As it turns out, whatever you might believe doesn’t actually matter, because the best places to settle in the UK have now been officially discovered according to science. This year, the Times has decided to ‘take a different approach’ to the newspaper’s annual ranking of the best places to live; considering hard facts, data, and evidence. The winner, and official best place to live in the UK was Richmond, which is by no means a controversial suggestion. Best places to live in EnglandRichmond, LondonBest places to live in ScotlandNa h-Eileanan Siar, Outer HebridesBest places to live in WalesCeredigion, west WalesBest places to live in Northern IrelandCounty FermanaghYou can check out the full lists on the Times’ website here. ICYMI: These are the 10 cheapest places you can to fly from the UK in 2025Did you see that Birmingham is officially one of Time Out’s best places to visit in Europe in 2025?

The Times ranked the Cotswolds 7th out of 284 after using data such as crime rates, Ofsted reports and GP satisfaction to come to their conclusions. Councillor Wareing said: "I think it's something to do with the landscape and access to nature that helps people put things into perspective. Moving over to Stow, district councillor Dills Neill, believes the AONB speaks for itself saying 'it's just a beautiful place to live'. "It's just a beautiful place to live, people are friendly, there's lots of reasons someone would want to live in The Cotswolds. "After London we are probably the most recognised part of England which makes it a very special place to live.

She later returned to the cobbles in 2017 for a brief stint.As per 'Mirror.co.uk', Helen shared a nostalgic photo on Instagram from her childhood days on 'Coronation Street'. She captioned the post, "Ah, love this pic I found @coronationstreet with the iconic Barbara Knox. I remember you at that age", while another speculated whether the post hinted at her return to the show, writing, "A hint, perhaps?" I miss you in Coronation Street. Sending lots of love".The former 'Coronation Street' actress had been in a relationship with footballer Scott for over a decade and they welcomed three children together.

British Treasury chief Rachel Reeves, left, meets Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng before the start of the Financial Services Summit in Beijing. (AP/PTI)BEIJING: British treasurer Rachel Reeves said Saturday that London was a "natural home" for Chinese finance during a visit to Beijing in the shadow of bond market turmoil back home.Reeves, whose formal title is chancellor of the exchequer, is the most senior British government official to visit China since then-prime minister Theresa May held talks with President Xi Jinping seven years ago.The trip comes as the yield on British government bonds reached a 17-year high this week, further complicating the ruling Labour Party's sputtering efforts to revitalise growth.The increase makes it more costly for the government to finance current operations and repay debt, raising risks it will have to make spending cuts or hike taxes.Speaking at the reopening of long-suspended finance talks between the two countries, Reeves said London was a "natural home for China's financial services firms and your clients raising capital, and a launchpad for Chinese firms seeking to build a global footprint".She hailed "opportunities to deepen connections" on capital markets, but said both countries needed to work more closely on "regulatory cooperation".At a later press briefing, Reeves said "common ground" had been found on financial services, trade, investment, climate change and other areas.She said the total value of what had been agreed would be worth £600 million ($732 million) for the British economy over the next five years, without giving specific details.Her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, said experience showed that "as long as China and the UK respect each other... relations between our two countries can develop in a healthy way".Reeves faced pressure from the parliamentary opposition to stay home and address the financial crisis, but a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week she had not planned to cancel her "long-standing" trip.On a visit to British bicycle-maker Brompton's Beijing showroom earlier Saturday, Reeves acknowledged "moves in global financial markets over the last few days", but said the fiscal rules she set out in her October budget were "non-negotiable". "Growth is the number one mission of this government, to make our country better off," she said, adding that her visit would "unlock tangible benefits for British businesses".The governor of the Bank of England and the chief executive of the UK's Financial Conduct Authority also took part in the visit.- Fine balance -Starmer has sought to reset the UK's diplomatic relationship with China, balancing opportunities for trade and cooperation with the need to challenge Beijing on areas like human rights and the war in Ukraine.In November, Starmer became the first British prime minister to meet Xi since 2018, when the pair spoke at the G20 summit in Brazil.But trust is fragile following claims that a Chinese businessman used his links with Britain's Prince Andrew to spy for the Communist Party, an allegation Beijing has dismissed as "preposterous".Reeves said Saturday that it was "important that we can have open and frank exchange" on issues where London and Beijing disagreed, including concerns around national security, market access and the impacts of subsidies and industrial policy.Other points of contention, she said, were "Russia's illegal war in Ukraine... and Hong Kong, where we have concerns on rights and freedoms, but where we also have shared interests".In response, He repeated China's long-standing position that it is "neither a creator of the Ukraine crisis, nor a direct party" to the conflict.He added that "Hong Kong can become a bridge to closer cooperation between our two sides".China is a long-time ally of Russia and has refused to condemn its invasion of Ukraine despite criticism from Western governments that Beijing is giving Moscow political and economic support to wage a war of aggression.Relations between the UK and China plummeted in 2020 after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong which severely curtailed freedoms in the former British colony.

Ian Russell, chairman of the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), in a letter to the Prime Minister on Saturday, said regulator Ofcom’s implementation of the Online Safety Act has been a “disaster”. Ian Russell (Yui Mok/PA)Passed in late 2023, the Online Safety Act is the UK’s first major legislation to regulate social media, search engine, messaging, gaming, dating, pornography and file-sharing platforms. The letter ended: “Too many parents have lost hope that governments will deliver the online safety reform they urgently need. A No 10 spokesperson said the Prime Minister thanked Mr Russell for the letter and acknowledged the “immense bravery” of him and other families campaigning for children’s online safety. They added: “This Government is committed to ensuring online safety for children.

