How Arsenal are being gaslit ahead of crunch Real Madrid clash

As David Raya walked out of the cavernous Bernabeu media room, having said Arsenal are “super-convinced” they can win – and then repeating it – Mikel Arteta gave him a knowing nod. The right message had been sent. Something was needed to counter “the narrative”, as the Gunners boss put it.

The main difficulty in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final might not even be facing Real Madrid, given what Arsenal did to them in the first leg, but the noise that Real Madrid make.

Jude Bellingham almost laughed when asked which word has been said the most in the dressing room over the last week. The answer was obviously “remontada”, since it is what everyone outside the dressing room has been raving about incessantly.

This is what manifestation looks like. Madrid have almost worked themselves into a fervour. Bellingham insisted “you can’t come into this believing there’s going to be anything other than a comeback”, and Madrid admittedly have the best possible reason for that. They have come back from two-goal-plus first-leg deficits more than any other club in European history.

It’s the great intrigue of this tie, and one challenge that Arteta – and, in truth, very few managers – have ever faced. Arsenal have a 3-0 lead but they’re essentially being gaslit into thinking they are the club facing the pressure, who have it all to do. This is what the Santiago Bernabeu can do to you.

It is one of very few stadiums you can go to with a lead like that and fear that a tie is still alive. The club hierarchy have promised something “special” for the pre-game tifo, which fits with how they’ve been trying to create “ambiente de remontada” all week. Fans have previously had pageantry about how your dream is their reality.

Now, they might well say that what seems impossible for you is inevitable for us.

Real Madrid great Emilio Butragueno was this week telling Madrid’s younger players about the epic comebacks of the 1980s, as Bellingham admitted he’d been watching some of the goals on TikTok. Madrid have naturally put highlights of all of their epic remontadas on social media, which is why Arteta was right to say it’s impossible to shut out.

“That’s the source of education these days,” Bellingham laughed. He did add “it’s infectious”, and spoke about a striking mindset.

“We had one of the worst results that could happen, and now everyone feels it’s nailed on we’re going to come back. It’s a nice feeling… a club like no other, the best in the world.”

This is what Arsenal have to withstand. It does add a genuinely fascinating psychological and sporting dimension to a tie that would otherwise be considered done.

That challenge is sharpened by the relative inexperience and youth of the Arsenal team. The Madrid camp have been all too keen to mention this almost as much as remontadas, pointing to how Arteta’s side have never played together in a stadium like this at a stage like this.

That’s where the Madrid media industrial complex is so effective, for reasons more than transfer campaigns. All of this is of course a vintage attempt to change the feeling around the tie, to make it feel like “anything can happen”. Even Pep Guardiola’s most experienced Manchester City teams have succumbed to that.

That’s precisely what Madrid have to try, though, since this tie proceeding as normal would just see Arsenal go through rather comfortably. There is even the possibility this merely becomes a huge anti-climax, as Arteta’s side just sit and shut Madrid out.

Those within the Arsenal camp even scoff at the idea that youth might be a disadvantage, since they say it has actually afforded this team “a fearlessness”. The travelling fans might understandably be nervous, many of them refusing to book cancellable trips for future rounds out of a fear of tempting fate, but that just hasn’t got through to the dressing room. They’re “super convinced”, you might say. Arteta himself laughed when asked about “fear”.

“I wouldn’t use that word,” the manager said. “It’s respect, and admiration for what they’ve done… but after that it’s just an opposition team.” Arsenal proved that in the first leg, stripping a stale and lethargic Madrid of aura.

“We have the momentum,” Raya said. The goalkeeper then repeatedly said Arsenal are here “to win”, having refused to get into any discussion of remontadas at all. Raya wasn’t going to play that game.

When asked about what game Arsenal would play, Arteta re-iterated that ambition to win. That naturally prompted a question about why he would take such an unnecessary risk.

“Because it’s the way of playing we feel most comfortable with,” Arteta said. “It’s about expression… to be brave, to be better than them.”

That may have revealed a bit of psychology on the other side.

Given how lethal Madrid can be on the break, and how a robust Arsenal don’t need to actually step out, it is hard to believe a manager as canny as Arteta will be so cavalier.

