The European populist right has been at the top of the political agenda in recent days.

On July 7, everyone in France was waiting expectantly for a Paris appeal court to decide on whether Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Rassemblement National (RN), would be allowed to run in the 2027 presidential election after her conviction for embezzlement of European funds.

But just as the European media machine was gearing up for the verdict, across the Channel, Nigel Farage – the leader of Reform UK – announced on X that he would be making a “statement about his future”. This came after multiple allegations of undeclared gifts and an ongoing investigation into possible money laundering. Farage maintains that he has done nothing wrong.

The parallels were impossible to ignore. Here were two prominent European populist rightwing politicians whose political careers were being threatened by extensive and well-documented corruption claims. How would they respond?

We did not have to wait long to find out. Only hours after the verdict, Le Pen announced that she was now officially a candidate for the 2027 presidential election. Despite the fact that her initial conviction was upheld on appeal, she intends to contest the appeal court’s decision. This means she retains her presumption of innocence and is able to proceed with her election campaign as if nothing happened.

It is a remarkable sleight-of-hand; Le Pen has found the narrowest of legal loopholes through which to pass. In her announcement, she presented her decision as a democratic one: the French people should judge her, not the courts.

In the meantime, Farage told his supporters that he is stepping down from his parliamentary seat of Clacton after being made the subject of a parliamentary inquiry into his alleged improprieties. This will trigger a byelection – but, in an equally remarkable gambling act, he plans to run himself in the hope of winning back his seat. Again, he is suggesting that this means letting the voters decide whether he is guilty or not.

À lire aussi :
Why Nigel Farage is resigning as an MP, only to stand again – expert analysis

Le Pen and Farage are both reading from a well-thumbed playbook. The people v the courts; voters v judges; the “transparent” legitimacy of the ballot box v the “opacity” of lengthy legal and regulatory proceedings. All of these tropes will be familiar to observers of populist politics in the United States, Hungary or Turkey.

The bigger question is: do voters care whether populist politicians break the rules? Le Pen and Farage are hoping that, like Donald Trump, they can simply swat aside legal and regulatory processes on the road to their ultimate electoral triumph.

Question of standards

There are many reasons to take Le Pen and Farage’s arguments with a pinch of salt. A closer analysis of the relationship between the populist right and corruption reveals a more complicated picture, perhaps especially in France, which is gearing up for its most important electoral cycle in 2027.

At face value, Le Pen has little to worry about since French politics is famously corrupt. Every French president of the Fifth Republic, except Charles de Gaulle and Emmanuel Macron, has a major corruption scandal to their name. Both Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy have been found guilty of corruption by French courts. They have been joined by countless MPs and mayors over the years who have been convicted of similar crimes.

Until recently, this level of corruption was widely tolerated. French voters largely accepted that politicians would embezzle money, employ their family members on the public purse, or swing large public contracts for their benefit. They were more concerned with ideological faultlines than political integrity – and they displayed little of the hand-wringing that accompanied equivalent scandals like Watergate in the US in the 1970s or the “cash-for-questions” affair in the UK in the 1990s.

Yet this tolerance has begun to dissipate in recent years. Public anger towards politicians has reached unprecedented levels, most notably in recent protest movements such as the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vests), and the deep personal hostility many French voters feel towards Macron.

Le Pen and the RN have provided a highly effective electoral outlet for this anger, and they have made much of their commitment to probity in public office. Le Pen even said herself that she would not run for election while wearing an electronic tag, and for many years the party campaigned for politicians found guilty of corruption to be banned from public office for life.

Rocky road to the Elysée Palace

But Le Pen and the RN’s role as standard-bearers of the “ordinary” French person’s rage against a “rigged” and “corrupt” political system is now under threat. By effectively stamping her dynastic authority on the party that was previously run by her father, and by blocking the rise of her young protege Jordan Bardella, Le Pen has boxed herself into a corner.

À lire aussi :
Le Pen to run for French presidency despite conviction – her protege Jordan Bardella would make a better candidate

Her only way out is by the ballot box. Yet the chances of her winning the presidential election remain slim. She – and her party – lack the necessary support to win in the second round of the elections where vote transfers from eliminated parties and candidates determine the overall result, and she still suffers from a credibility deficit in comparison to more mainstream politicians.

She may well have made matters worse by giving her opponents a powerful stick with which to beat her. Even in France, accusations of corruption can be hard to shake off. And, as Le Pen and Farage know from long experience, it is just as possible to lose at the ballot box as it is to win.

