I’m sure all of you have seen the Happy 2016 memes saying that 2026 is the new 2016. This became a new trend to lean into, with everyone taking their own spins on it. But if we really think about it, this wasn’t just a random trend someone started. Everyone went along with it, which means that they all felt the same way. This refers to the fact that there is more to the story. Can it be that we are uncertain about our futures, and looking for comfort in times we see as familiar and safe? And why is it that a similar wave of nostalgia hit everyone during the pandemic?

Volunteer tourism surged in the 1990s, hitting the mass media travel markets in the early 2000’s. This new travel trend promoted travelling with a purpose and giving back whilst abroad. There is a wide range of volunteer programs allowing travellers to pick what suits their skill set, whilst exploring a new destination. From education to environmental work, there are a plethora of opportunities. If you are passionate about wildlife or community development, there is an abundance to choose from. All varying in structure and destination, no two programs are the same.

Here is a full breakdown of the different styles of volunteer tourism, with an insight from young volunteer tourists who have first-hand experience. Exploring what companies to choose, what to know before you go and how to find the right program for you.

Education:

Education is a crucial part of life and society; this fundamental human right is something often taken for granted. Worldwide education volunteer schemes have been established to improve the quality and quantity of education in underdeveloped communities. Typically throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, where there is a high demand for English teaching but a lack of resources and structure.

These programs typically run from 1 to 12 weeks; the longer that you stay, the bigger your impact will be. Some programs have a minimum stay of 2 weeks to maximise your impact and to ensure an ethical, sustainable outcome. These volunteer schemes are funded by the volunteers, with a registration fee and an overall program fee which typically covers your food and accommodation, in-country transport and 24/7 support whilst volunteering. Some schools and organisations rely on these costs and volunteer participation to keep the programs running and ultimately to continue to improve the quality of education.

Prices vary depending on the country and program; costs can range from £120 to £700 per week. Although this is a wide range, this allows you to find a project that suits your budget. The Mighty Roar offers teaching programmes from £120 to £390, whilst International Volunteer HQ offer programmes from £225 to £684. Challenged Abroad is on the higher end with programmes ranging from £450 per week to £700; the longer you stay, the cheaper it is per week. Challenges Abroad partner with universities, often linked with the turning scheme, making it cheaper for students to volunteer. It is also common that students get a grant to pay for a portion of this volunteering. If you are a student planning to do a volunteer programme, it is wise to look into your university funding to see if there is anything that can cut the costs. Almost all programs don’t include flights; although this act of goodness can be done cheaply, there are definitely lots of added costs.

Sebastian Lane travelled to Panama with Challenges Abroad in 2023 on the education challenge programme. Volunteering in the small town of El Valle de Antón for two weeks, Sebastian taught children English across two primary schools. Both lacking English teachers, the schools rely on these programs to provide volunteers to better the children’s English communication skills. From planning lessons to leading the class and setting activities, Sebastian shared:

“Travelling with Challenges Abroad to Panama and India completely changed my perspective on travel! Volunteering in local schools and helping children with their English was incredibly rewarding, while experiencing different cultures taught me valuable lessons in adaptability and empathy. These trips showed me that travel is about much more than sightseeing, but it’s about building connections, supporting local communities, and growing as a person through meaningful experiences.”

Challenges Abroad is a well-established volunteer organisation for students. Operating programs across ten countries, with a range of programmes. Although specialising in educational volunteering, Challenges Abroad offers medical, wildlife, environmental and social community programs. With the ‘Mission is to develop the next generation of Global Citizens’, they promote impactful travel. Challenges Abroad is partnered with The FutureSense Foundation. The FutureSense Foundation works year-round in the communities to run the programs whilst ensuring a long-term sustainable impact. The charity operates in six hubs and develops a range of programs to address the communities’ needs. Challenges Abroad acts as the backbone; they structure, advertise and arrange these programs for individuals to participate in. When asked about his experience with Challenges Abroad Sebstain shared that:

“The process was smooth and well-organised. They provided clear guidance before departure, support while abroad, and made sure volunteers felt prepared and safe.”

With pre-departure meetings, a support team and extensive information packets to read, Challenges Abroad equip you with everything you need to know pre-departure. Your programme fee includes airport pickup and drop-off once in the country, making your experiences effortless and stress-free. These supportive programmes not only ensure the safety of the community but also the volunteers; when in country, you typically have a challenge leader. This person of authority is there to support your experience, help with any queries and make this experience as smooth as possible.

Educational programmes can differ; although commonly teaching English to children, some programmes offer a range of education from health and wellbeing to women’s health and general education. So choose the program that fits your skill set; these community projects allow you to immerse yourself in a new culture whilst helping these underprivileged communities. When asked what advice he would give to someone considering educational volunteering abroad, Sebastian emphasises:

“Go in with an open mind and a willingness to learn… not just to teach!”

Wildlife:

Over one million species are currently at risk of extinction. In recent years, wildlife has faced a devastating decline, as habitats are destroyed and climate change rises; our planet is at risk of extinction. Primarily driven by human activity, it is our responsibility to undo what has been done.

There is a wide range of wildlife volunteering programmes, but picking the right one is crucial. Unethical programmes cause more harm than good, and are borderline animal tourism rather than conservation work. Companies like The Mighty Roar, GVI, Challenges Abroad, International Volunteer HQ, and Plan my Gap year provide ethical and sustainable programs that positively impact the planet. From restoration to rehabilitation, there is a project for everyone.

Wildlife volunteer programmes range in price from £120 to £1000; although this is a wide range, it again lets participants choose a programme that suits them and their budget. Prices vary depending on the location, the type of conservation and the animals that are involved. Most programmes have a registration fee to cover pre-departure and in-country support. Similar to education volunteering, it is possible as a student to receive a grant or funding to aid you with the costs of this trip; it is always worth checking with your university.

Max Reed travelled to Thailand in 2025 with The Mighty Roar on the Thailand Elephant Volunteer Programme. This programme partners with Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, working to ‘rescue and rehabilitate captive wild animals and provide high-quality care and a safe environment for them to live for the rest of their lives.’ This foundation relies on volunteers to help run the sanctuaries; as an extra pair of hands, you become a zoo keeper for your time there. When asked about his experience at the sanctuary, Max shared:

“I spent two weeks volunteering at the Elephant sanctuary in Thailand; it was absolutely incredible, backbreaking but incredible. To meet and work and interact with a lot of people from different countries, as well as from my own home country in the UK, and spend so many wonderful moments with them during the day and night was amazing. When you weren’t on duty, you were allowed to mingle and mix and enjoy yourselves with the other volunteers. I am extremely grateful for the friendships created through this trip.”

The wildlife rescue centre has over 600 animals; the elephant sanctuary is home to 20+ asian elephants. Your role as a volunteer involves cleaning enclosures, feeding the animals and creating enrichments for them. Their hands-off approach is what makes this ethical sanctuary more sustainable; by prioritising the animals’ health and wellbeing, volunteers are not causing harm. This is not a tourism scheme, but an organisation that rehabilitates animals. With a vet centre on site, animals receive round-the-clock care; the organisation also offers veterinary volunteers to gain hands-on experience whilst also making an impact. Max shared what it was like volunteering day to day;

“The work was obviously hard, especially with the different weather conditions, preparing the elephants’ morning and afternoon food; you would go out in the trucks to harvest and bring back banana trees, and also cleaning out their enclosures. But it was all worth it every time.”

Within wildlife volunteering is environmental volunteering; some projects singularly focus on climate action and sustainability, focusing on conservation work. This can involve tree planting, river cleaning, environmental restoration and combating plastic pollution. With a similar structure to wildlife volunteering, this project is perfect for those who are passionate about saving the planet, this form of responsible travel is the perfect example of giving back, travelling greener and leaving no trace. Throughout Lauren’s time at the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, the organisation is always working on bettering the environment. Through composting and waste reduction alongside their rehabilitation, they are preserving the environment.

These volunteer roles can be physically demanding, and volunteers are required to wake up early to stick to animal feeding schedules. This style of volunteering isn’t for the faint-hearted and requires dedication. With each day being different, you will face obstacles and hardship, but seeing the animals thriving is reward enough. Wildlife volunteering can be damaging if not done correctly, and at the core of this work is the animals’ wellbeing, so choosing the correct program is vital. When asked what advice she would give to someone considering wildlife volunteering abroad, Max shared:

“Look forward to an absolutely amazing time, treasure the memories you make as time will fly by fast. The people you meet will be friends for life.”

Medical:

Medical volunteering has strong roots, dating back to at least the 19th century, in response to the Second World War. Before the war, missionary doctors would travel to establish clinics and hospitals; this faith-based approach focused on the creation, not treatments. However, with the creation of the World Health Organisation, medical volunteering picked up. Moving away from missionary work, after the war doctors, surgeons and nurses travelled focusing on reconstruction, vaccination campaigns, public health campaigns and humanitarian responses. Now in the 21st century, medical volunteering is common among students, for placement and work experience to not only widen their skills but to create a positive impact.

There is a wide range of opportunities for medical volunteering, from paramedic placements to clinical volunteering to midwifery, allowing you to pick what suits your skill set. Choosing a reputable company is key; companies like International Volunteer HQ, Work the World and The Mighty Roar all offer a range of programs and have received high praise for their success and sustainable structure.

Like all volunteer programs, medical opportunities vary in cost ranging from £160 to £1890 per week, depending on the programme, destination and the medical involvement. Most programmes also require a registration fee which goes towards providing you pre departure support; this cost will vary depending on the organisation. Typically, your programme fee includes your accommodation, meals and in-country transport as well as 24/7 support whilst on the programme. The Mighty Roar offers affordable programs ranging from £160 to £490, across 7 different countries, with a focus on hands-on clinical experience. These programs are great for creating a positive impact whilst learning and gaining experience. International Volunteer HQ offer Programs from £210 to £735 per week, with a wider range of pieces and a larger range of opportunities; you can pick the programme that suits you.

Libby McFarlane travelled to South Africa with The Mighty Roar on their medical experience programme. For 4 weeks, Libby helped at a local clinic in the heart of Cape Town. This busy, overcrowded clinic offered a range of free treatments to those in need. This programme is designed for students to further their experience in the medical field whilst making a difference. This programme is only for students who are studying a relevant subject and are looking for overseas elective placements. This hands-on learning not only benefited the volunteers but the doctors and nurses at the clinic, through the exchange of medical knowledge and experience. When asked about how she felt she created an impact, Libby reflected on her experience and shared:

“I created an impact by assisting and teaching the local staff how certain procedures are carried out in the UK, a basic one being cleanliness before tasks. I often encouraged staff to ensure they have washed hands, worn gloves etc as they were unaware of the dangers of infection, whereas nursing in the UK, infection is a huge part of our roles. I created great bonds with the staff, and we were all able to teach one another many things!”

Throughout the program, volunteers aid the clinic in a variety of ways, from monitoring patients, helping doctors with “ECG, drips, getting vital signs, weighing babies”. Volunteers are immersed in the local healthcare environment. Working in a range of departments from chronic health to emergency and wound clinics, volunteers lend an extra pair of hands to those in need. Although the role is largely observational, being there for the patients and aiding in any way made an impact. All medical activities carried out were under the supervision of a medical professional on site. With 24/7 support from The Mighty Roar, this structured program is great for those wanting to travel with purpose whilst creating an impact. When asked what advice she would give to someone considering Medical volunteering abroad, Libby shared:

“Do it!!! I was in so much doubt and fear leading up to my trip, questioning if it was the right thing to do! And it was the best experience of my life! I made friends for life and lived so many bucket list moments! So definitely do it!! Don’t be scared”

Deciding what style of volunteering you want to do is your first step, then researching and finding an ethical and trusted company. During your pre-departure prep, there will be lots of added costs, suitable clothing, visas, vaccinations and your flights. Although these add up and it can become expensive to travel to make an impact, you are giving back.

Although you are only one set of hands, your impact can be as small or as big as you want it to be. The extra set of hands you lend makes daily operations run smoother, improves the quality of health and education, and if enough people are inspired to do it then the impact will be even greater. During my time volunteering abroad, I set up fundraising pages to raise money for the organisation, raising over £1,000 for challenges abroad. I was able to contribute to the creation of one of their new school buildings. Dream big and start small, but make sure to go into this with the right intentions. This isn’t a holiday but a chance to help make a difference.

Morocco is known for its rich culture, vibrant Medinas, the Sahara’s desert dunes, and the dramatic scenery of the Atlas Mountains. Escaping from the country’s capital, Marrakech and moving away from the typical tourist hotspots, you enter the untamed landscapes of Morocco.

Located in the heart of the Atlas Mountains, around two hours south of Marrakech, is Toubkal National Park. Situated in the Village of Imlil, this national park offers you a mountainous escape from the bustling city. Imlil is easy to reach from Marrakech; the winding scenic roads unfold into exquisite views of other mountain villages. As you pass through villages, you get a glimpse of Berber culture. The pink and terracotta houses cling to the mountain and are clustered together, surrounded by blossom and fruit trees. As you get closer to Imlil, your views go from terracotta to green as the Atlas Mountains take shape.

