Chief minister proposes tighter immigration checks for Jersey
Deputy Lyndon Farnham said it would address the gap in the security of Jersey's borders and it would "implement a more rigorous approach to people traveling to Jersey without a visa". He said: "In the same way as for countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, before a person travels to Jersey, they will need to apply for permission where aspects of any criminality must be provided through self- declaration."
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘I'm an expert gardener – Kew is a world-class attraction, but here's what it needs to change'
Kew Gardens, near London 's Richmond Park, is iconic. And its most emblematic feature is the Palm House, which will be closing from 2027 for a five-year refurbishment – part of an ambitious bid by the Gardens to become climate positive by 2030. The Palm House is the world's largest surviving Victorian glasshouse and a symbol of the gardens' innovative history. But the £50m project, that will include temporarily rehoming around 1,300 plants, is sorely needed. It's difficult to say which is more impressive: the grandiose glasshouse, with its whimsical spiral staircases, or the plants for which it was built. Encountering the glasshouse is rather like wandering through a rainforest and happening upon a crumbling historical monument, the white iron striking against lush greenery. However, while the plants have thrived in the balmy temperatures within, the Palm House has not. The rust and corrosion is a result of the same conditions that keep the plants so healthy, and it's hard to ignore. As part of the makeover, the Grade I-listed building will have each of its 16,000 panes of glass replaced, while the frame will repainted in the exact shade used when it first opened to the public in 1848. Perhaps this decay is symbolic of Kew's place in British culture: at once enrapturing and frustrating. In its current iteration, Kew is certainly impressive, and is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the capital. But in order to retain its title of a world-class attraction, Kew needs to continue to innovate. A mecca for botanists Happily, there is plenty for the budding gardener to enjoy at present. The Gardens remain a mecca for botanists, home to numerous plants that are now considered extinct in the wild and many more that are critically endangered. Alongside the Chelsea Flower Show, it remains one of the best places for a green-fingered day out – it is easily one of the best things to do with children during the summer holidays. And while London is full of exciting places to visit, Kew Gardens stands out as one of only four places in the city designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is a living monument to centuries of changing fashions and fancies, told through exquisite horticulture. As an ecologist, you only need to say the words 'rare plant' to me, and I'll be there. But if this sounds too academic, fear not. Kew has a lot more to offer than just its plant collections. Younger visitors have long delighted in splashing and climbing their way through the Children's Garden, while the wheelchair-accessible Treetop Walkway takes visitors high up into the canopy. Guests who are happier keeping their feet on the ground can find numerous walking trails throughout the site (plus picturesque picnic spots). With over 300 acres to explore, it's easy to forget you are still in London, just a stones' throw from the hustle and bustle of Kensington. It's equipped with numerous greenhouses, cafes, restaurants, a library and a gallery, meaning there is plenty to keep you occupied on a rainy day. Cacti and waterlilies One of my favourite things to do while exploring Kew is to visit the Princess of Wales Conservatory. Within, guests can wander through ten different climatic areas, from a wet tropical zone to an arid desert, complete with prickly cacti. The conservatory is also home to a fabulous species of giant waterlily, Victoria boliviana, whose huge pads float like boats on the pond. These are particularly special as the variety was discovered at Kew itself. Visitors used to be able to spot the glasshouse's very own pest control unit here, comprising a burly group of water dragons. These striking lizards were a delight to watch, lazing around or skittering between plants, taking their role of bug patrol very seriously. Sadly, the creatures are no longer resident in the spot – but wildlife, especially butterflies and bees, are in abundance. What Kew needs to do With the refurbishment, Kew is recommitting itself to preserving biodiversity and becoming more sustainable. Still, there's more the Gardens could be doing. I'd love to see more information around the gardens about Kew's global research projects – from seed banks in the Alps to plant conservation in Angola. The Eden Project, in Cornwall, is particularly good at signposting its work in this department, and Kew could learn something here. With approximately 2.45 million visitors a year, Kew's potential for educating the public is vast and I believe this could be better expressed. I'd love to see more interactive displays teaching visitors about environmental issues, or simply more information about how to make their own gardens a force for good in the world. Visiting Kew Gardens is a remarkable, transformative excursion: a chance to explore the world's landscapes for a fraction of the cost of a plane ticket. Once completed, the restoration of the Palm House will be a powerful symbol of a changing British institution. What began as a collection of flowers has now become a frontline in the battle against climate change. The changes to the glasshouse are a clear message that we can create a better environmental future, while continuing to preserve our heritage.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Can no one silence Nigel Farage's latest populist dogwhistle?
