Jamie Oliver has returned with a new TV series and a book, Jamie at Home, an attempt to get Britons to grow their own produce. From tomorrow, you can read extracts from the book in the Daily Telegraph and on telegraph.co.uk.

Since coming to prominence at the age of 23 with The Naked Chef, Jamie has attempted to change the way we think about food with his no-nonsense approach to cooking. Jamie's Kitchen took a group of disadvantaged youngsters and tried to train them to run a restaurant and Jamie's School Dinners campaigned for an end to junk food in schools.

What do you think of the Jamie Oliver phenomenon? Has he changed attitudes and raised important issues or is he just another TV chef? Do you follow his keep-it-simple approach to cooking or do you prefer more elaborate recipes? How has he changed the way we cook and eat?

Read more

Posted at: 14:01 | Permalink | Comments 64

David Cameron faces a huge defeat if Gordon Brown calls a snap general election. According to a YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph, Labour would win a majority of around 100 seats in the House of Commons if the results of the poll were replicated at a general election.

The poll shows that more than two years into the parliament elected in May 2005 the Tories have still failed to dent Labour’s majority.

Do you think the country needs more time to judge Brown and Cameron’s performances before being called to the polls?

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 214

The divorce rate may have fallen in England and Wales, according to new statistics, but in the last quarter of a century the number of serial divorcees has more than doubled.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that one in five people divorcing in 2006 had a previous marriage ending in divorce, casting doubt on the notion that divorcees are likely to show more tolerance and commitment the next time round.

What do you think of the findings? Is marriage better the second time round - or the third? Is it more prudent to enter into matrimony in the full awareness of what it entails or in blissful ignorance?

Read more

Posted at: 19:10 | Permalink | Comments 41

More than one train in eight is running late despite the spiralling cost of rail fares, a damning report on the state of Britain’s railways has revealed.

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) claimed that nearly 400,000 passengers face delays every day because of track and signal failures.

This latest indictment of Britain's trains comes despite the fact that fares have risen by more than 27 per cent since the creation of Network Rail, a private company which oversees infrastructure, in 2002. Ticket prices are expected to go up by as much as 45 per cent over the next eight years.

Read more

Posted at: 18:45 | Permalink | Comments 133

The Government has warned of "ramifications for security" after an unexpected strike by prison officers. Up to 25,000 wardens across Britain's 140 prisons may be absent from work today.

The Prisoner Officers Association called the strike after the Government watered down a pay increase recommended by the Independent Pay Review Board.

Steve Gough, the assistant vice chairman of the POA, said: "Our members are sick of being treated like muck for the last 15 years."

Read more

Posted at: 10:20 | Permalink | Comments 115

David Cameron has today unveiled plans to tackle Britain’s "crime crisis" by bolstering police powers and stamping out glamorised violence in popular culture.

The Conservative leader called on the country to fight back against "gangs, guns and graffiti", in a speech launching a mini-manifesto on crime in the wake of last week's shooting of Rhys Jones in Liverpool.

Mr Cameron said: "It is simply unacceptable - a moral reproach to our country - that someone should have the opportunity and the inclination to kill an 11-year-old child with a handgun."

Read more

Posted at: 18:30 | Permalink | Comments 121

Almost ten years have passed since Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in Paris, an event which prompted an uncharacteristic outburst of public mourning in Britain.

Her family and friends will gather for an official memorial service later this week to honour her life.

What did Diana’s death mean to you? Do you remember where you were when she died and how you felt?

Read more

Posted at: 11:01 | Permalink | Comments 333

Residents of England’s smallest town are preparing to fight an application by Tesco to build a superstore that they say will destroy their town’s character and put local shops out of business.

The attack on the retailer’s plans for a 30,000 square foot store in Manningtree in Essex comes just days after the Competition Commission extended an investigation into supermarkets after it emerged that threatening emails were allegedly being used to bully farmers and suppliers into cutting prices.

