Kaffe Fassett Power of Pattern Show is a Kaleidoscope of Colour

Amanda Howse
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Kaffe Fassett Power of Pattern Show is a Kaleidoscope of Colour

The ‘Kaffe Fassett : The Power of Pattern’ exhibition is a kaleidoscope of colour and decoration. This weekend is the last chance to see a brilliant selection of Kaffe Fassett’s influential textile art.

Kaffee Fassett is a well-known designer and expert in the field of textiles and craft. “The Power of Pattern” is a wonderful visual riot of rainbow hues professionally fashioned into detailed artworks.

This month the Fashion and Textile Museum near London Bridge station at 83 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3XF delighted visitors with a special show. Featuring work by Fassett over several decades the patterns are inspired by life in California and England and also his international travels with his collaborative art partners that include Philip Jacobs and Brandon Moby.

An introduction area showcases a video about the artists life and work set within a deep red signature floral fabric lined room, complete with matching bright upholstered seating. The spacious gallery is arranged on two floors and is accessible to all.

The first gallery rooms display Fassett’s range of glowing printed materials, which have been carefully selected, stitched and woven into supersized bold wall hangings by textile artists that include Liza Prior Lucy, Karen K. Stone, Kitty Sorgen, Sophie Standing, Clarissa Searcey, Kim McLean and Danny Amazonas.

Five decades of knitting, needlepoint, mosaic, quilting, textile design, painting and drawing have been an inspiration to creative people all over the world. “Fassett’s books and projects have encouraged millions to make and create.” (1)

Fassett’s designs are influenced by a diverse selection of sources including pottery, mosaic glass and even beach styles encountered on his many travels abroad. This is a well thought out and curated event and even the floors have been custom printed to form a huge patchwork made of original organic themed tiles in fabulous primary hues.

The combination of colour and fine pattern is slightly intoxicating and guaranteed to lift the spirits and blow away any snowy spring weather blues. The variety of interpretations of what can be made with Fassett fabrics is surprising and we also enjoyed both the soft furnishings and clothing garments, especially the long robes.

Kaffe Fassett : The Power of Pattern is open until the 12th of March 2023 and full price entry is around £12. The Fashion and Textile Museum is owned and lead by well-known British designer Zandra Rhodes.

(1) Kaffe Fassett : The Power of Pattern Exhibition leaflet, Fashion and Textiles Museum, London Fashion and Textiles Museum, London

(2) Kaffe Fasset website Kaffe Fasset website

Johanson’s Show Celebrates Butterick Pattern Factory Heritage

Amanda Howse
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Johanson’s Show Celebrates Butterick Pattern Factory Heritage

Hampshire based designer Suzie Johanson created “Patterns of Life, Memory and Place” an exhibition now open at the popular south coast art centre The Spring, 56 East Street, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 1BS.

This gem of a show can be visited by the public for free Monday through to Saturday 10am to 4pm until 25th March 2023. (1)

Flyer for Patterns of Life, Memory and Place by Suzie Johanson
Flyer for Patterns of Life, Memory and Place by Suzie Johanson (detail)

The Butterick Factory

For 150 years Butterick has been selling printed patterns for sewers who want to make clothing and home furnishings at home for their families and friends of all ages.

In 1863 Ebenezer Butterick invented the home sewing pattern which was available in different sizes. In Havant in 1956 Butterick opened a modern factory in New Lane in Havant in order to print sewing patterns and this successful business employed many people in the area for several decades.

Textiles and printing are often associated with Havant as the Hampshire town was known historically for paper making and glove making.

Sadly for Hampshire manufacturing in 2019 the Butterick factory closed for the last time as this model of business was no longer commercially viable. Although home sewing is as popular as ever cheap fashion availability combined with new technology and digital patterns downloads and printing has transformed the competitive home textile making industry.

Today the Butterick company still designs, makes and sells dress making patterns all over the world.

“In 2001 Butterick Pattern Company was aquired by McCall Pattern Company. The McCall Pattern Company also own the Vogue pattern brand. As of February 2016 both Butterick and Vogue patterns are still being printed and sold on a worldwide basis. Customers can now “purchase directly from the website or third party sellers. McCalls patterns (who now own Butterick Vogue brand) are now printed in Wisconsin factory” along with other brands in the group Simplicity, New Look, Burda. (2)

Butterick building - image credit RIBA (detail)
Butterick building – image credit RIBA (detail)

Johanson’s artwork is inspired by memory

Suzie Johanson is an artist who was inspired to create this exhibition in honour of her mother who was an ‘avid home and dress maker’. Together Suzie and her mother made lots of wonderful memories on trips to the Butterick factory, choosing patterns and then creating unique fashion and interior crafts. This colourful display in the mezzanine gallery at the top of the arts centre is an interesting and fitting tribute to Suzie’s much loved and missed parent.

Johanson showcases beautifully her colourful and retro modern textile designs that reflect her own response to visiting the Butterick factory in its final weeks, that meant a lot to her family personally.

Memories and connections between sewing enthusiasts and makers are celebrated through the messages pinned to the pattern wall in a giant suitably themed tissue paper pin board.

Suzie Johanson is a graphic designer and textile artist whose fabric designs are available to license and purchase. Suzie also teaches pattern cutting and works with other creatives on a variety of projects.

Making the most of visiting The Spring

This exhibition is small but beautiful and can be viewed in combination with the permanent Havant Museum collection.

In addition, currently a photographic art exhibition ‘Portraits of Play’ around the ground floor Sadler Gallery can also be enjoyed. Local Play Artist Rachel Fullegar and photographer Jasmine Aurora have teamed up to present several images of Spring in-house team members and volunteers. Capturing moments of time in the Spring and conveying the centre’s vibe as a “vibrant and welcoming place”.

There are many lively cultural experiences, theatre and films, creative classes and evening events to attend this season at The Spring and more information can be seen on the website. The Spring’s excellent café and bar is open Monday through to Saturday between 10am and 3pm and also at performance event times.

The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre Co. Ltd. is a registered charity and donations are welcome at the Box Office or online using the link below.