Apparently, there's a debate going on in the upper echelons of the Labour government about what to do about Nigel Farage. Not a moment too soon, you might say. The choice, as it's been posited by Labour insiders, is whether to 'confront' or 'deflect' Reform UK. Farage's populist insurgency has picked up lots of local councils, won a by-election – just – and settled in the opinion polls around 25 to 30 per cent ahead of Labour. Not so long ago, it was an unthinkable situation. Something similar has been going on in the Conservative camp since they lost the general election, and, as we see, it seems the immediate answer to their version of the Farage-ist challenge is to reshuffle the shadow cabinet, bring back James Cleverly, and let Kemi Badenoch have some more time. They can't work out if they want to collaborate with Farage, or confront him. Both parties actually show signs of appeasing him and aping his policies, from welfare to refugees. It's not good. It's worth reminding the mainstream parties what happened last time they were too fastidious to take an ascendant Farage down, which was the Brexit referendum campaign. It was, as it still is, incredibly time-consuming and tiresome to have to fact-check every vague promise and extravagant claim Farage comes out with, and the easiest thing is just to call him an extremist/populist/fascist/xenophobe/racist or whatever and try to ignore him. Well, we all know what happens. As Farage himself might say: 'They're not laughing now!' Much the same – less forgivably – goes for the media. Not that it's an easy job trying to verify whatever casual claims Farage comes out with in real-time, but it means he tends to go unchallenged. Take his appearance on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show. He claimed, off the top of his head, that cancelling net zero – an amorphous concept, in any case – would save some £30bn a year, and said that 'even' the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), 'a tool of the Establishment,' said so. Kuenssberg had neither the time nor the evidence in front of her to cite Section 4 of the OBR report on long-term fiscal risks that showed that £20bn of the £30bn is due to the loss of fuel duty in the transition to electric cars. If some new levy on electric vehicles was introduce to replace the lost revenues in petrol and diesel sales, the additional cost to the taxpayer would be down to £10bn a year. The OBR has said in 2021 and apparently endorsed again now that 'the costs of failing to get climate change under control would be much larger than those of bringing emissions down to net zero.' Which happens to be true. I'm definitely not criticising Kuenssberg here, because no interviewer – even with a researcher in her earpiece – could counter that in time, nor make the argument about how the UK has indeed helped big polluters like China and India at least sign up to CO2 reduction targets – and China is now leading the world in green tech and electric vehicles. We had the same sort of thing at the press conference where Farage said he'd cut crime in half in five years. The £30bn net zero thing came up again, but the Q&A session wasn't well suited to pinning him down over it. Asked how he'd pay for his sketchily costed plans to hire another 30,000 police, build 'Nightingale prisons', new 'custody suites', restore the magistrates courts, send 'Britain's worst offenders' to jail in El Salvador, and bang up an unknown number of serious offenders for life, he tossed out a figure of £50bn to £70bn that could be found from scrapping HS2 – even though it's pretty much been run down and the money diverted to other road and rail projects by Rishi Sunak. No one thought to ask exactly how Farage would halve crime, how the plan would work in practice, and why, if he could achieve that improbable outcome, that he couldn't abolish crime completely in 10 years. When Farage does get cornered, as when Kuenssberg pressed him on whether he believes in climate science, and the antics of Reform UK councillors, he has some stock get-outs, and, like so much else he does, they're straight out of the Trump playbook. Tactic one is to say he doesn't know anything about some story so he can't answer and doesn't know if what's referred to is true. Second, he can just say that no party's numbers ever add up anyway – the 'experts' are always wrong and it's not worth bothering about. Third, is the superficially plausible line that if he gets more people 'with real business experience' into government they'll sort things out, just like Trump and Musk did in America – and Reform's pretend DOGE team is trying and thus far failing to do in Britain's skint county councils. Like Trump in the US, Farage is inviting a public more than usually disillusioned with politicians to turn to brilliant business people such as, erm, Zia Yusuf and Richard Tice, and perhaps even the former commodities trader: Farage himself. I suppose I'm just stating the obvious, really, which is that Farage's Trumpian brand of populism and its amplification in the right-wing client press and social media presents a challenge to the mainstream parties, and real independent journalism that they have not been able to cope with. A lot of that failure is, frankly, down to something like laziness, and a reluctance to do the hard graft of countering the lies and busting the myths about economics, immigration, crime and the rest that Reform constantly pump to 'flood the zone', as they say in the states. It is tedious to get your head around, say, carbon budgets and remember all the key crime stats for London, because no one carries that much stuff around in their heads. But our leaders could confront Farage a little harder and with a bit more effect than they've managed so far. We could, let's say, push him much harder on why getting the Royal Navy to take irregular migrants back to Calais is a violation of French sovereignty, and would threaten a Cold War with France and the rest of the European Union in retaliation, with huge damage to trade and the economy. He's been getting away with this sort of nonsense for far too long, and now it's getting dangerous. He needs to be confronted – but who is going to do it?