Tesco now controls almost a third of the UK grocery market and one pound in every seven spent in all British shops goes through its tills.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 119

David Cameron has accused the Government of being “complacent” and “in denial” about gun crime in response to plans by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, to establish neutral “drop off zones” where guns could be handed in anonymously.

Miss Smith said that her priority was to “get guns off the streets” in response to public outrage over the murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones in Liverpool.

The president of the Police Superintendents' Association has broadly welcomed the proposals but questioned how they would work in practice.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 207

Samantha Cameron has revealed that the American pop star Gwen Stefani is her “alter ego”.

Mrs Cameron, wife of the Tory party leader David, told the US fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar: “Every time I see her, I go, God, I wish I looked like that!”

Have you ever dreamed of having an alter ego? Would you choose a celebrity as your second self? Or maybe someone from a bygone era? Who do you think makes the most plausible alter ego for Mrs Cameron, or her husband?

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 44

The British military is in the grip of a personnel crisis after the departure of a substantial number of servicemen in the last three months, prompting concerns that the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan could push the Armed Forces to breaking point.

The latest quarterly figures for the RAF show that it is now more than 2,500 short of a requirement of 45,000 personnel. More than 1,000 have left since the last figures were published in April.

Due to “technical problems” the Ministry of Defence will be unable to publish the Army’s staffing figure for another three months. But the latest statistics available reveal it to be 3,350 soldiers short.

Read more

Posted at: 14:31 | Permalink | Comments 192

Enterprising property pioneers have ditched estate agents and are starting to use eBay, an online auctioneer, and the video website YouTube to sell property.

Sellers on eBay pay a sliding-scale fee according to the reserve price of the property and can file an advertisement, written description and photographs. If a deal is done, payment is made through a third-party system that checks the buyers' ability to pay. YouTube is not far behind: the amateur video website hosts clips of homes taken by sellers who want that extra bit of publicity. Unsurprisingly perhaps, estate agents are critical of these new tools.

Is selling on eBay the best way to avoid dealing with estate agents? Are they being rightly punished for years of giving bad value for their commission?

Read more

Posted at: 14:01 | Permalink | Comments 25

‘Ethical living’ is the latest way to keep up with the Joneses, a survey has claimed, though more Britons are concerned with being seen to be green than actually changing their behaviour.

Although more than half of the people questioned consider unethical living as much of a social taboo as drink driving, nine in ten admit they tell “little green lies” to exaggerate their commitment to saving the planet.

“We want to be 'good’ but often are too busy, or it seems too complicated, so we cut corners, or 'forget’ altogether, and then feel guilty,” Corinne Sweet, a psychologist, commented.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 62

Record numbers of Britons are leaving their homeland to settle permanently overseas, according to figures released today.

The Office for National Statistics reported that 385,000 people emigrated in the year to July 2006, the highest figure since current counting methods were introduced in 1991.

Many of those who are leaving appear to be seeking a life in the sun, with Australia, Spain and France topping the list of most popular destinations.

Read more

Posted at: 18:30 | Permalink | Comments 740

David Cameron has argued that closer family ties are needed to combat teenage delinquency, while at the same time stressing that parents should instil a culture of work rather than welfare dependency.

The Tory leader blamed Labour for failing a generation of children, arguing that a “culture change” was needed to improve the prospects for young people in the future.

"We need to make mothers realise that it's work, not welfare, that offers their family the best future,” Mr Cameron commented.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 51

The Government has vowed to challenge a decision to allow the man who murdered headmaster Philip Lawrence to stay in Britain.

Tony McNulty, the Home Office Minister, argued that Italian-born Learco Chindamo had forfeited his rights because of the “heinous” nature of his crime, despite a ruling by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal that deportation would breach Mr Chindamo’s human rights.

Frances Lawrence, Mr Lawrence’s widow, said she was “unutterably depressed” that the human rights of her family had taken second place to those of her husband’s killer.