She is concerned, however, that it will be difficult for voters to coalesce around any new candidate in just three months.

“The thing I’m the most worried about is we run somebody and he or she loses, and then we spend the next four years pointing fingers at whose fault that was,” she said.

In primary contests across the country this year, Democrats regularly opted for outsider congressional candidates offering a vivid vision for what the party should stand for and promising to fight for their beliefs in the face of Republican resistance.

Platner was one of the earliest and most prominent examples of this trend. With his gravelly voice, scruffy appearance and working-class back story, he gained a passionate following both in Maine and nationally.

He presented himself as a candidate who could advocate for liberal policies – like universal healthcare, wealth taxes, and low-cost housing – in a way that appealed to the kind of rural voters who have moved away from Democrats recently.

A win in November would have given Democratic progressives a chance to see blue-collar liberalism triumphing in battleground states like Maine.

And that, in turn, could have become a compelling argument for nominating a left-wing presidential candidate in 2028.

Now, that opportunity is likely dashed.

That Platner survived the series of scandals as long as he did was in part a testament to Democrats’ hunger for a different kind of candidate. It also, however, underlined the risks of opting for charismatic political neophytes who haven’t received close scrutiny before they run for higher office.

With Platner’s exit, a group of more traditional candidates are already expressing interest in stepping in – including a handful who unsuccessfully ran for governor and one of the state’s open House seats last month. They have recent campaign experience and some name recognition.

Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate leader, campaigned side-by-side with Platner during his bid for governor, and came in third.

Nirav Shah, a state epidemiologist who gained prominence through regular public appearances during the Covid pandemic, finished a close second.

Shenna Bellows, the Maine secretary of state, is known for her lawsuit to block Trump administration attempts to gain access to state voter data. She was the party’s nominee in 2014 but was soundly beaten by Collins.

According to Melcher, many Platner supporters will be hit hard because of the connection they made with their unconventional candidate. He believes they will ultimately back his replacement, however, because of the high stakes in this race.

Many Maine Democrats supported Platner with some reluctance because of his past scandals, he added, and this latest twist might end up a blessing in disguise for the party.

“If they play their cards right, I think that they will be fine and, with some voters, even better than they would have been before,” he said, “as long as the party doesn’t handle this in a way they see as disrespectful or a cabal taking things over.”

The clock is ticking, however, and Collins awaits whoever emerges from whatever process Democrats ultimately follow. She has proven a formidable adversary for Democrats for 30 years, most recently defeating a better-funded opponent in 2020 despite polls showing her trailing right up to election day.

“It’s not as though it was going to be easy before, and now it’s hard,” said Melcher. “Beating Collins was always going to be hard.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.

The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The U.S. struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.

But Thursday’s attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait’s military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit some 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.

“U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,” it added.

The U.S. says the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike had killed a firefighter at an airport.

For the first time since April, it also appeared the U.S. strikes targeted Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran’s northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges had been attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday. But it wasn’t clear if the Golestan attack was the same one mentioned by the Guard.

Trump warns that ‘it will get much worse’ if attacks on shipping happen again

After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.

Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in “long-term” military action.

“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said, though he also suggested the U.S. military might “just finish the job.”

Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island.

After three tankers were hit Tuesday, the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, and Iranian forces retaliated by targeting American military sites in the Persian Gulf.

Iran has asserted that the interim ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit.”

Strikes raise fears that war could resume

Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was “over,” although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.

Attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire, but Trump’s comments added new uncertainty, and oil prices shot up after he spoke. A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait.

“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that U.S. representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome. “They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, retorted on X that Trump’s remarks “are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure” of U.S. policy toward Iran.

Trump has made other threats to seize Kharg Island, including last month, when he also questioned whether the U.S. “has the stomach for it.” Some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass through the island.

The new attacks on ships in the strait, despite the negotiations, could reflect a divide among Iran’s leadership. Hard-liners seek lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.

Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral for Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war’s first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.

The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

The Thursday letters page feels the digital-only future cannot be avoided, as a reader offers a partial defence of Mario Kart Tour.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Slow going
It really is crazy how long The Elder Scrolls 6 is taking and that story on Wednesday, said two to three years was the earliest it could be out. So it’s more likely to be four or five. So it really could end up being 20 years after Skyrim, or near enough. I wouldn’t mind if Bethesda had been obviously busy with other stuff in that time but all they’ve made is Fallout 4 and Starfield – their two worst games.