More instructive was actually what he said about “adapting quickly” to whatever happens, and “taking the game where we want”. This was an obvious reference to a Madrid early goal or similar, even if the Basque naturally didn’t want to outright describe that. He doesn’t want his players visualising negatives.

Arsenal have been conscious of this. Arteta and his staff have naturally watched all of Madrid’s recent comebacks, and studied how those games went as they did.

With City’s stoppage-time 3-1 collapse in 2021-22, it was genuinely the “uncontrolled euphoria” that stopped them Guardiola’s side doing what they normally do, while empowering Madrid. Arteta has specifically attempted to prepare for this, if only by working with his players on how to keep at the job at hand rather than dwelling on the potential of actually going behind. Again, “visualisation” is so vital here.

Preparing is one thing, though. The reality is something else.

Such is the history of this stadium that the temptation is almost to call it a “magical realism”. Ancelotti hasn’t got this far by indulging in such talk, though.

“I say nothing of magic, because magic doesn’t exist.”

He instead appealed to much more corporeal elements, saying Madrid have to “play with your head, heart and balls”.

This is where the headlines were coming in, as Raya repeated Arteta’s line of “writing our own history”.

This is all just another part of the noise, though. “Let’s do it on the pitch,” Arteta said. “It’s the only thing that matters.”

There’s no coming back from there.

Joe Biden skewers Trump in first speech since leaving Oval Office

Former president Joe Biden assailed President Donald Trump and Republicans for their attacks on Social Security in his first address since leaving the White House on Tuesday.

The former president spoke to the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled’s national conference, his first since he left the White House in January after President Donald Trump took office.

“Social Security is more than just a government program,” he said. “It’s a sacred promise.”

In recent months, Biden has mostly stayed away from the public eye. He left office incredibly unpopular having already had to exit the 2024 presidential election early. But many continue to attribute the loss of his former vice president Kamala Harris to Trump on Biden’s radioactive brand.

Nevertheless, Biden’s first post-presidential address since leaving Pennsylvania Avenue focused on a topic close to his heart: preserving Social Security from Republican attacks.

“They want to wreck it, so they can rob it,” he said. Biden also criticized Republicans for trying to cut not just Social Security, but Medicaid. Last week, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a budget framework to begin the process to enact massive spending cuts while also extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

The legislation instructs the committee that oversees Medicaid to find $880 billion worth of cuts. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson opened the door to taking able-bodied workers and young men off of Medicaid, the health care program meant for low-income people, children and people with disabilities.

“What are the two big pots of money out there in raw numbers? Social Security and Medicaid,” Biden said. “These guys are willing to hurt the middle class and the working class in order to deliver significant, greater wealth to the already very wealthy. Who in the hell do they think they are?”

Biden also assailed various members of the Trump administration for their comments on Social Security.

Specifically, he pointed to Elon Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, for calling Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.”

“What the hell are they talking about?” Biden said. “People earned these benefits. They paid into that benefit. They rely on that benefit.”

Musk has also said that dead people and people who are as old as 300 years old receive benefits, which has debunked repeatedly. Rather, recipients with incomplete birth dates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago.

Biden, 82, used Musk’s claims to make a joke about his age, which became a pressing issue during his 2024 presidential campaign during his one debate with Trump where Biden gave a sometimes hoarse and rambling delivery.

“By the way, those 300-year-old folks on Social Security, I would like to meet them,” he joked. “Hell of thing, man. I’m looking for longevity. Because it is hell when you turn 40 years old.”

In recent weeks, Musk has sought to have DOGE explore his supposed “fraud epidemic” within the government program which provides direct payments to senior citizens. But last month, a court issued a temporary restraining order to prevent DOGE from going on a fraud “fishing expedition.”

The former president also criticized Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who said that if his mother-in-law missed a Social Security payment, she would not complain.

“She’s probably a lovely woman,” he said. “No kidding. Her son-in-law is a billionaire. What about that 94-year old-mother that’s living all by herself?”

Biden’s delivery throughout the address was similar to his performance in his final years as president as he occasionally trailed off and whispered before going louder. That delivery that showed visible signs of his age led many Democrats in 2024 – led by former president Barack Obama, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi – to say that he should step aside.