(1) The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre Havant Hampshire, 2 March 2023 The Spring website

(2) Studio Johanson ‘Colour Rich Patterns Inspired by Memory, Life Object and Place’ Studio Johanson website

(3) ‘What Happened To McCall’s Patterns?’ Sewing Pattern, Wayne Arthur Gallery, 17 October 2022 ‘What Happened To McCall’s Patterns?’ Wayne Arthur Gallery

(4) ‘Support Us’ The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre, 2 March 2023 Support Us – The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre

(5) ‘Butterick Sewing Patterns’ John Lewis UK retailer, 2 March 2023 ‘Butterick Sewing Patterns’ John Lewis

Expand Your Imagination Visiting ‘Objects of Desire’ at the Design Museum

Amanda Howse
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Expand Your Imagination Visiting ‘Objects of Desire’ at the Design Museum

Objects of Desire is a visual feast of surrealism currently showing at the Design Museum at 224-238 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AG until 19th February 2023.

The bold ‘new’ Design Museum (opened in 2016) is in the fashionable heart of the city’s West End and located next to Holland Park. ‘Objects of Desire’ invites visitors to “Delve into the dreamlike relationship between Surrealism and design in this century spanning celebration of surrealist objects of desire curated with Vitra Design Museum.” (1)

The show showcases a theatrical assortment of more than three hundred pieces of surrealist inspired art, fashion and furniture. Vitra is the company that owns the museum and is a successful and established luxury contemporary furniture business, which has been based in London for a long time. Vitra are in an ideal position to curate this exciting ensemble of original surrealist artworks from 1924 and beyond, which tell the story of how this important movement in fine art has evolved and expanded to include and influence fashion, photography, interiors, literary works, poetry and philosophy in the 20th century.

Several cleverly lit dark rooms transport the visitor on a journey that shows how Europeans like Salvador Dali, Man Ray, Rene Magritte, Lee Miller, Leonora Carrington, Andre Breton and Dora Maar have continued to be a source of inspiration for fresh creative work by well known fashion, photography, film and advertising makers and interior designers internationally throughout the 21st century.

To demonstrate how surrealism is still evolving to embrace the latest technology, an ‘out of this world’ artificial intelligence programme artwork is on display by Alexander Mordvintsev that uses Google’s A.I. Dream programme.

We were delighted to find an installation containing a ‘Mae West’ lips sofa and a lobster telephone which are both famous items associated with Salvador Dali’s shocking (for the 1930’s) imaginative and amusing interiors.  An interesting array of diverse works is cleverly combined in a whole multitude of different materials including wood, felt, glass, plastic, wool, paper, paint, leather and glass.

‘Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924 – Today’ describes how surrealism “came to impact design through its questioning of the conventional and its commitment to exploring the mind, unconscious and mystical.” (1) Surrealism includes observing, recording and contemplating the unconscious, violent, sexual and playful aspects of life and the way human beings think.

Sometimes dark and bizarre, sometimes eerie and unexpected and often irreverent, witty and fun this collection is an experience to remember. Surrealism has moved with the times and is still relevant to modern design and this exhibition demonstrates how surrealist art reflects a ‘world gone mad’ in a rather impactful, colourful and usually wonderful way.

This is no coincidence as design magazine Dezeen’s recent interview reveals. ‘Objects of Desire’ curator Kathryn Johnson explains a simple history of surrealism and how it was invented as a new way of thinking prompted by the hardships and “chaos of World War I.” Johnson reminds viewers how the works of Sigmund Freud’s theories were key to the interpretations of the early surrealists and there is even a portrait of Freud drawn by Dali on display, which is one of the show’s highlights.

Freud encouraged “freeing of the mind from rational and utilitarian values and constraints as well as moral and aesthetic judgement” in a process called “psychic automatism” that many surrealists explored in their own ways and materirals. (3)

Kathyrn Johnson describes how in the final room of the exhibition is themed around how “changing ways of thinking can effect changing ways of making.” Focusing on subconscious mark making and ‘automatic drawing’ are techniques employed by surrealist artists to create original designs and unique objects. (2)

If a fabulous exhibition in a central location isn’t enough to tempt art lovers to head to central London, the Design Museum are also offering a soup and toastie lunch with a glass of wine or drink for £14 which is great value for the West End.

Full price tickets are £16.80 which is on the pricy side for many folk this year but they do sell concession tickets from £12 and child tickets from £8. Sister exhibition ‘Weird Sensation Feels Good’ tickets can also be purchased at the same time which allows both events to be attended on the same day, for the special price of £20.

‘Objects of Desire’ is open every day from 10am until 6pm apart from Fridays and Saturdays when they are open until 9pm.

(1) Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924 – Today, Design Museum website, 12 February 2023 Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924 – Today, Design Museum

(2) Objects of Desire exhibition explores “what surrealism is and why it matters now” Dezeen, 12 December 2022 (2) Objects of Desire exhibition explores “what surrealism is and why it matters now” Dezeen, 12 December 2022

(3) Explainer: Surrealism, The Coversation, online magazine, 8 February 2016 Explainer: Surrealism, The Coversation

Chaos in Dorset as Severe Flooding Causes Ongoing Disruption for Residents and Visitors

Amanda Howse
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Chaos in Dorset as Severe Flooding Causes Ongoing Disruption for Residents and Visitors

Dozens of flood warnings are still in place in Dorset. This is despite today’s weather heralding the beginning of another dry week with sunshine for the south coast of England this January.

Roads as far north of the coast as Salisbury show flood warnings and flood alerts as the UK government’s ‘check for flooding service’ shows updated maps for the region. (1)

The Met Office and Environment agency explain that “overflowing rivers and a high-water table will flood low lying land and roads.

Last weekend many ‘B’ roads linking the towns and the villages in the famously picturesque New Forest region experienced impassable and closed roads due the extremely high levels of river water, caused by the combination of high tides and a week or two of unusually wet weather.

Currently in Dorset alone the following rivers are all showing high water levels: Allen, Avon, Ebble,  Piddle, Sowy, Wey, Winterbourne, Wylye and the Salisbury river Bourne. (2)

This afternoon Dorset council published live travel updates that warned residents and visitors to the area of 5 incidents and severe flooding hazard warnings closing roads in the county. Disruption is expected to last until mid or late February. (3)

Some snowfall and ice have added to the continuing transport problems for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians this week as temperatures in the region struggle to reach five degrees Celsius. Local newspaper Dorset Live described treacherous conditions and on Tuesday an accident closing the A35 Upton bypass after a “multi-vehicle accident due to black ice”. (4)

Last weekend trainloads of rail passengers were unexpectedly left stranded in Brockenhurst on their way to the Dorset coast after major disruption due to a track circuit failure in the New Milton area, which was caused by flooding. Southern Railway urged people not to travel to the area. Getting back to London and other destinations across the country by train was further complicated by additional ongoing engineering works and planned strike action.