The local Berber people live in harmony within the mountain range, known as the free people. This welcoming community is known for its vibrant culture, delicious cuisine, and welcoming hospitality. Imlil is made up of restaurants and guesthouses, run by locals. This authentic experience gives you an insight into their raw culture.

Isolated from the outside world, Imlil is the perfect place to immerse yourself. As nature and culture collide, you will have a diverse experience. With an insight into local rural life, you truly feel disconnected from the mundane. Waking up to a beautiful sunrise over the crisp mountain air, as beams of sun stream down onto the alpine slopes. Make sure you stay somewhere with a balcony to admire this heavenly view; the terracotta homes with flat roofs blend into the surrounding landscape.

There are a plethora of traditional guest houses to stay in to uncover the culture that revolves around its surrounding landscape; these homestay experiences offer far more than a hotel. Although the accommodation is basic, the warmth and welcoming nature of the locals are unmatched, and the traditional food they serve you is delicious, leaving you wanting more. Full of spices and flavour, the national dish Tagine is a combination of meats and vegetables stewed together in traditional terracotta pots. This dish is deeply rooted in Berber culture and is served with crusty Berber bread and couscous.

Although a small town, Imlil is brimming with activities, all revolving around its beautiful landscapes. With a plethora of treks and hikes to go on, you will never get bored. From plunge pools to waterfalls to rushing streams, these nature walks truly capture the surrounding region. The rich green scenery is enough in itself to keep you busy; the surrounding villages are brimming with market stalls with fresh food and handcrafted traditional Moroccan souvenirs. Imlil relies on tourists, which increases employment and incomes; it is a vital part of their economy. The surrounding valleys are rich in agriculture, harvesting walnuts, cherries, apples and various other fruits and nuts, which further contribute to the economy. Though the community is still sustained by the steady flow of travellers, specifically mountain tourism, from guides, to transport, to accommodation, this small town revolves around this incredible mountain range.

Vatsalya travelled to Morocco in August of 2025 on a group expedition with Intrepid. During her time, she adventured in the Atlas Mountains, immersing in their culture and exploring the surrounding natural landscapes. Going off the beaten path, the group stayed in a local mountain gite in the town of Aroumd. Aroumd is a traditional Berber village neighbouring Imlil and overlooking the incredible mountain range. Living alongside the locals, Vatsalaya shared that;

“Being in the mountains felt like stepping outside the world I knew. Surrounded by nature, practising morning yoga while listening to the river, I felt my body and mind finally slow down and reset. The balance of warm days and crisp nights created a sense of comfort I hadn’t felt in a long time. What stayed with me most were the people — welcoming, present, and truly passionate about living, something city life often makes us forget. The experience reminded me that the essence of life lies in connection, presence, celebrating life, and allowing ourselves the freedom to simply be.”

The adventure takes 2-3 days. Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, offers panoramic views of the contrasting snowcapped mountains and the Sahara Desert. At 4,167 meters, this hike is more appealing to tourists than other big summits, as it is feasible with determination, good health and fitness, as no mountaineering skills or gear are needed. When hiking, whether it’s to the summit or a day hike, you are legally required to have a guide. This was introduced in 2018 after a fatal incident near Mount Toubkal, involving two tourists. This law was implemented to protect tourists and allow them to hike safely. Do not embark on this journey alone; a guide must accompany you. A guide not only makes your hike safer - with insider knowledge of the weather, the most efficient routes, and the region’s history and culture - but also far more enjoyable. Offering you local insight, a guide will transform this into a meaningful and educational trip whilst keeping you safe. It is required that you bring your passport when entering the national park, so guards can record your details and ensure your guide is licensed for your own safety. If climbing to the summit, there are three checkpoints; on day-trip hikes, you will only encounter the entrance checkpoint.

Spanning 380 Km2, Morocco’s first national park invites travellers to explore its towering peaks, natural springs and its lush valleys. The best time to visit the national park is either April to May, or September to October. During the Autumn, the weather is the most stable, allowing the easiest climb whilst avoiding the unbearable beaming summer heat and the chilling winter conditions. Throughout spring, nature is at its peak, with flowers in full bloom, making this idyllic hike even more enchanting as the landscapes around you flourish. It is recommended to hike in the autumn months due to the most stable conditions, with dry, steady terrain. It is ideal if you wish to reach the summit.

Going on a one-day hike is common, as not everyone is built to reach the summit. There are a plethora of hikes that offer amazing views with a fraction of the time and effort. Going early in the morning is recommended to avoid the blistering sun, allowing you to enjoy a cooler climate on your hike. Starting in Aroumd, you get a breathtaking view of the towering mountainsides brimming with clay-toned houses. Passing Aroumd, you enter the Imlil Valley, walking alongside the small stream, you start your hike up to the national park entrance. After a steep rocky incline, you reach the park entrance. Although there is no official entrance fee, it is mandatory to have an accompanying guide; the cost will vary based on your guide. Ranging from £30 to £40 per day, you get your money’s worth. After having your passport checked, you are free to adventure through the Atlas Mountains.

As you continue to climb, you will be passed by mules, donkeys and locals that are making their way to smaller Berber villages located on mountains. The terrain is sparse and varied, with lush green patches contrasting with dry, crumbling boulders clinging to the mountainside. The higher you climb, the better the views. At the deepest part of the valley, a stream flows. As the snowcaps melt, the water flows down the slopes and down the mountain. With plunge pools and waterfalls in various areas of the mountain range, these hidden gems are heavenly. Continuing to climb, you pass wild sheep perched on the grassy slopes. These simple views are spectacular, offering a raw, untouched view of the earth.

A common place to stop is Chaharouch Springs. This waterfall is located in Sidi Chamharouch, a village known as a pilgrimage site for healing. This is a key rest stop on a hike. With a limited number of restaurants and cafes around the springs, it is recommended to bring a packed lunch, as food is not guaranteed along the route. Cool off in the stream and take a refreshing dip in the springs’ plunge pool. Although cold, you will dry off in the warmth of the Moroccan sun.

This six-hour moderate hike offers you a taste of the Atlas Mountains. The untouched beauty of Toubkal National Park is idyllic; this surreal, authentic experience is unforgettable. At 2330 meters, you are presented with breathtaking views; surrounded by nature, your senses come alive. The chirping birds fill your ears as they circle the mountains, and the beaming sun kisses your skin as you start your trek down. This is the perfect way to spend your day in Morocco and an adventure you will never forget.

Whilst the sun is at its peak, take a nap to recharge after your long hike. Do some yoga outside and reconnect with nature. This peaceful valley is the perfect place to unwind. Sitting outside and appreciating the view feels like an attraction within itself. As time passes and the sun sets, the rugged peaks are illuminated. Golden hues flood the sky as it transforms into a natural work of art, like something out of a painting; this scenery, this unforgettable ending to the day, is picture-perfect.

These dramatic landscapes leave you feeling calm and connected to nature. Disconnected from the outside world, you can fully immerse yourself in Imlil. Their natural beauty shines over tourist hotspots and makes you appreciate the quiet stillness of the Atlas Mountains. As you settle into the local rhythm of Imlil, you are culturally immersed in the Berber villages and their simple mountain life. Although you came for the scenery, it’s the warmth and hospitality of the locals that make you want to stay. This authentic experience is unforgettable and truly touches the soul. As you return to the city chaos, the peace of the mountains lingers as a distant memory.

Your 20s are often seen as the time for independence, travelling the world, moving cities and ultimately living a spontaneous lifestyle – milestones that don’t usually align with the responsibilities of first-time pet ownership. But, Cats Protection has revealed in their 2025 CATS (Cats and Their Stats UK) Report that young people are more likely than ever to own a cat.

For a long time now, cats have been the second-most popular pet in the UK, following behind dogs which roughly 30% of the UK own pdsa.

Cats Protection have stated that there were 10.2 million UK households owned cats UK in 2025, making up 24% of the population.

The distribution of cat ownership across the English regions is largely consistent, however, there are notably more owners in London, with 28% of households owning a cat. Whilst on the other end of the spectrum, only 17% in North East England.

However, one of the most significant changes in cat ownership noted by Cats Protection is the increase in 18-34 year olds obtaining a cat in the last five years. 31% now own a cat, a figure that has risen 6% since 2020. Interestingly, there has also been a decrease in the percentage of 35 – 54 year olds owning a cat, whilst 55+ year olds have remained consistently low in their ownership.

So, why are young people choosing to take on the commitment of purchasing a cat, whilst data shows that other age groups are choosing to not.

In the CATS report, digital engagement manager Vicki Greenfield, suggested that social media has been pivotal:

“the digital world is increasingly playing a central role in educating, advising and influencing people of all ages.”

This doesn’t come as a shock with social media filled with cat content. In fact, the #cat hashtag on Instagram has gathered a whopping 313M posts, whilst TikTok has also gained over 75.6M #cat posts. Many of these posts advertise cats as being the perfect pet and provide a wealth of ownership tips, alongside the classic funny cat fail video which have been popular since social media established.

We already know that young people are highly influenced by social media and clearly the posts fed to them are encouraging the ownership of cats.

The CATS report also stated that young owners are using social media as their main source of knowledge. Data showed that 47% of 18-34 year olds are turning to YouTube 40% are turning to TikTok for advice on how to take care of their cat.

In light of this, the report has raised concerns that social media has resulted in young owners contacting their vet for advice less often. This can have a detrimental effect on the welfare of cats in the UK, as owners may be influenced by online recommendations that aren’t actually beneficial.

Cats Protection, however, is using their social media channels for good. They have recognised the influence of online posts on young cat owners and hopes to create educational content that reaches a large audience and “improve cat welfare at a huge scale” Cats Protection.

In a world where AI is taking over, the way that news is consumed is also rapidly changing. With the convenience of AI, audiences can now ask questions about news stories, which would have required more time and research before the time of chatbots. However, where does trust come into the conversation?

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is a research institute, committed to add to the conversations regarding the future of journalism. According to their 2026 Digital News Report, the usage of AI for the purpose of news has grown from 7% to 10% compared to last year, and this percentage is taken up mostly by younger audiences. With the inclusion of AI, social media and video networks now take up 56% of the news consumption habits of the public. So what does this mean for the future of news?

First, it is important to look at the age range within which AI is consumed most for the purpose of news. The highest percentage of usage comes from young adults between 18-34, taking up 32%. The percentages are significantly lower for adult audiences, with 19% for 35-54 year olds, and only 5% for 55+. It is also crucial to note that most of these percentages include ‘news lovers’, so their usage is higher due to their curiosity towards news, with 19% representing those who are very interested in news, and 7% those who are not.

Besides AI, social media is leading the way within news consumption, but the result of this is that the need for traditional media is becoming increasingly lower. An interesting parallel can be drawn, as even though audiences consume more news on social media and through AI chatbots, they are also afraid of unreliable sources and fake news. As we live in a fast paced world where people want quick and specific answers, AI can act as a useful tool to get information. However, AI is still not 100% accurate, which is why it is important not to completely rely on it, and to gain information from other sources as well.

Trust is one of the most important subject matters that needs to be discussed within this topic. Another one is convenience. Interestingly, people are afraid of fake news and believe that social media and AI can be viewed as unreliable, however these have become the most convenient and quickest ways to access news, which is why they are at the top of audience’s lists.

What is a compelling addition to this is that those who are regular users of AI are also more likely to get their news stories there as well. Overall, 20% of the population trusts AI for news, but when looking at those who frequently use AI chatbots, 44% of them said that they would trust AI to access news as well. On the other hand, within the 17% who don’t use AI, they expressed that they would not trust AI for news.

It is also important to establish in what capacity audiences are using AI to learn more about news. 42% of people use AI because if they ask follow-up questions about a news story, they will be presented with more information, and 39% because they consider AI to be the quickest source of news. Other responses got similarly high percentages, with 36% for those who choose AI because it ‘summarises complicated stories’ and 35% for those who prefer AI because it can provide an answer to any given question, and can gather articles from other publications and make it ‘into a single response’.

So, are we talking about trust, or convenience? And what is the price that has to be paid for convenience?

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology highlights the dangers of excessive dependency on AI, as their Media Lab Study has found that ‘participants who relied on AI systems to verify facts actually got worse at detecting misinformation on their own when chatbots were taken away’.

During this research, participants had the option to test how well they can detect fake news with and without the help of AI. The success rate was high with the help of AI chatbots, as participants were 21% more likely to detect fake news, however, when it came to their ability through independent identification, the percentage dropped by 15%. As a result, participants in this study ‘gradually shifted from active self-reliance to passive acceptance of AI guidance’.

As people will rely more and more on AI, their skills to do research on their own and their ability to spot fake news will get harder as time passes. Audiences need to learn how to use AI efficiently without falling into the trap of chatbots doing all the research for them, relying solely on information they provide. To protect unbiased and trustworthy journalism in the future, even if audiences are using AI for news consumption, it is crucial for them to click-through to published news articles, and to use AI in moderation.