Read more

Posted at: 18:01 | Permalink | Comments 161

Enmity between Britain and Germany only lingers on in the febrile imagination of the UK's tabloid press, an academic has claimed on the eve of a ‘friendly’ football match between the two rivals.

German-born Dr Christian Schweiger from Durham University argued that tabloids had fuelled violence at football matches and perpetuated the myth that Anglo-German tensions are still relevant.

“The majority of British people today, especially the younger generations, perceive Germany as a partner country, and no longer hold any particular resentment about Germany and its people,” he commented.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 90

More Government support for families and better male role models are the best ways to combat the yobs who are causing “anarchy in the UK”, David Cameron said yesterday.

Mr Cameron said that tough penalties alone would not tackle “yobbish behaviour”. “We are not really going to solve the crime problem unless we solve the family problem,” he said. He added that he was not convinced that the drinking age should be raised from 18 to 21.

His comments came after new figures revealed that police community support officers are solving just one crime every six years and a survey found that half of British people are more frightened on the streets than 10 years ago.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 193

Politicians in Australia are getting hot under the collar about strip clubs after it emerged that its leader of the opposition, Kevin Rudd, visited a “gentleman’s club” in New York in 2003.

In a country more renowned for play than prudery, however, the revelation provoked a series of similar confessions from both sides of the political divide.

“I remember being at one when I was 20, in Adelaide,” commented the defence minister, Brendan Nelson. The deputy premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, added: “I’ve seen a strip-o-gram in a Chinese restaurant once - does that count?”

Read more

Posted at: 17:50 | Permalink | Comments 79

Companies are giving teenagers remedial lessons in numeracy and literacy because they leave school “unable to function in the workplace”, a report claimed today.

The report, published by the Confederation of British Industry, concludes that improvements in computing skills have been at the expense of the Three Rs.

Richard Lambert, CBI director general, said: “These technology-smart whizz kids are making a great impression at businesses with their expertise in IT and computing. The challenge ahead is for schools to channel that same enthusiasm into numeracy and literacy skills, where far too many young people are struggling.”

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 78

Exercise may be a waste of time for one in six people, researchers have found in what is a demoralising blow for all those enslaved to the gym.

A team at Louisiana University measured the medical impact of an exercise regime on 742 sedentary volunteers and found that some were simply not susceptible to the benefits of a workout.

News of the finding came as another scientific paper warned that moderate exercise such as going for a walk may not be enough to stave off heart disease and other health problems.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 56

David Cameron's Conservatives have sought to re-establish some of their tax-cutting credentials by unveiling plans to abolish inheritance tax.

The plans, part of a major policy review on economic competitiveness led by the Thatcherite senior MP John Redwood, will be coupled with calls to abolish stamp duty on shares at a cost of £3bn and reduce the current £10bn stamp duty on property.

None of the proposals are as yet party policy, but the far-reaching outline may mollify Conservatives who feel the party has abandoned its core values under Mr Cameron.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 389

A police officer has provoked controversy by insisting that the public should stand up to vandals and yobs, even though two men have been killed in the past week for challenging unruly youths.

One father of three, Garry Newlove, died after allegedly being attacked by a gang who were throwing stones at a mechanical digger, while a promising footballer, Evren Anil, was killed when he challenged two teenagers who threw a half-eaten chocolate bar into his sister’s car.

DCI Cliff Lyons, who is leading the investigation into Mr Anil's alleged murder, said: "My advice is to assess where you are, the circumstances of the incident and whether the incident may result in a threat to you or others which is exactly what Mr Anil did. People are entitled to challenge these yobs’ behaviour."

Read more

Posted at: 18:01 | Permalink | Comments 96

A quarter of A-level papers are expected to be awarded an A grade today, reflecting concerns that the examinations are no longer an adequate barometer of intelligence for leading universities.

Since 1990 the number of papers awarded an A grade has more than doubled, and British universities are increasingly turning to US-style aptitude tests to differentiate between candidates.