And yet Todd Howard gets to keep his job and all these poor developers are thrown out on their ear… for what reason? Just because they were there, as far as I can see.

Considering how old-fashioned Starfield was I have a hard time imagining that The Elder Scrolls 6 is going to be any different. Bethesda have always been backwards with tech, but Starfield showed they’re getting behind with gameplay as well, as well as dialogue and characters.

I love Skyrim as much as anyone but the long wait, the recent games, and how its developers are being treated has really put me off. I bet The Witcher 4 ends up being the better game anyway.
Lofty

Looking busy
When I worked at Tesco, part of my job was maintaining the fridges and tills, which would often break down. If I didn’t really feel like doing much I would sit in front of an unused till with a screwdriver in my hand, thoughtfully staring and tapping my chin with it and to anyone who saw me it looked like I was busy doing something.

I feel if Bethesda was a person working it would have been me. I wasn’t particularly good at fixing stuff when they did break anyway.
Mark Matthews

No competition
Given that the PC has been acceptably digital-only for ages, presumably the main issue with digital only is the lack of competition on the PSN storefront?

I’m less bothered about the other facets of digital-only, but this is something that worries me, especially with Microsoft offering less direct competition (though with the flattening of performance, Nintendo may step into that gap). Is this something that would drag in the competition commission to review?

Presumably if Sony mimicked Steam offering two hour refunds, shared libraries, and found some way to allow PSN games to be bought outside of the PSN Store then this might ease the pain of the inevitable transition to digital? I guess you can currently buy PSN credit at a discount, but that’s not really the same.
Matt (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)

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PayStation Plus
That was a profoundly resonant speech by Digital Foundry’s John Linemman over the weekend, that I wholeheartedly agreed with.

Your very own assessment of the dire, disillusioning development was wonderfully worded as well, GC – loving the frequency of editorials by you, David Jenkins. Keep it up!

Seriously though, to hell with Sony and their unprecedented, extraordinarily anti-consumer PayStation agenda.
GG

Blatant lies
I feel that Spender needs to retract their statement that Asha Sharma and Phil Spencer probably ‘both got ChatGPT to print off their scripts and give them their opinions.’ They would never do that! They’re Microsoft so they’d use Copilot.

While I’m writing in anyway, I can’t believe these companies are going all in on digital-only considering how much memory games need and how much memory costs right now… because of some these companies’ decisions. I know capitalism isn’t rational, but you’d think they would want to avoid self-immolation.
FoximusPrime

Lucky dip
With regards to the discussion about physical media versus digital media at the moment, one advantage of digital games, that became obvious to me while I was casually browsing the PlayStation Store today, is variety.

There’s so many weird and interesting games on the PSN Store. I expect this wide range of choice is mirrored on the Steam and Xbox stores. OK, a fair amount of these weird and interesting games might not be worth buying and downloading but even a cursory look brought up Hydroneer, which apparently is a game about mining. And then there’s PowerWash Simulator. I’ve already heard of that game, and it looks like it’s got loads of diverse DLC.

I think I can safely give I Am Cat a miss. Or can I? Has anyone played that game? Is it actually a must play if you like cats? Construction Simulator – Spaceport Expansion sounds interesting. I could go on; I’m just relaying my personal highlights from a few pages of the PSN store.

Of course, the old arguments remain in that if/when I buy I Am Cat, without a physical disc in my hand I won’t actually own that game, but if you factor in the huge range of choice available maybe the dominance of digital gaming isn’t so bad after all.
Michael Veal

GC: You also won’t be able to sell it and recoup some of the cost, which would seem the bigger issue when picking games at random from the PlayStation Store’s lower echelons.

Big decisions
All these cuts and layoffs at Xbox and they haven’t done anything but scrub thousands of ordinary workers from their jobs, without making any actual changes. I agree 100% that Todd Howard should go from Bethesda. 17 years, at a minimum, between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls 6? And the only thing they’ve done in the last decade is the awful Starfield? A disaster and yet he gets to keep his job, despite his salary no doubt being enough to pay for all the people that were laid off.

And why not just rip the Band-Aid off of Game Pass and shut it down? The fact that its subscriber numbers are going down is not a surprise, so what’s the point of it anymore, especially given Call Of Duty isn’t day one anymore and I would bet most other games will follow. Sacking thousands of people is just a Tuesday for Microsoft, beyond that the biggest decision I’ve seen so far from the new boss is trying to get people to write the Xbox name in all caps. She’ll be as useless as Phil Spencer.
Focus

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New reality
With full fibre broadband connections at 300Mbps, 500Mbps, and more the average neighbourhood is ready for the non-physical media world. So the fact that consoles like the PlayStation will become full digital, and discs are to be scrapped, is not that much of a surprise. I have made peace with it in my head. Luckily streaming is more pleasurable and trustworthy, with people’s lives dependent on strong reliable connectivity for leisure and work.

