-8-11 C S ep erd (3) TAWFEER J Unett 3-8-11 R Hornby 4 ZILLION 20 (P) J Gosden 3-8-11 R Tart CAREYANNE D Loughnane 3-8-6 F Norton 0- EXCELLENT SUNSET 284 D Lanigan 3-8-6 Josep ine Gordon K O'Neill 12 (4) 0-2 ROYAL PEACE 20 R Hannon 3-8-6 2-1 El Cap, 9-4 Ejaaby, 6-1 Katheefa, 7-1 Zillion, 8-1 Royal Peace, 14-1 others.

1 (7) 2 (6) 3 (8) 4 (3) 5 (12) 6 (2) 7 (10) 8 ( ) 9 (11) 10 (9) 11 (1)

7.15

Handicap (£2,911: 7f 32y) (12)

1 (3) 143-0 MR CHRISTOPHER 91 (P,CD) T Dascombe -9-9 R Kingscote David Egan (7) 2 (1) 0-234 INTENSICAL 27 (P,D) I Furtado 6-9-9

Handicap (£2,264: 5f 216y) (11)

K Sc ofield 1 (6) 41 02 BURTONWOOD 26 (D) J Camacho -9-10 2 (4) 3113 PUSHKIN MUSEUM 44 (CD,BF) P Morris 6-9-9 Connor Murtag (3) 3 (3) 1344 SPACE WAR 6 (T,C,D,BF) M W Easterby 10-9-9 R Timby (5) 4 (11) 2- 30 INSHAA 21 (P) M Herrington -9-7 Seamus Cronin (3) 5 (9) 0434 HEAD SPACE 26 (D) P D Evans 9-9-6 Keelan Baker (5) 6 (1) 1142 TASAABOQ 6 (T,CD) Phil McEntee 6-8-12 Tristan Price (5) 7 (2) 0-6 0 CITY OF ANGKOR WAT 79 (P,CD) C Dore 7-8-11 Kat erine Glenister 8 ( ) 30232 MR CHUCKLES 2 (P) D M Loughnane 4-8-9 David Egan 9 (7) 600- CLON ROCKET 2 J Holt 4-8-7 Megan Ellingwort (5) 10(10) 30064 CUBAN QUEEN 13 (CD) Miss J Feilden 4-8-7 Finley Mars Molly King (3) 11 (8) 000 0 ALLEN'S FOLLY 20 (B) P Hiatt 4-8-7 11-4 Pushkin Museum, 7-2 Burtonwood, 6-1 Space War, 8-1 Head Space, Inshaa, Tasaaboq, 10-1 Mr Chuckles, 16-1 City Of Angkor Wat, 20-1 others.

Course specialists Beverley: Trainer S Crisford, 3 from 3 runners, 100.0%. Jockey J P Spencer, 6 from 19 rides, 31.6%. C elten am: Trainer H Fry, 11 from 64, 17.2%. Jockey N De Boinville, 16 from 77, 20.8%. Newmarket: Trainer A Fabre, 6 from 15, 40.0%. Jockey L Dettori, 28 from 141, 19.9%. Sedgefield: Trainer N Mulholland, 13 from 26, 50.0%. Jockey D Noonan, 4 from 5, 80.0%. Wolver ampton: Trainer J Gosden, 48 from 132, 36.4%. Jockey C Lee, 4 from 22, 18.2%.

rugby, he’d have a look at me. I just chose what felt right.” He opted for a move to England despite Burgess’s unhappy experiences at the 2015 World Cup. At 27, after eight seasons in the NRL, he had been hankering for a new adventure, inspired by the experiences of his former Brisbane Broncos team-mate and flatmate, Israel Folau, who had become the first to play rugby league, Australian Rules and rugby union at the highest levels. Folau’s short, lucrative spell in the AFL was seen by many as a failure but Te’o had seen another side to the codehopping tale. “However successful people say Israel was in AFL, in his head he was successful,” Te’o said. “He gave it a go and the most important thing was that he learnt a lot about himself along the way. You’ve got to challenge yourself sometimes and I wanted to do that.” In Te’o’s case, the challenge involved returning to the code that he had played until the age of 15 for North Harbour in Auckland. At Leinster, he was schooled in the 15-man game by Matt O’Connor, the Australian recently lured back to Europe to become Leicester’s head coach. “I had a solid base in union but, when I arrived in Dublin, it was like learning a new game,” he said. “But the two games [league and union] are morphing and I feel like a lot of my strengths in league are suited to the way the game is going.” Ever since the game turned professional, English rugby has been trying to pilfer a physical, hard-running centre from rugby league, with limited success. Barrie-Jon Mather, Andy Farrell, Shontayne Hape and Burgess are all players who aroused initial excitement before the national team failed to make the most of their talents. Te’o looks likely to become the most successful yet and, although he admits it reluctantly, his experiences as an interchange player in rugby league have served him well. “You learn the mental approach over time,” he said. “As you get older, it’s not something you want to be doing but it’s what I’ve got to do for England at the moment.” Despite the frustrations, the early stages of Te’o’s return to union have earned him many admirers. Now Gatland is among them and, if his return to New Zealand with the Lions is confirmed today, his cross-code adventure could be mission accomplished. G Downing 3 (2) 00-00 PASSING STAR 34 (P,D) D Kubler 6-9-8 4 (8) 11366 ATHASSEL 13 (CD) P D Evans 8-9-8 Kat erine Glenister (7) 5 (6) 1104/ RAIN WIND AND FIRE 623 (D) R Harris -9-7 R Powell 6 (4) 6144- LITTLE MISS KODI 189 (D) D M Loughnane 4-9-7 F Norton 7 (12) -044 ANONYMOUS JOHN 19 (C) D Ffrench Davis -9- Josep ine Gordon 8 ( ) 0-000 NEWSTEAD ABBEY 26 (B,C,D) M Herrington 7-9-4 C Lee (5) N Evans (3) 9 (10) /00-4 TAFTEESH 11 (D) M W Easterby 4-9-1 R Winston 10 (9) 0- 36 BE ROYALE 12 (T,C,D) M Appleby 7-8-12 C Hardie 11(11) 400-3 LUCKY LODGE 11 (P,CD) A Brittain 7-8-9 D Muscutt 12 (7) 43-00 AIR OF YORK 3 (CD) J Flint -8-8 9-2 Mr Christopher, -1 Intensical, 6-1 Lucky Lodge, 7-1 Athassel, 1 -2 Be Royale, 8-1 Tafteesh, 10-1 Little Miss Kodi, 11-1 Anonymous John, 12-1 others.

7.45

Handicap (£2,911: 1m 4f 50y) (9)

R Scott (5) (7) 0- 02 FALCON'S FIRE 7 (D) K Dalgleish 4-9-8 L Keniry (2) 24300 ZABEEL STAR 12 G McPherson -9-8 R Kingscote (3) 61111 SMILEY BAGEL 14 (CD) E Walker 4-9-7 006-6 TEAK 11 (V,C,D) I Williams 10-9-7 L Catton (7) (4) T Queally (1) 0-011 DUNQUIN 27 (CD) J Mackie -9-7 (8) 14240 BAMAKO DU CHATELET 2 (P,CD) I Williams 6-9-7 S Dono oe C Lee (5) 7 ( ) -0012 MAZAAHER 19 (C) P D Evans 7-9- D Nolan 8 (9) -000 ARCHIPELIGO 17 (CD) I Jardine 6-9-2 C Hardie 9 (6) 200-4 HUSSAR BALLAD 11 (C,D) A Brittain 8-9-2 -2 Dunquin, Smiley Bagel, 6-1 Mazaaher, 8-1 Bamako Du Chatelet, 10-1 others. 1 2 3 4 5 6

8.15

Handicap (£2,911: 1m 1f 103y) (7)

1 ( ) 14 21 WHAT USAIN 12 (H,P,C) M Appleby -9-8 A Rawlinson (3) J Fa y 2 (3) /34 BOSPHORUS PRINCE 14 M Salaman -9-8 C Hardie 3 (1) 40- 6 PERCEIVED 1 A Brittain -9-8 4 (4) 000-1 GULF OF POETS 8 (D) M W Easterby -9-7 N Evans (3) 5 (7) -441 DEEP CHALLENGER 2 (CD) J Osborne -9-11 D Sweeney R Hornby 6 (6) 13/0 INSTILL 67 Miss M Rowland -9-3 7 (2) -40 0 LORD OF THE STORM 18 (C,D) M Attwater 9-8-10 K Fox Evens Gulf Of Poets, 3-1 Deep Challenger, 9-2 What Usain, 12-1 others.

