We need more politicians like Angela Rayner | Letters
The fact that Angela Rayner has described her journey from “a teenage mum from a council estate” to the highest levels of government as being “the honour of my life” is so sad, and a scandalous indictment of our country (Crisis engulfs Labour as Angela Rayner is forced to step down as deputy PM, 5 September).Privilege and inequality exclude the majority of ordinary people from entering, let alone achieving, influential positions in politics, the judiciary, media, business and increasingly in sport and theatre.The figures are astonishing.According to the Sutton Trust, 65% of senior judges, 57% of the House of Lords, 59% of permanent secretaries and 52% of diplomats are drawn from the 7% of the population who are privately educated.Achieving positions of influence in our society is less about merit and more about connections, accent and so on – all acquired at fee‑paying schools.
The ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, said that Ms Rayner “acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service”, unlike some.In the unlikely event that you are from humble beginnings and emulate the achievement of Rayner, know that some privately educated newspaper columnists will be ruthless in their pursuit of you, because you are not one of them.Dr Robin C RichmondBromyard, Herefordshire I am filled with sadness at Angela Rayner’s resignation.She always impressed me with her talent, feistiness and integrity.I do not believe that she deliberately intended to avoid tax on her flat purchase.
She has paid the price for a mistake, but I continue to admire and support her.We need politicians like her.Linda RheadHampton, London Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Anglo American agrees mining mega merger; Londoners face commuting struggles as tube strike enters second day – business live
Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, has called for “more flexibility” from Brussels in relation to targets for the transition to electric vehicles – siding with German car manufacturers and opening up a divide with other European carmakers who want to stick to the deadline for phasing out combustion engines. The bosses of Volvo and Polestar were among 150 car chiefs who wrote to the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Monday urging her to maintain the 2035 target for cars and vans and arguing that any change would hand an advantage to Chinese rivals.Michael Lohscheller, Polestar’s chief executive, said in a statement:Weakening targets now would send a signal that Europe can be talked out of its own commitments. That would not only harm the climate. It would harm Europe’s ability to compete
Anglo American to merge with rival Teck in $53bn mining group
The London-listed miner Anglo American has agreed to merge with its Canadian rival Teck Resources, in a deal that will create a $53bn (£39bn) global copper group but raises the prospect of job cuts.The merger, the biggest mining tie-up in years, would form one of the biggest copper producers in the world, the companies said on Monday.Anglo American fended off a series of takeover attempts by its larger rival BHP last year, pushing it to radically restructure its business.The chief executive of Anglo, Duncan Wanblad, said the merger formed “a global critical minerals champion with the focus, agility, capabilities and culture that have characterised both companies for so long”.“Having made such significant progress with Anglo American’s portfolio transformation … now is the optimal time to take this next strategic step to accelerate our growth,” he said
The women in love with AI chatbots: ‘I vowed to him that I wouldn’t leave him’
Experts are concerned about people emotionally depending on AI, but these women say their digital companions are misunderstoodThe Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.A young tattoo artist on a hiking trip in the Rocky Mountains cozies up by the campfire, as her boyfriend Solin describes the constellations twinkling above them: the spidery limbs of Hercules, the blue-white sheen of Vega.The Guardian’s journalism is independent
Apple to debut new, thinner iPhone at ‘awe-dropping’ annual product event
Expect Apple’s latest iPhone to look slimmer when it debuts on Tuesday. The company is slated to unveil its thinnest iPhone yet at its annual product showcase, promoted with the title “awe-dropping”. The event will take place at its Cupertino headquarters in the Steve Jobs Theater at 10am PT.Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is expected to include standard, Pro, and Pro Max editions, along with a newcomer to the family, the iPhone Air. This newest edition of the iPhone is christened to be Apple’s lightest flagship phone to date in the lineage of its line of slim MacBook laptops, observers have predicted
Asa Tribe scores 200 for Glamorgan, Leicestershire v Gloucestershire and more: county cricket – live
DIVISION ONEChelmsford: Essex 49-1 v Durham 333Taunton: Somerset 229-4 v YorkshireThe Oval: Surrey 246 v Warwickshire 206-8Hove: Sussex 122 v Hampshire 226New Road: Worcestershire 182 v Nottinghamshire 119-4DIVISION TWOCanterbury: Kent 293 v Lancashire 118-3Grace Road: Leicestershire 40-1 v Gloucestershire 482Lord’s: Middlesex 106-3 v Derbyshire 283Northampton: Northants 2-0 v Glamorgan 467And Budinger parties no more, stumps akimbo. A wicket for Taylor. Leicestershire 35-1.Some beautiful, if streaky, boundary hitting by Budinger, who is has kept Gloucestershire on their toes but remains at the crease. Leicestershire 35-0
The Breakdown | England’s juggernaut must be wary of wheels coming off as World Cup stakes rise
It was the basketball great Kobe Bryant who best summed up the precarious status of the dead cert. His multi-talented LA Lakers team came into the 2004 NBA finals as clear favourites to beat the less fashionable Detroit Pistons only to lose 4-1 in the series. “Talent doesn’t get it done, you have to be able to execute,” reflected Bryant. “When you have talent and you execute, that’s when you win.”In other words there is no such thing in sport as an absolute certainty, no matter how good you are
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Want wines with attitude? Look to the Jura