Am I the only person in the UK feeling sorry for Beatrice and Eugenie?

Royal Ascot has been scrubbed off Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie’s social calendar with the palace reportedly banning them from the event in light of their parents, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It’s a sad and cruel blow for the sisters, who until now have considered the horse racing event in June – a favourite of their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II – a basic normality of their existence. This was the place where the “blood princesses” could not only show their support for the wider family, but also show off some wild and wacky headgear too.

But it’s over. No longer will they join senior royals in the royal procession in fancy carriages or take their seats in the royal box. In a situation described succinctly by friends of the princesses as a “never-ending sh** show” regarding their parents, this latest move has “blindsided” them, according to the Mail on Sunday. And it doesn’t stop at a day at the races either. They are not invited to any other royal events for the “foreseeable future”. How much worse can it get?

With millions of Epstein files still awaiting release, the answer to that question suggests, probably a lot worse. And the sisters will be left to pick up the pieces of the shattered lives left in their wake.

Whatever their father may deserve, it can’t have been much fun watching him being dragged by the police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. While the rest of the world may have revelled in the humiliation of the former prince as he was held at Aylsham Police Investigation Centre in Norfolk for 11 hours, the girls will have been left trying to explain it to his grandchildren.

And now, thanks to their father’s public disgrace, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, have been cast out in the cold even further than they could ever have imagined possible. Prince William reportedly already warned royals not to be photographed anywhere near them for the “rest of the year”.

The only royal left in a possibly worse position is Prince Harry, who, of course, understands exactly how it feels to be persona non grata, and is rumoured to have offered his cousins a listening ear and a safe refuge at his Montecito home with his wife, Meghan, in California. This is the most intense family cooling-off session imaginable – and it must be blowing their minds.

The sisters have their own, no doubt complicated, relationship with both their father and mother. They will need to make sense of any remaining sinew of loyalty to their disgraced parents, while disentangling themselves from the increasing horror of the situation.

My heart goes out to them – and yes, I feel huge sympathy for their plight. I never thought I’d say that, or care so much, but the fact that Beatrice and Eugenie, like me, have young children and are mums makes the shame and rumours swirling around family dysfunction and wrongdoing far worse.

How will they broach the ins and outs of their family madness with Beatrice’s daughters, Sienna, four, and Athena, one, as well as her nine-year-old stepson Edoardo, and Eugenie’s sons, August, five, and Ernest, two? How do you explain that they won’t see parts of their wider family in public anymore – unless it’s under the cover of darkness? It’s one thing to reconcile their own egos and vanity with not being part of the royal “show” anymore, but how do you explain this new “keep out of the way” lifestyle to their children?

While they are living this public reality, I know how painful it can be to feel like an outcast in an extended family. I became estranged from mine after a spat over my late dad’s will – and the toxic fallout had started years earlier when I was his sole carer. I also have to explain a milder version of this to my children every Christmas and at birthdays – and the sadness I feel about it is crushing.

They will feel like they are dragging their own families into a drama that is not of their making. Known to be polite and thoughtful, the York sisters have had to cope with the chaos their parents have brought since they were small.

On the surface, it might all look like pretty dresses and tea parties at the palace, but the girls have endured a life marked by divorce, lewd public headlines, and a father known for his arrogant demeanour, alongside a grift-prone mother all their lives.

Despite Sarah calling herself and Andrew the “happiest divorced couple in the world” after separating and divorcing in 1996, it was clearly never the full picture. A childhood with a desperate, needy mother must have taken its toll on Beatrice and Eugenie. While Fergie would happily refer to herself and her girls as “The Tripod”, it hints that her daughters were propping her up instead of being parented properly.

This might explain their own bad judgements. It has been reported that Beatrice helped advise her mother on how to get back into Epstein’s good books, and that she also encouraged her father to take part in the catastrophic Newsnight interview in 2019. There are fears that the princesses may have had indirect financial links to Epstein. Anything feels possible with Sarah and Andrew at the helm.

