Politics
“Profound and at times exasperating”: Lord Rowlands reviews ‘Departure(s)’
May 2026: Julian Barnes in Barcelona | Image: David Zorrakino / Associated Press / Alamy
6 min read
His exceptional writing is always challenging – but is Julian Barnes’ last work a novel or a memoir? Who now cares? I don’t
In 1984 to my surprise I was invited to be a judge of the Booker Prize for Fiction, to be among a distinguished group of literati chaired by Professor Richard Cobb whose groundbreaking study of the French Revolution I had avidly read as a history undergraduate. Miraculously, we had agreed on a shortlist out of more than 120 entries.
Among them there was someone whom I had never read: Julian Barnes and his Flaubert’s Parrot, sometimes a bemusing but mesmerising read. It, in my mind, stood out as the exceptional entry only to find I was in a minority of one, the rest deeming that it wasn’t really a novel more a biography. I, also, found myself in a minority in my fallback choice JG Ballard’s Empire of the Sun, the panel preferring what I thought was the least inspiring, Anita Brookner’s Hotel du Lac.
But I became a Barnes devotee devouring his subsequent shortlisted novels – England, England, Arthur & George – until he finally won the prize with The Sense of an Ending. Fast forward: 2026. I eagerly purchase his latest, Departure(s), to find his declaration that this was to be his last.
One is driven to reach for a medical dictionary to try to understand
Rather hauntingly, I find that this last novel raises the same query as Flaubert’s Parrot: is it a novel? Frankly, it reads like a memoir and there’s almost an admission to that in the ‘blurb’: “Departure (s) is a work of fiction but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.” However, who now cares? I don’t. It’s a book of five parts (Barnes doesn’t call them chapters).
The first is enigmatically called, “The Great I AM” – certainly not a reference to the Christian God but an acronym of ‘Involuntary Autobiographical Memory’. There follows what seems to be his ultimate challenge – to a lay reader like me – to comprehend his detailed discourse of neurological concepts of memory and mind. One is driven to reach for a medical dictionary to try to understand. (We are confronted with a mind-boggling thought. While we imagine that we tell our brains in which direction to go, our brains have more on us than we have on them. They know all that we know, whereas we only know some of what they do. We sleep but the brain doesn’t. At this point I gave up…)
At least part two, “The Beginning Of The Story”, and part four, “The End of the Story”, are an easier read – an account of a particularly special relationship with two friends, Stephen and Jean, who had met first as college students. Decades later there is a grand reunion partly engineered by Barnes himself and which leads to their marriage, at which Barnes is best man at their church wedding.
Sadly he subsequently becomes a confidant to both as they describe a deteriorating relationship and, ultimately, a breakdown of the marriage. As he explains Stephen’s tragedy is that “he can love but his love cannot be accepted” and “her tragedy is that she cannot love, but that what she does offer is accepted as love”.
What he has done is provoke me to think
Here Barnes is seeking to explore the nature of love, claiming that the great novelists understand love and most aspects of human behaviour better than the psychiatrists, scientists, philosophers, priests or lonely-heart columnists. As he reminds us, he has written about love many times in his novels and few of his characters have been granted a happy ending.
The chapter in between (part three, “Manageable”) will resonate with so many readers for Barnes chooses to describe in considerable detail his own personal experience of being diagnosed with a rare kind of blood cancer. He is told bluntly that isn’t curable but, with various drugs, should be “manageable”. It prompts reflections upon the prospect of dying, claiming that he had “a lifelong engagement with death, both theoretical and actual and have written about it many times”. But he “hadn’t received a death sentence… instead a life sentence: sentenced to live with my cancer until I died”.
The final part, “Going Nowhere”, is the author’s valedictory message to his readers of more than a generation. The title immediately acknowledges his atheism. He doesn’t belief in an afterlife. He identifies himself as a supporter of the charity Dignity in Dying, “The Church and the Law have enforced indignity for far too long.”
Barnes, then explains the significance of his book’s title Departure(s). He, inevitably, reflects on those who have been close to him, the tragic death of his wife and other friends and – perhaps intriguingly – the news of the imminent death of a long-standing friend, Martin Amis in 2023, though there is deafening silence about the violent rupture of that friendship when Amis had left their mutual agent, Barnes’ wife Pat Kavanagh.
Central to his conclusion are observations on the characteristics of ageing and how to approach the prospect of dying. Hopefully, he writes, “the head and heart are still working as the body declines”. He identifies a familiar set of symptoms which most fellow octogenarians like myself certainly share – an increasing fickle memory, and a much slower recognition of people you know and have met. But, more absorbingly, how does one address the thought of dying?
