Keir Starmer encourages Britons to ‘reach out’ to others this Christmas
Keir Starmer has called on Britons to show kindness to struggling friends or family this Christmas, saying being in touch with those in need can make a big difference,Starmer, whose brother died last Boxing Day, said people should channel the spirit of the many volunteers and public sector workers who are on duty this Christmas by resolving to get back in touch with those who might find the time of year difficult,“Some truly special people will be pulling on their uniforms and heading out to work,” he said,“Many volunteers will be out there as well,Serving food.
Reaching out to help those lonely or in need,“As a nation, we should raise a glass to you this Christmas,But more than that, we should each do our bit as well,I know many across Britain are still struggling with the cost of living,Helping with that is my priority.
“But at this time of the year, which celebrates love and abundance, loss or hardship can feel even more acute.So call around to a neighbour.Check in on a friend or a relative who you haven’t heard from for a while.Reach out.It can make a huge difference.
”Starmer is expected to spend the Christmas break at Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat, with his family including his wife, Victoria, his teenage children and his father-in-law.Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said in her Christmas message that she would be reflecting on motherhood and her three children over the Christmas period.“One of the privileges of being a mother is watching my children grow up, and it happens so quickly,” she said.“So, this Christmas, I’m excited to spend lots of quality time with them … They love presents and Father Christmas, but I teach them that Christmas is also about the birth of Christ.”Badenoch said she wanted to thank those who had supported her during her first year as party leader.
“It’s been the biggest challenge of my life, but it’s also been a wonderful year.”The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, filmed his message in front of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, which has often been a target of abuse on social media for the simplicity of its decorations.“I have to admit – on the surface it does look a little underwhelming.But it’s also my favourite Christmas tree,” Davey said, describing the tree’s history as a gift from the people of Oslo to the people of Britain after the king of Norway sought refuge in Britain.“To the people of Norway, during that dark period of Nazi rule, Britain became a symbol of freedom and hope.
So this tree is about friendship and loyalty,” he said.“I can’t think of a better symbol of the Christmas spirit of generosity, love and hope.”The Green party leader, Zack Polanski, who spent several days in the run-up to Christmas meeting refugees in Calais, called for an end to the demonisation of refugees in his Christmas message, saying: “I don’t believe we’re the country who the media paint us to be.I don’t believe that we’re cruel and heartless.And I don’t believe that if people saw what I’ve seen in recent days, they would turn away.
”King Charles will deliver his Christmas Day message from Westminster Abbey.It will have the theme of pilgrimage and will take place in front of Christmas trees that decorated the Princess of Wales’s Together at Christmas carol concert, staged at the abbey earlier in December.The king’s message will be transmitted on television and radio at 3pm on Christmas Day.
S&P 500 and Dow hit record highs as Santa rally reaches Wall Street – as it happened
The fabled Santa rally has reached the New York stock exchange!The S&P 500 index of US company shares has hit a record high today, on a shortened Christmas Eve trading session. It touched a new intraday record high of 6,921.42 points, surpassing its previous peak in October.The rally comes as investors continued to bet on more interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve next year.There’s also lingering relief that yesterday’s GDP report showed the US economy grew rather faster than expected in the July-September quarter
Alexander Wishart obituary
My father, Alexander Wishart, who has died aged 81, began at the foot of the banking ladder aged 16, eventually becoming general manager and director of Harrods Bank in the 1980s, and regional managing director of the Bank of Beirut (UK) in the 90s. He was a proud member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland.Born in Edinburgh to Margaret (nee McDonald), a munitions worker, and Alexander Wishart, a draftsman and sergeant in the Royal Air Force, Alex grew up in Leith and the Edinburgh suburb of Colinton with his two younger brothers; he went to Leith academy and the Royal high school.Fascinated by aeroplanes, he wanted to join the RAF, but his father, a Battle of Britain and Siege of Malta veteran, instead arranged a meeting with the manager of the National Commercial Bank (later Royal Bank of Scotland) on Leith Walk. Alex began as a junior clerk and, in 1966, while working at the Shandwick Place branch, met Myra Thomson, a secretary, from Kirkcaldy
‘Undermines free speech’: Labour MP hits back at US government over visa ban on UK campaigners
A senior Labour MP has accused the Trump administration of undermining free speech after Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, announced sanctions against two British anti-disinformation campaigners.Chi Onwurah, the chair of parliament’s technology select committee, criticised the US government hours after it announced “visa-related” sanctions against five Europeans, including Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford.Ahmed leads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), while Melford is chief executive of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), both of which have clashed directly with Elon Musk, the owner of X and a former adviser to the US president.Onwurah said on Wednesday: “Banning people because you disagree with what they say undermines the free speech the administration claims to seek.“We desperately need a wide ranging debate on whether and how social media should be regulated in the interests of the people
Visa ban for European critics of online harm is first shot in US free speech war
For Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech.The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA). Both pieces of legislation require social media firms to protect users or face the threat of sizeable fines. Indeed, Elon Musk’s X has been fined €120m (£105m) this month for breaching the DSA.These acts are prime examples of what US Republicans see as an anti-free speech culture on the other side of the Atlantic
Australia mull over spin question as Todd Murphy enters mix with plenty to play for
It would really be something. A Victorian spin bowler – one from St Kilda Cricket Club, no less – walking out on Boxing Day to play an Ashes Test in the shadow of the Shane Warne Stand at the MCG. Todd Murphy is not much like Warne in most respects: quiet, modest, thoughtful, bespectacled, a student of the even tempered practice of off-spin bowling rather than the lavish excess of leg-spin. But still. The links that do exist are too appealing to ignore
Venus Williams marries actor and model Andrea Preti in Palm Beach ceremony
Venus Williams married actor and model Andrea Preti over the weekend, the tennis great announced Tuesday on social media.Williams, 45, and Preti were married in Palm Beach, Florida, following a five-day celebration that included family and close friends. The couple also held a non-official ceremony in Italy earlier this year.Preti is a Danish-born Italian actor and model, according to IMDb. The couple met during Milan Fashion Week in 2024 and became engaged in January 2025
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