His address comes as Democrats attempt to recuperate after their brutal loss where Republicans not only regained the White House but also control of the Senate.

In recent months, Democrats have sought to have newer voices, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hitting the road with Sen. Bernie Sanders, an octagenerian himself, to Republican areas. Meanwhile, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, a more moderate Democrat, delivered a marathon 25-hour address to oppose Republican policies and show his own stamina.

British man missing for a month found ‘perfectly fine’ on Thai island

A 26-year-old British man whose family said he had been missing for over a month in Thailand was found “perfectly fine” on a popular holiday island.

The family of Daniel Davies, from Llanelli in Wales, said he had last made contact with them on 13 March when he was on the Koh Phi Phi Don island in the southern province of Krabi.

The family filed a missing person’s report with the Dyfed-Powys police saying it was “highly out of character” for him to not contact them for so long. The report prompted local authorities in Thailand to commence a search operation for the tourist.

Mr Davies’ aunt, Nicola Doran, said in an appeal to the public that her nephew had gone “missing in Bangkok, Thailand”. “He has been reported and is now a missing person, no one has had any contact in weeks,” she said in a Facebook post last week.

“He lost his passport, and he hasn’t picked up his temporary one,” Ms Doran wrote in a fundraiser post. “He was last seen in Phi Phi island staying at the hangover hostel.”

His friend Lucia Froom said Mr Davies’ phone was turned off and no one had heard from him in weeks, which was “not like him at all”. “If anyone knows anyone in Thailand or is planning a trip there soon, can people please keep an eye out for him,” Ms Froom was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

On Tuesday, the Thai police said that they had found Mr Davies staying in a hostel in Muang and that he was “perfectly fine”.

The tourist was safe, mentally sound and making his own decisions as a legal adult, The Pattaya News quoted the police as saying.

“We are relieved he is safe,” a spokesperson for the Krabi police said. “We encourage all tourists to take basic safety measures to avoid such situations.”

Ms Doran updated her Facebook post on Tuesday. “He has been found,” she wrote, referring to her nephew. “Thank you for all your help.”

Mr Davies’ visa was reportedly valid until the end of this month.

The Phi Phi islands are among the most popular travel destinations in Thailand, made famous for Western travellers by the 2000 film The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for British tourists, with almost a million people visiting last year.

Tourism in the Southeast Asian country is experiencing unprecedented growth this year, driven partly by the popular HBO series The White Lotus, filmed on the Koh Samui island.

The hidden costs of your digital storage – and how to clean it up

Your cloud storage is nearly full.” These six words will strike fear into the heart of any digital hoarder –and might prompt some existential questioning. Didn’t I only just buy a load more storage? Can I even remember what is lurking in this elusive cloud, and why I’m clinging on to it? Will I just be paying for more and more gigabytes and terabytes of digital space as I go through life, dragging them around like some invisible burden?

It feels like a great, banal paradox of modern life: we’re always signing up for more storage, and constantly on the verge of running out. iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox: many of us are fully paid-up customers of them all, for a mixture of personal and professional purposes – and the expense can slowly but surely creep up.

A few quid each month might not seem too extravagant. You can secure 50 GB of storage on Apple’s iCloud for 99p per month, 200 GB for £2.99 and so on. Google’s basic plan is similarly priced, offering 100 GB for £1.59 monthly and 200 GB for £2.49. Dropbox offers a massive 2 TB for £9.99 each month. But if you’re locked into subscriptions for a handful of different platforms – say you use a Mac laptop, and back it up using iCloud, but all your digital photos are archived with Google, for example – it can easily add up to hundreds of pounds over the course of a year.

Recent research from phone network O2 suggested that 42 per cent of British mobile phone users pay for additional storage, with millennials paying around six times as much as their boomer counterparts. Photos, videos and unused apps were highlighted as the main storage-hogging culprits. “We’ve all got used to using cloud storage as a digital dumping ground,” says digital strategist and sustainable business coach Adela Mei. “Digital can often mean out of sight, out of mind,” she adds, “until the storage bill comes in”. So is paying for exponentially increasing amounts of storage just a part of life now?