Barnes recalls an interview when he was asked that – as he was now 76 and would never win the Nobel prize – was he raging against the dying of the light? (Though not acknowledged, it is of course a refrain from one of Dylan Thomas’ most famous poems.) He admits that he did rage against his wife’s traumatic death, the dying of her light, but on further reflection he accepted that it was just the universe doing its stuff.
Barnes’ final paragraph is a personal address to his readers (like me) of over more than 40 years. He tells us that he has no “grand pronouncements, no famous last words”, though he is unable to resist telling us he had one good example: Lord Grimsthorpe’s urgent, dying message to his wife, “We are low on marmalade.”
Barnes justifiably claims that he has never been a didactic writer telling us what to think or how to live. in my case certainly not – but what he has done is provoke me to think. At times it has been an exasperating read, sometimes unnecessarily complicated and an over indulgence in literary references. Yet he has made me to think of the fundamentals in his writings: the nature of life, love, memory, mortality.
Lord Rowlands is a Labour peer
Departure(s)
By: Julian Barnes
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Former neo-Nazi Joshua Bonehill-Paine has withdrawn as a Tory candidate for the 2027 council elections in Somerset. Far-right candidate are hardly a rarity in UK politics these days. However, reports claim he has now been given an internal Conservative Party role educating people about extremism.
Another Tory misstep
Bonehill-Paine was convicted in 2016 for harassing former Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger.
The Guardian reported on 5 August:
Joshua Bonehill-Paine said on Wednesday that he had withdrawn from next year’s local elections, and that the Conservative leader had instead asked him to become an adviser to the party’s culture and integration commission, where he will specifically focus on how young men become radicalised.
The outlet added:
Badenoch, who has come under pressure in the last 48 hours from individuals and organisations including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said she was “sad” that Bonehill-Paine felt he “won’t be given the space to explain his position and represent his community”.
Berger, who is now a baroness in the House of Lords, condemned the move on X:
The decision to welcome this individual as an adviser to the Leader of the Opposition is no better than allowing him to stand as a council candidate. It is a privileged and influential national role. As a victim of this man’s heinous crimes this appointment is an insult.
— Luciana Berger (@lucianaberger) August 5, 2026
The Guardian said:
Both the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) had turned down the Tory party’s offer of a meeting with the former neo-Nazi, who previously described himself as a “nationalist, fascist, theorist and supporter of white rights” and re-emerged in recent years as the creator of the Crewkerne Gazette, a satirical online account.
A ‘formidable record’ of hate offences
The BBC reported that Bonehill-Paine’s new role:
would focus on advising on how to prevent young men from being radicalised.
According to the corporation, Bonehill-Paine spent:
three years in prison after he was jailed in 2015 for posting antisemitic material ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally.
He was convicted of racially harassing then-Labour MP Berger the following year.
During sentencing in the 2016 case, Justice Spencer said Bonehill-Paine had enacted:
a cruel campaign of vile racist abuse on the Internet against a Jewish Labour Member of Parliament, Luciana Berger, simply because she is Jewish.
At the age of only 24 you have amassed a formidable record of offences of hate crime using the Internet.
Meanwhile Badenoch tried to spin the story in her favour, saying it was important to engage with reformed fascists:
If we are going to stop extremism and antisemitism, we are going to need help from those people who were part of the problem, but have now changed and are being part of the solution.
A former neo-Nazi seems like an odd choice for a candidate a political party led by a British-Nigerian woman. Or it may be that UK politics is at this stage so decayed and unhinged that we should stop being surprised by these sorts of events.
Either way, Bonehill-Paine has still ended up with an influential job in the Tory party. Just not quite the one he was after…
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
We know type A personalities are often described as hard-working, organised, and goal-oriented, while type Bs are seen as more emotionally attuned and easygoing (usually at the expense of motivation and urgency).
But people are increasingly recognising there’s a ‘type C’ personality, which is kind of a mash-up of both.
People who fit into the type C personality bracket might be introverted, non-assertive and passive. They tend to focus on others, sometimes at the expense of themselves, and are typically cooperative.
“Type Cs seem kind, obedient, well-mannered, pragmatic and normative people who are preferred by others in work and social life,” researchers wrote in the International Journal of Business and Management Invention.
They have a great interest in details and are creative. But they might also struggle to control themselves when stressed, find it hard to stand up for themselves, and generally fail to communicate their needs.
So, what’s a ‘type C’ parent?