Last week the Met Office issued a severe cold weather alert for Dorset as temperatures as low as minus seven degrees Celsius have been forecast during the cold snap the region is currently experiencing. The Daily echo reported emergency action plans put into place to help homeless and rough sleeping residents during a week or two of unusually low and freezing temperatures for the south coast. (5)

In addition to road closures there are dramatic scenes across the county, with some villages and also some new housing estates, left entirely surrounded by flooded fields.

Large polls of standing water and icy ponds can be seen all over this countryside in the south. People of all ages are being reminded by firefighters not to take risks driving through flood water without knowing how deep it is. Parents are being advised to talk with their children and teenagers about avoiding the real dangers of approaching and playing on icy ponds and lakes.

  1. Check for flooding service, UK government website, 23 January 2023 Check for flooding service, UK government website

2. ‘River, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels’ UK Government website, 23 January 2023 ‘River, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels’ UK Government website

3. ‘Live Travel Updates’ Dorset council government website, 23 January 2023 Live Travel Updates’ Dorset council government website

4. ‘Ice and flooding causing disruption to A350 and Dorset routes, with snow now falling’ Edward Church, Mike Taylor and Bertie Adam, Dorset Live, 18 January 2023 ‘Ice and flooding causing disruption to A350 and Dorset routes, with snow now falling’ Edward Church, Mike Taylor and Bertie Adam, Dorset Live

5. ‘Flooding brings chaos across Dorset and New Forest’ Daily Echo, 16th January 2023 ‘Flooding brings chaos across Dorset and New Forest’ Daily Echo

 

Sussex MP Gillian Keegan Welcomes ‘More power to local decision makers’ after Residents Protest Pollution in AONB

Amanda Howse
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Sussex MP Gillian Keegan Welcomes ‘More power to local decision makers’ after Residents Protest Pollution in AONB

Sussex MP Gillian Keegan welcomes ‘more power to local decision makers’ after residents protest to protect their environment from pollution and overdevelopment.

Dozens of residents lined the A259 that runs from east to west along the top of Chichester harbour. The men, women and children were waving banners and protesting vocally, as locals and visitors to the area drove along the mainly residential main road.

The Sussex citizens were protesting about the ‘destruction of Chichester harbour’ and were joined by like-minded folk from other villages that form the south part of the stunning natural harbour along the A286 from Appledram to Selsey and the Witterings. Emsworth, Langstone and Hayling Island were also part of this display of local concern that was designed to send a strong message to locally elected members of parliament.

The A259 links several small villages that form the official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in West Sussex. On Saturday the 26th of November participants were advised to stand in safe places along the well-used routes. Home-made placards and wearing their best bright clothing and high visibility jackets were recommended by Bruce Garrett from the Mayday organisation.

Facebook groups involved included the Save Our Harbour Villages, Bourne Villages Action Group and the Manhood Peninsular Action Group MPAG.

Residents are worried about the negative impact of too much new house building, or overdevelopment, without the proper existing infrastructure to cope with the increase in demand for services. Vital drainage fields are important to minimise flooding in the vicinity of this natural coastline.

Many families who live in the area are upset about potentially losing rural views and wildlife habitats. The sight and news of excess sewage from the oversubscribed current sewage system being released onto the beaches and into the waterways is shocking and causes outrage to everyone who uses and cares about these special beaches and the land surrounding them. There are real fears that future generations may not be able to enjoy the water sports and joy of a dip in the ocean as this harbour may become just too dirty and unsafe to use.

Banners read ‘cut the crap’ and the Mayday action group encouraged locals to shout ‘Enough’ to protest at the threat to wildlife and the degradation of the harbour’s ecology.

Demonstrators were angry about the ‘continuous flow’ of sewage going into the sea. Joan Fisher from the participating Manhood Peninsular Action Group MPAG on BBC South Today news asked: “If we can’t cope with the flow of sewage into the harbour now, what will happen when another one thousand houses are built on the Manhood peninsular?”

Southern Water are responsible for ensuring discharges into the sea are minimised and environmental conservation is respected and they state they are making progress in this area with structured targets that will make a difference by 2030. This is not acceptable action to many who are watching sewage being pumped into their beloved harbour every day. Southern Water is one of many companies who have been accused in recent weeks of causing excessive pollution while making huge financial profits as privatised utility companies.

“Every UK water company failed to meet sewage targets in 2021” according to a recent Telegraph report. The Financial Times singled out Southern Water and South West Water as the worst offenders for failing to meet environmental targets and last year “Southern Water was issued with a record £90 million pound fine” by the Environment Agency.

The Member of Parliament for Chichester Gillian Keegan welcomed yesterday’s announcement of a rethink to conservative central government housing targets.  “In places like Chichester, where much of our developable land is sandwiched between the South Downs National Park and our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, such as Chichester Harbour, the task of meeting top-down housing targets has meant rapid development in very small pockets of space – often leaving vital supporting infrastructure and the surrounding communities as an afterthought. The approach announced by the Government yesterday will bring more power back to local decision-makers and mark an end to the arbitrary and ineffective target setting (that) we’ve seen cause problems in the past.”