Another conventional yardstick of intelligence is also under attack: a controversial new study has claimed that IQ tests are unreliable and underhand.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 91

A senior policeman has lambasted the culture of drinking and youth violence which led to the death of Garry Newlove, a 47-year-old father of three.

Mr Newlove was attacked after confronting a gang of more than 15 teenagers who were throwing stones at his car in Warrington, Cheshire. He later died from his injuries.

Speaking after three teenagers were remanded over Mr Newlove's murder, Cheshire Chief Constable Peter Fahy commented:

Read more

Posted at: 19:00 | Permalink | Comments 376

The campaign for Scottish independence stepped up a gear today as Alex Salmond, the First Minister, revealed his plans for the break-up of the union of England and Scotland.

His proposed referendum would give Scots the opportunity to have a say on the future fate of their country, but their decision, and the possible departure of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, will have an impact on Britain as a whole as well.

Do you think Scottish independence is a matter for Scots alone to decide? Or should people who live elsewhere in the UK have a say – equal or otherwise - on the matter?

Read more

Posted at: 00:02 | Permalink | Comments 274

Gap year volunteers may be better off spending their time travelling independently rather than helping out on spurious schemes abroad that do more harm than good, a leading charity has warned.

The international development charity Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) said poorly planned, “voluntourism” schemes that make money out of channelling public sympathy were having a negative impact on young people and the communities they worked with.

Up to 200,000 Britons take a gap year every year, of whom 130,000 are school-leavers, spending on average around £4,800. The majority of VSO placements, however, are now filled by ‘golden gappers’, or the over 50s.

Read more

Posted at: 00:02 | Permalink | Comments 55

British parents have been overfeeding their babies and fuelling childhood obesity for a generation because of inaccurate growth charts based on bottle-feeding, experts have warned.

Breast-feeding is thought to encourage a slower, healthier growth pattern than bottle-feeding, and the World Health Organisation revised its growth charts to reflect the former method 18 months ago.

However, British health visitors and GPs still use the old-style charts and the Government is only now going to try out the new system, provoking anger from some child health professionals.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 85

Telegraph.co.uk has launched a new forum about property in France to cater for the growing number of Britons who cross the Channel in search of a better way of life.

From Calais to Cannes, Britons have cashed in on the sharp increase in UK house prices to buy new homes in the land of long lunch hours and fine wine.

Is this a case of ‘the grass is always greener’ or do the French really have a superior lifestyle to Britons and Americans? If so, why?

Read more

Posted at: 10:01 | Permalink | Comments 74

A mental health crisis among Britain’s elderly has been revealed in a new report, with more than 3.5 million aged over 65 suffering from dementia or depression. Suicide rates amongst the over-75s have also risen dramatically.

These shocking discoveries were made by the UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life, involving various experts. Described as a "mental health pandemic", the report states that our elderly are the "invisible" people. They do not seek help because of stigma, but when they do their symptoms are often just attributed to age.

Tragically, only 15% of those needing help or treatment ever receive any and the study predicts that, unless there are effective interventions, mental health problems among the elderly will rise by a third in the next 15 years.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 45

The "shocking underachievement" of boys at every stage of the education system has been revealed in a new study.

The Bow Group, a think-tank linked to the Conservatives, claims that the failure to grasp reading and writing at primary school has created an "anti-education culture" amongst boys and that the gender gap continues to widen as girls and boys progress through the education system.

Last year, nearly a quarter of boys taking GCSEs – almost 90,000 – did not gain a single good grade and 21 per cent of 14-year-old boys had the reading age expected of the average seven-year-old.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 65

The numbers of British troops killed in Iraq have risen dramatically since Tony Blair announced that they would be pulling back to an airbase outside Basra city. Four soldiers have died in just three days this week and the total of those killed in the country is on track to be higher this year than in 2003, the year of the invasion.

The latest casualties bring the total number of British service personnel who have died there in the last four years to 168, with troops under almost constant attack when they venture out of their compounds.