Scottish Sun
22 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Alton Towers launches new ‘Disney style' dining plans in UK first with themed meals and snacks
Plus, one writer reveals his experience on the new Toxicator ride at Alton Towers EAT OUT Alton Towers launches new 'Disney style' dining plans in UK first with themed meals and snacks Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALTON Towers has launched new dining plan packages for visitors - the first of its kind in the UK. The theme park in Stoke-on-Trent is offering hotel and lodge guests the chance to buy Disney-style dining packages to include food and drinks and snacks in the park and the on-site hotels on short breaks. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Alton Towers has launched four new dining packages 7 You can choose from standard, deluxe, kids and ultimate plans Credit: Alamy Alton Towers is offering four different dining plans which are available to anyone staying at one of the on-site hotels. This is something that has been done before by Disney, but not UK-based theme parks. The very first Alton Towers dining plan is called 'The Standard Dining Plan'. It costs £50pp and is described as providing all the 'daily dining essentials'. With this package, you get a regular lunch and soft drink from either the Burger Kitchen or Just Chicken outlet in the park. And it also includes five mini doughnuts and a drink while you're enjoying the park delights as well as a two-course evening meal at one of the hotels' themed restaurants. Flambo's Jambo in the Splash Landings Hotel has views over the indoor waterpark. Or you could dine at the Secret Garden Restaurant in the Alton Towers Hotel, which looks like an English garden. Plus there's the colourful, child-friendly Windmill Restaurant in the Cbeebies Land Hotel. Or families can choose to dine at the quirky Crooked Spoon restaurant by the Woodland Lodges and Treehouses. I was the first to ride Alton Towers' newest ride Toxicator - it was a topsy-turvy spinning explosion 7 You'll find The Windmill Restaurant in CBeebies Land 7 It's recommended to book an evening meal with whichever package you choose Children get a unique package called 'The Kids Dining Plan'. This is for children between three and 12, and costs £20pp. This dining plan is only available when bought alongside an adult plan. This includes lunch and a two- or three-course evening meal, which will match the location of the accompanying adult's dining location. Sweet treats and drinks are also included in this plan. For anyone wanting a little more, you can pick 'The Deluxe Dining Plan' for £70pp. This plan includes lunch at either the Burger Kitchen, Just Chicken, Explorer's Pizza Pasta, Generator Refuelling Company and Cbeebies Lunchbox. You can grab a sweet treat from selected snack outlets, and have an evening meal at one of the four accommodation restaurants including a soft or house-brand alcoholic drink. The most indulgent plan is called 'The Ultimate Resort Experience' and is priced at £90pp. With this, you can get lunch at any of the theme park restaurants and enjoy snacks like bubble waffles, doughnuts and signature Freak Shakes. You can get an evening meal at any of the resort restaurants, plus extra drink vouchers and a Costa Coffee. For an extra special touch, you'll also find a bottle of fizz in your hotel room. For anyone on the Ultimate Resort Experience package who is still hungry can get an extra 20 per cent off any other food and drink across the park. 7 You can have lunch at one of the outlets around the park Anyone booking a short break with Alton Towers can choose to have a dining plan if staying throughout summer up to August 30, 2025. On arrival at the restaurant or outlet at Alton Towers, visitors need to let the staff know they're on a dining plan and show their barcode at the point of payment. It's recommended to book an evening meal beforehand to avoid long wait times. Anyone with 'The Ultimate Dining Plan' will be guaranteed a dining time slot. You can buy a dining package when booking a short break online - just add it to your basket. These plans are very similar to those that Disney brought back for its World resort in Florida. Disney Dining Plans are a pre-paid option for guests to enjoy meals and snacks at Walt Disney World. These are only available to guests staying at a Disney Resort Hotels as part of a package. Of course, Alton Towers is not all about the food, but rather the rides. 7 One writer tried out the Toxicator ride when it first opened in March Credit: Vaz Sayed One writer was the first to try out the new Toxicator ride when it opened in March 2025. It's the tallest Top Spin ride of its kind and tips those on it upside down. He described it as being 'stomach-fluttering' and 'dizzying' as it whisks you 80 feet into the air. The ride is in the theme park's Forbidden Valley and is flanked by Nemesis Reborn, which was revamped last year. Dramatic green-lit water fountains on both sides of the ride shoot up around the attraction to represent toxic terror. This new UK roller coaster was crowned best in the world, beating rides at bucket list theme parks in America. In June, Alton Towers closed a popular ride for good after more than a decade in the park.