(1) ‘Protestors to line A259 over ‘destruction of Chichester Harbour’ Bex Bastable, Sussex World, 23rd November 2022 ‘Protestors to line A259 over ‘destruction of Chichester Harbour’ Bex Bastable, Sussex World

(2) ‘Protesters stretch A259 over ‘destruction of Chichester harbour’ Lyla Gill, South Hampshire News, 23 November 2022 ‘Protesters stretch A259 over ‘destruction of Chichester harbour’ Lyla Gill, South Hampshire News

(3) ‘Every UK water company failed to meet sewage targets in 2021’ Olivia Rudgard, The Telegraph, 22 August 2022 ‘Every UK water company failed to meet sewage targets in 2021’ Olivia Rudgard, The Telegraph

(4) ‘England’s water companies fail to meet environmental targets, finds regulator’ Gill Plimmer, Financial Times, 13 July 2021 ‘England’s water companies fail to meet environmental targets, finds regulator’ Gill Plimmer, Financial Times

(5) ‘Gillian Keegan MP Praises New Community-First Approach to Housing Targets, Conservatives UK website’, 6 December 2022

https://www.facebook.com/ChiSOHV/    (Save Our Harbour Villages)

https://www.facebook.com/ManhoodPAG/  (Manhood Peninsular Action Group)

https://www.facebook.com/maydayactingroup  (Mayday Action Group)

Relief as Rishi Sunak becomes the New Prime Minister of the UK

Amanda Howse
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Relief as Rishi Sunak becomes the New Prime Minister of the UK

Yesterday afternoon at 2pm Graham Brady, who is the Chairman of the 1922 Committee, announced that Rishi Sunak has won the conservative leadership race to become the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

It was an exciting weekend politically across the British Isles as there was great excitement and trepidation about Boris Johnson arriving back in the country after his holiday and regaining the top job in parliament. Johnson joined the top three candidates for the latest ballot to lead the party which comes with the keys to number 10 Downing Street.

On Monday night Rishi Sunak was the only candidate who had officially entered the race, to gain more than 100 members of parliament supporting his campaign. Last week Penny Mordant was the first to declare she was running but she was not able to gain more than thirty official votes. Johnson’s supporters were claiming he had received more than a hundred votes of confidence from the country’s conservative members of parliament but there was doubt and he did not publicly commit to the contest.

Yesterday morning Penny Mordaunt, who has behaved most elegantly throughout the recent dramas, decided the best thing for the country was to rally behind the candidate who had clearly gained a huge lead, gaining more than 144 votes of confidence in his premiership. Mordaunt duly pulled out of the race which allowed Rishi Sunak to become the only politician to meet the criteria set out last week by Brady and the constitutional committee. Sunak was therefore the clear winner of the latest ‘internal’ party leadership contest, although he has not been voted into office by the population of the UK.

There was much relief within the conservative party. Many felt that a quick and strong decision needed to be made to keep the momentum of the conservatives as the party in power and ward off calls for a general election. This decisive win by Sunak was greeted with joy by his close allies who felt this outcome was ‘meant to be’, after his close call at running against Liz Truss for the position of Prime Minister just last month.

Tomorrow will be the first day of Rishi Sunak’s time as Prime Minster and it will be interesting to see who ends up with what job in his top team of conservative ministers later this week. There is much work to be done and with so many problems to solve and challenges to face economically, it is fortunate that Mr Sunak is a talented economist and experienced Chancellor.

This evening during his first speech since winning the Prime Ministers position Sunak promises to serve ‘with integrity and humility’ and he says the UK faces a ‘profound economic challenge’.

After a meeting chaired by Liz Truss this morning, Sunak plans to seek permission from King Charles III to form a new cabinet.  Then we will start to know more about Sunak’s plans to govern the country and who will step into fresh key roles in his senior conservative team. Sunak plans to address the nation late this morning with his first speech as Prime Minister.

‘Mr Sunak will be the UK’s first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42.’ Stated Sky news today. Congratulations and messages of support quickly emerged from far and wide and the pound and instantly the markets responded favourably to the news.

Sunak’s pledge to “bring our party together” and provide “stability and unity” will be a welcome direction of travel. Citizens of the UK who will wait to see how well Rishi Sunak and his chosen ministers can understand and provide solutions that meet the needs of the economy and working people and families during this cost-of-living crisis.

Rishi Sunak is well placed to lead the UK in taking England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland into a more positive, healthy and wealthy direction in the long term. In the short term there are sure to be difficult decisions to be made and a balancing act to be embarked on to ensure the demands of competing government departments, the NHS, tax and growth can be balanced successfully.

 

(1) Rishi Sunak makes first public address since winning Tory leadership contest’ BBC News 24 October 2022 ‘Rishi Sunak makes first public address since winning Tory leadership contest’ BBC News

(2) ‘Sunak promises to serve ‘with intergrity and humility’ as he says UK faces ‘profound economic challenge’ Harry Taylor, Andrew Sparrow, Helen Sullivan, The Guardian, 24 October 2022 ‘Sunak promises to serve ‘with intergrity and humility’ as he says UK faces ‘profound economic challenge’ Harry Taylor, Andrew Sparrow, Helen Sullivan, The Guardian

(3) ‘Rishi Sunak warns UK faces ‘profound economic challenge’ as he wins race to become PM’ faye Brown, Sky News, 24 October 2022 ‘Rishi Sunak warns UK faces ‘profound economic challenge’ as he wins race to become PM’ faye Brown, Sky News

The Race is on Again for a New Prime Minister after Truss Resigns

Amanda Howse
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The Race is on Again for a New Prime Minister after Truss Resigns

After the shortest Prime Minister’s leadership in British history England is looking to restore stability in the form of a new conservative Prime Minister.

Since becoming Prime Minister on the 6th September 2022 Liz Truss has sacked her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, after their controversial tax policies resulted in chaos on the financial markets. Truss then appointed Jeremy Hunt to help restore confidence. Hunt quickly ‘U’ turned on many of the main policies that formed the central elements of Liz Truss’s campaign. This was very awkward as Truss was committed to delivering her election pledges that she had promised to the conservative party members who had just voted her into office, to replace Boris Johnson.

The first couple of weeks of Truss’s premiership were overshadowed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and then the successful succession of King Charles III and a period of national mourning. Then as the Autumn weather turned this October, a roller coaster of market instability saw the value of the pound crash dramatically. Investors and markets reacted to Truss’s overenthusiastic economic strategy that financial institutions, who are all in a serious mood due to the ongoing permacrisis and the war in Ukraine, found economically unviable.

Experienced conservative politician Jeremy Hunt’s appointment as the new Chancellor has helped to renew confidence in the government’s handling of the economic crisis. The need for experienced political leaders to navigate the country through stormy economic waters has unfolded this year due to a combination of challenging internal and external factors. Jeremy Hunt confirmed on Thursday that he would not throw his cap in the ring for Prime Minister, understanding that at this time maintaining stability is the first priority for this country.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned earlier this week with a scathing letter emphasizing the need to ‘do the right thing for the country’ which added to the growing pressure for Liz Truss to resign as she didn’t have the confidence of many in the Tory party. Grant Shapps was swiftly appointed Home Secretary and Shapps also confirmed on Thursday that he would not be putting himself forward to become the new leader of the conservative party.