Over 4,200 parents shared their confessions with Skylight Calendar – and more than one third (35%) said they lean into “type C parenting”. But in the parenting realm, type C looks a little different.
When you’re a parent, perfectionism can feel extremely unattainable. Enter: type C. If you were once a type A who had everything in order, you’re now probably veering into type C territory as the chaos of parenting meets your neat and orderly ways.
ABC News describes type C parents as “juggling the intensity of Type A energy with the messy realities of everyday life”. (I’m starting to think the C stands for ‘chaos’.)
Influencer Ashleigh Surratt popularised the term in a now-viral video where she summed up life as a type C mum. We see her putting toys into neatly labelled tubs and then, in the next breath, turning up to playdates where neither of her kids have shoes.
It’s having high standards, but it’s also acknowledging that sometimes your kids will lick the floor. It’s keeping a tidy house, but having a playroom that looks like a bomb’s exploded.
“Type C: everything is meticulously labelled but there is banana smushed into the car upholstery,” said one of Ashleigh’s followers in the comments section of her video.
Another described type C parenting as: “The shoe racks are immaculate, the drawer bins are organised, the go bags are on point, but the dining room table is an absolute catch all and I don’t remember the last time I washed my kids hair. Also the homework may or may not have food stains on it. Don’t look in my car.”
Therapist Cheryl Groskopf told Good Morning America people who adopt type C parenting are “choosing to loosen up in certain areas – maybe the house isn’t spotless, maybe dinner’s frozen – because you’ve realised that connection matters more than control”.
She added: “You still care. You’re still showing up, just in a way that actually works for your real life.”
How is type C parenting different to burnout?
Sometimes this chaotic way of parenting can look a lot like burnout. But there is a key way to spot the difference. Groskopf said if you can still “show up emotionally” for your family – and you’re still connecting and responding with care (even when it’s messy) – that’s type C.
Whereas “if you feel numb or like you’re disappearing, that’s burnout”, she added.
There are four key signs of parental burnout, according to Dr Emma Svanberg, author of Parenting For Humans.
These include: exhaustion in your parental role (regardless of how much sleep you’re getting), noticing your parenting has changed, feeling fed up with your parental role, and emotionally distancing yourself from your kids.
If you feel like you might be burnt out, Dr Svanberg shared some tips for helping yourself:
- Seek support from friends, family members and neighbours to “bring in a village”.
- Prioritise deep rest – this might look like a hot bath with the lights off, lying in a dark room, or going for a nice massage if that’s something you can afford. It might also look like turning off your phone, reducing your caffeine intake and making sure you’re eating well.
- Lighten your load – if you’ve got a to-do list as long as your arm, it’s time to offload jobs onto your partner or children and only prioritise jobs that are essential.
- Reset the nervous system. According to Healthline, breathing exercises, weighted blankets, hot baths, warm hugs, eating healthy fats (think avocado and nuts), lifting weights and taking a break (when possible) can all help with this.
- If it’s affecting day-to-day life, reach out to your GP, midwife or health visitor about how you’re feeling.
- If you can afford to pay privately for therapy, that might also help.
Related…
The past week has been a rollercoaster for trans rights in the UK. On Friday 31 July, the High Court rejected a legal challenge to the upcoming trial of puberty-blocking medication. That same day, the court also ruled that police don’t have to perform strip searches based on ‘biological sex’.
On 5 August, the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) new transphobic code of practice came into effect. It holds that a trans-inclusive women’s service is “very likely” to be discriminatory on the basis of sex. However, just one day later, the Good Law Project (GLP) has supported a legal challenge against the code.
Puberty blocker trial challenge fails
In spite of the fact that the (already ludicrously transphobic) Cass Review recommended the upcoming Pathways puberty blocker trial for trans youth medicine, transphobes have nevertheless been up in arms against it. Most recently, as GLP explained:
The controversial Bayswater Support Group have teamed up with claimants including Keira Bell, whose legal challenge to young trans healthcare in 2020 was overturned on appeal, following an intervention by Good Law Project. In a case funded by a group with links to the far right, they are asking the High Court for permission to challenge the NHS Pathways trial.
The claimants tried to argue that the medication – widely used throughout the world as part of routine trans care – posed a risk to children. As such, they held that the trial was unlawful.
Instead, Bayswater and its supporters suggested that the puberty blockers be tested on adults. This was, of course, patently ridiculous given that the adults would already have gone through puberty.