Earlier this week, a senior US intelligence officer in Bagdad argued that British forces have lost control of Basra by pulling out too soon. Is he right?

Read more

Posted at: 10:01 | Permalink | Comments 104

Black teenagers need role models to divert them from a world of gangs and criminality, according to a new study which highlights the significance of mentors for young people.

According to Reach, a government advisory panel, young men are being increasingly lured into trouble by rap stars, celebrities and sportsmen who glamorise the wrong sort of lifestyle.

“We need to shift focus… to successful businessmen, lawyers and doctors,” said Clive Lewis, the chairman of Reach.

Read more

Posted at: 10:01 | Permalink | Comments 55

Time travel really could be a possibility for future generations, according to an eminent professor who has drawn up a theoretical model for a time machine.

Prof Amos Ori’s theory, published in the science journal Physical Review, draws on Einstein’s theory of relativity which suggests that time can be warped by the gravitational pull of objects.

Do you think it is plausible that science fiction could become reality for future generations?

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 128

The growth of Britain’s “surveillance society” was highlighted yesterday after the Government alerted consumers to the amount of private information held by public bodies and businesses.

Richard Thomas, the information commissioner, published new guidance warning that “in some cases, information may be shared without you even knowing about it”.

Huge amounts of personal details can now potentially be obtained from everything from supermarket loyalty card schemes to data held by official bodies.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 127

The Government yesterday launched a damage-limitation exercise after it emerged that Lord Malloch-Brown, the former diplomat brought into the Cabinet by Gordon Brown, had backed the idea of the UK losing its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and handing it over to the EU.

William Hague, the Conservative foreign affairs spokesman, questioned whether the Foreign Office Minister, who is in charge of UN reform, could be trusted to stand up for Britain’s interests. Mr Hague added that clarification of his position was particularly important in light of the new treaty reviving the European Constitution. He said: “The new Treaty, like the old, could automatically let the EU foreign minister speak for Britain at the UN Security Council in certain situations. This is clearly the thin end of the wedge for an EU take-over of our UN seat.”

Should Britain relinquish its seat, one of only five permanent ones on the UN Security Council, to the EU? If Britain ever did, would France, another of the "P5", follow suit? Would a single EU voice carry more influence in New York than those of individual member states?

Read more

Posted at: 14:01 | Permalink | Comments 163

Brewing giant Scottish & Newcastle today became the latest in a long line of consumer-focused companies to blame the weather for falling sales.

Morrisons, B&Q, C&C (which brews Magners), JJB Sports and Sports Direct have all suggested that the abundance of rain has dented their performance this year.

Even Marks & Spencer has laid the blame for slowing sales on the rain, despite chief executive Stuart Rose last year mocking rivals' excuses when he claimed that "weather is for wimps".

Read more

Posted at: 13:35 | Permalink | Comments 23

Falling in love can damage your health, scientists have warned, because the rollercoaster ride of amorous emotions exerts the same stress on your body as deep fear.

"Our pupils dilate, our palms become sweaty and the heart rate increases (when we are in love) , ” said Martin Cowie of London's Imperial College, who led a research team studying this subject.

"We have large amounts of adrenaline running through our system and that does cause problems for the body."

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 33

Emergency measures have been introduced to deal with the recent foot and mouth outbreak at a farm in Surrey and Gordon Brown has cut his holiday short to deal with the crisis.

It is the first reported case since the 2001 epidemic, which resulted in the deaths of around 10 million animals and cost £8 billion.

It is thought a strain of the disease in a vaccine made at a nearby government laboratory could have been what infected cattle, although they insist that strict bio-security measures were in place.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 132

Britain faces the nightmare prospect of another foot and mouth epidemic after a new case of the disease was confirmed in Surrey.

Cattle in the Guildford area were tested positive for the illness, sparking a full-scale emergency response from the Government and a national ban on the movement of livestock. The preliminary findings by experts raised the dire prospect of a repeat of the disastrous 2001 epidemic which laid waste much of British agriculture, cost £8bn and led to the deaths of around 10 million animals.