Leigh Bowery’s life was a work of art. His theatrical approach to everything created space for self-expression, allowing others to also push boundaries that Bowery helped break. Bowery’s life was never dull; as a fashion designer, club promoter, and performance artist. Bowery kept himself busy through his different roles and professions. The Australian moved to London in October of 1980, where Bowery created a name for himself in London’s club scene through his flamboyant fashion and his growing reputation.

Bowery’s theatrics increased with the opening of Taboo in 1985, a club where you’re surrounded by sex, drugs and avant-garde fashion; Bowery was in his element. Taboo was a queer fashion hotspot overflowing with different garments; from feathers to striking prints and faces caked with makeup, everyone looked out of the ordinary. Taboo was a safe place where people could express themselves freely, push gender norms and show off their iconic looks. This queer playground is where Bowery created history.

His body was his canvas, and every night he’d paint a different picture. His bold looks are now on show in the Tate Modern, giving the public a glimpse of his lifestyle and how his flamboyant style changed the fashion industry. The face of the exhibition (look 34) perfectly encapsulated Bowery; the mini lime green feathered dress accentuates Bowery’s chest as he rebelled against gender stereotypes, which he’s paired with a pair of black stockings and black wedge heels.

The contrast between the chalky white face paint and the blue PVA that frames its way onto his bold abstract makeup dramatises the whole look. This trademark splatter on his head acts as a form of concealment, as Bowery shape-shifts into a different person, each outfit giving him the chance to sculpt into a new performance. The Tate states that ‘London’s nightclubs became the catwalk for his creations’; a catwalk is set up in the exhibition displaying Look 34 and many other iconic creations.

Bowery’s provocative style was theatrical: his life was art, and he was always telling a story and always making a statement. Described as ‘modern art on legs’ by the Tate, Bowery’s blend of punk and new romantic was ‘inspired by glam rock stars like David Bowie, Slade and Roxy Music’. All of Bowery’s pieces were one of a kind, as he used his body or clientele as a canvas on which he sculpted his vision. Not wanting to have his pieces mass-produced, he made each one unique and used London’s nightlife as his design’s debut.

Another look that is showcased in the Tate that perfectly displays Bowery’s character is the green pinstripe blazer and shorts with silver sequins. Bowery wore this to the Alternative Miss World 1986, where eyes were drawn to him as the light caught the sequins, making him a walking disco ball. This look is wild and bizarre, but it fits Bowery perfectly; the distinct silver sequin crash helmet adds to the persona he created. Bowery has painted a pair of giant black caricature lips that are consuming his face, contrasting against his milky clown base layer. The look is complete with Bowery’s signature glasses that have appeared in many of his looks where he is repeatedly photographed with them.

Even after his passing in 1944, Bowery’s fashion influence has lived on with designers like Alexander McQueen, Charles Jerffery and Richard Quinn. “His influence lives on in every look that dares to go a bit too far, that’s a bit too much – and that’s exactly the point,” says Charles Jeffery. Although Leigh kept his designs underground, they impacted the fashion industry worldwide; many looks that have graced the runway have been directly inspired by his flamboyant and theatrical style.

Alexander McQueen’s AWO9 Fall ready-to-wear show created a statement at Paris Fashion Week in 2009. The shapeshifting silhouettes created by the clothing mirror the outrageous shapes Bowery created with his body, structured clothing and added prosthetics. Each model features a different eccentric headpiece, adding to their already towering figure in their 6-inch heels. Their faces captured the audience’s attention; Bowery’s signature clown white skin with overdrawn clown lips featuring an array of blacks and reds was plastered onto the models’ faces.

Similar to Bowery’s queer club scene, Charles Jerffery created a name for himself in Dalston, where he turned Vogue Fabrics into his LOVERBOY club night. The iconic nights blended high fashion with the club scene as the queer community dressed to impress in their vivacious outfits, with bold make-up and body paint. Jeffery’s fashion career flourished shortly after this, which has now developed into the Lore of Loverboy, Jeffery’s recent collection in June 2024. The clothing pieces and the way they are presented show clear links to Bowery’s work, the clown-like makeup adorning the models’ faces and the bright prints that feature on some of the garments.

Bowery pushed boundaries within the fashion world, leaving his mark so that the future of queer fashion could flourish in his footsteps. Bowery’s impact is seen within the famous TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality show where drag queens battle it out to be “America’s Next Drag Superstar”. The queens participate in challenges, showcasing their drag makeup, their bold fashion statements and their overall performances. Much like Bowery and his friends in the underground London club scene, faces are caked with makeup, and queens are strutting their stuff as if it’s a fashion show.

Drag’s origins can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, with men impersonating women in theatre. This grew with Shakespearean theatre; with women not being allowed to act, men played dress-up and kept the love stories going. This is far from what drag is considered now, but it later opened a gateway for men to experiment and express a hidden side of themselves. The LGBTQ+ community has suffered centuries of oppression and hatred, though Bowery was able to push these boundaries; there were queens that walked before him who pioneered dark times, allowing the queer community to flourish as it is now.

In a day and age where social media has ceased to exist, trends and viral moments are forever present. Willian Dorsey Swann ‘was an expert at the production of viral cultural content focused on self-expression; the drag balls of L Street, Washington, D.C.’ Swann’s underground activities introduced a whole new world to the queer community, which Bowery later followed with nightclubs like Taboo, Cha Cha Club and Fridge. Swann faced his challenges as a black gay man in the 1880s, but he pioneered resistances, broke boundaries and was the first true drag queen for the LGBTQ+ community.

The theatrical lifestyle created with drag is something the public are now accustomed to; things aren’t underground anymore, they are broadcast on TV and plastered all over social media. Thanks to the help of Bowery and other historical queer icons, the queer community has found it easier to express themselves and to continue to push gender-confining boundaries. People no longer have to stick to the status quo and can choose how they wish to be; the fashion community is blessed with such an outlet that allows one to express oneself.

Queer fashion today is flourishing with queer icons like Chappell Roan, RuPaul and Billy Porter leading this generation. RuPaul, ‘the queen of drag’, has created a welcoming community for drag queens and the LGBTQ+ community by promoting being your true self. RuPaul has aided many in accepting who they are and helping them thrive on their self-expression journey. ‘You are the editor of your own life; you get to conduct the screenplay how you want it,’ says RuPaul on his Instagram, advocating for people to accept themselves and to be what they want to be, not what society wants them to be. RuPaul not only has made a huge influence on the queer fashion community through his extravagant looks and his flawless drag makeup, but he’s been a pioneering voice for the queer community as a whole.

Billy Porter is continuously challenging traditional gender conventions; the American actor and singer struts the red carpet, leaving crowds speechless with each look he parades. Many of the outfits that Porter has worn, he has helped design, like Bowery; Billy has an eye for fashion and always wants to make a statement. At the 2019 Met Gala, surrounded by six hunky men and glitz and glam, Billy made his entrance on a litter. He then spread his wings on the carpet, wearing an elaborate black and gold one-piece. Billy’s theatrical nature was similar to Bowery’s; entering a room, his attire always drew attention.

In 2025, there are numerous queer icons who inspire others and celebrate queer fashion. Chappell Roan, the current queer icon, is ‘known for her queer pop anthems as much as for her drag-inspired looks’. Chappell’s flamboyant style was inspired by new romanticism, something she and Bowery have in common. As well as the clown white base, which she wears in response to people in her hometown calling ‘gay people clowns’. Chappell advocates for queer fashion and the queer community, saying, ‘I encourage people to wear what makes them feel hot…The show is not only on stage, but it’s also in line, at the merch table, next to you, [in the] front row.’

The media is filled to the brim with queer representation; the queer fashion community is thriving, and there are many kings and queens that are helping to inspire others and pioneer the future of queer fashion. Bowery has created a legacy that will carry on through photographs, clothing and memories; his gender-bending ways will never be forgotten.

All my life I had a plan that after I had finished school, I would go to University and get a degree. Once I reached sixth form, my school pushed all of the students to apply for university. However, finishing my degree in Media, Journalism and Publishing had got me thinking whether getting a degree and spending three years taking loans from the bank was worth it.

I feel like many schools in 2026 are pushing their students to apply not only for University but for degree apprenticeships and going straight into work.

According to UCAS, by 2030, 1 million students will apply for higher education. This suggests that going to university is still going to be extremely popular.

According to Higher Education Statistics published by HESA UK, enrolling students have consistently risen from 2018 to 2023.

According to UCAS, this number is going to rise consistently.

Do I wish that I hadn’t enrolled into university? No. However, I do wish that there had been more awareness surrounding what else is out there other than a three year degree.

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(Photo by Pixabay from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-books-159866/)

For those who don’t know him personally he is a Welsh man, with a wicked sense of humour. He’s everything you’d expect from a chaplain in ways given his warmth and approachability but without all the fuss. He’s intelligent and captivating and the only man I’ve seen during my seven years at school that can really hold people’s attention during Monday morning chapel. Which is no easy task. In line with this, he really moves people.

Recently I found myself reading a book called ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ which for those who don’t know is a deeply emotional story of a professor and student who rekindle their friendship at the unfortunate revelation that his professor Morrie is terminally ill and dying.

In an attempt to make the most of his fleeting moments left with his professor they record every Tuesday and become what they call ‘Tuesday people’. The book takes you on a journey capturing Morrie’s essence and his wonderfully simplistic yet revelational take on life.

Whilst there are a multitude of takeaways from the book I feel the most prevalent is that time really is our greatest enemy and if you find yourself lucky enough to have met someone In your life who has left you inspired, you really should reach out and learn from them whilst you still have the chance.

When I finished the book I was left wondering about all the ‘Morrie’s’ in my life that had escaped me and all that missed wisdom I could have acquired if I had had the confidence to ask. However, one person particularly stood out to me, Gwyn Davies.

Our Paths crossed largely during my A levels when I took Religious Studies. Which I thoroughly enjoyed as I have always found myself interested in the larger questions about life. However, my component was split into three separate sections, Ethics, Christianity and my lesser confident subject Philosophy.

It wasn’t I didn’t enjoy Philosophy but on reflection 17–18-Year-old me didn’t really have the confidence to ask the questions I should have to really grasp the topics.

My Morrie, Gwyn Davies was not just my philosophy teacher but also our School Chaplain. Now Upon hearing the words Chaplain or teacher you may have some preconceived notions of what a chaplain or teacher may be. However, I kindly ask you to park those conceptions as you’ll soon see Mr Davies is not those things.

One Aspect about Gwyn I have always admired is his confidence in his own faith. Unlike many religious authorities you may find they push or judge your faith or perhaps lack of, leaving you disinterested in the whole thing.

However, Gwyn instead encourages you to question or challenge areas of faith you don’t believe in even at the cost of challenging him.

However, in my whole two years studying philosophy I have never encountered someone who has ever picked apart his arguments. With that said though I’m yet to take him on!

The interview:

He served in the navy from age 16 to 22. He loved life there, but because of his colour blindness he could not work in a technical branch and ended up working in admin and accounting. But he says it also led to a change in direction, both professionally and spiritually “It meant that half my time was in shore bases, not on ships, of course I joined up wanting to be at sea the whole time. So, coming to the end of my time on a warship, having been on her for 2 and a half years, I was due to go work in a pay office in a base in Portsmouth”.

But there were times that he did join ships, which allowed him to see the world in a different light: “It was after returning from a deployment to the Persian Gulf, where I had seen poverty in places such as Djibouti and other places around the world, that I had a long chat with my Grandfather.

I remember Gwyn speaking fondly of his Grandfather whom he was very close to:“He was a vicar and in having a long philosophical debate about the Problem of Evil, which you might remember, I realised that I had not thought about God in an adult way my entire life.”

His discussion with his Grandfather led Gwyn to realise that his initial beliefs about God were far from what the church actually taught: “And so my spiritual/ psychological/ theological journey began.”

It is difficult for me to imagine a time where Gwyn thought of the church as anything but positive given the only time I’ve known him is during his spiritual journey. Therefore, it was a surprise when his initial beliefs of the church were:“ political institution that is used to control people.” Whilst Gwyn still has his issues with the church, for example he’ll never become a priest: “I much prefer being an academic theologian with room to think for myself.”

However, Religion he believes is: “all in the interpretation. Same as science- it can bring you great advancements or it can build you nuclear weapons and teach eugenics as if it is real.”

Gwyn’s frustration is with those who translate the actual religious teachings literally: “You end up just trying to be on ‘the team’- which for me misses the whole point. If you stick to the actual religious teachings and can get at them as they were originally meant in the original languages and context, they are outstandingly profound psychological teachings.”

From my time in the classroom with Gwyn I remember distinctly his frustration with the curriculum and the way it teaches Religious studies. Instead, he wants to make it “More experiential. I always hated GCSE RE, because it was so superficial.”