On 27 July, GLP announced that both it and trans-led charity Gendered Intelligence would oppose Bayswater’s challenge in court, if necessary. Fortunately, however, a legal battle won’t be necessary in this case. On 31 July, GLP reported:
The court held that the trial was “commissioned by NHS England with conspicuous care”, that the MHRA, the medicines regulator, undertook a “rigorous process” before approving it, and that each child involved in the trial will have been assessed for many months by specialist doctors as likely to receive direct benefit from the treatment.
The judge also noted that the court must be “very cautious” about interfering with medical regulatory decisions.
Gendered Intelligence stated that it was:
glad to hear that clinical trials of safe, effective gender care will be able to continue without interference. We should always put our young people first, and always put healthcare before politics
High Court strip-search ruling
On the same day, 31 July, the High Court also threw out a legal challenge against police strip-search guidance. The challenge, issued by anti-trans pressure group Sex Matters, argued that trans people should always be strip searched by an officer of the trans individual’s sex-assigned-at-birth.
Previous guidance held that officers matching a trans detainee’s gender should perform strip-searches, provided the detainee holds a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). However, following the 2025 Supreme Court ruling invalidating trans people’s gender under the Equality Act, the government issued new guidance.
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (known as PACE) governs police powers to perform strip searches. Notably, PACE requires that an officer of the same sex as the detainee performs the search.
While the Supreme Court seemingly invalidated trans people’s right to be treated as a member of their assumed sex — i.e. the purpose of a GRC – the newest guidance argued that:
when requested, a strip search of a trans woman should be conducted by a female police officer. But there’s a significant limitation – both the trans detainee and the police officer have to consent to the search.
One might think that this is fairly straightforward. If a trans person requests an officer of their gender, and the officer is fine with it, this is a non-issue. However, Sex Matters objected, as the GLP explained:
They argued that the guidance creates a “shadow regime” attempting to “contract out” of the PACE framework, as established by the legislature.
Justice Lindon, the presiding judge, rejected the campaign group’s premise. He stated that PACE doesn’t forbid consensual searches outside of the statutory requirement, and voiced doubt that PACE was intended to protect officers rather than detainees. Moreover, he added that:
the effect of the ability to consent to a search by a person of the opposite biological sex is to mitigate the distress which the detained transgender person may feel, rather than to increase it
Anti-trans EHRC code challenged
However, the enactment of the EHRC’s new transphobic code of practice on 5 August overshadowed these two relatively-minor legal victories.
Though the code doesn’t carry legal weight in itself, instead offering an interpretation of equalities law, it encourages a nationwide bathroom ban against trans people, and their wholesale exclusion from single-sex services aligned with their lived gender.
As such, Leigh Day solicitors and GLP are supporting a legal challenge against the guidance. The claimants are currently anonymous, though GLP described them as a “trans person and a trans-inclusive organisation”.
Together, they will argue that the EHRC has fundamentally misunderstood the law, and that its code violates human rights. As an opening salvo, Leigh Day has sent a pre-action letter to both the EHRC and government setting out their argument.
GLP explained that:
Trans-inclusive women’s organisations […] are now faced with a stark choice:
- Ban trans women entirely.
- Stop being a women’s service, and open up to all men.
This blanket instruction puts inclusive organisations in an impossible position. […] The guidance lacks nuance, ignores context and pays no attention to the ways women want to run their own spaces and services.
Jess O’Thomson, GLP’s trans rights lead, added that:
This Labour government pushed through its transphobic guidance in the face of opposition from many MPs, including nearly a hundred of its own backbenchers. It’s not just immensely harmful. We think it’s unlawful, and completely against human rights. So this challenge is absolutely essential.
The Canary will report on the legal argument behind the challenge in more detail tomorrow. For now, however, it’s gratifying to see that neither trans people nor their allies have given up the fight just yet — no matter the forces arrayed against them.
Featured image via the Canary
By Grace
Politics
Politics Home | Big Tech Firms Are “Winning In A Big Way” On Online Safety, Warns Jess Phillips
The former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has warned the big tech firms are winning in the battle over regulation (Alamy)
3 min read
Major tech companies are “winning in a big way” against efforts to make the internet safer for women and children, according to former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.
Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, said that during her time in government, parts of Whitehall, including No 10, were reluctant to take action for fear of retaliation by tech giants and the Donald Trump administration.
Speaking on the latest episode of PoliticsHome podcast The Rundown, which will be published on Friday (7 August), Phillips said: “We are too beholden currently in the world to basically five unelected people.”
The Labour MP resigned as a Home Office minister in May, accusing the Keir Starmer administration of not working hard enough to protect women and girls online. Phillips said Starmer was a “decent man” but his reluctance to “have an argument” meant that steps to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) were “stalled and delayed”.