Technology that will not be mainstream yet will be VR headsets, Google glasses, and Apple Vision Pro. Smartphones are way more convenient and reliable, which is why they are the world’s choice. So digital-only will also be the same, as it requires less effort – just managing your devices and PC’s storage.

Which is great but, as GC readers have said and I 100% agree with, unless a library of everything is available, like Kindle books or music streaming and downloading from Spotify and Apple Music etc., then, like a lot of retro games, it’ll be very difficult to access them for the general law abiding gamer.

Hopefully the cloud saving abilities and other innovations can bring all past, current, and future games, films, and TV together to purchase in formats matching Blu-Ray’s exceptional quality, along with libraries that acknowledge the customers who have given their hard-earned money over and to retain their purchases.

Here’s hoping, but to be realistic we just have to accept the majority of companies’ methods and the preferences of the majority of customers.
Alucard

Inbox also-rans
I was going to argue with you that Mario Kart Tour isn’t the worst Mario Kart but… I guess it is. I still kind of like it though.
Roost

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced looks pretty good so I’ll probably try and get once it gets discounted a bit. Just a little bit will do as it’s surprisingly cheap. Not sure why either, because remakes usually aren’t, but I’m not complaining.
Garth

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MORE: Games Inbox: Will Sony do a U-turn on PS5 discs?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is the Xbox doomed to failure?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Nintendo Switch 2 and PC the perfect combination?

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is currently at the scene

A blaze has erupted on a Glasgow street prompting an emergency response.

The derelict building fire is believed to have started around 8pm on St Andrews Road in Pollokshields.

Emergency services, including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, rushed to the scene, located in the south of the city.

Crews have confirmed to the Record that five appliances have been drafted in to fight the flames.

Firefighters are currently battling the inferno at the site. It is believed no one has been hurt as a result.

However it is unclear how the fire started, according to Glasgow Live.

Residents have been urged to keep their windows and doors closed.

Footage from the scene shows multiple appliances at the scene as smoke is seen rising from an area of land.

Thick, grey smoke billows into the evening air. Concerned pedestrians and motorists can be seen looking on.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “There is an ongoing incident in St Andrews Road, Glasgow, G41 where a derelict building is on fire. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland are in attendance.

“It is requested that local residents keep their windows and doors closed at this time.”

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were called to a building fire on St Andrews Road in Pollokshields, Glasgow at 7:46pm on Wednesday, July 8. Five appliances are in attendance.

“The incident is ongoing and no casualties have been reported.”

We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.

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Can you spot a ladies’ man just by looking at him – or pick out the man who has never had sex at all?

According to Britain’s biggest survey of sexual attitudes, the average man reports 14 sexual partners in his lifetime.

Yet the five men pictured here have tallies ranging from zero to in excess of 100. Altogether, they have had at least 173 sexual partners. Here’s what they say.

‘I’m a good-looking guy: girls would throw themselves at me’

Ashley Marcos, 41, a printer, lives in East Sussex with his partner Claire, 39, his ten-year-old daughter and their two children aged six and four. He says:

I won’t be modest: I’m a good-looking guy. I’ve got tanned skin and a gym-honed body. Being half-Spanish has helped with the ladies, too.

I was born in Shoreham, West Sussex – my mum’s English – but spent my early childhood in Spain. My parents ran restaurants and bars in Marbella.

I was always at ease in female company. Perhaps that’s why, after losing my virginity to my first girlfriend at 17, I slept with dozens of women before I was 20. By the age of 30, I’d had sex with as many as 100 women. Another decade on, I’d say my total is well over that – I’ve lost count.

Claire, my partner of seven years, hates the number of notches on my bedpost. It makes her a little jealous but I can’t undo the past.

Would it bother me if she had slept with more than 100 men? Yes, it would. In our culture, it is seen as fine for men but not so much for women.

The first time I really went mad was on a lads’ holiday to Ayia Napa at 17. I had a girlfriend at home, but still slept with someone I met in a bar. By 18, I had slept with 30 girls.

I spent four years in Kavos, Corfu, running a nightclub and working as a holiday rep. I discovered girls throw themselves at reps. Among the boys, there was competition – who could sleep with the most women?