Can rural Britain and its farmers withstand another outbreak of the disease?

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 103

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 106

Delays at British airports are so severe that some holiday-makers are spending more time in security queues on the ground than than they are in the air, British Airways and Ryanair have confirmed.

When they reach their destination, it is far from certain that their luggage will be waiting for them: British Airways, nominated as the worst performing of all Europe's major airlines, is forecast to lose a record 1.3 million bags this year.

Given the frustrations of travelling by air, does it make more sense to stay in Britain this summer? Does Margate trump Majorca? Which are your favourite places for a holiday at home?

Read more

Posted at: 18:01 | Permalink | Comments 93

Has your wardrobe got bigger over the past few years? Well, according to a report from retail consultancy Verdict, it has. And, what’s more, it is unlikely to get any bigger.

The sharp decline in clothes prices that the UK has enjoyed over the past decade is set to reverse because we’ve all got too many clothes. Even if retailers could slash prices further, Verdict argues, we would not have the appetite for any more.

And Verdict warns that prices are likely to rise anyway because all the savings from moving production to countries such as Bangladesh and China have already been had.

Read more

Posted at: 07:01 | Permalink | Comments 20

The Metropolitan Police have been accused of serious failings in a report on the handling of the fatal shooting of an innocent man mistaken for a suicide bomber.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found that Jean Charles de Menezes was not given a chance to protest his innocence before being shot dead by anti-terrorist officers, despite police claims to the contrary.

According to the report, "inaccurate or misleading information" was released by the Met, and the organisation was found to suffer "serious weaknesses."

Read more

Posted at: 17:30 | Permalink | Comments 196

Every year around five percent of western workers become clinically depressed or anxious as a result of work stress, new research has shown.

The long hours and commutes that are commonplace in modern working life along with the strain of juggling careers with families are all taking their toll, the report from the Institute of Psychology, King’s College, concluded.

High stress jobs - a category including both stock-brokers and head chefs - were characterised by heavy workloads, non-negotiable tight deadlines, overbearing bosses and roles in which mistakes were highly visible.

Read more

Posted at: 10:50 | Permalink | Comments 62

Children should start school at the age of seven to give them more time to play, according to teachers who are concerned that the testing of young children is hampering their development.

Youngsters elsewhere in Europe do not start school before the age of seven and students abroad often out-perform those in the UK by the time they reach 16.

Deborah Lawson, the former chairman of the Professional Association of Teachers, said it was vital that children had more freedom to play in nurseries without being told what to do by adults.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 30

Middle-class teenagers are being turned into "whipping boys" as ministers discriminate against them in favour of students from poor homes, teachers have warned.

Under new rules, teenagers applying for university will be asked to say whether their parents have degrees in an attempt to attract more students from poor homes, while ministers want to see half of all school-leavers studying beyond the age of 18.

Peter Morris, chairman of the Professional Association of Teachers in Wales, accused ministers of "creating barriers in education based on social class".

Read more

Posted at: 10:01 | Permalink | Comments 76

MPs and peers have called for the relaxation of rules on the creation of "saviour siblings" - babies born from specifically selected embryos to provide tissue to treat older brothers or sisters - in a move that has angered "pro-life" campaigners.

Currently the law allows embryo selection only to ensure a genetic match for existing siblings with life-threatening conditions, but members of a parliamentary committee want to broaden this to include non-life-threatening conditions such as autism.

"Saviour siblings" are created when parents use IVF to produce a number of embryos, then select the one which matches the tissue of their existing child.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 21

For the last century, the National Trust has been buying up property and land, then preserving and restoring it for the general public to enjoy.

Today, the Trust’s holdings include numerous castles, cottages and country houses, including John Lennon’s childhood home and Sir Paul McCartney’s former family house.

The Trust, under newly-appointed leader Fiona Reynolds, has also acquired and restored the last remaining back-to-back houses in Birmingham.

Read more

Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 18