Most of us use some form of digital cloud every day, but few of us properly understand how it works. “Cloud storage allows you to save files, like photos, documents and videos, on the internet instead of on your phone or computer,” explains Professor Tom Jackson, Loughborough University’s co-lead of digital decarbonisation, a movement based around responsible, more efficient use of data in order to minimise potential carbon emissions. Tech giants such as Google, Apple and Amazon, as well as dedicated cloud companies with less instantly recognisable names, “run huge data centres with thousands of servers that store your files securely”, he adds, and “when you save a file to the cloud, it gets sent over the internet to a remote server”.

Data centres are set up with multiple servers and systems to ensure that if one fails, customers can still access their files. And if your phone breaks down or your laptop goes on the blink, your data is safe. Essentially, Jackson says, “cloud storage makes digital life easier – no more worrying about running out of space or losing important memories”.

But as our lives increasingly play out online, we’re generating more and more data. In 2010, for example, two zettabytes (that’s one billion terabytes, and a terabyte is equivalent to one thousand gigabytes, if you want to try and get an idea of the scope) of data were generated around the world. 10 years later, in 2020, the amount rose to 32 zettabytes. This year, it’s estimated that around 180 zettabytes of data will be created globally, this “equates to more than 6.8 billion years of continuous high quality Netflix streaming”, says Jackson’s colleague and project co-lead, Professor Ian Hodgkinson. And as time goes on, the amount is “set to expand rapidly, so much so that by 2035 global data creation is expected to exceed 2,000 zettabytes”.

These are numbers so big, they’re hard to get your head around. Martin Butler, professor of digital transformation at Vlerick Business School, puts it in more tangible terms: if data storage occupied as much space as a garden shed a decade ago, he says, now it’s more akin to a sprawling Great Wall of China. One of the main drivers for this, he adds, “is the ubiquity of connected devices, with every user and device becoming a constant source of data production”. Every message, document or selfie adds up.

And as technology, including AI, becomes ever more advanced, more data is generated. “One of the biggest drivers is the rise of AI and large language models [systems that can understand and generate plausibly human text],” explains Olivier Subramanian, head of cloud advisory at tech consultancy BJSS, because these “require enormous data sets and computational power” in order to work properly.

As annoying as it might be to keep paying out for our personal data storage, the environmental implications are far, far more alarming. Data centres are now responsible for more emissions than the aviation industry. The powerful processors “require large and constant electrical input”, says Jackson, and every hard drive – and back-up device – must “remain powered and accessible” in case a customer needs access (data never sleeps).

All of this generates serious amounts of heat, and so another hugely energy-intensive part of the process is cooling. In many data centres, cold water is piped around the servers, because using liquid is about 3,000 times more efficient than using an air system. This can “often account for up to half of the centre’s total energy use”, Butler says. More data means more energy required to run and cool down more servers, and therefore more carbon emissions. Vast amounts of water get used up, too: in 2021, the average Google data centre consumed around 450,000 gallons of water every single day, according to stats released by the tech company.

In research published last year, Jackson, Hodgkinson and their colleague Dr Vitor Castro predicted that we are currently on a path towards a “data doomsday”. Based on current projections, global electricity supply from renewable energy sources won’t be able to meet the demand from digital data this year, which “risks increasing reliance on fossil fuels, especially during periods of peak energy demand”, Hodgkinson says. They’ve estimated that “if data consumption continues unabated, electricity demand driven by data could exceed global electricity production by 2033”. That’s only eight years away – terrifying, right?

It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that your photos from that holiday in 2016 aren’t singularly responsible for a potential climate apocalypse. Research estimates that somewhere between 5 per cent and 20 per cent of cloud data storage is used up by individual consumers (rather than businesses), says Butler, and many of us do “have rather poor data hygiene practices, like taking 10 pictures when one will do, or never cleaning personal data”.

But this, he notes, still “pales in comparison to what large enterprises do”. Social media giants and media companies generate and consume vast amounts through targeted advertising, video content and the metadata that comes with it.

Ultimately, Butler adds, “this is business for Big Tech”, so “there is no motivation for Google, Amazon, Microsoft and [Chinese tech company] Alibaba to reduce the amount of data stored for their customers”. After all, they want to sell products, services and subscriptions.

