Six great reads: Keir Starmer's human rights record, Jamie Lee Curtis on cosmetic surgery and the best of Euro 25
Due to Keir Starmer's background as a distinguished human rights lawyer, his supporters hoped that he would restore the UK's commitment to international law. Unfortunately, he is being blocked by a powerful man who has conflated protest with terrorism and called for musicians whose views he dislikes to be dropped from festival bills. That man is also named Keir Starmer. Over the past six months, Trilling has spoken to two dozen Labour insiders, former colleagues of the prime minister and leading human rights advocates in an attempt to pin down the shapeshifting PM.
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'At 66, I get to be a boss,' says Jamie Lee Curtis. That is very much the vibe of this interview, in which the actor shows up 'aggressively early' to the Zoom chat, opens up about her experience with addiction, and uses – and staunchly defends – the word 'genocide' to describe the impact that cosmetic surgery has had on a generation of women. Emma Brockes speaks to Curtis before the forthcoming sequel to Freaky Friday, which sees the actor reuniting with Lindsay Lohan in the mother-daughter body-swap comedy ('I felt tremendous maternal care for Lindsay after the first movie, and continued to feel that') – but their chat ends up becoming about so much more.
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'The lack of integration means I'm not the only remote worker feeling adrift. What happens when the shared spaces of your so-called community are sun-drenched cafes and boutique fitness studios? What does it mean to never volunteer, or spend time with an elderly person, to rarely take public transport, or read the local news?'
It's easy to romanticise the life of a digital nomad: swapping the office for a beachside cafe; living in a flat far more spacious than the ones available back home; being eternally drenched in the southern European sun. But this thoughtful piece by Alex Holder, who moved from London to Lisbon, reveals the cracks in this fantasy. 'Maybe,' she wonders, 'it's time to move and make room for someone else.'
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He had charisma. He had good content. He also had the support of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), an organisation whose membership has grown from 6,000 or so upon its founding in the 80s to a sizeable 80,000 today. Zohran Mamdani's record-setting success in New York's June mayoral primary was bolstered by 60,000 volunteers knocking on 1.6m doors across the city – a vast effort, Dharna Noor writes, made possible by New York's DSA field team.
In this piece, Noor tracks the rise of an organisation that is increasingly shaping American politics – and considers whether it's ready for a face-off with the Democratic establishment.
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From the match of the tournament and the best player to the most memorable goal, Guardian sports writers nominate their picks and personal highlights from Euro 2025, and share what they'd like to see next for women's football – 'Just more of everything!'
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They say it takes a village, and parents today are ever increasingly turning to their own parents for help with childcare. One study estimates that 9 million British grandparents spend an average of eight hours a week helping to care for their grandchildren. Ellie Violet Bramley meets members of the 'grey army' and talks to them about the joys – and lows – of taking a hands-on role in their grandchildren's lives.
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Evening Standard
20 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Freakier Friday review: Finally, a true comeback for Lindsay Lohan and Disney sequels
It's also a victory lap for Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis, who is at the top of her slapstick game. Having been shunned from Hollywood's serious side for getting her start as a scream queen, she had her own renaissance with Everything Everywhere All At Once. Watching Curtis, 66, play a pouting teenager obsessed with getting her cleavage out won the biggest laughs from me. The scene where she does a supermarket sweep of the old people's aisle in the pharmacy had me in stitches, even though home enema kits and adult nappies aren't usually comedy fodder.