After declaring in the Commons on Wednesday that “I am a fighter not a quitter” Truss visited the King on Thursday afternoon to ask King Charles to accept her resignation as the pressure to stand aside became unavoidable. “I cannot deliver the mandate to which I was selected leader…” explained Truss.

It was also announced on Thursday that Grayham Brady who leads the 1922 committee, that oversees standards of political governance, will chair the latest leadership race which unusually Brady plans to be completed in just one week.

A digital ballot will enable conservative members of parliament to select a third UK Prime Minister in three months. This will be a contrast to the long leadership contest held over the summer in which Truss emerged as the preferred candidate. The new leader will be selected by this Friday 28th October. This is an important date as it will then be in time for the Chancellors next budget presentation at the end of this month.

At least one hundred votes will be needed to be qualified to be selected for the next conservative Prime Minister. If three candidates meet the criteria then a second vote will be put to conservative party members.

Everyone agrees that the next Prime Minister needs to have the trust and support of both their party and many in government as well as many people in the nation in order to navigate the difficult and fractured political and economic situation that currently affects the livelihoods and standard of living for most UK residents.

The resolution of the serious problems that the conservative party has faced is so vital and some members of the public have lost faith in the power of the conservatives to lead the government effectively, despite Boris Johnson winning the last general election.

Scottish Parliament leader Nicola Sturgeon and the Labour opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer both called for a national general election to be called, as soon as possible. Unfortunately for them the British parliamentary process means that it is only those currently in power (the conservative party) leadership that can call for an early general election, which they are unlikely to do before the next electoral term is up in December 2024.

Meanwhile incredibly (after a year of scandals which eventually lead to his resignation) divisive figure Boris Johnson is reported to be considering running for re-election. Some say that Johnson has a mandate as he was personally elected in 2019 despite being widely accused of not telling the truth and the ‘partygate’ scandal has lead to an official enquiry by a parliamentary committee where he will be questioned soon about allegations that he did not follow his own lockdown rules.

Meanwhile Truss’s recent rival Rishi Sunak’s economic proposals have shown to be a more acceptable and appropriate way forward after all. Truss’s inexperienced and over optimistic version of a low tax economy was dubbed ‘Trussonomics’. This bold and a fresh strategy caused real havoc to millions of people’s personal finances as interest rates surged as the pound fell as a direct response to the economic instability that ensued.  However, her generous energy price cap policy was welcomed across the country and most people will agree with the need to continue to support NATO with supporting Ukraine to defend their country from the continued invasion from Russia.

Other candidates for new British Prime Minister include Penny Mordant who is another favourite as she has a lot of experience of different roles in government. As leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Privy Council Penny Mordant impressed her party when she was instrumental in completing King Charles III’s succession ceremonies and she also stood in for Liz Truss in the House of Commons this week.

To prevent the continuation of ‘the revolving door of chaos’ many in opposition parties are calling for a general election. Currently this country faces international issues, decisions about supporting a war in Eastern Europe and an economy where borrowing is now the most expensive in more than a generation, public and private institutions are striking for pay that keeps pace with inflation, as well as a cost-of-living crisis affecting real life decisions of business owners and residents across the country. It is crucial that our democratic process can continue to deliver steady and stable direction and support to those who need it most.

An experienced mature leader with Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor may be enough to ensure the Conservatives can continue to gain momentum and confidence and start solving some priority problems. Ultimately a general election may be the only way to reset and rebalance the government. However right now six weeks of general election preparation is seen by many experts as a delay in appointing a captain to take the helm that we do not have the luxury of time to indulge in, at present.

Today Rishi Sunak officially entered the race to become the next Tory leader. Sky news and the BBC are reporting that he has at least 140 members of parliament formally backing his campaign. The first to announce ‘throwing her hat in the ring’ Penny Mordant is trailing behind with around 25 backers. Boris Johnson who according to the Telegraph tonight has 58 public backers but is still yet to formally join the leadership candidates on this latest parliamentary ballot.

The deadline for gathering nominations is 2pm tomorrow (Monday) so it would be wise to get ready for another unexpectedly tumultuous week in British politics to commence. Hopefully swiftly appointing a new Prime Minister and their top team will ultimately lead to some relatively calmer conditions for all the citizens in this country again soon.

 

(1) ‘Tory leadership race: Who could replace Liz Truss as prime minister?’ Kate Whannel, BBC News, 23 October 2022 ‘Tory leadership race: Who could replace Liz Truss as prime minister?’ Kate Whannel, BBC News

(2) ‘Tory leadership news: Boris Johnson has 100 backers and paperwork needed for ballot, ally claims’ Dominic Penna, The Telegraph, 23 October 2022 ‘Tory leadership news: Boris Johnson has 100 backers and paperwork needed…’ Dominic Penna, Telegraph

Does building more affordable housing solve the cost of living crisis?

Amanda Howse
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Does building more affordable housing solve the cost of living crisis?

Supply and demand

According to the basic theory of capitalism, building and selling more affordable flats and houses allows the pressure of market demand to be fulfilled. More availability in accommodation, especially in the more highly populated areas in England (particularly in the south east) should level out any further sharp rises in prices, or see prices drop, which in turn will make the cost of owning or renting a home financially easier for everyone in that area.

“There is a current backlog of 3.91 million households in Great Britain with housing need” state Heriott Watt university’s 2019 housing supply study produced in conjunction with the National Housing Federation. “Many households (4.65 million) are in poverty after they have paid their housing costs; at least a quarter of a million private renters aged under forty are in private renting but cannot afford it on our standard criteria.” (1)

Homeless charity Crisis published research this spring showing that families on the breadline are facing “an average £372 deficit between their Local Housing Allowance and the cost of the cheapest rents in their local areas.” (2)

We need more housing “because the population of the UK is slowly rising. In 2020, there were roughly 67 million people living in the UK, which was a rise of 284,000 in a year—and that trend of increasing numbers has continued in subsequent years.” (3)

In the early 1980’s Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher sold precious local authority council housing to tenants and private investors in her bid to make England a nation of homeowners. Consequently, this local authority housing stock was never replaced properly and now demand massively outstrips supply in most areas of the UK.

