Sorry, Keir Starmer, but pensioners don’t feel better off under this government | Letter
For the most part in his recent article (Workers, pensioners and children: all better off.Ignore the critics – we really are standing up for working people, 5 April), Keir Starmer rightly flags up the introduction of policies supporting the less well off in this society.However, I believe it was an ill-considered move to include the statement about increasing the state pension.As a pensioner I am not seeing a straightforward improvement and instead seeing a policy that is reducing the benefit of those increases.The triple lock, established by a Conservative–Liberal Democrat government in 2010, was designed to ensure that pensioners who had made tax and national insurance contributions throughout their working lives did not see their pension watered down.
However, under the current approach this is actually being undermined.The outcome of freezing the personal allowance means that a significant and increasing proportion of pensioners, based on pension-related income alone, will have to pay tax, thus offsetting the intended benefit of the triple lock.This is made worse for any pensioner with even a small amount of additional income, and will become more burdensome as the personal allowance freeze continues into subsequent years.Even the Conservatives, as part of their previous manifesto, promoted a “triple lock plus”, ensuring the personal allowance for pensioners would increase in line with the state pension.So if we stop to consider who introduced the triple lock and which party has recognised the need not to undermine it, who exactly has the intention of looking after pensioners more?As a lifelong Labour supporter, I say this with a heavy heart.
Of course decisions have to be made with limited funds.But if the intention is genuinely to support those “who have worked hard all their lives”, then here is a policy that needs to be revised.James KyleEaling, London
History beckons for I Am Maximus as Red Rum’s record comes in to view | Greg Wood
Relentless drama, no significant injuries to any of the 34 runners and a winner who inked himself on to the exclusive list of Aintree legends with the possibility of better to come next year. Saturday’s Grand National produced everything racing could realistically hope for and more, and if I Am Maximus can stay sound and return to Aintree in 2027 for a fourth run in the race, it promises to be one of the highlights of the sporting year.There was a 45-year wait for the next dual Grand National winner after Red Rum’s second success in 1974. Now, seven years after Tiger Roll’s second victory, I Am Maximus is only the third horse since the mid 1930s to register win number two, and the first since the peerless “Rummy” to win in nonconsecutive years. Having also finished a close second in 2025, he is arguably already second only to Red Rum in the list of all-time Aintree greats
Cardiff stages thriller while Women’s Six Nations favourites show strength
Sporting theatre reached Shakespearean heights at the Principality Stadium on Saturday as Wales and Scotland produced the best match of the opening Women’s Six Nations weekend. Welsh hearts broke seven minutes past the full 80 as Scotland managed to get a comeback win over the line. The fixture had sensational tries and late drama, and played out on BBC Two. The only thing missing was the type of crowd that such a thriller deserved.Wales hosted the game at the national stadium, the only one taking place there during this year’s tournament, watched by 10,569 supporters
Is Gout Gout faster than Usain Bolt? Australian sprinter sets sights on Jamaican great’s 200m record
Having cracked the 20-second barrier with a sizzling run over 200m – and in the process fulled comparisons with the great Usain Bolt – the question now is, how fast can Gout Gout go?“How long’s a piece of string?” said Gout’s coach and mentor, Di Sheppard, after he clocked 19.67sec at the Australian championships in Sydney on Sunday.The time smashed his own national record of 20.02sec and was good enough for him to become the first Australian to record a legal time under the magical 20-second barrier.Aidan Murphy quickly became the second, just a step behind with another supremely impressive run in the same race, but Gout grabbed the headlines as he bettered Bolt’s best when the Jamaican sprint great was the same age
Rory McIlroy targets even loftier goals after winning back-to-back Masters titles
Rory McIlroy has warned the rest of elite golf he will set further, lofty goals in his sport after a successful defence of the Masters.McIlroy prevailed at Augusta National by a shot over Scottie Scheffler, meaning the Northern Irishman becomes just the fourth golfer to win the tournament back-to-back. While McIlroy will cherish his win, he has no plans to rest on his laurels.“I just won my sixth major and I feel like I’m in a really good spot with my game and my body,” McIlroy said. “I don’t want to put a number on it, I don’t want to say a stop on the journey, but it’s just a part of the journey
Rain puts dampener on Gather Round despite AFL’s hype and schmoozing | Jonathan Horn
Gather Round began with lavish lunches, intriguing matchups and a South Australian premier who lobbied for it, nurtured it and who very much now owns it. Politically, culturally and geographically, South Australia remains an excellent fit. But it always feels like the footy industry is on one big sell for the week, and this year’s version didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous three.A lot of that was due to the weather, which was atrocious at times. With two mismatches earlier on Sunday, Gather Round was crying out for a decent match to close things out
The Masters 2026: McIlroy retains title after thrilling final round – as it happened
Ewan Murray’s final verdict has landed, so that’s the cue to wind down this live blog. Congratulations to the two-time Masters champion Rory McIlroy, commiserations to Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Cameron Young, who ran him so close; and thanks to you for sticking with us over the four days. See you again next month for the PGA Championship. In the meantime, here’s how the top of that Leader Board looks after four days of drama that will live long in the memory.-12: Rory McIlroy -11: Scottie Scheffler -10: Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Cameron Young -9: Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns -8: Max Homa, Xander Schauffele -7: Jake Knapp -5: Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day -4: Viktor Hovland, Maverick McNealy, Matt Fitzpatrick -3: Keegan Bradley, Ludvig Åberg, Wyndham Clark -2: Matt McCarty, Adam Scott, Samuel Stevens, Chris Gotterup, Michael Brennan, Brian Campbell -1: Alex Noren, Harris English, Shane LowryIn his Butler Cabin interview, Rory picked his tee shot at 12 as perhaps the most important of the final round
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Eminem’s 8 Mile helped me survive abuse – and opened my eyes to a world outside of orthodox Judaism