You only have to look at the family photo of the Yorks at Beatrice’s 18th birthday party at Royal Lodge in Windsor in 2006 – which Jeffrey Epstein attended – to realise how surreal their world was. Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie, dressed in period costumes resembling something from Frozen, with Andrew in military attire, looked more like characters on the set of Bridgerton than members of a modern royal family.

Not only have they long been a laughing stock, now they are having to face the reality of seeing their father kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the floor and read how their mum once told Epstein that she was waiting for Eugenie to return from a “shagging weekend”. It just adds to the dysfunction that they have had to endure all their lives.

The Epstein files revealed their mother told the disgraced financier, “just marry me”, referred to him as the “brother I always wished for”, and asked him, “when are you going to employ me”. We now know they were reportedly taken to lunch with Epstein in 2009 at his Palm Beach home less than a week after he was released from prison for soliciting a child for prostitution. We also know Andrew sent photos of Beatrice climbing Mount Blanc and Eugenie in a charity bike ride to Epstein in 2010 and 2011.

Of course, what the girls are going through is nothing compared to the trauma of Epstein’s victims, who recall years of being used and abused and trafficked to some of the most powerful men in the world. But the shame of knowing your father was cosying up with a paedophile and having his sex life sliced and diced by millions is bound to cause deep shame and pain.

So where do they go from here?

At one point, Beatrice was rumoured to be preparing to move Sarah into a modest granny annexe at her Cotswolds home after she was reportedly forced out of Royal Lodge. Luckily for Beatrice, that never materialised. Instead, Sarah is believed to have travelled to the French Alps to stay with friends before later taking refuge at the world-renowned £13,000-a-day Paracelsus Recovery Clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, over a month ago.

How does any child come to terms with such parental betrayal and shame by association? I hope they both have access to strong emotional support and that, in time, they can build happy and stable lives far removed from the current nightmare.

I truly believe the best thing Beatrice and Eugenie could do is step away from royal life, relinquish the public burden of their titles, and focus fully on raising their families in a calm and stable environment – something they themselves were rarely afforded. They should devote their lives to meaningful work and ensure there is never even a whisper of hypocrisy in the paths they choose.

The sisters have survived a childhood defined by chaos, scandal, and parental misjudgements. Now, as mothers themselves, they face the cruel irony of protecting their own families from a world their parents helped to make so incredibly messy. Walking away from the glare of public life may not erase the past, but it will gift them something more precious: the chance to raise their children in calm, stability, and dignity – and finally live a life that belongs to them alone

Good luck to them. They’ll need it.

Zelensky says Putin’s troops will have difficulty fulfilling planned advances

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russia‘s military failed to achieve aims it set out last year and would have difficulty fulfilling advances ​that Moscow hoped to achieve.

Addressing journalists in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president said ‌Moscow’s plans of seizing all of eastern Ukraine and areas further south remained unchanged.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces want the occupation of the east of Ukraine, specifically the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Zelensky said, but added that Kyiv “does not see that they have ‌the ⁠capability to accomplish the tasks” for the moment.

The assessment from Kyiv comes at a time when the planned trilateral peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, brokered by the US, are in peril due to the escalating conflict in the Gulf region.

Speaking to journalists, Ukraine’s war-time leader said he could not confirm the venue but stressed “no one has cancelled” the meeting.

“If there are difficulties with Abu Dhabi due to missiles and drones, then I think we have Türkiye, we have Switzerland – venues that have already worked and allowed us all to meet. We will definitely support any of these three venues for the meeting. We are waiting for a response from our partners,” Zelensky said.

Bill Clinton sheds light on Trump and Epstein’s falling out in newly released video

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have released the filmed depositions of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who each testified for six hours each in connection with a congressional probe into the investigations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.

The Clintons agreed to testify last week after initially resisting subpoenas to compel their testimony in a searing letter that condemned Donald Trump’s administration and the alleged failures of a Republican-dominated Congress to hold it accountable.

In their separate closed-door testimonies in upstate New York, Hillary Clinton said she did not know Epstein well, had never been to his home or offices, never traveled on his jet and did not remember meeting him.