In her resignation letter to the then-prime minister, Phillips said that “91 per cent of online child sex abuse is self-generated by children groomed, tricked and exploited into abuse”, and that Google and Apple, the two companies that control the operating systems on almost all smartphones, could quickly and easily install software that would stop them being used by children to take and receive naked pictures.
In June, Starmer gave tech firms a September deadline to make this change, warning that the government would give itself the powers to fine or take criminal action against those that did not comply.
Phillips wants new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to hold them to this, telling the podcast that, as things stand, “tech companies are winning in a big, big way”.
The former minister said there was a divide within Whitehall about how to tackle online safety when she was in government. She described the Home Office as being “hawkish as hell about tech companies”, while No 10 and the now-abolished Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) were nervous about being too aggressive.
Phillips recalled “the sense that tech companies and the US would hold us to ransom on all sorts of different things”, adding: “I’ve had it directly said to my face, ‘well, look, they’ll just put trade levies on us if you try and do anything with tech companies’.”
She said Starmer “was always on my side in conversations”, but that she “just started to feel like I was going slowly mad” waiting for the machinery of government to make it happen.
“If you could hear some of the conversations I had to have with people. There are some people who genuinely just think that people taking dick pics is a human right,” Phillips said.
“I had to say to somebody once: ‘You know, you won’t die. It’s not water or shelter’.”
Phillips expressed concern that the government’s Online Safety Act is “woeful for women” in its current form and “20 years behind” where it needs to be to tackle evolving online harms.
“As somebody who was seeking to put down lots of amendments to the Online Safety Act while it was passing through, I’ve never known aggressive lobbying like it,” said the Labour MP. “Every single law firm in the whole of London was basically on retainer to one of the big tech companies so that they couldn’t work for anyone else. That is just anti-democratic.”
The Rundown is presented by Alain Tolhurst, and is produced and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot
- Click here to listen to the latest episode of The Rundown, or search for ‘PoliticsHome’ wherever you get your podcasts.
We’ve all been buying our pants at M&S for years – but nothing like this.
This week, the high street retailer announced it’s started stocking Ann Summers’ lingerie. And while some might shriek at the kinds of things in the range, here at HuffPost UK we think it’s cause for celebration.
Over the last few years, there’s been a crack down on all things sexual (scandalous!) on social media and in legislation. But in case you missed it, we’re totally pro-sex, and if you wanna flaunt a little babydoll lace set, that’s your prerogative!
While you likely snuck into Ann Summers stores as a teen to try on your first bra, or even a corset if you were feeling daring, buying a sexy two-piece (or crotchless panties, if you care) is now easier than ever.
And it’s about time! With John Lewis stocking sex toys, a category which is growing for them year-on-year, it’s about time we started openly embracing sensuality. As one campaign exclaims: Yes Sex Please, We’re British!
A December 2024 report from Unipol and HEPI confirmed something students already knew but universities were slow to acknowledge: the maximum student loan in England is now less than the average student rent. You read that right. The government’s own financial support package doesn’t cover your highest single cost.
That reality is changing how students choose universities. And if you’re currently deciding where to study, it should change how you think about it too.
The Numbers That Are Actually Driving the Decision
Student rents in university-owned accommodation rose an average of 12% across UK cities between 2021/22 and 2023/24, with private housing used by universities rising 13% over the same period. Those aren’t anomalies. They’re a consistent trend that hasn’t reversed.
London now averages around £13,600 per year for student accommodation alone, according to HESA data from 2024. Split across twelve months, that’s over £1,133 a month on rent before you’ve bought a single meal or paid a transport fare.
And the supply side isn’t catching up. Purpose-built student accommodation in prime locations consistently exceeds 97% occupancy, with many properties in high-demand cities fully booked by spring, months before the September intake. If you’re applying to a London university and you haven’t started your housing search by February, you’re already late.
How Students Are Voting With Their Feet
Here’s the shift that’s happening quietly but clearly. Students are increasingly factoring total cost of living into university choice, not just league table position or course quality.
One in two students reported fears about the student housing shortage in the 2024 National Student Accommodation Survey by Save the Student. That’s not a niche concern. That’s half of all students actively worried about where they’ll live, which is exactly the kind of anxiety that influences where prospective students decide to apply in the first place.
The result is growing interest in regional universities in cities where housing costs are significantly lower. Lincoln, Bolton, and Cardiff consistently appear in affordability comparisons precisely because their total student cost of living sits well below London, Manchester, or Bristol. The degree at the end looks the same on a CV. The debt at the end does not.