8.45

Handicap (£2,911: 1m 141y) (8)

1 ( ) 00312 SPIRITUAL STAR 14 (CD) L Carter 8-9-9 Paddy Bradley (5) Jos ua Bryan (7) 2 (1) -6201 FOIE GRAS 20 (P,C) C Dwyer 7-9-7 S Levey 3 (8) 034 0 BLACK DAVE 21 (CD) P D Evans 7-9-6 4 (6) 2 43 ROMAN DE BRUT 11 (CD,BF) D M Loughnane -9-3 C Bennett (5) 5 (7) 21-22 SWANSWAY 19 (BF) M W Easterby 4-9-3 N Evans (3) T Queally 6 (4) 603 SO IT'S WAR 3 (P,D) K Dalgleish 6-9-2 7 (3) 000-0 GAMBINO 22 (CD) J Riches 7-9-0 Connor Murtag (7) A Jones (3) 8 (2) 2-222 SIMPLY CLEVER 1 D Brown 4-8-9 4-1 Roman De Brut, Spiritual Star, Swansway, 6-1 Foie Gras, Simply Clever, So It's War, 8-1 Black Dave, 20-1 Gambino.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Sport Rugby union

Gatland was always going This Lions squad will be built on a philosophy that has served the coach well in the past, Owen Slot reports

t 3.45pm yesterday, Willie John McBride, one of the all-time greats, arrived at the hotel near Twickenham that the British & Irish Lions are using as their base. McBride was captain in 1974 and was attending a special dinner last night. There are 13 living Lions captains, going all the way back to Ronnie Dawson, who captained the squad in 1959. They were all invited. Today, in the same hotel, the Hilton in Syon Park, a new Lions squad for a new Lions tour is to be announced. Last night, the 13 grandees dined alone. No one else was invited, not even Warren Gatland — this was a ceremonial occasion for the former captains to welcome the new man to their midst. The irony, of course, is that Sam Warburton would have been there anyway. The new man is the old man. Warburton was captain in 2013 but was being honoured again last night as the captain for 2017. He would not have raised a glass of wine to toast himself anyway; maybe if it had been a protein shake . . . but so much for the pomp and ceremony. The adventure begins at the same venue today. Warburton will be one of the 38 players — who will all be revealed at noon — to go on the tour to New Zealand. If the 13 former captains wanted to toast the new era as well as the captain, they could also have raised a glass to one of the biggest and most powerful collections of Lions to ever leave these shores. Barring any late changes of heart, it appeared last night that Gatland, the Lions head coach, had selected Ben Te’o for his squad. Te’o, 30, has eight caps and has started only one Test for England, against Italy in the Six Nations. Yet it seems that he has got the nod ahead of Jonathan Joseph, who has 33 England caps and started 29, and of those that he has started, he has a triesper-game rate of more than 50 per cent. And yet maybe it should be no surprise. Gatland’s CV shows a preference for a power game and he has concluded, quite reasonably, that he will not out-finesse the All Blacks. So power is the way to go at them. Te’o fits that philosophy; Joseph does not. One of the hardest decisions that the Lions selectors have been forced to make is whether or not to include Justin Tipuric. The Wales flanker is as gifted a back-row forward as you will find anywhere in Europe. Talk to his teammates and they will wax lyrical about his abilities. Yet the Lions selectors never inked him in as a definite. He remains light of foot and light of weight, he does not fit the power game. He is a question, the answer to which will be revealed at noon; the very fact that he was even a question illustrates the type of man Gatland feels that he requires to pull off this mission. George Ford, it seems, did not get a look in. Joseph, at marginally more than 14 stone, is slight for a centre; Jonathan Davies, the Welshman who will probably start in the Test XV at No 13, is almost two stone heavier. There was news circulating last night that Jamie Roberts, the Harlequins and Wales centre, had made the squad.

Lions tour representation By country England

Ireland

Scotland

Wales

8 6

1997

2001

10 20

2005

2009 16

2013 4

Gatland is a fully paid-up Roberts fan and would regard him as an ideal personality to have in the group. He would have “good d all tourist” at the top of his appraisal form. And he has also been the rock upon which Gatland’s power game with Wales has been built. Te’o will travel to New Zealand as the new model of Roberts. The 30-year-old has been making appearances only off the substitutes’ bench for Wales d of late but Gatland d would like the old w model Roberts in New Zealand too. If he really has got in, it would be a massive vote of confidence that runs contrary to form. Itt

would have been a late squad change that was made in the final selection meeting yesterday. It may be that Roberts comes in as a late change for Te’o. Or, if you have two juggernauts available, Gatland might just have decided to launch them both. How will this squad be received? It should not be to great surprise, because Gatland has a philosophy and, it seems, he is set on sticking to it. There will be outrage, though. Many pundits had Joseph pencilled as their ideal starting No 13 in the Test team. England fans may feel that he has been wronged, though they are unlikely to be sniffing a conspiracy. Scottish rugby, however, will bridle at the announcement today. It is a sad truth that Scottish fans have increasingly come to feel disenfranchised by the Lions. It is a love that has been hard to sustain the longer it goes unrequited — and the disdain will grow today when Gatland names his squad. There will probably be three Scots in it. Stuart Hogg is the single certainty, yet there is no other Scot who absolutely demands inclusion. The absence of Joseph rates higher as a surprise than would the absence of any other Scotland player. Neither Jonny nor Richie Gray was the sustained force throughout the Six Nations that would have guaranteed their selection. It is their misfortune that lock forward is the one position where the Lions of 2017 are more blessed with talent than anywhere else. So, besides Hogg, there will probably be one Scotland wing — Tim Visser — and, it would seem, a single Scotland forward, WP Nel. That might be their lot. And yet this is a Scotland team who won three matches in the Six Nations, as many as Ireland, more than Wales — and they also beat the pair of them. Ireland and Wales will each have three times as many Lions as the Scots. What more can they do? Gatland will duck the flak and insist that this is the wrong question. He will no doubt wish that there were more Scots who had presented an indisputable case for a seat on the plane. Yet the charge that he lets national bias influence his decision-making is one that irks him intensely. He has ridden that criticism before as a Lions coach and he will expect it again. Nevertheless, he will pick a squad today with 14 or 15 Englishmen, nine or ten Welshmen and Irishmen and those few Scots. Then he will invoke “the power of four” and hope that we can all move on. If there is a route to success in New Zealand, where the Lions have not won for 46 years, then it is in the unity of the group. Factionalism is the surest path to failure. All 13 captains at the dinner last night will be testament to that story aand it is one that they have shared many times. On a Lions tour, the longer each player is identified through their national colours, the longer it will take for them to have a chance of succeeding as one. Gatland’s squad w will be big and p powerful. And it w not please all will f four corners of the L Lions badge. That is n the point. not Warburton will be named captain as Gatland keeps faith with his 2013 leader

Jamie Roberts

In?

Don’t miss the best analysis of the squad today online at noon

Find out who’s in and who’s not Read Owen Slot’s view on Gatland’s choice plus profiles of the chosen men at 1pm

Webchat: join John Westerby to debate the squad at 5pm

Stuart Barnes and Ben Kay give their verdicts also available on the times smartphone app

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Rugby union Sport

to put power players first Warren Gatland’s probable squad

Dylan Hartley

Back three (7) Elliot Daly (England), Anthony Watson (England), Liam Williams (Wales), George North (Wales), Stuart Hogg (Scotland), Jack Nowell (England). Plus one from Tim Visser (Scotland), Tommy Seymour (Scotland) and Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)

Out

Centre (4) Ben Te’o (England), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Owen Farrell (England). Plus one from Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), Jared Payne (Ireland) and Jamie Roberts (Wales) Fly half (2) Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Dan Biggar (Wales) Scrum half (3) Rhys Webb (Wales), Conor Murray ((Ireland), Ben Youngs (England) Loose-head prop (3) Mako Vunipola (England), Joe Marler (England), Jack McGrath (Ireland)

continued from back Hartley to miss out on tour

Ken Owens

Jack Nowell

Curse of the England captaincy: five who missed out Dylan Hartley (2017) While he has been the foundation stone of England’s revival under Eddie Jones, concerns about his lack of contribution away from the set piece meant that he was unable to persuade Warren Gatland of his value for the tour to New Zealand. Chris Robshaw (2013) A heavy 30-3 defeat by Wales in the Six Nations title decider in Cardiff, in which Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric were outstanding, confirmed that Robshaw would not make Gatland’s squad for the tour to

Australia that the Lions won 2-1.