The former two-term Democratic president said he “did nothing wrong” and “saw nothing” that gave him pause after he was grilled about his connections to Epstein and appearances in photographs released by the committee and the Department of Justice.

Each deposition video is more than four hours long.

The former president said he first remembered meeting Epstein in “late 2001 or early 2002,” after his former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers called him and recommended the use of his plane in connection with the Clinton Global Initiative.

“He said that he was calling because a man named Jeffrey Epstein, who had made a substantial commitment of several million dollars … to brain research, and he was an information-hungry person, and he wanted to spend some time talking to me about economics and politics,” Clinton said.”

He said he believes he met Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell around the same time.

Asked how his relationship ended, Clinton said he thought Epstein was an “interesting man but not interested in what I was doing” with his foundation.

He severed ties in 2008 when Epstein was convicted in Florida, Clinton said.

“There’s nothing I saw when I was around him that made me realize he was trafficking women,” Clinton said.

He had lost touch with Maxwell more than a decade ago, he said.

“This thing was really hard for me when it came out because we were friends with Ghislaine,” he said of the trafficking charges against her. “I was sad. But it was terrible what she did and she has to be punished. Somebody besides me should make a decision on what it is.”

Asked later about a painting found hanging in Epstein’s apartment showing Clinton in a blue dress while sitting in a chair, the former president said he had never seen it.

“If I had I known Jeffrey Epstein had this painting,” Clinton said, “it would’ve saved me this whole day.”

The former president recalled golfing with Trump, who brought up the subject of Epstein’s plane.

“And he said, ‘You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal,’ and he said, ‘I’m sorry it happened,” according to Clinton.

Asked whether he had ever been contacted by a law enforcement agency about Epstein or Maxwell, Bill Clinton said “as far as I remember, no.”

“Back in 2008, I sort of thought somebody might ask me something because – and I was glad this has come out since it happened,” he said.” But I don’t believe anybody ever did.”

Asked why he believed law enforcement would want to speak with him, he said: “Just because he let me use his airplane.”

After learning from her counsel that photos of the former secretary during her testimony were being published on social media, Clinton said “I’m done with this.”

“If you guys are doing that, I am done. You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows come home,” he said.” This is just typical behavior. Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who took the photo, can be heard saying “I will take that down.”

Clinton then stands up from the desk and says “I’m done, for now.”

Asked how she knows Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was photographed on Epstein’s island, Hillary Clinton recalled that his former firm Cantor Fitzgerald lost more than 600 employees in the September 11 terror attack at the World Trade Center, when she was a New York senator.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace then begins to cut her off, infuriating Clinton.

“You asked the question. I’m going to answer your question. This is what I spent my time doing,” she said.

“Now you’re going to yell at me?” Mace can be heard saying as she speaks over Clinton.

“I’m a survivor trying to look out for others,” Mace continues. “Six months, and now you’re being defiant and indignant today.”

Mace then accused Clinton of trying to “get Epstein to give money” to her, which Clinton has denied.

“You want to yell at me? That’s fine. I’ll yell right back,” Mace said.

The congresswoman referenced Lutnick’s email from November 2015 to Epstein to attend “a very intimate fund-raising event” for Clinton’s presidential campaign at Cantor Fitzgerald’s offices. Federal campaign contribution records do not show that Epstein contributed personally during that election cycle.

Clinton said she is “very sympathetic” for Mace, who has spoken publicly about being a survivor of sexual abuse. “I have read about it, seen you testify and speak out on the floor about it, and I very much sympathize not only with what you went through, and I appreciate your effort to stand up for survivors.”

As for Lutnick, she said she knew him as a senator representing victims of 9/11, and “I knew him as the man who lost employees that he knew intimately, including his brother.”

“If you don’t want to hear what emotionally affected me, that’s fine,” she said. “But that’s how I know Howard Lutnick.”

Mace accused her of “obfuscating” from questions about Epstein.

