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Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Grumpy Britain needs the Geldof treatment
America's summertime invasion is well under way. The commander-in-chief is leading from the front, touring his golf courses in Scotland. His vice-president is reportedly preparing to establish a beachhead in the Cotswolds. Protected by their entourages, the Britain they will encounter resembles the Hollywood fantasy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. But if they really want to understand their ally, the Britain they need to meet lives next door to the grumpy, miserable Victor Meldrew of One Foot in the Grave. That's not on anyone's schedule right now. The wedding of Eve Jobs, daughter of the late Apple boss, took place in the church of St Michael & All Angels, near Chipping Norton, on Saturday. A former vice-president, Kamala Harris, and a stream of liberal multimillionaires mingled with a Springsteen or two and at least one Kardashian. Even if we don't matter that much any more, we remain irresistibly cute to our transatlantic cousins. • Eve Jobs and Harry Charles marry in 'quaint corner' of the Cotswolds The Hollywood landscape of Merrie England, with its kings, queens, thatched cottages, rolling hills, baffling titles, jolly peasants and strolling troubadours (Elton John played the wedding party) is the stuff of countless movies. No wonder Americans are confused by the reality. As far back as 1942, US troops stationed in Britain were cautioned not to be misled by the British 'tendency to be soft-spoken and polite… the English language didn't spread across the oceans and over the mountains and jungles and swamps of the world because these people were panty-waists'. A generation of American friends whistled along to Bing Crosby, William Bendix and Cedric Hardwicke tramping along the lanes whistling Busy Doing Nothing in the film version of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee… This, perhaps, is the Britain for which Mr Trump feels most affinity; a world of wise and virtuous monarchs, of chivalrous heroes and moustachioed villains, of valiant knights and, above all, of a deferential, complaisant people. His periodic visits to Turnberry and his other properties must feel in some way like a replay of the 1954 Gene Kelly movie Brigadoon, about a bewitched Scottish village so perfect that its inhabitants contrive to ensure it only appears to the rest of the world for one day every 100 years or so, lest its dreamy heaven be changed by cold reality. Sequestered in his own personal Brigadoon, the president is unlikely to come face to face with the true mood of our nation. Just as well. As the old saying goes, the peasants are revolting. And so are the apprentices. And the apothecaries. And the squires. Even the knights are uneasy. Britain is in a sour state: angry and disillusioned — less Camelot, more Meldrew's Tresillian Way. Living standards are declining, public service productivity plummeting, utilities unreliable and expensive. Our waterways are filthy. The public's faith in the health service is failing; and even though crime is falling, citizens say they feel no safer. A Sunday Times survey of the nation's mood published at the weekend makes unhappy reading for Sir Keir Starmer's ministers. The burning fuse of small boats in the Channel remains smouldering, with record numbers crossing this year. Six in ten of us think the French government simply isn't keeping its side of the very expensive bargain. Sixty-nine per cent share Trump's view that we, like the US, should forget about the deal and deploy our own troops to stem the tide. He sent the Marines and cut crossings by 90 per cent; both the Reform leader Nigel Farage and the Blue Labour guru Maurice Glasman want the Royal Navy to blockade the Channel. The protests against the siting of asylum hotels in Epping, Norwich and Diss have been disturbing, though not yet on the scale of those triggered by the atrocity in Southport a year ago this week. But the admission by a senior Labour MP that the Home Office and local authorities are competing for accommodation to house healthy, young, male asylum seekers and homeless single-parent families is a powder keg waiting to explode. The unrest comes against a deeper background of disillusion. The generation now leaving university is the first in perhaps 200 years who cannot expect to have a higher standard of living than their parents, even though their educational attainments are dramatically greater. The totemic British adult milestone, the purchase of your own home with a mortgage, has now become unattainable for many, even for the children of middle-class parents. In 2004, more than half of us owned our own homes by the age of 32. That age is now 36, and climbing. The decision last week to announce a pensions review signals that the actuaries have done their work and retirement age will increase for those at work. People in their twenties are now contemplating working well into their seventies. Or forever. Anger, of course, does not have to be a bad thing. It is often the catalyst for action. But that transformation demands leadership, vision and poetry. We've seen it happen before. A brilliant three-part documentary series produced by one of the great film-makers of our time, Norma Percy, recounts the way in which Bob Geldof's explosion of rage at the fate of children in Ethiopia galvanised a generation and created Band Aid and Live Aid. The old campaigner has once again entered the lists, this time on behalf of the starving children of Gaza. Interviewing him over the weekend, I was reminded that sometimes words can make a difference, especially when put together by a poet like Geldof. You do not have to take sides to be moved by his vivid evocation of 'the IDF… dangling food in front of starving, panicked, exhausted mothers' or 'children … taking a teaspoonful of salt and as much water as they can drink to fill their bellies'. It is hard to contest Geldof's dismissal of the demand by 200 MPs for recognition of a Palestinian state as virtue-signalling. I have little doubt that his sheer moral authority will have contributed to the Israeli decision to allow more aid into Gaza and to agree to 'tactical pauses' in the fighting. But Geldof's righteous anger is a rare thing in British politics. Instead we get the bluster of government which comes down to little more than noise-making in the hope that something will turn up; and the grandstanding opportunism of opposition manoeuvring to escape responsibility. And I cannot right now name the poet in our politics capable of summoning up the words to turn our nation's rage into a positive, uplifting vision. Nor, I suppose, can you.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Marcus Rashford gets into the action on Barcelona debut as he comes on at half time – but gets subbed after 33 minutes
