Book review: A Very British Cult: Rogue priests and the Abode of Love by Stuart Flinders
In Stuart Flinders’s study of a Victorian cult on the fringes of the Established Church, the tension between insanity and zeal hangs over every chapter. As The Times asked in 1860, were the worshippers who gathered at “The Abode of Love” being led by “a religious enthusiast, a lunatic or an adventurer”? And the priests at the heart of the cult, James Henry Prince and John Smyth-Pigott, were accused of being “blasphemous buffoons” and suffering from “Messianic delusion”. On the surface, with its servants, stables, and croquet lawns, “The Abode of Love” looked like a genteel hotel. A Very British Cult: Rogue priests and the abode of loveStuart FlindersIcon Books £20(978-1-83773-147-3)Church Times Bookshop £18
Source:The Times
March 14, 2025 00:46 UTC
Scrapping NHS England must translate into drastically shorter wait times and better patient outcomes
NHS bloodbathKEIR Starmer is living the Tories’ dream. His left-wing Labour backbenchers may loathe him scrapping NHS England and slashing up to 10,000 penpushers. 1 Sir Keir Starmer must now take his chainsaw to hundreds more quangos Credit: PAWe couldn’t be happier. The Health Secretary must set out exactly how this streamlining will translate into drastically shorter wait times and better patient outcomes. And while Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood knows how dangerously divisive this is, she refuses to back a Tory Bill to override it.
Source:The Times
March 14, 2025 00:39 UTC
Times letters: Trump’s ceasefire plan and defence of the UK
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Unsurprisingly, President Trump’s approach to Ukraine is that of a businessman closing a deal, not a statesman securing peace (“Two to Tango”, leading article, Mar 13). But by pausing military aid, forcing Kyiv to retreat before negotiations even began, and publicly signalling that Ukraine must cede land and abandon Nato aspirations, he has handed Putin the initiative and a path to victory. For instance, as colonial secretary, Churchill forced the Irish Republic to negotiate by applying relentless military pressure, offering an honourable settlement only when the republicans had no choice but to take it. Churchill negotiated from strength. Trump has done the opposite, weakening his ally, relieving his enemy, and pre-emptively surrendering his strongest
Source:The Times
March 14, 2025 00:05 UTC
Does the UK really need a dual-support system for research?
“My memory is that there was always an understanding of QR funding and what it does,” he says. However, last year, Research England commissioned Rand Europe to undertake an impact evaluation of strategic institutional research funding, of which QR is the biggest chunk. In his speech, for instance, Brady said Imperial’s QR funding supports research in molecular sciences, vaccines manufacturing research and environmentally sensitive materials. Reid sees the UK’s dual-support system for research as representing a “sweet partnership” of both retrospective “performance-driven funding” and forward-looking “project-driven funding”. “If you took away QR funding, how do you reward past performance?” he asked.
Source:The Times
March 14, 2025 00:03 UTC
Keir Starmer abolishes NHS England to bring health service back under govt control
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (AP)LONDON: UK’s govt is to abolish the £200 billion NHS England to cut bureaucracy and duplication with the department of health and bring it back under govt control, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in a speech on Thursday.Starmer said this would shift money back to the front line and bring the NHS “back into democratic control”. “The budget for NHS England staff has soared to £2 billion.”“Such bloated and inefficient bureaucracy cannot be justified. Frontline NHS staff are drowning in micromanagement subjected to by vast layers of bureaucracy,” he said.Streeting said there are 15,300 staff in NHS England and 3,300 in the department of health and social care. That will deliver hundreds of millions of pounds worth of savings.” It will mean “fewer checkers and more doers”, he said.Integration of NHS England and his department has begun and will be complete in two years. If politicians run the NHS, that is not good news.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 20:00 UTC
Putin Visits Kursk to Cheer Russian Troops Trying to Oust Ukraine
The Russian leader’s pointed visit came a day after a U.S. delegation met in Saudi Arabia with Ukrainian officials, who agreed to a 30-day cease-fire in the war. American officials planned to take the proposal to Mr. Putin, who has previously said he is not interested in a temporary truce. Dressed in a green camouflage uniform, Mr. Putin sat at a desk with maps spread out in front of him, according to photos released by the Kremlin. In video footage released by Russian state media, Mr. Putin praised the Russian military formations that had taken back much of the territory captured by Ukraine in the Kursk region. He called on the troops to seize the territory for good from Ukrainian forces, who have been occupying portions of the Russian border region since last summer.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 17:11 UTC
How your favourite drink could increase your risk of cancer by FIVE times
FIZZY drinks raise your cancer risk, according to a study. Women who consume more than one sugary drink per day were found to be five times more likely to get mouth cancer than those who drink less than one a month. Oral cancer cases are rising and hit 10,825 in the UK last year, making it the 10th most common type. Smoking, booze and the HPV virus are linked to the vast majority of mouth cancer cases and it is generally more common in men. Sugar linked to cancer riskThe new research found sugary drinks also appear to increase the risk, regardless of whether the patient smoked or drank.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 16:22 UTC