Take it from me, you can always tell when a PM’s days are numbered

As the wagons circle, I can guess how Keir Starmer’s team is feeling. Nobody at the top can admit it, so they will continue their meetings on resets and corresponding milestones, the “grid” will rumble on with policy announcements, and the grown-ups will anxiously watch the Middle East. His MPs will play up like petulant toddlers and they’ll be pacified by those scared to trigger a leadership contest.

Make no mistake, every administration knows when its days are numbered. You can feel it in the walls of No 10. The air changes.

When I started working in Theresa May’s Downing Street team in July 2017, I was told the job might only last a few weeks. A disastrous general election result had seen to that. We squeaked out another two years, but each day I walked up to the famous front door and wondered how many more times I’d get to do it.

Once inside, the oppressive feeling would start to smother. By the time you’ve picked up a cheering bacon sandwich from the basement canteen and got to your desk (mine was next to the Cabinet Room, ideal for seeing the comings and goings of the PM’s study), you’d feel firmly in the bunker. From day one, everything we did was seen through the prism of the government’s eventual doom.

I was a junior aide working in May’s political office, which was at the sharp end of handling Tory MPs attempting to force prime minister to either run a second referendum, or give Brussels the finger and gun for a No-Deal Brexit.

Listen to Cleo on The Independent’s In The Room podcast:

I spent most of my time fielding calls from the full spectrum of hyper-Brexualised parliamentarians, and shredding letters – some of them laminated – from Britain’s most self-important and least self-aware men asking for peerages.

You don’t need to be in Cabinet or the top meetings in the PM’s inner circle to sense when things are seriously wrong. Maybe it’s pheromones, or the increased media presence in the street. Or the blithe “Hullo, yes, all good – keep up the good work” chatter from the sweating chief of staff when you’re queuing for your lunchtime panini.

The more junior special advisers will be confidently told all is fine, then periodically ordered, in a great panic, to ring round the MPs they know best to get them to type out gushing, supportive tweets about the PM’s leadership.

During my time on Downing Street, we had five by-elections – none as bad for the Conservatives as Friday’s Gorton and Denton result was for Labour – and two sets of May local elections (2018 benign, 2019 a bloodbath). We also fought a couple of confidence votes, one from Conservative MPs in December 2018, in response to May’s leadership of the Party; and one in the Commons, in January 2019, taking against the entire government. We got through both, but they were hollow victories. Maybe I’m thin-skinned, but something about absolutely everyone trying to destroy us just didn’t feel like winning.

May’s No 10 is what I imagine the end days of Nuts magazine were like: dwindling popularity; passionate advocates and critics; and all women involved putting up with a load of tit-obsessed, slobbering lad babies (see 2017’s Pestminster scandals). In that case, Liz Truss’s tenure probably felt like Theranos (intense cult leader with strange voice; millions lost on a crazy idea). As I understand it, the end of Boris Johnson’s premiership was more like the Fyre festival.

It was working in Johnson’s No 10 that brought home to me that you are running the government from the prime minister’s home. Yes, they have a nice short commute, but it is deeply weird that your most junior employees can see you picking up your dog’s turds (or not), and taking a copy of The Spectator for a private 10 minutes in the loo.

Imagine what it’s like when everything is going wrong. Keir Starmer has said he won’t work past 6pm on Friday evenings (tricky, when the Middle East erupts on a Saturday), but private and professional worlds will collide when the wheels are coming off. This damage to domesticity must be a dozen times harder when an astonishing number of staff in the current government are married or related to each other.

It also makes it harder to escape the cycle of doom. No separation or decompression. Panic, which makes people paranoid. Then a default to comfort blankets. They hire their mates, often without due process (the subject of last week’s In the Room podcast), become more reactive to media and polling (by my count, we’re at 16 U-turns now), and continue to be trapped in their OODA loop.

Meanwhile, junior people are left to refresh Twitter, quietly dust off their CVs and look at holiday deals for 8th May.

