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We can quibble over whether it’s possible to “defect” from one party to another if your original party pushes you overboard before you have the chance to jump ship, but whichever way you look at it, Nigel Farage is ending the week one MP up and the Tories one MP down.
Robert Jenrick’s decision to join Reform hours after being sacked by Kemi Badenoch means his constituents in Newark have also switched party, whether they wanted to or not. An analysis of the area shows that it is about to become an important test case in a changing political landscape. Reform did OK there in 2024, but it was really a race between the Conservatives and Labour, with a narrow victory for the former. Subsequent council elections, however, have seen people slide towards Reform. Like so many other parts of the country, the mood has been shifting.
We’re over halfway through January and some of you may be struggling with your resolutions. Going vegan has become a popular option but it’s difficult to switch to an entirely new way of eating. So if your motivation is on the slide, here are some ideas on how to keep up the plant-based momentum.
I’ve been taken down hard by whatever foul lurgy has been going around this week. Why are so many of us ill at this time of year? Viruses thrive in cold conditions, for a start. And part of the problem is the way we change our habits when the weather gets cold. More time spent locked up inside doesn’t help.
I’ve barely left the house this week, so I’m a case in point, I guess. But, ever hungry for step count, my phone has sent relentless notifications about my failure to exercise. “There’s been a change to your fitness routine!” it shrieks. “Your physical activity is down on previous weeks!” Thanks phone, great to have you at my side in my hour of need. I’ve got to get back outside this weekend if only to stop it from reminding me to do so. Thankfully, I’ve read this helpful article about exercise “snacks”. A few short bouts of physical activity sound a lot less daunting than a 10k run.
Also this week, a medical evacuation from the International Space Station, a drama that has millions of people emotionally invested in a same-sex ice hockey romance, and scientists pick through the last meal found in the tum of a 15,000-year-old wolf puppy.
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