Telfer, opted for a physical crop of centres for the winning tour to South Africa, including Scott Gibbs, Allan Bateman and Alan Tait, all of whom had recently returned from rugby league.

Steve Borthwick (2009) The lineout specialist’s leadership qualities were always appreciated more inside the dressing room than outside it. With Ian McGeechan as head coach, the Lions opted for more dynamic locks on the tour to South Africa that ended in a 2-1 defeat. Phil de Glanville (1997) There were always question marks over De Glanville’s quality at the very highest level and the Lions, coached by McGeechan and Jim

Robshaw was overlooked for the tour four years ago

Will Carling (1989) An original selection for the successful tour to Australia, also under McGeechan as head coach, but he was ruled out by a shin injury and replaced by Jeremy Guscott, who went on to score a memorable try in the 19-12 second Test victory in Brisbane. Words by John Westerby

he has been reappointed in the role by Gatland, with a knee ligament injury expected to clear up a fortnight before the squad departs for Auckland on May 29. Warburton, the Cardiff Blues flanker, relinquished the captaincy role with Wales before the Six Nations and enjoyed an immediate upturn in form, which had led to suggestions that he should not be burdened with the Lions responsibility. But Warburton has always been Gatland’s go-to man and he will lead the squad, joining Martin Johnson in an exclusive club of two-time Lions tour captains. Warburton and Johnson dined in London last night with the 11 other living Lions captains, as part of a new initiative designed to help pass wisdom and experience from one tour to the next. Although Warburton led a successful tour in Australia, the Lions’ venture this summer will be the toughest since they were last in New Zealand in 2005, when Sir Clive Woodward’s team were routed 3-0. Hartley joins George Ford, Jonathan Joseph, James Haskell, Joe Launchbury and Mike Brown as leading England players to be overlooked, while there will be no place for Jamie Heaslip, the Ireland No 8. The Gray brothers, Richie and Jonny, from Scotland are also expected to miss out. Gatland has picked a squad that sends out a strong message to the All Blacks that the Lions intend to go after them physically, as Ireland did at Soldier Field in November. The men charged with running that plan will be Jonathan Sexton, the Ireland fly half, and Owen Farrell, of England, who is likely to feature at inside centre, plus Dan Biggar. The Wales fly half has a temperament and physicality more suited to the challenge than Ford. Conor Murray’s kicking from scrum half will also be crucial and he is likely to be first choice, ahead of Rhys Webb, of Wales, and Ben Youngs, of England. In midfield, Farrell and Ben Te’o are expected to be joined by Jonathan Davies, of Wales, and Robbie Henshaw, of Ireland, while Roberts, a 30-year-old veteran of two Lions tours, may yet be included.

Hooker (3) Jamie George (England), Rory Best (Ireland), Ken Owens (Wales) Tight-head prop (3) Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), Dan Cole (England), Kyle Sinckler (England) Lock (5) Maro Itoje (England), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Iain Henderson (Ireland), George Kruis (England), Courtney Lawes (England) Back row (7) Taulupe Faletau (Wales), Billy Vunipola (England), Sam Warburton (Wales), Sean O’Brien (Ireland), CJ Stander (Ireland) Plus two from Ross Moriarty (Wales), Peter O’Mahony (Ireland) and Justin Tipuric (Wales) Plus one extra prop from Cian Healy (Ireland), WP Nel (Scotland) and Tomas Francis (Wales)

Elliot Daly’s versatility will be valuable because the England player can provide the Lions with a more fleet-footed option in midfield or play in the back three. Nowell, the bustling Exeter Chiefs wing, has been picked along with Anthony Watson, George North, Liam Williams and Stuart Hogg, leaving Leigh Halfpenny, Tommy Seymour, Simon Zebo and Tim Visser competing for one place. In 2009, Borthwick was omitted because the Lions wanted “beasts” to tackle the Springboks. In 2017, they are applying a similar principle, which is why the growling intensity of Peter O’Mahony, the back-row lineout jumper from Munster, and Donnacha Ryan, his club and international team-

Living Lions tour captains Ronnie Dawson (Ire).........................1959 Tom Kiernan (Ire)...............................1968 John Dawes (Wales)...........................1971 Willie John McBride (Ire).................1974 Phil Bennett (Wales)..........................1977 Bill Beaumont (Eng)..........................1980 Ciaran Fitzgerald (Ire)......................1983 Finlay Calder (Scot)...........................1989 Gavin Hastings (Scot).......................1993 Martin Johnson (Eng).....1997 & 2001 Brian O’Driscoll (Ire).........................2005 Paul O’Connell (Ire)..........................2009 Sam Warburton (Wales)..................2013

mate, have come into the equation. Courtney Lawes will bring physicality to the second row while George Kruis is a master lineout tactician, which will be critical against the All Blacks pairing of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock. Maro Itoje, Iain Henderson and Alun Wyn Jones complete the lock stocks, while Warburton will be joined in the back row by Billy Vunipola and Taulupe Faletau, CJ Stander, Sean O’Brien and probably O’Mahony, while Ross Moriarty and Justin Tipuric have also been pushing for selection. Gatland is thought to have been giving late consideration to taking seven props, which could open the door for Cian Healy to be one of four looseheads along with Jack McGrath, Mako Vunipola and Joe Marler, although the Irishman is facing a disciplinary hearing for dangerous play. Gatland could reinforce the tight-head by picking WP Nel along with Tadhg Furlong, Dan Cole and Kyle Sinckler.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Sport

Redknapp: wife says I’m mad Birmingham City turn to 70-year-old manager in bid to avoid relegation JAN KRUGER/GETTY IMAGES

Football

Oldest managers in league

Ian Baker

Harry Redknapp made a surprise return to football yesterday at the age of 70 after accepting the task of trying to save Birmingham City from relegation to League One. The former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United manager has not worked in a managerial role since a brief stint in charge of Jordan 13 months ago or for an English club since leaving Queens Park Rangers in February 2015. Now even his wife, Sandra, is questioning his sanity after he was named as Gianfranco Zola’s successor only 15 hours after the Italian stepped down, having won two out of his 24 games to leave Birmingham three points above the relegation zone. Redknapp initially said that he would work unpaid for the final three games — starting with a derby against Aston Villa on Sunday — as an audition for next season. The Times understands that is not the case, with the exact details of his contract being finalised with Birmingham executives last night. “I’ve gone in there and said, ‘Listen, I don’t want nothing, I will come and do it,’ ” Redknapp said before the meeting. “The money I am not interested in. I get fed up sitting around doing nothing. It gets me out the house. “It is a real challenge. I will come and live up here until the end of the season and throw myself into it. If I can keep them up then we can sit down and talk about going forward.” Since Zola succeeded Gary Rowett on December 15, Birmingham have slipped from seventh to 20th and could even be in the bottom three by the time of their match away to Villa, which is followed by games at home to Huddersfield Town and away to Bristol City. Yet Redknapp is relishing the challenge and has even talked about the prospect of promotion next season, after announcing that Steve Cotterill, the former Bristol City and Burnley manager, will be joining him as his assistant. m “I got a phone call last night from the people at Birmingham,”” Redknapp said. “I drove to London, had a meeting for ten to 15 minutes, sat down and said, ‘Yeah, sure I will come and do it, no prob-fe lem.’ I got home and my wife said, ‘Are you mad?’ I’ve not got a magic wand and can go in there

Harry Redknapp Birmingham City 70 years, 48 days Neil Warnock Cardiff City 68 years, 138 days Arsène Wenger Arsenal 67 years, 179 days Graham Barrow Wigan Athletic 62 years, 310 days Sam Allardyce Crystal Palace 62 years, 182 days Gary Johnson Cheltenham Town 61 years, 203 days Dave Jones Hartlepool United 60 years, 242 days Championship bottom six Burton Albion..........43 12 12 19 Birmingham.............43 11 14 18 Nottm Forest ........... 43 12 9 22 Blackburn.................43 10 14 19 Wigan........................43 10 10 23 Rotherham (R).........43 4 6 33

44 42 56 49 39 37

57 63 68 64 55 96

-13 -21 -12 -15 -16 -59

48 47 45 44 40 18

Birmingham’s run-in Sunday Aston Villa (away) April 29 Huddersfield Town (home) May 7 Bristol City (away)

and say, ‘OK lads, you’re going to go from a team that has won two games out of 24, to win every week and play fantastic football like Barcelona or someone,’ it’s not going to be easy. “But there is enough character there. It is a great club with a great support and they can push us over the finishing line and we can get the job done. It’s a big challenge and I love a challenge, it’s football, it is where I want to be. “It’s down to the players, we can only encourage them and try to get the best out of them. They’ve got to go out and perform, starting on Sunday at Villa. “I know the owners have come in for some stick but I met the people and they were very good with me. Maybe they’ve not been advised particularly well, but hopefully things will improve and they’ll take the club forward and I’m sure they will in the next few years. Next year, I think the club will build and go forward and will be a club that will be challenging for the top six, but first and foremost we need to make sure w stay up. we “Steve Cotterill is going to come in with me. How he is not in work managing I don’t know. He is one of the top coaches I’ve worked with.” Coaches Pierluigi Casiraghi, Gabriele Cioffi, A Andrea Caronti and Sebastiano Porcu are set to follow Zola out of the door but Kevin Hitchcock, the goalkeeping coach, is to remain.