He urges people to understand: “You don’t need to believe that someone actually walked on water to understand the depth of that teaching for your life – but when taught RE there is a kind of acknowledgement that it might be a myth but no real explanation of what these things really are.”

The problem with this teaching is that it’s only at A Level when you get introduced to the true meanings behind the religious texts and understand them on a deeper level. By that point, it’s too late: “It kills faith.”

Gwyn recognises the importance of educating people that Science and spirituality can and do complement each other rather than two opposing sides battling to expose truth: “When I say the word spiritual in Chapel many roll their eyes, but when I say the word psychological they think ‘Oh, science’ – yet psyche is just the Greek word for soul or mind – something every bit as ethereal as spirituality.”

One of my Favourite times in class would be when someone challenged Mr Davies using the classic ‘man in the sky’ argument. For him, Atheism isn’t the issue. Gwyn is not one to dismiss those who find it hard to believe in a God: “If you are going to be an atheist that is fine, no issue from me, but take on the proper arguments for God at their highest level, not primary school”.

When I asked Gwyn what he had to say to those who believe in a Man in the clouds, He used the same two words I have always known: “Grow up”.

Earlier in the article, I mentioned how Gwyn really moves people. Now there are countless examples of this, but I thought I’d share one that was personal to me.

In 2023, my grandmother died very suddenly after battling a new cancer diagnosis. I asked my parents if they would be interested in Gwyn taking her funeral and they both were keen on the idea.

Before the ceremony my Auntie and mother met with Gwyn in his little room located underneath our chapel stairs. However, my auntie announced mid-session that she was now afraid of dying which for many I understand is quite a concern. However, Gwyn looked at her simply and asked ‘why?’.

Such a simple question to ask when dealing with such an expansive topic. After speaking with Gwyn both my auntie and mother came out with a different outlook on death. One that was far less final.

Gwyn shared a video with me during the interview which I have linked here. It is a documentary from the New York university Medical school where they have investigated NDEs,( Near death experiences) these are medical studies.

I really urge you to watch this video if you find yourself afraid of death.

Rethinking Death: Exploring What Happens When We Die - YouTube

He told me about a similar study in France: “ where the medics and scientists all came to the same conclusion- death is not the end we think it is.”

“I don’t think there is better evidence for life after death than this outside dying yourself.”

For Gwyn after watching that video you still don’t believe then that is fine: “Your beliefs are your beliefs.”

He concludes: “It may be that you are just stuck in your belief system, which is what many atheists accuse fundamentalists of (rightly) without recognising they have the same problem and are themselves holding firm to fundamentalist beliefs despite the scientific evidence against them (cognitive dissonance).”

Post Interview:

Gwyn’s influence is vast at school, and I remember well the difference in attention people would pay on his Monday morning chapel in comparison to the schools Fridays. Speaking to an ex-member of the school, she explained to me the influence that she remembers Gwyn having when it came to her spiritual beliefs.

She expressed that since leaving school, she feels less connected to god, and she misses those weekly chapel meetings that she felt “changed her perspective on certain situations”. When asked, what Gwyn had taught her, she noted “he demonstrated to me how religion is more than the traditional beliefs. He showed me how to adapt it to fit real life settings.”

For many students, I think religion is something that seems infant, something far off and fabricated however, every Monday, Gwyn would take something happening in the world and show us how our faith can apply to that situation and be a tool that can aid us through life.

We closed the interview, talking about what she feels Gwyn taught her the most about religion, and much the same as me, she spoke about how she learnt “ its not so black and white and it’s important to interpret the messages in the religious texts rather than simply taking them at face value.”

Therefore, many who have met with Gwyn have experienced a profound shift in their religious stance, Including me, and they are lessons we have continued to take into adulthood.

I hope that in reading a snippet of what he believes it challenges people to consider Christianity in a new light, one that’s not so restrictive.

*Second interviewee requested to be kept anonymous.

Over 800,000 graduates have just finished higher education degrees in recent weeks. However, many are realising that this pattern seems to have changed. It is now the case of many young adults holding a fresh diploma who are finding themselves back in their childhood bedrooms, taking years to save up to leave again.

According to the Office for National Statistics’ latest Families and households in the UK report, more young adults now live with their parents than ten years ago. There has been a noticeable increase in the average leaving home age: between 2014 and 2024, there has been a 9.9% increase in the percentage of young adults aged 20 to 34 living with their parents, from 3.3 million in 2014, to 3.6 in 2024. It is undeniable: the number of middle-aged parents suffering from the ‘empty nest’ syndrome is in decline.

Rising rents, the cost of living, and the difficulty of saving for a deposit have made independent living harder for young people. According to the BBC data published in September 2025, over 97% of UK adults living with their parents were unable to afford the cost of what a first-time buyer in their area pays for a house.

Yet the UK still sits below the European average when it comes to leaving home. According to Eurostat, young people in the EU left the parental home at an average age of 26.2 in 2024, compared to an average of 24 in the UK. But acoross Europe, most of the countries are moving towards the same direction: young adults are staying in the family home for longer. When looking for an explanation, housing costs are often treated as the obvious cause.

Looking across Europe helps test that assumption. By that logic, if housing affordability were the main factor, the countries where homes are most expensive compared with incomes should also be the countries where young people leave home latest.

But the data suggests a more complex picture.

The graph below compares the average age at which young people leave the parental home across Europe with each country’s house price-to-income ratio as of 2024. It shows that housing affordability matters, but it does not explain the pattern on its own.

Some countries like Spain and Greece, appear to support the housing-pressure argument. Both countries have relatively high leaving-home ages and sit on the right-hand side of the chart, suggesting that the youth leave home relatively late and have a relatively high house price-to-income ratio. In Spain, young people leave the parental home at around 30, being one of the highest figures in Europe. In Greece, the figure is even higher, at nearly 31.

In Spain, the pressure is visible beyond the data, especially for those looking to live in big cities. Maurici Serra, head of Finques Albalate, a property management company in Barcelona, argues that rising rents have made independence far harder for young people than it was for previous generations.

‘In 30 years, salaries have gone up by around 95%, but the price of housing has gone up by approximately 470%,’ he says. ‘A young couple now spends more or less 55% of their income on rent. Thirty years ago, it was around 25% , less than half. Young people have it much harder to leave home than they did back in the day.’

What Maurici points out is the story of many young adults in Spain. ‘I’m 28 and, despite having worked full time as an architect in a well-known firm in Barcelona for over five years, I still go back home every day after work’, explains Tomás Martínez, who lives with his parents in Barcelona’s outskirts.

In contrast, in England, despite the rising number of graduates who are facing similar pressures, tenants in the UK spend around 36% of their income on rent, a figure which is even lower in Wales (25%). Maddie, Freya, and Aimie, have just graduated at Oxford Brookes University and plan to continue living together. ‘Only one of us has a full-time job lined up, but we will all manage to afford sharing a flat in Bristol,’ explains Maddie.

At first, both cases seem to answer the question: expensive rent means staying home for longer. But Spain and the United Kingdom are only one part of the European picture. Once you look at other countries, the relationship between housing affordability and leaving-home age becomes less straightforward.

According to the data, Croatia has the latest leaving-home age in the EU, of 31.5. However, it does not have the highest house price-to-income ratios in Europe. Italy follows a similar pattern, with young people leaving home at 30.2, despite lower housing affordability pressure than countries such as Portugal or Luxembourg.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have countries that also point towards a different pattern. Portugal has one of the highest house price-to-income ratios in the chart, yet youg people decide to leave home earlier than in Croatia, Greece, Italy or Spain, at around 28.8. Luxembourg is a similar case: a low house affordability situation but a leaving-home age of 26.6, close to the EU average.

The Nordic countries complicate the picture even further, presenting a different case. Finland, Denmark and Sweden have some of the lowest leaving-home ages in Europe. Denmark (21.8), Sweden (23.1). In Finland, young people leave home at 21.3. Despite not having the most affordable housing markets, as seen in the chart, young adults still tend to leave home much earlier than in southern and eastern Europe.

These contrasts suggest that affordability is not the only factor that determines if young people can leave home. In their countries, is leaving home early expected, necessary, and supported?

As illustrated in the map, there is, in fact, a geographical pattern emerging. The further south and east you go in Europe, the later young people tend to leave home. In the north, especially in Scandinavia, moving out in the early twenties is much more common than in southern Europe.

This brings in a factor to the equation that sometimes remains unnoticed: culture. Research on European family structures has long highlighted the contrast between northern and southern Europe. In Mediterranean countries, family ties tend to be stronger and intergenerational support is more common. Staying at home into the late twenties is more socially accepted.

It is also important to contemplate education patterns. In parts of southern Europe, young people tend to study close to their hometowns, making relocation unnecessary. It is more common to stay at home during university, which potentially leads to delaying the transition to independent living until graduates find stable work, a long-term partner, or have enough savings to rent or buy.

Welfare systems in different areas of Europe also explain the divide. In Scandinavian countries, young adults benefit from stronger welfare support, including student grants, housing assistance, and unemployment protection, making it easier for young people to leave home even if they do not have a full-time job.

Whatever the case is in each country, the age at which young people leave home matters. It is not only a private milestone: it is linked to financial autonomy, has a deeper influence on society, and shapes a country’s demographic. Delayed independence contributes to postponed marriage, lower fertility rates, and postponed parenthood, all of which affect ageing societies across the continent.

If one thing is clear, is that flying the nest is not determined only by how expensive the housing market is. Young Europeans’ path to independence is also conditioned by cultural expectations, family life, job security, and welfare support. There is not a one-size-fits-all explanation: housing costs matter, but the expectations and culture of the country you grow up in matter too.

Why an SUV?

Britain’s roads are currently ruled by chunky Sports Utility Vehicles, with parking spaces and country lanes being dominated by tall, wide cars. Some sleek and refined, others towering and outdated, most expensive to purchase and maintain. Despite this, people have shifted away from the appeal of the city-friendly ‘supermini’ and now prefer to be cocooned within their two tonne SUVs.

They are seen as the most safe, comfortable, and versatile cars on the road, with partial reason for their success being found upon the requirement of British drivers to have a vehicle that could deal with any possible situation. Taking the dogs to the vets, loading the weekly shop, dropping the kids to school, dealing with our one day of snow per year. The SUV has all situations covered.

Are they needed, though?

One of the most rigorous testing grounds for any car is the ski holiday; luggage space, fuel economy, and creature comforts all become essential for a journey that can span thousands of miles.

For reference, my MiTo is a Lusso Multiair. For the uninitiated, that essentially means the least ‘sporty’ of the ‘sporty’ models. It comes with a, mostly reliable, 1.4 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, pushing just over 150 horsepower; more than enough considering the MiTo weighs just over a ton. It comes with a five-speed manual gearbox - brilliant for the 30 miles of mountain passes, not so brilliant for the 770 miles of French autoroute that comes before them.

Not many options seem to have been selected from the factory. It’s equipped with standard cloth seats and regular air conditioning, and that’s about it (in fairness, the car only cost me £1,200). Apart from the aftermarket Apple CarPlay unit I installed, it’s as bog standard as you could imagine. No cruise control, no lane assist, no head-up display, no gizmos of any kind.

This was certainly a consideration before the journey began, worried that I could spend the next nine hours with cramp in my ankle from constantly balancing the accelerator.

So, how did it go?

I can certainly concede that there are a variety of SUVs on the market that would have completed that journey without lifting a finger, the Volvo XC60 or Audi Q5, for example. Both would not have been as space-limited as the MiTo, and both would have cruise control, meaning that the driver to wouldn’t be required to hold their ankle at a perfect 45-degree angle to stay within the French speed limits.

A refined, quiet SUV would have been perfect for the long trek, but would they have been as enjoyable to drive up steep mountain passes as a turbocharged Italian supermini? Not a chance.

And that sums it up, really. I had much more fun driving a car I bought for a fraction of a new Range Rover, without fancy technology or ergonomic design, and that’s the spirit of a motoring adventure. It was more satisfying than if I had just simply switched on cruise control and lane assist in a brand new Mercedes, and let the car do all the actual driving.

Cars are getting further and further away from analogue simplicity, and there are many benefits to that. But I think as the modern era of software and screens beds itself into cars for good, the romance and excitement of driving across the continent will begin to fade away.

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In the words of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Shabana Mahmood, ‘as part of the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration since the Second World War’, the UK government announced on 2 March, 2026 that refugee protection would become temporary.

Under these changes, adults and accompanied children claiming asylum will receive a 30-month period of protection. At a 30-month review, refugees with a continuing need of sanctuary will have their protection renewed, while those whose countries are now deemed safe will be expected to return home.

According to Mahmood, earlier protection status and benefits were amongst the most generous offers to refugees in any country in Western Europe. These benefits, she claims, had become a ‘pull-factor’ which saw asylum claims in Britain rise steeply, including ‘tens of thousands of illegitimate claims each year, while they fell across the rest of the continent’.