The London Premium Is Real and Worth Calculating
Total monthly costs in London run £300 to £500 higher than in most other UK cities, driven by rent that sits 30 to 60% above the national student average, higher transport costs, and higher general spending.
Over three years, that premium compounds to between £10,800 and £18,000 in additional living costs compared to studying somewhere like Sheffield or Nottingham. For many students, that’s the difference between graduating with manageable debt and graduating with debt that follows them for a decade.
The counterintuitive truth: choosing a lower-ranked university in a cheaper city often produces better financial outcomes than choosing a higher-ranked one in London, especially if you’re in a field where the degree classification matters more than the institution name. Law and medicine are exceptions. Most humanities, social sciences, and business degrees are not.
What This Means If You’re Set on London
London’s universities aren’t going to get cheaper. The demand is too high and the housing supply too constrained for that to change in any timeframe relevant to your degree.
So if London is where your course, your career, or your personal circumstances require you to be, the decision isn’t whether to accept the cost. It’s how to manage it as intelligently as possible.
Student apartments in London vary more than most students realise before they start searching. Zone 2 and Zone 3 locations with good Tube access can run £150 to £250 per month cheaper than equivalent rooms in Zone 1, with commutes that add fifteen to twenty minutes to your journey. For most students, that trade-off makes financial sense across a full academic year.
Bills-included accommodation is worth prioritising in London specifically. University halls and PBSA almost always include bills, while shared houses frequently don’t. In a city where energy costs are higher and winter bills spike, an unexpected £80 utility bill on top of already stretched rent is the kind of thing that tips students into arrears. 10% of students were in rent arrears at the time of the Save the Student 2026 survey, up from 7% in 2025, with the average amount owed sitting at £621.
Check amberstudent for verified student apartments in London across different zones and price points. Searching through a platform that lists bills-included options clearly saves you the maths of comparing headline rents that don’t include utilities, which makes genuine cost comparison significantly faster.
The Contract Length Problem Nobody Warns You About
This affects students in every UK city but hits hardest in London, where the base rent is already high.
Most private rental contracts run 51 to 52 weeks. Your academic year runs 38 to 40 weeks. The gap between those two numbers is weeks of rent you pay for a room you’re not living in. In London, at £1,100 per month, ten weeks of unused rent costs you £2,750.
University halls and most PBSA providers offer 40- to 44-week contracts aligned to the academic year. That alignment alone can save you more than the difference in weekly rent between accommodation types. Run the annual total, not the weekly headline, before you sign anything.
The One Comparison Most Students Don’t Make
Before you commit to a university and city, build a simple spreadsheet. Put the annual rent for realistic accommodation in each city you’re considering in one column. Add estimated transport costs. Add average food costs. Then subtract any scholarship or bursary income specific to that institution.
That number, the real annual cost of attending each university, tells you more than any open day ever will. Several institutions in northern England and the Midlands now actively market their lower total cost of attendance as a competitive advantage precisely because students are finally doing this comparison and choosing accordingly.
The universities know the housing crisis is reshaping their intake. Now you know it too, and you can use that information before you make a decision that affects your finances for years after graduation.
No one starts a relationship expecting it to end. When it does, the practical questions arrive fast. Who stays in the home. How the bills get paid. What happens with the children. What you are actually entitled to.
The answers depend far more on your legal status than most people expect, and the gap between what people assume and what the law provides causes real financial harm every year. Understanding where you stand early gives you a far better chance of a fair outcome. Speaking to Family Law Partners or another family law specialist at the outset can help you avoid decisions that are difficult to undo later.
This guide covers the position in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate family law systems, and some of the rules below work differently there.
Your rights depend on your legal status
There is no such thing as a common law marriage. It does not exist in England and Wales and never has, no matter how long you have lived together, whether you have children, or whether you share a bank account.
This matters because married couples and civil partners have access to a broad set of financial claims when they separate. Cohabiting couples do not. Two people in outwardly identical situations can end up with completely different outcomes purely because one couple signed a marriage register and the other did not.
So the first question to answer is not what feels fair. It is what legal category you fall into.
If you are married or in a civil partnership
Since April 2022, England and Wales has operated a no-fault divorce system. Neither of you has to prove wrongdoing or blame the other. There is a minimum period of 20 weeks between applying and being able to apply for a conditional order, then a further 6 weeks and 1 day before the final order.
Separately from the divorce itself, you have the right to apply for a financial order. That can cover:
- The family home and any other property
- Savings, investments and business interests
- Pensions, including pension sharing orders
- Maintenance for you and for your children
The court works through a list of factors set out in the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, including the length of the marriage, each person’s income and earning capacity, contributions made to the family, and future needs. The welfare of any child under 18 comes first.