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Britain urged to let hero Afghans bring their families to UK after major data leak put thousands at risk
The government has been urged to let hero Afghans granted sanctuary in Britain bring their loved ones to the UK after a major data breach put the lives of up to 100,000 people at risk from the Taliban. More than 50 refugee charities and lawyers have written to Yvette Cooper, urging her to make it easier for Afghans who were allowed to relocate to the UK due to British links to bring family members – many of whom are at risk of reprisals – with them. The pleas come after revelations of a 'catastrophic' data leak at the Ministry of Defence in February 2022, which involved the details of thousands of Afghans who said they were in danger from the Taliban and had applied for sanctuary in Britain being shared online. The dataset, inadvertently sent out by a member of the armed forces, included the personal details of applicants to the MoD's Arap resettlement scheme, which allows Afghans who supported British troops to seek sanctuary in the UK. The leak was covered up by a superinjunction, which was lifted in July after The Independent challenged the draconian legal order at the High Court. Ms Cooper has now been told the government 'has no time to waste' if it 'wants to prevent the worst possible consequences of the data leak becoming a dire reality'. Charity workers and solicitors, including from Asylum Aid and modern slavery charity Kalayaan, told Ms Cooper: 'The UK government has a moral responsibility to the Afghan people who continue to suffer, including now as a result of the data leak and have no choice but to seek safety elsewhere. 'The 2022 data breach directly exposed Afghans still in the country to a risk of reprisals they were not even aware of, and the High Court, in lifting the superinjunction, recognised that its imposition may have increased the risks these people face.' The letter continued: 'Poor decision-making could yet again have exposed Afghans to serious harm, with many of these people having clear UK family ties'. They added: 'It is essential that those who were resettled under Arap and ACRS are able to live in safety and are given a fair opportunity to reunite with their families.' Unlike asylum routes, Afghans using Arap cannot sponsor family members to come to the UK under refugee reunion rules. The same applies to those relocated under ACRS, designed to help those who supported British values, such as journalists or women's rights activists. However, some may be able to make a separate immigration application. But charities and rights groups say these family routes are very restrictive and can often involve 'extremely costly application fees and require copious, specific documentation'. Decision-makers often refuse these applications from Afghan families, leading to lengthy appeals. Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain, chair of the all-parliamentary group for Afghan women, said: 'There is already anecdotal evidence of reprisals on family members by the Taliban - the Home Office has no time to waste if the government wants to prevent the worst possible consequences of the data leak becoming a dire reality. 'The Home Office desperately needs to take a pragmatic and compassionate approach to allowing Afghans resettled in the UK to be reunited safely with their families. It is clear that these schemes have been seriously mis-handled, culminating in the recent exposure of the 2022 data leak.' In one recent case highlighted by The Independent, a security guard who worked for the British embassy in Kabul for almost two decades has been unable to bring his two eldest sons to the UK. Hamidullah Fahim and his wife Zaghona were brought to Britain with two young children in December 2023, but he couldn't bring his two eldest sons, who are now in their 20s. He said that his family is struggling with being separated, saying: 'We want to do whatever we can to be reunited with them and to let the Home Office know of the injustice that has been carried out in our case'. Isaac Shaffer, at Refugee Legal Support, said it was 'critical' that the government sped up decision-making on Arap cases in light of the data breach. He explained that most of the people he was helping 'have waited over a year for a final decision on their Arap application and have remained in hiding throughout; in constant fear, and in extraordinarily precarious circumstances', adding: 'Knowledge of this data breach has only exacerbated this fear and uncertainty'. James Tullett, CEO at charity Ramfel, who helped co-ordinate the letter, said: 'The government has acknowledged that the people they have resettled need protection and yet this offer of support comes with the heavy price of separation from family. 'Allowing Afghan families to reunite won't solve all the problems associated with the data leak, but it will make a monumental difference for the affected families'.
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Greggs and KFC team up to launch sausage roll drenched in gravy
Greggs and KFC have teamed up to create the 'culinary crossover of the century' in the form of a sausage roll drenched in gravy. The high street food giants have worked together for the first time to offer the Greggs sausage roll with KFC gravy, claiming it is the 'mash-up the nation's been craving' and 'seriously flavoursome'. The brands said the alliance followed Britons consuming 15,000 litres of KFC gravy and more than one million Greggs sausage rolls every day over the past year. They are taking the new combination on a three-day tour from Thursday, handing it out for free in London on August 7, followed by Manchester on August 8 and Newcastle on August 9. A sharing bucket including six Greggs sausage rolls and a large tub of KFC gravy will be available for £10 on Friday August 15 and Saturday August 16 through Uber Eats in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham. KFC brand manager Phoebe Syms said: 'At KFC, we bleed gravy. We go to obsessive lengths for our liquid gold, and so do our fans. 'In fact, it was them who inspired this once-in-a-lifetime event, calling for us to partner with Greggs and unite our iconic gravy with their iconic sausage rolls. 'Now we're joining forces for just a few days to give the people a taste of what they really want … it's time for gravy to meet pastry. You're welcome.' Fiona Mills, brand communications lead at Greggs, said: 'With 96 layers of light puff pastry, and perfectly baked to give that satisfying golden crisp and flaky goodness, we've always known our sausage rolls are a true British icon. And why not pair one icon with another? 'We can't wait to see what Greggs and KFC fans make of our latest partnership. We're sure fans of both brands will enjoy devouring their Greggs x KFC sharing bucket.' The tour will stop at London's Southbank Centre on Thursday, followed by Manchester's Cathedral Gardens on Friday and then Newcastle's Times Square, all between 12pm and 5pm, with supplies available on a first come, first served basis. Last week, Greggs revealed a slump in profits as it was knocked by hot weather and caution among shoppers over their finances. The Newcastle-based business revealed that pre-tax profits fell by 14.3% to £63.5 million for the half-year to June 28, compared with a year earlier. It said the first half of 2025 was impacted by 'challenging market footfall, more weather disruption than in 2024' and increased costs.