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Furthermore, under reforms announced last autumn, refugees in the UK will have to wait 20 years for settlement, unless they switch to a legal visa route, as part of the ‘core protection’ model.

While some of the changes are already being implemented from March 2026, as they require no Parliamentary vote, the changes to settlement from five years to 20 years will require Parliamentary scrutiny and vote.

Challenges with implementing these changes

A report from The Migration Observatory states, that several key factors attract asylum seekers to the UK, irrespective of government policy, such as the English language or the presence of friends and family in the country. In addition, reaching the UK – which lacks access to shared asylum databases after Brexit – may be a final chance at gaining protection for people who have already been refused asylum in the EU.

Dr. Esteban Devis-Amaya, Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Latin America Studies at Oxford Brookes University, concurs with this.

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The government also says it wants to curtail status and return people to their country of origin once conditions improve. However, as pointed out in the report by the Migration Observatory regarding Denmark, it is unclear how many refugees were ordered to leave Denmark in recent years as a result. One report indicated that several hundred Syrian refugees had their status revoked after a little over 1,000 of a total of 30,000 cases were reassessed.

Dr. Tamsin Barber, Associate Professor in Sociology, and Chair of the Migration & Refugees Network at Oxford Brookes University, also points out that many asylum seekers already wait up to two years for a decision. That two and half years or 30 months will fly by.

‘Living with uncertainty is already a huge burden. Reporting requirements, constant contact with lawyers, constant accountability to the system — it’s stressful and time‑consuming. This policy prolongs and intensifies that. It’s a form of re‑traumatisation.

Both Dr. Barber and Dr. Devis- Amaya points out this change in policy creates a lot more work for the Home Office itself, rendering the policy ineffective.

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Regression of human rights commitments

Amnesty International UK in a statement, reacted by calling the package a historic weakening of refugee protection, including turning refugee status into a temporary and precarious system, removing the state’s duty to support people who would otherwise be destitute.

The human rights organisation further warned that ministers are undermining the European Convention on Human Rights while claiming they want to remain within it. Amnesty said this erodes respect for the UK’s human rights obligations and opens the door for future governments to withdraw from them completely.

‘This is headline chasing, not problem solving - a Government bowing to anti-immigrant, anti-rights politics instead of standing up for the basic principles that protect us all’, says Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, in a statement by Amnesty International UK (see here)

Dr. Barber points out that the political electoral compulsions the Labour government is playing with is at the cost of refugees.

‘We’ve had a shift in government since [2024], but no improvement in policy. In fact, it’s disappointing to see the Home Secretary pandering to the far right. The justification seems to be that unless they shift policy, Reform UK will gain votes. So Reform is effectively calling the shots on immigration.’

Reform UK in its manifesto mentions ‘leave the European Convention on Human Rights, repeal the Human Rights Act and pass the Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill to ensure that anyone who enters the country illegally will be ineligible for asylum.’

Recent migration data show that the Labour government has been successful in bringing down net migration to 171,000 in 2025. This is 48% lower than a year before, and 82% below the 2023 peak.

The recent changes in refugee protection policy are not reflected in this data.

It remains to be seen whether the experts are correct in their assessment, and what impact this shift in protection policy will have on asylum claims in the UK.

Census 2021 marks the point of clear decline for Christianity in England and Wales, where it became a minority religion for the first time. However, Census 2021 also marks the point for significant increase in ‘other religion’ followers.

For our very own Oxford city, although constituting only 1% of the population, ‘other religion’ followers represented an increase from 796 people in the 2011 Census to 1,448 people in the 2021 Census.

Religion was added as a voluntary question in the UK’s Census in 2001. As per Office for National Statistics (ONS), this is the religion with which people connect or identify, rather than their beliefs or active religious practice. As a voluntary question, ONS recommends caution while comparing data from different years and/or areas.

Keeping this caution into consideration, Oxford’s trend in ‘other religions’ is reflective of England and Wales’ census data for religion. Those who chose to write-in a response through the ‘Any other religion’ category, the largest increase was seen in those describing their religion as ‘Shamanism,’ increasing more than tenfold to 8,000 from 650 in 2011.

Unpacking Shamanism

The term ‘shaman’ originally came from the Siberia and Mongolia region, referring to the spiritual practices and beliefs of the indigenous Evenki people. Shamanism has been described by Paul Francis, founder of the Three Ravens College of Therapeutic Shamanism, as ‘applied animism’.

Whether they use the term ‘animism,’ contemporary western shamans hold diverse beliefs about the cosmos that generally affirm that things other than humans — plants, bodies of water, and mountains — have souls and are just as conscious as humans.

The dividing line between animism and shamanism is a matter of debate, and in common use, the terms ‘animism’ and ‘shamanism’ are often used interchangeably.

Western shamans often resist the idea that they belong to a religion and say that shamanism has no sacred text, priesthood, official institution, or ruling body (See more here)

‘Data lies’ – Real numbers could be much higher

Caitlín Matthews, is an internationally renowned Shamanic practitioner based in Oxford. She has been a Shamanic healer for 30 years, with several books on Shamanism under her belt.

She believes this Census data is just the tip of the iceberg; the real numbers could be much higher. She believes people don’t feel comfortable to always say who they are and what they follow.

‘Shamanic and animist traditions are in all five continents. Since temples were closed at the end of 4th century here and replaced by churches, Shamanism has been the bottom most strata in animism.

‘Also some people will constitutionally refuse to say what it is they do, because of the history of the West, it’s considered still to be an embarrassment. And so you keep it covered. They don’t want to be known for their religion.’

Caitlín says she and other practitioners under the umbrella organisation Pagan Federation advocated for years for Shamanism and other such religions to be included in the UK’s census (PaganFed).

‘Shamans are the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle.’

Caitlín says she sees people who would earlier be called as suffering from ‘hysterical illness,’ but it’s now called a ‘functional neurological disorder.’ She claims cases are quite often referred by psychiatrists to her, as their science cannot help beyond a point.

‘These are the people that are always on that threshold point. You never find shamans in the marketplace. You find them on the edges. And when people run screaming towards the edge, we are the people they meet. I don’t advertise my practice. I don’t need to.’

Rise of Shamanism, rise of ‘No Religion’, decline in Christianity – connected dots?

Census 2021 data for Oxford city also shows a significant decline in followers of Christianity by 15%. Again, this is in line with the country level data for England and Wales. It would be hard to establish any clear connection between decline in Christianity and increase in ‘no religion’ (25% increase) and increase in other religions in Oxford.

Many Shaman believers could have possibly ticked on the ‘No Religion’ category, as they may not associate Shamanism with any institutionalised religion.

At the time of filing this report, data was not available to further analyse the age groups which might explain the rise of other religions like Shamanism.

However, the census data is clearly a telling sign that people in Oxford city, as in the rest of England and Wales, might be seeking alternative answers beyond the traditional religions’ boundaries.

Syrians don’t have to wait for months and pay bribes to get their passports. Syrian men don’t have to enrol in university, or go abroad, to escape compulsory military service.

The fuel is available aplenty to everyone, albeit at a price. No more ‘smart cards’ and the much awaited weekly text to collect the 25 litre quota of fuel and gas.

Electricity is still scarce, but is being distributed more equitably across urban and rural areas.

Limited international flights have now started operating from Damascus airport. Embassies have reopened in Damascus. Syria’s new President has been on a diplomatic charm offensive to the White House and Europe.

Sanctions against Syria have been lifted.

Amjad Saftly, 32, calls it the ‘freedom shock’ which Syrians experienced after the stunning collapse of Assad family rule on 8 December 2024.

As a former aid worker in Syria, I am pleasantly surprised by all these economic and access related developments. However, in a country with religious diversity – Sunni, Alawites, Christians, Druze, Shia – emerging from 14 years of civil war and five decades of one family’s stronghold, there are bound to be old wounds and resentments which might be still bubbling under the surface.

I interviewed Syrians across religious and regional communities at the anniversary of the fall of Assad regime in December 2025 to uncover the unsaid and the nuances behind these economic developments.

The hopefuls

‘This is the first time in 14 years I can cross check points, and not have any fears’

Most Sunni community members seem hopeful and realistic about their country’s future. All admitted to looking at their new leader – Ahmad Al-Sharaa (previously known as Golani–his nom de guerre) – initially with skepticism due to his past alliances with Al Qaeda, and conservative interpretation of Islam.

Abdelkader Dabbagh (Abd.), a Sunni, is from Aleppo governorate. Abd. was an undergraduate student in 2011 when the conflict began. To escape military service, he spent six years completing his undergraduate studies, six years doing his Master’s, and two years on a PhD.

When he could no longer take the education route, he left Syria to work in Yemen with an international NGO. After returning from his foreign gig, he planned to pay the hefty amount many Syrian men ended up paying to the Assad regime just to escape military service.

Aleppo was the first city to fall from Assad regime’s control in late November 2024. Abd. was on his way to Yemen when he heard about the clashes in Aleppo and Idlib between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Assad forces. Such clashes were routine affairs every few weeks in his city.

However, this time it felt different, more serious, more organised.

He feared for his family, and potential separation for years in case he was stuck outside Syria. He made arrangements the next morning to return to Syria.

When he reached Aleppo, he found dead bodies on the streets.

‘For me in the beginning we were afraid of HTS, as we haven’t had any connection with them for years. Some of the groups were known to be very conservative.’

After two days of HTS forces taking over, Aleppo was bombed by the Assad government forces. Aleppians were shocked – the government which was supposed to protect them was bombing them, while the HTS soldiers from ‘the other side’ were distributing bread.

‘I was shocked to see diesel available in the market, as earlier there was such scarcity’

Abd. shares overnight the restrictions on importing most goods disappeared and there was no struggle in finding food. In fact, new cars were available from the second week of regime change. Aleppians were able to travel to Idlib and shop in malls.

Abd. considers the cultural differences between Assad ruled territories and HTS ruled territories to be normal, which can be lived with, and worked on with more interaction as time passes.

This view is shared by Abdulmoute AlDroubi, from Homs governorate. Abdulmoate works in north-east of Syria in Deir Ez Zor governorate with an aid agency. Deir Ez Zor governorate was earlier divided between Assad forces and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) [Kurdish controlled]; HTS forces have taken over the previously controlled Assad areas. He observes that the previous smuggling routes between SDF and Assad government across the Euphrates river have stopped, as the country has opened for import and most goods and services are available in the market.

He feels his city, and in fact the whole of Syria, avoided the worst ethnic and religious clashes that were expected immediately after a regime change of such nature.

Syrians across governorates and religious divides agree that there is finally access to a variety of goods and services.

And that’s where the agreement ends

Mahmoud Bieruti, a Sunni, a Syrian Palestinian, left Syria more than five years ago to Belgium in search of a better life. When he visited Syria in early 2025 for a few days, he could feel the sense of joy and relief amongst all sections of Syrians.

However, Mahmoud doesn’t agree with the current government’s treatment of Alawites, and Druze communities.

‘We need to avoid creating the new leader as a hero, as a saviour. We are only recreating the old model this way. People need to be educated about democracy, their rights. Democracy cannot be expected after 53 years of one family’s dictatorship.

‘The HTS were unprepared for such a sudden and quick takeover of Damascus. They lack the experience to rule such a diverse demographic. There is a contradiction between the current government’s claims and their actions towards minorities.’

Minority Report

‘We were scared to put up our Christmas tree’

Noor Baladi*, 44 years old, an Orthodox Christian, left Syria with her husband and two children to a country in Western Europe in October 2025. After living through 14 years of civil war, she couldn’t jeopardise her children’s future to more uncertainties anymore.

For Noor, the fall of the Assad regime was a scary unknown.

‘We didn’t know who was coming. And those people we had in mind were jihadis, they were in Idlib, they would come and kill everybody who chose to stay here (Assad controlled Syrian areas), because they would assume we were living here and we were okay with the regime of Al Assad.

‘We were against the Assad regime, but we kind of found a way to live with the restrictions of not being able to talk about politics, not being able to criticise the President and his party, and to work in places that are not political.’

Noor shares that in summers she was afraid to wear sleeveless clothing (which is quite normal in Damascus). She instructed her 16 year old daughter to also not wear shorts or anything revealing. Her son, 11 years old, was stopped twice for wearing shorts.

‘Some of them were distributing brochures and posters posted on some of the public institutions’ doors, how you should enter, to work here, how you should cover your hair, the halal (lawful) way of wearing things. So we were afraid of the people because they will start accusing us of being a kufar (non believer).’

That December Noor says, ‘We were a little bit scared to put up our Christmas tree, as it might attract attention. We didn’t put any cross either.’

Noor still felt hopeful in the months that followed, with transitional government formation, recognition by the West, and Syria finally shedding its pariah status.

This hope was short-lived. In March 2025 there were clashes, or massacres as minority communities describe it, in the coastal areas of Syria between the government forces and Alawite community.

And then the deadly clashes happened in Sweida – governorate with a large Druze community. Noor’s husband belongs to Sweida, and his parents were stuck for weeks with limited provisions.