INDEPENDENT: Reeves accused of selling out to China to rescue economy #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/U4YQkl2dB1 — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 11, 2025The Sunday Telegraph reports that Ms Reeves plans to slash government spending with a “war on waste” on its way for Westminster. The Sunday paper’s headline comes after Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday he plans to complain to US President-elect Donald Trump and will urge him to intervene. THE OBSERVER: No negotiation on children’s safety, Labour warns big tech #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/wMQAXIY7pW — Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 11, 2025The Sunday Express runs with a “game-changing new treatment” for women hoping to get pregnant. Artificial intelligence is increasing the accuracy of IVF treatments, one of the latest technological advancements in prenatal treatments. The former England star will reportedly offer children’s coaching sessions at a hotel in Dubai.

This maximum range comes from the bigger of the two battery options that will be offered to customers when the car arrives in the UK in 2026. Familiar shapeThough Mazda has reinvented the recently discontinued Mazda 6’s powertrain, the design is still fairly familiar. Mazda says passenger space will be excellent, although there are no figures to support that at the time of publishing. Basic Takumi models will get beige or black artificial leather as standard, while the Takumi Plus provides tan Nappa leather. “When it arrives in UK showrooms in 2026, the Mazda6e will be a fantastic and timely addition to our multi-solution approach that includes mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric offerings.”Related articlesLatest articles

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My new Toyota C-HR bings and bongs at the slightest thing, as required by EU safety regulations. Why can’t this instrusive software be turned off at source for the UK market? The EU regulations in question are the General Safety Regulation 2 rules for motor manufacturers. The GSR2 requires cars sold in the EU to be equipped with a package of safety systems including advanced emergency braking (AEB), emergency lane-keeping system (ELKS) and intelligent speed assistance (ISA). Most of these systems use a combination of audio and visual warnings as well as, potentially, some automated intervention, including pre-emptive braking.

Welcome to my favourite seaside town in winter— a time of year that, I believe, after living here for five years and visiting for a decade before that, is the best time to visit. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenueThree more seaside towns to visit over winterMargate, KentMargate in the winter will offer great hotel prices ALAMYCertain seaside towns steal all the glory over summer. Details B&B doubles from £120 (margatehouse.co.uk)Scarborough, North YorkshireScarborough is a quintessential seaside town ALAMYScarborough doesn’t have the same choice of restaurants as Hastings and Margate (yet). But it’s a quintessential seaside town with a lot of beauty to appreciate, including every stage of seaside architecture imaginable, from its castle and warren of cobbled streets to Georgian crescents, Victorian townhouses-turned-hotels and an art deco theatre. Details B&B doubles from £180 (chapelhousepz.co.uk)Where is your favourite seaside town in winter?

LONDON: A number of British imams are in the process of establishing new organizations to represent the UK’s Muslim communities, The Times reported on Saturday. A series of governments have refused to engage with established Muslim bodies, including the Muslim Council of Britain, creating a “vacuum” between politicians and British Muslims, according to community leaders. Other groups — such as the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, the British Board of Imams and Scholars, and Tell Mama, an organization monitoring Islamophobia — are deemed too small to effectively lobby for or represent the UK’s 3.8 million Muslims. The MCB represents around 500 mosques, schools and charities in the UK on social issues, but does not issue religious declarations. The current Labour government talks to various Muslim groups on an “ad hoc” basis, said Qari Asim, senior imam at the Makkah Mosque in Leeds.

“It could be quite a pragmatic decision in the overall interests of national security to bring someone back.”His comments come after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage admitted he had been “thoughtful” when asked if the UK should consider bringing back UK woman Shamima Begum. Ms Begum was disallowed to challenge the removal of her British citizenship at the Supreme Court, judges ruled in August last year. Mr Hall went on to outlay the pros and cons of allowing stateless persons to return to the UK. “There is obviously some national security benefit of leaving people there because you don’t have to monitor them,” he said. She’s not a UK national.

Police are searching for answers after the second pair of lynx were captured near the Dell of Killiehuntly on Friday, a day after the first incident nearby. Staff from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) were able to bait the duo into humane traps and the animals are in good health. The latest pair were taken to the Highland Wildlife Park before going to Edinburgh Zoo for a period in quarantine. Keep your eyes peeled - the big cat went walkabout sometime during the last five days - have you seen it? That’s really sad and that’s a real, real risk.”He stressed it could also simply be the abandonment of animals which someone no longer wished to look after.

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The best places to live in the UK (in 2025) have been revealed by The Times, based on data this year rather than the usual panel of experts. Where are the UK’s best places to live – according to data? Plus search your area ⬇️https://t.co/v9Akr4To4w — The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) December 31, 2024An overall list of the best places to live in the UK was not possible as each nation counts things in a different way. So The Times has developed a list of the best places to live in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The best places to live in Wales (2025)The best places to live in Wales in 2025, according to The Times, are:Ceredigion Powys Monmouthshire Carmarthenshire Pembrokeshire Swansea Gwynedd Neath Port Talbot Flintshire Caerphilly Conwy Wrexham The Vale of Glamorgan Torfaen Cardiff Bridgend Newport Denbighshire Merthyr Tydfil Blaenau Gwent Rhondda Cynon TafRECOMMENDED READING:Pembrokeshire among the top 5 best places to live in WalesPembrokeshire was named the fifth best place to live in Wales by The Times, behind the likes of Ceredigion, Powys and Monmouthshire.