It sounded like good news when the government made the announcement that they are going to build thousands of “cheap” starter homes, to help first time buyers into the property market. Housing Minister, Gavin Barwell, announced the first phase of the home building scheme will be completed in 2017 across 30 local authority areas. So far so good, however what the Tories think is affordable and what the average person on the street thinks seem oceans apart. Housing Charity Shelter...

Of London’s various ills, the tube’s Central line is amongst the ugliest. Though the trains aren't succumbed to constant disruption and the seats harbour less dust than the Bakerloo, the choice of devil-red as the line’s colour key does not appear coincidental (generally associated with heat and rage). Over crowded, under-lit and hotter than the filling of a McDonald’s apple pie; each train is a 272-seat anxiety attack, rattling through tunnels so deep that a collision with the Earth’s core...

As a new captain takes the helm of the richest and most powerful country in the world, it is time to take stock and analyse the position of the United States relative to its two largest adversaries: China and Russia. There’s been lots of loose talk of a so-called “underclass” which made Trump’s election possible. Columnists stuffed their columns with the same trite commentary about a “discontented” section of society in at least some respect. These sort of columns write...

When the Conservatives came into power in 2010 rail fares in Britain were already high. Since then, in a mere six years, they have risen by an astonishing 27 per cent - three times faster than wages. But the tragedy isn't just that we're spending six times more on rail fares than our counterparts in the rest of Europe. The tragedy is that we're paying in to a rail network that is crumbling at the seams. Over the past decade rail fares have increased...

Anyone who woke up this morning in a good mood deserves a medal. As the alarm chimed for the first time in two weeks and the winter's chill made escaping the confines of your bed sheets unthinkable there must have been a nation-wide exhale of contempt for life, for today is a very dark day indeed. January can be a tough month all told, with the festive cheer enjoyed in December evaporating leaving only the credit card debt used to finance it in...

By Wyndham Hacket Pain Hugo A love letter to film from one of its great masters, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is both a visual and storytelling delight. Looking back at the life of cinematic innovator Georges Méliès, there is a rich sense and appreciation for cinema’s history. It is amazing to see a filmmaker so in command of his craft and tools, and few films display the elements that make cinema so special as clearly as this one. The Red Balloon...

As thoughts return to the mass return to work, there’s only one surefire way to get rid of the January blues: to book yourself a holiday. We’re already spoilt for choice, and in 2017, the thriving and ever-changing tourism market sees another shift as a slew of new offerings tempt us to visit new places. To help your decision, we’ve picked out just some of the new hotels and attractions on offer around the globe. Expansion at Universal Orlando Thanks...

Sport News 24/7 The loan system in football is the sporting equivalent of a one night stand: an oft fleeting embrace that fills a void for a moment in time, before dissipating into nothing but a memory. Every now and again, however, it can lead to something special. Talking about Pontus Jansson in such terms is wholly apt for Leeds United fans right now. The towering Swede, on loan from Italian club, Torino has engendered an excitement amongst the Elland...

Bill Passman only got his first passport at the age of 51. This year, after quitting his job as a lawyer to travel the world in 2006, he visited his 100th country in ten years. It was in a hostel in Seville when I first came across Bill. He was sat in the reception area fiddling with his iPad. At 61-years-old, he was probably 30-40 years older than most of the other guests, but seemed perfectly comfortable in his surroundings...