That seemed to be the last straw.

When an opportunity arose in Europe, they grabbed it despite the risk of pulling out their children in the middle of the school year. She now has a chance to give a better life to her children.

Noor was also able to put up the Christmas tree last year.

‘For me enough is enough’

Amjad Saftly, a Christian Orthodox, is also hoping for a better, safer life. He left for Germany in February 2026. He fears after Alawite and Druze massacres, soon it could be Christians who could be targeted.

Amjad was living in Jaramana – a suburb of Damascus, where primarily the Druze and Christian minorities reside.

He feels just like the Assad government is to be blamed for the horrors during the long rule, similarly it is the government of the day which needs to bear the responsibility for these clashes with minorities.

‘We don’t trust the system anymore. We see that the government is using one colour [community] to fill any gap, to fill important positions with one colour – mostly Muslim Sunnis, from Idlib.’

‘For me enough is enough. I am leaving my mother behind, which is not an easy decision. But after the massacres, I see more focus on external relations with the USA and Europe, which is great, but not fixing things inside.’

Amjad observed for the first three to four months there were no bribes, no favouritism, or nepotism, but now everything is running the same old way. Maybe in spheres like traffic police, there are lesser bribes, but in governmental departments, bribing still exists.

For fixing things internally, Amjad recommends major steps need to be taken by the new government: reconciliation and peace with Alawite and Druze communities, sharing some high ranked political positions with minorities, introducing hate speech regulations, and justice for the old regime’s victims.

Sweida Saga

‘I feel devastated. What was I doing for people all these years who are now seeing me as someone who supports Israel?’

Ehab Al Matni, 32, belongs to the Druze community, and has lived in the Jarmana neighbourhood for many years.

Despite the initial misgivings about the new regime, Ehab was encouraged by the new regime’s takeover of Aleppo, and their treatment of people there. The situation was surprisingly calm. There was no revenge on the streets. People were celebrating in Damascus.

‘So we decided this is our time. And we can do something for the country. We waited for years for the Assad regime to fall. We started doing meetings, public sessions on constitution, transition, and invited analysts in Jaramana.’

However, the coastal clashes took place and mass killings of the Alawite community were reported.

‘I started to freak out, as Jaramana is a place consisting mostly of minorities and a massive surrounding area of majority of Muslims.

‘As someone who lived in Jaramana, and spent all my life in Damascus, and most of my career working for and with people who suffered from the Assad regime, I felt what was I doing in those 14 years, for people who are now seeing me as someone who supports Israel?’

Ehab secured a visa for a Gulf country in August 2025. He has no plans to return to Syria.

Alawite Angle

‘We Syrians can now adapt to anything’

Atheel Mohammad, 30, an Alawite, lives in a suburban neighbourhood of Damascus, which mostly comprises Alawite community. Atheel’s neighbourhood was traditionally divided into the civilian side and the Syrian Arab army side. Post Assad regime’s collapse, there have been massive demographic changes in the neighbourhood, which has been worrying for the Alawite community, fearing revenge from thr Sunni community. The former Assad military side of the neighbourhood now consists of the new government’s army personnel.

At 4 am on 8 December 2024, she heard frantic footsteps in her building, and opened the door to a neighbour saying ‘Khalas (finish), Damascus has fallen.’

As an Alawite, she feels most of the community felt protected as a minority community under Assad regime. But that’s that. In terms of services, they suffered just as much as others. When the Assad regime fell, she felt collective shame on learning the horrors of Sednaya prison.

She doesn’t feel safe travelling between Damascus and the suburb, returns home before sunset, dresses more conservatively, and uses a trusted taxi driver.

‘I was not into politics earlier, but now as a minority, we see a pattern, and feel excluded as Alawites, Druze, Shias, Christians.’

She does however feel hopeful.

‘This hate is not the true Syrian people. Syrian people love to live, laugh. Ideally I would not like to leave a place where I have childhood memories, my people.’

‘I don’t have much, but it is my country.’

Her artwork hung around her like fragments of colour against the grey rhythm of the city. People passed by without looking for long. Some glanced. Some smiled politely. Most kept walking.

Then I stopped.

‘My name’s Jo Richardson anyway,’ she told me with a grin. ‘I’m an artist from Brighton, based in Brighton really. But I’m having a tour of the UK with my art at the moment.’

Jo is 65 years old. Five years ago, she gave up her home, her possessions, and what many would consider a conventional life. Since then, she has lived outdoors, travelling, creating art, and surviving largely through the kindness of strangers and the sale of her work.

Now, she is on an 11-week journey across the UK, a spiritual and an artistic pilgrimage she plans to end at the summer solstice near Stonehenge.

‘I live in the universe,’ she said simply.

There was something different about the way Jo spoke, like she had lived but never enough to see the world colourful. She spoke about ‘energy’ the way some people speak about weather: something constantly moving between people, shaping encounters, invisible but undeniable.

‘To bring colour to the universe,’ she said, describing her purpose, ‘and to all these beautiful people.’

Jo believes modern society has disconnected people from themselves. Throughout our conversation, she returned repeatedly to the idea that people are trapped in routines they never chose.

‘We’re hardwired to do that when we’re born, aren’t we?’ she said. ‘You go, get a job, get married, have children, do all that society crap.’

To her, much of society resembles ‘a herd of sheep,’ people moving in the same direction without questioning why. She sees herself as someone who stepped outside that system after decades of conventional work.

‘I worked for the man for 40 years,’ she told me. ‘Paid all my taxes. And after lockdown, I thought, you know what? I just can’t be oscillating this.’

The pandemic became a turning point. Jo described spending months in a communal camp creating ‘peace trees,’ artwork, and music with friends. The experience transformed her understanding of freedom and inspired the life she now lives.

Her philosophy centres around one phrase: follow your joy.

‘If it’s not your joy, don’t do it,’ she said. ‘And if it is your joy, then do it.’

The idea sounds almost deceptively simple, but Jo speaks about it with the conviction of someone who has already tested it against reality. She told me stories of days when she had no food or water, only for strangers to unexpectedly appear with something she needed.

‘Once you accept that lack,’ she said, ‘the universe will always provide.’

At times, her beliefs drift into spiritual mysticism. She described encounters as ‘messages from the universe,’ and spoke about positive and negative energy as forces that shape daily life. Yet beneath the spiritual language was something profoundly human: a longing for connection.

Several times during our conversation, Jo thanked me simply for stopping.

‘Hundreds of people walked past before,’ she said. ‘And not one really stopped.’

She told me about a pair of birds she had spent over an hour watching in silence earlier that day. Their stillness inspired a drawing she later created. The tenderness with which she described them felt almost symbolic of how she sees the world, attentive to small moments most people overlook.

Jo also spoke passionately about truth, perspective, and journalism when I told her I wanted to pursue travel journalism.

‘What you see is different to what I see,’ she explained, gesturing to the mug she held. ‘But when you put all those perspectives together, that’s where the truth is.’

‘I have this Giraffe I am yet to complete.’ She showed me an incompletely coloured giraffe, ‘I think they see things that lot of people don’t see.’

That conversation left me wondering, ‘Will the way we think change over age?’ Maybe not, maybe with experience it will. She also said, ;Maybe I’ll reach those heights one day. But now, I’m sort of a donkey level.’ If she is at a donkey level, what level are we all at?

In an era shaped by algorithms, outrage, and constant noise, Jo’s worldview feels both deeply idealistic and quietly rebellious. She rejects material success, distrusts mainstream narratives, and believes modern life has distanced people from joy, creativity, and genuine connection.

Some may dismiss her ideas as naive. Others may call them radical. But standing there listening to her speak, it became clear that Jo is not trying to convince the world to become her. She is simply trying to live honestly according to what she believes.

Before we parted, she smiled warmly and said she hoped to one day see me ‘speaking truth’ somewhere in the future.

Then she picked up her artwork and continued to paint, one more bright streak of colour moving through an increasingly grey world.

On 25 February 2025, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced that the UK would raise its defence spending to 2.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2027.

This increased investment in defence will come at the cost of reducing aid spending from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% in 2027.

The UK contributes to international aid through the Official Development Assistance (ODA) to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries. It is bound by International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2016 to spend 0.7% of GNI on aid.

Between 2013 to 2020, the UK has met this target each year.

Not meeting this target requires an explanation by the government to Parliament, and meeting one of the three reasons — 1) economic circumstances, such as a fall in GDP (which was the case for UK aid reduction from 0.7% to 0.5% of GNI in 2021 due to the impact of pandemic on the UK’s economy); 2) fiscal circumstances and the effects on taxation, public spending and public borrowing and; 3) circumstances arising outside the UK.

Neither of the above three circumstances exist currently, which would warrant a drastic reduction of ODA.

Reducing the aid budget to 0.3% would mean next year’s aid budget would be £ 9.2 billion.

This amount would be the UK’s lowest ODA contribution in 20 years. The last time the UK’s aid contribution was around the £9 billion mark, was in 2007 — when the UK was in the midst of Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Post- Brexit identity crisis for the United Kingdom?

‘It’s the strategic position the UK has ended up in post-Brexit. Britain is now awkwardly positioned between the US and Europe — neither fully European nor fully aligned with the Anglo-sphere. That creates strategic insecurity’, says Prof. Glen O’Hara, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the Oxford Brookes University, and author of New Labour, New Britain? How the Blair Governments Reshaped the Country.

‘One way the British state tries to compensate is through defence spending and defence relationships, particularly with France. Defence becomes a way to remain relevant and connected.’

Despite France’s strategic importance as an actor in the defence sphere, its military spending remains much lower than the UK, at 1.94 % of its GDP.

The UK’s average military spending is already more than its comparable GDP counterparts — France, Germany and Japan.

In the last two decades (2004-2024), the UK spent an average of 2.26 as a percentage of its GDP on military. This is much higher than 0.98 % of Japan (Japan’s constitution limits it to 1% of GDP spending on defence), 1.26 % of Germany, and 1.94% of France.

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Ironically, in these two decades, UK’s involvement in full scale military wars has largely reduced, as its troops withdrew from Afghanistan and Iraq, and limited military involvements in Syria, Libya, and Yemen.

The public confidence in PM Starmer’s decision to not involve the UK in the USA and Israel’s attacks on Iran have also been high. Polling data from IPSOS in the UK, conducted between 3-7 April 2026, reveals:

65% Britons favour using diplomacy with the US, Israel, Iran, and other countries to try to de-escalate the situation.

An overwhelming 64% reject sending British troops to the Middle East to support the US and Israel in military action against Iran.

Efficiency, not deficiency

‘Britain is terrible at buying military equipment on time and on budget’, says O’Hara. ‘Large projects — armoured vehicles, nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers — massively overrun costs. The nuclear programme alone absorbs billions. So a lot of defence spending isn’t about expanded capability, but inefficiency.’

Dr. Samuel Perlo-Freeman from the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) in a quote provided over email says, ‘The Ministry of Defence (MoD) wastes vast amounts of money on nuclear weapons that can never be used, do nothing to increase security, and involve the threat of horrific crimes against humanity.

‘A lot of other spending is wasted on expensive prestige projects that give huge profits to arms companies, while running over time and budget, and often failing to deliver the capabilities promised, which in any case are often ill-suited to real security needs. If there are genuine needs for military capabilities that would contribute to UK and European security, they should come from this vast wastage of current military spending, rather than from international aid or other areas of spending.’

O’Hara believes there are domestic political and economic benefits for any government in the UK to increase defence spending, ‘Defence exports can be framed as re-industrialisation and job creation, especially in regions Labour wants to win politically.’

ADS, the defence sector’s trade body, claims it has added £15 billion worth of value to the UK economy, provided direct employment to 181,500 people, and £13.7 billion to exports.

‘The public vastly overestimates how much Britain spends on aid. They assume it’s far higher than it actually is’, says O’Hara.

‘Charities are also expected to be altruistic and non-professional. When voters see salaries, offices, and logistics operations, they feel uncomfortable — even though professionalisation is essential for effectiveness.

‘Voters also focus strongly on domestic problems. When they believe money is being siphoned off abroad, resentment builds — even when aid is in the UK’s strategic interest.’

Development Engagement Tracker (DEL), which tracks public engagement with overseas aid and global issues, in a survey by YouGov of 1500 GB adults, revealed less than half of the public (45%) support keeping or increasing aid spending levels.

Arms industry lobbying and revolving door

Seven arms producing and military services companies from the UK are in the top 100 in the world (SIPRI 2024). Transparency International’s open access tool (access here), which collates data on ministers’ meetings with external organisations, shows these seven companies commanded 22% of all lobby meetings with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

And a single defence company BAE Systems (sometimes along with other firms) had 262 meetings with the MoD since 2012.

‘The UK arms industry exercises grossly excessive influence on UK government policy, in relation to both military spending, arms procurement, and arms exports’, says Dr. Freeman. He attributes this to an ‘unparalleled level of access afforded to the industry by government, through a constant stream of high-level meetings and a plethora of government-industry forums, supported by the revolving door between top levels of government, especially the MoD, and the arms industry.’