Cleo Watson is a former deputy chief of staff to Boris Johnson and co-hosts The Independent’s politics podcast, In The Room, with ex-deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara. New episodes come out every Friday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Channel 4’s Handcuffed is a dismal exercise in culture-war needling

Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing is, says presenter Jonathan Ross, a “survival show – where you have to survive someone else”. Taking its cues, perhaps, from the classic prisoners-on-the-run movie The Defiant Ones, Channel 4’s new series sees people tethered to their ideological opposites in a feat of endurance: the pair who stay cuffed together the longest win £100,000.

If the premise has the shape of a social experiment, then the execution renders Handcuffed little more than an exercise in unedifying provocation. The pairings make Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau’s Odd Couple look like a match made in heaven: we have a fusty right-wing aristocrat cuffed to a working-class ex-prison warden; a self-described “traditional homemaker” and “massive prude” cuffed to a towering, tattooed gay porn star; a Green Party councillor and a Reform supporter; a bar worker and a multimillionaire; a queer feminist and a manosphere-immersed “alpha male” – the sort of man for whom “gym” is a verb.

The chaining together of these polar-opposite personalities is ostensibly a sort of test of empathy – maybe, the series posits, they can find some shared humanity underneath their differences. You know the shtick: “Sure, I’m the reason that you can’t afford to own a home, but didn’t you know we have a mutual love of folk music and fettuccine?” Alas, in most cases, this is a non-starter. It becomes clear quite early on that the show offers nothing more than flimsy rope bridges to reconcile the yawning schisms of British politics and culture wars. One pair doesn’t even reach the 13-hour mark: Sir Benjamin Slade, referred to faux-chummily as “Sir Ben”, strops and takes bolt-cutters to the cuffs after his combative partner quarrels with him and his wealthy, Nigel Farage-loving friends. Several other pairings end just as inauspiciously – nothing is learnt, or achieved. (Sometimes, the handcuffs are unlocked out of spite: the only thing sweeter than winning thousands of pounds may be your enemy not winning it.)

The spectre of Reform hangs over Handcuffed, in ways both serious and throwaway (one of Sir Ben’s pets is named Nigel; others are named things like Boris and Kwasi). One woman describes herself as the “female Nigel Farage” – a horrifying hypothetical, even if the comparison seems ultimately ill-earned. I suppose there’s something admirable in this series’ willingness to admit just how inextricable the political and personal really are. But it creates a dynamic that’s fatally lopsided. In some of the pairings, we have one party who is entirely relatable and unobjectionable, tethered to someone who harbours a deep disrespect for their entire moral framework. It becomes less a case of “meeting in the middle” than one person vainly trying to coax the other towards compassion.

Given the inherent comedy of its premise – the dysfunctional handcuffing conceit has been used in everything from M*A*S*H to The Simpsons toI Love Lucy – it’s criminal just how unamusing this series manages to be. If nothing else, Handcuffed is an instructive look at the fallacies of modern British politics: the sight of a room full of upper-class relics loudly extolling the charisma of Farage ought to rubbish any notion that Reform is a party for working people. But it’s not telling us anything we don’t already know. More often than not, biases are ossified, and the gulfs between people have seldom seemed starker. If Handcuffed is indeed an experiment – and not just a cheap excuse for TV sensationalism – then it is surely a failed one.

Why Gran Hotel Taoro is Tenerife’s must-book luxury stay for 2026

Tenerife’s iconic Gran Hotel Taoro holds a special place in Spanish history. As the first luxury hotel in Spain, opening its doors in 1890, it was a glamorous haven for high society, welcoming everyone from King Alfonso XIII and the Duke of Kent to author Agatha Christie.

Now, after a complete renovation, the landmark hotel has been reborn as an elegant 21st-century destination that’s ready to welcome you for the ultimate five-star break.

The hotel’s carefully preserved neo-classical architecture exudes old-world elegance, while colonial-inspired interiors in earthy tones and modern five-star comforts promise a stay that feels both timeless and contemporary.

Set on a lush hilltop in northern Tenerife and overlooking the historic town of Puerto de la Cruz, the hotel’s 199 rooms and suites make the most of its enviable location, featuring breathtaking panoramic views of Mount Teide – the highest point in Spain – the Atlantic Ocean, and the palm-dotted greenery of its terraces and surrounding botanical parks.