Redknapp says he does not have a magic wand

Results Football Champions Lea ue Quarter-finals, second le

Leicester E0) 1 Atletico Vardy 61

E1) 1

Saúl 26 31,548

6 Atletico win 2-1 on agg

Real Madrid E0) 4 Bayern

E0) 2

Ronaldo 76, 104, Lewandowski 109, Asensio 112 Epen) 53, 78,346 Ramos 78 Eog) Sent off: A Vidal EBayern) 84 6 Aet: 2-1 after 90min; Real win 6-3 on agg

Lea ue One Bolton

E0) 0 Bury

E0) 0

18,233 P Sheff Utd (C). 44 Bolton.............44 Fleetwood .....44 Scunthorpe.....44 Bradford.........44 Millwall..........44 Southend........44 Rochdale.........44 Bristol R.........44 Oxford Utd.....44

W 28 23 22 22 19 19 19 19 18 18

D 10 11 12 10 18 13 12 10 12 9

L 6 10 10 12 7 12 13 15 14 17

F 86 63 61 75 58 62 69 69 63 60

A GDPts 45 41 94 36 27 80 41 20 78 52 23 76 42 16 75 51 11 70 52 17 69 60 9 67 62 1 66 52 8 63

Peterboro.......44 MK Dons.........44 Walsall...........43 AFC Wimbledon44 Charlton 44 Northampton.44 Oldham...........44 Gillingham......44 Shrewsbury....44 Bury................44 Port Vale........43 Swindon.........44 Chesterfield (R) 44 Coventry (R)..44

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

11 13 16 17 18 10 15 13 12 11 12 11 10 12

17 16 13 14 14 20 17 19 20 21 20 22 25 24

58 56 50 52 55 60 30 57 45 58 44 43 40 35

57 1 54 2 52 -2 52 0 52 3 70 -10 43 -13 76 -19 61 -16 72 -14 68 -24 61 -18 73 -33 65 -30

59 58 58 56 54 52 51 49 48 47 45 44 37 36

Snooker Betfred World Championship Sheffield, Crucible: First round EEngland unless stated): J Higgins EScot) bt M Gould 10-6; Ding Junhui EChina) bt Zhou Yuelong EChina) 10-5; Liang Wenbo EChina) bt S Carrington 7-6; G Dott EScot) leads A Carter 6-3; R McLeod leads J Trump 5-4.

Tennis ATP Monte Carlo Rolex Masters Monaco: First round: J Chardy EFr) bt B Coric ECro) 7-6, E7-3), 3-6, 6-3; F López ESp) bt D Medvedev ERuss) 7-6 E8-6), 7-5; C Berlocq EArg) bt P-H Herbert EFr) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1; J Vesely ECz) bt M Zverev EGer) 7-6

E7-3), 6-3; K Khachanov ERuss) bt N Mahut EFr) 6-2, 6-4; T Haas EGer) bt B Paire EFr) 6-2 6-3; P Lorenzi EIt) bt M Granollers ESp) 6-2, 6-4; J-L Struff EGer) bt C Ruud ENor) 6-4, 6-4; L Pouille EFr) bt R Harrison EUS) 6-2, 6-4; R Haase ENeth) bt D Dzumhur EBos-H) 6-3, 6-2; G Müller ELuF) bt T Robredo ESp) 6-2, 6-2. Second round: N DGokovic ESerbia) bt G Simon EFr) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; A Mannarino EFr) bt J-W Tsonga EFr) 6-7 E7-3), 6-2, 6-3; P Cuevas EUru) bt J Sousa EPor) 6-3, 6-3; D Goffin EBel) bt N Almagro ESp) 7-5, 6-1.

Fixtures Football Champions League: Quarter-finals, second leg E7.45): Barcelona E0) v Juventus E3); Monaco E3) v Borussia Dortmund E2).

Other sport Snooker: Sheffield, Crucible: Betfred World Championship. Swimming: Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield: British Championships.

Terry prefers move to Palace or Bournemouth John Terry is seeking a contract at a new club that would enable him to remain living in Surrey when he ends his 22-year association with Chelsea at the end of the season (Matt Hughes writes). The Times revealed last month that the Chelsea captain was considering joining another Premier League club, having previously said that he would not do so, and there was no reference to not signing for a rival in his departure statement on Monday. Terry, 36, rejected a lucrative offer from a Chinese Super League club in January in favour of finishing the season at Chelsea, with the aim of winning a fifth Premier League title, and his ambition for the next campaign at present is to stay in England. His desire to stay in Oxshott would appear to put Bournemouth and Crystal Palace ahead of West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City in the chase for his signature. Terry has lived in Oxshott for more than a decade and his family do not want to leave the house that they are renovating after moving from an adjacent property, sold for a profit of £10 milllion, two years ago. Bournemouth inquired about taking Terry on loan in January and may return with a contract offer, while Sam Allardyce, the Palace manager, is a huge admirer. The former England captain would make an ideal replacement for Mamadou Sakho, whose loan spell from Liverpool is unlikely to be made permanent.

Wilshere out for season

Fantastic Foden keeps Youth Cup hopes alive

moment of brilliance from Phil Foden earned Manchester City Under-18 a 1-1 draw in the FA Youth Cup final first leg last night against Chelsea, who are chasing a fourth successive title. Foden, a 16-year-old midfielder from Stockport, has already featured in a Champions League

match-day squad for Pep Guardiola, against Celtic in December. The teenager has firstteam potential, and, in front of the watching City head coach at the Academy Stadium, he scored a fine goal on 62 minutes to draw his team level before the second leg next week at Stamford Bridge. With City trailing to a first-half goal by Ike Ugbo, Foden, above, collected the ball in midfield and ran at the defence before striking a shot into the far corner. “Phil’s a talented player,” Lee Carsley,

City’s Under-18 coach said. “His shooting ability is as good as I’ve seen at this level.” It is the third year running that these sides have met in the final. It was a good night for young British talent too: 18 of the 22 players who started are eligible for England, while Matt Smith, the City midfielder, is a Wales youth international. Chelsea nudged ahead on 44 minutes, with Callum HudsonOdoi striking a post before collecting the rebound and setting up Ugbo to blast in from 12 yards.

Jack Wilshere will not play again this season after the Arsenal midfielder, who is on loan to Bournemouth, was discovered to have a suspected hairline fracture in his left leg. Wilshere, 25, was injured on Saturday when he attempted to block a shot from Harry Kane during the 4-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. He left the ground wearing a protective boot and intitial X-rays failed to detect any serious damage. However, a CT scan subsequently revealed a minor crack. He will visit a specialist this week and is expected to return to Arsenal for rehabilitation. As well as a blow for Wilshere, who missed most of last season because of an ankle injury, it is also a damaging injury for Bournemouth, who are not yet safe from the threat of relegation.