During the press release of Dr. Freeman’s 2024 report— From revolving door to open-plan office: the ever-closer union between the UK government and the arms industry (available here), he said ‘This is a broken system. No industry should have this level of influence over government, especially one that deals in death and destruction.

‘This level of influence is profoundly undemocratic and means that shareholder profits are protected at all costs – even if this means complicity in appalling war crimes.’

Declassified UK has also reported that several British Conservative party MP’s who rejected a parliamentary motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have owned BAE shares.

In a recent report, Prospect uncovered the gross misuse of revolving door policy and conflicts of interest between ex MoD staff and defence firms in the UK. Prospect identified more than 120 applications by former senior military officers, civil servants and politicians to take paid positions with firms either directly holding MoD contracts or bidding for them, or operating within the wider defence sector.

Prevention better than cure

International Development Committee Chair, Sarah Champion, said the aid cuts are ‘deeply shortsighted’ and ‘our finances should be spent on preventing [conflict], not the deadly consequences’.

A recent study in the Lancet has found that aid cuts by the US, the UK, and other western countries, are likely to cause 22.4 million excess deaths by 2030 (See here). Dr. Freeman of CAAT says while the share of this accounted for by the UK is not clear, but is likely to run into millions of excess deaths. There is no conceivable security benefit from the increased military spending that could outweigh this horrific impact.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) the fiscal consequences of the government’s plans and ambitions for defence spending include reduced spending on other areas (for now aid). The second is to increase tax revenues to fund the increased spending. The third option is to borrow.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves in recent interviews to the press has clearly said she does not favour tax hikes or higher borrowing to pay for increases in defence spending.

Borrowing for a permanent increase in defence spending is unlikely to be sustainable, and would be hard to justify on the grounds that defence spending will boost long-term economic growth.

The fiscal impact of returning to 0.7% of GDP for aid is small relative to the defence budget, making it a feasible reallocation.

More importantly, it would keep the United Kingdom on the right side of history —preventing poverty, conflicts, and distress migration.

Despite being an ongoing issue, the significant increase in rough sleeping for prison leavers on release has continued to fly under the radar, and hidden resulting problems.

In the year up to March 2025, there was a 311% increase since the year up to March 2019 in prison leavers forced to rough sleep on release, according to data from the Ministry of Justice; 19 times the increase in all prison leavers in the same time period.

This continuing upwards trend, when ignoring data affected by the ‘Everyone In’ scheme (a scheme designed to move all those rough sleeping into accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic), has now led to rough sleeping becoming the 3^rd most common type of accommodation on release for prison leavers.

But what are the reasons behind this increase, and how does being forced to rough sleep affect other aspects of prison leavers’, and everyone’s, lives?

There are many contributing factors to why so many prison leavers have to rough sleep on release, instead of receiving appropriate accommodation. When in custody, most prisoners will lose any benefits they would have previously received, unless their sentence is below 13 weeks, and are unable to reapply for housing benefit whilst still in custody. Whilst prisoners are able to prepare for this process, without essential paperwork from this application it is far more difficult to get accommodation not previously arranged.

In addition to this, a significant lack of social accommodation means there is simply not enough housing to give everyone who needs it. This is an issue Darryn Frost – co-founder of Own Merit, a non-profit organisation with a mission to address the prison-leaver homelessness crisis safely and cost-effectively – is incredibly familiar with.

He explained that in terms of allocating prison leavers housing, “the real issue is structural: responsibility for housing sits with local authorities, not the prison or probation service, so there is a persistent communication gap between the offender manager in custody, the one in the community, and the council expected to allocate.

“Prison leavers are not a ‘priority need’, which puts them at the bottom of a long queue for social housing. The 56-day window for the Duty to Refer [a duty in place for specific public bodies to refer those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to the local authority] is often missed.”

There have been attempts to aid prison leavers in finding accommodation when it is not provided for them through the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Act 2023. The Act ensured prison leavers would not be released on Fridays, to allow them enough time to access housing before services closed for the weekend.

However, this effort is not wholly effective. Mr Frost commented that “stopping Friday releases is a solid idea, however, it hasn’t fixed the underlying issues. Without those basics locked in, the Friday reform is just a better-timed drop-off.”

This problem with securing housing is also not self-contained. Rough sleeping makes re-entering society and rehabilitation considerably harder by causing further problems.

Dr Grace Low, a criminology lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, confirmed this, explaining that “without stable housing, it can then be impossible to sort out other aspects of reintegration, such as obtaining employment.”

It can also lead to reoffending becoming an inevitable cycle for prison leavers, which in turn affects society as a whole. Data from the Ministry of Justice states that 77.5% of adult offenders who rough sleep on release from custody reoffend, the highest rate of reoffending out of any accommodation status.

A prison leaver’s status as homeless can directly lead to them having to return to custody. When prisoners are released from prison on license, license conditions often state where prison leavers must live, and they must hold a suitable, approved address they can be visited at. If they break these conditions, potentially through being homeless, they can be recalled to prison for 56 days, which has recently been increased on 31^st March 2026 by the Sentencing Act 2026 from shorter recall times of 14 and 28 days.

Dr Low calls these recalls “particularly disruptive”, stating that through them “people can end up losing their homes, custody of children, and their job, if they had one, while receiving no constructive support within prison to support their desistance [stopping reoffending].”

Issues with reoffending continue to be systemic, as prison-leavers who are already more likely to reoffend, for example those committing lower-level crime, are also more likely to become rough sleepers on release from custody; increasing the likelihood of a reoffending cycle.

68.4% of adult offenders with a sentence less than or equal to 6 months reoffend, and those with the same sentence made up 62.4% of rough sleepers in the year up to March 2025.

As to why so many low-level offenders face street homelessness, Mr Frost explained that “sub-12-month sentences strip any existing tenancy [and] give the Duty to Refer no time to work”, meaning when they are released they have little choice other than rough sleeping.

Lower-level offenders are considered vulnerable before facing homelessness, as Mr Frost said short sentences “are served disproportionately by people with addiction, mental ill-health and care experience.”

Whilst a small number may reoffend specifically to get accommodation and food through prison, “the dominant reason this cohort is over-represented is because lower-level offenders never get any real support to change their behaviour or change their circumstances.” By providing appropriate support, reoffending could decrease for this cohort.

The systemic challenges lower-level offenders face are also demonstrated by prison leavers who committed theft offences being more likely to rough sleep on release from custody, penalising lower-level crimes again.

The seeming inescapability of reoffending increases with theft, with Mr Frost stating that “theft is very often acquisitive offending to feed an addiction, so you have two cycles running at once. Custody interrupts both without breaking either.

“The system effectively manufactures homelessness for this group and then treats their return as a surprise.”

In order to tackle crime as a society, and reduce the £23.6bn cost of reoffending every year, then it is clear that providing housing for prison leavers is a necessary step, with Mr Frost saying accommodation “is the single largest contributor to reducing reoffending.”

Dr Low also affirms the importance of prioritising housing when looking at reoffending as a whole, stating that “it provides a base, for example, to attend treatment programmes or engage with community support. It provides a base to go to and from work.”

Distinguishing living under a roof, compared to having a home, she continued that “somewhere which feels like ‘home’ offers important psychological benefits. For example, a space in which you have control and ownership over and which you can express yourself.”

In order to assist this, instead of the current system of CAS3 (Community Accommodation Service Tier 3) providing 84 nights of temporary accommodation, which Mr Frost says “buys time without buying outcomes”, he suggests “that spend would do far more work if it incentivised private landlords, housing associations and councils to prioritise this cohort, backed by real support: help with evictions, a route for dealing with anti-social behaviour, and indemnity against damage or incidents.

“A tax incentive for private landlords, charities and CICs who take this group on would move the dial further.”

Accessing housing is the problem at the centre of many issues both prison leavers and wider society face, therefore implementing such methods would have an unexpected wide effect. As Mr Frost stated: “Fix housing first and the other interventions actually get a chance to work; skip it and you are pouring resource into a sieve.”

I moved to the UK in September and, since arriving, have run along the Thames Path most mornings. My route — about ten kilometres through Oxford — takes me past houseboats, under bridges, and along a dew-fresh field where cows sometimes graze. As picturesque as it may be, it’s missing the one thing every runner eventually needs: a public toilet.

At first, I chalked it up to being an outsider. In the coastal Canadian city where I’m from, I knew the location of every public toilet along my regular route, confident I could reach the nearest one should my pre-run fuel demand a swift exit. Surely, once I became familiar with Oxford, the same would be true here.

That assumption, however, was short-lived.

When I searched online for a ‘Thames Path toilet map,’ I expected to find a simple guide. Nothing appeared. The closest result was an app called Flush, which listed every nearby toilet, rather than just those on or near the route.

So I decided to make my own.

Using a grid reference finder and an online list of public toilets along the non-tidal section of the Thames Path (from the Cotswolds to Teddington), I began plotting each location onto a digital map of the route. To ensure accuracy, I cross-checked the information against local council records and government data on lock facilities.

What emerged was a patchwork geography of public toilet access.

I began with the first listed facility in Cricklade, more than eleven miles from the start of the route in the village of Kemble. The next toilet was a similar distance away in Lechlade. After that, the gaps narrowed for a stretch of around thirty miles, making access less of an immediate concern.

But the pattern changed again around Oxford.

Once I passed Hinksey Park in my mapping and continued south of the city centre, the next available toilet was more than eight miles away, in a car park in Abingdon. The data showed I hadn’t missed them on my morning jogs; they simply weren’t there.

This was the largest gap in any urban stretch along the non-tidal Thames Path. Across the full route, I plotted fifty-eight public toilets. Exactly half were located at locks. Yet in Oxford, none of the four main locks — King’s, Godstow, Osney, and Iffley — had public toilets.

Instead, users appear to rely on facilities in town: parks, shopping centres, and transport stations. In places such as Reading, Staines, and Windsor, official listings simply note ‘various’ locations, leaving path-users to navigate those sections independently. Many of these options are neither close to nor easily reached from the path itself.

I mentioned the project during a phone call with my mother. ‘It’s much easier for guys,’ she said. ‘Women can’t just pop behind a bush if they need to go.’ I hadn’t asked for her input, but it widened my focus. The issue wasn’t just mine — it depended on who was using the path, and how.

I produced a simple chart to illustrate travel times between toilets based on average running pace. The gap between Oxford and Abingdon, for example, takes around an hour to run. For those walking the route, it could take several times longer.

I contacted a company that supports long-distance walkers on the Thames Path to discuss the story I was working on. They said the findings would be ‘very helpful to walkers’ and noted that toilets along the route are sometimes out of service for months due to vandalism.

At the time of publication, I was still contacting councils, agencies, and organisations to understand who is responsible for provision, funding, and maintenance for public toilets along the Thames Path. What is clear, however, is that responsibility is fragmented and provision uneven.

For now, while longer stretches of the path remain without relief, I may have to adjust my route, heading closer to town where facilities are more readily available.

This increase in shoplifting is in dramatic contrast to the overall decline in crime. During the same period, theft declined by 7%, burglary by 12% and vehicle related offences by a substantial 18% in the Thames Valley. Nationally in England, shoplifting rose by 6% while total recorded crime declined by 2%. Violence against the person showed a slight 1% increase locally, compared with a 1% decrease nationally.

As shown in Figure 1, shoplifting is the only major offence category increasing, while other crime types continue to decline.

Figure 1: Percentage change in crime by offence type – England compared with Thames Valley (year ending September 2025)

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Police Recorded Crime Statistics

When adjusted for population size, the Thames Valley continues to be one of the safer police force areas in the country. It recorded approximately 71 offences per 1,000 people in 2025, well below the England average of 88. Violent, theft, burglary and vehicle crime rates were significantly below the national rate. Shoplifting, though, was one of the categories in which Thames Valley and England were nearest to each other, which is an indication that the issue is experienced more evenly across the regions.

The figures tell a story of two trends: positive improvement in general population safety and an infuriating and noticeable increase in retail theft that is becoming a concern to store owners and employees.

In Oxford’s Cowley area, the impact is tangible. Rashid, who runs an Afro-Asian grocery shop serving the diverse Cowley community, says shoplifting has become a daily headache.

“It’s increasing day by day,” he told me. “Due to inflation and high product costs, especially food, people are trying to steal more from shops. Sometimes three or four cases happen in one day. We don’t even report it to the police anymore because it wastes time and we get no compensation. The law is not strict enough.”

Rashid’s frustration is common among small retailers. Many report that the combination of rising living costs and what they perceive as lenient consequences is emboldening thieves. The economic context plays a major role; most of the households are only just recovering the impact of inflation, and retailers experience tightened margins and increased competition from online platforms.