Prepare to embark on an unforgettable culinary journey throughout your stay, with exceptional restaurants celebrating local and international flavours.

At fusion restaurant OKA, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Ricardo Sanz, Japanese fine dining is given a mouthwatering Mediterranean twist.

Two-Michelin-starred chef Erlantz Gorostiza is the mastermind behind two more restaurants: Spanish gourmet bistro Amalur, with a menu inspired by the four elements; and fine dining restaurant Lava, whose exclusive setting includes a Chef’s Counter for six guests.

Breakfast at Atlantico Buffet is the perfect way to start the day as you savour delicious dishes alongside terrace views. For leisurely poolside lunches, La Carola is the place to be, serving Mediterranean flavours and crisp Canarian wines with a generous side of Tenerife sunshine.

Secure your holiday to Gran Hotel Taoro with British Airways Holidays and enjoy a great-value holiday with quality and peace of mind. You’ll benefit from ATOL protection from the moment you book, a 24-hour helpline and a generous checked baggage allowance. Book your holiday with a low deposit and spread the cost with flexible payments* – so all that’s left to focus on is enjoying your holiday in style.

If you upgrade to Club Europe, you’ll enjoy a host of additional benefits including lounge access,** increased checked baggage allowance, and priority check-in and boarding. Members of The British Airways Club benefit from collecting Avios, earning tier points and using Avios towards the cost of holiday packages.

Spend your days at the Gran Hotel Taoro relaxing by three heated pools, set amidst beautifully landscaped gardens and providing a postcard-perfect setting for some downtime.

If you want to up the relaxation factor further, head to the serene sanctuary of the Sandara Wellness Center, which offers a range of exclusive treatments in partnership with luxury French brand Anne Semonin.

Guests who want to explore the history, culture and natural wonders of the local area – including Puerto de la Cruz, the oldest tourist destination in the Canaries – can take advantage of the hotel’s new X-Plora programme, offering a range of tailor-made experiences both within and beyond the hotel grounds through the dedicated concierge team.

More than a luxury retreat, Gran Hotel Taoro is a grand hotel reborn: a destination where heritage, culture and five-star service come together in one of Tenerife’s most treasured and authentic settings. Book with British Airways Holidays to experience this Spanish icon’s remarkable return in 2026.

British Airways Holidays packages include a generous checked baggage allowance for each customer and come with full ATOL protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your Tenerife holiday to Gran Hotel Taoro with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly*.

*Based on two sharing. Full balance due four weeks before departure. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply. **Subject to availability

• Secure your holiday with a low deposit and spread the cost with flexible payments.*

• All holiday packages include a generous checked baggage allowance.

• ATOL protection from the moment you book your holiday package giving you financial reassurance.

• Quality car hire with no hidden fees, 24-hour support and roadside assistance.

• Upgrade to Club Europe (Business Class) for a host of additional benefits including lounge access,** increased checked baggage allowance, delicious food and drink options and dedicated check-in and priority boarding.

• Members of The British Airways Club benefit from collecting Avios, earning tier points and using Avios towards the cost of holiday packages.

Brewdog to close 38 bars with 484 jobs lost after £33m sale to US firm

Beer-brewing company BrewDog has been sold to American firm Tilray Brands for just £33m, with close to 500 people being made redundant.

In total, 38 bars across the UK will be set for closure, with the deal encompassing only 11 pubs along with the brand and brewing operations.

After failing to turn a profit in recent years, BrewDog appointed administrators to oversee a sale, with Tilray – which owns a range of other craft brewing companies, along with businesses operating in the medical cannabis sector – emerging as the successful buyer.

Earlier this year, BrewDog stopped operations across its gin and vodka brands in Aberdeenshire, while last year it closed doors on several pubs it owned in a bid to stem losses. Jobs were also cut after a £37m loss was recorded across the previous year.

Following the closure, with immediate effect, of the 38 bars, there will be 484 redundancies, though 733 employees’ jobs have been preserved under the terms of the sale, and will now become workers for Tilray Brands UK.