MPs quiz England doctor over Farah drug Athletics Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter

MPs are to question the England football team doctor today about the recording of an infusion of the supplement L-carnitine that he administered to Mo Farah before the 2014 London Marathon. Dr Robin Chakraverty, who worked for UK Athletics at the time, gave the supplement to Farah a year after the athlete was advised by a coach at Alberto Salazar’s Nike Oregon Project to stop using it because of concerns that it could potentially cause heart damage. It is understood that US investigators have been unable to find details of Farah’s infusion on UK Athletics’ central logging system. MPs on the culture, media and sport

select committee are expected to examine what records were kept on the infusion. Up to 50ml can legally be given via a drip. A leaked US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) draft report describes as “truly shocking” the lack of medical records surrounding L-carnitine infusions given by Dr Jeffrey Brown, an American endocrinologist. The report says that Usada is still investigating Farah’s involvement in the L-carnitine programme. Farah says that he has done nothing wrong and is happy to have any stored samples retested. Lord Coe, the IAAF president, said that Farah and Salazar must have discussed the controversies surrounding the coach. “You have to assume that Mo has asked some pretty deep and searching questions,” Coe said. “You

have to assume the answers that Mo has had have been satisfactory. Mo is not an idiot.” MPs will also question UK Athletics officials on the close relationship between the governing body and Salazar. Leaked emails show that Barry Fudge, the head of endurance, sent Farah, Salazar and Galen Rupp, his American runner, advice and sachets in August 2011 to make a high-sodium drink that legally boosts blood plasma. Fudge, Ed Warner, the chairman, and Dr John Rogers, who in 2011 advised that Farah should stop taking the supplement calcitonin, are also to give evidence. UK Athletics has said that it provided information to Usada about the infusion administered to Farah, “including the specific measurement”.

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Comment Sport

Matthew Syed Moral cowardice will define Terry’s playing career Sports Commentator of the Year

t is the conspicuous absence of contrition that, even after all these years, strikes one the hardest: the aggressive self-justification that has become such a grubby part of the act; the unwillingness to admit to, still less take responsibility for, a litany of woes that will always cast a long shadow over a player whose on-field achievements are otherwise so impressive. Welcome to the world of John Terry. A man who claimed to be a leader and whose work ethic on the training pitch was attested to by all who knew him, but who betrayed the very concept by sleeping with his team-mate’s partner. A man who wanted to be known as a lion-hearted England captain but whose privileged access to a box at Wembley was touted out at £4,000 a hit. A man who said that his first loyalty was to Chelsea but who was then accused of facilitating tours of the training ground — in defiance of the rules of his club — after footage emerged of a ticket tout allegedly receiving £10,000 while with Terry. A man who wanted to be known as a person of integrity but who was found by an independent FA tribunal in 2012 to have racially abused an opponent — the Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand — for which he served a four-game ban and was handed a fine of £220,000. He had earlier been cleared of the criminal charge in court. One does not need to list his other transgressions in full, although parking his Bentley in a disabled bay, urinating into a pint glass at a nightclub before dropping it on to the floor, and abusing American tourists at a hotel shortly after the attacks of 9/11 will be familiar to most fans, as will the court case for an alleged assault outside a nightclub in 2002, of which he was cleared, or when he questioned the referee

Graham Poll’s integrity after being sent off in a game in 2006, for which he was fined £10,000. No, the defining attribute of Terry’s career has been his shameless attempts at denial, an almost pathological inability to front up or to take real responsibility. He said those training-ground tours were raising money for charity, despite being recorded saying: “Don’t speak to no one, ’cos if anyone finds out, we can’t do it no more.” When an associate of his agent was caught selling the Wembley box, the player said that he knew nothing about it. When video footage revealed that he had used racist language towards Ferdinand, Terry admitted using the words but then said that he uttered them by way of denying using them in an earlier altercation. When he was accused of attempting to exploit the England captaincy for commercial gain, he again tried to divert attention elsewhere, this time on to his advisers. This is not leadership; it is moral cowardice. And is it any wonder that Terry has so palpably failed to develop as a human being when the hangers-on, agents and, yes, managers who have surrounded him have indulged this shameless dance of denial? When Chelsea were asked about the training-ground tours, they said they were “confident that at no time did John Terry ask for, or accept any money in relation to visits to the training ground”. With other crimes, they also leapt to his defence. England managers, too, were quick to overlook his misdemeanours, reasoning that he was such an important player that a blind eye was the pragmatic move. Terry was handed the England captaincy for a second time in 2011 despite being stripped of it a year previously for the cumulative weight of indiscretions that should have meant he was never offered such a privileged position again. It is impossible, in this respect, not to be

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND

Terry has enjoyed a trophy-laden Chelsea career but his numerous indiscretions mean he leaves the club with his reputation as a person in tatters

reminded of the dangerous latitude granted to Luis Suárez, another fine player with a tendency towards despicable behaviour. After Suárez was found guilty by the FA of racially abusing Patrice Evra while at Liverpool, his team-mates wore T-shirts in support of the Uruguayan. Instead of learning from this incident, then, and recognising where he had gone wrong, Suárez became convinced that he, rather than Evra, was the real victim. This isn’t a one-off; it is a pattern. When Suárez was banned for biting an opponent at the 2014 World Cup, instead of issuing a reproach,

in public or private, the Uruguay coach Óscar Tabárez turned the moral lesson on its head, describing Suárez as the “scapegoat”. Diego Lugano, the captain, said: “I’ve watched the TV images and I didn’t see anything.” This, in case you have forgotten, after the striker lunged at Giorgio Chiellini, the Italian, and left bite marks on the defender’s shoulder. Presumably, they thought they were doing Suárez a favour by defending him. In fact, they were doing him a huge disservice because it is those around you, the people you trust, who are in the most precious position to offer a rebuke. The Uruguayan FA had the gall to sign off a statement from its star player, which said: “I lost my balance and my face hit a player, hurting my teeth.” How is a man to perceive the boundaries of acceptable behaviour when those around him are pretending they don’t exist? And that brings me back to Terry. As the defender prepares to leave Chelsea, there is much to applaud. The 36-year old has won four Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, one Champions League and three League Cups, and made 713 appearances, 578 of them as captain. Most would agree that he has been one of the finest centre backs in the league, a player who combined sureness of touch and positional awareness with doggedness in the tackle. In his prime, he would have walked into pretty much any first team in the world. He was also an important presence in training, according to team-mates past and present, bringing a fearsome work ethic to every session. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of these characteristics in a team environment, for they offer a rebuke to those inclined to slack off, and transmit resilience. I have little doubt that Terry will be missed in the dressing room at Stamford Bridge, as well as at Cobham. But true leadership is about more than grit and determination; it is also about values and personal example. And this is why no realistic appraisal of Terry can ignore his transgressions, nor what they tell us about the game. What of the future? He has said that, after he retires, he wishes to go into management, stating that he wants to be a “suit and tie gaffer”. This is, to my mind, revealing, for Terry has long struggled to understand the difference between the values of leadership and the accoutrements of leadership. A suit and tie will not change his character, nor miraculously enable him to demonstrate the human qualities so important to leading any organisation, sporting or otherwise. He leaves Chelsea with his reputation as a player in the ascendancy, but reputation as a person in tatters. The wider lesson for football is that these two aspects are not, in this case at least, unrelated.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Sport Champions League

Thanks for all the memories. Now it is back to reality Matt Dickinson

Chief Sports Writer

This morning, Leicester City will wake up, rub the sleep from their eyes and return to a reality which has them 12th in the Premier League, just below Stoke City. Welcome back to the real world. They have lived a dreamy, almost surreal, existence for much of the past two seasons — and there was a frenetic period in the second half against Atletico Madrid last night when we wondered if the wondrous spell might last a little longer. The King Power roared for one last miracle. “Get into ’em,” the fans cried, as if noise and will could pull off the impossible once more. Leicester gave it their all, fighting to prolong the joyride, but it never was likely to be enough in a competition as exacting as the Champions League and against a team as hardened as Atletico. And so it came to an end. The final whistle blew and as the stadium rose to give these players a long, heartfelt ovation, it marked the end of much more than a remarkable run in Europe. That applause was a sincere thanks for the memories as the final page closed on the Leicester story. Ah well. They — we — will always have those indelible memories. We will turn to the record books and smile at the glorious reminders that Leicester somehow, preposterously, came this far. There will be more books, commemorative DVDs and still the forthcoming film of Jamie Vardy’s life to show us again that it really did happen. It was some journey but they always were going to have to face up one day to not competing with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich but making sure that they can rise above Bournemouth and Burnley. If they found it hard to motivate themselves this season after the ecstasy of the championship-winning year, of street parades and Nessun Dorma and awards dinners, then they must find