A big part of my job was chatting to women in the street and getting them into the club. If I fancied someone, I’d meet her after the nightclub finished. I had sex all over the place – on the beach, in olive groves, in a wardrobe and on balconies. Was I careful? Yes – although there are times I wonder if there is a mini-Ashley somewhere.

My first serious relationship was with a girl from Mexico in my mid-20s. Then, back in the UK, I had another relationship and my daughter Arabella, now ten, was born when I was 31.

I was doing most of the childcare, and my life went from clubs to nurseries. I stopped sleeping around.

After we split, I met Claire. She’s very beautiful and I loved her confidence. We have two children together, Rupert, six, and Felicity, four.

I still go away with my male friends but I’m never tempted to stray. I’ve been there, done that and I don’t miss those days.

100+ partners 

‘I had a stutter so women assumed I wasn’t a player’

Richard Aldred, 56, a gym instructor, is married and lives in Rochester, Kent. He says:

For three decades my attitude towards sex was: it’s the spice of life so go out and enjoy it.

Richard has had six serious relationships, lasting between three and six years, as well as three engagements, and is now married

I’ve indulged in everything from a sauna party with my then-girlfriend and another couple to juggling three friends-with-benefits at the same time.

I have had six serious relationships, lasting between three and six years, as well as three engagements, and am now married. I’ve cheated on a dozen of my partners and I put that down to my high sex drive. In total, I have slept with 40 women.

I became sexually confident growing up in a village with an all-girls’ convent school nearby. I dated four of these girls in two years. Back then, I took what I could get: behind garages, down an alleyway. It was just kissing.

I finally had sex at 17 at a party in Hammersmith, west London. By 22, I was living in Fulham with a girlfriend. We were quite naughty and would have friends over and play strip cards or spin the bottle, with forfeits and people doing things to one another.

But I cheated on her with her friend. She forgave me because her friend had come on to me but we split up when I was 29, after six years. For the next two years, I played the field. Women assumed I wasn’t the kind of guy to sleep around because I had a stutter. I was shy and underwent speech therapy. But as a personal trainer, I’ve always had a decent body.

In my 30s, I was with a woman I wanted to marry. We were together for five years before she left me for another woman. Heartbroken, I had lots of flings and was briefly engaged in my 40s. After that, I started seeing three women at the same time. I was busy driving to Basingstoke in Hampshire, Beckenham and Greenwich, both in south-east London, for sex.

There were others too. My only criterion was that a woman be within two years of my age.

I’d get good feedback from women about my performance: that I was well-endowed and had a great body.

However, all that stopped three years ago when I met my wife. The attraction was there from the start. She’s blonde with blue eyes, slim with curves in all the right places. She’s caring, too, and works as a dog groomer. We’ve been married for three months and she knows about my conquests. Those days are long gone.

Forty partners 

‘We were together for ten years before we had sex’

Kunal Gandhi, 38, vice-president of risk at a financing company for small businesses, is married to Shivani, 39, a consumer insights manager. They live in Ruislip, west London, and have been married for ten years. He says:

I know the idea of being with one woman for life is something many men struggle to get their heads around. But when I met my wife in person for the first time – we had been chatting online for months before that – I knew she was the one.

Kunal has been married to Shivani for ten years, and they live in Ruislip, west London

I was a skinny, tall, lanky guy and she was this gorgeous, incredibly together young woman. But beyond that, we just clicked.

I think what most men would find even more shocking is the fact that we were together for ten years before we slept together for the first time.

We married on our tenth anniversary in November 2016. Part of the reason it took so long was that I was working around the world, including in India and Japan, as an engineer. For much of our 20s, ours was a long-distance relationship. Sometimes we would only see each other two or three times a year.

From a cultural perspective, sex before marriage was not something either of us wanted.

Together, we agreed to express our relationship through affection and physical intimacy without having sex. It never felt like a sacrifice. It simply reflected our shared values. I place a high value on fidelity. I’ve had female friends but there have always been boundaries and mutual respect. I also have friends who have had affairs and it seems like a very complicated way to live your life.

I don’t judge people who go through several relationships before finding the right person. I was fortunate to find the right person straight away.

Shivani and I hadn’t realised we’d actually been to the same high school. In 2006 there was a popular social media site called Orkut and that’s where we got chatting. She was studying medicine and I was studying engineering, so we moved in separate social circles.

We’ve had our share of arguments and disagreements, but our relationship is stronger than ever, especially as we are expecting twins very soon.