One point is routinely missed. Getting divorced does not, by itself, end your financial claims against each other. Without a financial order approved by the court, a claim can in principle be brought years later. If you want a clean break, it has to be documented properly.
If you are living together
Cohabiting couples are the fastest-growing family type in the UK, with more than 3.5 million cohabiting couple families. The law has not kept pace.
If you separate, you have no automatic right to a share of your partner’s property, savings, income or pension, regardless of how long you were together. What you may have instead:
- A property claim. If you contributed to a home held in your partner’s sole name, you may be able to establish a beneficial interest under the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996. These claims turn on evidence of what was agreed and what was paid, and they are harder and more expensive to run than a divorce financial claim.
- Claims for your children. Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 allows a parent to seek financial provision for a child, which can include a lump sum or the use of a property until the child reaches adulthood. This is provision for the child, not for you.
- Child maintenance. Available through the Child Maintenance Service regardless of marital status.
If you are currently living together and not planning to marry, a cohabitation agreement or a declaration of trust recording who owns what is far cheaper than litigating the question later.
Your rights as a parent
Parental responsibility gives you a say in major decisions about your child, including schooling, medical treatment and where they live. Mothers have it automatically. Fathers have it if they were married to the mother, or if they are named on the birth certificate for a birth registered from 1 December 2003 onwards.
There is no legal presumption that children’s time should be split equally. The court’s guiding principle is the welfare of the child, and there is a separate presumption that involving both parents benefits the child unless there is a risk of harm.
Most parents never need a court. If you cannot agree, you will usually be required to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting before you can apply for a child arrangements order. Exemptions apply, including where there has been domestic abuse.
Everything the original guidance says about protecting children still holds. Keep arguments away from them. Do not ask them to take sides. Hold routines, meals and school activities steady where you can. None of that is a legal right, but courts do look at which parent has supported the child’s relationship with the other.
The family home
If you are married or in a civil partnership and the home is in your partner’s sole name, you have home rights. You can occupy the property and you can register a notice against the title at HM Land Registry, which prevents a sale going through without your knowledge. This is worth doing early if you have any concern about it.
If you are not married, your position depends on whether you are on the title and, if not, whether you can establish a beneficial interest. Being on the mortgage, paying towards it or paying for renovations does not automatically give you ownership, though it can form part of the evidence.
Looking Ahead
The end of a relationship is difficult, but it does not have to leave you powerless. Find out which legal category you are in, get advice before you make irreversible decisions, and keep your paperwork in order. Every situation is different, and early advice usually costs far less than fixing a rushed agreement afterwards.
Disclaimer
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you are facing separation or divorce, please seek advice from a qualified family law solicitor about your own circumstances.
Spice Girls star Melanie C celebrated her marriage to husband Chris Dingwall last month in front of her friends and family. But there was one major person from the singer’s life absent from celebrations.
While bandmates Mel B, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton were all in attendance, Victoria Beckham was notably absent from the guestlist.
During a new interview on the Australian radio station KIIS 1065, Melanie was asked about the reason for Victoria having missed the ceremony, which took place at Country House Cumbria in the Lake District but
“Victoria was very disappointed to not be there,” the I Turn To You singer insisted, pointing out that “she was with David in New York and it was the football final, the World Cup”.
Indeed, Victoria was pictured that evening attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place game alongside her husband, Sir David Beckham, where they watched England beat France 6-4.
Melanie added that Victoria “tried to get out of” the game, noting that the singer-turned-fashion-designer “isn’t the biggest football fan” (as anyone who saw her looking rather stoic in the crowd earlier in the World Cup can attest).
“She won’t mind me telling you that,” she continued. “But the family were there and David had commitments being an ambassador for Fifa.”
However, the fashion icon managed to be there in spirit, thanks to making a “dream dress” for Melanie’s big day. The bride wore an ivory slip dress with hand-stitched floral lace appliqués, designed by Victoria.
“Of course she made my gorgeous dress, and she was messaging me on the day,” Melanie recalled. “And I actually saw her when I was in Ibiza [after the wedding] so we had a little catch-up. So yeah, we were giving her updates and sending her pictures.”
Victoria also provided the “something borrowed” by lending Melanie a dress for the couple’s earlier legal ceremony in the groom’s native Australia.
She told British Vogue last month how the borrowed dress came about: “I was actually having dinner with Melanie and asked her what she was up to. She very casually told me she was leaving for Australia in two days and getting married!