Instead, he says, they “will work on reducing the impact per unit of data stored” and, he concedes, they “have done that rather well”. Last year, Google signed up to use small-scale nuclear reactors to power its data centres; by 2030, the company is aiming for net zero emissions. Microsoft, meanwhile, is constructing data centres using wood to reduce the carbon footprint. Tech innovations should allow us to “store more data in smaller spaces”, too, Butler says.

But just as we can all try to recycle more and cut back on single use plastic, our own digital behaviour is still important. “Individual actions, like clearing out old files or photos, can make a difference, even if they seem small on their own,” says Subramanian. “While your cloud footprint might appear insignificant, when multiplied by billions of users, the impact becomes substantial.” He reckons that we should “think before [we] store: do you really need to keep that email or those 10 nearly identical photos? Is it necessary to create a dozen AI-generated Studio Ghibli images of you and your family?”

But what about sorting through our back catalogues, given that most of us are the not-so-proud owners of at least a decade or so’s cumulative digital ephemera, hoarded across various platforms and devices? It’s not fun, glamorous or even as satisfying as filling up a bin bag, but simply deleting files that you no longer need is a good place to start, says Mei.

Clean-up apps are designed to automate much of this work, but they often charge a subscription fee (and do you really want a third-party app accessing your personal data?) Instead, you can go through manually by looking at the size and last used date of the file, and blitzing the biggest and oldest first. When you’re pondering over what to keep and what to delete, Mei recommends channelling your inner Marie Kondo and asking yourself a series of questions: “Do I need it? Do I use it? Do I enjoy it?”

Repeating the process with your emails can help free up Cloud space too (especially if you’re always dealing with attachment-laden messages).

The key, Mei adds, is to keep doing this regularly, and “getting your files and folders in order” will help you “find things easily and avoid duplications” – consider it a “tidy desk policy, for your digital world”. Oh, and it might sound obvious, but make sure you delete stuff from the trash can on your Cloud as well as on your device.

There are other quick swaps that you can make, too, such as using more storage-friendly formats for your images (avoid space-hogging TIFFs and consider trying Google’s WebP format, which was designed for efficiency), or compressing them if you can cope with the lower resolution. On Apple devices, you can also control which apps actually get backed up to the cloud: social media platforms and streaming services, for example, tend to have their own servers, so backing them up is pretty redundant. And you can, of course, invest in physical storage devices, like portable hard drives, to back up and store files that you don’t use very often.

When you’ve had a smartphone for years, your message history starts to eat up a decent chunk of storage. If you have one friend whose voice notes are starting to become more like fully fledged podcasts, consider targeting that conversation and deleting those files (unless they have loads of sentimental value). You can also change your settings on WhatsApp and opt out of automatically downloading every single file you’re sent; you’ll find that your storage is no longer clogged up with other people’s blurry gig videos and naff memes.

More than anything, though, we need to change the way we think about our data: instead of viewing it as something nebulous and intangible, it’s time to start considering the very real implications, and remembering that the cost is more than just financial. “Just because data is invisible doesn’t mean it’s carbon neutral,” Jackson says. “Every file has a footprint.”

The Who fire longtime drummer after Roger Daltrey complaints

The Who have axed their longtime drummer Zak Starkey following the rock band’s headline shows at the Royal Albert Hall last month.

A statement from the band’s representative to The Independent said a “collective decision” was made to part ways with the musician following the concerts, which were held in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Starkey, 59, who is the son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his first wife, Maureen Starkey, has been The Who’s full-time drummer since their Quadrophenia tour in 1996.

A spokesperson said: “The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall.

“They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future.”

However, an “insider” reportedly told The Mirror that the situation was “a little acrimonious to say the least”.

According to a Metro report, The Who’s frontman Roger Daltrey openly complained several times that Starkey was “overplaying” at the Royal Albert Hall gig on 30 March.

“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys,” he apparently told the audience at one point.

Starkey appeared to pre-empt his firing on Sunday (13 April), as he posted an all-caps message to his Instagram followers that said, in part: “Heard today from inside source that Toger Daktrey [sic] lead singer and principal songwriter of the group unhappy with Zak the drummer’s performance at the Albert Hall a few weeks ago is bringing formal charges of overplaying and is literally going to Zak the drummer.”