In addition, the ‘Right to Buy’ policies of more recent years have meant that around 40% of council properties have become privately owned homes further depleting the social housing stock. This is according to Vivid Homes this March who have quoted figures from the Chartered Institute of Housing. (4)

In many areas of England subsidised housing association properties and council house lists are only for those who are vulnerable or have complex needs. Millions of low-income families live in expensive rental accommodation in the UK today. Rental prices are increasing significantly this year and the rental market “is screwed” announced the rental experts at spareroom.co.uk. today. (5) Building more housing across the United Kingdom will help to ameliorate this crisis.

People need lower housing costs to have money left for transport, bills, childcare and groceries

Currently a squeeze on real incomes is being acutely felt across the country and affording suitable housing is often a primary concern for many British people.

Over the years the British government has not ensured that we have maintained UK owned energy production on a scale that makes us self-sufficient. The pandemic caused businesses to close and many jobs were lost despite the best efforts of the furlough scheme. Millions of self-employed people have experienced a ‘difficult few years’ financially, with unpredictable income streams.

The negative impact of Brexit on trade has been financially challenging for UK companies struggling with the consequences of the pandemic. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen the energy industry completely disrupted. These costs are all passed onto the consumer and higher fuel prices and inflation are now at levels not seen for at least 15 years. This means that in 2022 alone bills have increased by several hundreds of pounds a month, for most families.

The millions of households in the United Kingdom alone that have variable rate mortgages also have now also faced shocking rises in the cost of their new mortgage agreements. New interest rate rises of more than 5% are not uncommon, often resulting in huge hikes in the amounts homeowners need to pay their lenders every month, in order to continue paying off their mortgages within the agreed term.

Poorer households are disproportionally hit by the cost of living crisis as they do not have a lot (if any) of expendable income or savings. Therefore, the availability of affordable homes is so important to those who are struggling to make ends meet on low wages or benefits.

Thankfully we still have free healthcare in the UK, albeit with long waiting lists in some departments. Affording accommodation and also having a budget for childcare, going to the dentist and paying for essential appliances, home maintenance and the basic bills associated with being a working person or family is now harder than ever. This is because interest rates have increased dramatically since last year. High inflation increases the amount we pay for all our imported goods and services.

People on low incomes struggle to save the large deposits required to purchase even a studio flat in most areas, without financial help from their family or a partner that is earning a good salary. This means they are left with renting in the private rental market where the prices are set by the market and may continue to go up (as we have seen even through the pandemic and beyond) independently of and increased by much more than slowly rising real wages, which are currently negatively impacted by inflation. Pensioners are also affected by their state pensions not keeping up with the rising cost of living.

Advancing age of housing stock and environmental erosion

In the UK we have more often than not neglected to invest in insulating our aging housing stock. It is vital to have energy efficient homes to live in, especially for people with low incomes and those who are vulnerable and older and therefore less well able to physically regulate their temperature when the coldest weather season arrives.

Although the government have offered up to an extra £2500 in extra support to households who are on on benefits or who are vulnerable, in reality millions of older people, disabled people and families with young children will have to choose between heating and eating this winter, as the homes they live in cannot be cheaply and easily heated.

In some areas of the British Isles coastal erosion has permanently taken some houses off the market, adding to the demand for new build accommodation.

Lucrative holiday lets

The trend for holiday letting and the popularity of holidaying in the UK has enabled anyone who owns a property to easily set up as a business providing short breaks through websites like Airbnb. This has decreased the properties available for use as short term let, long term let or permanent homes.

The right housing in the right place for the right people

Building new homes that are ready for folk in the United Kingdom to move into creates an opportunity to meet our housing need. These homes are only useful if they match the requirements of the people that are looking to move. For example, depending on the demographics of an area, more retirement homes and assisted living apartments might be needed to free up larger family homes for growing families to then move in and occupy.

Conversely in an area with a younger demographic it might be starter flats with a mix of commercial amenities and residential accommodation that better suits young commuters eager to become independent and get on the housing ladder.

An example of where retail, hospitality and leisure meet new housing can be seen in the regeneration of Farnborough town centre in Hampshire where planning permission has been obtained and building work has commenced in a £17 million pound project. Whether the cost of over a hundred new apartments that are being built will be affordable for residents in the local community remains to be seen, as they are completed and come onto the market over the coming years. (6)

In June Holly Holder at The Centre for Aging Better insisted that there “simply is not enough genuinely affordable housing, particularly for people with increased accessibility needs, many of whom are older.” Holder recommends building new homes that comply with regulations that have a higher standard of accessibility requirements as well as improved energy efficiency. (7)

Constraints in the capacity of cities

Many of the cities in the UK evolved from the times of the Romans and many even before that era. As building construction methods and transportation have changed the metro centres have grown organically. That means that in the important sectors of retail and financial banking for example, people don’t usually live where they work.

For example, in Chichester, West Sussex last year the council has been able to successfully advise the government that it impossible to meet their housing target. West Sussex County council said they cannot physically meet their housing targets in the Chichester area as the road system is not sufficient to handle any extra traffic, that would be created by the many hundreds more new homes needed by Westminster’s brief. In addition, they argue that the current levels of ‘out commuting’ (commuting to and from cities into popular residential areas) is already highly problematic in this region.

Like the commute

New housing projects need to be built near where there are jobs and people of all ages need to be able to take a reasonable journey in terms of cost and time to their employment. If a city is ‘full’ and possibly many buildings are already listed due to their historical interest culturally, it is not always possible for planners to allow the building of another fresh housing block in the inner town centre area.

In addition to new housing estates investment in new infrastructure projects such as the new Crossrail and Elizabeth line in London and the East West rail line linking Oxford and Cambridge are essential to enable millions of people to live within one hour’s journey of major employment centres.

The costs of these complex projects often run into billions. While they create thousands of construction jobs, initially they need to be funded mainly through tax payer contributions, which means less money in the government’s coffers for other services such as healthcare services and helping residents with the cost of living.

Keep building more affordable homes

Incorporating the latest house building methods such as pre-fabricated building systems and assembling easy to build wood format designs, will increase the amount and rate of apartments and houses that can be built in a given time frame, for a set budget.