“When I asked what she was wearing, she mentioned she had actually ordered one of my dresses but that it didn’t quite fit, and she didn’t have time to get it altered before leaving. I happened to have that exact dress in my own wardrobe and offered to lend it to her.”
Melanie told the crew at KIIS that her wedding to her partner of two and a half years was “amazing” and “perfect.”
“My feet haven’t touched the ground, really, because we had a beautiful weekend with all our families and friends,” she told the radio station.
The last time the Spice Girls were together as a five-piece was two years ago, when they delivered an impromptu performance at Victoria’s 50th birthday.
Since then, the group have been together at numerous private and public engagements, although it has never been all five of them.
South Korean police searched the headquarters of the Korea Football Association (KFA) on 6 August as part of a criminal investigation into the appointment of national team manager Hong Myung-bo. This investigation comes a month after the country’s participation in the 2026 World Cup. Investigators are examining allegations of administrative irregularities and unlawful interference in the 2024 hiring process.
The raids follow South Korea’s shock group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup. This result reignited criticism of Hong’s appointment and intensified public and political demands for accountability. This came after one of the national team’s worst tournament performances.
Inside the criminal investigation
According to Reuters, Seoul Police Financial Crimes Unit is investigating allegations of obstruction of business linked to Hong Myung-bo’s appointment. The inquiry centres on whether the Korea Football Association followed its own rules and coach selection procedures.
Police are now reviewing documents seized from the association’s headquarters to determine whether anyone improperly interfered with the selection committee. In addition, they are checking if anyone breached the approved hiring process in July 2024.
The controversy predates the World Cup
The controversy predates the World Cup. Hong Myung-bo’s appointment drew widespread criticism from the outset after he was selected following a brief meeting with Korea Football Association officials. At the same time, the selection committee was still considering several foreign candidates.
The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism later found that the association had breached its own procedures when appointing Hong and former coach Jürgen Klinsmann.
While it found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or grounds to cancel either contract, the current police investigation marks the first criminal inquiry into the appointment process.
The World Cup fall out
South Korea’s group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup has piled further pressure on the Korea Football Association (KFA).
Tipped as one of the favourites to reach the knockout stages, the team instead suffered an early exit. This prompted Hong Myung-bo’s resignation and triggered a series of parliamentary and administrative inquiries. Those investigations have now escalated into a criminal probe.
No charges have been brought against Hong Myung-bo or any KFA officials, and the association has yet to comment on the police searches.
Investigators are continuing to examine whether the appointment process involved irregularities that could warrant legal action.
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is estimated to affect up to 10 million people in the UK, with about four million of those with the condition believed to have moderate to severe cases.
Untreated OSA, which can manifest as very loud snoring, pausing breathing during sleep, and daytime fatigue, has been linked to higher blood pressure and increased risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.
And now, researchers think it could be associated with hypothyroidism too.
What is hypothyroidism?
This is the medical term for an underactive thyroid.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces some hormones, particularly those that influence your metabolism (how your body uses fuel), energy levels, temperature, and heart rate.
And when the thyroid isn’t as active as it should be, those with the issue can experience symptoms like weight gain and fatigue. But these signs aren’t always easy to notice.
However if left untreated, hypothyroidism could eventually harm the heart and bones.
If you suspect you might have an underactive thyroid, it’s best to see your GP who can run blood tests.
What’s that got to do with sleep apnoea?
A paper published in the journal Sleep looked at data from 761 São Paulo participants. They underwent laboratory tests and polysomnography (a sleep test).
After observation, scientists found that about 12.6% of participants had OSA. And among those with it, almost half (49.5%) had hypothyroidism, too.
Only an estimated 5% of the general population is believed to have the thyroid issue.
Ellen Maria Sampaio Xerfan, the study’s lead author, said: “We expected the prevalence of sleep apnoea to be considerable among people with hypothyroidism, but the result was higher than we’d imagined.
“Studies in the literature typically report figures averaging between 30% and 40%, but we found that nearly half of our participants had both conditions.”
This study didn’t explain why the two might co-occur, though it did show that people with hypothyroidism who took the appropriate medication slept better and more deeply.
Xerfan added: “Sleep and the thyroid are linked to fundamental mechanisms of homeostasis.
“There’s a complex interaction between the two systems, and sleep disturbances can influence hormonal regulation just as thyroid dysfunction can affect sleep quality.”
The study concluded: “These findings underscore the importance of incorporating early thyroid function screening into the care of individuals with OSA and, conversely, evaluating patients with thyroid dysfunction for OSA.”
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