The rise of 'Menodivorce'

ALISTER: The Treasury is looking to fill a £40bn gap! They’re looking at inheritance tax reforms and tightening gifting rules. Even Gordon Brown has claimed gambling taxes could raise £3.2bn to tackle child poverty. Finally, the wealthy get to pay their fair share!

MERIDYTH: Inheritance tax brings in about £7bn a year. That’s pocket change against £40bn. And gambling revenue is volatile. Tax too much and people gamble less or move online illegally. Neither is reliable enough for serious fiscal repair.

ALISTER: Reliable or not, inheritance tax targets dynasties hoarding millions. Nurses and shop workers can’t shield assets offshore, yet they shoulder a bigger burden. Billionaires need to start paying their share.

MERIDYTH: Don’t kid yourself. Rising asset prices mean ordinary families, like anyone inheriting a semi-detached in London, are dragged into the net. The ultra-rich still hire clever accountants to duck out. This squeezes the middle class more than it hits billionaires.

ALISTER: Even so, reforms could close loopholes and bring in a few billion for schools, hospitals, and poverty relief. Every extra pound matters when public services are crumbling.

MERIDYTH: But a few billion won’t close a £40bn hole. This is just political theatre with headline-grabbing tweaks while ignoring structural fixes, like pension relief and VAT exemptions. Without that, it’s just window dressing.

🚿 Prepare for the worst. The gov’t is prepping insolvency practitioners in case Thames Water goes bust. TW looks likely to secure the funding they need, but clearly the gov’t isn’t taking any chances with Britain’s biggest water utility.

🪪 Online safety. Wikipedia issued a challenge to the UK gov’t over the new Safety Act (aka age verification), claiming they would have to restrict access unless they were given an exemption. They have now received their answer — a solid no. Kids may have to start using real encyclopaedias. Do they even know what they are? 🤔

🚗 Retire your keys. A new shake-up around driving laws could see compulsory eye tests for drivers over 70 years old. Failure to pass the test or missing a test would result in a ban from driving! Will we see a surge in 69yos queuing for licence renewals? 🤪

✈️ “Deport first, appeal later.” Another 15 countries have been added to the UK’s list for instant deportation. Criminals whose nationality is from the list will be deported. The gov’t hopes this will ease the overcrowding in already stressed prisons. Some criticise that deported criminals will be set free in their home country and not serve any punishment.

🧸 For the kids. The UK’s biggest toy chain, The Entertainer, is changing hands. The founder of the business is giving control over to his 1,900 workers. What a way to preserve a legacy for future generations to enjoy.

GOOD NEWS… for the Cotswolds, as US Vice-President JD Vance finally left after much unwanted reception. He moved on to Scotland before returning home yesterday. BAD NEWS… for members of the Chinese military elite, as key commanders are disappearing during an anti-corruption crackdown.

🚒 European wildfires continue. The heatwave has been unstoppable, and the southern European nations have been paying the highest price. At least three people have died and thousands are being evacuated due to wildfires across Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Albania.

⛔️ Sanctioned. The UK, France, and Germany are ready to reintroduce sanctions against Iran, unless Iran stops their nuclear programme or at least resumes talks about what is happening.

⚖️ Human rights. Speaking of UK, France, and Germany, they have all been targeted by Trump’s administration. The latest American report claims the human rights situation has “worsened” over the past year in these countries. We’ll take it with a pinch of salt.

⛄️ Failed Alaskan summit. Ceasefire is no longer on the table between Russia and the Ukraine, after Putin and Trump met last week in Alaska, but land swaps and other concessions were proposed. Zelensky will fly to DC to meet with Trump to discuss further. Starmer and other European leaders will also attend to show support for Ukraine.

💨 What’s that smell? The smell emanating from your pores could be a sign of certain ailments and diseases. Scientists are working on tools, such as gas chromatography, to detect biomarkers from your body odour, in order to speed up diagnosis and treatment.

🚑️ Emergency! Good news for Londoners in need of urgent medical care, as 999 response times were halved! The NHS attributes the efficiency to changes in how staff gather equipment and better phone triage. 🏃 

🧽 Not so clean. Bad news for “magic” sponge lovers. If you’ve been using these handy sponges, which are made from melamine, you’ve been helping to release trillions of microplastic fibres. Turns out the magic is plastic into your waterways! 🤯 

🐕️ Hair of the dog. A London restaurant was shut down after inspectors found dog meat in the freezer. The owner claimed ignorance, saying he thought it was goat meat. Ew.

🤖 Robot Olympics. China hosted a 3-day World Humanoid Robot Games last week. 280 teams from 16 countries competed in events like table tennis, 400m track, football, and even household cleaning. While the event saw more crashes and collapses than event completion, valuable data was collected.

🔞 Social decay. Urban Decay (cosmetics) has some spicy new adverts! “UD likes it raw“ features a pixelated photo of their new brand ambassador, an OnlyFans star. The company defended breaking their own “ethical principles” around pornography, while critics say it normalises it.

By Alister

As I’m still in holiday mode, I want to talk about one of the best presents I’ve ever received - my Garbelle Auguste bag!

It’s the perfect travel bag for when you need to pack multiple suits or a tuxedo. It was a huge lifesaver during an overseas wedding when I needed to pack two full suits and dress shoes without everything looking like a crinkled mess.

While I haven’t found a solution to travel 100% wrinkle-free, this comes pretty close. Plus it works as a carry-on luggage. Loads of zips and pockets, easy to pack and unpack, and a special compartment for shoes to keep everything clean.

Currently on offer for €147 (£127), it’s a no-brainer. The perfect present for anyone with suited and booted work trips!

By Alister

We need more joy and kind-heartedness in this world. This clip with over 1.3m likes on TikTok, makes me think that many people agree.

Bread Dad Cardz runs a Pokémon card stand at various events. He live streams and shows off a lot of rare and expensive collectable cards.

At one event, an autistic fan turns up, eager to meet him. After a brief interaction, he decides to give her whatever card she wants as a gift to create an extra special memory. Cue the tears.

@beard_dad_cardz

Im a firm believer that “everything happens for a reason”. Hayden pulled that god pack for a reason….. Sophia was the reason! . . . . . .... See more

I’m not crying happy tears, you are. 🥹 

Whew, you made it!

Our sympathies for those whose holidays have ended, and our envy for those who are soon to be on vacation. No matter where in the world you find yourself, join us for next week’s squabble.

Alister & Meridyth