that hunger next season without European escapades to fire them. It will be interesting to see how they fare. “I hope they want some more of it,” Craig Shakespeare, the interim manager, said last night. But Champions League football? That is not going to happen any decade soon. It is back to fighting for Premier League respectability. From the exotica of Europe, it is back to the bread and butter — or, rather, the potato wedges that Danny Simpson revealed are so beloved by the Leicester players that Claudio Ranieri risked their loyalty by removing them from the training ground. The league trophy — their trophy — will soon be taken off them and handed on, another line drawn between the wonder years and their return to life a little more humdrum. It has been an extraordinary period, and it felt only right that there should be those raucous ten minutes or so after Vardy’s equaliser when there was a tumult around the terraces. Atletico were d penned back and Diego Simeone, theirr coach, was gushing in his praise for Leicesterr afterwards. n But they had given themselves too much to do by falling behind in the first halff against a team that had nott reached two of the last three finals by capitulating meekly. If this was to be the last Champions League tie at the King Power for many years, they at least made an occasion of it. Never mind the backroom staff, the special-effects department had been busy preparing for this tie, what with the thousands of flags, the dry ice, the giant banner of a fox (at least we must assume it was a fox) and pre-match fireworks exploding in the car park. Sadly, the idea of this team sending more shockwaves Shakespeare could hardly have done more to prove his credentials for the job

around Europe always did look highly improbable when the need was for three goals after Saúl Ñíguez’s header bounced past Kasper Schmeichel. As Shakespeare had demanded — and the first leg deficit necessitated — Leicester were more forceful, but feistiness was never likely to be enough to reach the last four of Europe. They are out and as this campaign heads to what will feel an anticlimactic end, are now plotting a future as a midtable team. Shakespeare’s position will be top of the agenda. He could hardly have done more to demonstrate his credentials, not just motivating players but organising them too. The half-time change of formations to a back three proved shrewd, injecting new life. Shakespeare has secured the club’s top-flight status that looked in jeopardy when he took over in February. They can play out the season in some comfort though whether he, rather than a renowned foreign name, i the fit that is t Thai owners the w want remains to be s seen. They do not ha to sell players but have now the grand adventure is over, it is possible that one or two may look to move on. Of course this does not have to be the end of ambition at the King Power. They can aspire to chase a European place or to w a domestic cup. win They can cause much more mischief as long as they have p players of the calibre of Schmeichel, Vardy and Riyad Mahrez playing with real intent and motivation. But they must know, deep down, that this was the end of something. That lasting applause at the final whistle marked the curtain coming down on “Leicester, the Miracle Years”. From fireworks and dry ice to a next home game against Watford and a life rather more ordinary.

Griezmann shows why he’s a wanted man

ll of the Premier League’s leading clubs would love to sign Antoine Griezmann — and you could see why last night. The France forward was all over the field as is clear from his heat map, above, tracking back and bicycle kicking a clearance to deny Leicester as they went in search of an upset.

He was exceptional going forward, too, despite not getting on the scoresheet. Danny Simpson is no slouch, but Griezmann left him for dead, almost forcing a penalty after unselfishly passing to Yannick Carrasco.

Ronaldo completes controversial hat-trick to kill Real Madrid

Ronaldo 76, 104, 109, Asensio 112

Bayern Munich

Lewandowski 53 (pen), Ramos 77 (og)

4 0 2 1 2

Aet; 2-1 after 90min; Real win 6-3 on agg Joseph Cassinelli Madrid

Ronaldo holds the ball aloft after his hat-trick eased Real into the last four

In a tie containing plenty of footballing royalty, played out at one of the game’s great arenas, it was perhaps fitting that Cristiano Ronaldo was the decisive figure on a dramatic night. Having been booed by the crowd at the Bernabeu when Real Madrid went 1-0 down, Ronaldo was eventually cheered to the rafters after scoring a hat-trick, including two in extra time, to

help his side past Bayern Munich and into a seventh successive Champions League semi-final. Bayern needed at least two goals to progress and led the second leg first through a Robert Lewandowski penalty and again when a Sergio Ramos own goal cancelled out Ronaldo’s first. However, the game changed after the controversial dismissal of Arturo Vidal, the German side’s midfielder, in the 84th minute, with Ronaldo scoring twice from offside positions before Marco Asensio sealed the win. “The only thing I ask is that they don’t boo me, because I give my best in every game,” said Ronaldo, whose third goal in this match was his 100th in the competition. “Although I don’t always

score, I always work hard and try to help Real Madrid.” While Ronaldo cautioned the Real supporters, Carlo Ancelotti, the Bayern coach, took the officials to task after Vidal was shown a second yellow card for a challenge in which he appeared to win the ball. “A lot of times you have doubts in decisions, but tonight there was no doubts,” he said. “Vidal got the ball. I saw it, everyone saw it. At the end I said to him, ‘Good job.’ “There are some decisions that have cost us. Two Ronaldo goals were offside. Of course we’re not happy. In the quarter-finals you need to have a referee with more quality, or Uefa need to use video technology, because there’s too many errors right now.”

Real weathered an early Bavarian barrage to take control of the game in the first half. Isco nipped in and dispossessed Xabi Alonso on the edge of the Bayern box, almost leaving his former team-mate as red-faced as some of the visiting fans who had spent the afternoon basking in the Madrid sun. Before the match, Ancelotti had spoken of “happy memories” from his time in charge at the Bernabeu, and the way that Real harried and hassled their opponents would have reminded him of how his side dismantled Pep Guardiola’s Bayern team en route to their Decima. However, the precision finishing that Real displayed that night was replaced

the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

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Champions League Sport PHOTOGRAPHS: CLIVE ROSE/GETTY IMAGES; CARL RECINE/REUTERS

Griezmann’s heat map

Leicester offer lessons that England’s elite must follow Improbable run to the last eight has shown that getting the basics right is key alongside Europe’s best, writes Oliver Kay

First half

Second half

off Bayern in extra time by profligacy. Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema, Ramos and Ronaldo were all guilty of wasting gilt-edged chances. After the restart, Arjen Robben, formerly of Real but never loved by their fans, was felled in the box and the returning Lewandowski scored from the resulting penalty. Ronaldo stooped low to head Real in front again, but barely two minutes later Ramos inadvertently turned the ball into his own net to send the match towards extra time. With five minutes of the 90 to go, Vidal, who had walked a tightrope all evening after picking up a booking in the sixth minute, won the ball in a tough challenge with Asensio. However, the roar of the crowd perhaps convinced

Viktor Kassai, the Hungarian referee, otherwise. Ronaldo scored the first extra-time goal when he met Ramos’ pass before completing his hat-trick from Marcelo’s run five minutes later. Real Madrid (4-4-2): K Navas 6 — D Carvajal 6, Nacho 6, S Ramos 6, Marcelo 7 — Isco 8 (sub: L Vázquez, 71min), Casemiro 6, T Kroos 7, L Modric 6 — K Benzema 6 (sub: M Asensio 64, 6), C Ronaldo 6. Booked Casemiro Substitutes not used K Casilla, J Rodríguez, M Kovacic, Á Morata, Danilo. Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): M Neuer 7 — P Lahm 6, M Hummels 5, J Boateng 7, D Alaba 6 — X Alonso 5 (sub: T Muller 75), A Vidal 5 — A Robben 6, T Alcántara 6, F Ribéry 5 (sub: D Costa 71) — R Lewandowski 7 (sub: J Kimmich 88). Booked Vidal, Hummels, Alonso Sent off Sdal Substitutes not used S Ulreich, Rafinha, J Bernat, K Coman, J Kimmich. Referee V Kassai (Hun).

or once over recent years, a Premier League team could depart the European stage with heads held high — bloodied but unbowed. Elimination from the Champions League is usually accompanied by handwringing but that need not apply to Leicester City, for whom this was an education rather than the now-familiar embarrassment. There were a few moments last night, as Antoine Griezmann led them a merry dance, when the gulf in quality looked enormous, but there were also times when, as Diego Simeone admitted, Leicester City had Atletico Madrid “living in fear”. Even when it looked over at halftime, his team trailing 2-0 on aggregate, Craig Shakespeare responded with a double substitution and a tactical rejig that gave Simeone and his redoubtable team a lot to think about. That, in itself, felt like a rarity in these days of profoundly underwhelming English performances in the Champions League. You could easily dismiss Simeone’s words as platitudes, a pat on the head for the plucky underdogs, but there was truth in what he said. Even if Leicester never looked like scoring the three goals that they needed once Saúl Ñiguez had put Atletico 2-0 up on aggregate, they certainly, in boxing parlance, kept swinging and connected with a few punches — and it is not often that English observers have been thankful for even such small mercies in the Champions League in recent years. Leicester apart, it has been another season to forget for English clubs in the Champions League. Arsenal conceded ten goals to Bayern Munich over two legs; Manchester City conceded eight to Monaco; Tottenham Hotspur were the biggest disappointment of all, losing three of their six games in the group stage. Manchester United remain favourites to win the Europa League, but in the premier competition, Leicester, in their improbable first campaign, went farther than any of their English counterparts, demonstrating once more that getting the basics right can still take a team a long way. For the third time in five seasons, there will be no Premier League club in the Champions League semi-finals. If anything, though, that statement underplays the extent of the English struggle. Leicester were only the fifth Premier League team to reach the quarter-finals in six seasons. When you consider that Spain, Germany and even France have provided 17, ten and seven quarter-finalists respectively over those same six seasons — and that anything less than reaching the last eight was considered a calamity for English clubs over the years prior to that — the size of the underperformance is clear. Nobody, though, can accuse Leicester of underachievement. Even in the dark, unhappy final weeks of Claudio Ranieri’s tenure, when it seemed the magic had deserted them forever, some of us wondered whether, after all, the bottom end of the Premier League was simply a more natural milieu for footballers such as Wes Morgan, Danny Simpson, Danny Drinkwater and, yes,

