Trussonomics still haunts parties’ economic promises in run-up to UK local elections | Phillip Inman

As local and regional elections across the UK loom into view, it is clear the spectre of Trussonomics lives on. The Greens, Reform UK, Your Party, Restore Britain, the Conservatives and even the Liberal Democrats cannot help making extravagant spending promises, often paid for by cutting something or borrowing more that, they argue, will have no negative economic consequences.Or if they do, the costs will be borne by people and businesses they do not care about.Only Keir Starmer and his cabinet colleagues seem to be immune to the hysterical demands for the UK government to somehow reconfigure the way the economy operates without any spillovers, unintended consequences or extra costs that nullify the supposed gains derived from the original policy.Liz Truss promised huge tax cuts worth £45bn paid for with extra borrowing and welfare “efficiencies”

House swaps: why exchanging home could be a ticket to a dream holiday

About six miles from Reims, beside a golf course, is a house with a heated pool and space to sleep 10 people that would probably be perfect for many of those planning to book a family holiday in France.An hour’s drive from Disneyland Paris, the four-bedroom property is quiet, located near a village with a bakery, has an electric gate that provides security, and is on almost half an hectare (one acre) of land.The cost? Nothing, if you are prepared to sign up to a “house swap holiday”, whereby you exchange your home with that of another person.Some regular home swappers claim they saved tens of thousands of pounds over the years.There are many websites where you can search for the perfect swap with (see end of story)

Kurt Strauss obituary

My father, Kurt Strauss, who has died aged 95, was a senior engineer who worked for more than two decades at the Electricity Council, the government body that coordinated electricity supply in England and Wales before privatisation in 1990.He worked for all of that time within the council’s overseas relations branch, managing international relationships, technical exchanges and consultancy services while rising steadily through the ranks to associate director. German by birth but brought up in the UK, he was a passionate European who spoke French and German, and was therefore well suited to those responsibilities.Kurt was born in Degerloch, a suburb of Stuttgart, into a Jewish family. In 1937 his parents, Viktor, who worked in the family down and feather business, and Marianne (nee Melzer), sent Kurt’s older brother, Helmut, to safety in Britain, where he ended up at a boarding school, Sidcot, in Somerset

UK’s leading AI research institute told to make ‘significant’ changes

The UK’s leading AI research institute has been told to make “significant” changes by its main source of taxpayer funding.The Guardian revealed last week that the board of the Alan Turing Institute was reminded of its legal duties by the charity watchdog after a whistleblower complaint.The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) body, which awarded the ATI a five-year, £100m funding package in 2024 and is its largest single source of funds, said it had conducted a review of the institute and found it underperforming in terms of strategy and delivering value for money.“The review concluded that overall strategic alignment and value for money are not yet satisfactory,” the UKRI said.Last summer, the government made clear that it expected a strategic overhaul at the nominally independent organisation and indicated the need for management changes, adding that its funding could be reviewed

County cricket day two: Anderson rolls back the years with five-fer for Lancashire

Storm Dave’s approach brought with it a gusty wind that swirled across the vast expanse of Grace Road, forcing players’ hands into pockets and the owners of an elderly labrador to swap ends to keep their faithful hound warm. But the weather didn’t put off Ollie Robinson or Henry Crocombe, who both took five wickets on another long day for Leicestershire.Robinson, whose farmhand run-up disguises his skills, grabbed five for 42 and there was a career-best five for 33 for Crocombe, who found impressive bounce and nip from the surface. The watching England and Wales Cricket Board scout will have had plenty to note down. Jake Weatherald (83) was the stand-out batter for Leicestershire, all nut-brown arms and interesting angles

Henry Arundell inspires Bath to come-from-behind win over Saracens

Henry Arundell’s two tries helped Bath to a tight victory over Saracens as they squeezed their way into the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup. The English champions trailed 10-0 at the break against a Sarries side unrecognisable from the one crushed here in the Prem, but the introduction of their heavyweight bench, with Thomas du Toit to the fore and man of the match, turned the contest.The game, in which the referee, Nika Amashukeli, was replaced at half-time for Ben Connor after coming off second-best in a collision with the Bath back-row Josh Bayliss, went down to the wire and a late try from Noah Caluori set up a nervy finish. But Arundell’s second with the final play settled the outcome for a relieved Bath and booked a last-eight tie at home to Northampton on Friday night.“Sometimes in knockout rugby, you just need to get the job done