Hundreds of thousands of homes are needed to be built each year, to keep up with the demands of an increasing population and an aging population and reach the current Housing minister’s ambitious targets. Therefore, it is imperative that we must take advantage of improvements in building efficiency.

The Benefits to Bricks policy outlined by Boris Johnson, the previous Prime Minister’s housing policy, aims to allow families that are working and eligible for Housing benefit to pay off mortgages instead of paying private landlords or housing associations. However, this is a very limited policy in terms of who could be eligible to become homeowners. It also remains to be seen whether this policy will be workable as the mortgage interest rates increase.

It is questionable as to who would be able to both be able to receive low-income housing benefit and also at the same time be in a position to put a deposit forward and meet the commercial banks requirements for a loan to buy a house. In many areas of England, the average property costs £300,000 which is more than ten times the average salary of a working couple in many areas of the UK. In addition, over 70% of housing benefit claimants have no savings so most people on benefits will not be able to afford to buy their own place anytime soon, despite this policy being introduced. (8)

There are ways of redistributing funding to help build more social housing. In June the Guardian quoted a statement from Baxter at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, who says the rules around the right to buy should be changed, so that “councils get to keep all of the money raised from sales. The proportion that can be reinvested to build more social housing should also be increased.” (9)

There is no ‘quick fix’ to the cost-of-living crisis that is inextricably linked to the lack of affordable housing in the UK. There is a danger that our politicians enthusiastically propose gimmicky policy campaigns that promise solutions for those on benefits but which are actually not ‘scraping the surface’ of the severe housing problems we have in this country.

Building good quality environmentally efficient social and affordable housing across the communities in towns, cities and villages in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the only way to alleviate the housing problem and reduce costs for people on low-incomes struggling with the increasing costs of living.

We must also be mindful that although improvements in the quantity and quality of housing stock are crucial to our nation’s wellbeing, we must also not neglect to continue to look at solving both the simple and more complex reasons why shockingly homelessness is still an important issue affecting far too many people in nearly all of our towns and cities, even in 2022.

 

Click here to see video of Croydon flat building in action

 

(1) Housing supply requirements across Great Britain for low-income households and homeless people’ Glen Bramley, Professor of Urban Studies, Heriot Watt university, Edinburgh, April 2019 ‘Housing supply requirements across Great Britain’ Glen Bramley, Professor of Urban Studies, Heriot Watt university

(2) ‘What does the cost-of-living crisis mean for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness?’ Crisis Homelessness charity website, 1 March 2022 ‘What does the cost-of-living crisis mean for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness?’ Crisis

(3) What is the Cost of Living Crisis and Who Does It Affect?’ Amanda Howse, HotEnough.com, 3 August 2022 ‘What is the Cost of Living Crisis and Who Does It Affect?’ A Howse, HotEnough.com

(4) ‘It’s time for affordable housing to take centre stage and help address the cost of living.’ Vivid Housing, 1 March 2022 ‘It’s time for affordable housing to take centre stage and help address the cost of living.’ Vivid Housing

(5) ‘Why the rental market is (currently) screwed’ Matt Hutchinson 6 October 2022 ‘Why the rental market is (currently) screwed’ Matt Hutchinson 6 October 2022

(6) ‘Town Centre Regeneration, Farnborough, Hampshire’ Lyons Sleeman Hoare Architects website 14 October 2022 How the housing crisis has deepened the cost of living crisis’ Abigail Everett, 3 August 2022

(7) ‘Prime Minister’s housing reforms offer no solace from cost-of-living crisis for older renters’ Holly Holder, Deputy Director for Homes, Centre for Ageing Better, 9 June 2022 ‘Prime Minister’s housing reforms offer no solace from cost-of-living crisis for older renters’ Holly Holder, Centre for Ageing

(8) ‘Why building 300,000 houses per year won’t solve the housing crisis and what will’ Ian Mulheim, London School of Economics, 28 August 2019 ‘Why building 300,000 houses per year won’t solve the housing crisis and what will’ Ian Mulheim, London School of Economics

(9) ‘How do we fix the UK housing crisis?’ Hillary Osbourne, Pamela Duncan and Lydia McMullan, 9 June 2022 How do we fix the UK housing crisis?’ Hillary Osbourne, Pamela Duncan and Lydia McMullan, 9 June 2022

United Kingdom Mourns Death of Elizabeth II As Charles III Proclaimed King

Amanda Howse
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United Kingdom Mourns Death of Elizabeth II As Charles III Proclaimed King

In 1947 on her 21st birthday the Queen pledged:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

Since her ascension to the throne in 1952 and coronation in 1953 the Queen has experienced many changes in governments, society and culture across the world.

On Thursday 8th September reports about the Queen’s mobility issues which had been given by the Palace as the reason that the Queen was to stay in Balmoral for the season and foreseeable future, became more serious in tone. It was announced that the Prince of Wales and close family would all travel up to the Queen’s favourite Scottish palace, as “concern for the Queen’s health” increased.

Sadly, it was announced that in the afternoon of Thursday 8th September that the Queen had died peacefully surrounded by her close family. Elizabeth II was 96 years old and had celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in June, which was heralded as a great success by all involved.

Although there has been no further comment by the Royal Palace on the matter, reports online speculated that her dark skin tone on her hands indicated a vascular heart problem, which could have caused a disease where her major organs may have been shutting down slowly, often linked to advanced age. However, this private information has not been confirmed by the Palace.

A sign posted on the gates of Buckingham Palace brought the news that many had dreaded but knew was inevitable, at some point in the future. The poster advised that Queen Elizabeth II had died peacefully that day at her home at Balmoral.

On hearing the news, thousands of Londoners made their way to the Queen’s official London home and nearby Green Park. The loyal royal followers laid flowers and hand written cards to show their respect and sadness at the news of the Queen’s passing. As the Royal Standard flags were flown at half-mast an enormous double rainbow appeared to lift the spirits of the somberly gathering crowds at Buckingham Palace.

As the continuity of the royal family is a cornerstone of the leadership and stability of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations, it was swiftly announced that the late Queen’s eldest son Charles, formally known as the Prince of Wales would ascend to the throne and King Charles III was declared King to reign over the kingdom.