The Independent has contacted Starkey and The Who’s representatives for comment.

The news comes after Starkey, who also plays in the indie band Mantra of the Cosmos and previously replaced Oasis drummer Alan White in 2004, suffered a blood clot in his leg in January.

He was advised to rest and take blood thinners for two weeks following the clot.

Starkey and Mantra of the Cosmos were joined in January by Noel Gallagher on their new track “Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)”.

He first met the Oasis star in a London rehearsal room in early 1995 when Starkey was in a band called Face, before he began drumming for Oasis in 2004. He played on the albums Don’t Believe The Truth and Dig Out Your Soul.

Fans are now speculating that Starkey could join the Oasis lineup for their massive reunion shows this summer.

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UK inflation falls by more than expected in boost to Reeves

UK inflation has slowed down for the second month in a row on the back of falling petrol prices, new official figures have revealed.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation eased to 2.6 per cent in March, from 2.8 per cent in February.

It was a steeper drop than predicted by economists, who had expected a reading of 2.7 per cent for March, and marks the lowest reading since December.

ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: “Inflation eased again in March, driven by a variety of factors including falling fuel prices and unchanged food costs compared with the price rises we saw this time last year.

“The only significant offset came from the price of clothes, which rose strongly this month, following the unusual decrease in February.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Inflation falling for two months in a row, wages growing faster than prices, and positive growth figures are encouraging signs that our plan for change is working, but there is more to be done.

“I know many families are still struggling with the cost of living and this is an anxious time because of a changing world. That is why the Government has boosted pay for three million people by increasing the minimum wage, frozen fuel duty and begun rolling out free breakfast clubs in primary schools.”

Last month, drivers were told they should see fuel prices fall from a six-month high after a drop in wholesale costs.

The RAC said average pump prices should come down by at least 6p per litre for petrol and 3p per litre for diesel if the savings are passed on. The organisation believe price cuts are possible because the cost of oil has dropped from above 80 US dollars in mid-January to below 70 US dollars.

The falling rate of inflation continues to make it likely that the Bank of England (BoE) will push forward with an interest rate cut when they meet on 8 May. Some experts are now foreseeing a further two cuts to the base rate across 2025 beyond next month’s.

However, most economists still expect the drop in inflation to be short-lived.

“This is a temporary slowdown. Inflation will almost certainly lurch higher in April as annual price resets and budget tax rises take effect,” explained RSM’s economist Thomas Pugh.

“We think that inflation will peak at around 3.7 per cent in the summer, but the risks are now more even sided.

“The drop in inflation in March was driven by weaker inflation almost across the board. Lower oil prices fed into a drop in fuel price inflation and food price inflation also weakened a little. Clothing inflation rebounded and, more importantly, services inflation slowed from 5.0 per cent to 4.7 per cent.

“While a drop in inflation is good news for the BoE and reinforces the chances of a rate cut in May, this is merely the calm before the storm of price rises that will come in April. A combination of higher energy prices, indexed linked price resets and firms passing on the jump in employment costs will probably push inflation to 3.5 per cent or even a bit higher.”

Next month’s data will be the first to include pricing alterations since the labour cost increases to businesses as a result of National Insurance and minimum wage rises.

Martin Sartorius, principal economist at CBI, said: “March inflation coming in broadly in line with Bank of England expectations is welcome news, particularly ahead of a likely pick up in price pressures in April due to higher energy costs, regulated price increases, and the passthrough of Autumn Budget measures.

“The introduction of higher US tariffs adds some uncertainty to the outlook, as they could put both upward and downward pressure on inflation in the UK. Businesses welcome the government’s ongoing commitment to the principles of free, fair, and open trade, as well as promising to go further and faster to support firms during this period of instability.

“Today’s data suggests that the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee will likely cut rates next month. Looking ahead, we expect them to continue their ‘gradual and careful’ approach to reducing borrowing costs amid an uncertain economic environment.”

Despite an impending cut to interest rates, homeowners might not see an immediate additional benefit in terms of further lowered mortgage costs, believes MPowered Mortgages’s Peter Stimson.