Administrators AlixPartners confirmed that there was no offer received “from any prospective bidder which would have preserved BrewDog in its entirety”.

The administrators have also confirmed there would be “no return to any equity holders” from the sale, including the members of the public who invested in BrewDog through the company’s “Equity for Punks” scheme.

Money raised from equity sales to fans in this way was used for expanding the business, and was estimated to have raised about £75m.

“As one would expect over the past two weeks, we have received significant interest in the BrewDog business from prospective buyers across both the trade and investment communities,” said Clare Kennedy, a managing director at AlixPartners.

“In Tilray, we have secured a purchaser with a passion for craft brewing who will be an excellent custodian and sponsor of the business in the months and years ahead.

“Having done so, our priority now is to support, to the fullest extent possible, those people whose roles have been made redundant, and we would ask operators within the UK leisure sector who are in a position to assist to contact us at any time.”

Irwin D Simon, chief executive of Tilray Brands, added, “BrewDog is one of the most iconic, mission-driven craft beer brands in the UK. What makes BrewDog truly special has always been its brewers, its brewpubs and its passionate community of beer fans.

“As we begin a new chapter for this great brand, our priority is to refocus BrewDog on the craft beer excellence that made it beloved in the first place and strategically invest to return the operations to profitable growth. BrewDog’s future is bright, and we are committed to ensuring the brand continues to lead and inspire the global craft beer movement.”

Neither of the two original co-founders, James Watt and Martin Dickie, hold ongoing day-to-day roles at the firm, though Mr Watt moved to a position of “captain and co-founder” after stepping down as chief executive in 2024 following a series of complaints and controversy. Mr Dickie left the company last year due to “personal reasons”; last year, he announced plans to turn a new venture into a dominant medical cannabis company.

MPs’ pay to increase £19,000 by 2029 – here’s what they will earn

MPs will have received a £19,000 pay rise by the end of this parliament, the watchdog has announced.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) said on Monday that the salary of an MP will increase to £98,599 in 2026-27 before rising to £110,000 by 2029.

Announcing the decision, the body said MPs were facing increased levels of abuse and dealing with more complex workloads in their role.

It means £12m more will be spent on the pay of the Commons’ 650 MPs by the expected date of the next election.

The announcement comes just 24 hours before chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to give her Spring Statement with an update on the state of the country’s finances, and amid fears she will have to raise taxes again in the autumn.

With the war in Iran set to hit energy prices and Ms Reeves’ £20bn headroom further, it is expected that money will be tight again.

It also comes at a time when a number of public sector workers including teachers, doctors, nurses and fire fighters are threatening strike action over their restricted pay increases.

In 2025, IPSA applied an interim increase of 2.8 per cent to £93,904. In the last year, the body has engaged the public in a wide-ranging programme of consultations to help guide decisions about MPs’ pay over a longer period.

Additionally, IPSA has undertaken a process to benchmark MPs’ pay against other responsible roles in the wider public sector, and parliamentarians in similar democracies around the world.

In a statement, it said that its analysis suggests MPs should receive a salary of around £110,000 by the scheduled end of the current parliament in 2029, from £91,346 at the start of parliament in 2024.

Richard Lloyd, IPSA’s chair, said: “The role of an MP has evolved. They are dealing with higher levels of complex casework, and abuse and intimidation towards MPs and their staff has been growing.

“In reaching our decision for 2026-27 we have benchmarked MPs’ pay against other responsible, senior roles in civic society and similar worldwide democracies, as well as considering our own core principles and the wider economic context.

“In future years we will continue to consider prevailing economic and fiscal conditions when confirming annual pay decisions taking into account the experience of people outside of parliament.”

As an initial step towards this figure, IPSA’s decision on pay for 2026/27 includes a 1.5 per cent benchmarking adjustment, as well as a 3.5 per cent cost-of-living increase.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Politicians should not be insulated from the consequences of their own actions. Their pay should be linked to real living standards measured by GDP per capita.”