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MARCUS Rashford gets into the action on his Barcelona debut yesterday — after coming out at half-time for just 33 minutes. The Three Lions striker, on a season-long loan from Man Utd, became the first Englishman to play for the Spanish giants since Gary Lineker between 1986 and 1989. 3 Marcus Rashford takes a shot at goal on his Barcelona debut 3 The Three Lions striker is on a season-long loan from Man Utd Credit: Getty 3 He is the first Englishman to play for the Spanish giants since Gary Lineker Credit: Getty Legend Lineker said: 'I expect Marcus will do well.' Rashford, 27, helped Barca to a 3-1 victory in a friendly in Japan against local team Vissel Kobe. We recently revealed how Rashford has has rekindled his relationship with former fiancée Lucia Loi. She was with him when he signed for FC Barcelona. The Three Lions ace, 27, and childhood sweetheart Lucia, 26, were together during a photoshoot before he was unveiled as the Catalan giants' latest signing at the Camp Nou stadium. She took his photo, then moved behind him to take another and seemingly checked his shirt before the Man United exile posed beside a traditional red British phone box. Rashford was later seen emerging from the kiosk in a post on FC Barcelona's social media, captioned: 'Hello? Barca? For sure, I'm coming.' The Sun understands that Rashford has asked calming influence Lucia, who works in PR, to help him settle in to life in Spain so he can focus on his football. But they were not seen together until they were unwittingly snapped preparing for his phone box stunt. A source said the pair have stayed close, despite their 2022 engagement fizzling out, and have grown close again of late.
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Vanessa Kirby confirms huge Fantastic Four secret everyone is talking about
Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Vanessa Kirby has confirmed the truth behind that Fantastic Four mid-credits sequence. The British actress, 37, plays Sue Storm—or the Invisible Woman, to those in the know—in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sue makes up one quarter of Marvel's First Family, appearing alongside husband Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), hotheaded brother Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) and human rock face The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as the titular Fantastic Four. With the Fantastic Four's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut out now, audiences have been flocking in droves to witness their arrival. The team may have their hands full battling cosmic world-eater Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), but there'll be an even bigger villain on fans' minds once the end credits finish rolling. With the cat out of the bag, Kirby has clarified what Doctor Doom's cameo at the end of the film means… and confirmed that star Robert Downey Jr. is already very much back. In the first of two post-credits sequences, Sue is shocked to find a menacing hooded figure looming over her young son, Franklin. Fans will already know this to be the Fantastic Four's longtime nemesis, Doctor Doom, who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming sequel, Avengers: Doomsday. Although the villain's face is obscured, Kirby has revealed that it was indeed Downey Jr. behind that hood. 'Yeah! Robert's never not been on set,' she told Variety when asked whetherRDJ was present for the shoot. She continued: 'He's always there. He is our leader. We call him our Godfather. He's looked after us. This sequence was filmed by the Russo Brothers as part of their work on Avengers: Doomsday and shot while Kirby was pregnant in real life. 'It's such a joy working with the Russos and him, because they've had such deep collaboration for so long,' she revealed. 'And it's been amazing being pregnant and working on Avengers. I felt so inspired and so relieved that I've been so taken care of. It's been a really beautiful journey. Robert is just doing incredible work. I'm so excited.' It was announced last year that Downey Jr. would be returning to the long-running franchise, six years after being killed off in Avengers: Endgame. This came as Earth's mightiest heroes faced off against purple menace Thanos (Josh Brolin) for the fate of the universe. This spelt the end of Downey Jr.'s career-defining stint as Tony Stark—aka Iron Man—sacrificing himself at the end of the film to secure the future of reality as we know it. A few years later, it was confirmed that he would be returning, albeit in an entirely different role. The actor's appointment to the post was unveiled at last year's Comic-Con, when a cloaked Downey Jr. removed his mask to reveal that he would be playing Doom, real name Victor von Doom. This character was previously played by late Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon in the 2005 and 2007 films and by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 reboot. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Doom's brief appearance at the end of First Steps gives little away as to what he has planned, although we do know it involves Sue and Reed's infant son. He will spearhead a massive cast in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently set for release on December 26, 2026. More Trending Names already announced include Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright and Paul Rudd, as well as X-Men actors Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden. Of his return to the MCU, Downey Jr. joked: 'New mask, same task. 'What did I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.' The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out in UK cinemas now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Pedro Pascal responds to misconceptions and his answer is so on-brand MORE: Benedict Cumberbatch blasts 'grossly wasteful' film industry MORE: Meet the 'hidden' Russo sibling leading her Marvel director brothers' studio