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has made tackling shoplifting a clear priority. In a statement issued in August 2025, he emphasised the need for shared social responsibility:

“I believe in social responsibility and in people being engaged in their communities to help keep them safe. People should not turn a blind eye to crime… I have made tackling shoplifting a priority for Thames Valley Police and that has resulted in more criminals being charged, more patrols being visible, easier sharing of evidence from stores, more support for retailers and a focus on the most prolific offenders.”

Barber urged retailers, staff and shoppers to report incidents and, where safe, perform simple actions like alerting staff or taking evidence. He stressed he was not asking people to put themselves in danger by physically confronting offenders.

His comments, however, sparked controversy. Liberal Democrat MPs Joshua Reynolds and Freddie van Mierlo criticised the approach as “irresponsible and dangerous.” Reynolds argued that “expecting the public to do the job for the police is not the way,” while van Mierlo said the public should call the police rather than confront criminals.

The discussion brings up broader issues regarding the societal reaction to retail crime. Meanwhile, the official numbers indicate the positive change. Barber previously highlighted a 98% increase in charges for shoplifting offences in the force area between April and mid-October 2024 (from around 850 to 1,700). He has also pointed to initiatives such as a new Business Crime Team, Operation Purchase for increased visible patrols in retail areas, and better information-sharing platforms for retailers.

Even with this action, a significant number of shopkeepers are still sceptical of the effects on the ground. Others claim that the response times by the police are still too slow and that repeat offenders are hardly deterred. Not all residents in Cowley share the retailers’ sense of rising insecurity. An unnamed local man said everyday life actually feels safer than in previous years:

“Things have become cooler and calmer. There’s less crime going on in our communities recently. You can go out freely at night now. I give big praise to Thames Valley Police — they’ve been very visible and they’re working hard to crack down on crime.”

Oxford Brookes University student Raj, an international student living in the area, echoed a similar personal sense of safety:

“I walk at night a lot of times and I didn’t see any crimes happening. For me it feels safe here. But the types of crimes that concern me most are theft and robbery — especially if someone comes with a knife or tries to scare me to take my things.”

These opposing voices depict how crime patterns are experienced by various groups of people. Frontline retail workers who are the most affected by shoplifting are under daily pressure, and many residents and students are the main beneficiaries of better street security and law enforcement.

Police-recorded crime statistics need to be looked at with a certain degree of caution. The numbers can be affected by changes in recording practices, population readiness to report offences, and enhancement of police systems. The ONS itself notes that not all forces have fully consistent recording standards in recent years. Nevertheless, these figures remain the most comprehensive official measure of crime that comes to the attention of the police.

The consistent increase in shoplifting takes place on a challenging economic background. Retailers are dealing with increased expenses, lower margins and long-term implications of the cost-of-living crisis. On a national scale, the past few years have seen shoplifting at record or nearly record levels, and campaigners are demanding harsher sentencing of habitual offenders and a quicker police response to retail shoplifting.

The problem is especially evident in busy neighbourhood centres in Oxford, and the wider Thames Valley, where there are independent shops alongside larger stores. Local police neighbourhood teams have stepped up efforts in the city centre and Cowley, but retailers say more needs to be done.

As Rashid put it: “The problem is growing every day. Without stronger action, it risks becoming normal.”

Although the general crime rates in the Thames Valley are on the right track, the particular increase in shoplifting incidents indicates the emergence of the strain on the local high street and convenience stores. Bridging the gap between falling overall crime statistics and the lived experience of retailers will likely remain a key challenge for police, politicians and communities in the months ahead.

‘We are so happy that Orbán is finally gone,’ one young Hungarian told the Guardian. ‘We are glad to feel some sense of hope, finally,’ adds another. ‘We changed the system!’

After 16 years in power, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a galleon figure of the European far-right, had just lost his re-election. Decisively.

And on the other side of the Atlantic, another far-right heavyweight faces dismal approval ratings and a possible electoral rebuke in November. ‘The Trump vibe shift is dead,’ declared New York Times columnist Ezra Klein late last year.

Is this it? Is this the beginning of the end of the cultural vibe shift towards the political right that many commentators had diagnosed across the West?

‘I do think there is some argument for that,’ says Dr Jon Wheatley, who researches European politics, political parties, and autocratisation at Oxford Brookes University. But before hearing that argument, let’s take stock of the status quo.

The era of the far-right

Populist parties of all political orientations, meaning parties that put the people versus some sort of elite, have gained in strength significantly over the past 25 years in Europe, according to the Votes for Populists Dataset.

Right-wing populist parties specifically have constituted the only major party family that has seen an increase in vote share across 36 Western democracies since the fall of the Soviet Union, as an analysis of the Comparative Political Dataset shows.

Dr Wheatley explains that the most recent increase in popularity started off the back of the 2008 financial crisis and the European financial crisis thereafter—as can be seen in the data. The rise was ‘then perhaps turbocharged by the migrant crisis of 2015 as well.’

By the mid of this decade, the far-right had become a major political force in Europe: They formed governments in nine EU member states, filled a quarter of seats in the European Parliament, and were involved in all major EU decisions, according to the German think tank SWP.

Some 51 far-right parties sat in European parliaments in 2022, as an analysis of the so-called Popu-List dataset reveals.

Reform UK, France’s National Rally (RN), and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) now lead the polls in Europe’s three largest economies. And, of course, the Republicans are in power in the US.

Being right goes mainstream

That is also where the vibe shift towards the political right reached a climax, under the Capitol’s historic dome in Washington D.C., in front of old paintings and an American flag.

On 20 January 2025, shortly after noon, everybody was giving standing ovations to the newly inaugurated 47th president of the United States, walking up to a podium bearing the presidential seal. Donald Trump, a far-right populist. Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, and Mark Zuckerberg were seated directly behind him on the stage, clapping.

Wayne Gretzky, Rupert Murdoch, and countless politicians sat in the audience. In front of the eyes of the nation and the world, the shame in supporting Trump seemingly gone.

‘This week, I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,’ his voice carried across the storied, crowded hall.

‘As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.’

Positions like that are typical of the recent wave of far-right politics, explains Dr Wheatley. ‘They’re sort of combining anti-immigration, even nativist stances, with anti-trans, so-called anti-woke, often anti-net zero positions.’

He agrees that there has been a vibe shift, and not only in the US. ‘I think you’ve got a normalisation of discourses that would previously be considered far-right, that are now considered sort of normal.’

It’s the culture, stupid!

Culture and identity are key issues for voters on the far-right. Anatole Champel, a 20-year-old undergraduate at Oxford Brookes who is originally from Paris, says that the most important issues to him are immigration and cultural preservation.

‘What we do want is that the people that are coming in are here to respect the rules and blend into society,’ he says, emphasising that he is concerned about his culture and not about the racial makeup of France. Mr Champel has been a supporter of the French RN for the entirety of his politically conscious life.

Indeed, culture and identity are the deciding factors when it comes to the rise of RN and the like. ‘One of the reasons why these parties are doing well, I think, is because this culture-identity axis has suddenly become salient,’ analyses Dr Wheatley. ‘That now matters.’

Throughout the 20th century, that had been different: ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ was the mantra.

Of the two dimensions dividing left and right — the economy and cultural identity — the latter has become pressing, according to Dr Wheatley. Traditional conservative parties were oftentimes unable to capitalise on that.

While Mr Champel likes some of their economic views, traditional conservative parties ‘don’t act on the issues that me or my social group are concerned about.’

Another look at the Comparative Political Dataset reveals that right-wing (not necessarily far-right) parties have become ever-so dominant in governments of Western democracies over the past quarter century, at the expense of centrist and left-wing parties.

At first, working-class voters began to abandon their traditional political home: the centre-left. Over the last five to ten years, ‘that seems to have happened to the centre-right as well,’ says political scientist Dr Wheatley.

A reverse vibe shift?

So what about Orbán’s election loss, and Trump’s declining popularity? Is the rise of the far-right at an end?

Maybe. But maybe only after they have been in power for a bit.

Far-right parties can get into trouble when in government. ‘Because part of them do have a populist message: the pure people versus the corrupt elites,’ says Dr Wheatley.

‘But what happens when they become the corrupt elites? And this was the case of Orbán.

‘People were getting disillusioned,’ he explains. ‘So when these guys do get into power, they face pushback.’ A possible reverse vibe shift.

And in government, their handling of the economy does matter. ‘They will deregulate. They will increase inequality,’ says the political scientist.

RN supporter Mr Champel has a vision for when his party wins over the government: ‘I think we would have a lot more safety.’

That is also part of what the German AfD promises: ‘When did all of this actually start?’ is what a melancholic voice says to the sound of thoughtful retro music. ‘That nothing works anymore.’

‘There was always enough money, be it for bankrupt southern European states or millions of migrants from all over the world.’

The voice belongs to a 2025 election ad that revokes memories of supposedly happier and richer days, to the backdrop of slick imagery of Germany. Landmarks, flags, an eagle.

‘Now is the time for our families … for our security … for our country.’ The music turns electronic and energetic.

‘This trend is here to stay’

According to Dr Wheatley, far-right parties will become a key political force in Europe.

And with it, the danger of dwindling democracy. ‘There is a risk because these parties are authoritarian,’ says Dr Wheatley.

Mr Champel dispels concerns about authoritarianism or even fascism. ‘We cannot compare the right today to fascism,’ he argues. ’I think that’s a lot of speculation from mostly left voters.’

The political scientist Dr Wheatley thinks that a full-blown rise of authoritarianism in Europe is unlikely.

‘Hungary is a ray of hope to a certain extent because, despite the fact that Orbán had been there for 16 years, despite the fact that he basically controlled the media and everything: he still lost.’

523 care homes in England have not been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for at least eight years, new analysis reveals.

The backlog has grown sharply since the pandemic, although the first significant increase appeared as early as 2017.

The analysis also shows that the average care home in England has now gone over four years without a full inspection.

Outdated ratings raise concerns that standards in some care homes may have declined without being identified by the regulator.

An Age UK spokesperson said: “Delays to care home inspections mean older people being placed at unnecessary risk by poor quality homes not complying with standards. This is unacceptable and needs to be urgently addressed.”

Families searching for a care home may be relying on an indicator that no longer reflects the current quality of care. Some well-rated homes may have declined, while others may have improved but still carry lower ratings. An alternative is for families to assess homes by visiting in person, speaking to staff and asking questions.

Andy Gill, founder of Dementia Active, a charity providing social activity groups for people with dementia, said:

“From our work with families at Dementia Active, one of the biggest challenges is that moving into a care home is rarely just a practical decision - it is an emotional one.”

He added that decisions are often being made under significant time pressure: “A hospital admission, a fall, a carer becoming unwell, or a sudden deterioration can force families into making choices quickly.”

This can make visiting a care home beforehand difficult in practice.

Mr Gill added: “My advice is always to start exploring options earlier than feels necessary. Looking early does not mean acting early.”

In response to the new findings, Chris Badger, the Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at the CQC, told us:

“We know that we need to increase our rate of assessments to make sure that we update the ratings of providers and give the public confidence in quality of care.”

The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England, overseeing around 12,000 care homes, as well as hospitals, GP practices and other services.

The regulator has faced significant scrutiny in recent years. A review conducted in 2024 found serious organisational failings, impacting its ability to carry out regular assessments. The number of inspections fell from almost 15,800 in 2019 to 6,700 in 2023. The CQC accepted the review’s recommendations at the time.

Following this latest analysis, the regulator reaffirmed its commitment to increasing the rate of inspections.

Mr Badger said: “In the short term, we are making progress and on track to meet assessment targets as agreed with the Department of Health and Social Care.”

Previously, care homes received two full inspections each year: one announced, and one unannounced - a standard that has not been met since 2016.

Now, the CQC says it collects other information to monitor care homes continuously and direct resources to the highest-risk settings. This includes safeguarding concerns, as well complaints and feedback from staff, carers, and families, with the aim of carrying out responsive inspections where risks are greatest.

Mr Badger added: “When people share their concerns about poor care with us, they can have confidence that we will act to hold providers to account to ensure people are kept safe and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Some operators suggest the current approach is insufficient. Methodist Homes (MHA), a not-for-profit operator of 71 homes, says 10% of their homes have not had a full inspection in nine years. While it values the CQC’s work, it is calling for a higher inspection rate.

MHA said: “Our biggest ask of CQC is that they increase the rate of inspections they carry out, so no service has an inspection report which is more than five years old, as old inspection reports do not reflect current practice in a home.”

Where care home operators change ownership, new operators also inherit existing ratings, meaning any improvements made after a takeover may not be reflected for several years.

MHA added: “All inspections also need to look at the whole service rather than focus on specific areas where concerns might have been raised.”

It also said inspections play a wider role in sharing good practice across the sector, which can be limited when fewer inspections are being carried out.

The new figures indicate a growing backlog that could prove increasingly difficult for the CQC to address.

An Age UK spokesperson said: “Regulation of the care industry has been repeatedly cut back over the years due to cuts in funding and this issue is not going to be resolved without fundamental reform.”

“The Government has to recognise that up-to-date information, regulation and inspection is essential to help older people and their families make decisions about services about care in later life.”