“May’s all-but-certain base rate cut is unlikely to translate into a further wave of mortgage rate cuts next month,” he said. “The reason for this is that mortgage lenders price their fixed-rate loans according to swap rates, which are a forecast for the future course of the base rate, rather than the base rate of the day.

“Swap rates have fallen since Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcement two weeks ago, and many lenders have responded by cutting their mortgage rates accordingly. In other words, they have already ‘priced in’ a base rate cut in May and may not have scope to reduce their rates again so soon.”

Britain still has free speech – as Steve Bray has shown loud and clear

Steve Bray, known to most as the “Stop Brexit Man” after his years-long noisy campaign against Britain’s departure from the European Union, has won his latest legal case.

He has been cleared of failing to follow a police order, namely to stop being quite so loud in the environs of parliament. Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in quiet deliberation, agreed with Bray’s arguments that he has the right to protest at any given level of decibels.

Deputy District Judge Anthony Woodcock said Bray “admitted that he is ‘anti-Tory’ … He believes his is an important message to disseminate. He needs the volume that he uses to get the message across from Parliament Street to the Palace of Westminster.”

After nearly a decade as a fixture on the streets and public spaces around Whitehall – and too divisive and annoying to be termed a “national treasure” – Bray has at least become a part of Britain’s constitution…

By offering a supposedly inappropriate musical accompaniment to then prime minister Rishi Sunak’s entry into the House of Commons on 20 March 2024. It was not a legal argument, but Bray justified blasting the Darth Vader theme in the general direction of the Palace of Westminster on the grounds that Sunak is a Star Wars fan (a matter of public knowledge and not in doubt). When he followed up with The Muppet Show theme during Prime Minister’s Questions, police confiscated his loudspeakers.

Officers had previously issued Bray a map of permitted areas for his protests, using a Westminster Council by-law. But that was no match for the amateur human rights lawyer. He told them the map was inaccurate and, as an obiter dictum, that the officers could “stick it where the sun don’t shine”.

If authorities now choose to appeal this week’s judgment, the arguments could go all the way to the European Court of Human Rights (which, let’s face it, he’d enjoy … though in his absence, Westminster would be a bit more tranquil.)

It proves that, contrary to what Elon Musk and JD Vance claim, free speech is alive and well in Britain – loud and clear.

By no means. A price of (extremely loud) free speech is disruption to anyone working or living in the area, who must endure a racket which, like a bad busker knocking out Oasis, could be viewed as a form of torture.

In court, Bray apologised to those affected. Lee Anderson, the Tory/Brexit Party/Reform UK MP who sometimes had testy exchanges with Bray, condemned the judgment: “As well as being a public nuisance, Steve Bray is also known as a sponging parasite who relies on dimwitted do-gooders to subsidise his lifestyle. I suspect Bray is probably a person of interest to the HMRC, as are many others who scrounge an existence through political campaigning. It is time for transparency and people like Bray should publish all their donations just like a charity has to. I suspect he has trousered hundreds of thousands of pounds. It’s about time he spent some of it on new clothes and toiletries.”

Anderson provided no evidence for his claims, and his arguments did not address the legal right to say things that Reform UK might not like.

Plenty of D:Ream’s “Things Can Only Get Better” as Labour came closer to power, while Liz Truss had to compete with Kaiser Chiefs’ “I Predict a Riot” during appearances in Downing Street in her brief premiership. Most notably, Yakety Sax – used on The Benny Hill Show – eradicated any vestigial dignity during Boris Johnson’s resignation statement.

Protest and survive. Bray’s case adds to the corpus of legal protections for awkward dissent. Brian Haw, the man who spent about a decade living in a tent on Parliament Square in protest against the Iraq war, similarly survived numerous legal attempts to dislodge him. In 2005, then home secretary David Blunkett drafted an act of parliament apparently specially designed to end Haw’s small and untidy encampment; the attempt failed because someone failed to make the legislation retrospective.

Squares and streets around Westminster have always been the scenes of marches, protests – and the odd riot – and will continue to do so. For Steve Bray, things can hardly get better; he’ll be fine now –unless Lee Anderson ever gets to be home secretary.