An old-fashioned game of two halves Despite defeat by Atletico Madrid, Craig Shakespeare’s side turned in a memorable attacking performance in the second half. Jamie Vardy (9) capped it off with a goal, but as the average-position maps show, Leicester

were far more advanced after the break, suggesting a possible blueprint for breaking down Atletico. Shakespeare brought on Ben Chilwell (3) and Leonardo Ulloa (23) at half-time and switched to a back three, allowing

even Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy. Yet here they were defying such assessments once more — mixing it with Atletico, ultimately falling short but showing more of the right stuff than — Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham did in the Champions League this season. Two things, above all, have set Leicester apart from their English counterparts this season — and indeed from many of those who have failed over the previous few campaigns. The first is the ability to defend; while it might have deserted them in the Premier League at times this season, to Ranieri’s cost, they showed none of the frivolousness, in two knockout matches against Seville and Atletico, that cost Arsenal and Manchester City in the previous round. The second is the intensity of Leices-

Waning English influence English clubs in Champions League semi-finals in past ten seasons 2008

(winners)

2009 2010

None

2011 2012 2013

(winners)

None

2014 2015

None

2016 2017

None

the entire team to push into more advanced positions. Riyad Mahrez (26) was increasingly influential as the switch allowed him to occupy a more attacking role, and even Kasper Schmeichel (1) can be seen further up-field.

ter’s approach, in and out of possession. Far too often over recent seasons, even those Premier League teams associated with a high-energy approach have been outmanoeuvred and outmuscled by teams such as Monaco, Paris SaintGermain and Atletico. Tottenham, who never looked their true selves in the group stage, were a classic example. Leicester’s approach will never be embraced by a coach such as Pep Guardiola, who has had rather more success with a purer interpretation of the beautiful game, but there are certainly other managers who might take at least one leaf from their book. Jürgen Klopp, who will hope to be back in the competition with Liverpool next season, might have expressed disregard for Leicester’s “long balls” in the past, but he would certainly admire the fervour with which they competed for every last one of them, making this a far more exacting evening than Atletico might have expected after a comfortable 1-0 win in the first leg. That Atletico held firm, where Seville did not, says much about them. If ever there were a Spanish team to do it on an unseasonably cold April night in the east Midlands, it was this Atletico side — as strong mentally as physically and far more talented than they are given credit for. Simeone has built a team who boast the resilience, spirit, physical intensity and the tactical and technical sophistication that are needed to compete at the later stages of the Champions League — a combination that has remained strangely elusive to the vast majority of Premier League entrants in the recent past. Any scouts from bigger Premier League clubs would have gone away with their assessments of Griezmann and Saúl farther enhanced, but those clubs should also take note of what Leicester have done in the Champions League season. Even in receiving an education from a smarter, clever, better team, they offered a few lessons of their own.

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Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

Sport Champions League

Leicester’s fairytale ends – Henry Winter Chief Football Writer

Leicester City Vardy 61

Atletico Madrid Saúl 26

1 0 2 1

Atletico win 2-1 on aggregate

At the final whistle, Marc Albrighton, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy fell to the floor, bodies drained and hearts broken, their Champions League dream shattered. Leicester City’s valiant attempt to overcome a superior, savvier Atletico Madrid side ultimately failed but they exited Europe knowing they gave everything in a breathless second half. There is no shame in bowing out to a team coached by the inspiring Diego Simeone, a manager as smart in his tactical sense as in his dress sense, who was steering Atletico to their third semi-final in four years. There is no embarrassment in struggling to find a way through a defence, marshalled by the masterful Diego Godín, that had recorded six clean sheets in its past nine matches in Europe’s elite competition, and 27 in 45 under Simeone. Waiting for Godín to make a mistake would have taken all night. There can be no indignity in losing a tie to a team also including Antoine Griezmann, a technical talent enhanced by a ferocious work ethic who will surely command a worldrecord transfer fee when he moves one day. Griezmann’s touch under pressure was immaculate, the Frenchman threading the ball to friendly feet or dribbling upfield at speed. Leicester supporters loved watching Kasper Schmeichel selling Griezmann a dummy early on but it did highlight the work that Atletico’s No 7 puts in, including tracking back to close down Mahrez and then Vardy. The crowd at the King Power Stadium witnessed one of the world’s leading lights last night. Leicester can also take pride in lasting longer than Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League. The Premier League’s record in Europe is increasingly pitiful, and down to the intensity of the domestic calendar, tactical naivety at times, a failure to drill sides defensively to the standard set by Atletico, and the reality that the most game-changing stars, the likes of Griezmann, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ply their elevated trade overseas. Two years ago, Leicester were fighting to stay in the Premier League, yet last night they were fighting for a place in the semi-finals of the

Champions League. They went out, and it may be some time before they come this way again, yet they leave with their dignity intact, knowing they remain unbeaten in the Champions League at their resonating King Power home. The stadium shook with noise beforehand, with pyrotechnics outside and Kasabian turned up to 11, and the fans maintained their unconditional backing throughout, but the visitors are hardened in European combat in recent seasons, and with a reputation for handling inhospitable venues. Yet they suffered a scare. Leicester’s passion players earned the respect of Atletico, with Simeone shaking the hands of all the vanquished players, and embracing Vardy. At one point in the second half, Simeone was gesturing to his players to keep calm as Vardy and company really pushed them to the limit. Leicester can also look back with admiration at the way their caretaker, Craig Shakespeare, pitted his wits against the experienced Simeone. “Bardiola”, as a few fans have taken to calling Shakespeare, acted decisively at

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half-time, with Leicester trailing to Saúl Ñíguez’s header. He switched to 3-4-3, bringing on Ben Chilwell to give width and adventure as a left wing back and Leonardo Ulloa bringing an aerial threat and some much-needed company for Vardy, who soon equalised on the night. A legitimate debate can be had over whether Shakespeare should have responded to Wes Morgan’s hamstring injury by turning to the dynamic Demarai Gray rather than the defensive Daniel Amartey. In fairness to Shakespeare, he wanted to keep the 3-4-3 shape, and have some security at the back given the potent threat on the counter of Griezmann in particular. Shakespeare’s second-half work strengthened his case for the position long-term. He had to act at half-time. Leicester’s fairytale run in Europe looked to have reached a final chapter when Atletico struck with a classic counterattack in the 26th minute. Yannick Carrasco broke from midfield, sliding the ball forward and left to Koke, the No 6 brimming with invention. Carrasco continued his run into the box and Koke tried to return the ball but Morgan stretched to intercept, turning it wide. Atletico

