The Spectator

Topping the list – before he was sacked in March over historical sexual offence allegations – is former Radio 2 breakfast show host Scott Mills. He was fortunate enough to pocket a whopping £750,000 from licence fee payers. Greg James comes second on an eye-watering £440,000. Then we move on to news. In third place, Radio Ulster and 5 Live presenter Stephen Nolan rakes in £425,000, followed by Laura Kuenssberg on £405,000. A little further down the list, Radio 4's Justin Webb makes an appearance with a handsome £375,000 salary. BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty is revealed to be on £360,000, while Question Time's Fiona Bruce takes home £345,000. ✍️ Steerpike Article | spectator.com/article/bbc-re… | @MrSteerpike

Male-dominated industries such as manufacturing, agriculture and construction used to contribute 40 per cent of UK output, but over the past half century this has shrunk to just 16 per cent. The gender pay gap – stubbornly pervasive across our economy – is now in reverse for 18-to-24 year olds. Half way through the last century, only 10 per cent of children grew up without a father. Today, that figure has doubled. While single mothers across the country do heroic work bringing up young boys, there is robust evidence that father absence can badly affect children's outcomes. ✍️ Jake Richards Article | spectator.com/article/the-le…

Sir Ed Davey this afternoon issued an impassioned plea to Tory wets disillusioned with Kemi Badenoch: come home to the Lib Dems. The party leader gleefully encouraged the likes of Gavin Barwell to 'come and talk', as Badenoch delivered an ultimatum to her own ranks – back my policies or leave. At a Westminster press conference convened to announce an official Lib Dem call for a 'new Magna Carta' to save Britain from 'populists and tech tyrants', Sir Ed found time to have a pop at Badenoch, whom he accused of 'turning away lifelong conservatives'. He went on: ✍️ Steerpike Article | spectator.com/article/ed-dav… | @MrSteerpike

The Times rebuked Nigel Farage for turning tragedy into "propaganda" by speculating that her killing may have been politically motivated. But recent developments suggest he may have a point: counter-terrorism cops have taken over the investigation. Even his laying of flowers at Widdecombe's home elicited haughty scoffing from the grief police. X was awash with infantile snark about how he was only "doing it for the cameras". It's a "performance", people sneered. Behold the brain rot of Faragephobia, where your mind is so fried by Nige hate you can't even accept that he might genuinely be cut up over the violent death of a friend and ally. ✍️ Brendan O’Neill Article | spectator.com/article/why-is… | @spikedonline

I'm a little sceptical of reports that Ed Miliband is prepared to back down and accept new drilling for gas in the Jackdaw field in return for being made chancellor. Last time that Miliband was reported to be on the point of granting permission for new oil and gas licences in the North Sea it turned out not to be true. He dug in his heels, and a hapless Keir Starmer let him do so. But maybe Miliband's ambition to be chancellor, and his desire to inflict a deeply left-wing fiscal policy on Britain, really does trump his net-zero zealotry. ✍️ Ross Clark Article | spectator.com/article/is-ed-… | @RossjournoClark

On today's Coffee House Shots podcast: Kemi Badenoch has declared war on the Tory wets, removing the whip from Gavin Barwell after Theresa May's former chief of staff criticised her leadership and opposed the party's positions on net zero and the ECHR. Her allies insist this is not a purge, but proof that the Conservatives have changed. Is Badenoch finally imposing discipline on her party – or narrowing a broad church that is already struggling to fill its pews? Listen | spectator.com/podcast/kemi-w…

Watch the full episode of Coffee House youtu.be/pTNk9YnldIs

The murder of Ann Widdecombe has sent shockwaves through Westminster and reignited the debate over MPs' security. Tim Shipman says it's "a nonsense" that Nigel Farage is not provided with proper state protection considering he could become Prime Minister, while acknowledging that the cost of his protection is tangled up in the Reform donations row. @ShippersUnbound | @JAHeale

💥 Two weeks to go and tickets are nearly sold out 💥 Rory Sutherland joins us to talk about the psychology behind how people think, choose, and value the world around them. More than 700 people have already booked their place and tickets are selling fast. Don’t miss your chance to join us for this special Spectator event! Tickets spectator.com/rorysutherland | @rorysutherland

@ShippersUnbound @JAHeale Watch the full episode of Coffee House here | youtu.be/pTNk9YnldIs

