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Russell Group vice-chancellors have been accused of “cashing in while students suffer” after it emerged one in three have had a pay rise during the pandemic. The first set of accounts to cover an entire pandemic period show that in 2020-21, 10 out of Britain’s 24 top-flight universities paid their boss more than in 2019-20, a Telegraph analysis found. The figures come as every Russell Group university still has some classes online, bar King’s College London which is returning to pre-pandemic teaching methods after a student revolt. University College London (UCL) paid the largest lump sum, at £589,000, split between the new and outgoing vice-chancellor, a rise of £117,000 - 25 per cent - on the previous year. The largest amount for an individual remained Alice Gast, Imperial College London’s president, who got £518,000 - eleven times the median pay of the college’s fixed-term employees - though a reduction on the previous year. The lowest paid was the University of York’s … [Read more...] about Third of Russell Group vice-chancellors got lockdown pay rises despite online learning

The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 is underway. This year, the UK's hopes ride on the shoulders of Viking lookalike and TikTok hair metal star Sam Ryder, with his song Space Man . According to our music critic James Hall, Ryder's song is the strongest British entry in years. If a UK win seems unlikely – Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra is, understandably, the bookies' favourite – Ryder should at least escape the feared "nul points" given to last year's entry, James Newman. Or will he? To find out, tune in to BBC One for the Grand Final at 8pm on Saturday May 14. The UK's Eurovision track record has always been contentious. Dodgy double-acts and spurious voting tactics have seen us finish anywhere from first place (last clinched in 1998) to dead last (most recently in 2021). Here, we look back at all 63 past entries to see how they hold up, from the ridiculous to the sublime. 63. Jemini, Cry Baby, 2003 Now notorious for its "nul points" last-place result, every part of this … [Read more...] about UK’s Eurovision history: Every UK entry ranked, from worst to best

The UK government has "absolutely the right" to tear up parts of post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, Kwasi Kwarteng has insisted. Speaking to Sky News's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, the business secretary also accused Brussels of being "unreasonable" in its approach towards renegotiating the Northern Ireland Protocol. But Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney said "sabre rattling" and "grandstanding" at Westminster was not how issues would be resolved and the UK making changes unilaterally would be a breach of international law. Politics Hub: 'Last thing' EU and Ireland want is tension with UK, Irish foreign minister says He pointed out his country was also "frustrated" dealing with the fallout of Brexit , which he said had cost it hundreds of millions of euros and threatened the peace process. Advertisement It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to travel to Belfast on Monday for crisis talks after the DUP … [Read more...] about UK has ‘absolutely the right’ to change Northern Ireland post-Brexit trade rules, says business secretary

By Mark Savage Published 2 days ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Eurovision Song Contest Something strange is happening at Eurovision: bookmakers are predicting a good result for the UK. After two years of finishing in last place, and more than a decade since we made the top 10, Sam Ryder is second favourite to win with his uplifting power ballad Space Man. But Ryder is trying to ignore the mounting excitement. "I don't want to get to a point where I start believing the hype," he says. "I just want to do everyone proud, and do the best job I possibly can." Former winner Conchita Wurst is more willing to speculate on his chances. "The buzz in the Eurovision community is, 'Oh, the UK is participating again,'" she told the BBC last month. "No offence to all the other artists who have come before... but this year it feels like, … [Read more...] about Eurovision 2022: Sam Ryder is ‘ignoring the hype’ as the UK’s odds improve

By Mark Savage Published 17 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Eurovision Song Contest Fifteen years ago, I landed in Finland to cover my first ever Eurovision Song Contest. That year, the British entry was Scooch's Flying The Flag (For You), a trifling three minutes of kitsch nonsense. And on the taxi drive from Helsinki Airport, my driver had something to say about it. "Oh, you're from England?" he inquired. "Your song is a joke." He wasn't wrong. Scooch finished joint 22nd (out of 24), tying with France on 19 points. Malta later admitted they'd awarded 12 of those points in a symbolic protest over vote trading in Eastern Europe. For the next decade and a half, the UK didn't fare much better. In 2019 and 2021, our acts took last place. When I arrived in Turin last week, however, the taxi driver was delighted to … [Read more...] about Eurovision 2022: How Sam Ryder turned things around for the UK