As the hereditary role dictates the King is also simultaneously declared the Head of the Church of England.

On Friday 9th September King Charles III made his first televised address to the nation as the new monarch. The pre-recorded speech set just the right tone and focused on what an extraordinary Queen Elizabeth the II had been and how it would be impossible to step into her shoes. Charles promised to devote himself to serving the nation as King for ‘the rest of his life’.

Charles spoke of how he was full of admiration and respect for the example Queen Elizabeth has shown with her tireless and dutiful dedication to her country’s subjects. Charles mentioned how his mother was globally recognized with her unrivalled role as an international diplomat and peaceful leader. Charles also acknowledged how much the family matriarch would be missed. With personally humble and loving words the new King spoke of how much he will miss his darling Mammy.

With Camilla his ‘darling’ loving wife of seventeen years by his side Charles III confirmed that William will be the new Prince of Wales. King Charles made it clear that the royal family had been prepared for this eventuality and however difficult he and his close family would do their best to lead the country and continue their lives of service, promoting and supporting the people of the nation to which they are deeply committed.

King Charles III explained that the organisations and charities that he has for many years been involved with will now be supported by his team and his son and wife William and Kate the new Prince and Princess of Wales will be integral to this natural process smoothly.

Today Saturday 10th September saw evidence of the royal family’s ongoing commitment to tradition and ceremony that goes back dozens of royal generations. There was pomp and ceremony at St James’s Palace, the original monumental seat of power for the royal family going back hundreds of years. As the powerful Mayor of London proclaimed the ascension of the new King of the United Kingdom he was accompanied by Beefeaters and trumpeters in full regalia.

The Clerk of the Council read the Accession Proclamation declaring King Charles III the new monarch, Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith which means her is also head of the Church of England.

Inside St James palace the seat of power leading the country was confirmed. The Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mourdant chaired the event which involved Charles III signing the declaration of power alongside his wife Camilla and supported by next in line for the throne, his son William.

In the front rows of the packed historic hall Charles III’s signature was witnessed by the current Prime Minister Liz Truss and several formal Prime Ministers and leaders of the opposition including Sir John Major, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Boris Johnson and Teresa May.

Simultaneously hundreds of official Books of Condolences were signed in cities across the UK as the country supported one another with coming to terms with a change of government in England and monarchy all across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, all in the same week.

A show of royal family unity was demonstrated by the younger royals in the family as the ‘Fab Four’ or William and Harry and their wives Katherine and Megan met members of the public who were outside the gates of Buckingham Palace last night. They waved at the crowds and carefully surveyed the flowers and messages, just as King Charles III and his wife Queen Consort Camilla had done the previous day.

Today the procession of regal motor cars including a shiny black hearse containing Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin draped in an embroidered Scottish flag slowly made its way through many villages from Balmoral to its destination of Edinburgh Castle.

King Charles III was proclaimed King of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at ceremonies in Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle and Belfast’s Hillsborough Castle.

There will be a period of mourning across the UK and the Commonwealth and the state funeral is expected to take place on Monday 19th September which will be a Bank Holiday in the UK.

A female Prime Minister and a male King is a role reversal of sorts. This week the continuity and machinery of power swung impressively into carefully prepared and choreographed action. This ensures the traditional processes, that provide a framework for transitions of power, continue undaunted. The power balance between the hereditary ruling monarchy and the democratically elected parliament in the United Kingdom continues to create stability and longevity for all the people that live in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Queen Invites Conservative Liz Truss To Form New English Parliament

Amanda Howse
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Queen Invites Conservative Liz Truss To Form New English Parliament

At HotEnough.com we are sad to announce that Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday 8th September at her country estate in Balmoral, Scotland. We are grateful for her extraordinary diligence and dedication to the service of her country, for over seventy years. We hold deep admiration for the example that she set to others to contribute to the improvement and development of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

We will dedicate the articles that follow this news item to her passing and the declaration of Charles III as the new King of the United Kingdom.

On Tuesday 6th September Boris Johnson made his characteristically upbeat, bombastic and in places humorous farewell speech outside the front of Number 10 Downing Street. Throwing in only the smallest grudge holding quip about handing over the baton in the relay race that turned out to be a race (where) “they changed the rules halfway through” he rattled through an optimistic checklist of achievements delivered under his leadership and then wished Liz Truss well.

After thanking and shaking hands with the loyal members of his Conservative team he took his wife Carrie’s arm and jumped into an awaiting official car to be whisked away to Balmoral to see the Queen for the final time.

As the ancient protocol dictated, that same day the Queen then invited the incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss, who had already arrived in Balmoral the day before, to form a new government in Westminster. We all wondered if the Autumnal stormy weather would allow the logistical completion of the leaders travel plans. Fortunately, the careful preparations worked. The airforce was able to fly the new Prime Minister in a separate military jet to the Royal Air Force airport Northalt West London and deliver her ready to deliver her first speech as the new Prime Minister of England, before the sun set in central London.

Liz Truss’s first speech was a success and there was great excitement and much relief by members of the public of all ages. This is because she announced that there are plans emerging that will ensure the government can attempt to manage in a timely fashion the deepening energy crisis that threatens to push millions of working families into fuel poverty this winter. A new (lower than expected) ‘price cap’ of £2500 was discussed with more help for families on low incomes.

We were all heartened to see the charming photographs on Tuesday evenings BBC News of the Queen in her comfortable sitting room at Balmoral. Queen Elizabeth looked relaxed, if a little frail, at her meeting with Liz Truss, her fifteenth Prime Minister which, according to the informally snapped photograph, which Her Royal Highness seemed to enjoy.

The House of Commons began to make progress on Wednesday with an urgent set of priorities that include continuing to support Ukrainian’s fighting against Russia’s invading forces, delivering a strategy for providing affordable energy to homes in the UK this winter and addressing inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

On Thursday Buckingham Palace advised Members of Parliament debating in the House of Commons in Westminster that the Queen’s health was a serious “cause for concern” and that members of the royal family were arriving in Balmoral to be with her.

From that moment onwards, the mood in the Houses of Parliament changed, all the issues of the day were paused, and the cabinet united to brace themselves for the sad news that Queen Elizabeth II, the only monarch that nearly everyone in the UK has known in their lives, had passed away peacefully in the company of her loved ones.

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