Nigel Farage remains under pressure over his finances: is this his ‘Mandelson’ scandal? @ShippersUnbound | @JAHeale

"It makes me very inspired and very happy to be alive in this country," Glubbey says. "With everything that is going on nasty in the news, just to be able to look at this country for what it truly is, is inspiring." Glubbey plans to build a giant pear for rental next, a "Pear-B&B," on a small lot in Mississippi. He also wants to "build something different every summer to take out." While he acknowledges this summer to be a "pear-car summer", he plans to keep it fresh in the seasons to come. "Grab a tent, have a motorcycle and just take off and see what happens," Glubbey says. "You don’t know what’s gonna happen sometimes, but I think the journey just gives me life, it’s what I live for." ✍️ Sabrina Philip Article | spectator.com/article/meet-m…

In the long run, it is a diminishing asset as Iran's neighbours begin developing alternatives that bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Conventional wisdom has framed the collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding as down to drafting mistakes, bad negotiating, and mistrust between parties. But that is a misreading. The agreement collapsed because of the nature of the Iranian regime as an international pariah, a regional bully, and a domestic dragnet that is not seeking peace. As President Trump recently told a radio show, the MOU was a test for Iran, and it failed. ✍️ Jason Brodsky Article | spectator.com/article/you-ca…

The infamous “Memorandum of Understanding” between the United States and Iran has broken down. One of the major points of failure has been the disagreement over which side controls the Strait of Hormuz. Yesterday, President Donald Trump abruptly declared that his country should now be known as "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and “as such, as a matter of fairness, will be reimbursed at the rate of 20 percent on all cargo shipped.” “POTUS is absolutely right,” replied Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, on X. “Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER." ✍️ Owen Matthews Article | spectator.com/article/is-the… | @owenmatth

The most interesting piece of economic policy from the Trump White House is not a tariff, nor is it an AI export restriction. It's a brokerage account for babies. Under the new Trump Accounts program, eligible American children born between 2025 and 2028 will receive $1,000 from the Treasury, to be invested in a broad index of American companies. Parents, employers, and other benefactors can contribute up to $5,000 more annually. Before these children can walk or speak, they will own their slice of corporate America. ✍️ Maximillian Garely Article | spectator.com/article/trump-…

In Poland, they are seen to have systematically massacred over 100,000 Poles with extreme brutality in order to have a clearer claim to Volhynia, a hitherto ethnically mixed region, in the post-war settlement – around a third of the region's residents were Poles. I will not describe the accounts of murder here, for fear of spoiling your meal, but they can be easily found online. Suffice to say, those with even a passing interest in Eastern European history know that there is no inter-ethnic hatred worse than that of one type of Slav toward another. The timing of the whole farce is particularly bad. On Saturday, Poles observed the National Memorial Day for Poles killed by Ukrainians in Volhynia, an annual commemoration instituted by the Polish Parliament in 2009. ✍️ Bartek Staniszewski Article | spectator.com/article/how-po…

@ShippersUnbound Watch the full episode of Coffee House here | youtu.be/pTNk9YnldIs

"He has to choose between Nigel Inc. and the party" As the Reform leader remains under pressure over his finances, Tim Shipman says the establishment game appears to be 'get Farage' to fetter his ability to energise the party and get it ready for government. @ShippersUnbound | @JAHeale

It is news to no one, although worth restating for an American readership, that Argentinian politics even in the best regime is positively deranged by the obsession with the Falkland Islands – a British territory with British citizenry for the past two centuries. The ascent of Argentinian soccer's fortunes coincides with the inflammation of that obsession, especially when playing England. There is history to this: in the near aftermath of the 1982 Falklands War, which Argentina started and Britain finished, the Argentinian team positively cheated to defeat the English in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals. ✍️ Joshua S. Treviño Article | spectator.com/article/americ…

A quick consultation of the UK's 23,522-page tax code (apparently the longest in the world) quickly confirmed my suspicion. "Cold takeaway" meals are subject to zero per cent VAT, while cold meals consumed in the vendor's "designated eating area" are subject to the full 20 per cent VAT rate. On one level, this was a mildly pleasing way to save money on lunch; on another, my economist brain immediately started calculating the massive economic distortions and fiscal costs caused by a minor clause in the tax code. ✍️ William Nixon Article | spectator.com/article/why-is…