were in cobra mode, striking hard, devastatingly, giving their transfixed victim no chance or mercy. Koke was sharpest to Morgan’s clearance, running on and collecting the ball as Danny Simpson sought to get close. Mahrez, alive to Atletico’s attacking potency, had raced back, trying to help out Simpson. Koke ignored them, calmly laying the ball back to Filipe Luís, the Atletico left back who was again showing his mastery of both sides of his position, attacking and defending. Here he was high up the field, taking the game to Leicester, receiving Koke’s pass, taking a moment to ponder his options and then acting decisively. Using that dexterous left foot, Filipe Luís curled the ball away from Schmeichel, lifting it over Yohan Benalouane and Christian Fuchs and perfectly picking out the unmarked Saúl. The midfielder had the split-second he needed to leap up, and pour all his power into a downward header angled past Schmeichel. It was a brilliant goal, expertly created and brutally finished. Leicester fans briefly fell silent. They knew the scale of the assignment now. Shakespeare stayed calm, withdrawing Benalouane and Shinji Okazaki and going for goals. Suddenly, Leicester had the shape and intensity to trouble Atletico. Suddenly, the vaunted kings of the clean sheet were under siege. Leicester believed, storming forward, Mahrez more effective in this roaming, raiding role. Vardy now had support, distracting Godín and company. Chilwell was constantly involved down the left. On the hour, he latched on to a cross, and fired the ball back in. Vardy, adjusting his body cleverly, and imparted the perfect power and accuracy to elude Atletico’s defenders on the line. The clock ticked down, Atletico players stayed down, trying to timewaste. Leicester had a few chances but Godín was there when Albrighton attacked and Jan Oblak was there to catch Ulloa’s flicked header. Leicester’s commitment to attack inevitably left them exposed and Schmeichel had to be alert to catch Ángel Correa’s curling shot. Schmeichel went up in the final seconds, trying for mission impossible. A miracle in Europe was always unlikely to be the sequel to last season’s fairytale in England. But what an adventure, and Leicester bowed out with pride intact. Atletico Madrid (4-4-2) J Oblak 6 — Juanfran 6 (sub: Lucas Hernández 55min, 6), S Savic 6, D Godín 6, Filipe Luís 6 (sub: Á Correa 74) — Koke 6, J Giménez 7, Gabi 6, Saúl Ñíguez 8 — Y Carrasco 6 (sub: F Torres 69, 5) A Griezmann 7. Total 70. Substitutes not used M Moyá, N Gaitán, Thomas, K Gameiro.

Vardy gives Leicester hope with his well-taken finish in the 61st minute at the

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Yesterday’s solution 26,702 S T U K R N E A D O UN P RU I S P I NO G

UD I I S S E OR T T A T M I O I N B I S S

I OU S I O S F T OB E S UR E C E E S C PO I L E R A L E R T U L I A O E R A L A S T A I R S R I A ME D B A R N OW L S M Q O N A T E P L U T ON R X U A D E CH I L L E R S H S L T EMP I E S T A E A R S H E A R I NG

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the times | Wednesday April 19 2017

2GM

Champions League Sport

but with pride intact BEN STANSALL/GETTY IMAGES

Leicester City (4-4-2) Alyson Rudd

kasper schmeichel Flirted with danger when trying to dispossess Carrasco, otherwise was solid and vocal

Haven’t we seen this goal before? Atletico Madrid’s opening goal last night, scored by Saúl Ñíguez, was almost identical to the one that

Leicester conceded away to Seville in their quarterfinal first leg in February. Then, it was a left-wing

cross and a booming back-post header by Pablo Sarabia that did the damage

danny simpson Some baffling distribution initially, but improved and set in motion the Leicester equaliser

wes morgan Survived a late fitness test to bring a calming presence as well as decent distribution. Went off injured late on

yohan benalouane Heroic in Madrid, he was less assured last night but still made some crucial blocks. Replaced at half-time

February 22 v Seville

christian fuchs Guilty of losing concentration as Saúl leapt to give Atletico the lead. Otherwise, kept his focus well

marc albrighton Eager and sprightly display, summoning some decent crosses. His influence grew in the second half

danny drinkwater Conservative performance when Leicester needed something more nuanced and inventive

Last night v Atletico Madrid TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND

wilfred ndidi Hard working and happy to make forays forward, although it would have been better to let Mahrez do so at times

riyad mahrez Grew in confidence as the game progressed. Had his team’s first shot on target and came close with a free kick

shinji okazaki Disappointing in the first leg but he was much more dynamic and optimistic last night and could have scored in the first half

King Power Stadium but Saúl’s emphatic first-half header, right, ensured that Simeone’s disciplined team advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory on aggregate

They pushed us all the way, says relieved Simeone Oliver Kay Chief Football Correspondent

Diego Simeone lavished Leicester City with praise last night, saying that he and his Atletico Madrid team were “living in fear” during the second-half onslaught from the Premier League champions. “First and foremost I’m full of emotion and pride at the performance of my team, full of hope and excitement as we progress in the competition,” the Atletico coach said after his team’s 2-1 aggregate victory. “But I have to say what a great performance it was from Leicester. It was a pleasure to compete

against them. They never gave up. They never let their heads drop. We were living in fear all night about what they might achieve as they came forwards. They pushed us all the way.” Simeone reserved special praise for Craig Shakespeare, the Leicester interim manager, and for the tactical changes he made at half-time — replacing Yohan Benalouane and Shinji Okazaki with Ben Chilwell and Leonardo Ulloa and switching to a three-man central defence — which was followed by a goal for Jamie Vardy and a spell of intense pressure. “The changes the Leicester manager made were fantastic,” Simeone said.

“They got a lot of people down the wings, got a lot of crosses to Ulloa, and made it very difficult for us.” Shakespeare said that he was immensely proud of his players’ efforts over both legs and in the competition as a whole. Of the half-time tactical change, he said that it had been “planned in advance” as a contingency measure, but that he “didn’t expect to do it quite that early”. He added: “I hope the benefit from this experience is that the players want more of it. They’re very disappointed in that dressing room. “We can be proud of what they’ve done, how they’ve gone about it. They

should want more of it but first we have to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.” On his own future, Shakespeare said: “It’s not in my hands. It’s in the club’s hands. We’ll sit down at the end of the season. I’m more than happy to sit down before that if that arises, but the contract [as interim manager] says to the end of the season. “I’ve really enjoyed pitting my wits against one of best managers in the world. The experience has been really, really good. Now is not the time to reflect. I’m sure at end of the season I’ll be able to reflect on my own performance as well as the club’s.”

jamie vardy Isolated in Madrid but much more involved and prepared to make runs into space. Deserved his goal

Total

Substitutes Ben Chilwell (for Benalouane 46min) 7 Leonardo Ulloa (for Okazaki 46) 6 Daniel Amartey (for Morgan 84) Substitutes not used R-R Zieler, D Gray, A Musa, A King Referee G Rocchi (Italy)

Wednesday April 19 2017 | the times

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Sport

Matthew Syed Terry’s moral cowardice will make him a poor manager Page 67

thetimes.co.uk/sport

TIM S PHOTOGRAPH R MARC ASPLAND

Hartley fails to earn place on Lions tour

Leicester’s Champions League dream over Vardy gives his team a lifeline before they bow out 2-1 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid. Pages 68-71

Roberts is shock contender as Nowell gets call Owen Slot, Alex Lowe

Dylan Hartley is the third successive England captain to be overlooked by the British & Irish Lions, but Jack Nowell is in line for a surprise call-up when the squad to tour New Zealand is announced today, The Times understands. Hartley lost out to Ken Owens, the Wales hooker, in one of the last decisions that Warren Gatland and his coaching team made in yesterday’s final selection meeting at a hotel in Syon Park, west London. The chosen hookers in an expected 38-man squad — to be announced at noon and captained by Sam Warburton — are Owens, Rory Best and Jamie George, Hartley’s England understudy who is yet to start an international. Jamie Roberts emerged as a surprise contender for the tour last night after the veteran Wales centre was included in the discussions by the coaches, while Nowell, the wing, is set to be one of 15 England players named. Steve Borthwick, the Lions forwards coach, was part of the decision to omit Hartley and will understand his pain because he was devastated to be snubbed by the Lions as England captain in 2009. Chris Robshaw suffered the same fate in 2013, as did

Phil de Glanville in 1997. Hartley’s record eclipses them all. He has led England to a record-equalling 18 consecutive victories, including a Six Nations Championship grand slam as part of back-to-back titles, plus a 3-0 series win in Australia last year. As England compiled that catalogue of success, Hartley was being tipped as a potential Lions captain — but his leadership and accuracy at the set piece have not been enough to earn him selection in the touring party. George and Owens are more dynamic players in the loose, while Best has been central to a highly impressive Ireland front row over the past year and he has the recent experience of defeating the All Blacks in Chicago. Hartley had been braced for the bad news, admitting last week that he was not getting his hopes up. The Northampton Saints hooker was selected for the 2013 tour to Australia, but he was banned on the eve of the squad’s departure, having been sent off in the Aviva Premiership final. One source said last night: “He [Hartley] deserves to go but his career is normally downs punctuated by ups, rather than the other way around.” Warburton was captain of that triumphant 2013 tour to Australia and Co t 1d on page 65

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