Ella Hollowood

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A country famous for its rainy climate faces grave supply issues, after years of poorly managed systems

After 15 years in the same two-bed property, Lucy is being forced to move because her landlord wants to sell. The business manager, who currently lives in St Albans, has a monthly housing budget of £1,400 and has looked at over 50 rentals in the past few months. (She requests anonymity for fear of stigma; “Lucy” is a pseudonym.) But she cannot find even a one-bedroom property for her and her youngest son, who is currently at university. She is far from alone. Surging rents and a lack of housin…

With less than eight months to go until an expected autumn UK general election, Rishi Sunak has a steep climb to avoid defeat. If he calls an earlier summer vote, the ascent would become almost vertical. Support for the Conservatives has dropped to a low of 23 per cent, matching the previous nadir reached during Liz Truss’s brief premiership in October 2022, according to the FT’s poll tracker. The prime minister says he expects to hold an election in the second half of 2024, allowing time for…

In 32 years since privatisation £78bn has been paid out of utilities

When the Brazilian nutritional scientist Carlos Monteiro coined the term “ultra-processed foods” 15 years ago, he established what he calls a “new paradigm” for assessing the impact of diet on health. Monteiro had noticed that although Brazilian households were spending less on sugar and oil, obesity rates were going up. The paradox could be explained by increased consumption of food that had undergone high levels of processing, such as the addition of preservatives and flavourings or the remov…

The results are in — what have we learned?

People who fled Chinese territory are angry after London looks at doubling length of time required to gain citizenship

Safety strategy proposes mandatory eye tests for drivers over 70 and a lower drink-driving limit in England