Keir Starmer Wants to Abolish N.H.S. England: What to Know About His Plan
Nor is the history of changing the health service a happy one. A former Conservative minister, Andrew Lansley, oversaw the creation of N.H.S. England as part of an overhaul of the health service that was widely criticized and has been gradually undone. After years of underfunding, the country’s creaking, overstretched health care system badly needs investment: The waiting list for medical procedures currently exceeds seven million. The government says it wants to slim the size of the state and deliver services more efficiently.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 15:47 UTC
NHS England abolished, PM Keir Starmer hopes move will bring it back under democratic control
The move will undo the structural reforms that the NHS were put through in 2012. The prime minister also stressed that the shake-up will allow the ministers to reduce record waiting lines. In his speech, PM Starmer said he couldn't possibly justify why the Britons needed to spend their money on "two layers of bureaucracy". "That money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, operations, GP appointments," he added.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said NHSE has been abolished with the aim to reduce record waiting lists. NHS England will now be absorbed into the DHSC.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 15:40 UTC
Wary Markets Rebound as Europe and Canada Retaliate Against Trump Tariffs
How the Russell 2000 Index Has Moved in the Last YearInvestors watching the S&P 500’s plunge this week are processing a mix of signals. There is a different stock index that is flashing a clearer warning sign. Doing the same for the Russell 2000 only slightly changes its roughly 10.5 percent drop this year. The Russell 2000 index is also more domestically focused. Roughly 30 percent of the revenues for the S&P 500 come from outside the United States, double that of the Russell 2000.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 15:25 UTC
What is NHS England? Why Keir Starmer abolished the £200bn quango
NHS England, an arms-length body that oversees £200 billion worth of spending, will be abolished to “put the NHS at the heart of government where it belongs”. For too long, Starmer argued, successive governments — including Labour administrations — had “swept democratic accountability under the carpet”. Starmer made two core arguments for scrapping NHS England. The first was on democratic accountability — ministers, not officials, should be responsible for making decisions about how taxpayers’ money should be spent. • PM abolishes NHS England in reforms — follow liveBut he also made an argument on cost, saying that there was too
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 15:20 UTC
'You should have a replacement first': Navjot Singh Sidhu backs Rohit Sharma to lead India in England Test series
India captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir (Pic credit: BCCI)Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. "Rohit Sharma was selfless and did not play a match, but did the other guy come in and score 150 there? How will you replace Rohit Sharma? "Sidhu further emphasised that Rohit Sharma should undoubtedly continue as the captain, especially after leading India to two ICC titles . "Rohit Sharma will be the captain and he only should be the captain.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 13:29 UTC
Keir Starmer announces major Whitehall reforms in speech — as it happened
Why Keir Starmer abolished the £200bn quangoSir Keir Starmer saved his big announcement until last. Answering questions from the audience, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Among the reasons is because of the duplication. We have a communications team in NHS England and the health department of government; we have strategy teams in the health department and NHS England. Quangos at risk as Starmer slims down WhitehallIn his speech Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to slash the cost of regulators, something that could mean many quangos are closed down. PM’s plans for reformSir Keir Starmer will today lay out plans to reform the “flabby” British state which he says is holding back delivery.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 13:12 UTC
Separatists Are Still Holding Hundreds of Hostages in Pakistan Train Standoff
The attack, carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army, or B.L.A., unfolded Tuesday afternoon as the Jaffar Express, carrying more than 400 passengers, wound through the province’s rugged and isolated mountains. Gunmen opened fire, forced the train to halt and took hostages. On Wednesday night, Pakistan’s military said that security forces had carried out a rescue operation that secured the hostages’ release and left 33 militants dead. Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, the army’s spokesman, told a local broadcaster, Dunya News, that at least 21 passengers had died in the separatists’ assault on the train. He said that no hostages had been killed in the security forces’ rescue operation.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 13:10 UTC
NHS England to be scrapped, announces prime minister
NHS England will be abolished as a standalone organisation, prime minister Keir Starmer has announced. “NHS staff are working flat out but the current system sets them up to fail. Many senior nurses and midwives currently work for NHS England in various roles. Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, said NHS England staff would be left “reeling” from the news. “Both the prime minister and the health secretary have said that abolishing NHS England will put more money into frontline services,” she said.
Source:The Times
March 13, 2025 12:30 UTC