I have no regrets that Shivani is my only sexual partner. Even if I had searched the whole world, I genuinely do not think I would have found a more beautiful, accomplished or wonderful woman. 

One partner 

‘Rejection is the story of my life – I do worry I’ll never have sex’

Henry Ansell, 24, an actor, is single and lives in Essex. He says:

I was 21 when the girl of my dreams sat on my lap, in tears about the boyfriend who was treating her badly. I wanted to tell her to forget him because I’d been in love with her for ever.

There was one girl who seemed to tick every box – until she told Henry she was a lesbian. And another who would share his bed after a night out but nothing happened between them

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But I didn’t. In many ways, this has been the story of my life. Regardless of how attracted I’ve been to a woman, I’ve never made a move. Fear of rejection, self-doubt and concern that I don’t know what I’m doing have always got in the way.

As a result, I’m a 24-year-old virgin.

People may wonder whether I’m asexual (I’m not!) or if I don’t find women attractive (I do!). I just worry they won’t find me attractive.

I had girlfriends in primary and secondary school but, of course, at that age it wasn’t sexual. Some of the boys boasted about their exploits but most of it sounded exaggerated to me.

It was during my A-levels that I would go to parties and see people hooking up everywhere. There was one girl who seemed to tick every box – until she told me she was a lesbian. And another who would share my bed after a night out but nothing happened between us.

I was attracted to her but boys of my generation are terrified to make the first move. There were moments when she would lie on top of me and I wasn’t sure what to do. Looking back, there was probably confusion on both sides.

We had known each other for three to four years when she sent me an email telling me everything that was wrong with me before signing off: ‘I don’t want to be your friend any more.’

It was at university that I met the girl of my dreams. A few months after that night when I was comforting her about her ex, I decided to tell her how I felt.

She loved Star Wars, so I bought her a 1999 Jar Jar Binks bag and put a note inside confessing my feelings.

When I asked what she thought of it, she told me she hadn’t opened it. Two days later I asked again and she said: ‘I don’t see you that way.’ Yet another rejection.

Four years later, I’ve had no more luck. Meanwhile my confidence dwindles. I’m not one for dating apps.

I don’t think I’m especially attractive or unattractive. I walk 10,000 steps a day and do what I can to be the best version of myself.

Sometimes I do worry I’ll never have sex. But I was recently on a date at Nando’s, so I don’t think I’m a total lost cause.

When the opportunity to have sex happens, I’ll take it.

No partners 

‘I went on four dates with four different women in a week’

Shawn Almeida, 25, a receptionist, is single and lives in London. He says:

I’ve been single for three years but would like to settle down before I’m 30.

If a potential girlfriend had spent her entire 20s sleeping with lots of different people, I might wonder whether she really wanted long-term commitment.

Shawn lost his virginity at 18 and was most promiscuous between 19 and 22. He had all the dating apps on his phone

So I understand if my own total puts women off too. After all, I’ve had plenty of partners – 32 to date.

I lost my virginity at 18 and was most promiscuous between 19 and 22. I had all the dating apps on my phone. At one point, I went on four dates with four different women in one week.

I was in great shape physically. I spent a lot of time in the gym because my goal was attracting women.

I’ve always said I’m more of a funny boy than a handsome one – so I work on my body to compensate.

Looking back, I definitely broke a few hearts along the way.

One woman left a boyfriend of four years for me after we had dated for a couple of months. It felt like too much, too soon.

Another woman was a colleague in a London hotel. Staff weren’t supposed to get involved in romances, but when she was off sick I messaged to see how she was and she invited me over.

We were kissing on the sofa when I noticed a photograph of her and her husband on the mantelpiece. I left.

The most memorable hook-up was when I worked as a concierge. There was an American guest who regularly stayed at the hotel for work.

It was a sackable offence for staff to mix with guests and she often invited me to her room, but I always declined.

The next time she visited London, she deliberately booked into the hotel next door so the rules no longer applied.

Sexually, she was far more self-assured than women my own age.

The best sex I’ve had so far was on holiday in the US last year. A woman approached me in a bar and was incredibly direct. Let’s just say, it was memorable.

People assume women are attracted to me because of how I look, but I don’t think that’s true.

I think they’re attracted to what I say and how I make them feel. For me, attraction starts with conversation.

If I say to a woman, ‘I’ve got a theory about you’ – she will usually want to know what it is.

Thirty-two partners 

Interviews by Samantha Brick